When nature calls, here’s the man to thank

For some projects — university libraries, parks, Jewish National Fund forests — raising money is straightforward: major donors get their names engraved on a plaque, forever preserving the record of their generosity. For other projects, though — like toilets — it’s a bit harder.

Unless the donor is Michael Krape, an Australian Jew who believes strongly in helping out the underdog — in this case, underdog projects that nobody else is interested in funding. “I’ve actually always been a critic of this phenomenon where people’s names are stuck on everything in this country,” Krape told The Times of Israel. “Then I thought that it might be fun to do a little twist on donation naming.”

Thus was born the latest addition to Israel’s philanthropic universe: the Krape Toilet, an eco-friendly toilet in the Hula Lake National Park in northern Israel. “The fact that my surname is Krape and that I dedicated a toilet is just a happy coincidence,” Krape said.

The toilet is an innovative addition to the site, Krape said, and is perfect for use in remote areas, like parks, because it doesn’t require a plumbing hookup. The waste is broken down biologically by special agents in the system, and the resulting materials are released to the environment, where they act as fertilizer to replenish the land.

“We have them in some parks in my native Australia, and they are very expensive,” Krape said.

Fundraising, Krape said, “doesn’t always have to follow an ‘approved’ script. For years, the JNF was known principally for trees, Blue Boxes and reservoirs. In recent years, it has broadened its agenda dramatically and successfully but despite that has never really employed humor as a fundraising device.” That humor, he added, could be just the thing that inspires the next person to give.  “It looks like a crazy idea, but it’s possible that someone will read or hear about this story and decide that they, too, should give back a little.”

Krape said that many people thought that he was kidding when he told them what he was planning, partially because they didn’t think he would subject his family to the possible humiliation involved in a toilet naming.

“I discussed it with my wife and my kids and we all decided to go for it. They’re on board with this project. What’s important, we’ve come to realize, is not the honor, but the doing. People are going to need toilets and they have to be paid for, and perhaps my example will inspire others to donate to less popular projects. We’ll find out in time whether it was worth it.”