People's Choice Award Voting Starts for World Zionist Village

NEW YORK, July 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) announced the Top 10 concept design finalists for its revolutionary World Zionist Village, and wants your vote for the People's Choice Award.

With over 100 submissions from architects and designers from around the world, including Russia, Korea, Morocco, India, Italy, Iran, the U.S., and Israel, Jewish National Fund-USA's Envision Tomorrow's Israel competition garnered international interest, igniting a lasting conversation on our common destiny as a people, and placing Be'er Sheva on the global stage.  

"To see such response from so many countries around the world for JNF-USA's largest initiative in its history is remarkable," said Joseph Wolfson, First Vice president of JNF-USA's National Board and chair of the Be'er Sheva Executive Committee. "People around the world want to have a say, not only about the design concept for the World Zionist Village, but about Israel and our future."

The Top 10 finalists were announced on July 16 and marked the start of the public voting time for the People's Choice Award. From July 16 – August 13, anyone around the world can cast their vote for the Top 10 finalist of their choice for JNF-USA's contest by visiting jnf.org/vote.

The finalists have been selected by a panel of internationally distinguished architects and public figures, and anonymously judged based on their unique concepts and ideas for key elements of the campus. All finalists have worked-in concepts for the state-of-the-art educational campus that will complement the Negev's natural desert landscape and Be'er Sheva's rich historic and cultural past and present. 

Top 10 finalists can win a cash prize of up to $8,600, and the final winners—including the People's Choice Award winner—will be announced on August 20.

The competition's Top 10 finalists:

• Yuxiang Chen (China), Ariane Harrison (U.S.), and Donghan Kang (South Korea) of Harrison Atelier – Brooklyn, NY
• Sam Wieder and Team Associates Yeshaya Shor and Geury Delacruz of S. Wieder Architect PC – Brooklyn, NY
• Daniel Hammerman and Serge Drouin of AtelierTek Architects – New York, NY
• Susana Merenfeld Weisleder and Adina Kaufman of Susana Merenfeld Weisleder Architect & Design – Miami, FL
• Stanley Field of Field Architecture – Palo Alto, CA
• Tal Cohen (Studio Tal) and Elchanan Levi – Efrat, Israel; Jerusalem, Israel
• Raphael Z. Fogel – Tel Aviv, Israel
• Leora Niderberg and Narkis Joffe – Jerusalem, Israel; Tel Aviv, Israel
• Anonymous 1
• Anonymous 2

Jewish National Fund-USA's World Zionist Village is the largest initiative in the organization's 120-year history. The 20-acre campus, a five-year $350 million investment adjacent to the Be'er Sheva Rive Park and Lake, will serve as the second home for the Alexander Muss High School in Israel; provide apartments-style residences for international post-graduates interning in Be'er Sheva-based tech and other industries alongside Israelis in their mechinont (pre-army academy) service; and include the first of its kind Zionist Adult Education Center for people who wish to learn about and connect with Israel from Biblical times to modern-day Israel.

The World Zionist Village is part of JNF-USA's vision to ensure a strong, secure, and prosperous future for Israel by connecting the next generation to the land and people of Israel. This new and innovative village in the heart of the Negev will change the status quo and affect how we teach, learn, and connect to Israel for decades to come.

Voting for the People's Choice Award ends on August 13. Make your voice heard and cast your vote now at jnf.org/vote.

For more information, visit, jnf.org/village.

Media Contact:
Daniel Peri
212.879.9305 x227
[email protected]

SOURCE JNF-USA