Officials of the Jewish National Fund said today, during a press tour of the John F. Kennedy Memorial in the Kennedy Peace Forest in the Judean Hills, that 1,500,000 trees have already been planted in the Kennedy Forest. The memorial will be dedicated July 4 in the presence of Chief Justice Earl Warren and more than 1, 000 other visitors from the United States.
The JNF officials also reported that 2,000,000 trees had been planted in the adjoining United States Freedom Forest with a goal of a total of 5,500,000 trees in both forests, equaling the number of American Jews. Gifts for the Kennedy Forest have reached $3, 000, 000 with more than 100, 000 donors participating, the officials said.
The memorial is more than 2,700 feet above sea level and visible for miles around. Made up of 52 concrete pylons, it is in the shape of a cutoff tree. Inside there will be a Kennedy relief, an eternal flame and a permanent exhibit of highlights of his views on Israel and Jews. The 51 spaces between the pylons will be covered by settings of stained glass, each containing an emblem of an American state, including one for the District of Columbia.
Israeli participants in the dedication will include Premier Levi Eshkol and Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem. American Ambassador Walworth Barbour will also take part. Yaacov Tsur, JNF world chairman, will hand over the dedication certificate to Herman L. Wiesman, president of the JNF in the United States, who will accept it for the White House. It is not yet known whether members of the Kennedy family will participate.
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.
