The Grove of Nations

Comemmoration plaques at the Grove. Photo: KKL-JNF Photo Archive

The Grove of Nations is found in the Jerusalem Forest and makes up a part of the Olive Tree Route, a part of the initiative led by UNESCO and the Council of Europe to establish an Olive Tree Route around the entire Mediterranean basin expressing the common desire for peace and co-existence.

To a great extent the Grove was founded by the Foreign Ministry's Chief of Protocol Yitzhak Eldan, who spoke of the concept saying that "Planting an olive tree in Jerusalem is a symbolic act which creates a deep-rooted bond between visiting statesmen and the State of Israel. A joint concern for nature and the environment forms a basis for partnership between countries." 

The Grove is a home to dozens of trees planted by heads of state from around the world. It is usually attended by the dignitaries following a visit to the Yad VaShem holocaust museum and memorial which is located in close proximity. It is an additional cause for the speeches made at the Grove by world leaders speak of the need for peace and for making a connection between the tree planting and the history of the land of Israel.

Tree planting ceremonies at the Grove of Nations include speeches by the visiting head of state and the chairperson of KKL-JNF. The ambassadors accompanying the head of state recite the Planter’s Prayer. As in all KKL-JNF tree plantings, the planter is rewarded with a special certificate testifying to his having planted an olive tree in the Forest Grove of the Nations.