Image by Anya ulinich

Jewish National Fund

Location: New York, NY

Category: Advocacy or Public Service

Russell Robinson

CEO

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Jewish National Fund is a not-for-profit organization that has planted more than 240 million trees in Israel. Founded in 1901 with the support of Theodor Herzl, the JNF purchased and developed land for settlement by the fledgling Jewish population living in Ottoman-administered Palestine at the time. Today, the JNF owns about 14% of Israel’s total land and has developed more than 1,000 parks. Donors, often living in the United States, fund the JNF’s land purchase and tree planting initiatives.

Organization Website | Guidestar Page

Russell Robinson has served as CEO of the Jewish National Fund since 1998. His involvement in the Jewish community dates back many years. In El Paso, Texas, he served as director of the Jewish Community Center and helped further an initiative to teach Holocaust studies in public schools. He also helped Eastern European Jews immigrate to Israel and led a campaign against poverty in Israel, raising more than $35 million.

2016

Institution Revenue: $81,112,863

Institution Total Expenses: $66,140,269

Employees: 190

Salary: $435,011

2014

Institution Revenue: $73,397,269

Institution Total Expenses: $60,237,753

Employees: 177

Salary: $350,546

Overpaid by: 22%

For information on previous years, see here.

For information on other Jewish nonprofits, see here.

For information on other Jewish advocacy and public service leaders, see here.

¹ _{Interim head of organization}

² _{Data from 2012}

³ _{Data from 2011}

⁴ _{Data from 2010}

⁵ _{Data from 2009}

⁶ _{Data from 2008}

⁷ _{Data from 2007}

⁸ _{Includes payment from SWC Museum Corp.}

⁹ _{Predecessor’s salary}

¹⁰ _{Partial year}

¹¹ _{Not a 501(c)3}

¹² _Annualized

¹³ _{Position currently vacant}

¹⁴ _{As per Form 990, JNF declined to comment}

¹⁵ _{Base salary}

¹⁶ _{Data from president-elect period}

¹⁷ _{2010 Employees}

¹⁸ _{Legally exempt from public disclosure of salary}

¹⁹ _{Highest paid professional, not CEO}

²⁰ _{Paid from two related organizations}

²¹ _{Data from 2013}

²² _{Data from 2014}

²³ _{Data from 2015}

²⁴ _{Includes a one-time honorarium of $55,000}

²⁵ _{Data from 2017}

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount