Grapevine September 28, 2023: Prize-worthy

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 15:53

YOAV FLATTO-SHARON with his late father, Shmuel. (photo credit: Rami Zaranga) — YOAV FLATTO-SHARON with his late father, Shmuel.

(photo credit: Rami Zaranga)

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

In recent weeks, there have been advertisements in Israeli newspapers calling for nominations for the Israel Prize which is awarded annually at the final ceremony in the day-long celebrations that mark Israel’s Independence Day. It is one of two national prizes considered to be Israel’s highest civilian awards. The other is the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor. Both awards are open to people of all ages, faiths, nationalities, and professions.

The Israel Prize is generally given to Israeli citizens but has also been conferred on non-Israelis such as Zubin Mehta, who was the director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for half a century.

There are several other prestigious prizes awarded in Israel, such as the Harvey Prize, the Dan David Prize, the Emet Prize, the Wolf Prize, the Edmond J. Safra Prize, and others usually awarded to non-Israelis by organizations and institutions benefitting from the philanthropy of non-Israelis. Without in any way detracting from the achievements of the recipients of these prizes, it can safely be said that they are also a form of public diplomacy in that the winners are brought to Israel, introduced to influential people, and given tours of he country – all designed to allow them to take a positive image of Israel back home.

Some of these highly prestigious prizes, along with other prizes awarded by institutes of higher learning, have been awarded to very deserving Jews – some of whom are Israelis – but the Israel Prize and the President’s Medal of Honor have eluded certain deserving Jews. There are many such people living in different parts of the Diaspora, as for example World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder, whose foundation was one of the first to revive Jewish life in Eastern Europe, who is an outspoken combatant against antisemitism, and who has invested heavily in Israel, providing numerous employment opportunities in different fields.

Among those living in Israel is Moshe Edri, a pivotal force in Israel’s film industry, underwriting many productions, screening them in his Cinema City outlets, and helping to distribute them worldwide. Another is international environmentalist Yosef Abramowitz, one of the world’s leading green energy pioneers, human rights activist, and educator who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize by 12 African states. There is also Ambassador-at-large Bruce Kashdan, who for years worked in Arab and other Muslim countries to create an atmosphere of trust and friendship that would lead to the Abraham Accords and their eventual expansion.

And there is Colette Avital, former ambassador, and Knesset member as well as head of two major educational institutions, chairperson of the International Harp Contest and the Zimrya International Festival of Choirs, and a board member of several political, diplomatic, and cultural organizations and currently the chairperson of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel.

In the Knesset, she laid the foundations for the state company for the location and restitution of the assets of victims of the Holocaust. She also forced Swiss banks to reveal that funds deposited by victims of the Holocaust before and during the war, had never been returned to them or their heirs. She has received the most high-ranking awards from the governments of France, Italy, Romania (where she was born and became a child Holocaust survivor), Portugal, and Germany. She has not received the Israel Prize nor the Presidential Medal of Honor.

The above-mentioned handful of deserving people are barely the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps people who are aware of their contributions to Israel and society in general will nominate them for the Israel Prize.

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■ AS A tribute to his late father Shmuel Flatto-Sharon, a colorful businessman and former MK, Yoav Flatto-Sharon joint chairman of the Shnir Association which raises funds for the underprivileged, is mounting a campaign for the provision of dental treatment to senior citizens. In the 1980s his father established 14 dental clinics that provided free treatment to senior citizens and to low income families and individuals.

As part of the dental drive, the Shnir Association will on October 1, the International Day of Older Persons which some 30 years ago, was jointly declared by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, join Flatto-Sharon in the fund-raising campaign for the dental project. Flatto-Sharon said that he was happy to continue with this project because so many senior citizens and needy families sacrifice costly dental care in favor of food and medications. The older people don’t work, he said, so their income is usually less than that of people earning the basic wage. Some 25 percent of people aged 65 and older suffer from dental problems, said Flatto-Sharon.

■ DESPITE THE concerns of Diaspora Jewry over the schism in Israeli society and the fears of doomsayers that antagonisms could erupt into civil war, which in turn would have a very negative effect on philanthropic donations to Israeli institutions and organizations, so far, such fears have proved groundless. Most recently, the Paulson Family Foundation made a transformative gift of $27 million to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for the construction of a new building at the Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering on the Edmond J. Safra Campus in Givat Ram. This generous donation will allow HU to meet the growing demand for computer science and engineering education and to provide students and researchers with the most advanced learning and research facilities.

This gift, via the American Friends of the Hebrew University, will have a profound impact on HU and on the future of computer science and engineering in Israel and around the world. The Hebrew University’s School of Computer Science and Engineering has been the birthplace of some of the world’s leading hi-tech companies, including Mobileye and Lightricks.

This gift from the US-based Paulson Family Foundation, which invests in education, science, health, culture, and the arts, will enable the construction of the fourth building in the computer science complex, thus expanding and upgrading the school’s learning spaces and research laboratories. The new building will feature state-of-the-art education facilities including 500 sq. m. of special laboratories, teaching rooms, office space, and computer stations in the labs and open areas.

“The construction of this fourth building will enable us to meet the huge demand for the outstanding hi-tech personnel that the University produces,” said HU President Prof. Asher Cohen.

John Paulson, president of Paulson & Co., a global investment company noted: “Israel’s quality higher education is largely responsible for the country’s technology boom and rapid economic development. This gift will ensure that the Hebrew University has the resources to meet the growing demand for computer science and engineering education.”

In thanking the Paulson Family Foundation, Prof. Sara Cohen, dean of the School of Computer Science and Engineering emphasized that the new building will also be the home of an AI research center which the HU is in the process of establishing.

■ ON THE sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly last week, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, conferred the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit on Stanlee Stahl, the executive vice president of The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR), for her work in support of Poles who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland was created in 1974 to honor foreigners who have rendered great service to Poland. Stahl heads the West Orange, New Jersey-based JFR. In July, she became the first American Jewish leader to receive Poland’s Pro Patria medal during a ceremony in Warsaw.

In expressing appreciation for her most recent honor, Stahl said: “In practicing the Jewish commitment to hakarat hatov, (recognizing the good), we have been able to support more than a thousand Righteous Gentiles living in Poland, sending over $37 million to these heroes over the past 31 years. The Righteous are true Polish heroes and this award not only recognizes my work, and that of the JFR, but more importantly, recognizes their courage and legacy.”

■ THE YOM Kippur fracas over separate seating for public prayer services in Dizengoff Square, aside from being a disgusting violation of the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, could have easily been avoided without concessions by either side. It has previously been mentioned in this column, that during COVID two of the many Chabad emissaries and directors of Chabad centers in Jerusalem, Chanie and Eli Kanterman, organized High Holy Day services in Sokolov Park where they put up a marquee with segregation for Orthodox worshippers, while people from Conservative and Reform movements could sit as they pleased outside the marquee, but still hear the service. This created a spirit of unity among diverse practitioners of the faith while allowing each to practice their own traditions.

If one or two tents had been placed in Dizengoff Square with signs stating “Sit where you like outside the tent but inside, please respect the fact that one is for women and the other for men.” If secular feelings are given expression, why not religious feelings? Why should the public space be designated solely for secular gatherings? Why not both together?

While everyone should be free to act in accordance with their religious beliefs or lack of them, it might be an eye-opener for secularists to read the Bible. After all, the Jewish argument for living here is the biblical promise to the ancient Children of Israel. But it was a conditional promise to keep God’s commandments. Does that mean that secular people should be deported? Of course not. Even the most radically religious Jews don’t advocate that. It’s a form of compromise on their part. Perhaps radical secularists should also learn to compromise.greerfc@gmail.com