As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government travel the world, they are confronted with anti-Israel demonstrations by Palestinians and their supporters, and anti-government policy demonstrations by Israelis and their supporters.
In both instances, the key demonstrators are a long way from home – some temporarily, others permanently. Yet despite the geographic divorce, they cannot sever their national umbilical cord. They still care about what happens in the homeland.
In its discussion series on crises, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities will explore the current migration crises that are so prevalent around the globe. Are the majority of migrants refugees who are fleeing wars, persecution, dictatorships, racist governments and more or are they simply seeking better career opportunities as a means of improving their quality of life? For instance, why are so many Israelis living abroad? Is it because they are at odds with the Israeli government? Is it because they are sick and tired of having to do army reserve duty at least once a year, and sometimes two and three times a year?
Is it because of the existential threat that constantly hovers over Israel?
These and other issues related to migration in general will be raised at the annual meeting on world crises, hosted by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. This year, it will take place on Wednesday, March 29, at 7 p.m. at the academy’s headquarters at 43 Jabotinsky St. in the Van Leer Institute compound. Speakers will include Prof. Gur Elroey, rector of the University of Haifa; Prof. Galia Tzabar of the department of Middle Eastern and African history at Tel Aviv University; and Israel Bartal, professor of Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who will chair the meeting.
Comparisons will be made between 20th-century migration and migration in the 21st century and the changes in the nature and destinations of migrants; what distinguishes Jewish migration in the 19th century and early 20th century from other migratory groups that settled in the US during the same period; and other aspects of migration that may come from the audience.
Discussions will be conducted in Hebrew. Entry is free, but pre-registration is required at www.academy.ac.il.
The discussion will be broadcast live on the academy’s website and will also be available on the academy’s YouTube channel.
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INDEPENDENCE DAY festivities marking the 75th anniversary of the state are just around the corner. Before making aliyah from South Africa in 2019, Myron Zeidel commissioned fellow South African Gavin Rain, one of the world’s leading pointillism artists, to create a collection of Israeli Prime Ministers in Perspective.
The two men researched the project together. Zeidel’s idea was to have a creation that was unique and portable.
Rain’s portraits of 12 prime ministers are made up of multi-layered and multi-colored concentric circles on a white canvas, which viewers will find fascinating. The portraits will be on display at the former Shaare Zedek Medical Center on Jaffa Road, which is now a cultural center. They can be viewed from April 24 to May 7, within the framework of the Jerusalem Biennale.
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THE HIGH cost of living – plus the economic crisis that is descending globally, and not only on Israel – may impinge greatly on real estate sales, participants were told during the annual conference of Jerusalem real estate agents. The gathering was held at the Inbal Hotel under the leadership of the organization’s chairman, Asaf Epstein.
While urban renewal, recently completed construction projects and progress in the development of light rail routes resulted in 2022 being a good year for real estate sales and rentals, 2023 may prove to be a very tough year as money becomes increasingly tight.
In addition, there is also the problem of church lands being sold to private developers who are asking for exorbitant sums from apartment owners in order to register themselves as the owner of the land. In cases in which the church has not sold land, apartment dwellers are concerned that the land will again be sold and existing contracts will not be renewed.
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WHEN HOTELS change ownership or management or both, a change of name often ensues. The first Hilton Hotel in Jerusalem later became the Crown Plaza and is currently the Vert.
The Inbal Hotel was originally the Laromme Hotel.
The Dan Hotel on Mount Scopus was originally the Hyatt; the Dan Boutique Hotel on Hebron Road was the Ariel; and the Dan Panorama hotel was the Moriah.
The Leonardo Hotel on King George Street was originally the Jerusalem Plaza. It later became the Sheraton Plaza, and then went through another name change before becoming part of the Fattal Hotel Group.
And now, the King Solomon Hotel, which has had a total renovation and upgrading, is called the Cassia. It initially started out as the Jerusalem Sheraton Hotel. General manager of the Cassia, Moritz van de Berg, reportedly says that anyone who was familiar with the hotel in its previous incarnation will not recognize it once they step inside. That may well be, but the main bugbear regarding the King Solomon was not its decor or service but a problem it had difficulty overcoming.
Jerusalem has a severe sewage problem, as many homeowners can affirm. It is also evident in the fact that many people who use public toilets in hotels or shopping malls do not flush the toilet paper that they use but place it in a separate bin. This is a habit handed down from one generation to the next, for fear of blocking the sewage pipes and creating a huge sewage problem. In the case of the King Solomon, for many years there was a most unpleasant sewage odor, which presumably has been overcome.
Despite anticipated global economic hardship in 2023, a very large number of tourists are expected in Israel during the state’s 75th anniversary celebrations. Luxury hotels, as well as budget-priced hotels, will in all probability be fully occupied.
The test will be during Passover, generally an excellent period for incoming tourism.
It’s also a period of a great Israeli exodus. Advertisements in the Hebrew newspapers indicate that it costs less for four nights, including the cost of a return flight to some European destinations, than two nights in Eilat.
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GIVEN THAT Albert Einstein was among the founders of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, it seems that the capital was destined to become a city of scientists. Indeed, the Hebrew University is hosting the Israel Science Conference at the Jerusalem International Convention Center on Sunday, March 26.
Among the participants will be scientists from most of Israel’s institutes of higher learning, such as Nobel Prize laureate Prof. Dan Shechtman, emeritus professor at the Haifa Technion; Hebrew University computer scientist and CEO of Mobileye, Prof. Amnon Shashua; and Hebrew University Safra Center brain researchers Dr. Naomi Habib and Prof. Idan Segev.
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