Grapevine November 3, 2024: When the apple falls far from the tree

The offspring and spouses of nominees for leadership positions are often brought into the nominees’ campaigns to create the impression of a loving and supportive family. Former US president Donald Trump’s children have supported him in all three of his campaigns and his wife Melania was a big hit last week when she made a rare campaign appearance at Madison Square Gardens at a New York rally.

But not all presidential spouses or their children follow the political affiliation or policies of the president. New York headquartered Huffington Post reported that Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former US President George W. Bush has been campaigning for Kamala Harris, and before that her mother, Laura, partially moved away from the Republican ranks by supporting same sex marriages and abortion. Both mother and daughter are keen activists for women’s rights.

Peres Center for Peace launches innovation gallery

THE PERES Center for Peace and Innovation has evolved into a multi-purpose facility for lectures, concerts, exhibitions, sports, diplomatic events, and more. Now it is launching a state-of-the-art innovation gallery which will feature the latest advanced technologies. The by-invitation only launch, presided over by the Peres Center’s chairman Chemi Peres, will take place on Monday, November 25, at 6 p.m. Attendees will include members of Israel’s Innovation Dream Team third cohort, investors, leaders of Israeli startups, and diplomats among others. The event is being held in conjunction with the Israel Innovation Authority whose deputy CEO Zach Schnarch will join Peres in heralding this important showcase of Israel’s technological innovation.

Herzog unveils Presidential Medal of Honor Award for civilian heroism

AT THE initial ceremony last week which launched the Presidential Medal of Honor Award for civilian heroism, President Isaac Herzog, who initiated the award, said that he and future presidents would continue to conduct such ceremonies to honor civilians for outstanding acts of courage and concern for their fellow beings.

One wonders how Herzog would feel if his initiative is treated the same way as that of one of his predecessors, Shimon Peres, who created the Medal of Distinction to be awarded to outstanding civilians in recognition of their contributions to humanity through their talents and services. At the time, it was called the State of Israel’s highest civilian award. Peres also conferred it on non-Israelis such as former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, author and Holocaust survivor Eli Wiesel, Canadian human rights advocate Judith Feld Carr, internationally renowned conductor Zubin Mehta, then-US president Barack Obama, and Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, among others. The award laid dormant during the seven-year tenure of Reuven Rivlin, but when Herzog came into office, he revived it and changed the name to Medal of Honor which he presented to Milos Zeman, the then-outgoing president of the Czech Republic during Herzog’s State visit there, and subsequently at a gala event in 2022 to US President Joe Biden. The presentation to Nicos Anastasiades, the president of Cyprus was more low key, but there was another gala event in 2023 when the two non-Israelis among the recipients were Andre Azoulay, a senior advisor to King Mohammed of Morocco, and former Canadian justice minister and international human rights activist Irwin Cotler.

Last week, Herzog termed the new award “the highest civilian award of the state,” so where does the Medal of Distinction fit in? Will it be canceled or will it get a change of status? Peres deliberately called it the Medal of Distinction, because all those who received it had distinguished themselves, and the word was more applicable than ‘honor’ which could stand for anything.

Herzog also introduced a new element into award and appointment ceremonies, whereby the awardees and appointees together with members of their families can be photographed with the president after all the formalities.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather visits United Hatzalah headquarters

ONLY A few days after mounting a benefit concert for the purchase of additional bulletproof vests for volunteer EMTs working in vulnerable areas of the country, United Hatzalah was visited at its Jerusalem headquarters by American boxing promoter and former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather who is a keen supporter of UH. This was his second visit this year, and he came with close friends and business partners, Jona Rechnitz and Avi Hiaeve, just a few days after donating $100,000 to the organization to fund protective equipment for volunteers.

Since the October 7 massacre and ensuing crisis situations, Mayweather has actively mobilized his resources in solidarity with Israel, sending his private jet filled with critical medical supplies in the immediate aftermath to assist those injured on that horrific day.

During his latest visit, United Hatzalah (UH) unveiled 1,000 new bulletproof vests and helmets funded by Mayweather’s generous donation, adding to the total number utilized by the organization’s volunteers in the field. The importance of protective gear was underscored on October 7, when UH, along with other volunteers risked their lives to save civilians, soldiers, and security personnel while evacuating hundreds of wounded under intense fire.

Mayweather, who was actually quite modest about his support for UH, thanked UH president Eli Beer and other officials for hosting him. Beer responded that Mayweather’s unwavering support for Israel and UH touched the heart. “Floyd’s friendship and generosity remind us that we’re not alone in this mission, and we are incredibly grateful,” he said.

Miami in the spotlight 

THESE DAYS, it seems that all roads lead to Miami, Florida. That is where former president Donald Trump has invited prospective voters to come and meet him. It’s where The Jerusalem Post will be on November 9 and 10 for the Miami Summit on Shaping Tomorrow and where CAMERA Florida will open in its 2025 season with a gala champagne brunch featuring Dumisani Washington, founder and CEO of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel. He is also the former coordinator of Diversity Outreach which has a membership of more than 10 million Christians United for Israel. A trained musician and author, his latest book is the second edition of Zionism and the Black Church: Why Standing with Israel will be a Defining Issue for Christians of Color in the 21st Century. Readers planning to be in the United States in January, should make a point of being in Boca Raton on January 8.

Taub Center for Social Policy to hold conference on AI

REFERENCES TO AI are creeping up in conversations about numerous non-tech topics with fears being voiced as to how it will gradually take over people’s jobs. Tens of millions of employees in diverse professions around the world may be made redundant. The standard of living may fall for lack of income, and domestic violence could rise due to the frustrations of families being reduced to poverty. All that may sound like a long way off, but the speed of technological developments over the past half century brings these and other threats much closer than is generally realized.

The Taub Center for Social Policy in Israel is taking this threat very seriously and on Monday, November 11, will host the Herbert M. Singer International Conference on Navigating the Future: The Expected Impact of AI on Social Services. The conference which will be held at the ANU Museum on the campus of Tel Aviv University, will initially deal with gaining the benefits while minimizing the risks, and will then continue into AI’s benefits and threats in the education system and healthcare. Even people who are not involved in either education or health should listen to Daniel Schreiber, chair of the AI Policy Institute, whose topic is The Aliens have Landed and they’re Willing to work for Free.

Health system impacted by politics 

EVEN MORE than AI, everything in Israel is impacted by politics, be it cutbacks in the budget; efforts to revive the judicial reform; the absence for more than a year of a president of the Supreme Court; or a prime minister whose decisions are allegedly spurred by his efforts to remain in office regardless of criminal and moral charges against him. The health system is also influenced by politics, with insufficient schools of medicine, inadequate specialized treatments for life threatening illnesses in peripheral areas, and insufficient affordable medicines in the health basket.

Battle lines have now been declared by the Israeli Medical Association chaired by Prof. Zion Hagai, which last week placed multiple full page advertisements in the Hebrew press calling for the cessation of the epidemic of political interests. The text referred to the politicization of the health system under the rubric of the Arrangements Law, which will have a negative effect on the health and well-being of the nation.

At a time of crisis, when physicians are working around the clock, the anticipated politicization of the health system will have a powerfully negative impact, in that it will encroach on the status of the Israel Medicine Association (IMA) status as the only organization responsible for the training of physicians , and which is entirely composed of medical professionals.

The IMA insists that in order to safeguard the health of the nation and of the medical profession, there must be no political or foreign interests to interfere with a strong and clean medical system.

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