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| Ruth May (Bibi) with 2 dogs click and scroll down for video it has English captions |
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Cantor - Boaz Pnini |
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 Greetings,
I have just came back from the beach on a gorgeous spring day. I was rummaging in my mind, wondering if and what to write about animals, our little friends, in Israel. Then a dog came and start playing with me, I took it as a yes "please do it for us", so here it is.
Many years ago in the Kibbutz I had a teacher, his name was Michael Pearlman. He taught us how to read the torah, that was not a big deal. What was a big deal was that he loved it, he gave his life to the study of Torah chanting and its inner structure, he was dedicated to it, and his love to it touched me, and I will be forever grateful.
It so happened that reading the Torah became a big part of my profession and now I have Bar Mitzvah students to whom I pass it on. It is curious to say the least, and I hope I can inspire them with some of the enthusiasm that was in my teacher.
When I proposed to Jamie Williams to help animals in Israel as his Bar Mitzvah project I noticed a light came to his eyes, there was no ifs, ands or buts about it. Maybe you can help him on his mission too. Read his article below.
May you and your little friends, the animals, thrive too,
Boaz Pnini,
Bridges 2 Israel
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| Jamie Bar Mitzvah project - saving animals in Israel |
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| Me (upper left), my brother and Kate |
Save the animals in Israel
please sponsor my Mitzvah project!
Hi! My name is Jamie Williams and I am 12 years old (turning 13 soon). I live in Seattle, WA, and I am having my bar mitzvah with my cousin in August. I have a dog, a guinea pig and a little brother. This article is about my mitzvah project and how you can help make animals in Israel and around the world have a better, safer environment to live in, and have the health care they deserve.
In preparation for my bar mitzvah, I have been working extremely hard on my mitzvah project to find good homes for homeless dogs and cats in Israel. I have kindly been offered the position of "Bar Mitzvah Projects Delegate in the U.S." by two animal rights activists with whom I have been in contact.
They are helping to lead the Let the Animals Live charity (LAL) in Israel, which was founded by Eti Altman in 1989. Their names are Ruth May (also known as "Bibi"), the northern branch director, and Riva Mayer, the overseas development director. It is my honor to accept this position and start a fundraiser here in Seattle where 100 percent of all profits will go directly to their organization. Thank you in advance for reading this, and thank you as well if you decide to donate!
Let me tell you a bit more about the cause: Let Animals Live currently has a shelter for 200 dogs, 100 cats, a rescue ambulance, a call center for emergencies, advocacy and lobbying services, and special educational services (which Bibi is leading). Since the health care of cats, dogs and many other animals in Israel is extremely poor, LAL is trying to get as many people inside and outside of Israel to donate money for operations that could save many animals' lives.
Every year, over 100,000 friendly, fun-loving dogs and 300,000 wonderful, healthy cats die in horrible ways, and that's why the LAL is trying to raise $250,000 (1,000,000 shekels) to pay for two high-volume, low-cost, free spay/neuter clinics, one in Tel-Aviv and one near Be'er Sheva. Building these clinics will help accommodate animals that need special care, and will help lower the yearly animal death rates. If specialists had the money to do these essential operations, the death rates would decrease dramatically, and these clinics would help LAL to do just that.
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| Kate and a ball |
I became a dog-owner about half a year ago when we adopted our puppy, Kate, from a shelter. Ever since then, I have been extremely interested in how I can help save other animals and give them the love they deserve. I am so lucky to have such a fabulous bar mitzvah tutor to lead me in the right direction for my mitzvah project. Without him, I would never have known who Bibi or Riva were and been able to post this here for three hundred people to see. So, here's to you Boaz! Thanks for everything!
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| Kate in Autumn |
Now, you may be wondering how I'm going to raise this money. The answer is: dog biscuits. I am in the process of starting a dog biscuit business to fulfill the task of raising at least $600. And, not only will I be making and selling homemade doggie treats, but I will also ask for donations instead of birthday presents and during my bar mitzvah itself in early August, as well as asking around whenever I have the chance. But, I cannot do this without you. If everyone reading this article contributed only one dollar each, we would have at least $300. Just think about the impact we could make if everyone donated only five dollars instead! If I reach this goal, I and everyone who donated will have the satisfaction of knowing that they contributed to a wonderful cause, and helped save the lives of thousands of animals. And that really means something to me, and makes my bar mitzvah a glorious, unforgettable occasion.
Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Jamie
If you want to donate, please contact me at the following e-mail address ("Muddy Paws Biscuits" is my dog biscuit company's name):
If you want to learn more about LAL, here's their website:
And here's a short video about the program:
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| Not all is well for animals in Israel |
We eat them, kill them, sometimes for fun, not you, but some people do, we dominate them, we compete with them, we put them in zoos, we are dependent on them for our nutrition, we adore their beauty, they rescue us, protect us, loyal to us, sometimes they are our best friends, we often think we can do with them and to them whatever we wish, we are the boss.
I cannot say that I am too proud of my own record, not when I was young. Stray dogs will roam through the Kibbutz at times and it was a scare. They would be quite unruly, a pack of bullies. Who knows what their history of being abused was. Sometimes a dog will be shot dead, not sure why, I felt a dread whenever I heard of that. When we had to catch the chickens and tie them upside down in bundles to be shipped for meat that was dreadful but normal in the way of life we knew. When we had to dissect a frog I stayed outside the lab. But animals were for us livestock, literarily.
When living in Herzelia, we had a cat. She will go out, gang with many street cats and come back home wounded and diseased. Animals in the holy land are often not faring well.
However... there are people who have made it their mission to change that, to make the life of millions of stray, homeless, wounded, abandoned animals better, people who devoted their lives, passion and time, maybe we can help them too. One of them is my dear friend Bibi (a.k.a. Ruth May), more on that in Jamie's article above.
Boaz Pnini
Bridges 2 Israel
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Angel or animal - philosophically speaking
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As humans we are probably suspended between the two. What can we do? some say our nature is of both and our struggle is what shall we give credence to?
I have not seen an angel (yet..) I have not seen ultra violet too, Just because I have not seen them, it does not mean they are not there. Maybe angels go away when we think they are a myth. won't you too?
It seems in biblical times they were everywhere, just part of life, small or big, pillar of fires or just human in appearance, always involved with human affairs. maybe they retreated? Maybe they are too scared? Would we put them to the test and treat them with derision?
Maybe they just gave up on us and went somewhere else where they are welcomed? maybe they are still amongst us?
Maybe for animals we are angels, of life or death. Their life being in our hands, they cannot defend against the sophistication of our race. What kind of angels then will we choose to be for them?
We are sharing the same space, planet earth, we both can be delighted or suffer. We both need to survive and being taken care of. We both can feel pleasure and/or pain.
So what can we do for each other? The animal already are doing their share by feeding us, being our pets, being loyal, making our world so very magnificent, think of a world without animals or birds. Maybe there is something we can do for them too?
Boaz Pnini
Bridges 2 Israel
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Lake kineret corner
The level of water in lake kineret is stable at 168 centimeters above the red line. Which means there is still enough flow in the Jordan and other rivers feeding the kineret.
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