Grapevine May 10, 2024: Shared emotions

MUCH HAS been published in Israel and in other countries about Sheryl Sandberg’s documentary film Screams Before Silence. But when watching it the real significance of face-to-face contacts becomes apparent, conveying the message of the need for hands-on involvement in a project of this nature. As she meets survivors and rescuers and hears what they saw, Sandberg’s face registers shock, sympathy, and sorrow. Her expression is one of horror as she is shown still photographs and video scenes that were taken by some of the witnesses. Her reactions are so real and spontaneous that her raw emotions transfer themselves to viewers, as they did this week at the President’s Residence where Michal Herzog hosted the Israel premiere of the film. Among those attending were former hostages Amit Soussana, and mother and daughter Chen and Agam Goldstein, who are prominently featured in the film. 

When any of the people giving testimony breaks down as memories of unthinkable inhumanities penetrate their minds, Sandberg instinctively hugs them.

FINANCE FOR the film, which was the brainchild of New York-born Israeli Eytan Schwartz, was provided by Carol and Joey Low. The Lows are long-time supporters of Israel, and have funded various advocacy projects. Joey Low has promoted Israeli start-ups in the US and has helped Israel in many other ways. In 2004, he was behind the popular Israeli television program The Ambassador, in which 13 bright young men and women competed in quasi ambassadorial roles to engage in public diplomacy for Israel, with the winner working in America for a PR project called Israel at Heart which was run by Low.

Schwartz was the 2005 winner. He had previously been an actor and journalist, and in the course of time became a communications and public relations expert. Inter alia, he was in charge of Tel Aviv’s centenary celebrations. After October 7, Schwartz, knowing that this was a strong story that must resonate internationally, approached Low for finance, and Low, in turn, introduced him to Sheryl Sandberg, who after hearing the proposal, took only five minutes to agree.

ZAKA volunteers recount their testimonies 

Among the people whom Sandberg interviews in the film, are two ZAKA volunteers who tell her that they have been to conflict zones and earthquakes in different parts of the world, but they have never seen anything like what met their eyes on October 7.

It should be noted that nearly all ZAKA volunteers are from the ultra-Orthodox community, but they regard the saving of human life and the collection of body parts of deceased persons as the most supreme acts of humanity and respect, and are willing to give such acts priority over the Sabbath and other Jewish holy days.

Readers who want to see the film which is in English and Hebrew with English subtitles, should try to view it on the big screen which will be far more effective than watching it on YouTube.

FORMER HOSTAGE Noga Weiss, who was repatriated from captivity in Gaza, signed up for army service this week. Weiss, 18, and her mother Shiri, residents of Kibbutz Be’eri, were released on November 25. One of the captors actually fell in love with Noga and said that he wanted her to be the mother of his children and that he wanted to marry her. Happily she was released before being forced into such a relationship. She much preferred joining the IDF.

Former hostage released following extensive hospitalization period 

EVEN IN this era of horror, bereavement, and grief, there are occasional miracles such as the release from Soroka Medical Center this week of 85-year-old Alma Avraham who had been hospitalized since her return from Gaza in November. When she arrived, she was in an extremely critical condition, and doctors held little hope for her ability to live for more than a few days. Medical consensus on that score proved to be inaccurate. “It’s the happiest mistake I ever made in my life,” senior Soroka physician Dr. Ami Frenkel said in an interview on Reshet Bet radio.

He was full of admiration for what he called Avraham’s “amazing resilience and her strong desire to live.”

During the period in which she was undergoing emergency treatment, Avraham won the hearts of doctors and nurses alike. Frenkel said that they would continue to maintain contact with this truly remarkable woman. He also voiced the opinion that she had arrived at Soroka just in time. Had she come 24 hours later, he said, it would have been impossible to save her life.

Israel's participation in NASDAQ

ANTI-ISRAEL RALLIES in New York may create the impression that Israel and Israelis are no longer welcome in the Big Apple – but don’t let that fool you. Israel’s technological edge continues to be recognized and appreciated as for instance last week at NASDAQ.

Of course that’s not the only event in which what the Bible calls “a stiff-necked people “continues to make headway.

What all the anti-Israel feeling has done is to bring Jews of all denominations closer to each other with common concerns outweighing differences. That may be one of the key reasons why the upcoming annual Jerusalem Post Conference has mushroomed in terms of speakers and attendance, with diplomats. Community activists, political figures and other people of influence among the speakers and in the audience.

Getting back to NASDAQ, a delegation of leading Israeli industrialists, last week participated in ringing the opening bell at NASDAQ MarketSite. They were in New York under the auspices of The Israel Advanced Technology Industries Association (IATI). Given that Israel is in the midst of a war, coping with dashed hopes for the return of hostages abducted by Hamas, dealing with thousands of displaced persons and standing stoically in the face of daily calls for a change of government, the NASDAQ event served as a powerful symbol of Israeli resilience and unwavering spirit of innovation that continues to propel the hi-tech sector to keep moving forward.

According to Karin Mayer Rubinstein, CEO and President of IATI, “This event is a testament to the incredible achievements of Israeli technology companies, even in the face of adversity. Our mission in IATI is to foster the business continuity, resilience, and global competitiveness of Israel’s advanced technology industries.”

Among the Israeli technology representatives were Yossi Matias, Izhar Shay, Mark Wilf, Yaky Yanay, David Kostman, Yaron Galai, Lior Bonfis, Erez Shachar, Yoel Cheshin, Edward Mermelstein, Anat Katz, Didier Tubia, Tami Shachar, Yaacov Michlin, Nili Shalev, Erez Tsur, Miriam Shtilman, Jonathan Tulkoff, J.J. Sussman, and more.

With more than 100 Israeli companies currently listed on Nasdaq, Israel stands as a global leader in hi-tech development.

DURING THE current war in Gaza and in the North of the country, in excess of 600 soldiers have paid the supreme sacrifice. Many of those who fell in battle were between 18-21 years old. None of the dreams they cherished in their growing up years will be realized. None of the plans will come to fruition. Sometimes the question is asked: Why were these fallen soldiers born at all, if they had to die so young? The anguished voices of bereaved parents, spouses, and siblings ring out at funerals in military cemeteries across the country. They pierce the heart – especially when a weeping spouse shows signs of an advanced stage of pregnancy and will give birth to a baby who will never know his or her father.

Many families rack their minds for a suitable and sustainable manner in which to perpetuate the memories of their beloved fallen soldiers. Many families choose to perpetuate the memories of loved ones by establishing or joining educational or research projects.

As part of a collaboration between the Technion and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a project dedicated to the memory of the late Capt. (res.) Denis Krokhmalov Veksler has been established in the Technion’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering where Krokhmalov Veksler was due to begin studies this year.

Sadly, that ambition could not be realized. He fell in battle in the Gaza Strip on January 8, 2024.

A resident of Beersheba, Veksler was a respected athlete who immigrated to Israel at the age of 17. He served as an officer in the elite Yahalom (Diamond) engineering unit of the IDF Combat Engineering Corps. Despite being injured during triathlon training after his military service, he insisted on continuing to serve in the reserves while simultaneously pursuing his dream of studying aerospace engineering at the Technion.

The project to develop a communications satellite in his memory, is led by Dr. Hillel Rubinstein from IAI, and Dr. Oded Golan, academic supervisor of student projects in the Technion’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. The development of the satellite is the final project of a group of students from the faculty. The satellite will carry a detector for measuring gamma radiation, developed at the Technion’s Faculty of Physics. The satellite is called NOVA-SAT, to commemorate the events of October 7, will perform measurements using the GALI (Gamma-ray Burst Localizing Instrument) detector developed at the Technion’s Faculty of Physics.

This device is designed to detect bursts of gamma radiation, a product of the explosion of stars at the end of their lives, supernovae, and mergers of neutron star pairs.

Since such astronomical events are difficult to locate, there is a worldwide effort to develop innovative detectors that will identify them and their locations.

The GALI detector allows for precise identification of the direction of the burst, a featured characteristic of only giant satellites rather than small systems. The detections it provides will enable astronomers worldwide to point telescopes at the event, study the burst, and link it to other events such as gravitational waves. The model that NOVA-SAT will carry was built by PhD student Julia Saleh-Natur, and embodies the vital connection between industry, education, and national memory.

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