Israeli Artists Redesign Blue Box

Israeli Artists Redesign “Blue Box” towards
Restoration of Galilee Forests

KKL-JNF recently initiated an original and unique project to promote restoration of the forests of northern Israel, which were severely damaged by fires ignited by Katyusha missiles during the Lebanon War II. Twenty-two of Israel’s most prominent artists volunteered to redesign giant models of KKL-JNF’s famous “Blue Boxes.” Each box was sponsored by one of Israel's leading financial companies or businesses, and the amount of IS 50,000 was earmarked towards production of the boxes and restoration of the forests. The giant boxes will be displayed to the general public at an outdoors exhibition on Rothschild Boulevard – restored with the help of Todd and Joshua Patkin from Massachusetts, USA - during the upcoming Suckot holiday and afterwards sold at an auction, the proceeds of which will go towards restoration of Galilee forests.

On Wednesday, 5th October 2006, a the inauguration ceremony of the exhibition was held at the historic KKL-JNF building on Shapira Street, Tel-Aviv, in the presence of KKL-JNF World Chairman Mr. Efi Stenzler, representatives of the sponsoring companies and the artists.

Mr. Efi Stenzler in his address said that just as the war broke out unexpectedly, without time for adequate preparation, so too, KKL-JNF needed to respond quickly to the present challenges: “This initiative is part of our campaign to raise money to restore the forests of northern Israel, a task that will take many years. The Blue Box has always been the symbol of world Jewry’s support for KKL-JNF, and our hope is that in future, every Jewish home and school, in Israel or abroad, will once again have a Blue Box. I would like to thank the artists, the companies and the businesses that have contributed towards this project. With the help of the Jewish people everywhere, we hope to be “seeing green again” both in the Galilee and also in the Negev.”

Mr. Michael Ben-Abu, of the Israel Fundraising Department emphasized the link between the spiritual and the material. “Herzl taught us that we can realize our dreams and that we must find appropriate tools to make our dreams a reality. The Blue Box is a fixed symbol that is transformed by the artists’ creative vision, just as the physical landscape is nurtured and

developed by KKL-JNF.”

Speaking in the name of the artists involved in the project, Mr. Ziv Koren, a famous Israeli photographer, said that he was very pleased to have taken part in this project: “I spent five weeks of the war fighting in Lebanon, and I saw the damage done to our forests on a daily basis. Redesigning the Blue Box is a great idea and part of the retro-trend that is so popular today. I

would like to thank KKL-JNF for this opportunity.”

Moshe Barmak of Excellence Nessuah represented the companies that financed the redesigned Blue Boxes: “The businesses that I represent feel that this is a perfect way to contribute to the community and the environment and to repair some of the damage caused by the war. It has been my company’s policy to send gifts to our suppliers and business associates every year for Rosh Hashanah. This year, we decided that the best thing to do with the money would be to donate it towards restoring the Galilee’s forests. We contacted KKL-JNF to offer our help and they suggested that we get involved in this project. We hope that it will indeed contribute towards the re-Greening of the Galilee.”

Refreshments and drinks were served to the participants, and we had an opportunity to speak with some of the artists who had worked on the exhibit. Mr. Binyamin Levy, whose works are exhibited at museums in Israel, Paris, Buenos Aries and Toronto, explained how he got involved in this project: “Mr. Stenzler asked me to participate and I was more than happy to do so. I remember the Blue Box we had in our home when I was a child. My drawing on the giant Blue Box expresses my hope that “that which has been planted never be uprooted.” I emphasized the eyes of man appreciating trees, for it is by opening our eyes to our surroundings and by listening that we will be inspired to care for our environment.”

For Ms. Irit Hadani, a leading Israeli artist, participating in the project represented the closing of a personal circle. “My father was Yeruham (Benny) Ben-Dror, who was sent to the USA by KKL-JNF in the early 1960s to raise funds for KKL-JNF activities. “Afforestation” was one of the first words I knew as a child, along with my first English sentence: “My father is on a mission from the JNF.” He was a tremendous orator and scholar and entirely devoted to KKL-JNF and the State of Israel. For me, being invited to participate in the Blue Box project is a way of re-connecting with the beliefs of my father, who died several years ago – the Jewish people’s ties to its land, heritage and natural surroundings.”

In conclusion, Mr. Tzvika Lahman, one of the artists, said that the recent war

reflects a unique juncture: “Over the past summer, we have been witness to a bloody conflict related to man and land (Hebrew: dam, adam, adamah, dam). We must never forget that only when these disparate elements interact with each other – survival, human needs and care for the earth – can we hope for a better future. For me, that is KKL-JNF’s mission.”

In recognition of their contribution to the restoration of Israel's forests, Efi Stenzler presented each artist with a beautifully designed certificate of appreciation, along with a Blue Box as a personal souvenir.

Blue Box in the Rothschild Boulevard

Tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard is one of Tel-Aviv’s most popular spots for walking, cycling, drinking coffee, meeting friends or sitting in the shade. During 2001-2002, thanks to a generous contribution by Todd, Yadira and Joshua Patkin of Massachusetts, USA, KKL-JNF and the Tel-Aviv Municipality, the boulevard was renewed. As the donor appreciation plaque states, new trees were planted and old trees were restored, with general repairs and upgrading. It did not take long for Tel-Aviv residents to make this central location come back to life.

During the recent Suckot holiday, Rothschild Boulevard was the scene of a unique outdoors exhibition. In order to promote fundraising for restoring the forests of northern Israel, which were severely damaged by fires ignited by Katyusha missiles during the Lebanese War II, twenty-two of Israel’s most prominent artists volunteered to redesign giant models of KKL-JNF’s famous Blue Box. Some of the artists’ works related to the burnt forests directly, while others focused on KKL-JNF activities in general. Each box was sponsored by one of Israel's leading financial companies or businesses, each of which invested IS 50,000 towards production of the boxes and restoration of the forests. The giant boxes were on display to the general public at an outdoors exhibition on Rothschild Boulevard for a period of three weeks that began during Suckot, and will afterwards be sold at an auction, the proceeds of which will go towards restoration of Galilee forests.

We met many people on a balmy Tel-Aviv afternoon at the Blue Box exhibition. Two young KKL-JNF volunteers invited visitors to participate in the activities. For families with children, there was an outdoor drawing workshop at which the children were provided with crayons and paints and asked to redesign their own Blue Box. Shahar, a six-year old girl visiting the exhibit with her mother Yael, was especially creative, pasting her Blue Box drawing on a real box, which she happily displayed for us (of course after we promised to send her a copy of the picture). Yael said: “We began our walk at the Migdal Shalom tower and made our way down Rothschild Boulevard to the exhibition. We were looking at the historic buildings and houses along the way, and I told Shahar about Tel-Aviv’s history. Rothschild Boulevard has become one of our favorite spots ever since it was restored.”

We also met Avner and Yifat from Ramat-Gan, who had chanced upon the exhibition during an afternoon walk, with their four-year old daughter, Maya. “We are old enough to remember the Blue Box from the time we were schoolchildren. It’s really amazing to see what the artists have done with them and Maya is having a great time painting her own Blue Box.”

Many of the visitors were moved by the exhibition’s theme - the restoration of the Galilee forests that were burned during the recent Lebanese War. They expressed their identification with the national effort by making spontaneous contributions at the exhibition. Some of the younger people couldn’t resist putting coins and bills in the (regular sized) Blue Box at the KKL-JNF Information Stand. Two teenage girls, Efrat and Yahel, explained why they had stopped and contributed.

As Efrat said, “I saw pictures of the burnt forests on TV, it was really horrible. It gives me a very good feeling to know that all the levels of Israeli society – poor and rich, companies and individuals, and especially Jews from abroad - are supporting the campaign to restore the forests. It’s one of those times when all the Jewish people are like one – I just wish that it wouldn’t always take a catastrophe for that to happen.”