San Diego, CA (special) -- Sure, being the chairman of a zoological society is a great deal of fun, but Yoram Blizovsky, who holds that position for Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo, says the glamour volunteer job is not without its share of tsuris, or should we say "zoo-ris"?

"A large number of our visitors from various cultural backgrounds have no idea how to act in a zoo situation," Blizovsky said Wednesday, Aug. 18, at a luncheon reception at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. "It is a never ending battle to educate people not to feed the animals, nor to throw objects into the enclosures," he said. Furthermore, visitors often need to be reminded that "animals in the zoo are not house pets but can be and are dangerous.  "Recently a group of youngsters very nearly succeeded in throwing a friend in the moat surrounding the bear enclosure," Blizovsky said. "They decided it might be fun to go swimming with the bears. Luckily a guard saw them and stopped them from doing that." The fact that Jerusalem is holy to many religions requires the Biblical

Yoram Blizovsky, Kurt Benirschke and friend

Zoo to exercise forms of diplomacy that many other zoos don't have to worry about, Blizovsky told a group which included the chairman of the San Diego Zoological Society, Dr. Kurt Benirschke, and his predecessor, Bill Fox.

For example, zoo personnel must be educated in "how to build a proper sukkah -- the structure used by religious Jews to eat in during the Sukkot holiday," Blizovsky said. "It is very important, otherwise the Orthodox visitor will not come during the Sukkot holiday."

Appropriate signs had to be developed for a current exhibit which includes depictions of life in the Amazon. "To avoid offending the more conservative visitors, a large sign has to be displayed at the entrance to the exhibit explaining that human nudity is on display inside," he said.

"We also have to deal with Christians and Muslims bringing in bread during the Passover holiday, when it is strictly forbidden for Jews," Blizovsky said. "Keep in mind that the Zoo is a public place. "

More recently, controversy erupted over the cartoon video, The Return of Noah's Ark, which the zoo developed as a promotional vehicle. "Not only doesn't Noah wear a kippah, the head covering worn by Orthodox Jewish men, but he is playing checkers with a snake!" Blizovsky said. "A number of very Orthodox visitors complained that we are ridiculing Noah, but of course that is not right."

Lest anyone think all he gets is complaints, Blizovksy -- whose paid job is that of managing director of the Manufacturers Association of Israel-- also mentioned that Israel's President Ezer Weizmann presented the zoo with an award as one of the most beautiful places in Israel. 

And, he said, because the zoo clearly is a public place, it is a permissible venue for young religious couples to stroll. "Couples of all three religions come to the zoo on their first date," he said. "Who knows how many couples got their start there!"

The Jerusalem Zoo -- also known as the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens -- has been holding weekly get-togethers in which children with disabilities can learn about animals. 

Under the supervision of their therapists, the children "learn to properly handle, feed, clean and provide a proper environment for the animals which they choose to bond with," Blizovsky said. "The children working in this program have shown marked improvement in many areas of their life. Several staff members are working for their degrees in animal-assisted therapy under sponsorship of the Zoo."

Not only children with disabilities are fascinated by the animals, of course. The San Diego New Leadership Group arranges to send children from this area to Israel for vacation experiences working at the zoo and living with Israeli host families. Leah Rieger of the Rancho Bernardo area described her experience in a pilot exchange program. The teenager said her days began at the zoo at 7 a.m, and typically involved either preparing food for the animals or cleaning their cages. "While I was working with the chimpanzees, they would fill their mouths up with water and spit at you to play," Rieger told the reception guests. "When feeding time came around the lemurs, they would jump and take the food out of your hand."

Leah Rieger tells of volunteering

Work in the zoo's kitchen, where she "cut about 100 loaves of bread, thousands of pounds of vegetables and hardboiled 12 boxes of eggs" was very tiring, she said. But she added that she would be ready to go back if invited again.

Robert Price, chairman of the San Diego New Leadership Group , presented proclamations on behalf of San Diego Mayor Susan Golding to representatives of the San Diego and Jerusalem Zoos as well as to Edith and Dr. Irving Taylor, the hosts of the reception, in honor of the ongoing friendship between San Diego and Jerusalem.

Blizovsky said that he learned from Benirschke during a two-day visit to San Diego how to get the community "to be more involved in the activities of the zoo." 

After hearing Rieger's presentation, however, Benirschke quipped it was he who needed to learn from the Jerusalem Zoo. "I am going to go to Jerusalem and hire young kids like they do to clean our cages. That is the most wonderful idea that I have heard! I am sure we can convince our board of trustees."