JNF Australia
Australian Jewish National Fund body that sends tax-deductible donations to 'Israel', including to KKL-JNF
| JNF Australia
| |
|---|---|
| Logo | 
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| Type | Charity (three ACNC-registered entities) |
| Location | Australia |
| Key people | Doron Lazarus (CEO); Pamela Krail (president) |
| Website | jnf.org.au |
JNF Australia (Jewish National Fund of Australia) is the Australian body of the Jewish National Fund movement. It describes itself as "a prominent and trusted communal organisation, raising funds for life-changing, environmental and social welfare projects, while maintaining a tangible link between the Jewish People and Israel". It says its present focus is on people in the "underdeveloped periphery" of 'Israel', "particularly in the Negev".[1]
JNF Australia's Zionism is explicit. Its own account quotes David Ben-Gurion calling the JNF "an everlasting Jewish fund for the entire Jewish people".[1] Its 2026 Blue Box campaign is titled "For a Stronger Israel" and supports Sha'ar HaNegev.[2] According to an investigation by Michael West Media, it also promotes programmes giving financial support to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces, and its money has reached KKL-JNF in 'Israel'.[3]
Relationship with KKL-JNF
JNF Australia says it "is a separate entity and independent of JNF organisations in other countries, including in Israel", where the JNF was reorganised in 1953 as an Israeli company, Keren Kayemeth LeYisrael (KKL). It adds that they "are linked, however, by a shared history, emotion and mission and work together to further their mutual purposes and objectives".[1]
In 2017 JNF Australia stated that "funds raised by JNF Australia go directly towards these projects, with not one dollar used to fund KKL". In 2021 KKL-JNF's board voted to permit the purchase of private land in the occupied West Bank for settlement expansion. JNF Australia's president and CEO then said that the Australian body was "an independent entity from KKL" and "has no representatives on the KKL board, nor is it involved with or bound by any of their decisions".[3]
Michael West Media reported in March 2026 that Israeli financial filings showed JNF Australia had transferred millions of dollars directly to KKL-JNF since making these statements. Between 2021 and 2024 KKL-JNF received 41.86 million shekels (about A$19.4 million) in donations from Australia and New Zealand.[3]
Finances
According to Michael West Media, which cited financial records:[3]
| Item | Amount (A$) |
|---|---|
| Remitted to 'Israel' since 2009 | more than $125.4m |
| Tax-deductible donations received since 2013 | $213m |
| Donations and bequests, 2024 | $12m |
| Transferred to 'Israel', 2024 | $10.4m |
JNF Australia operates through three charities registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC): Jewish National Fund Environmental Association of Australia Inc, The Jewish National Fund (Australia) Pty Limited, and Jewish National Fund of Australia Ltd. All three hold deductible gift recipient (DGR) status, and The Jewish National Fund (Australia) Pty Limited is also registered as a public benevolent institution. The three are overseen by the same eight-person board.[3]
Support for the Israeli army
JNF Australia publicly promotes programmes giving financial support to soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF):[3]
- Ach Gadol, one-to-one support for "lone soldiers" serving in the IDF, which aims to "deepen the values of Zionism and love of the land among young new immigrants";
- Panim el Panim, launched with the IDF Chief Rabbinate, which JNF Australia says meets more than 90,000 soldiers a year;
- Atidim Lone Soldier Education Support, for immigrant soldiers after their service.
Ateret Cohanim fundraiser
JNF Australia has fundraised for Ateret Cohanim, which Michael West Media described as "an extremist settler group active in East Jerusalem". The group has filed eviction lawsuits against around 100 Palestinian families. It removed the fundraiser from its website after members of the Australian Jewish Democratic Society wrote about it. Ateret Cohanim's executive director, Daniel Luria, later said that "Ateret Cohanim does not receive any money from the JNF Australia and Ateret Cohanim has not appeared on the JNF site as a partner project". JNF Australia did not respond to Michael West Media's questions about its relationship with KKL-JNF and its funding of IDF soldiers and settlers.[3]
Charity status
Asked whether funding the IDF and settlements was compatible with JNF Australia's tax status, the ACNC said: "The United Nations' view that settling civilian populations in an occupied territory is contrary to international law has not, at this stage, been incorporated into domestic Australian law. The ACNC cannot enforce international law unless that law has been incorporated into Australian domestic legislation."[3]
Chris Sidoti, a commissioner on the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said: "We should end tax deductibility for any Australian charities that provide funding for Israeli settlements or for Israeli organisations that support the establishment or maintenance of settlements."[3] In 2024 the Canada Revenue Agency revoked the charitable status of the Jewish National Fund of Canada over the use of donations for Israeli military infrastructure projects.[3]
See also
- Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund
- JNF UK
- Zionist Federation of Australia
- Zionist Movement Australia
- Ateret Cohanim
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 JNF Australia, Our Story, accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ JNF Australia, Current Projects, accessed 23 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Stephanie Tran, Millions in tax-deductible donations to IDF, illegal settlements, Michael West Media, 11 March 2026, accessed 23 October 2026.