Blue and White Fund , JNF Encourage Investment in Israel

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem----January 22.....The Israel Blue and White Fund (www.blueandwhitefund.com) and The Jewish National Fund (www.jnf.org) announced today a partnership that will allow concerned Israel supporters to enrich the country both economically and ecologically.

The partnership for Israel will create a financial opportunity that will result in thousands of Bar and Bat Mitzvah children receiving both a free Blue and White Fund stock certificate and have the Jewish National Fund plant a tree in their honor in Israel. The Blue and White Fund is the U.S. based mutual fund that invests exclusively in Israeli companies that are publicly traded on the NYSE, Nasdaq, and Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and has recently received a Nasdaq ticker symbol, BWFAX.

Started in 2002 by Shlomo Eplboim and Michael Poutre, the Fund has received national attention for its share giveaway that provides a free share of stock to any Jewish child celebrating a Bar or Bat mitzvah. The Jewish National Fund (JNF) is one of the main philanthropic organizations dedicated to developing Israel. Its primary concern is to develop Israel's ecology. Founded in 1901, the JNF has worked to raise money and plant trees to make the country bloom despite its arid climate. By collaborating with the JNF, the Blue and White Fund will reach potentially thousands of new adolescent investors each year.

"I am very pleased that a prestigious organization like the JNF has agreed to partner with us in helping to promote investment in Israel," said Shlomo Eplboim, President and CEO of the Blue and White Fund. "Together we hope to encourage the next generation of concerned American Jews to support Israel both financially and environmentally."

As part of the partnership, The Blue and White Fund will provide a Chai ($18) Certificate to each child participating in the JNF's Bar / Bat Mitzvah program. Conversely, for every child that the Fund distributes a share of stock to in honor of a religious milestone, the Jewish National Fund will plant a tree in their honor in Israel.

The partnership will allow the growing Fund to reach potentially thousands of additional investors every year. Also part of the partnership will be several collaborative efforts. The Blue and White Fund for Israel will be included in JNF's Bar and Bat Mitzvah guides that are sent to USA synagogues and are distributed across the United States. Additionally both the JNF and The Blue and White Fund will each have links on the others web pages.

Why Invest In Israel? "Israel ranks #1 globally in engineers per capita, #2 in college graduates per capita, #2 in invested international venture capital, #3 in registered patents per capita, and Israel uses the same accounting and financial systems as the United States," explained Poutre. "Israel doesn't need charity as much as it needs investment, since investment creates long-term solutions. And youth, by participating in this program, can start supporting Israel and themselves at a very early age. They can wake up every day and check their stock and see how Israel's economy, and their investment, is doing."

The Israel Blue and White Fund is a U.S. mutual fund that invests exclusively in Israeli companies.
The Blue and White Fund focuses on long-term capital appreciation and targets publicly traded companies of all sizes across market sectors. Its mission is to encourage investment in Israeli companies, supporting Israel during turbulent political times while leveraging an excellent investment opportunity. The Fund's investment strategy concentrates on Israeli companies that show solid fundamentals, consistent predictable earnings, effective management and a global orientation.


ISRAEL NEWS AGENCY

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