Grapevine, March 1 2024: Party pooper

The troubles of the Labor Party

■ AT THIS stage, it seems unlikely that the Labor Party will be represented in the next Knesset. Labor Party primaries are due to take place in May, and outgoing party head Merav Michaeli insists on internal elections and will not allow people from other left-wing parties or progressive parties to campaign for a place on the Labor list that will compete in the next Knesset elections.

It is because Michaeli refused to join forces with Meretz, that Meretz is not represented in the present Knesset. But according to the polls, the tables will be turned the next time around, and it will be Meretz which will be in and Labor which will be out. What a sad fate for the party that can be credited with having laid the physical foundations for the state and not just the ideological ones.

It’s true that Labor was fading before Michaeli took the helm, but future historians, looking back at the party’s achievements and failures will in all probability agree that Michaeli destroyed Labor. The end of Labor, as a force of any kind, was probably marked by the death this week of former finance minister Avraham Shochat, who was the son-in-law of prime minister Levi Eshkol.

Herzog address on antisemitism 

■ THE SURGE in global antisemitism was one of the key points in an address delivered by President Isaac Herzog this week at The Jewish People Challenge Conference in Jerusalem. Herzog was concerned that in modern Western democracies, people are removing mezuzot from their homes and that Jewish schools and synagogues are being attacked. Such incidents and other forms of racism are in his opinion a wake-up call for Jews from around the world to unite together to fight back and not be fearful.

The Jewish World is facing one of its greatest challenges since the Second World War, he said. When he finished his address, it was announced that there would be questions from the audience. A 20-year-old Sabra who was there noticed that even before the announcement was made, a microphone had “magically appeared” in the hand of the first person to ask a question. As so often happens at such events, the questioner went on and on making a statement before finally intoning a query on the last sentence. Other speakers were not much better, using the opportunity to pat their respective organizations on the back.

The young Sabra found nothing inspiring in all this and concluded that the whole affair had been orchestrated in advance, adding that he’d heard it all before. There is something overly repetitious in addresses to the public these days, especially when there are several speakers at the same event saying more or less the same as each other, with slightly different wording. If they were all brought together a week before the event to work out what each would say, the audience response would probably be much more enthusiastic.

New industrial park in Acre

■ JUST A few days before the municipal elections, and the completion of his term by Shimon Lancri as the mayor of Acre, he laid the foundations for a new industrial park in the eastern part of the city. Lancri was certain that the project would herald a flourish of urban renewal and new neighborhoods with thousands of residents. Among the occupants of the industrial park, he knew of at least 60 advanced technology companies which are eagerly waiting to take up residence. He predicted that the industrial park would serve as a model for others in the region.

Azrieli Foundation Prize for Outstanding Social Coaches 2023

■ WHAT HAPPENS when two social entrepreneurs with wide-ranging interests are married to each other?

More ideas, more activities, more prizes, and more financial support.

Danna Azrieli, who chairs the Azrieli Foundation Israel and the Azrieli Group established by her late father, noted international architect David Azrieli, who rose to fame and fortune in Canada and pioneered the construction of shopping malls in Israel, is married to international martial arts champion Danny Hakim.

The two are forever dreaming up new ideas that not only help to improve the quality of life for people at all levels of society but help people to discover and develop hidden talents in many different fields.

Last month, the Azrieli Foundation hosted its inaugural award ceremony for the Azrieli Foundation Prize for Outstanding Social Coaches for 2023.

The purpose of the award is to act as an incentive for the advancement of sports as a social tool, recognizing the role of sports and physical activity in enhancing mental resilience, fostering equal opportunities, and strengthening Israeli society. Cash prizes were awarded to five outstanding winners from among dozens of candidates from 17 different sports.

Hakim, the founder of Sports for Social Change and Director of the Azrieli Foundation Canada, was naturally a member of the adjudicating panel.

Among his past initiatives is Budo for Peace, an educational nonprofit organization that brings together children and youth from diverse social, economic, cultural, and religious backgrounds and connects them through the educational use of traditional martial arts.

Other adjudicators were key figures from Israel’s sports community and top-performing athletes who have distinguished themselves in different genres of sports.

They included Olympic judoka Arik Zeevi; former captain of the Israel national women’s football team Karin Sendel; Paralympic world rowing champion Moran Samuel; Israeli marathon and half-marathon champion Bracha “Beatie” Deutsch; gender researcher and director of strategy and planning Sabine Hojirat; founder and CEO of the Five Fingers social movement Amir Menachem; and chairman of the Knesset Sports Committee Simon Davidson.

Azrieli said she was thrilled to be present at the first Azrieli Foundation Award Ceremony for Outstanding Social Coaches, as part of the Azrieli Foundation’s Sports for Social Impact program. “This award reflects our belief in the power of sports to promote positive social change in Israel – especially in these challenging times, it is important to recognize and thank the dedicated NGOs and coaches who work tirelessly, supporting and assisting affected communities, to bolster resilience and strengthen society.”

Award winners were:

Dekel Noy, in the Cross-Sector Collaboration category: for her exceptional activities promoting shared living in Israeli society through Judo.

Amir Sorsky from HaGal Sheli – Catching the Wave of Life association in the Children and Youth at Risk category for his significant contribution to strengthening mental resilience and empowerment among children and youth at risk through surfing.

Revital Ben Moshe from the Haredim Lakatzev association in the Female Empowerment category for her groundbreaking work in promoting gender equality and empowering women in the haredi community through sports.

Ella Matzkin from ILAN Israel Parasport in the Special Populations category for her dedication to promoting sports among people with disabilities through archery.

Ania Provnitsa from the Bartali Youth in Movement Association was recognized as the Promising Coach of the Year for her contribution to promoting the cause of at-risk youth through cycling.

Special recognition was given to the Community Shield program, which is a collaborative effort by Hachaluz, Israeli Association of Community Centers, and the Hapoel Center.

With a firm belief that everyone has a contribution to make, the Azrieli Foundation has been opening doors, and nurturing networks for more than 30 years. The Foundation focuses on improving the lives of present and future generations through education, research, healthcare, and the arts in accordance with the legacy of the late David J. Azrieli, the Azrieli Foundation has been funding institutions as well as operating programs in Israel and Canada since 1989.

Foreign ambassadors in Israel

■ FOREIGN AMBASSADORS get to see a lot more of Israel than most Israelis. But over the past four months, some ambassadors have been seeing even more of the country as they accompany visiting dignitaries and solidarity missions from their home countries. One such diplomat is Canadian Ambassador Lisa Stadelbauer who was on hand at the Dan Carmel Haifa hotel together with general manager Ben Yanover, to greet a group of senior leaders of the Canadian Jewish community, which had come to visit evacuees from Kibbutz Dan whose permanent homes are close to the northern border, and who are currently being accommodated at the hotel.

Canadian prime minister Israel visit

■ ALSO VISITING last month was former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, who 10 years ago addressed the Knesset. In the course of a surprise solidarity visit,  Harper again visited the Knesset and was warmly welcomed by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

Japan's minister of foreign affairs visits Kfar Aza

■ THIS WEEK Ohana welcomed Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tsuji Kiyoto whom he accompanied to Kfar Aza which was seriously damaged by Hamas invaders on October 7, “I came here and saw it for myself,” said the minister. “I have learned many things that I will never forget.”

Rallies on behalf of Israeli hostages

■ ACADEMICS, CULTURAL advocates, and Yiddish singers from Argentina, Israel and Brazil participated in a virtual global rally on behalf of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, jointly organized by Bar-Ilan University and Fundacion IWO in Buenos Aires,

The Global Yiddish Voice of Solidarity was jointly organized by BIU’s Rena Costa Center for Yiddish Studies and the Institute for the Study of Yiddish Culture in Buenos Aires, with the participation of Itzik Horn, an Israeli from Argentina and the father of hostages Eitan and Yair; internationally known Yiddish singer Ruth Levin, Vira Lozinsky, Marisa Malkiodi, and Nicole Berger.

Participants read classic poems about imprisonment, persecution and antisemitism by David Hofstein, Itzik Manger, Peretz Markish, Leibu Levin, Abraham Reisen, Yosef Papiernikov, and others, as well as modern poems in Yiddish, some of which were written by the participants such as Prof. Dov-Ber Kerler from Indiana University; Prof. Dov-Ber Kotlerman, director of the Rena Costa Center for Yiddish Studies at BIU; Prof. Esther Schwartz from the University of Buenos Aires; Prof. Abraham Lichtenbaum; and Dr. Silvia Hansman from the YIVO Institute and more.

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