HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Florida — The Florida Coast Oceanographic Center is located on picturesque Hutchinson Island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River. It is the home of the Florida Oceanographic Society, whose mission is to “inspire environmental stewardship of Florida’s coastal ecosystems through education, research, and advocacy.”
The environment of tomorrow is the responsibility, the obligation, of today for tomorrow.
The Society recently built the Coastal Center on a 57-acre property with a 750,000 gallon “outdoor” aquarium of marine life. It has extensive facilities focused on education, especially children’s education.
A controlled “water tank petting zoo,” children are invited to feed the fish, even let the manta rays “eat” from their hands, lush walking trails, a butterfly garden, water life-themed sculptures, and gazebos for adults to hear docent talks demystifying the watery world about them are all welcomingly accessible.
Sixty-thousand people a year, and growing, visit the Center.
Ticket prices alone are not sufficient to operate and develop the new Center. Fundraising is a necessity. One element to fundraise is selling walkway bricks or pavers. They are carved with dedications, “Harry Loves Sally, Porpoises are Your Pals.”
Recently, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) donated a paver.
The text is simple, our Society’s name. It is prominently placed in the walkway of the Butterfly Garden.
JASHP’s motto is “shaping the future by remembering the past.” JASHP encourages dialogue and interactive recognition of the commonality of the American experience.
What is more in common for all Americans than the commonality of our shared environment?
The paver’s purpose is more than sharing a few supportive dollars with a deserving environmental society. It is also a Jewish necessity against the rising tide of American antisemitism that denies Jewish historical legitimacy, presence, and commonality.
The dedicatory text, with the word Jewish, is seemingly out of place. Jews are culturally depicted as historically originating desert nomads with no link to the sea.
The word Jewish silently extends, impresses, a normalcy of inclusion in the Center’s purpose and the broader role of Jewish concerns for the environment.
The paver is another element, another notch, in the fight against Jews being seen, as Yad Vashem put it, the “Other,” who are not included within the fabric of the whole, the American people.
Perhaps, a curious visitor will Web surf, “Jews and oceanography?” They will discover Walter Munk, a Jewish oceanographer who helped revolutionize oceanography. Surfers will discover Jessica Meir, an American NASA astronaut, marine biologist and physiologist. Hava Hornung’s name will pop up. Hava was Israel’s first female oceanographer. She was instrumental in establishing Israel’s first oceanographic research center in Israel.
Surfers will also uncover a dark side of American life. A building on San Diego State University’s campus is named for Roger Revelle. He was a famed oceanographer and marine biologist. He was not Jewish, but when he was recruiting the best minds to teach in San Diego, he fought the rabid antisemitism that existed in California, and San Diego in particular, that denied housing to anyone who was Jewish.
Surfers will discover Florida’s Tikkun Hayam (Repair the Sea). Tikkun Hayam is a Jewish organization whose mission “is to share the spiritual wonders of the sea from a Jewish perspective and raise awareness of and encourage action to address the many threats facing the Marine environment.” There is more and more about Jews and the Seas awaiting to be appreciated.
The simple JASHP paver, with the word Jewish, seemingly out of place, is very much in place.
Jerry Klinger is the president of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, www.JASHP.org