Today I learned a very important lesson: do NOT go to the zoo when much of the country and their children have vacation due to a holiday, notably Chanukah, Pessach and Succot.
Raphaela got out of Gan today at one pm, and I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to use our new membership to the zoo and spend a lovely afternoon in the (crazy, uncharacteristic...) sunny December weather?" We had to park in the valley/construction site across the way, and I carried my child, our snacks, my bag and the stroller across a sketchy bridge to get to the main entrance. Even with the wide lanes and vast spaces, it was difficult to impossible to maneuver Raphaela's stroller, or to get a decent look of the animals at the viewing windows. I wanted to see the lion and other animals that we had missed on our last visit, but I got lost in the sea of families.
Most disturbing to me was the behaviour of the Ultra-Orthodox families in attendance; they pushed their way through, or blocked entrance to many of the exhibits. They left litter on the grass after picnicing. And I heard the following sentence come out of the mouth of a group of 18-year old Yeshiva students: "Let's throw rocks at the animals, so they will do something interesting...(amused laughter and gathering of stones follow)"
This is the second time in several years that I have heard that phrase come out of the mouth of a person who claims to be religious, and the hypocrisy disgusts me; wear the right clothing, get married and have lots of children, and it's OK to mistreat other humans who are below you, and other living creatures.
I am hoping that I provide a consistent and moral example to Raphaela in my own actions, so she understands that the relationships among G-d, Man, Beasts and Gaea demand mutual respect
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