On Tuesday, May 17, the Children’s Discovery Trail in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens was dedicated in the presence of senior KKL-JNF officials, members of the KKL-JNF directorate, members of the JNF-KKL Germany Board of Directors, and members of the May 2016 JNF-KKL Germany Mission to Israel.
“Just as the new trail connects between different elements of the environment, it also connects between the different people who make up Israeli society,” said Sharon Kaplan at the dedication ceremony of the new Children’s Discovery Trail, a joint project with friends of JNF-KKL from Germany. Sharon Kaplan is the daughter of former Jerusalem Botanical Gardens (JBG) Chairman Mendel Kaplan, and she represented the Botanical Gardens at the ceremony. The ceremony was emceed by KKL-JNF Chief of Protocol Andy Michelson.
“I grew up in South Africa, and I got to know Israel through the Blue Box that was in my grandmother’s house in Cape Town,” Ms. Kaplan continued. “I remember being told that putting money in the pushke would make it possible for the Jewish people to have a homeland and to plant trees in it. That was the beginning of the trail that brought me to Israel. The support we have received from KKL-JNF and its friends in Germany shows what partnership can accomplish.”
KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar noted that children today spend a great deal of their time on their computers or tablets. “One of KKL-JNF’s most important goals is to get people outside, to be in nature and to instill the love of the land in their hearts. This is exactly what the Discovery Trail accomplishes. I want to thank our German friends for their unwavering support of Israel, and I look forward to many more years of working together. I can only hope that KKL-JNF will have more partners like them.”
The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens were originally established in the 1950s as part of the Hebrew University and were opened to the public in 1985. The gardens conserve threatened wildflowers, many of whose habitats have been destroyed by development, and save them from becoming extinct. They also educate thousands of children and adults to appreciate trees and their environments. The Children's Discovery Path consists of a 460-meter long path constructed from concrete or wood. Along the path is a series of four exhibits focusing on themes that present the story of the environment trees live in: water, rock, the tree tops and roots. The activities at each station are especially designed to break down the complex subject of ecology into a simple series of activities focusing on the interaction between plants and the elements in their environment. Along the path children enjoy a wealth of experiences that stimulate all their senses.
President of JNF-KKL Germany Sarah Singer said that what moved her most about the Discovery Trail “is seeing children of all religions, ethnicities and cultures playing and learning about nature together. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, where all people are respected, and Jerusalem is a city that so many different people call their home. Projects like this help unite us around preserving nature, a value that is shared by all of humanity.”
Prior to the ceremony, members of the JNF-KKL Germany Mission to Israel went for a guided electric train ride through the gardens, and then went for a walk on the Children’s Discovery Trail, which appeared to excite them no less than it does the children. Heinz Schumar, one of the mission participants, said that for him, “coming to Israel with JNF-KKL is like a bug that got into my system. Over the last four years, I’ve come twice a year with the JNF-KKL missions, and every time I discover new things. Israel occupies a very special place in my heart.”
After the conclusion of the ceremony, Ingrid Roth, who, together with her husband Hans-Dieter, helped finance four different KKL-JNF projects in Israel, including the new Dado Scenic Lookout in Metulla on Israel's border with Lebanon, said that she was a bit sad, “because our visit is coming to an end. The Discovery Trail is very exciting. Even though we’ve already visited Israel 25 times, we’ve never been to the Botanical Gardens before. With KKL-JNF, we always discover something new.”