Donor Stories

Learn how others have made an impact through their acts of giving to our organization and others.

The Legacy of a Lifetime. A Survivor Stands for Israel
Fred Zeilberger was born on December 16, 1929 in Wurzburg, Germany, where his father, Justin, owned a tailor shop. On Kristallnacht, the store was...
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Giving to the Land You Love
MILDRED POPKIN was a woman ahead of her time. A fierce feminist and passionate Zionist, Mildred was born in 1929 in New Orleans...
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A Return on Investing in Israel
Sheldon Kay has made some good financial decisions in his life, but one of his biggest recommendations to those looking for investment tips might surprise you.
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A Life of Service Brings Returns
Arthur Antman invests in Israel and enjoys the benefits. Arthur Antman's interest in exploration...
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Building a full life, leaving a beautiful legacy
Hilda and Manfred Namm (z"l) lived lives marked by the upheaval of the Holocaust and both were continuously grounded by their
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A Living Legacy for Young Scholars
HAROLD SLOTNICK (1942 - 2020) was one of two brothers born to immigrant parents, Abraham and Reba, in Philadelphia.
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Using a DAF to Fund the Village
Bob and Rita Philip are dedicated philanthropists with a keen eye for long-term investments and a passion for creating a brighter future for Israel.
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Paying it Forward
Spreading Muss Magic to more families
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Oklahoma Resident Honors Father, Survivor Max Furer z"l, With Israeli Neighborhood
A lifetime builder, the naming of the new neighborhood in Moshav Hatzeva in the Arava is a perfect memorial
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A Venerable Veteran Remembered
In 1941, an unassuming thirteen-year-old Jewish girl from small-town America lied about her age to join what is now known as the United States Air Force Auxiliary...
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A $2.8 Million Bequest Goes to Help Immigrants Start New Lives in Israel
Saul and Helen Moskowitz were blessed with a lot of love in their lives. While they did not have children, they had many friends and various philanthropic endeavors which were dear to their hearts...
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Gifting a Legacy
Sometimes gifts come so well wrapped that you had no idea what was in the box. Such was the gift of Hilde Staniulis, a remarkable Chicago woman who led a remarkable life...
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Our Legacies Are What We Leave Behind
How do you build a legacy? For the Riskin family of San Francisco, the legacy of Reva and Jack began with learning. In a conversation with Josh Riskin, Reva and Jack's...
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The Incredible Life and Legacy of Ellen Barnett
Having escaped the Nazis at the age of 13, Ellen Barnett (Z"L) maintained a fierce desire to help her fellow Jews throughout her more than 100-year lifetime...
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From Generation to Generation
Abraham "Albert" Schiff was born in 1883 in the small Lithuanian village of Laizeva. According to his grandson, Stanford University Professor Dr. Arnold Milstein, the Schiff family placed an...
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Leaving a Legacy of Love for Israel
Ruth Newhouse will be remembered for her immeasurable contribution to the Jewish and wider communities. Even after her passing, her support of the land and people of Israel and Jewish...
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The Legacy of Sharon Schweidel
New York's legal community lost an advocate for justice with the passing of Sharon Schweidel. Sharon grew up as an observant Jewish woman in Brooklyn...
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Stella Luftig: Centenarian JNF-USA Supporter Shares Her Story
The eldest of three siblings, Stella Luftig was raised in a secular Jewish family in a working-class district in Vienna, Austria. Her father earned a hand-to-mouth...
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Lily Liebman's Legacy for the Future of the Jewish People
Lily H. Liebman was a private and humble woman. She generally gave no indication of her wealth or of the traumatic experiences she...
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Dr. and Mr. Ascher's Bequest Continues to Make an Impact on JNF Programs
Dr. Galli S. Ascher spent much of her life devoted to caring and helping others as a medical doctor in the field of pathology with a specialty in hematology and cancers of the blood...
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Jack Fleischer
Jack Fleischer may perhaps be best known as the person who coined the phrase, "And now to honor America," that we hear so often before the playing of our national anthem...
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Robert and Shirley Levitt
Normally I use this space to write about the financial benefits of contributing to Jewish National Fund. JNF's many Planned Giving opportunities – which...
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Gloria and Hans Schott
Gloria and Hans Schott lived in Philadelphia for most of their married life, which spanned 60 years. Theirs was a relationship that was built on a life-long love...
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Terry Katz Continues Legacy with Pledge to Israel
As a young girl, Terry Katz was given cardboard trees in school; each card was an opportunity to plant a tree in the new country of Israel. She took the responsibility...
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Louise and Alan Dabrow
For the past 25 years, Louise and Alan Dabrow have fostered a legacy of commitment to JNF through philanthropy and support. Years ago...
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California Donor Affirms His Love of Israel Through JNF
Years ago, when David Gursky was in grade school, he and his classmates would place five-cent stickers on paper trees until they had raised the requisite...
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Planned Giving Opens Many JNF Doors
Cynthia Hertz and her husband, Matthew J. Hertz (z"l), got to know JNF through its Planned Giving Department. Ever since, she has become a devotee...
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A LEGACY OF GIVING MEMORIALIZED IN THE JEWISH STATE
Alper Abdy Garren was a brilliant scientist who was devoted to the creation and maintenance of public parks, for which he made a generous gift, upon his passing, to Jewish National Fund...
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How Will Your Legacy and Service Be Honored?
Alice J. Tevelson and Marchel Charles Tevelson, of La Mesa, CA, shared a great love for each other and the life they created together...
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Rubenstein Family's Donor Advised Fund Supports JNF Projects
Steve Rubenstein didn't want to just write JNF a check. "My father cared a lot about Israel," said his son Andrew Rubenstein...
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Celebrating Israel on the Sunshine Mission
For Susan and Stanley Friedman of New York, JNF's Sunshine Mission wasn't their first time in Israel, but it was their first time on a JNF mission...
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A Life Committed to Zionism
Ora Gelberg knew she wanted to make aliyah when she was 17 years old...
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Donor's Legacy Helps Fulfill Ben Gurion's Dream
David Ben Gurion's hut at Sde Boker-the desert kibbutz where Israel's first prime minister retired-remains exactly as he left it at the time of his death in 1973...
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Hal Linden
Growing up, Emmy award-winning actor and performer Hal Linden watched his father Charles Lipshitz, a founding member of the Zionist group...
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REMEMBERING RAY FEFERMAN ON YOM HASHOAH
Holocaust Survivor Lives on with his Lasting Legacy to the Jewish People
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Two amazing women; two amazing stories
Raya Cowan and May Mann may never have met, but the decisions they made during their lives are helping change the face of the Negev Desert after their deaths...
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JNF's Record-Setting Campaign Thanks to Longtime Donors' Bequest
When John Boruchin was 12 years old, he attended a speech delivered by Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky. Inspired, he said then...
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Kenny Kaplan
South Floridian Kenny Kaplan's love and commitment to Israel began in 1998 when he travelled to the country to volunteer on military bases. Touring the country...
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Jewish veterans of honor: West Point, WWII and a desk at the Pentagon
Irving Schoenberg grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri, born into a family with a strong love for the Jewish people and Israel. He had an interest in going to the military throughout high school...
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Jewish veterans of honor: From WWII army medic to trial attorney, she always had a sense of humor
Dinah M. Selvin wore many hats during her 90 years, among them first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, physical therapist, public defender, and supporter of Jewish National Fund...
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Edmund Goulder
When Edmund Goulder traveled to Israel 30 years ago with his brothers, he never anticipated that the experience would leave him with a renewed excitement for the future of the Jewish homeland...
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Leaving a Living Legacy in Israel
A lover of nature and the land of Israel, Goldie Keehn of Shelburne Falls, MA enjoyed spending time outdoors and frequently purchased and planted trees...
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David Kaplan
David Kaplan was a hard-working and philanthropic man. He married the love of his life, Betty, in 1976 and the two enjoyed 38 years of marriage before...
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Shirley & Jack Liebowitz: Israel and Jewish National Fund's Super Heroes
Long after you are gone, will you be remembered? Many will certainly be remembered in the hearts and minds of their immediate family and loved...
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Honoring a Grandfather, Supporting Israel, and Leaving a Lasting Legacy
Selma Gold Danz was born in 1918 in what was then known as the Arizona Territory. She began her career in the arts at age nine when she won a city-wide...
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An Artist's Legacy of Love for the Land & People of Israel
Judy Guth is synonymous with passion. She lived a life that centered on her loves-Israel, art, animals, and the environment. Judy wrote...
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