Representatives of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) have taken part in a joint meeting f the leadership and active members of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), which took place on December 15th, and was dedicated to summarizing JNF activity in 2010.

JNF began to actively act in Russia several years ago, and was able to take a worthy place among the important Russian Jewish organization because of the clear and well-planned actions of the Fund's leadership.

The building was blessed by the Head Rabbi of Russia, the Deputy Chairman of the EAJC Rabbi Council Adolph Shaevich. The soulful speech of JNF President Vladimir Shternfeld on the final results of the departing year and the perspectives of the new year provoked an exchange of opinions on the new ideas presented on the development of the Fund presented within the speech.

The report of fund director Raphael Feinberg presented the active and possible projects of the Fund in great detail. The December fire in the north of Israel had changed JNF activity, prompting a greater sum to be given to Israeli project. It was also decided to devote special attention to the celebration of Tu Bishvat, the New Year of the Trees, while supporting and furthering the tradition of gathering funds to plant trees in the Land of Israel.

The interest towards Fund work is growing stronger each month. Several hundred people from Russia, as well foreign countries near and far, look at the Fund website daily, take an active interest in its work, provide constructive proposals, and offer aid.

The counsellor of the Embassy of State of Israel in the Russian Federation Eitan Weiss underscored in his introductory speech the importance of the Fund, its contacts with Israel, and proposed to increase the number of joint projects. He made a logical and longdue proposal to make the cooperation between the Embassy and the Fund more dynamic and regular.

The end of the working part of the meeting was an awarding ceremony for the leading trustees and benefactors of the Fund. The first award was given to Vladimir Shternfeld. He was presented with the highest EAJC award, the "For Merist" medal, by the decree of the EAJC President Alexander Mashekvich.

The meeting showed that the activity of the Fund in 2010 was quite fruitful: the projects and programs of the fund began to work.