Jewish National Fund closes account with German bank
Jewish Voice uses its account to raise funds for boycott activities, including targeting JNF-KKL with boycott actions.
By BENJAMIN WEINTHALUpdated: SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 18:23Activists from the BDS movement against Israel [File](photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The German branch of the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) announced on Thursday that it plans to shut down its account with the Bank for Social Economy because of the financial institution’s support for the antisemitic boycott campaign targeting the Jewish state.The JNF-KKL closure is the third organization to cut ties with the Cologne-based bank for its energetic support of an extremist Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions organization – Jewish Voice for Peace in the Middle East – which seeks to dismantle Israel via economic warfare.“The JNF is aware of the ongoing support of the goals of the antisemitic BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction) by the association Jewish Voice. We regret that the Bank for Social Economy has not drawn the necessary conclusions despite the public pressure to finally close the account of Jewish Voice.”The JNF-KKL added, “It is unmistakably clear that the JNF-KKL entirely rejects BDS and supports the fight against this antisemitic movement and JNF-KKL will not maintain a work relationship with a bank that also provides financial services to BDS groups.”The Jerusalem Post first exposed the pro-BDS activity of the Bank for Social Economy in 2016.Jewish Voice uses its account to raise funds for boycott activities, including targeting JNF-KKL with boycott actions.JNF-KKL raises funds to help Israel’s environment, including the planting of trees and replenishing the burned out areas in the south caused by Hamas fire balloon launchers.The JNF-KKL posted on its website a new bank account for donations. The name of the new bank for JNF-KKL Germany is Santander Bank.The pro-Israel organization wrote it looks forward to support for a “green, ecological and safe Israel.” The move to sever ties with the anti-Israel Bank for Social Economy by the relatively new JNF-KKL president Jaffa Flohr garnered praise from leading German Jews who are involved in blunting the growing BDS activity in Germany.
Flohr told the Post the steps to close its account will go into effect after Yom Kippur.“The cancellation of the accounts by the Bank for Social Economy will be prepared,” she said.Dr. Elvira Groezinger, the chairwoman of the German section of the Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, “The praiseworthy decision of the German branch of the Jewish National Fund, to close their account with the Bank for Social Economy is another very important victory in the fight against the BDS.”“We now expect all the other Jewish organizations to join in the detachment from and boycott of the BDS and the institutions supporting it. There should be no place in Germany for professed antisemites or any enemies of Israel!”Malca Goldstein-Wolf, an anti-BDS activist, told the Post, “It is great that after Keren Hayesod now the Jewish National Fund KKL clearly positioned itself and will no longer work with the Bank for Social Economy because of the bank’s cooperation with the BDS organization Jewish Voice. If we Jews all pull together, and jointly work together, we have a good chance of asserting ourselves against the Jew-haters of BDS. We are only strong together.”In late August, the German branch of the Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal – the prominent Israeli public fund-raising global organization to advance the security of the Jewish state – closed its account with the Bank for Social Economy because of the bank’s pro-BDS activity.