Grapevine November 27, 2024: Twin culinary traditions

Hanukkah is just around the corner, and pastry shops have been featuring traditional and decorative doughnuts for the past two or three weeks. If you thought of sufganiyot (doughnuts) and latkes (potato pancakes), the traditional Hanukkah fare in terms of Jewish cuisine, think again. Jews adopted the culinary traditions of the countries in which they were dispersed and adapted them to Jewish dietary laws. Both the doughnuts and the latkes are part of Polish culinary tradition.

Jelly doughnuts are called paczki in Polish, meaning little parcels, and latkes are called placki. The recipes for both are identical to those used in Jewish kitchens.

At the Polish Independence Day reception at the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv, the sumptuous buffet included paczki, among several other Polish delicacies.

Polish Independence Day is not related to the fall of the Iron Curtain, but to November 11, 1918, when Poland, which had been partitioned by the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires, regained its independence and freedom. Though it was again ruled by foreign entities, after it was once more independent, it maintained the November 11 date, which was also the date of the First World War armistice.

The event at the Dan Hotel, in addition to celebrating Polish Independence Day, also celebrated Polish Armed Forces Day and the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Polish Chargé d’Affaires Maciej Huma, who was introduced as ambassador, said that 30,000 of the soldiers who had enlisted in the Pilsudski Legions 106 years ago were Jews. “Their sacrifice is a proud part of our shared history,” he said, adding that for Poland, like Israel, “security is our top priority.”

For Poland and other members, he continued, NATO is a guardian of sovereignty and freedom in Europe. “We are aware of the threats that face us,” he said, declaring that after witnessing Ukraine’s fight against Russia, Poland remains alert.

Turning to Israel’s security problems, Huma said that all hostages being held in captivity in Gaza must be returned to their loved ones. He lamented the death of Alex Dancyg of Kibbutz Nir Oz, who had been kidnapped by Hamas and killed in captivity. Dancyg was a Polish-born Holocaust historian, who Huma said “devoted his life to building bridges between Israel and Poland.”

Huma also mentioned Oded Lifshitz, who was also kidnapped during the massacre at Nir Oz, who he said had worked diligently toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Lifshitz’s fate remains unknown, but Huma expressed the hope that he is still alive. “We pray for his safe return,” he said.Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who represented the government, spoke of resilience, unity, and hope on the part of both Poland and Israel, and commended Poland for its fight for dignity and freedom.

Referring to Israel’s ongoing fight against terrorism, Kisch said: “We stand resolute to protect our citizens and defend our nation against terror and violence.”

Noting that 14 of the Israelis who were kidnapped and taken to Gaza also held Polish citizenship, Kitsch said that the two countries must fight the dangerous phenomenon of terrorism together.

■ WHEN CRISIS situations in Israel bring about a slump in tourism, many nonkosher eateries change their menus, pots, pans, crockery, and flatware and opt to cater kosher. The reason: the bulk of those tourists who do come to Israel during crises are Orthodox parents and grandparents of offspring studying in Israeli yeshivot and seminaries. The parents and grandparents come to check out whether the kids are okay, and whether they want anything.

What they usually want is a good meal, because yeshiva food is far from gourmet and not always plentiful. What often happens is that the parents and grandparents take junior and some half dozen of his or her friends to dinner in a fancy hotel or restaurant. In a bid to get more business, many nonkosher establishments decide to adopt the Jewish dietary laws.

This includes partners Assaf Granit and Uri Navon, proprietors of Machneyuda, one of the best-known nonkosher dining venues in Jerusalem’s famed Mahaneh Yehuda market. In a bid to broaden their customer base, the two have opened a kosher boutique hotel with restaurant and coffee shop in the heart of the capital’s Rehavia neighborhood.

The hotel, with 20 rooms and suites, is called the Ramban Hotel, and the vintage style decor is appropriate to the area in which the hotel is located. It will have its official opening in the near future.

■ WHEN THE Israel Broadcasting Authority was terminated in May 2017, it was very sad for those members of staff who had not transitioned to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, but a very large number of editorial technology and administrative staff were kept on by the new public broadcasting service. All the radio stations maintained their names, but Channel 1, which had previously been Israel Television (ITV), became KAN 11.

Now, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who since taking office has tried to get rid of the IPBC, has made another attempt to so by floating a proposal that it be privatized in order to relieve the pressure on the state budget, and that bids be published. If no suitable buyer is found, Karhi’s solution is to close the IPBC permanently, with the exception of KAN Reshet Bet radio.

One can’t help wondering whether the real motive for closure has nothing to do with the budget, but with the IPBC’s constant reminders of the hostages who have not returned, through interviews with members of their families and with journalists covering developments. Another reason is the frequency with which Michael Shemesh, the young political news reporter for KAN 11, discovers and reports on improprieties and corruption at the government level. Shemesh is a thorn in the side of almost every minister, and he’s not the only one at KAN 11 who probes beneath the radar and comes across questionable actions and ethics.

Karhi, despite the fact that he wears a kippah, doesn’t seem to care about how many people he would deprive of an income, including people who do reserve duty in the IDF. And then there’s the business of demonstrations which are reported with inserts of partial recordings of speeches in which members of the opposition, representatives of the families of hostages, and retired senior army officers warn that the hostages cannot survive the winter, and call for an immediate ceasefire so that an agreement can be reached for their repatriation. All of the above and more may strengthen Karhi’s determination to get rid of the IPBC.

■ ISRAEL’S IMMEDIATE former ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, who will be among the speakers at The Jerusalem Post Miami Summit next month, has, since his return to Israel, been appointed global president of Magen David Adom, and is in the midst of a power struggle with recently appointed Defense Minister Israel Katz.Prior to being relieved of his portfolio, former defense minister Yoav Gallant appointed Erdan to succeed Amir Peretz as chairman of Israel Aerospace Industries when the latter completes his three-year term at the end of this week. But Katz, at the time of going to press, has refused to sign the final document to appoint Erdan. Political pundits attribute this to Katz’s desire to succeed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as head of the Likud and ultimately as prime minister. In this respect, he regards Erdan as one of his chief rivals, which means that he will make life as tough as he can for Erdan.

But neither of them should hold their breath for the day that Bibi steps down. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who for several years has been reported as being in ill health, this month celebrated his 89th birthday, and gives no sign of relinquishing his leadership role. Netanyahu is 75, and unless convicted of the crimes with which he has been charged, and for which he is standing trial, still has a way to go till he turns 89. Sadly, the pettiness of politics may prove to be Israel’s undoing.

Back to Eldan. The dismantling of the IBA began during his term as communications minister, but public broadcasting as such has remained. Moreover, when the prime minister wants to make a statement, KAN’s regular programs are disrupted in order to provide a platform for him. Commercial channels are not necessarily required to do likewise. It’s quite possible that if KAN is shut down, the commercial channels will be less amenable to political propaganda, because their main competition will no longer exist. Erdan at least permitted and even encouraged the matter to be debated – and the outcome was the IPBC, which is more streamlined and cost-effective.

■ IT SEEMS strange that former justice minister Ayelet Shaked was denied a visa to Australia on grounds that her presence might incite discord, while another former MK, Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin, the chairwoman of the Jewish Agency’s Fund for Victims of Terror, was permitted to enter the southern island continent on a fundraising campaign. Shaked is no longer in office, so there is no reason for her presence to arouse more attention than that of any other Israeli who comes to Australia.

What is the difference between the two Ayelets? One is right-wing and the other is left-wing. The present Australian government is left-wing, so the left-wing Ayelet was given the green light.

In August, Prime Minister Albert Albanese suffered a fierce backlash over denying visas to Palestinians. In October, he called for the cancellation of a pro-Palestinian rally marking the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, saying that the attacks had resulted in the largest number of deaths and murders of Jews since the Holocaust.A democracy allows for people to express themselves peacefully, he said, but the planned vigil by pro-Palestinians on the one-year anniversary would be “incredibly provocative and cause a great deal of distress.”

■ SINCE OCTOBER 7, 2023, much more attention has been paid to women and children who have been victims of violence. Documentaries, books, and photo exhibitions, coupled with UN reports, have put incidents of violence into sharper focus, especially those related to the sexual assault, murder, and kidnapping of Israeli women and children by Hamas.

Uncaring as to whether their victims were Jewish or not, Hamas also killed, assaulted, and kidnapped foreign workers and foreign visitors. This contributed to closer attention on the part of the governments of the countries of the victims, yet at the same time prompted fresh outbreaks of antisemitism in countries in which there are Jewish communities.Israel and the Jewish world are combating antisemitism in general, as well as violence against Jewish women and children for no reason other than the fact that they are Jewish.

Unfortunately, Jewish women and children are also subjected to violence on the part of Jewish men, a factor that Jewish women’s organizations have been battling for years.

On Monday, December 2, Women to Women, one of the organizations that offers shelters and other forms of assistance to female victims of violence and their children, is mounting a fundraiser at the Jerusalem Theatre. The program will include a gratis performance by Eviatar Banai as his contribution to the campaign.

According to Women to Women CEO Naomi Schneiderman, there has been no let-up in violence against women and children since the start of the war.

■ EVERYONE HAS a disability of some kind. Some are mental, some are physical, and some are both. Some disabilities affect mobility. Some are blind spots with regard to certain subjects – for example, a person with a very high IQ may not be able to fathom mathematics. What’s important to remember is that everyone has the ability to do things that other people can’t do. Therefore, no one should be referred to as “disabled” but as “a person with disabilities” or “a person with a disability. December 3 is the International Day of People with Disabilities.

■ WELL BEFORE that date, Paris hosted the Paralympic Games, in which all the contestants have some kind of physical disability which they have not allowed to impede their athletic prowess. Some have even discovered their athletic talents only after experiencing a physical disability.

Last Saturday, Israel’s Tomer Margalit won the European wheelchair dancing championship for the second consecutive year, while fellow Israeli Vital Zinger took third place. Margalit, 29, suffered a severe illness when she was 14, after which the lower part of her body was paralyzed. But she did not lose her sense of rhythm and drama, both of which stand her in good stead as a wheelchair dancer.

■ AS THE day dedicated to people with disabilities is international, a special event in which people with disabilities will deliver TED talks will be held on December 3 at the Foreign Ministry.

On the same day, Jerusalem’s Tower of David Museum will host an International Conference on Accessibility in Heritage Sites and Historic Cities.

Too often, people with physical disabilities miss out on close experiences of historic sites because access in a wheelchair is either difficult or impossible, or because the ground is too dangerous for people with ambulatory problems. The extensive, multimillion dollar renovation of the Tower of David Museum makes it possible for people with physical disabilities to traverse the paths in all directions and to come close enough to exhibits to reach out and touch them.

The conference will be opened by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Eli Escusido, director-general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Dani Shahar, director-general of the Tourism Ministry, Itay Granik, director-general of the Heritage Ministry, Eilat Lieber, director and chief curator of the Tower of David Museum, and Dan Rashal, the commissioner for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Israel.

Architect Shira Shapira will be the keynote speaker. She is the mother of Aner Shapira, who was killed on October 7 at the Supernova music festival massacre, but not before he managed to throw seven explosive grenades at his attackers. He was the great-grandson of Haim-Moshe Shapira, one of the signatories to Israel’s Declaration of Independence.

Accessibility to heritage sites in the shadow of the war is not generally common in the list of national or municipal priorities, but considering that the $16 million investment to increase accessibility began before the war, efforts toward completion of the project did not cease. The project is funded by the Jerusalem Ministry and the Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA), together with the Tourism Ministry, the Accessibility Department of the Jerusalem Municipality, the National Insurance Institute and the Israel Antiquities Authority. The work was carried out by the East Jerusalem Development Ltd. (under its Hebrew acronym of PAMI) and accompanied by accessibility consultants who have expert knowledge of local topographical restrictions.

The Tower of David Museum is housed in the iconic citadel of Jerusalem, parts of which date back 2,700 years. A 10-year transformation project was recently completed and includes the new accessible entrance pavilion.This renovation, replete with ramps, accessible pathways, navigation apps, and audio, serves as a powerful example of how accessibility can be integrated into even the most ancient and sensitive heritage sites.Following the morning panels, there will be a guided tour with accessibility experts through the Tower of David Museum, a meeting in sign language with former Knesset member Shirly Pinto, plus a choice of guided tours through the Old City.

Beni Sasi, CEO of PAMI, will present the City Accessibility Project so far; and Steve Rubin, director of tourism for the JDA, will address the subject of accessible tourism in the Old City of Jerusalem.

This introduction will be followed on December 4-5 by a Global Online Conference on Accessibility in Heritage Sites and Historic Cities, hosted by the Tower of David Museum.

Also on December 4, the Kol Ehad Yachol (Everyone Can...) NGO, which encourages people with disabilities to maximize their potential, will have its stretcher-bearing campaign at Tel Aviv Port.

■ LED BY Pinchas (Pini) Cohen and Orli Meskin, the chairman and executive director, respectively, of Friends of Rabin Medical Center, along with Dr. Eitan Wertheim, director of Rabin Medical Center, and CPA Nir Zichlinskey, members of the Friends hosted a special wartime meeting. Also attending the event were members of Israel’s Directors Union, coheaded by Hadar Zofiof Hacohen, and the SRI Investors Club, managed by attorney Michal Mor Kopel.

Cohen shared insights of the Friends activities during both emergency and routine times. Wertheim, who is the director of both the Beilinson and Hasharon campuses of the medical center, presented its innovative strategy and the manner in which it has functioned during the war.

Other topics discussed during the meeting included the new rehabilitation department at Beilinson; saving the eyesight of wounded soldiers; dedicating the Brain Medicine Excellence Program in memory of the late Arnon Zamora; retaining human capital in Israel; and innovations in cancer treatment.

■ FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, is a very important date in Jewish history and in the history of the State of Israel. It is the date on which the United Nations voted in favor of the partition of Palestine, thereby paving the way for the establishment of the state of the Jewish people.

The achievements of a scattered and decimated population that returned after two millennia to its ancient yet largely barren, swamp-infested ancestral homeland is nothing short of miraculous. Not enough attention is paid to the significance of November 29, possibly because there are too many commemorative dates in the Israeli calendar, and most commemorations and celebrations are in accordance with the Hebrew calendar and not the Gregorian.

Whatever the reason, there are fervent Zionists who still consider November 29 to be a very special date.However few things in Israel are held on the actual date of an anniversary. It’s often a little before or a little after. Thus the Zionist Council in Israel’s director-general, Oz Haim, emotionally prepared for the 77th anniversary celebration held ahead of the actual date and aimed at raising awareness among the younger generation.

Haim hosted some 400 young participants from the Zionist Council’s Mechinat Amichai Pre-Military Leadership and Zionism Academy, which is led by the Zionist Council in Israel, together with members of Tzofim Tzabar Olami, whose members include young men and women who immigrated to Israel to enlist in the IDF, along with young Israelis from diverse backgrounds just before their military service, and sparked fascinating discussions on the UN vote, followed by a traditional Israeli dinner and a moving performance by the Shalva band.

At the event at Moshav Neveh Yarak, Haim, said: “It is incredibly moving to witness the manifestation of the Zionist vision before our eyes. Young men and women from Israel and around the world have taken responsibility and set a goal for themselves to be part of building and defending our home, Israel.”

Gil Segal, vice chairman of the World Zionist Organization, noted, “It is a source of pride to see hundreds of young Jews from around the world who have chosen, especially in these challenging times, to engage in Zionism and enlist in the IDF, embodying the value of mutual responsibility.”

Raz Perel, chairman of the Tzofim, the Israeli Scouts movement, thanked Segal and Haim for their collaboration, support, and commitment to embracing lone soldiers. “I trust that this partnership will yield further progress in immigration, IDF enlistment, and the continued embrace of the 1,200 soldiers from the Tzofim Tzabar and Tzabar Olami programs,” he said.

■ FRESH TROUBLE is brewing at Harvard University. This time, it’s not Palestinians against Jews, but Jew against Jew. According to the Yiddish Forward, Harvard President Alan Garber, who is Jewish, and was appointed in August, has blocked professor tenure of highly respected and well-liked Yiddish Professor Saul Noam Zaritt, who is one of only two people teaching Yiddish literature at Harvard. Despite recommendations, Garber has remained unmoved. According to the rules, Zaritt will have to leave Harvard.

■ ALL THE world loves a wedding, and indeed a significant number of soldiers have stood beneath bridal canopies during the war. Some of the canopies have been makeshift – simply a prayer shawl held aloft at all four corners by fellow men in khaki.

If soldiers can get married in wartime, so can civilians, but not all civilians are equal, including among the guests. Thus a number of Likud ministers who attended the wedding of the son of Rabbi Eliezer Melamed were taken to task by Ynet for happily dancing on a day that saw the worst rocket barrage from Lebanon.

Most severely castigated was Defense Minister Katz, who, though not in festive attire, stayed for most of the evening, instead of simply popping in to offer congratulations and getting back to the Defense Ministry. He was observed dancing and later dining on the main course, which, as anyone who has attended a religious wedding knows, is not served till very late in the evening.