Lions, the biggest volunteering organization in the world and active for 100 years, started its activities in Israel 50 years ago. Israel's Prime Minister David Ben Gurion charged Teddy Kollek, Director General of the Prime Minister's Office and one of his senior aides, with the task of establishing the Lions organization in Israel. Ever since, the organization has grown and expanded across the country and today has more than 900 members in its ranks.

I am entering office as District Governor in Israel in a difficult period, economically speaking, which on the one hand affects increasing needs of communities and on the other declining sources of assistance. As an organization that deals with assistance on a daily basis, we see this period as a challenge to our ability to utilize the tools we have at our disposal, after having created them during the past fifty years since we started off, alongside the tools we receive from Lions International, Over the course of the coming year we will be required to help communities well beyond what we have done in the past, with smaller budgets than ever before.

We will be able to meet this vital and difficult task only if we enlarge the number of volunteers in our ranks. We must invest most of our efforts in advancing our activities in the communities and promoting the organization, both through increasing the number of members and highlighting public awareness of our organization.

This year we are celebrating Lions Israel's Golden Jubilee - an important milestone in the history of volunteering organizations in Israel in general and of our organization in particular. We will celebrate the 50th anniversary in a special national event in which members of Lions Israel will take part together with guests from across the globe.

This jubilee is an excellent opportunity to examine our organization, vision and goals and how best to achieve them.

For fifty years we have volunteered and offered our hands in help to the needy at the national level and especially in the framework of our clubs that act in the service of the communities in every town and village where a Lions Club was established. This year too, we will continue and even increase our volunteering, while at the same time we will also focus on the needs of the organization and its members.

My goal as District Governor and during the Golden Jubilee year of Lions Israel is to retain and strengthen our current members and reinforce our volunteering capabilities by adding to the number of members and the number of towns in which the Clubs act. The aim is to turn Lions Israel into a large and attractive organization that is meaningful to its members and Israeli society.

In order to meet this goal, we must listen to the needs of our members. The more attractive and giving we will be to our members, the better we will succeed in retaining them, averting losing them and recruiting new members. A member who feels he is doing blessed work will bring a new member also seeking to be part of this work.

During the coming year we will hold lively and fascinating meetings that will encourage members to participate, heighten their involvement in the organization and their work in the various clubs and at the national level.

We look back with pride on the many major achievements we have made since we were established. We also look forward to the many activities still ahead of us.
We will act for mutual respect and encouragement
We will act for participation of all Lions members in meaningful activities
We will act for caring and pride within our ranks
And most importantly, we will act for friendship among us.

In order to meet the goals of the coming year, I will need the help of all of you. Come, be with me in this special year, our Golden Jubilee.

In the words of Albert Camus:

Don't walk before me, I may not follow

Don't walk behind me, I may not lead

Just walk by my side and be my friend

I call on new members to join our ranks, to get recruited to volunteer and become active in contributing to the community.

I wish us all a year of great activity, friendship and volunteering, a year in which we will all act together, both new and veteran members, for the sake of our society.

Lion Pnina Efrati
District 128 Governor
Golden Jubilee Lions Israel