The Board of Directors of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) approved on Tuesday a NIS 33 million budget to support 22 communities along the northern border, 2 to 5 kilometers from the Lebanese border.
Under the decision, each community evacuated during the fighting that has not yet received JNF support will receive 1.5 million NIS for infrastructure rehabilitation and development.
Among the benefiting communities are Kibbutz Ma'ayan Baruch and Kibbutz Dan in the Upper Galilee Regional Council, Beit Hillel, and Ramot Naftali. The plan also includes the remaining communities in the Mevo'ot HaHermon Regional Council, Liman in Mateh Asher, Ibn Menachem, Elkosh, Goren, Manot, and Avdon in Ma'ale Yosef, as well as Kerem Ben Zimra and Alma in the Merom HaGalil Regional Council.
Unlike the government's uniform funding model, JNF adopted a graduated support model based on distance from the Lebanese border and the severity of damage to the communities. Under this framework, front-line communities, including Kibbutz Manara and Moshav Dovev, are eligible for NIS 2.5 to 3 million per community. The current phase approves support for communities 2 to 5 km from the border, while the next phase plans to fund approximately 1 million NIS for each community 5 to 9 km away.
The funds are earmarked for infrastructure development, upgrading and fortifying public buildings (such as kindergartens, community centers, and dining halls), and enhancing open public spaces. Residents and local leadership will decide on specific projects independently.
Communities to be visited, plan to begin soon
JNF professional teams are scheduled to visit the communities in the coming days to formulate the project list, aiming to begin execution within roughly a month and a half. This step joins additional JNF investments in northern cities and regional hubs, including Tiberias (allocated approximately NIS 35 million), Karmiel, Afula, and Beit She'an.
JNF Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky commented on the expanded support plan: "We decided that JNF's northern rehabilitation efforts will not stop at the 2-kilometer border line. Adjacent communities within up to 5 km also paid a heavy price during the war and continue to pay."
Ostrinsky added: "JNF stands with the women and men of the North, and I promise we will remain shoulder-to-shoulder with them. In our view, national responsibility means looking at the broad picture, not leaving communities behind, listening, and helping. JNF acts to make rehabilitation a reality on the ground."
The Moshavim Movement welcomed the decision. Amit Yifrach, the Movement's general secretary and chairman of the Israel Farmers Association, said JNF is a true partner to the moshavim and the entire rural sector. He said this cooperation will strengthen border-adjacent moshavim and rural settlements as a whole, emphasizing that the resilience of border communities is integral to the resilience of the State of Israel.