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Aaron Parker

JNF hires regional director

article created on: 2011-08-15T00:00:00

Jewish National Fund has hired Aaron Parker as the new regional director for Northern California and the Pacific Northwest.

Parker said that this fall he looks forward to visiting Oregon: “JNF offers so many opportunities for involvement, and its focus on the environment is something many Oregonians naturally resonate with I think.”

“I’m thrilled to be working at JNF,” said Parker. “JNF has a proud history as the caretaker of the land and people of Israel and I consider it an honor and privilege to be a part of something so monumental.”

Parker, a native San Franciscan, comes to JNF after working extensively in both the Bay Area business and Jewish communities. Along with working as a real estate broker for the past 15 years, Parker has been on the boards of both the Friends of Israel Political Action Committee and Bluestar PR. He was also an active member of The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for 10 years.

“I want JNF to be the hub of the pro-Israel community in the Northwest,” Parker said. “I want this to be the place you go to get involved and meet like-minded people.”

JNF continues to expand its presence in the Northwest and National Campaign Director Sharon Freedman believes Parker will effectively continue that growth.

“We are blessed with dedicated donors in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest,” Freedman said. “Aaron, together with our Regional President Marlene Maier, will be instrumental in developing more recognition and awareness of our critical work in Israel. His passion for Israel and our projects will help bring the region to new levels of giving.”

Parker believes that ‘level of giving’ can be more than just monetary.

“JNF is more than just a charity,” he said. “This is a movement, a place where Jews can look to help Israel with more than just their checkbooks. I’m excited to be a part of that movement.”

JNF began in 1901 collecting coins in blue boxes to purchase land and return the Jewish people to their homeland. In over 109 years, JNF has evolved into a global environmental leader and become the central address for partnering with the land and people of Israel. JNF has planted 250 million trees; built over 1,000 parks and recreational areas; constructed security roads; educated students around the world about Israel; created new communities so that Jews from around the world would have a place to call home; discovered new means of growing plants under arid conditions, bringing green to the desert; and built over 220 reservoirs and water recycling centers, increasing Israel’s water supply by 12%. Today, JNF is supporting Israel’s newest generation of pioneers by bringing life to the Negev Desert, Israel’s last frontier.

Parker can be contacted at aparker@jnf.org or 415-677-9600 ext. 970.