 |
| Beach near Rosh HaNikra |
Life in Israel seems to be back to routine, whatever that means
around here.
parents of his friend Gedaliah held a beautiful Kiddush after shul a week ago
to celebrate their oldest son’s safe return. With so many young Ra’anana boys
serving in Gaza, our community has been anxious and proud, with many parents
filling their time aiding the soldiers and citizens of the south in various
projects.
that many people were suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and aptly
renamed it parent-traumatic-stress-disorder. Many moms standing in the room
were new olim and had never experienced such fear before; some did not sleep
for three weeks and could not be separated from their phones or the news for a
second.
sons look up to their fathers with respect. In the case of this American dad
who never served in the army and his redhead combat soldier son, the roles were
now reversed. There was not a dry eye in the room as we watched this father and
son embrace.
beach in Nahariya.
with yelps of joy. Fishermen cast their lines in the late afternoon shimmer and
families fanned their barbecues. Most of these joyful, fun-loving, relaxed people
were Arab Israelis. Watching them, I had a hopeful flash of how life here
should be. And is. Israelis jogged and strolled and surfed beside their Arab
neighbours and everyone simply enjoyed this precious moment of beauty.
As the sun dipped, a crowd gathered around a box in a fenced-in area. We walked over
and saw the box was filled with newly hatched turtles. A woman from the
National Parks crouched over a hole and gently dug down, pulling out tiny turtles.
miniature turtles hurtled toward the crashing waves. We were witnessing one of
nature’s miracles.
as one day, these same turtles will return to this exact spot to lay their own
eggs.
the beach, this is one of the world’s most endangered species. After 150 million
years of survival, sea turtles now need assistance to survive.
has been estimated that there are now less than 200 loggerheads and only 10
green female turtles in Israel.
north of Netanya and carefully monitors the nesting patterns along the shore. The
Knesset has passed a law prohibiting building within 100 meters of the
coastline.
 |
| Injured turtle? Call *6911. |
To prevent extinction, Israel National Nature and Parks
Authority watches the coastline, gathers the eggs and places them in a safe hatchery
area. Over the last twenty years, they have released 50,000 turtles to the sea
where just one in 100 lives to a reproductive age. (There is even an emergency number to call if you see a wounded turtle.)
these tiny newborn beings plunged into a dark, deep sea where they were tossed
and churned. Everyone in the crowd applauded, amazed at these tiny turtles’ determination.
From the tiniest sea turtle to the bravest soldier, Israel nurtures
all and embraces life.
Discover more from Life in Israel
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Life in Israel 