Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

1.5 million Israelis visited forests during Passover, despite security tensions

The Re’im Recreation Area, which features the Nova music festival memorial, was a top destination during the holiday.

Israelis Visit KKL-JNF Forests During Passover 2025
Israelis in droves visit KKL-JNF forests during Passover, hiking and participating in family activities, April 2025. Photo by Rabia Basha.

Passover in Israel was celebrated this year under complex security conditions. Nevertheless, approximately 1.5 million Israelis took the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, exploring forests and parks managed by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael‒Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) throughout the country.

The Re’im Recreation Area, which features the Nova music festival memorial, attracted more than 7,000 visitors daily, making it one of KKL-JNF’s top destinations during the holiday.

Many visitors participated in special Passover activities organized by KKL-JNF at various sites across the country. These events included hiking and exploring forests, conducted in accordance with security guidelines. Festivals, performances, creative workshops and children’s plays drew large crowds, providing a family-friendly holiday experience outdoors from the north to the south.

Top destinations during the intermediate days of Passover included:

North: Jordan Park, Switzerland Forest, Mevo Hama Forest, HaTkhelet Park, Goren Park, Adamit Park, Ein Zeitim Recreation Area, Parod Camping Park and KKL-JNF’s Hula Lake Park.

Central Israel: Nahal HaShofet, Ilanot Arboretum, Ben Shemen Forest, Ayalon Canada Park, Britannia Park and Sataf.

South: HaMalachim‒Shahariya Forest, Yatir Forest, Lahav Forest, Ofakim Park, Sharsheret Forest and the Re’im Recreation Area.

Throughout the holiday week, the organization hosted dozens of family-friendly events nationwide, most free of charge. Highlights included “A Sweet Forest” at Shoresh Overnight Camping Park; a spring nature celebration in central Israel; and special initiatives designed for people with disabilities. In addition, information and guidance stations were set up in major parks and forests to assist hikers.

KKL-JNF continues to maintain its parks and forests to provide safe, accessible green spaces for family recreation and hiking across Israel. It maintains campgrounds, plants trees, develops hiking and cycling trails, and improves accessibility for people with disabilities.

About & contact the publisher
Since its establishment in 1901, KKL-JNF has been developing the land of Israel, strengthening the bond between the Jewish people and its homeland.
The Fedayeen Football League plans to hold the game in the heart of the city’s World Cup activities, wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestinian, Iranian and Lebanese flags, to call for FIFA to expel Israel.
Katie Lawson, a university spokeswoman, told JNS that it was the “first time in more than six years that this authority was exercised.”
The anti-Israel “Squad” member is backing Imraan Siddiqi’s bid to unseat a Democratic incumbent, as progressive challengers target fellow Democrats in Washington state legislative races.
Only 34% of respondents approved of the way the U.S. president was handling Iran, with 62% disapproving.
The study achieved 82.8% accuracy using AI analysis of eye blood vessels, offering a potential alternative to blood tests.
A U.S. State Department official told Reuters that the IDF had already pulled back from part of its buffer zone in south Lebanon.
Benny Gantz, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan S. Tobin, Gilad Erdan, Mosab Hassan Yousef, Nissim Black and leading voices in security, diplomacy, media, law and Jewish communal affairs headline the summit’s third day in Jerusalem.