None of the wives of past presidents of Israel were as involved in presidential affairs as is Michal Herzog – so much so that one sometimes wonders who really is the country’s president. She attends most of the events at the President’s Residence and often delivers a speech in addition to that of her husband. Outside of the residence, she usually accompanies him on trips around the country, where she also expresses her views.
One of the most recent examples was her presence this week in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum, where she engaged in conversation with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Both husband and wife spoke to Huang beyond the usual social niceties. Michal also participated in a panel on combating antisemitism. Other examples prior to their trip to Switzerland include a visit to the Center for Family Medicine, where she addressed medical staff, and a meeting of the President’s Forum Against Violence.
AS NOBLE and courageous as it was for President Isaac Herzog to raise the issues of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant being denied participation in the WEF in Davos, as well as at other international forums, it would not hurt if he raised his voice more often on the home front to demand that chair people of Knesset committees refrain from preventing individuals who disagree with them from presenting their views and ordering them to leave meetings.
To deny someone the right to speak is undemocratic and an abuse of power. It is also a foolhardy risk in an election year. Ministers and MKs should remember that they are elected, not appointed, and if they offend the public – including families of victims of Hamas, civil servants, and members of their own parties whose sense of decency and morality are not on the same page as those of the power abusers – they will find that slips in the ballot box are not in their favor.
Religious Zionist MK Simcha Rothman, who chairs the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, and Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, who chairs the Health Committee, are two of the culprits who seem to have forgotten that the people whom they publicly humiliate will vote against them – and they won’t be the only ones. Shimon Peres used to say that ministers and MKs should bear in mind that they are the servants of the public, not the masters.
ACCORDING TO the law, every municipality must be aware of the circumstances surrounding its children, especially those in crèches and kindergartens in its bailiwick. So many crèches and kindergartens around the country are unlicensed and unsupervised.
In Jerusalem – and presumably elsewhere – not only are the crèches and the kindergartens unsupervised but so is the traffic. Jaywalking is commonplace, and there’s no one in authority to fine or arrest people who ignore the traffic lights.
It’s bad enough when an adult without any children in tow crosses the road on a red light and is seen by children who may think that if grown-ups can do so, they can do it too. But it’s unforgivable when a parent wheeling a baby carriage and talking on a smartphone at the same time crosses the road on a red light. This happens constantly, and regrettably, more often than not among members of the ultra-Orthodox community. Traffic lights are not political. They don’t have a Zionist identity.
The most precious treasures that Israel has are its infants. The two babies who died this week should never have been placed in an illegal crèche.
Who is responsible for the lack of awareness of the number of illegal crèches in Jerusalem? The mayor, Moshe Lion? The largely ultra-Orthodox municipal council? The Education Ministry? The Health Ministry? The Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry? They all have a hand in it, but the question is whether they will follow the leader and abstain from responsibility while promising that an investigation will be launched.
There are countless people who are eager to volunteer for a huge variety of causes. Why can’t they be trained as volunteer supervisors of crèches and kindergartens? If a task force of this kind is created, it may help to avoid future tragedies and the emotional pain that the parents of the deceased babies are suffering.
It would also ensure that infants in crèches and kindergartens would not be mistreated. There have been too many cases of vulnerable youngsters suffering physical and verbal abuse. Volunteers came out for two years to help displaced families, war widows, and soldiers on the front lines. Are helpless children a less valuable commodity?
IT WAS to be expected that Evangelicals would take offense over the charge that patriarchs and heads of Christian Churches feel that their presence in the Middle East is threatened by declarations and deeds of Christian Zionists. Quick to respond were David Parsons, senior vice president and spokesman of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who is a proud Christian Zionist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister.
Parsons wrote, “As Christians, we adhere to a Zionism that is purely biblical in origin, belief, scope, and practice – reflecting our sincere faith convictions and not shifting political objectives. The promised restoration of Israel in modern times enjoys ample biblical credentials in both the Old and New Testaments. The Jewish return to the Land of Israel both reflects and affirms the faithful nature and character of God to always keep His sworn covenant promises, thereby strengthening the Christian faith rather than damaging or undermining it.”
Huckabee wrote, “I love my brothers and sisters in Christ from traditional liturgical churches and respect their views. But I do not feel any sect of the Christian faith should claim exclusivity in speaking for Christians worldwide.” He also noted that labels such as Christian Zionism are often used in a pejorative manner to disparage free-church believers, of which there are millions across the planet.
FOR SOME years now, there has been a dispute in Australia over whether the date and the name of its national day, known as Australia Day, should be changed.
The official date of Australia Day, January 26, is the date in 1788 on which Captain Arthur Phillip landed at Sydney Cove. Power and territory were subsequently taken away from the indigenous population. Only in the second half of the last century were serious efforts made to restore the dignity of the Aborigines and give them back the most hallowed areas of their land.
Some Australians, with an acute sense of civil rights, say that January 26 should be renamed Invasion Day. Others say that the date of Australia Day should be changed. Both opinions appeared to be gaining in popularity, but in a nationwide poll taken this month, more than 70% of the broad cross-section of people polled said that Australia Day should continue to be celebrated on January 26.
Among those who may be celebrating it privately will be former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, who will be in Jerusalem at the second International Conference on Combating Antisemitism.
Morrison will attend alongside politicians, diplomats, journalists, and others from Albania, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European Parliament is particularly well represented.
Morrison came to Israel on a solidarity visit in November 2023, a month after the Hamas invasion and massacre. He has always been a good friend of the Jewish people and of Israel, proving this yet again by foregoing Australia Day on home turf.
ISRAEL AND the EU have a very close relationship in matters of scientific research, so it’s only natural for EU Ambassador Michael Mann to do the rounds of Israel’s universities. This week, he was hosted at Bar-Ilan University’s International School for a visit in which the highlight was the university’s extensive research partnerships with European universities and funding bodies.
During the visit, Mann emphasized the importance of continued scientific collaboration between Israel and Europe. “Israel has much to offer Europe, and it is essential that its scientific contributions are recognized,” he said. “My role is to support stronger ties and facilitate engagement across the academic community.”
The meeting brought together university leadership and prominent researchers, including recipients of prestigious European Research Council grants.
Bar Ilan University president Prof. Arie Zaban spoke of the university’s active participation in 71 European-funded projects and more than 50 Erasmus partners and stressed the long-term value of international collaboration for Israeli researchers.
Mann encouraged researchers to take an active role in science diplomacy, fostering connections that advance knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and promote Israel’s role in global scientific discourse. Participants noted that European research grants not only provide financial support but also serve as an international seal of excellence, enabling emerging researchers to compete and thrive worldwide.
IN HASSIDIC circles, not only religious events but also social events are segregated or held on separate days or even in separate venues for males and females. However, on this coming Monday, January 26, Shoshi Goldberg, who together with her husband, Rabbi Yisroel Goldberg, runs the Chabad of Rehavia, is leading a mixed group of men and women to Kfar Chabad to visit the replica of 770 Eastern Parkway, New York, the Chabad world headquarters where the late Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, received visitors.
Participants will also visit the Chabad Matzah Bakery and will be given a guided tour of the Etrog orchards. The round trip, including lunch, costs NIS 120. A bus will leave from the Chabad center at 2 Ibn Ezra Street, Rehavia, at 9 a.m. and is due to return at around 3 p.m. To register, call Shoshi Goldberg at 052-483-8770.
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