Last year's JNF cleaning day
Photo: Courtesy of Gan Yavne Council
Israel to set National Cleaning Day
Knesset approves bill to set national cleaning day some time in the spring. Soldiers, students, educators and concerned citizens to take part in cleaning up Israel, in hopes of promoting environmental preservation awareness
It's official: Israel will now have its very own National Cleaning Day, as a bill proposing the annual event was approved by a Knesset second and third reading on Tuesday.
According to the bill, on the date that is yet to be set in Israel's calendar, Israel Defense Force soldiers, students and municipal officials from all across the country will take part in making Israel a cleaner place.
Not only will participants help pick up trash in public spaces, but PR and educational events and activities will be held to promote environmental preservation awareness.
The Israeli environmental protection minister will be responsible for setting the date, which is expected to be some time around Passover in the spring.
The minister will also be in charge of all arrangements for carrying out National Cleaning Day, along with International Cleaning Day that is held every year in the fall.
For the past eight years, Israel has been holding an annual cleaning day sponsored by the Jewish National Fund alongside International Cleaning Day that is held across the globe by the Clean Up The World organization.
Some 40 million people from 120 countries take part in International Cleaning Day.
Tens of thousands of students, educators, environmentalists, company employees, prisoners, guards and concerned citizens participate in the JNF's cleaning day, and last year over 170,000 volunteers picked up some 1,400 tons of trash.
The initiators of the new bill, Science, Culture and Sport Minister Raleb Majadele and Knesset Member Nadia Hilou (Labor) said they preferred a springtime date be set for the annual event, due to the clear weather and in the spirit of Passover spring cleaning.
"Through national cleaning days that will be marked in the education system, we will educate the young generation with commitment to taking real steps. We will also create a change in the public's behavioral patterns," said Hilou.
