Summer is here!
The weather is warming up and Israel's residents are flocking to river and coastal shorelines across the country.
For Zalul, this is the time that our fight for clean water takes on even greater importance. We demand that the Israeli government hold themselves accountable for the health and quality of life of their residents and their quality of life.
Since the opening of the bathing season, on May 6, 2008, over ten beaches have been closed by the Ministry of Health because of sea pollution.
Help us continue our campaign to fight pollution in Israel's waterways and seas. Donate today.
The last of the fish cages are removed from the Gulf of Eilat!
After a long and difficult battle between environmentalists and the fish cage companies, the fish cages were finally removed from the Gulf of Eilat.
Zalul, founded in 1999 to save and protect the Red Sea and has since expanded to include all of Israel’s sea and rivers, led the fight for the past 10 years to remove the polluting fish cages from the sea.
Over the last 20 years, fish farms in the northern Gulf of Eilat have bred fish in cages in the sea, raising approximately 2,500 tons of Denis fish annually. The fish cages caused an enormous amount of damage to the delicate and unique coral reefs of the Red Sea. Nearly 70% of the coral reef is already dead. Now, with the fish cages out of the water, the reef can finally begin a natural rehabilitation process.
The fish farms consumed around 5,000 tons of food annually, which was discharged directly into the sea. This enormous amount of food, some of which cannot be digested by the fish, combined with the natural fish secretions, caused thousands of tons of waste contamination to the sea every year. Approximately 97% of the nutrients and nitrates released into the Bay originated from the fish cages.
Click here to learn more about the impact of the fish cages on the Gulf of Eilat.
Back to top
200 students join Zalul to protest the pollution of Acco Bay!
Zalul and the Acco based organization, Green Cell, partnered to bring together 200 students from the Acco area to protest the closure of their beaches during the middle of the summer season.
 "Most of the people in Acco are very poor," said Zalul's National Campaign Coordinator Ezer Fischler, "So for them, closing the beach is a huge problem. It is the only place they can have fun. They don't have money to go to a country club or a car to go to another beach... They want the ability to swim and to have a beach like everyone else."
Click to read the full article from the Jerusalem Post. Back to top
Zalul raises 10,000 NIS with the help of Billabong Surf Clothing Company
During the past few months, over 40 blank white Billabong board shorts were sent to some of Israel's most famous celebrities, singers, and artists who, using their unique creativity, "gave life" to the shorts.
The project's culmination was a special exhibition of the artists' creations, with an audio-video presentation on the subject of protecting the marine environment.
 As part of the exhibition, the shorts were made available for purchase in a silent auction as well as online.
All profits will go towards Zalul's campaign to protect Israel's Mediterranean coastline from land-based pollution.
You can view the shorts here on Billabong's website.
Back to top
Zalul speaks out about Lachish River pollution on Israel's Channel 2 News
 In a special news feature on river pollution in Israel, celebrity newscaster Danny Kushmaro interviewed Zalul's National Campaign Director Ezer Fischler about the problems facing the Lachish River in Ashdod, specifically the extremely high levels of pollution that are discharged in the river daily.
Kushmaro's news show, "Weekend News", is one of the highest rated news features on Israeli television.
You can watch the video (in Hebrew) by following this link.
Back to top
Over 3,500 signatures gathered on Zalul's petition against the Kishon River Pipeline
Since the beginning of June, Zalul has been gathering signatures for a petition against the Kishon River Pipeline project. The public has responded, with over 3,500 signatures gathered since the beginning of June!
 The project being pushed forward by Haifa Mayor Yonah Yahav and the Ministry of the Environment.
Together they are trying to introduce to the public the dangers of the Kishon River by discharging the factories waste straight into the sea via a pipeline that will bypass the river and send the dangerous pollution to the sea near popular bathing beaches.
It is possible to treat all the effluent on land and not discharge anything into the sea. Zalul is opposed to relocating pollution. The problem must be resolved at the source. The technology exists. It is simply a matter of investing a small percentage of the industrZalul believes in an alternative: To treat factory waste before discharging it into the Kishon, thereby protecting public health and river and marine life from the source all the way to the sea.
Join us and sign the petition against the Kishon River Pipeline today!
Back to top
|
In this Issue...
Connect to Zalul Online:
Our blog, "Clear."
Join Zalul's Facebook group for event announcements!
And, of course, visit our homepage for the latest news on Zalul's campaigns.
Internship opportunities at Zalul:
Zalul has regular openings for interns at our office in Ramat-Gan. We're looking for energetic people with a passion for the environment to assist with special projects and day-to-day operations. This is a great opportunity to get high-level experience in non-profit
fundraising, and to learn about water pollution issues in a fun,
flexible environment.
Send your CV to Hannah at hannah@zalul.org.il.
Join Zalul for a beach clean during your next trip to Israel!
Planning a trip to Israel with a tour group or mission? Would you like to learn more about Israel's environmental history? Or maybe take an afternoon to help with a beach clean-up?
Zalul wants to hear from you!
Donating to Zalul is now tax-deductible!
Our vision of clean, clear water is only as strong as the people who support it. With your donation to Zalul you are helping to
protect Israel's most precious natural
resource – water.
Your support will make all the difference.
Donating to Zalul can now be done in two easy steps:
In the United States:
Mail your U.S. tax deductible contribution of at least $25 made payable to:
P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc.
317 Madison Avenue, Suite 607
New York, NY 10017
Please include a recommendation that it be used for Zalul Environmental Association.
In Canada and the United Kingdom:
Tax-exempt donations can be made to Zalul from Canada and the UK via the New Israel Fund (NIF).
To donate via the NIF, please mark contributions as donor-advised to Zalul Environmental Association and send to:
Canada:
New Israel Fund of Canada
801 Eglinton Ave.
W. #041
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5N 1E3
T:  416-781-4322
United Kingdom:
New Israel Fund G.B.
26 Enford Street
LondonW1H 2DD
Great Britain
T: 207-724-2266
F: 207-724-2299
|
