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AgenPress. “The waters teem with living beings and birds fly over the earth,” said God, in the genesis of the world. “Let the earth produce living beings according to their kind: cattle, reptiles and wild beasts.”
Animals and Sacred Scriptures: a symbiotic relationship, mirror of the centrality that the living being has in every faith.
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The “Animals of the Bible. A path to discover them at the Rome Bioparco ”inaugurated this morning at the Zoological Garden of the Capital and promoted by the Embassy of Israel in Italy and by the Bioparco Foundation of Rome.
The Ambassador of Israel in Italy, Dror Eydar, the President of the Bioparco Foundation of Rome, Francesco Petretti, the Councilor for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion of the Municipality of Rome, Alessandro Onorato and the President of the Jewish Community of Rome, Ruth Dureghello.
The route, which crosses the 17 hectares of the Park, is made up of stopping points with descriptive panels dedicated to eleven selected animal species mentioned in the sacred texts: mandrills, ostriches, leopards, hippos, Asiatic lions, elephants, wild donkeys, brown bears , amphibians, lions, wolves, white storks and white pelicans.
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Specifically, each panel shows an illustration of the animal, a quote from the Hebrew Bible edited by Rav Riccardo Disegni a few years ago, an explanatory text and a QR code by the Embassy to learn about the history of the species in Israel, the characteristics of the country that have favored its spread and Israeli initiatives to promote resettlement in the region and / or protect its survival.
“The Bible has given us human beings responsibility for the world since the dawn of humanity; the Jewish tradition, more than 2000 years ago, further extended the centrality of our role in the conservation of the environment ”, declared the Ambassador of Israel. Each animal of the Biopark itinerary will lead visitors to the world of the Bible and to get to know the Holy Land, Israel, a country in a unique geographical position, which acts as a bridge between three continents, whose rich nature – flora and fauna – contributes to the protection and to the development of species that were disappearing… Taking care of the world, of the environment, is a profound value with a solid foundation in the Bible. I wish this place to flourish and flourish and to host many people. May these biblical verses that we have linked to animals be a window for visitors to introduce them to the greatest work ever written ”.
“Talking about animals in the Bible means addressing the issue of the relationship between humans and nature from the earliest times – underlines the President of the Bioparco Foundation in Rome, the biologist Francesco Petretti – a relationship that has seen man interact with animals and plants in many situations, just think of the universal flood and Noah’s Ark, populated by all kinds of living beings. I am even more pleased to talk about it, together with His Excellency the Ambassador, for the commitment that Israel has always dedicated to the conservation of Biodiversity, in a land – concludes Petretti – which by geographical location is the meeting point of worlds other than the biological point of view, and of which the Rome Bioparc holds a precious representation. “
“The Bioparco has now established itself as a meeting place and point of reference for many families in our city”, underlined the President of the Jewish Community of Rome, Ruth Dureghello. “This initiative enhances its educational and pedagogical function, allowing the little ones to get close to the sacred texts during moments of leisure and entertainment. The role of animals in the Bible is fundamental, from a symbolic and substantial point of view. With these paths it will be possible to grasp all the essential features of this symbiotic relationship. The appointments in the Biopark are developed in synergy with the Embassy of Israel, which thus confirms its sensitivity when it comes to combining spirituality, culture and training ”.
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