Jerusalem (special)-- They've named a lake in Israel after Ellen
Barnett of San Diego. It's not a very big one, but it is perhaps
one
of the most visited water bodies in this country. Lake Ellen
Barnett
is just inside the entrance of the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens
in
Jerusalem, known informally both as the Biblical Zoo and as the
Jerusalem Zoo.
Barnett was recognized for her philanthropy in support of the Jerusalem
Zoo,
which identifies itself as one of the few places in Jerusalem where
Arabs and Jews mingle peaceably on a regular basis.
Among five projects that Barnett has underwritten at the Zoo is a joint
study program for Arab and Jewish children, who come together during
their 4th and 5th grades to learn about preserving nature, protecting
wildlife and respecting animals.
A side benefit of the program is the children come to know each other,
thereby reducing any fear they might have for each other.
Another program is an exchange between students from San Diego, who
go
to work as volunteers at the Jerusalem Zoo, and youthful members of
the
Jerusalem Zoo Patrol who tour San Diego with special emphasis on
behind-the-scene visits to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal
Park. Five members of the Zoo Patrol were in San Diego
last week,
hosted by a contingent of San Diego youngsters who joined them for
activities and tours at the two local zoological parks.
Barnett also helps to underwrite the Zoo Patrol, which is considered
the youth movement of the Jerusalem Zoo. Teens between 13 and
17 learn
about zoology, wildlife and conservation and also volunteer in the
Children's Zoo, bird section, herbivore section and small animal
building of the Jerusalem Zoo.
A fourth program funded by Barnett is the Jerusalem Zoomobile, a
vehicle that takes animals to various neighborhoods in Israel.
It also
has the capacity for multimedia presentations regarding such subjects
as wildlife preservation and Israeli fauna.
A fifth Barnett-funded program provides animal therapy for special
education children. Participants include both Jewish and Arab
children
with such disabilities as autism, deafness, learning disabilities and
mental problems. In this program, children help to clean and
feed the
animals, thereby becoming care providers and not only care recipients.
--Donald
H. Harrison |