On the edge of the past weekend’s Hamas rocket and mortar barrage on the south, a very special event took place on the Zikim beach, which borders the Gaza Strip. A group of some 100 environmental activists joined hands and cleaned off literally tons of garbage from the sandy shores. The initiator was Miriam Shpira, an environmental activist, world lover and lecturer at the Kibbutz Seminar. It was an event to celebrate her 60th birthday, which was ultimately cut short by the Hamas rockets, but which she hopes will inspire others to emulate.

(photo: Arieh O'Sullivan)