If someone who saves a human life is as one who saved a whole world, how should we regard someone who prevented the possible saving of more than a hundred human lives? Unless he is aware of another secret rescue plan which he has not divulged to his closest associates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu falls into the latter category.
Generally, it is wrong to depose a prime minister or a president in the middle of a war, but Netanyahu has now brought upon himself a growing sense of mistrust by the Israeli public, and a fear that hostages mean less to him than staying in office.
Such an opinion may be entirely misplaced, but until there is proof to the contrary, no one really knows, and meanwhile the hostages are languishing, and their relatives are suffering emotional and mental anguish.
■ IN THE first month of her change of status to that of the wife of the president, Michal Herzog, a lawyer and member of the Israel Bar Association, said that she did not know what her role would be because she was neither elected nor appointed. A short time afterward, she declared that she and her husband were a team, but did not spell out what that meant.
However, in the two-and-a-half years since then, she has accompanied him on visits abroad, to army bases, hospitals, schools, diplomatic, cultural, municipal, and religious events, and has attended the majority of events hosted by her husband at the President’s Residence, and has often added comments to those of the president.
In addition, she has hosted quite a few events of her own, and has attended many in her own right. In December 2022, she went to Abu Dhabi without her husband, to attend a historic performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and also met with members of the UAE leadership.
In Israel, with and without her husband, she has participated in many events related to health, education, women’s rights and achievements, and social issues.
These were not new to her, as in previous years she had served in executive capacities in major philanthropic organizations and had sat on the boards of many different organizations whose mission it was to empower the weaker sectors of society.
But she came to much wider public attention last November after publishing an op-ed article in Newsweek which was quoted by numerous media outlets in Israel and abroad. What had particularly stirred those who quoted her was her feeling of betrayal by the silence of women’s and human rights organizations which had remained silent despite the overwhelming evidence of mass rape by Hamas against Israeli women on October 7.
She has steadfastly taken up the cause of women victimized by Hamas, including their own women and children who are used as human shields.
In Munich last weekend, she participated in a panel discussion on antisemitism and violence against women, and also joined in an appeal on behalf of the hostages being held in Gaza.
■ MUNICH SEEMS to be a place in which Jews and Israelis experience and talk about some of their worst tragedies.
As President Isaac Herzog mentioned, the notorious Dachau concentration camp, in which tens of thousands of people were killed during the 12 years in which it operated, is near Munich. The 1972 Olympic Games, at which 11 Israeli athletes were murdered, was in Munich.
Herzog was in Munich in September 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the massacre, and he was back in Munich last weekend for the Munich Security Conference, where he spoke about the fight against Hamas terrorists, the continued detention in Gaza of Israeli hostages, including babies, and the discovery of literature in Gaza perpetuating the Nazi ideology.
■ UNITED NATIONS Secretary-General António Guterres, who was also in Munich, told members of the Munich Jewish community in Munich at the Ohel Jakob synagogue that “we must be in the center of fighting antisemitism in all its aspects.”
Guterres has been in the forefront of calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and of criticizing Israel for the manner in which it has defended itself against Hamas.
■ WHEN HE visited Israel while still in office, former head of the Central Intelligence Agency and secretary of state Mike Pompeo was engulfed by reporters from both electronic and print media.
But interest in him waned somewhat after former president Donald Trump’s defeat in the last US presidential elections.
There was a lot of speculation that Pompeo might be a Republican presidential candidate this time around, but after weeks of thought, he and his wife, Susan, announced that this was not their time, and he more or less dropped out of the limelight.
When they visited Israel last week, they were given the red-carpet treatment at places on their itinerary, but the Israeli media didn’t pay much attention to their presence.
The Pompeos visited wounded soldiers and donated blood last Wednesday at Hadassah-University Medical Center’s newly opened Gandel Rehabilitation Center, on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus.
Pompeo said it was “very special” to donate blood that wounded soldiers may receive. “Susan and I came here to do everything we can to help, and this is something personal we could do.”
Susan Pompeo added: “We understand that having a blood supply is very important, to be prepared for whatever may happen, not just in war. Every community has natural disasters. We’re glad to be able to donate.”
Hadassah Medical Organization board chairwoman former Knesset speaker Dalia Itzik, Hadassah Medical Organization Director-General Prof. Yoram Weiss, and Hadassah Offices in Israel Executive Director Suzanne Patt-Benvenisti showed the Pompeos the spacious, modern facilities, opened four months ahead of schedule because of the war. Prof. Isabella Schwartz, head of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, explained the benefits of the antigravity machine being used by a wounded soldier.
The Pompeos met with other soldiers, a police investigator who fought off terrorists with a handgun, a battalion commander, and various others wounded in Gaza and undergoing physical therapy, and were interested in learning about their experiences on the battleground and their injuries. All thanked Pompeo for his past support of Israel, and the continued support of America in this war.
One of the soldiers told Pompeo, who had been an armored corps commander in the American army, about sustaining severe burns in a tank. All of the patients praised the staff and healing environment of the Gandel Rehabilitation Center.
Pompeo said that he and his wife often visited American soldiers in the rehabilitation facilities of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, “and that we understand what an important institution Hadassah’s new rehabilitation center is.”
Patt-Benvenisti reminded the Pompeos of the contributions the women of America have made in building not only Hadassah’s current hospitals, but in bringing modern medicine to Israel. “You can be very proud of the involvement of Americans.”
■ ON THE same day, the Pompeos also visited the national headquarters of United Hatzalah in Jerusalem as a part of their solidarity trip to Israel.
They were greeted by Dov Maisel, United Hatzalah VP of operations, who provided them with an overview of the organization’s paramedical and lifesaving activities. They also toured United Hatzalah’s dispatch center, which handles more than 2,200 emergency calls daily and coordinates responses to medical emergencies nationwide.
In highlighting the heroic work of UH volunteers on October 7, Maisel played footage showing a specific clip of volunteer EMT Rabbi Chaim Sassi, who was shot by a sniper while treating policemen near the Sderot police station. Sassi managed to evade the line of fire and bandage his own wounds until it was possible for the police to rescue him.
Toward the conclusion of the visit, Susan Pompeo assisted in packing medical equipment into tactical trauma kits together with Gitty Beer, volunteer paramedic and wife of UH president Eli Beer. The kits are distributed to volunteers around the country, enabling them to carry trauma equipment even in situations where a full medical bag would be cumbersome or out of place.
“It was great to be here at United Hatzalah,” said Mike Pompeo. “We know Eli [Beer], we know his mission, we know how many lives were saved, and we know it demonstrates the best of the Israeli people. The volunteers that serve do remarkable work, and it’s the power of this great nation of Israel, so we came to be here to say thank you to them for all they did on October 7, but also for what they do each and every day.”
■ THIS COMING Saturday, February 24, citizens of Ukraine will mark the second anniversary of the full-scale Russian war against their country.
Zoriana Stsiban, the first secretary at the Embassy of Ukraine in Israel, advises that on Friday, February 23, there will be a protest and commemoration event for the thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians who have lost their lives due to the Russian incursion.
She asks that families and friends come to Habimah Square in Tel Aviv at 11:30 a.m. to join embassy staff and Ukrainians living in Israel in marking sad days and remembering happy ones, as they remember people who were victims in a war not of their making.
■ EVEN BEFORE International Women’s Day next month, there will be several related events, in addition to which, next week, there will be considerable focus on women, to see how many are elected to municipal councils throughout the country.
In Tel Aviv, former Yesh Atid economy minister and IDF general Orna Barbivay is challenging long-time Mayor Ron Huldai. If she succeeds she will be the first woman mayor of Tel Aviv, which this year is celebrating its 115th anniversary. So far, according to pollsters, Huldai is still ahead, but anything could happen over the next few days.
In Haifa, Yona Yahav, a former long-serving mayor and former member of Knesset, who was defeated in the last elections by Einat Kalisch Rotem, will, according to the pollsters, be back in office next month, and Rotem will have to vacate.
In Beit Shemesh, Aliza Bloch, representing the National-Religious bloc, made history by becoming the first female mayor in the largely haredi city. She will have trouble retaining her position.
In Jerusalem, where there are currently two female deputy mayors, one of whom is not standing for reelection, and the other who is campaigning to be mayor, it looks as if current Mayor Moshe Lion will succeed in serving a second term, though, here again, one can never know.
His chief rival Yosi Havilio, who heads the Jerusalem Union, a 16-member list – half of it female – has put together a coalition of five parties. The number of women may earn him a lot of support from female voters, as Lion has far fewer women on his list.
One of the women on Havilio’s list is Osnat Kollek, the daughter of the capital’s legendary mayor Teddy Kollek, who was in office for 28 years prior to his defeat by Ehud Olmert.
There are 16 parties running for election to the 31-member Jerusalem City Council, four of which are headed by women. One is headed by Deputy Mayor Hagit Moshe, who hopes to be the first woman mayor of Jerusalem, but it’s unlikely that this hope will be realized.
None of the lists headed by women has an equal number of males and females. The latter are outnumbered. But if the leader of one of these lists, Sandos Alhot, wins even one seat on the council, she will make history as the first Arab woman to do so.
Alhot heads a mixed Arab-Jewish list whose members are campaigning for equal educational and employment opportunities for members of Jerusalem’s Arab community, most of whom are not Israeli citizens. Those who are not citizens cannot vote in Knesset elections, but have the right to vote in municipal elections.
In the past, there has been a low voter turnout from among the Arab residents of the city. Indeed, many tried to persuade Alhot not to stand for election, but her argument is that if the Arab community doesn’t have a voice on the council, it can’t expect to see improvements in its quality of life or in its ability to receive the same benefits as Jewish residents.
Arab candidates have come forward in the past, but have either backed out before the actual election or failed to score sufficient votes.
Alhot, who has been under a lot of pressure to drop out of the race, has no intention of doing so, and has the support of fair-minded people such as Yossi and Susan Abramowitz, who hosted a parlor meeting for her this week.
Yossi Abramowitz, the president and CEO of Energiya Global Capital, is an environmentalist and solar energy advocate who has done wonders in Africa, and who is backing Alhot because, he says, she represents hope.
Susan Abramowitz is a Reform rabbi, a religious activist, and a member of Women of the Wall. The couple are parents to five children, two of them adopted from Ethiopia.
■ MANY MORE invitations are sent out to meetings of this kind than the number of people whom organizers expect to attend. But the invitations at least help to put out the word.
In this case, the delighted hosts could not believe their eyes. Their home was absolutely packed, as people tried to find a seat. There were at least 70 people present, and most indicated that they would not be voting for Lion, and that they believe that it is high time for an Arab to sit on the council.
Both Pepe Alalo, a former deputy mayor, and Alhot consider it a travesty that in more than half a century since the reunification of Jerusalem, there has never been an Arab on the city council, meaning that there has been no one to be the voice for the Arab community. Alhot wants to be that voice.
She’s not interested in politics, and she doesn’t want to talk about a two-state solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict. What she wants is for the Arab children of Jerusalem, including the towns and villages within the jurisdiction of Jerusalem but on the other side of the checkpoint, to have electricity whenever they need it, access to the Internet, clean running water, good education, no long wait for security checks for children with special needs who go to school or for hospital treatments within the center of Jerusalem, playgrounds, cultural centers, garbage collected, and a whole lot more, which in a word means equality.
What she cares about is her community. She wants its members to have an address where they can lodge complaints in the knowledge that someone will take them up and pursue them until they are resolved.
Before October 7, many Arabs called her a traitor for wanting to be a member of the city council. After October 7, when they still berated and threatened her, she asked them whether they paid municipal rates and taxes and what they got for them. They paid a lot and got nothing. When she pointed this out, many changed their tune, as they realized that they need a representative – especially one who is fluent in both Hebrew and Arabic.
As it happens, Alhot teaches both, believing that language is a bridge to understanding. She wants spoken Arabic to be a compulsory subject in Jewish schools and spoken Hebrew to be a compulsory subject in Arab schools. When people from both sides can understand each other and hold a conversation, a lot of the fear and suspicion between them will dissipate, she believes.
The Arab community, which has mostly been reluctant to vote in the past, may give the people at city hall a big surprise. Even those Arabs who live in places where there are no polling booths might make the effort to go where there is one, because they are aware that in voting for Alhot, they are voting for themselves.
■ WITH JUST over two months to go before Passover, many Judaica stores will soon begin displaying copies of the famous Szyk Haggadah, in which the Polish-born artist Arthur Szyk used the format of an illuminated manuscript. Of the many different kinds of Haggadot that have been produced over the years, The Szyk Haggadah is arguably the most beautiful.
This year, admirers of Szyk will mark the 130th anniversary of his birth in Lodz, and the 90th anniversary of the commencement of his work on the Haggadah, which took him a little over two years.
Szyk was a great advocate for humanity and for the global Jewish community. He was already widely recognized around the world before migrating to the US in 1940. During the 1920s and 1930s, he achieved significant recognition in Poland, France, and England. It was in America that he became the leading anti-Nazi artist during World War II.
In addition to his illuminated Passover Haggadah, he also won great admiration for his iconic towering Holy Ark for the Forest Hills Jewish Center. Szyk fought injustice and intolerance, bigotry and racism, as a “soldier in art.”
One of the world’s leading experts on Szyk, the man and his art, is Irvin Ungar, who will deliver a four-part lecture series on Szyk, via Zoom, at the request of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City. The talks begin on February 26 at 7 p.m. ET.
The lectures will explore how and why Szyk is the artist of and for the Jewish people, and the ways his art and spirit remain eternal in the service of mankind.
A former pulpit rabbi fluent in Jewish history and tradition, Ungar is the CEO and founder of Historicana, an antiquarian book firm and small publishing house of Szyk imprints.
Beginning in 1987, Ungar first specialized in Szyk’s remarkable illustrated books and quickly expanded his repertoire to include original art, fine art prints, and other important Szyk works.
He has curated and consulted for numerous Szyk exhibitions at major institutions worldwide, including the New York Historical Society (New York City); the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; the Deutsches Historisches Museum (Berlin); the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, DC); and the Library of Congress.
Ungar is also the author of Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art, which won the 2017 National Jewish Book Award; Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk; and most recently Arthur Szyk Preserved: Institutional Collections of Original Art, published in 2023.
Additionally, Ungar is the coproducer of the documentary film Soldier in Art: Arthur Szyk, and the publisher of the luxury limited edition of The Szyk Haggadah (2008). He also served as the curator of The Arthur Szyk Society (1997-2017) and its traveling exhibition program, and continues lecturing and speaking about Szyk on university campuses, at museums, and at other venues around the world.
Ungar’s memoirs on his life with Szyk have been accepted by a major university press, and will soon be forthcoming.
■ ACTRESS AND comedienne Hana Laszlo was in Berlin this week with film director Amos Gitai and the rest of the cast of his new feature film, Shikun, which was the only Israeli feature film at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.
On Tuesday, March 3, she will appear at the opening of the annual Holon Women’s Festival in a tribute to famous sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, based on Westheimer’s life.
She was born in Germany in 1928, and was sent as a 10-year-old to Switzerland for the duration of the war. Her parents stayed behind, were sent to concentration camps, and were murdered by the Gestapo.
Following the end of the war, she migrated to the British Mandate-controlled Palestine and joined the Hagana. After the War of Independence, she moved to Paris to study at the Sorbonne, and then to the United States to work as a maid in order to earn enough to put herself through graduate school. Curiously, early in her career as a comedienne, Laszlo took on the character of a maid.
On the closing night of the festival, Saturday, March 9, there will be a tribute to singer Yardena Arazi and actress Odeya Koren, in which the two will discuss what was, what is, and what may be.
■ MUSIC HAS no age limit. Zubin Mehta, the musical director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, is back in Tel Aviv in a series of concerts featuring compositions by Verdi, Mozart, Dvorak, and Bruckner. Mehta, who will celebrate his 88th birthday in April, will also be conducting IPO recitals in Haifa and Jerusalem.
At the Israel Prize awards ceremony in 1991, Mehta was the recipient of a special prize awarded in recognition of his unique devotion to Israel and to the IPO. In 1995, he was also awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize for the Arts.
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