Grapevine: Party favors

Jerusalem's Barkat reportedly falls out of favor with Likud.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS are drawing closer, and Mayor Nir Barkat may have to devote less time and effort to culture and sport and put his energies into an election campaign if he wants to serve a second term. According to an article in Ma’ariv this week, Barkat has fallen out of favor with Likud, which is proposing that the party’s candidate for mayor be former government minister and Yom Kippur War hero Brig.-Gen. (res.) Effie Eitam.
A former head of the National Religious Party, who later formed a breakaway party that merged with Likud, Eitam, a father of eight, lives in the Golan Heights and would have to change his place of domicile in order to be eligible. Eitam, who was raised in a secular environment and who became religious in his adult years, was born on Kibbutz Ein Gev, one of the founders of which was legendary Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek. Due to tensions between Barkat and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Likud has been casting around for another candidate, and of all the names that were mentioned, it was thought that Eitam had the best chance of attracting the capital’s voters.
■ JUST AS Hadassah is on the verge of celebrating its 100th anniversary, Prof. Adam Stabholz, dean of the Hadassah School of Dental Medicine at the Hebrew University, brought even more prestige to Hadassah by being chosen for the 2012 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity, the world’s oldest international dental organization.
The award recognizes individuals or organizations that make outstanding contributions to dentistry or related professions.
Among the past recipients of the award, that was initiated in 1935, were Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk, Albert Sabin, the Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization and the Israeli Medical Corps.
“The impact Dr. Stabholz has had on dental education in Israel and the Middle East, as well as his vision for using oral health as a bridge to peace between peoples cannot be overestimated,” said Michael Spektor, president of Alpha Omega International.
“His acumen and ability have helped make Hadassah a world class dental institution.”
A class of ’74 graduate of the Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, Stabholz was selected to participate in a special program at the University of Pennsylvania, training as an endodontic specialist with the goal of returning to the Hebrew University to teach that specialty. He became a leader in his field, and was eventually named president of the International Federation of Endodontic Associations, an umbrella organization of endodontic societies in 28 countries.
He is also a former chairman of the Scientific Council of the Israel Dental Association. The first chairman of the Endodontic Department at the Hebrew University’s Hadassah School of Dental Medicine, Stabholz was appointed dean in 1993 and is the longest serving dean in the history of Hebrew University.
Stabholz’s work as an educator extended beyond the Hebrew University. Under the auspices of the D. Walter Cohen Middle East Center of Dental Education, he helped facilitate continuing dental education courses for Turkish, Cypriot, Jordanian and Palestinian dentists. He also fostered a relationship with Al Quds University’s Faculty of Dentistry, resulting in the Middle East Symposium on Dental Medicine that brought together Israeli and Palestinian dental students.
The Hadassah Medical Organization, The Hebrew University and The Alpha Omega Fraternity jointly established The Hadassah School of Dental Medicine at The Hebrew University in 1953. It is Israel’s first dental school and remains the nation’s foremost center for dental education. Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity is a 107-year-old international dental organization that embraces the pillars of professionalism, fraternalism and commitment to Jewish values.
Established by a group of dental students from Baltimore, Maryland, who joined forces to fight discrimination in dental schools, Alpha Omega represents over 4,000 active dentists and dental students worldwide, with chapters and members in the US, Canada, South America, Europe, Israel, South Africa and Australia/New Zealand. Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, Alpha Omega is now dedicated to global dental philanthropy in addition to leadership training, education and mentoring.