Grapevine, March 13, 2026: Technology beats live human contact

■ DUE TO many uncertainties and the ongoing barrage of rockets from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, most organizations with events scheduled for this month have either postponed or canceled them.

Among the postponed events is the annual Women of Valor Awards Ceremony hosted by the Ambassadors’ Club of Israel (ACI). The event, which was supposed to be held next week, does not yet have a new date, as no one knows how much longer the war will last.

If it lasts for more than another month, the award ceremony as such may be transferred to a social media platform. Some people who did not receive official invitations may be curious to learn the identities of this year’s honorees who were chosen for the leadership roles. Those selected have displayed their ability to renew what has been lost and set inspiring examples.

They include Prof. Yifat Marbel, senior researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science; Merav Leshem-Gonen, the mother of former hostage Romi Gonen; Orit Mark-Ettinger, media and public diplomacy professional; Sogand Farakhi, a researcher on Iran-related issues and a social activist; and Moria Azulay, chairwoman of the Aharai! (After Me) Association.

This is the 15th anniversary year of the ACI’s Woman of Valor awards, honoring women who serve as role models and symbols of resilience within Israeli society.

■ SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS that have previously experienced problems of this nature have resorted to social media get-togethers, which can be held under almost any circumstances, provided that there is no electricity failure. It also saves time and money when international participation is involved.

Coming up on Sunday, March 15, is an international Zoom briefing on Iran and Israel called ‘What’s next?’

It will be hosted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev President, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, and two of BGU’s experts from its Department of Middle East Studies, Chair Prof. Yonatan Mendel and Iran historian Dr. Gershon Lewental, who will share their unique perspectives on the current conflict, what the future may hold for Israeli-Iranian relations and the larger Middle East, and its broader implications.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. in Israel, 6 p.m. in Geneva, 5 p.m. in London, 1 p.m. in New York and Toronto, and 10 a.m. in Los Angeles.

■ THIS WEEK, on the same day that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul paid a lightning visit to Israel to meet with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar, he also experienced what Israelis go through several times a day.

After spending only a few hours in Israel, Wadephul returned to Ben-Gurion Airport. He had just boarded his military plane for the return flight to Germany when a siren was sounded. He and his official party left the plane and took shelter in a bunker.

At roughly the same time, the Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR), in conjunction with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung hosted an online webinar on ‘The Middle East Maelstrom: The War on Iran - Causes and Consequences.’

Speakers included Israel Council on Foreign Relations President Dan Meridor; Col. (Res.) Avital Leibovich of the American Jewish Committee; Prof. Jonathan Rynhold of the BESA Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University; Dr. Guido Steinberg of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs; and Dr. Michael Rimmel of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

The event was moderated by ICFR Executive Director Dr. Laurence Weinbaum.

■ ON THURSDAY of this week, in honor of International Women’s Day, Jewish and Palestinian women who are content creators and change makers participated in a Zoom webinar co-hosted by Women Champions for Change and Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Jerusalem.

Titled: “Women, Voice & Narrative: Storytelling as Leadership in the MENA Region,” the event featured Shirin Taber, Iranian-American filmmaker and journalist, and founder of Empower Women Media, whose work supports women storytellers across Abrahamic countries.

■ SEVERAL HOSPITALS protect their patients in fully equipped underground facilities. One such medical center is the Herzog Medical Center in Jerusalem, which this coming Sunday, March 15, is hosting a live webinar from inside the underground wards.

Hospital President Dr. Yehezkel Caine and CEO Dr. Jacob Haviv will present a brief picture of how Herzog cares for its patients and continues life-saving treatments during crisis periods. They will also discuss the attention now being given to mental health and the high incidence of treatments for various kinds of trauma. Broadcast times are 7 p.m. in Israel, 1 p.m. in New York, and 10 a.m. Los Angeles.

■ TOWARD THE end of the month on March 25, at 7 p.m. EST, the Jewish Virtual Library’s webinar will focus on ‘The End of the Arabist Doctrine in US Middle East Policy.’ For decades, US strategy assumed that close ties with Israel would damage relations with Arab states and destabilize the region. Recent events, including confrontation with Iran and shifting regional alliances, have challenged that assumption.

Drawing on history and current developments, Dr. Mitchell Bard will examine how Iran’s role and the evolving US-Israel cooperation are reshaping strategic thinking in Washington and what this shift may mean for the future of American policy in the Middle East.

■ NOT ALL haredi (ultra-Orthodox) youth are evading service in the IDF. In fact, some are defying their spiritual leaders and are responding to call-up notices. But unfortunately, the bulk of the haredi society defies Home Front Command instructions, holds large weddings and bar mitzvah receptions, and keeps its schools open.

Close to 30 haredi schools have been operating this past week and, in so doing, have endangered the safety and even the lives of both students and teachers. No community has immunity from missiles. Israel has been lucky over the past two weeks, in that the number of war-related fatalities and injuries have been relatively low. But as has been seen, no community is immune.

Financial sanctions are a farce because haredi communities receive funds from abroad.

Abolishing voting rights would be more effective. The worst offenders are reportedly residents of Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Ashdod, Modi’in Ilit, and Bnei Brak, all of which have suffered Iranian attacks.

In Jerusalem, Israel Eichler, has for years been the representative of the Rebbe of Belz in the Knesset. Apparently, the Belz Hassidim were the most defiant in Beit Shemesh. Imagine what would happen if Eichler no longer had a voice in the Knesset. It should not have to come to that, but eventually, there will be a prime minister who will not yield to coalition blackmail.

■ IT’S COMMON knowledge that Magen David Adom is Israel’s equivalent to the Red Cross, just as in Muslim-majority countries, the organization is called the Red Crescent. MDA is not the only paramedic organization in Israel whose staff and volunteers come from all sectors of society, but it is the one quoted on electronic media every time there is some form of catastrophe or crisis in which people are injured or killed.

This is like a slap in the face to the thousands of volunteers of United Hatzalah, who usually arrive at the scene at the same time as those of MDA – and sometimes even before.

The Jerusalem headquarters of the two organizations are within less than five minutes’ walk from each other, but on Wednesday night, when frequent alerts went out all over the country, journalists in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa reported from MDA and ignored UH. The volunteers from both organizations, as well as from smaller organizations, cooperate with each other and don’t compete, but at the executive level, it’s a different story.

Happily, President Isaac Herzog doesn’t play favorites.

On March 4, he and his wife visited MDA’s National Operations Center in Ramla, where they were given a comprehensive overview of MDA’s operations, and where they met paramedic Nissim Salem, who grew up in the Beit Shemesh neighborhood that suffered death and destruction when hit by an Iranian missile. Salem’s parents and other relatives live close to the impact site.

At United Hatzalah headquarters in Jerusalem this week, the Herzogs, in addition to being briefed by UH founder and president Eli Beer, participated in a dedication ceremony in which a new emergency vehicle was dedicated in memory of Ronit Elimelech, one of the people killed in the missile attack in Beit Shemesh.

Herzog noted the presence of haredi and Arab citizens who are UH volunteers. They may not serve in the army, but they are carrying part of the load involved in saving lives – often at their own risk. “This sends a powerful message,” said Herzog.

“It reflects a genuine and important social mosaic.”

The following day, Herzog met with Bernie Galsim Lavarias, the husband of the late Mary Ann V. De Vera, the caregiver who was killed in an Iranian missile attack on Tel Aviv last week while helping her employer reach safety. Lavarias was accompanied by the Philippines Ambassador Aileen Mendiola.

■ NOT ONLY journalists receive press cards and B1 and B2 visas for Israel. They are also given to foreign nationals in all branches of communication, diplomats, quasi-diplomats, and various other people. Ron Paz, the director of the Foreign Press Division at the Government Press Office, said that because the Population and Immigration Offices are still closed for reception, all B1 visas and B2 visas that expire between February 22 and March 31, 2026, have already been automatically extended by three months.

Anyone who is currently abroad and whose visa has expired is urged to obtain an ETA-IL (Electronic Travel Authorization for Israel) prior to returning to Israel.

People whose Government Press Office (GPO) cards have expired or are close to expiring need not rush to file applications for extensions. The GPO will extend cards accordingly and unconditionally upon demand. Until the security situation improves and reception at government offices resumes, there is no need to file online applications for extensions of visas and GPO cards.