Grapevine: September 25, 2024: A symbol of light and loss

Jerusalem, which suffered severe losses on and since October 7, this week inaugurated a monument to its 83 sons and daughters who lost their lives in the massacre or the subsequent Operation Swords of Iron. Hopefully, this figure will not increase.

The dedication ceremony was attended by President Isaac Herzog, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, and the bereaved families of the deceased.

The event would have been emotional under any circumstances, but was more so, given that it was held after nightfall when the darkness was pierced by thousands of city lights. The monument, located on Ruppin Street opposite the National Library and within walking distance of the Knesset and the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University, overlooks an extensive panorama of the capital.

Herzog said that on this occasion not only the lights of the city are seen but the light of Jerusalemites for whom the city was home and who chose to live their lives in Jerusalem.

Herzog made particular reference to St.-Sgt. Dvir Barazani, 20, who was a member of the 890th Paratroopers Battalion who fell in battle in northern Gaza last November. Barazani was the son of Tali and Avichai Barazani. Dvir’s father is deputy head of the security division in the President’s Residence. When Dvir fell, the flame of a memorial candle could be seen burning for a whole week in the building’s entrance lobby.

Herzog said that he had met the families of the soldiers and victims, some of whom he had met before they fell defending the homeland. Dvir, whom he described as a true hero, was one of the soldiers he met and, like so many others, was part of a chain of generations who had taken the weight of responsibility upon themselves. “He reflected the light of Jerusalem.”

Lion recalled the series of events on the fateful morning of Simchat Torah, and said that they would forever be engraved in the memory of every Israeli. Names of Jerusalemites who were among the casualties began to filter in, he said, and with them inspiring stories about each. They came from all sectors of the community, proving that one story engulfs all of us. Even now, almost a year later, the circle of bereavement has not left us, and we all mourn together and help each other in our grief. The monument, he said, is a symbol of the enormity of the city’s loss.

Designed in an abstract form of the Star of David, the 5.5-meter-high monument evokes a powerful message of unity, strength, and resilience.

Jonathan Polin, the father of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, recited a prayer in which he asked for the return of the other hostages.

High Holy Days happenings 

■ Earlier in the day, the president and his wife, Michal, were visited by beekeepers from the most vulnerable areas in the north and south of the country, members of the Honey Council, and schoolchildren from Afikim and Kibbutz Nirim who composed special New Year greetings for the president. In accordance with an annual tradition, they came bearing pots of honey and honey products, as well as apples from the Golan Heights.

The emphasis in the conversation between the Herzogs and their visitors was the importance of having Israeli-produced honey and Israeli-grown apples on the Rosh Hashanah table. Before the establishment of the state and in its early years, Israel was an agricultural country, and earned much respect for being able to make fruits and vegetables grow in the most unlikely of areas, to come up with groundbreaking irrigation solutions, and to develop new strains that were quickly snapped up at international markets. These days, Israel’s focus is on artificial intelligence, and insufficient attention is paid to its outstanding agricultural produce, which, despite war, a scorching summer, and a shortage of labor, can still hold its own in the world. But a little more support and encouragement from home is needed.

Great Synagogue sermon

■ Two major Jerusalem synagogues face a dilemma if the chief rabbi elections fail to take place before Rosh Hashanah despite a court order that the long overdue elections take place as soon as possible.

It is a tradition for the Ashkenazi chief rabbi to deliver the sermon on the first day of Rosh Hashanah at the Great Synagogue, and on the second day at Yeshurun Synagogue down the road apiece. Outgoing Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau has made it known that he would like to continue the tradition even though, strictly speaking, he is no longer in office. Yeshurun is willing to give him this last hurrah, but the powers that be at the Great Synagogue are hesitant in case a new chief rabbi is appointed at the last minute, which would mean that Lau would have to be disinvited, which would be a terrible insult.

Lau’s father, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, has a long and strong relationship with the Great Synagogue, and is a popular orator who can speak on just about any subject at the drop of a hat. He has spoken there many times, and not just on religious holidays. But this time he is unwilling to do something that would upset his son, and therefore it remains unknown at the time of going to press who will deliver the Rosh Hashanah sermon at the Great Synagogue.

Lauder as antisemitism envoy

■ In the secular world, few, if any people have done more for Israel and the Jewish people than World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder, who can be credited as having been a major force in the restoration of Jewish life in Eastern Europe, even before the fall of the Iron Curtain – and to a larger extent afterward.

In the days when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was much more popular than he is today, Lauder was very supportive of him and had such close ties with him that Netanyahu asked him to begin peace negotiations with former Syrian leader Hafez Assad, the father of Syria’s current president.

Lauder invested heavily in Israeli media and other Israeli enterprises, and as emeritus chairman of JNF-USA, together with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, established an employment office in Beersheba to enable BGU graduates to find jobs in the South and thereby increase the permanent population of the region.

For several decades now, Lauder, through the Lauder Foundation, has supported the conservation of the Auschwitz Memorial. In addition, as a member of the Pillars of Remembrance, he was one of the primary donors to the new Visitor Service Center at Auschwitz, and is chairman of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation.

Because he has access to world leaders, Lauder often flies to trouble spots in which antisemitism is rife to talk to presidents, prime ministers, and other people of influence to ask them to use all the means at their disposal to stop the spread of antisemitism in their respective countries.

Last week, Lauder met in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the latter’s commitment to French Jewry and the return of hostages from Gaza. Lauder said afterward of Macron: “He has been an unwavering ally to the Jewish people, especially during these times of rising antisemitism. I am heartened by his resolve, and I am confident that he will continue to stand with us.”

Only a day later, Lauder urged Nordic justice authorities to increase security for Jewish communities and declared that anti-Israel bias is indistinguishable from antisemitism and should be urgently addressed.Lauder is a soldier without a uniform, defending Jewish communities around the world.

Peace to the Middle East

■ Although it could not compete in size with the number of people who slightly later in the evening converged on Jerusalem’s Paris Square to yet again demand that a deal be struck between Israel and Hamas for the immediate release of the hostages, a group of some 200 Jewish, Christian, and Muslim people responded to an invitation by dedicated peace activists Baruch and Shelagh Shalev to join them at the YMCA, less than a 10-minute walk away from Paris Square, and take part in a silent peace walk to mark the annual International Day of Peace with hope for peace in the region and the world.

Members of the three faiths gathered at the rear of the Y and then walked together in silence for some two hours to embody their commitment to nonviolence, reconciliation, and peace. This was particularly meaningful during a period of war and terrorism, in which people of different national and religious loyalties could look beyond hatred and animosity to a brighter, shared future. Participants walked through suburbia, and gardens, and past religious institutions, returning to the Y to close a circle.

Since its dedication in 1933, the Y has maintained the motto of its founder, Clinton Harte, the general secretary of the International YMCA, who declared: “Here is a place whose atmosphere is peace, where political and religious jealousies can be forgotten, and international unity to be fostered and developed.” There is no better starting or finishing point in Jerusalem for a peace walk.

Chabad Happenings 

■ In Jerusalem there are Chabad institutions in almost every Jewish neighborhood. Sometimes there are two or three – synagogues, schools and/or cultural centers. Each of these facilities has its own directors.

Geographically, they are sometimes so close to each other, albeit in different neighborhoods, that one wonders why so many are needed.

There is no doubt that Chabad, wherever it is in the world, does good work. It is welcoming and inclusive. Its emissaries care for the religious needs of the most secular members of Jewish communities, who seek a circumcision ceremony, someone to perform a wedding, or officiate at a funeral, or provide kosher food. Chabad is always there, ready to help. In some places, such as Ukraine, Chabad is also involved in lifesaving operations, providing humanitarian aid and shelter, and moving large numbers of people to safety.

But Chabad has one bad habit. It’s a takeover movement – especially in Eastern Europe, where its emissaries may start out as community rabbis in small, struggling Jewish communities, succeed in bringing hidden Jews out of the woodwork, gradually develop a flourishing community and make strong contacts with prominent government officials. Often, the Chabad rabbi becomes the officially recognized chief rabbi. This can be seen in Russia, where Rabbi Berel Lazar is on good terms with President Vladimir Putin. It is also the case in Ukraine, where Chabadnik Rabbi Moshe Azman claims to be chief rabbi and wields sufficient influence to be able to live up to the title. The Stambler family has established several Chabad institutions in Warsaw and has even created a tradition of lighting the Hanukkah menorah in the Sejm – the Polish parliament. When presidents of Poland travel to Israel, the Stambler brothers are included in the entourage. But the Stamblers will have to wait for a complete takeover until after Rabbi Michael Schudrich, the New York-born chief rabbi of Poland, decides to retire. Schudrich worked for the Lauder Foundation in Poland from 1992 to 1999, and returned in 2000 to assume the rabbinical leadership, taking over from Rabbi Menachem Joskowitz, a Polish-born Holocaust survivor who had settled in Jerusalem after the war, and returned there a decade after serving in Poland.

There is currently a Chabad scandal in Hungary, where the movement has been recognized as the official representative of the Jewish community despite the fact that an ultra-Orthodox movement has existed there for a much longer period. But Chabad has opened many institutions, which is part of the secret of its success.

In Israel, Chabad wields extraordinary influence, even though it is unlikely to change the status quo vis-a-vis the elections of chief rabbis. Nonetheless, foreign ambassadors make their way to Kfar Chabad a month or two before Passover every year to join in the matzah bake; Chabad emissaries visit the president and the prime minister just before Sukkot to present them with a lulav and etrog; and, of course, the huge Chabad hanukkiya is seen in the streets of Israel throughout the Hanukkah period.

Chabad provides free synagogue services on the High Holy Days and food for the poor, including a sumptuous kiddush after the service.

Even those Chabad emissaries who do not have their own synagogue find suitable temporary premises, as for instance Rabbi Eliyahu Canterman and his wife, Chani, the directors of Chabad of Talbiyeh and Mamilla in Jerusalem, who have been working largely out of the social space in the former President Hotel. During the COVID pandemic, they held wonderful High Holy Day services in Sokolov Park, and will be holding services this time at the social space on Ahad Ha’am Street, with Yisrael Hershtik leading the service.

Because space is limited and provisions have to be made for separate seating, anyone wishing to attend is asked to register in advance at chabadtalbiya@gmail.com or to telephone 054-681-3737.

Keeping safe

■ German Ambassador Steffen Seibert posted a message on social media, entreating all German citizens to read and comply with new security guidelines and to stay safe. Responses in German, Hebrew, and English were almost instant, with one advising the ambassador that he should also stay safe, while another included a video clip showing German police taking violent action against Muslim demonstrators protesting Israel’s air strikes in Lebanon.

Love from all over the world

■ Jewish geography and the places from which immigrants came to Israel contribute to the demographic diversity of Jewish gatherings such as weddings, as was the case last week at the wedding in Jerusalem of Shira Gafson, the daughter of Malcolm and Leah Gafson, and Emmanuel Lallouch, the son of Ariel and the late Yaakov Lallouch. The bride’s father was born in Dublin. Her mother is of Yemenite origin. The groom was born in France to parents who came from Tunisia and Algeria, respectively.

The bride’s father is the longtime chairman of the Israel-Ireland Friendship League, and indeed the banquet hall at Moshav Ora, Vision events center, resembled a national convention of the IIFL, judging by the number of Irish expats and their descendants from all over Israel.

Among the descendants of Irish expats was Isaac Herzog, not the president of the same name, but his cousin. Both are named after their grandfather, Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Halevi Herzog, who was chief rabbi of Ireland before he became chief rabbi of Israel. The younger of the two grandsons who bear his name is an eminent lawyer and a member of the Ono Law Faculty. He is the son of the late Yaakov Herzog, who was a Dublin-born rabbi and a diplomat.

In his father-of-the-bride speech made in Hebrew, Irish English, and French, Gafson did not forget to congratulate another recently married couple, Donald Gallagher, the new deputy head of mission at the Irish Embassy, and his wife, Anna.

Though the flavor of the event was largely Irish, with people in high spirits in more ways than one, there was also a Yemenite ambience, as the bride’s 98-year-old wheelchair-bound maternal grandfather, Amram Nagar, sang traditional Yemenite songs under the bridal canopy to bless the newlyweds. Nagar is a veteran of the clandestine operation On Wings of Eagles, in which the bulk of Yemenite Jews were brought to the nascent State of Israel in 1949.

A prominent Irish guest who had been scheduled to attend had to bow out at the last moment. Irish Ambassador Sonya McGuinness gave motherhood a top priority. Her daughter Saba was in hospital, recovering from appendicitis, and needed the presence of her mother.

A culturally enriching weekend

■ One of the signs of Israeli optimism is the glut of new hotels all over the country. But the dearth of foreign tourists poses a severe problem for owners and managers of both veteran and new hotels.

One of the solutions for attracting local tourists is the introduction of cultural weekends that include lectures, musical performances, tours, and workshops.

Coming up this weekend at the Golden Crown Hotel in Nazareth is veteran theater man and storyteller Noam Semel, who will share behind-the-scenes anecdotes of performers and productions; singers and musicians Shir, Ben and Yonatan Artzi; theater critic Michael Handelzalts, who will discuss controversial playwright Hanoch Levin with actor Dov Reiser, followed by a panel discussion featuring radio news and current affairs anchor Liat Regev with Israeli authors and playwrights Yehoshua Sobol, Motti Lerner, and Maya Arad; television personalities husband and wife team Guy Meroz and Orly Vilnai in conversation with veteran director Tzedi Tzarfati and screen and stage costume designer Yuval Caspin; actor Shlomo Vishinsky together with a group of Habima actors in an evening of Israeli songs; and actress Leah Koenig, who is regarded as the queen of Habima, starring in two or three productions each week, who will celebrate her 95th birthday on November 30, in a heart-to-heart talk with Maya Cohen, Miki Kam, and Yehuda Adar. It’s a something-for-everyone weekend, and culturally has a far more extensive program than most other hotels.

The queen of Habima

■ In addition to being queen of Habima, Koenig is also known as queen of the Yiddish stage, and continues to perform in Yiddish, despite her busy schedule. She is also a regular at the annual Sukkot storytelling festival hosted by actor, singer, author, and storyteller Yossi Alfi.

Hamas put a spoke in the wheel of last year’s festival, but this year it shows signs of being bigger and better than ever. It’s looking to the past in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the First Aliyah and the arrival of pioneering families from Russia and Ukraine, followed by those from Poland. It’s also looking to the future and the attitudes of the next generation to Yiddish and Ladino.

Anyone who wants to see quiz champion Itai Herman in person instead of on the television screen will have the opportunity to do so. There will also be stories about B’nai B’rith, one of the oldest international Jewish organizations, which existed in pre-state Israel for several years, before David Ben-Gurion issued the Declaration of Independence, as well as stories on many other subjects, plus folksongs and songs of yesteryear. The festival will be held at the Givatayim Theater, October 14-22.

Preserving the past

■ What happens when someone without an immediate heir wants his life’s work to be preserved so that what he amassed in his lifetime will not go to waste? That is the problem currently confronting genealogist and historian Chaim (Keith) Freedman, who was born in 1947 in Melbourne, and made aliyah in 1977.

Freedman has devoted close to 60 years of his life to genealogical and historical research, has spoken at international conferences on genealogy, and has written extensively on genealogical and historical subjects. His main area of expertise is rabbinical genealogy.

His magnum opus in this sphere is the book Eliyahu’s Branches: The Descendants of the Vilna Gaon and His Family, which was published in 1997 by Avotaynu. The book is the culmination of 30 years of research on the Vilna Gaon, and includes 20,000 names with valuable biographical and historical details.

A decade earlier, Freedman acted as a consultant to Beit Hatfutsot, the Tel Aviv-based Museum of the Jewish People, when it mounted a Vilna Gaon exhibition. Even before that, he provided material to the museum for its exhibition “The Jewish Agricultural Experience in the Diaspora.”

Some of his own ancestors who emigrated from Ukraine to various parts of the world had been farmers, and are included in certain of his works.

“I am a widower aged 77 with no close family or friends who could attend to that after my death,” he wrote. “So I am anxious to have my material transferred now to an institution that will catalogue it and ensure its preservation.”

Freedman has willed his extensive archive to the Central Archive of the Jewish People or the National Library in Jerusalem, whichever of the two may be interested in acquiring it. It sometimes happens that a valuable archive, Judaica collection, or art collection is offered to institutes dealing with the subject that is being offered, but instead of grabbing the gift with both hands and heartfelt appreciation, the response is “Thanks, but no thanks.” It is to be hoped that this is not what will befall Freedman’s archive and that one of these two institutions, or perhaps a rabbinic institution, will do justice to it.

greerfc@gmail.com