Eyal Ostrinsky was elected to become the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund’s newest chairman on Thursday, at the first meeting of the national institution’s new board.
Ostrinsky is set to serve in the position for two and a half years on behalf of the Liberal World Zionist Congress bloc and will be replaced for the second half of the term by a representative from the Likud, according to coalition agreements.
Formerly the Labor Party Youth movement vice chairman and a Knesset parliamentary adviser, according to a WZO official, Ostrinsky was selected to represent the Liberal bloc because of his negotiation skills and good relations with Conservative, Reform, Diaspora, Likud, and ultra-Orthodox leaders and officials. He had reportedly already served as an informal coordinator for the Liberal bloc on the KKL-JNF board for years.
WZO Vice Chairman Dr. Yizhar Hess, for whom Ostrinsky served as his chief of staff, congratulated the new KKL-JNF chair on his role.
“Nobody understands KKL/JNF, the national institutions, the opportunities they present, and the challenges they face like Eyal Ostrinsky. Anyone who has met Eyal knows he is truly one of a kind. An unparalleled strategic thinker – smart, sharp, passionate, and compassionate,” said Hess.
“He has been a driving force behind so much good that’s been accomplished at the national institutions in this challenging period for Israel and the Jewish people. I know he will do a fantastic job leading KKL-JNF.”
JNF increases budget for campus, community safety
On Sunday, the new chairman announced that the organization’s 2026 budget would see an increase in funding for counter-antisemitism programs, community resilience, emergency situations, and public diplomacy on campuses.
“This is our commitment in the face of these challenges. We’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish brothers and sisters in the Diaspora in this struggle. Not just in words, but in deed,” Ostrinsky said in a statement.
The announcement came in response to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Thursday repeal of the city’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism and synagogue protest restrictions.
“The outrageous decisions by Mayor Mamdani are part of a dangerous global trend: the legitimization of antisemitism and the endangering of Jewish communities,” said Ostrinsky.
“Under my leadership, KKL-JNF will assist the Jewish community in New York as well as other communities and Jewish students on campuses worldwide in developing the tools necessary to deal with this disturbing reality.”
Ostrinsky’s election to the JNF chair comes after a tumultuous WZC convention in Jerusalem in late October.
No coalition agreement on portfolios and positions in Israel’s national institutions was reached during the two-day congress, later stretching out over three weeks of negotiations and four proposals before a deal was finalized in mid-November.