Visiting Czech Republic President Milos Zeman planted an olive tree in the Grove of Nations Forest in Jerusalem, during a ceremony organized by Keren Kayemet LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), the largest Jewish environmental organization.
“The connection between the Czech Republic and the Jewish people is like a tree with deep roots of history and tradition,” the President, who is on a 4-day official visit to Israel, said.
He noted KKL-JNF's international reputation for combating desertification and said, “Let’s talk not just about trees but also about the desert. Israel is the only country in the world that is succeeding in the reduction of desertification. As a Jewish, democratic, sovereign state, Israel is surrounded by deserts, not only geographically but also politically, and I wish you continued success in your fight against deserts of all kinds.”
He also stressed that ‘’everyone should plant a tree at least once in his or her life.”
KKL-JNF Chairman Efi Stenzler stressed that in Jewish tradition planting a tree is a sign of true friendship. “Here in the Grove of Nations, in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, in the valley next to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, heads of state have had the privilege of expressing their identification with the State of Israel and the Jewish people,” he said.
He described the diversity of KKL-JNF projects—afforestation, water source management, community development, tourism, environmental protection and combating desertification—and concluded by declaring that “KKL-JNF would be glad to collaborate with any organization in the Czech Republic for the benefit of environmental protection and fostering the friendship between the two countries.”
“Send me a picture of the tree that I planted in a hundred years, so we can see how it has grown,” President Zeman told Efi Stenzler, with a big smile on his face.
The KKL-JNF Chairman promised to send him a picture in ten years.
President Zeman was the 65th head of state to plant an olive tree in the Grove of Nations valley which is part of the Olive Tree Route, an initiative led by UNESCO and the Council of Europe around the entire Mediterranean basin aimed at expressing a common desire for peace and co-existence.