On May 28, exactly 10 days before the scheduled opening of the new Rosh Tzippor Birdwatching Center in Tel Aviv, JNF Australia generous supporter Marc Besen arrived to view the final preparations. He was greeted by KKL-JNF Deputy Head of the Central Region Yechiel Cohen, and Tali Azulai of KKL-JNF’s Australian Desk. Besen, who is one of the sponsors of the park, said that he was happy to be here again after his visit in October, when he unveiled the recognition plaque in his name, and opened the central water valve to begin filling the pond.
The new avian observatory, called Rosh Tzippor in Hebrew, or Bird Head in English, is in the Yarkon Park in the heart of the Tel Aviv metropolis, and sprawls over some 8 acres of trees, greenery and wetland. The site, which is situated alongside the junction of the Yarkon and Ayalon streams, was once home to a rich variety of vegetation, birds and other wildlife. Environmentalists say that it has great potential to be rejuvenated to its former state.
Yarkon Park Ecologist Liav Shalev explained that the Birdwatching Center was built in a way to facilitate the attraction of birds naturally.
“The park was designed so that the different bird species will be able to find the spots that suit them. There is ample food and places for shelter. We will not introduce birds artificially, but we have spread out an “invitation” for them to come. The idea is not to interfere, and to allow nature to do its thing. Look around and you will see that we already have new residents.”
Oved Kune, the manager of Ganei Yehoshua, the company that maintains the park, escorted Besen around the site in an electric vehicle. En route they stopped at one of the enclosed bird spotting hideaways situated around the lake, which were also created to serve as classrooms. Kune told Besen that the sanctuary has enormous potential to attract visitors.
“It is situated in the midst of the most densely populated part of Israel. I expect that it will also feature high on the agenda for school trips from around the country and tourist visits.”
Yehiel Cohen said that the park was complicated to plan because of the large bodies of water that it encompasses.
“Now that it is completed, the project will be monitored around the clock. There are two water filtration systems running side by side, one biological and the other mechanical. We have to maintain water quality in the pond and to make sure that people who live nearby will not be plagued by mosquitoes. On the other hand we will need to prevent vandalism and keep youngsters from using the site for parties and bonfires.”
Besen, who speaks Hebrew after having lived in Israel between 1943 and 1947, said that he is extremely pleased that there will be strict supervision of the water quality in the pond. He said that Australian Jewry is still very sensitive to this issue as a result of the 1997 bridge collapse, when 4 Australian athletes who were competing in the Maccabiah Games in Israel were killed when they fell into the deadly contaminated waters of the Yarkon River.
“That was one of the reasons why I decided to embark on this project. I am very happy at what I see here today. I believe it is going to be a very effective area of beauty, education and recreation.”
JNF Australia Donor Relations Manager Ilana Meizels, who accompanied the 94 year old friend and supporter to the park, gave more insight on his life-long support for Israel.
“Marc is modest. He is an avid Zionist, who has done a lot of amazing things for the country. Year after year, he and his family make major contributions to the State of Israel. He has built reservoirs in the south, a public swimming pool in Jaffa, he supports Tel Aviv University where he was awarded an honorary doctorate, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, to name just a few.”
At this point Besen cut in and said, “It is very important to support education because that is what we are, who we are, and why we manage to continue as a race. Jews work with their minds. Look at what is happening in Israel today.”
Before leaving the park, the veteran Australian businessman, who has garnered years of experience in development projects, said that he hopes that the pond, which he noticed is filling slowly, will be full in time for the opening, and that the planned educational sign posts and information boards will be in place. He was reassured by all that everything would indeed be ready in time.