Roman Abramovich gifts 'significant donation' to KKL-JNF projects
Abramovich’s contribution will go toward afforestation, forest rehabilitation and fighting desertification in the Negev, according to KKL-JNF.
By BRADLEY LEVINRuhama Stream.(photo credit: YAAKOV SKOLNIK)
The fight against climate change in the Middle East got a boost this week thanks to a large donation from Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich.The exact amount of the gift was not reported.The businessman, who is most notable for his ownership of the Premier League football club Chelsea F.C., donated some of his fortune to the Keren Kayemet L’Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), Israel’s largest environmental organization.Abramovich’s contribution will go toward afforestation, forest rehabilitation and fighting desertification in the Negev, according to KKL-JNF.His gift will also include the creation of a new forest in southern Israel dedicated to Lithuanian Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. The forest will help to increase southern Israel’s nature tourism and will combat rising desertification. It will also rehabilitate an area that suffered losses of vegetation due to wildfires that occurred several years ago.
