Northern Israel has long been recognized for its great potential. “Green spaces, endless landscapes, nature, history, clean air, pure water, quality of life, a tourist destination, and 17% of the land of Israel, yet only 12% of the population resides there, and despite the region’s plethora of assets, it remains underdeveloped and falls short of its economic potential,” Jewish National Fund-USA points out at the opening of its new 45-page blueprint for the area, titled “The Northern Plan for Israel – Reimagine.”
While the Israeli government recently pledged $1.7 billion to rebuild the region, the plan says: “We must Reimagine tomorrow with the government, foundations, organizations, and the residents of the North so that the dreams of peace, coexistence, religious and historical sites, and a beautiful vision of a shared society truly become an even stronger vibrant reality.”
Jewish National Fund-USA has been working on its Go North strategic initiative for years, together with the government and NGOs, to increase the local population and boost economic opportunities. With the escalation in the North following October 7, any new plan for the region poses a formidable challenge, to say the least. But this does not deter Jewish National Fund-USA, whose CEO, Russell F. Robinson, provided an exclusive copy of the plan to The Jerusalem Report.
“With today’s crisis on the border with Lebanon, it is still unclear if we are in the ‘day before’ or in a state of war, or when the ‘day after’ will be,” the plan states. “The reality is not simple; roads are blocked, as security is a priority, and residents have been evacuated from kibbutzim, moshavim, and cities, living in hotels across Israel, without jobs, and uncertainty about their future. Rockets are launched, destroying homes, causing casualties, fires, and significant property damage. This reality is shaping life today in the Galilee and the Golan Heights.”
The plan is aimed at “strengthening existing communities and bringing people back home, as well as advancing population growth through: development of groundbreaking agricultural research centers, establishment of a world-class culinary institute (GCI by JNF), expansion of startup hubs, increasing medical services, assisting with marketing for tourism destinations, building housing sites and Emergency Response Centers, growing the imprint of food technology, investing in small businesses, increasing employment opportunities, developing youth and young leadership programs, and pushing for a more efficient and impactful ‘hub and spoke’ system to organize and deliver services.”
An ambitious goal
Criticizing the government for viewing Israel as one uniform economic ecosystem without unique policies for every region, the plan says the “one size fits all” mentality is not working, and community complexities, tension, an atmosphere of mistrust, and the diverse population mosaic make it critical to develop a new system to change this slow and inefficient system. The carefully crafted plan is built in stages to provide a framework to harness donors, organizations, foundations and the government to work together with set goals and measured results.
“The Reimagine Plan will prioritize the dreams and wishes of the people of the North and their communities, combined with our goal of increasing the population in the Galilee by 300,000 people by 2050,” the document states.
“Our Reimagine Plan priorities are security, rebuilding damaged homes and public facilities, developing new housing sites, Emergency Response Centers, a world-class culinary institute, medical centers, mental health services, transportation, updating historical sites, bomb shelters, developing a tourism plan, services for people with disabilities, employment, youth services, marketing the beauty and benefits of the North, a Small Business Association, food technology, and servicing this through a new a hub and spoke system, whereby major cities/communities in the North will serve as ‘hubs,’ and various smaller communities/kibbutzim/moshavim in the area will serve as ‘spokes.’”