On Thursday, February 20, 2025, Jewish National Fund-USA hosted its Stand with Israel Luncheon at the Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa to thank local partners (donors), as well as the organization’s Legacy Society members who support the land and people of Israel through their long-term financial or estate plans.
The event’s featured speaker was Colonel Richard Kemp, a decorated military leader with 30 years of experience fighting terrorism in some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones and who is considered to be one of the most respected voices in global security. Kemp defends Israel at the U.N., in the media, to national parliaments and political leaders, and on university campuses to counter the deluge of lies and misinformation spread about Israel via news headlines and social media posts.
“This is not just Israel’s war, it is also a war against the West and its democratic values,” said Kemp. “Anyone who is in a position to do so has a duty to stand up and expose the lies.”
Kemp’s keynote speech focused on the Israel-Hamas war and how Israel is fighting a war on seven fronts, as well as the eighth front, the political warfare campaign against Israel; the deeply over-exaggerated casualty numbers provided by the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health; how Hamas uses civilians as human shields; and how the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has taken extraordinary measures to provide Gazans with humanitarian aid.
“No country ever (that I know of) in a war has taken such steps to deliver humanitarian aid to its enemy population at the same time it’s fighting a war in the same place. This is unheard of,” added Kemp.
Attendees also heard from Jewish National Fund-USA’s Director of Planned Giving, West Coast, Cynthia Hizami, Esq, who highlighted Jewish National Fund-USA’s Build Together plan for Israel’s South and its Reimagine plan for Israel’s north, and how the organization is consistently meeting the changing needs of Israelis living on (and currently evacuated from) the Gaza and Lebanon borders. She also demonstrated the organization’s Circle of Impact, whereby every project, initiative, and program supports job creation, community resilience, and economic development—key drivers of population growth in these frontier regions.
“Since that horrific day, October 7, and the weeks and months that followed, Jewish National Fund-USA raised over $200 million for the land and people of Israel,” said Hizami. “We helped evacuate over 70,000 people from Israel’s north and south. We have set up firefighting and civil defense mechanisms, supported the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, created a special program for lone soldiers and their families, and helped with trauma therapy, medical issues, and safety issues. We built bomb shelters and provided necessities including housing, clothing, food, and so much more. While approximately 80% of the evacuees from the south have returned to their homes thanks to round-the-clock work that we are doing in the Israel Envelope, we are also supporting tens of thousands of evacuees, mostly from the north, whose homes are still in or close to military zones near Lebanon and Syria.”
Hizami also shared the many ways supporters of Israel can achieve their philanthropic goals while taking advantage of existing U.S. tax laws, including charitable gift annuities, where individuals can receive a fixed income as high as 10.1%. She also discussed savvy ways people are utilizing Donor Advised Funds and IRAs, as well as traditional bequests.
To learn more about the many meaningful ways you can leave a legacy for Israel, call a Planned Giving specialist at 800.562.7526 or email plannedgiving@jnf.org.