By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO –Even the animals at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem have been affected by the fighting between Israel and Gaza over the last month. They have had a far less polyglot human crowd to observe and to be observed by, according to Shai Doron, executive director of the Biblical Zoo, also known as the Tisch Zoological Gardens.
In a letter to the San Diego Friends of the Tisch Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem, Doron wrote that “what normally would be our peak visitor period saw a marked drop in visitor numbers at the start of the conflict. However, over the last three weeks, the Zoo has opened its doors to more than 37,000 visitors from the towns and kibbutzim near Gaza trying to get a few hours of relief from the rocket attacks.”
Doron’s letter was read by U.S. District Court Judge Victor Bianchini, a San Diegan who adjudicates federal cases in Spokane, Washington. The letter went on to explain that “Jerusalem is in a relatively safe zone,” compared to the Israeli towns and kibbutzim near the Gaza border, including those of Sha’ar Hanegev, the partnership region of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County.
“So the Zoo is full of people (on some days over 4,000 visitors per day) but unfortunately not for the usual summer reasons,” wrote Doron to the attendees of a luncheon on Wednesday, August 14, in the Treetops Room of the San Diego Zoo.
Tourists are not the only visitors whose attendance numbers have dipped, wrote Doron. “Unfortunately, this situation has also impacted the number of Muslim visitors. Normally the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday (that occurred last week) attracts thousands of visitors each year, but this year that number dropped dramatically mainly because of tensions in Jerusalem. Despite this, we were happy to see that not everyone stayed home – a few dozen Muslim families chose to visit us in any event.
“This is very important to us given that we have worked hard over the last 20 years to promote a spirit of inclusiveness here at the Zoo and our mixed Jewish/Arab staff strives to maintain the unique atmosphere of tranquility that attracts people from all of Jerusalem’s diverse communities.”
While revenues have gone down, Doron said, security costs for the Zoo have increased.
“On a positive note, in the midst of this melee, we have welcomed some new animals into our zoological collection – the new male Persian leopard, a new male Eurasian Otter (to kickstart our breeding core for this important wildlife conservation program), our two yellow-throated Martens, and a new male cheetah. We have also sent six lemurs to Yerevan Zoo in Armenia, and three kangaroos to Antwerp Zoo and one to Minsk Zoo. We are also eagerly awaiting the arrival of two female Asian lions in the next month or so – they will join our new male Asian lion, as well as two new Red Pandas.”
The luncheon of the Friends of Tisch Zoological Gardens here in San Diego also felt the impact of the war. Youth Exchange participants—Israelis who normally come to the San Diego Zoo (where the luncheon was held) to learn about zookeeping – had other commitments, some of them military, because of the fighting. As it turned out, not only were they absent, but so was honoree Dr. Irving Taylor of Fairbanks Ranch, whose philanthropies have included the Biblical Zoo, the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind, and various other projects in Israel.
Without scheduled program participants in attendance, Judge Bianchini soldiered on at the San Diego luncheon, where each table was decorated with a large stuffed animal toy centerpiece, including a zebra, penguins, cheetah, lion, hippo and rhino.
The judge playfully posed with a large toy orangutan, dedicating the light moment to his daughter, Hannah, who is a visual effects producer for Weta Digital and whose most recent movie credit was for Dawn of the Planets of the Apes.
During the luncheon, vocalist Zeji Ozeri accompanied himself on guitar while singing songs about Jerusalem, including Shabechii Yerushalayim, which requires the special intonation of Yemenite Jews. Although he has a Yemenite father, Ozeri said, he was raised in Mexico, so the rhythm and vocal calibrations don’t come naturally to him. The explanation was unnecessary; no one complained about the rendition by the popular Ozeri, who serves as a youth leader for the Ken Jewish Community, Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, and Ohr Shalom Synagogue.
Dan Hazard, a staff member from the San Diego district office of U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-California) presented a proclamation honoring Dr. Taylor, which Judge Bianchini accepted on his behalf. The judge also honored the memory of Elaine Lipinsky, who had been a supporter of the Friends of Tisch Zoological Gardens, and also complimented organizer Helena Galper for putting together an enjoyable luncheon notwithstanding the many logistical challenges.
One of the happiest guests there was a 15-month old, broadly smiling son of the Chait family. No doubt he felt very comfortable among all the animals, his first name being “Noah.”
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com