As the State of Israel’s official fundraiser for: aliyah and rescue, advancing Israel society, and ensuring Zionist education of young Diaspora Jews, Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal has become the central address for friends of Israel looking to make an impact on Israeli society and the Jewish people. 

Over the past six decades, Keren Hayesod supporters  have assisted over three million Jews to make their homes in Israel. They have rehabilitated scores of disadvantaged towns and neighbourhoods, and have nurtured and educated hundreds of thousands of orphaned and underprivileged children. But as Israel enters her seventh decade, Keren Hayesod is looking towards the challenges that lie ahead, in order to ensure the future of Israel and the Jewish people over the 21st century.

Today, Israel’s needs are growing exponentially. With a burgeoning population of seven million citizens – over one million of whom immigrated to Israel since the fall of the Iron Curtain, from countries of distress – Israel has the highest immigrant absorption rate in the developed world.

So what is Planned Giving about?

Planned Giving is basically about organising one’s estate and assets to include a significant gift that will have a lasting impact on the State of Israel and the Jewish people. It is often a one-time gesture and a statement made out of deep personal conviction. There are two forms of Planned Giving gifts: Bequests and Endowment Funds.

Endowment Funds

An Endowment Fund is a permanent income-generating Fund, comprised of a substantial gift that is invested. While the principal itself is not touched and its value is maintained, income from the Fund is allocated every year, in the name of the donor to programmes and activities that have been  pre-specified by the donor in a signed agreement.

Endowment Funds have become particularly important to Israel as they provide a reliable source of income in times of recession and emergency, while allowing Keren Hayesod to build and reinforce vital social and educational infrastructures that will continue to serve the needs of Israeli society both now and in the future. Only in this way, can we truly plan and build for the future.

Endowment Fund donors receive annual reports on the performance of their Fund and the uses to which their allocations have been put. Endowment Fund donors often choose to create Funds in their own name or in memory of a loved one. Once established, the name of the Fund stands for all time. Endowment Funds are created by people who are interested making a serious impact on the future of Israel and have a deep desire to establish a lasting partnership with the people of Israel.  

For those who wish to create an Endowment Fund but rely on the income of their capital, an Annuity Fund option exists, whereby fixed annual payments are made to the donor or his/her chosen beneficiary, for the duration of his/her life. Annuity rates are fixed according to the age of the donor upon creating the Fund. After the demise of the donor, annual allocations are made to fund Keren Hayesod activities, as a regular Endowment Fund.

Wills and Bequests

A will can be drawn-up or amendments made to include a gift to Israel through Keren Hayesod, at any time. Having a family or dependents does not preclude making a large or moderate gift to Israel, and it is often seen as a way of sending a message of Jewish and Zionist values to one’s closest family, friends and community.

You do not necessarily have to be an active member of the Jewish community or a regular donor to leave a bequest to Israel. Many people, who have been too busy with other commitments during their lifetime to make a substantial gift to Israel, do so at the end of their lives through a bequest.

Planned Giving gifts are specially valuable to Israel and the Jewish people, as they serve to protect our future as a people and allow us to build a solid foundation upon which future generations can grow and thrive.

For more information or a private consultation please contact the UIA- HK, E Mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

_{(Issue March 2008)}