Grapevine, March 17, 2024: It's in the book!

CONGRATULATIONS ARE in order for Yonah Jeremy Bob, the military reporter and former legal affairs reporter of The Jerusalem Post, and Ilan Evyatar, the former editor of The Jerusalem Report, the flagship magazine of The Jerusalem Post Group. The two are the Fall 2023 winners of the Jewish Book Council Notable Books for their book Target Tehran.

Very often, important subjects are bandied about in both traditional media and on social media platforms, without the general public knowing much about the nitty gritty.

This book helps to clarify a lot of gray areas and to heighten understanding of the issues involved, as well as some of the complex challenges the Mossad has been able to overcome and what it will face in the future.

What happens in the Middle East can impact on the rest of the world, which is the paramount reason for reading this book

 Twice a year, Natan Notable Books rec­og­nizes recent­ly pub­lished or about-to-be-published non-fic­tion books that promise to cat­alyze con­ver­sa­tions aligned with the themes of Natan’s grant­mak­ing: rein­vent­ing Jew­ish life and com­mu­ni­ty for the 21st cen­tu­ry, shift­ing notions of indi­vid­ual and col­lec­tive Jew­ish iden­ti­ty, the his­to­ry and future of Israel, under­stand­ing and con­fronting con­tem­po­rary forms of anti­semitism, and the evolv­ing rela­tion­ship between Israel and world Jewry.

With tensions constantly building up in the Mid­dle East, hard­ly a day goes by when Iran or Iran­ian proxies are not making what is unfortunately bad news. Israel is but one of many countries that are seriously concerned, though Israel stands out as the country that Iran shamelessly advertises that it wants to destroy.

The two authors will receive a $5,000 cash prize, as well as cus­tomized sup­port for pro­mot­ing the book and its ideas, draw­ing on Natan’s and the Jew­ish Book Council’s exten­sive net­works through­out the Jew­ish phil­an­thropic and com­mu­nal worlds.

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather donates to Magen David Adom

■ THE SECURITY situation in Israel has made donors to health services much more aware of the need to reach patients in the shortest possible time. This may account for the significant increase in donations of motorcycles and ambulances to various hospitals and paramedical organizations.

Fifteen-times world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather last week dedicated a fleet of Magen David Adom medicycles. As the Israel-Gaza war rages on, the self-styled “greatest of all time” visited MDA’s Marcus National Blood Services Center to demonstrate his support for Israel in this time of need.

Mayweather, known not only for his unparalleled achievements in the ring but also for his generous philanthropy, attended the dedication ceremony. While he did not deliver a formal address, his heartfelt engagement with the staff left an indelible impression on all present.

Earlier this year, Mayweather was honored at a Magen David Adom gala dinner in Miami, where he became enamored with the organization’s work, across all spectrums of Israeli society, irrespective of religion, color, or creed.

Magen David Adom has been using medicycles since 1948 when the organization inherited a number of motorcycles from the former British authorities. In 2003, MDA’s use of medicycles became an official part of its activities with the dedication of its first fully fledged fleet.

The event was particularly poignant as it brought together MDA personnel who had experienced the harrowing events of the October 7 attack on Israel. Mayweather’s visit served as a beacon of hope and solidarity during challenging times, inspiring resilience and unity among those in attendance.

“We are truly grateful for Floyd Mayweather’s commitment and support at this dark time in our history,” said Catherine Reed, CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom. “The Floyd Fleet will save thousands of lives in record time and wouldn’t have been possible without him.”

Magen David Adom treats and transports nearly 1 million people to hospitals every year; collects, safety tests, and distributes nearly all the blood to Israel’s hospitals; and, through its affiliation with the Red Cross movement, responds to disasters around the world.

Yad Sarah received donations as well

■ ALSO ON the receiving end of philanthropy last week was Yad Sarah, which unveiled a new home hospital van purchased with donations from Daily Giving.

The new van will enable Yad Sarah to deliver additional home hospitalization equipment – including beds, wheelchairs, and oxygen concentrators – to reduce stays in hospitals, which are all working under extreme pressure.

The purchase of the van was proof of the veracity of the old British saying: “Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.” The purchase was made possible by daily donations from 18,000 givers.

“Yad Sarah is deeply committed to providing compassionate care to the people of Israel – a need that has grown significantly since October 7,” said Adele Goldberg, executive director of Friends of Yad Sarah. “The organization’s home hospital vans are a large part of this mission, and we are grateful for Daily Giving’s support in helping us reach significantly more individuals, communities, and families in need.”

Home hospital vans enable hospitals to make more room available for wounded soldiers and victims of rocket attacks and terrorism. Yad Sarah’s home hospitalization service delivers and installs medical equipment that permits individuals to recover at home. This service supports soldiers wounded in combat as well as victims of the October 7 attacks, evacuates civilians, and more.

Daily Giving is a Jewish nonprofit that empowers people to fulfill the mitzvah (good deed) of tzedakah (charity) every day.

Givers donate between $1-$50 daily, and funds are disbursed to various Jewish nonprofit organizations, including Yad Sarah.“We select non-profits making a real difference in the community,” said Dr. Jonathan Donath, co-founder and president of Daily Giving. “We are grateful to our over 18,000 Daily Givers and look forward to seeing the positive impact this new home hospital van makes for the people of Israel.”

Bar-Ilan professor recognized and honored by Brandeis Univeristy

■ EVERY UNIVERSITY takes pride when a member of its faculty is honored by another institute of higher education, especially when that institute is in another country. In May of this year, Bar-Ilan University Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari will be awarded an honorary degree by Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

 Halperin-Kaddari is a member of Bar-Ilan’s Faculty of Law and founding academic director of the University’s Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women. She is a family law expert in both the civil legal system and traditional Jewish law and has served three terms as a member (twice vice president) of the UN Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Her range of knowledge on various aspects of law is phenomenal, and once again in this month of recognizing achievements by women, poses the question where civilization would be today if women had been emancipated centuries ago, and permitted the same educational opportunities as men.

Halperin-Kaddari is an expert on family law in Israel, international human rights family law, feminism and Halacha, and international women’s rights. She is a recipient of the US State Department’s International Women of Courage Award and in 2018 was named one of Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy around the world. Since the terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, Halperin-Kaddari has played a leading role in fighting for international recognition of Hamas’s sexual crimes, culminating in the recent United Nations Under-Secretary General’s report concluding that conflict-related sexual violence likely occurred during the Hamas onslaught against southern Israel, as well as clear evidence that hostages were raped while being held in Gaza, and those currently held captive are still facing such abuse.

In selecting Halperin-Kaddari for an honorary degree, Brandeis University wrote, “The university has always strived to praise exceptional people like you, who fight for the rights of those less fortunate, and who invest their skills in promoting human knowledge and understanding – among them Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Madeleine Albright, and Golda Meir. Given our history and values, the Brandeis community will no doubt be thrilled to witness you being honored for the far-reaching impact of your work in the fight against violence and discrimination against women. We believe that you have given, and will continue to give, inspiration to entire generations of the intellectually curious, in their pursuit of their ambitions, and in promoting positive change wherever it is needed.”

 “In recent months and throughout her academic career, Prof. Halperin-Kaddari has dedicated her entire being to the advancement of women’s rights,” said Prof. Michal Alberstein, dean of BIU’s Faculty of Law, in learning of the honor. “This is a significant and noteworthy international gesture and recognition of the importance of the war for the release of the hostages being held in Gaza, and the atrocities and gender-based crimes committed on the seventh of October. It is recognition of her leadership over the years to advance women’s rights, and who in recent months has reached new and very difficult heights in her activities at the United Nations and in many international and local centers of advocacy and influence. I have no words to describe my appreciation and excitement for this recognition. Ruth acted with courage and heroism while dealing with indescribable emotions in furthering the cries of women in general and in relation to recent events in particular. This is a ray of light of recognition and hope.”

 In addition to Halperin-Kaddari, Brandeis University will honor documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, academic administrator Ruth Simmons, and civil and community rights leader Roy DeBerry.

Rabbi David Ellenson, former director of Brandeis’s Schusterman Center for Israel Studies and chancellor emeritus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, will be recognized posthumously. “The accomplished individuals receiving honorary degrees have each devoted their life’s work to addressing some of the most important issues of our day,” wrote Brandeis University president Ron Liebowitz in announcing this year’s honorees. “Together, they embody Brandeis’s founding Jewish values to seek knowledge and to repair the world.”

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