IF ANYONE was under the impression that the appointment of Moti Sklaar as the director-general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority was going to have a positive effect, the short-term result suggests that they may be mistaken. Sklaar, who took up his new post only a few days ago, has already stirred major unrest by calling on veteran broadcaster Dan Shilon to take over the 8 a.m.-10 a.m. current affairs talk-show slot on Reshet Bet in place of regular anchors Liat Regev, Amnon Nadav (who for several years was the head of Israel Radio) and Amikam Rotman. Shilon was brought in for the duration of the conflict in the North - but in Israel there is a tendency to turn temporary situations into permanent ones, and the three broadcasters who have been unceremoniously moved to the back burner are not exactly happy campers. But that's not all that is rocking the boat at the IBA. Sklaar is also bringing in outsiders to host live current affairs television programs on Channel One.
The two names in the forefront are Jackie Levy, the religious comedian, moderator and actor, and Neri Livni, the Ha'aretz journalist who occasionally appears as a panelist on controversial current affairs shows. IBA union heads are thinking of taking legal action before usurpers take over their territory, but the groundswell of opposition may peter out as it did in the case of Gabi Gazit, who did not find a welcome mat when he returned to his old stomping ground. On air, his colleagues had little choice but to cooperate with him, and that's what will doubtless happen in the cases of Shilon et al.
Meanwhile, Shilon began broadcasting on Monday morning. Shilon's previous stint with the IBA, in the twilight days of then director-general Yosef Barel, was short-lived, as was the program he co-hosted with his wife on Channel 10. One of the pioneers of Israel Television, Shilon though still greatly admired, seems to have lost his staying power. It will be interesting to see how long he lasts on Reshet Bet.
KNOWN AS the valium of the nation because of calm quiet manner in which he broadcast in his capacity as Army Spokesman during the Gulf War, Nahman Shai, who has become a regular commentator on Channel One over the past week, is anything but cool and calm these days. Speaking in an angry tone of voice, with hands moving rapidly to punctuate his speech, Shai more than once lambasted the IDF Home Front Command for what he alleged was a lack of clarity in the instructions that it gave to the public during the war in the North.
LIKEWISE, CHANNEL One Arab Affairs expert Oded Granot, who provided a simultaneous translation of Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's taped television address on Sunday, put a lot more fire and drama into Nasrallah's oratory than did Nasrallah himself, who spoke in soft, almost soothing tones that belied the content of his speech. In fact, Granot got so carried away in translation and in his subsequent remarks that anchorwoman Keren Neubach could not resist commenting on his agitation.
WHATEVER THE reasons for his ongoing largesse in many directions, and whatever the views of the cynics who see his generosity as an attempt to gain acceptance in Israeli society in general and in the business world in particular, it cannot be denied that Russian immigrant tycoon Arkady Gaydamak is doing a tremendous amount of good for increasing numbers of people. For instance, this week it became public that Gaydamak decided to wipe out the deficit of Magen David Adom with an NIS 10 million gift, because he didn't want the deficit to impede MDA's life saving work. He also established a summer camp south of Ashdod for thousands of children from the North who would otherwise have missed out on summertime activities, and has arranged for soccer players from the Betar Jerusalem team that he owns to go to the camp and give the kids a thrill.
IT WOULD appear that there is life after Shinui, and that one can continue returning to public life after retirement age. Former Shinui leader Yosef (Tommy) Lapid has been named chairman designate of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority. The government approved the appointment on Sunday. Lapid, who turns 75 in December, will replace former Knesset speaker and former ambassador to Poland, Prof. Szewach Weiss, who last week celebrated his 71st birthday. Lapid, like Weiss, is a Holocaust survivor. He is also a close friend of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. A former deputy prime minister and justice minister, Lapid, a journalist by profession, had a long career with At and Ma'ariv and also served as director-general of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. In his six years as a member of Knesset, Lapid was a vociferous opponent of Orthodox influences in people's status, and unsuccessfully tried to introduce civil marriage. His new position represents the closing of a circle. As a survivor whose father perished in the Holocaust, the Yugoslavian-born Lapid has always been conscious of the Holocaust and has played an active role in preserving Holocaust remembrance. Now, he will continue to do so in both a personal and an official capacity.
HYPERENERGETIC BROADCASTER Haim Hecht played fairy godmother to ensure a happy ending to a wedding that almost didn't happen. When Revital and Avihu Degem-Foor of Hatzor were planning to get married, they booked a banquet hall in Kiryat Shmona and sent out some 500 invitations. But when Katyusha rockets were again wreaking havoc in the north, home front security authorities advised the proprietors of the banquet hall that they could not have a function on their premises. The couple started a desperate search for an alternate venue, and after several phone calls hit the jackpot.
Despite the short notice, Kibbutz Mahanayim agreed to cater the wedding. The couple, together with members of their families, telephoned all the guests to notify them of the change in venue. But only a few hours later, Mahanayim was subject to the same security restrictions as Kiryat Shmona, and regretfully told the couple, "No can do." They thought of calling off the wedding, but after all the planning that had gone into it, they didn't want to postpone it. Revital's father, mindful of Hecht's many contacts and his ability to get things done, called him at his Radio Kol Rega station on Kibbutz Beit Keshet and explained the problem. Hecht subsequently talked to the groom on air and promised him that there would be a wedding that night at Beit Keshet. Once more the two families had to make some 500 phone calls to inform guests that the location of the wedding had changed yet again. This time, it was for real.
