Grapevine March 31, 2024: An emotional visit

It’s par for the course for visiting heads of state and senior government ministers to include Yad Vashem in their itineraries and lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance. New foreign ambassadors usually visit Yad Vashem soon after their arrival in the country as part of the familiarization process, and to be in a position to prime visiting dignitaries from their countries on what they will see.

For Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, in Israel last week, it was perhaps a more moving experience than for other foreign visitors. Perhaps because she’s a woman and she happened to be in Israel when foreign and local media were reporting on the New York Times interview with released hostage Amit Soussana on the sexual abuse and indignities she suffered in captivity; or perhaps because Lahbib is a professional journalist and was a television news anchor who spent many years reporting from countries in the Middle East before she became a politician; or perhaps the impact of what had happened to people just because they were Jewish and what is partially happening to them again for the very same reason, it affected her more deeply.

Following her tour of Yad Vashem she posted on X “Intense moment of emotion at Yad Vashem to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and to denounce all forms of hatred.”

In addition to the Hall of Remembrance Lahbib visited the Children’s Memorial which, with a single light reflected in many mirrors, is dedicated to the approximately 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered or perished during the Holocaust.

At the visit’s conclusion, while signing the Yad Vashem guest book, Lahbib remarked: ”It is a moment of intense emotion for me to stand here and be at Yad Vashem. On behalf of my country, Belgium, I would like to pay tribute to all victims of the Shoah. The six million men, women, and children who lost their lives in horrendous conditions were deported, tortured, and murdered for the sole reason that they were Jewish. The Holocaust is one of the darkest chapters of human history. We must remember these atrocities of the past so that such horrors never happen again.

More than 80 years later, a sad reality imposes itself on us. In Europe, as well as elsewhere in the world, we see that antisemitism, as well as other forms of discrimination, are once again gaining ground. This is something that we have to continue to combat. It is the duty of all to reaffirm forcefully, never again. We commit to opposing all forms of hatred and injustice, ensuring that the echoes of history are never silenced.”

At her meeting with her Israeli counterpart Israel Katz, Lahbib expressed condolences for Israel’s victims of the Hamas attack on October 7 and reiterated Belgium’s full commitment to advocating for the immediate release of the hostages still held by Hamas.

She reiterated this on X in addition to expressing what she had felt while standing at the scene of the massacre. “My solidarity and thoughts go out to their families and loved ones.”

At her meeting with Katz, Lahbib also called for an immediate ceasefire and full access to humanitarian aid. “It must reach the people of Gaza without delay,” she said. “The planned offensive on Rafah must not be launched. It would have dramatic consequences.” 

Ben-Gvir's comments on Biden

MEANWHILE, ISRAEL’S Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has indulged in more damage to the country he professes to love, by making the most outrageous charges against US President Joe Biden. The perceived crisis in US-Israel relations is already a matter of concern, but Ben-Gvir is pushing it to more than a perception by unforgivably insulting the leader of Israel’s longest-standing and most faithful ally. 

Eylon Levy's enduring influence 

SOMETIMES THERE’S not much difference between “impetuous” and “spontaneous.” Eylon Levy, who until recently was employed on a renewable monthly basis as government spokesman comes under the heading of both definitions, one of which, if not both, caused him to fall out of favor with the Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office. Levy, who is articulate, a quick thinker, and enormously popular with the public, will have no trouble finding alternative employment. However, the decision not to reinstate him after he was suspended for a mildly diplomatic faux pas, which would have been quickly forgotten, had he merely been rapped over the knuckles, is another of the terrible mistakes made by Israel in recent months. The story and reasons for his dismissal have been blown out of all proportion, thereby enhancing his star quality.

Even if he no longer represents the government, he is widely regarded as a spokesman for Israel, and any number of pro-Israel organizations seeking to gain more attention will undoubtedly court him not only because he’s good at what he does, but to enhance their own status.

Israeli-Australian relations 

ISRAEL’S INGENUITY was frequently explained by Shimon Peres in statements that were variations on a theme of necessity being the mother of invention. The Israel-Australia Chamber of Commerce is in the process of preparing the itinerary for the upcoming Trade Delegation organized by Australian wealth management firm Evans and Partners Financial Group, due to land at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Tuesday, May 28.

This will be Evans and Partners’ fifth such visit, this time with the theme being survival: “How a Culture of Resilience and a focus on Entrepreneurship and Technology enables Israel to survive and thrive.”

The visit will enable participants to gain an appreciation of Israeli technology and the economic ecosystem moving from Start-up Nation to a thriving global leader in technological, financial, agricultural, and medical advancement. The visit will include coming face to face with the aftermath of the horrific atrocities of October 7.

These unique trade missions bring together a small group of Australian and international corporate and private business leaders and investors to experience first-hand the economic and technological innovations driven by Israel which are contributing to shaping the global landscape. 

Trade delegates will have the opportunity to meet with leading Israeli entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors, and learn more about Israel’s rich history.

There have been several Australian individual and group solidarity missions to Israel including visits by former prime minister Scott Morriso and current minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong.

Israeli receives prestigious German prize

IT SEEMS to be the season for awards. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany has announced that it is awarding the Meitner-Humboldt Research Award for the year 2024 to Prof. Ehud Gazit of Tel Aviv University, in recognition of his extensive academic achievements. The award is conferred on eminent international researchers, across diverse fields of study, who have had a substantial impact in their respective spheres and are expected to continue in groundbreaking academic accomplishments.

Gazit, a world-renowned researcher in the fields of nanotechnology, biochemistry, and biophysics research, is a full TAU professor at both the Shmunis School for Biomedicine and Cancer Research in the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering. Additionally. He is chair of Biotechnology of Degenerative Diseases, a member of the TAUs Executive Council, and founding director of the Blavatnik Center for Drug Discovery.

As one of the most prolific inventors in Israeli academia, Gazit has registered more than a hundred patents and has led the transfer of technologies to companies in Israel and around the world. He has published nearly 400 peer-reviewed articles in top journals. His groundbreaking research has earned him numerous accolades in Israel and abroad, including the Kadar Family Award for Outstanding Research, the Landau Prize from the Mifal Hapayis national lottery, and the Rappaport Prize for Excellence in Biomedical Research. Gazit is a fellow of the UK’s Royal Society of Chemistry, a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization, and a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences, India. Recently, he was elected as a fellow in the US National Academy of Inventors, the highest recognition bestowed by the organization.

Singer receives honorary doctorate 

SINGER-SONGWRITER Beersheba-born Yehudit Ravitz will be awarded an honorary doctorate by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of her birth. The award will be given in recognition of the esteem in which she is held, the admiration for her talents, and the profound effect that she has had on Israeli music and culture and on Israel in general. The award ceremony will be held during the annual meeting of the university’s Board of Governors in May.

Spring brings new appointments 

IN JERUSALEM, Dr. Sigalit Herz has been appointed new director general of the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens. She succeeds Ziv Ayalon, who is retiring after five years in office. Herz is the first woman to hold this position.

With a doctorate in Biology, Herz started her career at the Zoo as a zoo guide in 1998. Later, she served as director of marketing and spokesperson for the Zoo for more than 20 years. More recently, Herz was in charge of marketing, public relations, and the visitor experience at the Biblical Museum of Natural History in Har Tuv near Beit Shemesh.

About her new appointment at the zoo, Herz commented: “The feeling is like coming home.” She also noted the significant healing and mitigation capacities of the zoo and the aquarium during a period in which both adults and children are suffering various kinds of trauma.

One of the projects Herz hopes to advance in her new role is the expansion of the zoo’s popular and successful Assisted Animal Therapy Program for those suffering from post-trauma – and for reserve soldiers and their families adapting after months of service.

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