Grapevine November 6, 2024: Rabbinic quotes

At the inauguration of the new chief rabbis at the President’s Residence on Monday night, Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef borrowed a slogan from Donald Trump and adapted it to local needs, saying in English, “Let’s make the Rabbinate great again.”

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber mentioned that his father-in-law had been in the diamond business, “but the best diamond that he produced was my wife, Daphna.”

■ BUSINESS IS business and politics are politics, which explains why Chemi Peres, the chairman of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation and a partner in one of Israel’s leading venture capital companies, will be heading a group of top-level business executives and Friends of the Peres Circle at a meeting on November 27, at the residence of Irish Ambassador Sonya McGuinness, to gain an economic perspective on Ireland today.

While Ireland has been highly critical of Israel continuing the war against Hamas, and was already fairly hostile before that, often siding with the Palestinians, and in addition charging that Israel mistreats Irish peacekeeping forces, trade relations were fairly good until events of the past year and a spike in antisemitism in Ireland provoked the Irish government into reviving a previous attempt to break free of the European Union’s trade policy which prevents any member state of the EU from enacting legislation to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. This is an area that Ireland regards as “occupied territories,” while they are more in the nature of the disputed territories, as the region is inhabited by both Israelis and by Palestinians who lived there before 1967.

On the Irish Embassy website McGuinness states that her priorities are “to broaden and deepen our engagement and connections in the political, economic, and cultural spheres. As an embassy, we are working to deepen our understanding of Israel and its people, to advocate Ireland’s values to the world and promote Ireland as a place to live, work, study visit, trade with, and do business in.” Most of those points will be covered in the meeting toward the end of the month.

■ PEOPLE WHO read several newspapers, whether in print or online, know that when near identical reports of an event appear in several publications on the same day, they are the cut-and-paste result of a press release, with the major change being the byline on top of the news item. In a digital era, that happens all too often without the reporters going out into the field. But whether they are field reporters or desk reporters, it is unlikely that readers or viewers will receive a full report. Aside from anything else, there’s not enough room in the print media and not enough airtime on radio or television.

Good professional reporters generally agree on the absolute news element – and that is the highlight or condensed version of what occurred. Other reporters, with a political ax to grind, will take a controversial statement out of context and in so doing may subtly or radically change its meaning or interpretation. That’s what happened last week when Channel 14, among other media outlets, reported that Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken, at a conference in London, stated: “The Netanyahu government doesn’t care about imposing a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population. It dismisses the costs of both sides for defending the settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters that Israel calls terrorists.”

It is no secret that Haaretz is a left-of-center publication, just as it is no secret that Israel Hayom is a right-of-center publication. But both publications also strive to present the other side of the coin. Channel 14, which is considered to be ultra-right-wing, when broadcasting what Schocken said, focused more on his following remarks, which included: “A Palestinian state must be established, and the only way to achieve this, I think, is to apply sanctions against the leaders who oppose it and against the settlers.”

International businessman and philanthropist Leonid Nevzlin, who is part owner of Haaretz, was quick to dissociate himself from Schocken’s remarks, saying that these are not the views of Haaretz but of Schocken himself.

It is understandable that members of the government as well as many other Israelis were shocked and angered by what Schocken said. But what was omitted by Channel 14 was the preface to those remarks, which was: “If we want to ensure Israel’s survival and security, and also to help the normalization of the lives of the Palestinians, our neighbors....”

Schocken himself realized that he may have gone overboard in his comments about Palestinian freedom fighters and sought to clarify what he meant, in an article in his own newspaper, in which he stated that he had reconsidered his words, adding, “Many freedom fighters around the world and throughout history, possibly even those who fought for Israel’s establishment, committed terrible acts of terrorism, harming innocent people to achieve their goals.

“I should have said freedom fighters who resort to terror tactics – which must be combated.” Although he did not say so in his speech, he reiterated in print what he has written several times: that the organizers and perpetrators of the October 7 attacks should be severely punished. He has also written several times that Israel’s long-term victory will be achieved through the release of all hostages and the establishment of a Palestinian state, ending both “apartheid” and terrorism.

In response, the government is seriously considering imposing major economic sanctions against Haaretz. Given the negative attitude that Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has against traditional media, it can be assumed that Haaretz will not be the only media outlet to suffer an economic boycott.

Schocken should also have been circumspect in using the word “apartheid.” Arabs move freely in Israel, attend Israeli universities, work in major Israeli enterprises, sit in coffee shops owned, operated, and patronized by Jews, sit wherever they find a seat on public transport, and are represented by several parties in the Knesset.

Yes, there are radical Jews in the disputed territories who make life miserable for Palestinians living there, but it is not official policy.

Meanwhile, despite the difficulties confronting its members in their efforts to do their jobs, while being prevented from entering Gaza, the Foreign Press Association in Israel published new membership forms in the hope of better days ahead.

Journalism making strides

■ STILL ON the subject of the media, journalism is one of the professions in which women have made enormous strides, rising to top senior positions, not only in Israel but all over the world. The late Hannah Semer, a Czech-born Holocaust survivor of Ravensbruck and Malchow concentration camps, was the first female editor-in-chief of a major Israeli newspaper. She was appointed in 1970 to head the Histadrut-owned Davar, and held that position for 20 years. At the time The Jerusalem Post was also owned by the Histadrut, and it, too, appointed a woman editor-in-chief – the late Lea Ben Dor, in 1974.

Both women had previously been Knesset reporters, and were known for their acerbic tongues and strong views. They also had close friends among the who’s who in the political elite.

Last month, Semer’s family and friends celebrated the 100th anniversary of her birth, and, on Tuesday of this week, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai presided over the unveiling of a plaque in front of the building at 5 Uri Lesser Street, where Semer had lived. Tel Aviv is very good about perpetuating the names of its deceased distinguished residents by placing such plaques outside their homes.

Semer was also known for having appointed Israel’s first print media female military correspondent, Tali Lipkin-Shahak, a fashion reporter, who went from writing about tank tops to writing about tanks. The Post later appointed Margot Dudkevich as a military correspondent, but well after Ben Dor had retired.

■ APROPOS THE Post, last Friday, November 1, was the 65th anniversary of the death of its founder, Gershon Agron, who was also a mayor of Jerusalem. Next month on December 1, the paper will mark the 92nd anniversary of its establishment on December 1, 1932.

Yediot Aharonot was also founded in December, seven years later, but Haaretz founded in 1919, is the most veteran of Israel’s major daily newspapers.

■ WITH SO much focus on the US presidential elections and ongoing efforts to secure the release of the hostages and to bring them home, many people were either unaware or had forgotten that October 26 marked the 30th anniversary of the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan.

A few days after the actual anniversary, but still within the anniversary week, the Institute for National Security Studies, together with the Foreign Ministry, held a conference to discuss Israel-Jordan relations then and now.

There was a very warm relationship between King Hussein of Jordan and prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, but conference organizers, in choosing a photograph to highlight that relationship, forgot that the Israel Cancer Association is currently conducting an anti-smoking campaign. The highlight photo shows both men, who were heavy smokers, with cigarettes in their mouths. The king is lighting Rabin’s cigarette, before he lights his own.

In addition to INSS researchers, participants included former Israel ambassadors to Jordan, along with Mark Regev, head of the Abba Eban School of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations at Reichman University, and Dr. Assaf David of the Van Leer Institute’s Forum for Regional Thought. The conference took place only a few days prior to the 29th anniversary of Rabin’s assassination.

This week, just a few days after the conference, The Democrats, formerly the Labor Party, held a gathering, headed by party chairman Yair Golan, to mark the 29th anniversary of Rabin’s assassination. Unless it had not yet been announced by the time this column went to press, there was no state ceremony this year. Popular public relations and television personality Rani Rahav, who was a close friend of Yitzhak and Leah Rabin, and who continues to cherish their memories, was angry and upset by the absence of a state ceremony, which he always made it a priority to attend. He lamented that this was the second consecutive year in which there was no state ceremony to honor Rabin’s memory, despite the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Law, passed in 1997. “It’s sad that memory is so short,” he wrote on social media.

■ CATS REPUTEDLY have nine lives. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently has more, taking into account all the efforts to unseat him and all the harm he has done to himself over the years, without actually paying the price. Following the much publicized security leak from his office, he would do himself and Israel a favor by stepping down, so that this latest scandal can die a natural death. But judging by past performance, that’s the last thing he’s likely to do.

Meanwhile, in view of all the commotion, people are asking questions about the wedding of Netanyahu’s younger son, Avner, who is due to marry Amit Yardeni at the Ronit Farm banquet complex on November 26. Last month, it was widely reported that in view of the escalation of rockets in the Sharon area, Netanyahu had asked his son to postpone the wedding for fear that people attending might get hurt.

In addition, certain leftists have announced that they would demonstrate outside, which would probably add to the frustrations of attending guests, who would have to submit to security checks.

Rahav also weighed in on this issue and posted social media messages asking the would-be demonstrators not to ruin Avner’s wedding. It’s not the prime minister’s wedding, it’s Avner’s wedding, Rahav pointed out, and noted that Avner, a reservist in a combat unit, came home from London, where he was studying, in order to do his duty.

It could be traumatic for Avner, if the wedding doesn’t go ahead as planned. It could be a kind of déjà vu. Avner was previously engaged to fashion model and parliamentary aide Noy Bar, with whom he had been in a three-year relationship. Their wedding was set for June 2022, but the couple split up, and three months later Avner and Amit became an item.

Meanwhile, Noy also found another romance and also got engaged. Her new love was Channel 12 journalist Ori Isaac.

■ WHEN FORMER environmental protection minister Tamar Zandberg resigned from politics, it did not mean that she was also turning her back on the environment. In fact, she took a deeper interest and currently serves as the head of the National Institute for Climate and Environmental Policy Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

■ FOR SEVERAL years now, the question has been asked in this column as to why Israel has failed to give World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder the kudos he deserves. He was honored by the Jerusalem Great Synagogue, which, despite its prestige, is not the State of Israel.

Finally, the question need no longer be asked. President Isaac Herzog placed Lauder at the top of the list of eight prominent figures from around the world on whom he intends to confer Israel’s highest civilian award – the President’s Medal of Honor.

In addition to his leadership of the WJC, Lauder has long been a central figure in the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish National Fund, through which he has instituted several significant hands-on projects in the Negev.

The conference was quick to congratulate Lauder and all his fellow recipients, who inter alia include fellow Americans Malcolm Hoenlein and Julie Platt. A congratulatory statement which it released notes that each of the recipients has exemplified exceptional commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

The statement also underscores that Herzog recognizes leaders who have devoted their lives to advancing the strength and security of Israel, while fostering resilience and unity within Jewish communities worldwide. “Their collective impact has bolstered support for Israel, driven innovative solutions to global challenges, and strengthened the shared bonds of the Jewish people.”

The Conference of Presidents is especially proud to join in celebrating the honor accorded Hoenlein, whose long-standing leadership and dedication to the Jewish people – particularly through his longtime past leadership of the Conference of Presidents – “have transformed advocacy and solidarity efforts for over four decades.”

Congratulations were also extended to Platt, chairwoman of the Jewish Federations of North America, whose philanthropy and leadership have strengthened Israel and Jewish communities around the globe. “Together, they embody the spirit of unity and resilience that sustains us during challenging times.”

What many people have forgotten, or perhaps never knew, is the cardinal role played by Lauder in the restoration of Jewish life in Eastern Europe – not only in one country, but in several. Unfortunately, these days his efforts are more directed to fighting antisemitism.

■ ADDING TO the prestigious awards that he has received in past years, Dr. Uzi Rubin, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), has been honored with a lifetime achievement award by the Multinational Missile Defense Conference.

The award was presented to Rubin in recognition of his 19 years of outstanding contributions to the Multinational Missile Defense Conference and the global missile defense community. The award committee commended his exceptional commitment to addressing missile defense challenges and his remarkable ability to foster innovative solutions and collaborative efforts, which have greatly influenced the international community and inspired many in the field.

To the JISS, though naturally proud that one of its own has been recognized for his accomplishments, it hardly comes as a surprise. He has twice been awarded the Israel Defense Prize, and is widely acknowledged as an expert on Iran’s missiles and nuclear ambitions.

■ JOURNALISTS AND authors usually write in a vacuum, not knowing whether their material is being read, and if so, who is reading it. Light dawns if they make mistakes and readers get in touch to point out the fault. Thus, appreciation is due to reader Terri Granot, who pointed out that in a recent column the date of the Post’s Miami Summit conference in Miami in December was wrongly listed as taking place a month earlier.

■ IN THE song “Ain’t we got Fun?” which was sung by the late Queen of American pop music, Peggy Lee, the lyrics more or less describe the economic circumstances of many Israeli families today, with the refrain stating: “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In the meantime, in between time, ain’t we got fun?”

In the state budget for 2025, there are social welfare cuts and increases in consumer costs. Public transport for instance, will be increased by NIS 2, which makes the public even angrier than it already is with Transportation Minister Miri Regev. Many people were furious that she had organized two state ceremonies for victims of the Hamas invasion without first consulting with bereaved families or with the representatives of residents of the places where atrocities and killings had been perpetrated. They were also angry that she has not done enough to improve public transport services to and from and within peripheral areas.

Another source of discontent is the exorbitant price of airline tickets on Israeli carriers, which have taken full advantage of the fact that so many foreign airlines have suspended flights to and from Israel. And now there’s the hike in bus and train fares. NIS 2 doesn’t seem like much, and for a onetime ride, it’s not a big deal. But for people in low-income jobs in places that require them to change buses or go from bus to train or vice versa, the extra NIS 2 for every ride come to a very pretty penny on an annual basis. This, on top of all price rises for groceries, rent, and other necessities.

Despite the austerity that already exists, coffee shops around the country are well patronized. But that may be because coffee shops and restaurants are the final luxuries in times of economic hardship, or because they’re proof of the old adage that misery loves company.

■ COMMUNITY SINGING and orchestral concerts are helping families who lost loved ones at the Supernova music festival on October 7, or in the army since then, to deal with their grief and to resume normal lives.

One such endeavor is a project dedicated to the young female observers in the IDF who were murdered by Hamas and can no longer speak for themselves or sing. The project, in the nature of a song festival, is titled “To sing their voices.” Launched last weekend, it will be held annually in the last week of October to perpetuate the names and stories of the young women whose lives were cut short, and whose warnings about suspicious activities across the border went unheeded. If the commanders to whom they reported had only listened to them, most of the tragedies on and since October 7 could have been avoided.

The young women used to get together every afternoon for what they called tea time. In remembrance of that, the Wissotzky Tea company, headed by Shalom Seidler, served hot tea to everyone and sponsored the Tea Time event which was held at Kibbutz Givat Brenner on Thursday with Shlomo Artzi and on Friday with Elai Botner and Roee Bar Natan, and the mothers of the slain soldiers singing with them. For both the participants and the audience, the experience was good for the soul.

Music can often heal better than any medicine or therapy.

■ THE 53d annual New York City Marathon took place two days prior to the American presidential elections, and according to official reports 55,646 runners actually finished the race. Among the runners was Ram Hayun, a survivor of the Hamas massacre. On the morning of October 7, 2023, Neomi Shitrit Azulai, Kobi Pariente and Hayun went out for their regular morning run near Yad Mordechai. They had run approximately 4 kilometers when they were caught in a barrage of heavy rocket fire.

As they took cover, they heard sounds of shooting and shouts of terrorists. The terrorists drew nearer, and as the trio tried to escape, Kobi was wounded and immediately killed. Naomi and Ram hid beneath a pipe covered with leaves and branches, and stayed there for five hours. When IDF soldiers arrived with the aim of rescuing them, they were ambushed by terrorists, who killed Naomi and soldiers Itay-Eliyahu Marchiano and Ilay Gamzu.

Ram survived, but he had two broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung. After a lengthy rehabilitation process, he went to New York as part of Team Shalva Saucony in honor of his deceased friends and the soldiers who saved his life.