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Israel environmental activists, together with government officials are hoping to bring young Diaspora Jews closer to their Israeli counterparts. Young Diaspora Jews in North America have shown less interest in giving support to Israel, and this trend will hopefully be reversed by sponsoring environmental awareness projects that will help young people in both Israel and abroad find a common ground that will bring them closer together. And that common ground appears to be in dealing with issues that affect both groups, especially environmental ones.

Being a small country with limited natural resources, Israel presently has numerous environmental problems, including air, water, soil and noise pollution. Air pollution is presently the number one environmental problem that Israel faces, due to over all traffic congestion on the country’s roads, as well as in major cities. Following this is water pollution, where Israeli water department officials have made recent warnings that the country’s main fresh water sources, Lake Kinneret and the Coastal and mountain aquifers are so low that they are in danger of becoming irreversibly polluted.

Israeli environmental organizations, such as the Society for the Protection of Nature (SPNI) are now working on projects that can be coordinated jointly with similar organizations in the Diaspora, such as the American Environmental Protection Agency and the American Environmental Movement. One of the most serious environmental “time bombs” currently present in Israel is the Ramat Hovav hazardous waste site which is located less than 30 kilometers from the city of Beer Sheva. Young Jewish environmentalists are being invited to visit Israel and help participate in projects that are co-sponsored with Israeli environmental awareness organizations. The Ramat Hovav Industrial Waste Site is now threatening to pollute underground aquifers not only in Israel’s Negev region but in other areas as well.

For its part, SPNI has a wealth of material printed in English, French, and other languages on serious environmental issues in Israel. The organization sponsors nature trips and other outings to visitors and is promoting family memberships for the price of $55 per year. Foreign members will receive the organization’s quarterly magazine as well as being updated on environmental activities occurring during the year. The organization is also seeking volunteers form abroad to work in the country’s national parks and nature reserves as well as help clean up the country’s sea shores and other natural recreational facilities. Donations from Jews and others living abroad are being ear marked for such projects as bird watching sanctuaries in the Hula Valley and near Eilat, as well as other nature projects.

By becoming personally involved, especially as volunteers, it is hoped that many young Diaspora Jews will eventually make Aliyah to Israel.