Giving trash the boot

May 7, 2012 - 12:06 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Environment 

by Abby

Israel’s inaugural Clean the Land Day will take place across the country on Friday, May 18. This welcome initiative comes from four Masa Israel Government Fellows — Daniel Barnett, Max Friedenberg, Sam Silverlieb and Joel Wanger – who created a national trash pickup day out frustration with the countless cigarette butts, plastic bags and cups, and empty bottles and boxes littering the landscape.

Clean the Land

A very user-friendly website invites would-be participants to register to join a cleanup crew. You get a packet with info, along with disposable gloves (better throw those away responsibly!) and trash bags.

I say it’s about time. The littering problem is among the few aspects of life in Israel that bothered me as a new immigrant in 2007. Anglos talk about it all the time with great disgust. Some other organizations have even tried to do something about it. Well, here’s a way to be part of the solution.

I couldn’t say it better than the founders do: “Clean the Land is a social movement that seeks to create a cleaner and greener State of Israel. The inaugural Clean the Land initiative is the first step toward the movement’s larger goal of establishing a socially and environmentally responsible Israeli society in which phrases like “leave no trace” and “reduce, reuse, recycle” are as common as “yalla’” (let’s go, hurry up) and “yihiyeh b’seder” (it will be ok).”

And that’s no trash talk.

Tags: ,

Don’t change your mind, cousin Steve

December 29, 2008 - 10:49 AM by · 3 Comments
Filed under: Travel, War 

My wife’s cousin Steve is due to land here next week on his first trip to Israel. That is, unless Operation Cast Lead scares him off.

He’s a high school guidance counselor in Long Island and is arriving on a trip sponsored by MASA, aimed at bringing back to his students the educational and career options available in Israel. MASA’s a non-profit that offers various programs for Jewish kids around the world to spend a semester or a year in Israel.

We’re pretty excited about his visit, since we don’t get too many relatives over here to see us. We’ve been dropping hints to Steve and his family for many years to make Israel one of their annual vacation spots, but like most American Jews, they prefer to go elsewhere.

Until this professional opportunity brings him here. So now, we have a day or so to show him what he’s been missing. If you could take a first time visitor to see Israel in one day – what would you show him? Through his program with MASA, he’ll be going to the Kotel, the Dead Sea and Masada. But what else typfies the kind of Israel we want him to see?

Here’s hoping that Steve doesn’t get cold feet, or that MASA decided that now’s not the best time to bring a group of guidance counselors to Israel. Come on cousin Steve!

Tags: , ,

 

© 2012 ISRAELITY | Sitemap