Help restore the Be’eri Forest in Israel

The Be’eri Forest in the western Negev is truly one of the most popular places in nature in Israel. Scores of Israelis come to this forest to hike, bike, picnic and just enjoy getting out in nature, and they especially flock here in winter to see the bright carpets of red anemones which blossom during the rainy season. Many also come to visit the ANZAC Memorial, an important site in the story of modern Israel’s national rebirth.

However, this special corner of the Be’eri Forest has been heavily burned and damaged over recent years by fire kites and balloons launched by arsonists in nearby Gaza.

Yet now, the ICEJ has an exciting opportunity to replant and restore this area and make it more beautiful than ever. We are revitalizing this forest in partnership with Keren Kayemeth Leisrael/Jewish National Fund (KKL/JNF), and the area will be renamed the…

‘Christian Embassy Nature Park’

The Be’eri Forest especially needs reviving in the area of the ANZAC Memorial, which marks the spot where Australian and New Zealand cavalry forces (ANZACs) serving under British Gen. Edmund Allenby camped one night in late October 1917 during their campaign to free ‘Palestine’ from Ottoman rule. Allenby and his troops had failed several times to push the Turks out of Gaza. But a new plan of attack was hatched that night as they camped just outside Gaza.

That evening, Allenby decided to send the ANZAC cavalry through the Negev desert to stage a surprise attack on Beersheba to the east. The battle would be difficult, as the Ottoman forces were waiting in trenches and armed with machine guns. But as the Australian and New Zealand horsemen rode for hours along a winding desert path, their mounts became very thirsty. And as the horses approached Beersheba, they smelled the water in the ancient wells of the biblical town and nothing was going to stop them from reaching that water.

Historians consider the Battle of Beersheba to be the last successful cavalry charge in history. The ANZACS rode their horses straight through the Turkish lines and sent them reeling northward. The victory was so complete that just two days later, on 2^nd November 1917, the British government issued the famous Balfour Declaration committing to establish a Jewish national home in Eretz Israel.

Thus, the ANZAC Memorial marks a key moment in modern Israel’s national rebirth. And the ICEJ now has a rare opportunity to help care for the forested area where this historic monument sits.

Please join us in helping to replant and restore this special part of the Be’eri Forest. It will beautify nature and also demonstrate to Israeli visitors that Christians care about them and their extraordinary land.

You can help restore this beloved Israeli forest by adopting a plot in square meters for replanting and renewal.

For every gift of $60.00, you can adopt 50 square meters of the revived forest. You also will receive a special certificate from ICEJ and KKL/JNF as a sponsor of the restored forest.

Donate today at:  give.icej.org/forest

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