KKL Cancels Employee Event Costing Over $250,000 After Union Boycott
The Jewish National Fund (JNF), known in Hebrew as Keren Kayemeth LeYisrael (KKL), was forced to cancel an employee appreciation event scheduled for Tuesday, resulting in a financial loss exceeding one million shekels (approximately $250,000). The cancellation occurred after the workers' union instructed its members to boycott the event, which was set to take place at the Shuni Amphitheater and feature performances by Israeli artists Shlomi Shabat and Pablo Rosenberg.
On Monday afternoon, union chairman Israel Goldstein sent a directive to employees, stating, "We instruct all of you to boycott the event and not take part in it." Due to the union's boycott announcement just a day before the planned event, cancellation became the only option. KKL Director-General Ilan Shohat announced the cancellation, noting that the union's decision would "harm your status and dignity" and cause "financial damage of over one million shekels."
The boycott is the latest development in an ongoing dispute between the union and KKL's new management, which took over in January with the appointment of Eyal Ostrovsky as chairman. The conflict stems from management's efficiency and cost-saving measures, which have reduced the power and status of union chairman Goldstein, a prominent figure in the Likud party. These measures include KKL management taking direct control of the employee welfare budget, previously managed by the union, and capping the growth of the workforce.
KKL's management has been working to curb the organization's expanding payroll. While 1,244 employees were on staff in 2025, Ostrovsky approved only 1,275 positions for 2026, rejecting a request for 1,400. The 2027 budget anticipates a further reduction to 1,250 employees due to retirements. This effort to control staffing levels is a response to a significant increase in personnel that has driven up the organization's expenses. Between early 2023 and January of this year, under former chair Yifat Ovadia-Luski, KKL's workforce grew by tens of percent, with the total number of employees increasing by nearly 30% over five years, from 953 in 2021 to 1,233 by the end of 2025. This surge led to a 44% rise in fixed expenses.
Goldstein explained his call for a boycott by stating that management "consistently chooses to sideline and ignore the workers' organization on a long list of substantive issues, including employee events and welfare." He also cited planned cuts in fixed expenses as a "direct blow to the employees." While the 2027 fixed expenses are budgeted to remain at 640 million shekels, the same as in 2026, this represents a real-terms decrease when accounting for inflation, largely due to the reduced workforce and a new policy of hiring only essential personnel. The union asserts that working conditions will not be negatively impacted, and average gross salaries remain high.
In response to the management's statements, Goldstein stated that the union "will continue to act with determination, day and night, for the organization's employees and to protect their rights, even against management that abuses employees and chooses to act out of narrow political considerations." He dismissed the management's claims as baseless and accused them of attempting to shift responsibility for hiring practices, which he maintains are solely the responsibility of management.
