(Courtesy of Jewish National Fund) Jewish National Fund (JNF) is proud to welcome Jacqueline Yehudiel as its new northern New Jersey director. In this new capacity, Yehudiel will be instrumental in helping JNF connect people in northern New Jersey to the land of Israel and support unique projects that enhance the lives of Israelis for many generations to come. She joins JNF after spending time working as the director for Teach NJS and prior to that, as the New Jersey associate director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
“I am so excited to join this wonderful organization. I am amazed at all the work JNF is doing in Israel—from building safe playgrounds in Sderot to making hiking trails accessible for people with disabilities, to helping farmers in the Negev make the desert bloom—it’s all part of a bigger picture that I am thrilled to be a part of,” said Yehudiel. “It’s a privilege to join a team of professionals and lay leaders across the country that is committed so deeply to aiding and developing communities across Israel and helping the country thrive in revolutionary ways.”
Yehudiel’s connection to Israel was spurred when she was an undergraduate student at Penn State, where she earned a degree in political science. It was on campus that she witnessed firsthand the BDS movement in action and decided to use her voice to stand up for the truth. She went on to become president of the campus Israel Alliance and local Chabad chapter. For graduate school, she moved to Tel Aviv to pursue an MA degree from Tel Aviv University.
Northern New Jersey Co-Presidents Bob and Joan Oppenheimer look forward to working with the new organization professional: “We are excited to work with Jacqueline to accomplish great things together in northern New Jersey, and to educate the community about JNF’s mission—that we are so much more than Blue Boxes and trees; that we are impacting the state and people of Israel for the better.”
Yehudiel joins Jewish National Fund as its leadership is in the midst of the very ambitious One Billion Dollar Roadmap for the Next Decade campaign, which has already raised $570 million. This is a ground-breaking plan for Israel’s future that encompasses building new communities in the Negev and Galilee, expanding the scope of river rehabilitation and water research, exploring energy production, creating opportunities for people with special needs, heritage preservation, bringing thousands of people to Israel every year on missions and trips, and growing future leadership in our youth community through Zionist education and advocacy programs.
A resident of Fort Lee, Yehudiel and her husband, Shalom Yehudiel, own a kosher restaurant, The Humble Toast, and belong to the Sephardic Congregation of Fort Lee.
To learn more about JNF in northern New Jersey and connect with Jacqueline Yehudiel directly, please call 973-593-0095, x823 or email [email protected].
