FRIENDS AND acquaintances manage to reconnect at the most unexpected times, in the most unexpected places.Celebrity hairdresser Marcel Reboh – who together with his siblings, set up a chain of high-class Femme Coiffure salons in Canada and the US – relocated to Israel just over a year ago.In 1967, following the death of his brother, Eli, a soldier in the IDF Engineering Corps, killed in the Six Day War, Reboh and his family left the country. He did not imagine he would be catering to former clients such as Sharon Stone, who showed up at his Mamilla salon this week and allowed him to give her the full treatment. In the US, she had been one of several Hollywood personalities among his clientele. Stone had come to him to have her hair styled or blow dried, but she would never let him cut it; however, in Jerusalem, she did not balk when he took out his scissors.Stone, one of many celebrities who came to Israel to join President Shimon Peres in celebrating his 90th birthday, didn’t have to go far to find Reboh when she checked into the Mamilla Hotel with her son, sister and brother-in-law – as Reboh’s salon is across the road. The actress, who is spending five days in the capital and is due to check out of the hotel’s Herod Suite on Saturday, visited Hadassah University Medical Center on Tuesday.Lauren Bacall, another famous Hollywood star who visited Israel many years ago, did not come on this occasion – even though she is closely related to the president and a year younger than Peres, did not age as well as he has. Both were born with the same last name – Persky – though the spelling was different, as hers was spelled Perske. Both changed it for different reasons. Hers was a career move that included changing both her first and last name, and his was in line with David Ben-Gurion’s edict that Israeli public servants should have Hebrew last names to help shed the Diaspora residue.WHAT HAPPENS to former influential ministers who were also legislators, when they fail to be reelected to the Knesset? A special position is invented for them. Thus, Dan Meridor – a former justice and finance minister who was deputy prime minister and intelligence agencies minister in the last government, but missed out on a seat in the current Knesset – now heads the steering committee of the Jerusalem Press Club.The appointment was announced at the official opening of the JPC this week by Mark Sofer, president of the Jerusalem Foundation, which through its donors, supports JPC and other facilities at Mishkenot Sha’ananim, not to mention hundreds of other projects throughout the capital.One could ask why a press club requires a steering committee when it has a perfectly competent director in the person of Uri Dromi, who inter alia is a former director of the Government Press Office. The question becomes even more pertinent in view of the fact that Meridor’s brother Sallai is the international chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation, a position previously held by Dan Meridor. Though few – if any – would dispute the qualifications of the senior brother, several people at the gala opening of the JPC commented that the smell of nepotism was in the air.ELEVEN MILLION is a popular figure in Israel these days.The cost of putting together the Presidential Facing Tomorrow Conference that brought so many important figures to Jerusalem was NIS 11 million, which was contributed by overseas foundations, individuals and institutions, with no burden on the Israeli taxpayer. Some $11m. is also being invested in the construction of a science center at Hadassah Academic College, for which the cornerstone was laid this week. Construction was made possible by an initial grant of $7.1m. from the Helmsley Foundation, which also funded the Jerusalem Press Club.The ceremony brought Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Helmsley Foundation trustee Sandor Frankel together for the second time in two days, and on the following day both were also at the Jerusalem International Convention Center for the Peres birthday celebrations. Barkat had been personally involved in pitching the creation of the science center to the foundation, and had flown to America especially to do so.Also present at all three events was David Brodet, who is chairman of both the Board of Governors of Hadassah Academic College and the Israel Board of the Jerusalem Foundation, in addition to being chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Leumi. Arguably the happiest person at the cornerstone-laying ceremony was the college’s president, Prof. Bertold Fridlender.EVERY WEEK is a busy week for Barkat, but this past week was particularly so due to the number of international events taking place in the city. While most people have a Saturday night to themselves, it is not always the privilege of the mayor.Last Saturday night, after the previous two days’ excitement of Formula 1, Barkat attended the gala opening at the Mamilla Hotel of the 2013 Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund World Leadership Conference, with the participation of 250 KKL-JNF leaders from 35 countries, including co-chairs Efi Stenzler and Eli Aflalo. The World Leadership Conference convenes every two years, and this year the focus is on creating a sustainable future for the next generations.Barkat recalled that when he was a young boy, “we used to contribute to the [KKL-JNF’s iconic] blue box, and now, as mayor, I understand that KKL-JNF is not only an organization that collects contributions, but that it is also a strategic partner in the development of the country.”SEVERAL PEOPLE who recognized him in the audience at the Jerusalem International Convention Center last Thursday wondered what singer Moshe Datz was doing at the graduation ceremony where more than 2,000 lawyers from all over Israel received their diplomas. This time around, it wasn’t Moshe who was the star of the family, but his younger brother, Lior – who was getting his PhD.ONE OF the key attractions at every Presidential Conference has been internationally acclaimed sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who though diminutive in size is a giant in communicating her message. Westheimer, who has family in Israel, usually spends several weeks here before returning to New York – and this year is no exception. Her audiences are often young people in their late teens, 20s and early 30s, and they hang on every word of the effusive and charismatic Westheimer – who on June 4, celebrated her 85th birthday and is still going strong.A Holocaust survivor who came to pre-state Israel and became a Hagana sniper before leaving for France and then America, where she became a media personality and well-known sex therapist, Westheimer has agreed to speak at the Tel Aviv International Salon for young professionals on Wednesday, June 26, at the Brodt Center on Zeitlin Street. However, Jay Shultz, the founder of the Tel Aviv Salon, has warned that only people who have made a reservation will be admitted. The RSVP, which can be made via the group’s Facebook page, is to ensure that there will be a cut-off point when the number of reservations reaches the capacity of the hall.Earlier this month, when the guest speaker was Rabbi David Stav, the controversial candidate for chief rabbi, there were many frustrated and angry people who were turned away because the notice in this column had neglected the RSVP aspect, and a huge crowd wanted to hear him talk about the politics of religion. Dr. Ruth is expected to draw an even bigger audience.
