Atlanta beat out six other cities, including including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, to host the 2010 annual U.S. conference of the Jewish National Fund this fall.
"It signifies our international status as a city and that it signifies that we have a very strong, active Jewish community," said Beth Reingold Gluck, the southern zone director of the JNF. "It [also] represents a changing South."
The Oct. 10-11 conference at the InterContinental Buckhead, the first to be held in the South, is expected to draw more than 600 people, including several Israeli political figures.
According to organizers, Atlanta has the 11th-largest Jewish population in the United States and has become an important fundraising site for Israeli and Jewish causes.
The JNF's Southeast chapter, which is based in Atlanta, is one of the fastest-growing chapters in the country. The JNF was formed 109 years ago and collected money to buy land for the country of Israel. It's also active in environmental matters.
Attending the conference will be Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, whose city has sites that hold special significance to Jews, Muslims and Christians. When he ran for mayor, Barkat said he wanted to increase tourism in Jerusalem to aid in its economic development. But Barkat has also drawn criticism for pushing for construction in mostly Palestinian east Jerusalem and for the planned demolition of Palestinian homes, according to news reports.
Other dignitaries expected to attend the meeting include Uzi Landau, Israel's minister of national infrastructure; Ruvik Danilovich, the mayor of the Israeli city of Be'er Sheva; JNF Chairman Ronald S. Lauder; and the fund's chief executive officer, Russell Robinson.
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