Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, attended a dinner at Guildhall to mark the planting of the one million tree Royal Forest on the slopes of Mt. Deborah in Galilee, donated by British Jewry through the Jewish National Fund on the occasion of the Silver Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke. Prince Philip told the audience, “The Queen and I appreciate this token of affection and loyalty from the Jewish community of Great Britain.”
Noting that the process of abolishing the deserts in the Middle East is “a matter of great rejoicing,” Prince Philip stated: “We are deeply grateful to the JNF, and to the people who made contributions to it, for this token gift. We are also delighted that it should form part of an immensely important effort to repair the damage of the past. Israel registered great achievements in the reclamation of neglected soil, and her techniques are being copied by many other countries.”
Rosser Chinn, president of the JNF in Great Britain, read a message from Australia stating that Australian Jewry will plant 100,000 trees in the Royal Forest as an expression of loyalty and affection for the Queen and Prince Philip. A message from Jacob Tsur, chairman of the JNF in Jerusalem, stated: “It is a source of pride to us that the tribute of British Jewry to the Queen and her husband has been entrusted to the JNF for implementation.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
