Grapevine: First-class gift

Tough times notwithstanding, this is the season for giving: Youngsters are getting ready for school, Rosh Hashana is just around the corner.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
Stas Meseznikov 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Stas Meseznikov 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
■ THE ISRAELI media have almost gleefully reported on the losses sustained by some of the nation’s wealthiest businesspeople as a result of plunging stock markets, conveniently forgetting that while these people may indeed be taking advantage of the public’s savings and may be paying abysmal wages, they are also philanthropists.
Yes, it’s true that a lot of what they give away comes out of public investment in their enterprises, but it should also be remembered that they are at liberty not to give anything away.
Tough times notwithstanding, this is the season for giving. Youngsters are getting ready for the start of the school year, and Rosh Hashana is just around the corner.
Aware that the in thing today is for every schoolchild to have a backpack for his or her school books, as distinct from the former uniform schoolbag or satchel, Ami Zoglobek of the well-known food processing company, together with his wife, Zvia, and Pini Camari, CEO of the Zoglobek Group, decided to contribute 160 schoolbags to first-graders going to school in Shlomi, the development town in the Western Galilee.
“We think it’s of the utmost importance to contribute to education,” said Zoglobek. “By giving each child the basic things he or she needs for the first day of school, we’re helping them to take that essential initial step, and we will continue to help in this manner.”
The schoolbags were distributed at a ceremony attended by the recipients and their parents and earned an emotional vote of thanks from Maram Avraham, who is about to enter first grade.
■ ISRAEL HAS never allowed tragedy or fear of terrorism to encroach too deeply on the nation’s routine way of life. While most southern cities canceled festivals and outdoor performances, for Eilat – despite last week’s terror attack – it was business as usual. Eilat is first and foremost a tourist resort, and people in the tourist industry were anxious to prove that Eilat remains a fun place for people who love the sun and who love to party.
On Monday, Tourism Minister Stas Meseznikov, together with Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi, hoteliers and other members of the tourist industry, celebrated the opening of the 25th International Red Sea Jazz Festival at a cocktail reception at the Eilat campus of Ben-Gurion University.
The event also had its serious moments because participants, especially Meseznikov, did not shy away from talking about the current tourism situation in the light of recent rocket attacks on southern towns.
■ PETITE SINGER Shiri Maimon had initially planned to get married to Yoni Rejwan on September 10 but had so many gigs lined up with Shimon Buskila, that she decided to move the date to October 25. Some of the gigs included events in the South that were canceled due to the unrest in the area.
But there’s little doubt that Maimon, together with the Ethnix rock band, will appear at the Amphi Park in Ra’anana on September 5 at the annual gala benefit show for Beit Loewenstein Rehabilitation Center.
The event, organized by the Friends of the hospital, will be held in the presence of MK Isaac Herzog and Ra’anana Mayor Nahum Hofree. Tickets are priced from NIS 150 to NIS 1,000.
Proceeds will go towards completion of the construction of a nine-story hospital tower that will enable a dramatic increase in patient intake, as well as improved conditions and treatment for patients.