Grapevine June 28, 2024: Hailing women diplomats

THERE WAS no fanfare in Israel on June 24 to mark the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, though it may have been observed in some circles. International Day for Women in Diplomacy was declared at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2022 in recognition of the crucial role played by women in shaping international relations and promoting peace.

Israel’s first woman ambassador was Golda Meir, who in 1948 was sent to the Soviet Union, where she remained for less than a year – but she did at least pave the way for other female diplomats to rise to ambassadorial rank. However, it was not until 1966, that Esther Herlitz who had filled various roles abroad since 1950, was appointed ambassador to Denmark. She maintained an abiding interest in Denmark for the rest of her life.

Just as Moscow was the first posting for an Israeli woman ambassador, Israel’s embassy in Moscow today is also headed by a woman – Simona Halperin who presented her credentials to Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in January of this year.

Halperin managed to incur the displeasure of the Foreign Ministry by criticizing Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s Middle East policy. But in an interview with KAN Reshet Bet’s Esty Perez Ben Ami, Halperin said that there had been no talk of recalling Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov, nor had there been even a hint of asking her to leave. Moreover, she said, Russia has been working behind the scenes in efforts to secure the release of the hostages in Gaza – and not only those hostages with Russian citizenship.

Women only

■ ALTHOUGH SHAVUOT, with its white dairy foods and its white-hued attire has passed, thousands of women clad in white with neither logos on their t-shirts nor any flags or banners proclaiming their affiliation to any group or movement, will demonstrate at the Knesset on Tuesday, July 2, at 3 p.m. Organizers have stipulated that this is a Women Only demonstration calling for a ceasefire and for the immediate return of the hostages. Mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and sisters are asked to attend.

As much as male demonstrators are appreciated for their involvement, it is preferred that they absent themselves on this occasion. A call for a ceasefire is like a call of mercy on behalf of the hostages. The word for mercy in Hebrew is rachmanut, which comes from the word for womb – rechem. Thus a cry for mercy is related to where a mother carries her unborn child.

There is nothing more pure and innocent than an infant’s entry into the world. White is the color of purity – therefore everyone is asked to come clad in white. Not that fathers don’t have emotional feelings as deep as mothers. When they talk on radio about their fallen sons or their hostage sons, their voices break and some begin to weep. Interviewers such as Keren Neubach and Esty Perez Ben Ami, who can be really tough cookies, are so soft and gentle with such people, that it is heartbreaking to listen.

A trip to Israel 

■ WEARING HIS signature hoodie and shorts, US Senator John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) , during his first visit to Israel, this week called on President Isaac Herzog, who was genuinely delighted to meet with such a solid supporter of Israel. Since October 7, Fetterman has demonstrated solidarity on his social media platforms, in his public statements, at his meetings with families of hostages, and in the portraits of hostages that line the walls of his office. The Progressives who previously considered him one of their ilk, don’t like it.

He’s not the Fetterman they knew. But the Jewish community of Pennsylvania looks on him as a hero.

Partially following Fetterman’s casual dress code, Herzog, though still wearing a suit, removed his tie and undid the top buttons on his shirt. The yellow ribbon hostage symbol was, as always, on the lapel of his suit jacket, and Fetterman was sporting a blue bracelet given to him by families whose loved ones were murdered by Hamas on October 7.

Fetterman said that he would not remove the bracelet until all the hostages had been returned to their families.

When Herzog thanked Fetterman for all that he has been doing in support of Israel, Fetterman replied: “ I don’t really believe I should be thanked for just doing my job. It’s been a very easy and clear choice throughout all of this, through everything your nation has been through after October 7. I’ve always wanted to be a very consistent voice throughout all this.”

Herzog up North 

■ REMINISCENT OF the overnight stay in April 1996 in a Kiryat Shmona bomb shelter by Israel’s seventh president Ezer Weizman, (the 100th anniversary of whose birth was on June 15 this year), Herzog this week also had an overnight stay in the North of the country. Herzog and his wife stayed overnight in Safed where they met with Mayor Yossi Kakon, and local business people.

Herzog also attended morning services at the Ari synagogue. Other places visited by the Herzogs included the Northern Command where the president was briefed by Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin and intelligence personnel; members of the Forum of Frontline Communities which included 17 leaders of local councils; and Kibbutz Sde Nehemia, only five km. distant from the Lebanese border. Herzog felt that it was incumbent on him to experience what ordinary Israeli citizens have to endure daily.

He also thought that it was important for such citizens to realize that presidential support is not merely lip service, but a physical presence in a danger zone.

Texas business

■ AMERICAN INDIVIDUALS and groups continue to come to Israel in demonstrations of solidarity. US visitors this week included a Texas Association of Business (TAB) delegation headed by TAB chairman Massey Villarreal and TAB president Glen Hammer. In April of this year, TAB signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a strategic partnership with an Israeli delegation that was visiting Texas for that purpose.

Villarreal and his associates undertook a reciprocal visit of solidarity, during which more agreements were inked. The TAB delegation met with members of Israel’s Federation of Chambers of Commerce. Villarreal and FCC president Shahar Turjeman signed another MoU for strengthening business connections between the two countries and developing new opportunities.

Relating to the TAB  visit, Turjeman said that no one should underestimate its importance.

Antisemitism in Australia 

■ WITH WORRYING reports about antisemitic incidents in Melbourne and Sydney, the two cities that are home to the majority of Jews living in Australia, it is heartening to see that verbal and physical attacks have failed to quell Jewish resilience. Melbourne resident Len Fagenblat sent a photograph of the Western Wall of the Spirit Grow synagogue in the intensely Jewish suburb of Caulfield, where there is a sign with the words Find your Western Wall.

Like young men and women from elsewhere in the Jewish Diaspora, Australian citizens also come to join the IDF at this critical time. An item in Thursday’s Jerusalem Post about three such citizens being questioned by border authorities is in line with Australia’s general policy regarding Australian citizens joining armies in conflict zones.

But it is an infinite improvement over former legislation that stripped Australians of their citizenship if they served in foreign armies. Several Australian immigrants to Israel lost their citizenship, though in some cases, it was restored following a long legal process.

Respect for Israel 

■ LIKE SEVERAL of his colleagues from other countries, Portuguese Ambassador Luis Barros, gave serious thought to not holding a National Day reception, out of respect for what Israel is experiencing. But then he decided that a national day is after all a very special celebration of his country’s national identity and culture, and also a testament to the enduring friendship between Portugal and Israel. Barros noted that this year is also one of special significance in that it is the 50th anniversary year of the April 25 Revolution, also known as the Carnation Revolution which brought an end to dictatorship and ushered in an era of democracy, freedom of expression, and profound social progress.

Another cause for celebration is that this is the 500th anniversary year of Portugal’s most revered poet Luis de Camoes who wrote the epic masterpiece Os Lusíadas.

While celebrating milestones in Portugal’s history “we do not forget the challenges facing our friends here in Israel,” said Barros. “Recent months have tested the resilience and strength of this nation. Portugal condemns the heinous and treacherous attack on October 7, which shook us all; and Portugal demands the immediate release of all hostages. We support a long-lasting negotiated solution that will bring peace to the region.”

Guests were treated to a brilliant piano recital by eclectic Portuguese artist João Paulo Esteves da Silva, who played Portuguese and Jewish Diaspora melodies, singing silently in time to the music.

The facial expressions of Portuguese members of the audience in the intimacy of Tel Aviv’s Enav Cultural Center spoke volumes about how familiar melodies from home had penetrated their hearts.

4th of July 

■ NEXT WEEK, US Ambassador Jack Lew will host an American Independence Day reception at his residence in Jerusalem. It will be much more low-key than the gala affairs hosted by his immediate predecessors Tom Nides, David Friedman, and Dan Shapiro.

Foreign ambassadors and other diplomats are only an ephemeral presence on the Israeli landscape. Their tenure, on average, is two to four years, though Lew’s may be less depending on the results of the US elections in November. Meanwhile, five new ambassadors from Kazakhstan, Peru, Italy, Japan, and Belgium will be presenting their credentials in July.

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