What's in a name?

In England, the JNF began operations in 1907 but was incorporated in 1939. Its main purpose was to purchase land in Palestine, which was then under British control, to circumvent the regulations of the White Paper.

By SAM SER
tzedakah 88 298 (photo credit: )
tzedakah 88 298
(photo credit: )
The origin of the name Jewish National Fund is in the establishment of the Juedischer Nationalfonds at the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1901. In Hebrew, the fund became known as the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, or KKL. But around the world - the JNF has 109 affiliates in dozens of countries - the Hebrew and English acronyms were joined to create the KKL-JNF, and it is this name or some minor derivation of it by which Jews around the world know the organization. In England, the JNF began operations in 1907 but was incorporated in 1939. Its main purpose was to purchase land in Palestine, which was then under British control, to circumvent the regulations of the White Paper. Although much of the Zionist leadership of the JNF had already been in Palestine for many years, it was only after the founding of the State of Israel that the organization could be said to have official status in this country and, by extension, have official ties with its branches abroad. A major factor in JNF-UK's large jump in income over the past two years has been the success of KKL Charity Accounts and KKL Executor and Trustee Limited, both of which are owned and operated by JNF-UK and both of which use or reference the name JNF as well. Asked why her organization, which she claims is the sole owner in Great Britain of the initials "JNF" and should not be confused with KKL, owns two companies named KKL, Gail Seal could not offer an explanation.