FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)On “Friends,” he played Ross and Monica’s goofy dad, Jack Geller. But there’s nothing goofy about Elliott Gould’s newest endeavor—taking to the radio airwaves and lending his voice to support the Jewish National Fund’s goal to help re-green Israel’s Carmel forest region, which was severely damaged in the wake of last month’s disastrous fires.
“I have a very deep Jewish identity,” said Gould, 72, “and when I was asked if I would do this, I immediately said yes. Israel is a beautiful country – both inside and out – and if my time and name can help bring back some of what was lost, then that’s gratifying to me.”
The wildfire that began Dec. 2 south of Haifa was the worst in the history of the Jewish state. Forty-four people died, more than 17,000 residents were evacuated, and hundreds of homes were destroyed or severely damaged. An estimated 5.4 million trees burned in the blaze, and thousands of animals were killed.
As soon as the fire’s magnitude was evident, JNF launched “Operation Carmel Renewal: From Black To Green,” an emergency fund-raising campaign to repair the environmental damage to the Carmel and provide firefighters with much-needed equipment and supplies. To date, $4 million has been raised.