2 April 2012
Dear Friends,
1. We would like to wish everyone a happy Passover, the festive holiday of freedom. This year the holiday is very special for us – we are delighted that Gilad Shalit will celebrate his first Passover with his family after 5 year in captivity in Gaza. A few days ago Gilad and his parents, Aviva and Noam, visited the Prime Minister. Their Passover gift to him was the book, “Drawing Inspiration from the Hula Valley”, whose publication this year was made possible by a donation from Racheli and Moshe Yanai, on the initiative of the “Hoopoe Foundation”. This was exciting for us, too, especially after Gilad and his parents visited the Agamon Hahula on January 15th, 2012, on a private visit to see the Cranes and the ringing station. This was mentioned in their dedication in the book (see photograph) to the Prime Minister.
2. On Sunday 1 April 2012, at the height of the spring migration, the Government of Israel made an extraordinary and unique decision to fund the national network of birding centers with a pledge of 39.2 million New Shekels ($10.3 million).
This is a significant decision to promote birding in Israel and is the result of our efforts during the last five years. We are certain that this decision will break new ground and will become an example of cooperation among governmental, public and academic bodies.
Our special thanks go to the Minister of Tourism and his Director General, the Deputy Prime Minister, the General Director of the Ministry for Regional Cooperation and the Development of the Negev and the Galilee, who lead the initiative together with the Secretary of the Cabinet, and five other government ministries that joined – the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education.
Our best wishes for a happy Passover to everyone,
Yours truly,
Yossi Leshem, Dan Alon and Cami Zrihen-Heller