BEN-GURION University Prof. Rivka Carmi, the first woman president of a university in Israel, Orna Porat, the queen of Israeli theater who was born a German gentile and came here after the Second World War with no knowledge of Hebrew and Prof. Anita Shapira of Tel Aviv University who has become the definitive voice of the history of Zionism, this week were honored by Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America.
The three were named Women of Distinction, joining the ranks of other women who have broken through the glass ceiling to become recognized for their individual merits. The ceremony was held at the Knesset in the presence of Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, MK Amira Dotan and Hadassah National President Nancy Falchuk.
JERUSALEM GREAT Synagogue President and patron Rabbi David Fuld and his wife Anita will this coming Sunday celebrate the marriage of their daughter Tikvah to Dovid Azman, son of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Azman. From the time she was a little girl, Tikvah, who was raised in the US, has been accompanying her parents on frequent visits to Israel, spending many a Shabbat and every major Jewish holiday at the Jerusalem Great Synagogue.
SOME OF the invitees to the Fuld-Azman wedding will be running from one event to another. Rabbi Binyamin Hauer and his wife will on the same day celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with the completion of the writing of a Sefer Torah, after which there will be a procession under a bridal canopy from their home on Rehov Ahad Ha'am to the nearby Hatzvi Yisrael Synagogue. Who says you can't dance at two weddings at the same time?
EVEN THOUGH she arrived a day later than expected at the Meridian Hotel on the Dead Sea, where they prepared no fewer than 19 rooms for the actress who rose to international fame through her role as Charlotte York in Sex and the City, Kristin Davis and her entourage still received the red-carpet treatment. At her media conference in Jerusalem last week, Davis admitted that she didn't know too much about Israeli politics but in touring Jerusalem and seeing the close proximity of Jews and Arabs, she admired their ability to make it work.
AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR James Larsen was in Jerusalem last week to attend the opening at the Cinematheque of the Fifth Australian Film Festival. Prior to the screening of Unfinished Sky, which was very well received by the audience, Larsen said that films provided a means of looking into other people's culture and hearts. He added that the Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv would continue to support cultural exchanges between Australia and Israel.
From Jerusalem, the Australian Film Festival has proceeded to cinematheques in Sderot, Haifa, Rosh Pina and Tel Aviv. Surprisingly, Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal did not show up for the opening in Sderot, although he had been scheduled to attend. Among those who were present for the screening of Lucky Miles, were Larsen, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and a delegation of the Australia-Israel Cultural Exchange that included Albert Dadon AM, chairman, AICE, Senator Michael Forshaw, Labor Party, Senator Brett Mason, Liberal Party, Michael Danby, Member of the House of Representatives of Australia, Labor Party, Peter Khalil, adviser of the Australian Government and Warwick McFadyan, senior editor of Melbourne's The Age newspaper. Dichter spoke compellingly about his hope that Sderot would be a place of festivals and peace, and that this festival during a cease-fire was, he hoped, a prelude to this. A large number of local residents, including numerous teenagers, came to demonstrate their appreciation for the AICE effort.