In the spirit of our school slogan:
מרבה שמחה, מרבה חכמה
As we did many years ago, we come together now,
To better the world through education and shared values.
This is our memorial to those classmates who are no longer with us and a tribute to the Land we all love - Israel, the promised land of milk and honey.
What started with the untimely passing of Mitchell Horowitz, M.D., a frontline victim of Covid-19, has inspired a memorial fund for him and all our classmates who are no longer with us: Geeta Schindler, Howie Liebman, Ellyn Feld, Pauline Katz and Steven Tow.
Our Goal to raise $5000 in memory of our dearly departed classmates, to inspire a love for education and nature at the Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO) for underprivileged students in the heart of Israel.
We chose to support the JBO due to our love nature, education, and Israel. We feel this combination of values is something that fully embodies the spirit of the class of Hillel 71/74.
Our aim is to raise funds to support educational activities for some 500 students over the next year at the JBO.
Our support of the JBO's youth programs of the JBO is an investment in the future of Israel and in the survival of Israel’s unique ecology and environment.
Many graduates of JBO programs continue to have impressive careers in biology, ecology and conservation.
And, in a time of great turmoil around the world, this educational funding is more important than ever and will reach across racial and religious divides. Nature knows no boundaries. Half of the students come from Arab and Druze communities.
G-d willing, if we achieve our goals we will dedicate a memorial plaque at the JBO in honor of our childhood friends as part of our 50th reunion events next year.
About the Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory:
The JBO is Israel's first urban wildlife site, nestled between the Knesset and Supreme Court.
For the last 26 years the JBO has conducted invaluable monitoring of migrating and urban birds, connected over ½ million students and visitors to birds and nature and applied STEM skills, and helped preserve critical urban habitat in Israel.
About the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel:
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) is Israel's oldest and largest environmental organization. SPNI works to preserve Israel’s biodiversity, natural spaces and biblical landscapes, while promoting sustainable development. A gridlocked, polluted Holy Land is not a light to the nations. A clean-tech superpower, respectful of human health, full of nature is the Israel we are working for. We need your help to create it.
More information on SPNI can be found here >>
Information about your donation
All donations are greatly appreciated and are fully tax deductible in the US, Canada and Israel. Donations can be made securely online using the button at the top of the page. You can send checks to:
Nature Israel, 28 Arrandale Avenue
, Great Neck, NY 11024
CSPNI, 25 Imperial Street, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, M5P 1B9
SPNI, 2 HaNegev Street, Tel Aviv, 6618602, Israel
Please make sure that accompanied with the check is a note that the donation is for the Hillel Memorial Fund.
If not now, when? - Rabbi Hillel
Photos: Pelicans - David Schlacht ‘71, Penguins - Alan Sloyer ‘71
