Special newsletter for the new year from SPCA Israel
For the full Newsletter – Click Here.
Rosh Hashana 5781, September 2020
Dear friends,
In honour of the new year, I’d like to wish you a happy and a sweet new year. Shana Tova.
The past year has been full of important occasions with and for the animals. We found new homes to hundreds of dogs and cats who were left in our shelter, we kept offering low spaying and neutering operations in our veterinary clinic, our humane education department threw hundreds of activities for children, teens and employees from various companies. Moreover, we raised awareness to the suffering of wandering dogs at Arad and other open areas, and we were the voice of the animals in different Knesset committees.
The Covid-19 pandemic had us dealing with complicated challenges: an over occupied shelter because of animal abandonment, limited manpower because of the restrictions, while receiving dozens of kittens during the breeding season. Nowadays our cat shelter is full.
Once Covid-19 started spreading, we’ve experienced a large wave of animal abandonment and financial difficulties due to cancelation of donations. Afterwards, many came to adopt new friends on four, and we were happy to help abandoned dogs who were struggling to find a new home in other associations and different veterinary departments. We took in dogs from Eilat, Arad, Gedera, Beer Sheva, Hod Hasharon and Beith Lechem, and many of them had already found new and loving homes.
We chose to dedicate our traditional new year’s calendar to international days devoted to the animals and to the environment, in order to raise awareness to various green topics. The result is an elegant and stylish desk calendar for the upcoming year, decorated with charming photos of the animals abandoned in our shelter. The calendar was printed on a recycled paper and sponsored by Electrolux Israel. We hope that the calendar will inspire and encourage organisations, businesses and private people to note these special green days with initiatives and activities.
Just as in previous years, before Yom Kippur, the Association is running a campaign which encourages the public to change the custom of atonement and slaughter of chickens that occurs just before the holiday, to redemption of atonement to the righteous. For years, the Association had been publishing this important topic through the media and leaflets in different centres and synagogues, cooperating with Rabbis and MKs to join our call, and donate to the poor instead of slaughtering chickens.
This year as well, we’re asking to remind that Yom Kippur is a holiday where a man or woman needs to show compassion towards animals, and not harm them with pain and suffering. Those who are interested may donate to a special project happening these days in the Association – improving the living conditions of chickens who came to us after being injured, and moving them from the petting corner to a special compound integrated with organic vegetable garden.
In order to keep on helping the animals, take in, take care, rehabilitate and find the best homes for them, to stop suffering and misery, to defend their rights – we need your support. Every donation, big or small, will help us help them. You may donate through our website.
I sincerely thank in advance to those who choose to donate.
We invite you to log into the Association’s website, and follow our Facebook and Instagram pages, and get fully updated about our daily activity in the shelter.
Shana Tova,
Hilma Shmoshkovitz
Chairperson (Volunteer)
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel