At this new Yad Kennedy Tree Planting Centre, you can enjoy a really special planting area, at a readily accessible and well appointed site, in the midst of the fascinating vistas afforded by the Jerusalem Hills.

KKL-JNF foresters and staff will greet your group and conduct a meaningful planting ceremony in the spacious paved area at the Kennedy Memorial from where you can plant trees in the forest and are also invited to visit the impressive Kennedy Memorial. The site's office, where KKL-JNF staff meet you and the tree- planting ceremonial area are all located in the plaza below the Kennedy Memorial, where there is also an information booth for hikers in the forest.  This new site allows easy access for visitors; convenient parking as well as parking spaces for buses bringing larger groups.  The site also has rest rooms and running water for the planters' use.

At the KKL-JNF information booth for hikers in the forest, visitors can receive trail descriptions, inspect a detailed map with aerial photos of the forest and hear advice from experienced guides. The information booth is open weekdays from 9.00-15.00 telephone 02-5709926.

Additional points of interest in the area:

Archaeological remains at Hirbet Sa'adim, the monastery of John the Baptist, Sataf, Tel Tzuva, Pilot Mountain Reserve, US Independence Park and the Holocaust Memorial Forest.

Click here to download the Map

Jerusalem is surrounded by hills.  One of the most interesting mountain ranges surrounding Jerusalem is the Shalmon-Sorek range, rising above The Sorek and Refaim Rivers, to the west of the city.  The Aminadav Forest, planted by KKL-JNF spreads over 7,000 dunams and connects the naturally occurring woods.  Together they form the largest and most impressive open, green space available to Jerusalem residents.  With the help of friends of KKL-JNF Germany, KKL-JNF has developed delightful recreation areas and picnic sites for the enjoyment of visitors to the forest.

The Scenic route established by KKL-JNF along the Shalmon-Sorek mountain range affords a spectacular view of the Sorek and Refaim river beds as well as the Jerusalem hills.  In the distance one can also see the open spaces in the centre of the country.  In the thick of the forest we can find many springs emerging from various strata, some of the most beautiful agricultural terraces in the country and the remnants of ancient orchards, wine presses and olive oil presses.  At the entrance to the forest, KKL-JNF has established a number of recreation sites including some for active recreation and others with sports facilities.  The forest also has cycling trails of varying difficulties, a sign-posted orientation trail, and a path suitable for handicapped visitors located near the active recreation site at Hirbet Sa'adim.

The starting point is at Yad Kennedy: from there we can continue along the scenic route atop the Shalmon-Sorek mountain range.

Touring in the forest

We begin our tour at Yad Kennedy, a most unusual monument commemorating the life of John F. Kennedy, the president of the United States, assassinated in 1963.  The Kennedy Memorial is captivating –   largely owing to its location at the crest of a solitary hill rising 823 meters above sea level.  Before starting our tour, we should walk around Yad Kennedy and enjoy the breathtaking views in all directions, including the Judean Hills, the Hebron Hills and a "window" to the coastal plain where on a clear day one can see all the way to Ashdod.

This memorial, which was established with the help of friends of JNF America, is constructed in the shape of a tree that has been cut down and symbolizes the life of President Kennedy, cut down in his prime, at the age of 46.  The large hall is surrounded by 51 concrete pillars each 7.2 meters high, symbolizing the 51 states of the USA.  This memorial, designed by the architect David Resnik and the sculptor Dov Feigin, was inaugurated in 1996.

Continuing on our tour we turn off the approach road to Yad Kennedy and follow the signs down the road to Hirbet Sa'adim.  We can park in the small parking lot located near a trail branching off towards Ein Handak.  Here we continue on foot to tour the clearing and the adjacent spring -half an hour to an hour's walk.  Hirbet Sa'adim is a small nature reserve, it was declared a nature reserve because of the oak trees growing here which have reached great proportions – an unusual phenomenon for this species of tree.  There is also an ancient, impressive carob tree in this reserve. It is possible that the oak trees in this reserve grew so large by virtue of the remains of a "makam" a house of worship commemorating a martyr, Sheikh Ahmed.  Only two walls of the building remain, two meters high, one including a complete arch.  Sheikh Ahmed was known for his ability to help infertile women conceive and perhaps this is the meaning of the name Hirbet Sa'adim, the happy woman.  A wide path leads from the parking lot to the center of the clearing and the remains of the building.

Near the makam in an open space stands a heavy stone column - the pillar of an olive press in a cave where the mamal was found, a round stone wheel lying on the ground that olives were crushed upon before extracting their oil. To reach the cave we pass by the makam and head north, going down a few meters on a steep hill below the monument in memory of Captain Shlomo Malachi, who fell during the Six Day War.

Our hike then continues for an additional 300 meters to the west along the edge of Hirbet Sa'adim.  To the north of the dirt road surrounding Mount Shalmon is Ein Sa'adim, a spring flowing from two short fissures hewn into the rock.  In the past, the water was collected into two reservoirs that can still be found in the area from which the water was taken to the agricultural terraces, beneath the spring.  The terraces still contain almond trees - remnants of ancient groves.  A direction sign points to a short trail leading up the steep hill towards the Sa'adim picnic site in the Cairo Martyrs Grove - a grove is dedicated to the members of an Israeli intelligence network that operated in Cairo in 1954.  The network's operations were uncovered and several of the members were executed.  There is a circular path accessible for the disabled, which leads from the Sa'adim picnic site to the active recreation area and returns to the picnic site which is about a kilometer long.

We can return to our vehicle and drive along the dirt road surrounding Mount Shalmon with black trail markings, to the road leading to the crossroads, where a sign post has been erected with a map of the forest.  At the crossroads we continue straight and take the first right turn along a stretch of road marked in green under high voltage cables.  This road circles the mountain from the west and north and takes us up to the highest point of the Sorek range, where KKL-JNF has established a small and intimate picnic site.  Here we can park our vehicle and climb up the trail marked by curbstones, leading to the top of the mountain.

Along the way this trail passes three ancient wine-presses that enabled pressing grapes to obtain grape juice which was then fermented to make wine.  The third and highest wine-press is the most impressive of all, a huge wine-press, with a stomping floor measuring 5.7 by 4.7 meters.  The second grape-squeezing, after they had been stomped upon, was done with a wooden beam, one end of which was fitted into an oblong hole carved into the western wall of the space.  Next to the wine-press are the remnants of an olive press and it appears that the wine-presses and other agricultural facilities in this place belonged to the farms that existed here which it appears were in use some time between the Ancient Israelite period and the Byzantine era.  As the trail reaches the crest of the hill, there is a lookout point near a man-made pile of stones with an impressive view of the surrounding area.  All around are the remains of buildings, apparently belonging to dwellings used by farmers in various bygone eras.  The hiking trail continues on down back to the Wine-press Farm picnic site, where we left our vehicle.

Those who are interested in spending time in the open country can continue to the Aminadav Forest active recreation area which can be reached by returning via the dirt road to the crossroads of the notice board.  Turn left there – there are red trail markings - drive about one more kilometer, continue left following the same red trail markings to a sign reading "Yad Kennedy."  At the first crossroads turn left to reach the Aminadav Forest active recreation area.  KKL-JNF has established a large recreation site here, with a basketball court, exercise equipment, playground facilities for children, running water and barbeque pits. From this recreation area, there is a very challenging cycling route of 2.5 kilometers, ending at Fisher Junction, from where it is only a short distance back to Yad Kennedy.