Grapevine July 1, 2025: Between Bibi and Buzaglo

Unlike the practice in some other countries, newly appointed judges in Israel do not have a swearing-in ceremony on a Bible or a Quran, but make a declaration that they recite orally and then sign the printed version.

The declaration made in the presence of the president of the state is: “I pledge allegiance to the State of Israel and its laws, to judge fairly, to refrain from showing favor, and not to pervert justice.” The latter part of the declaration is based on Leviticus 19:15.

The declaration was dubbed for many years as the “Buzaglo Law,” because there were too many instances in which people with surnames that were obviously those of North African Jews were not treated fairly, were denied employment opportunities and access to higher education, and were few and far between in the Knesset.

There were media reports over the years of people with North African surnames responding in writing to advertisements for vacant positions in companies, only to be informed that the position had already been filled. They applied again, using an Ashkenazi surname, and were invited to come for an interview. Happily, that situation has changed, and Jews of North African background are prominent figures in every walk of life in Israel.

Curiously, it was the North African or Mizrahi vote that helped to turn the political tide, which swept Menachem Begin into the top leadership position of the nation. Had they not been insulted by the late Dudu Topaz, an actor, comedian, singer, and television host, who also happened to be a staunch supporter of the Labor Alignment, Israel’s political landscape might have evolved differently. Topaz referred to the North Africans as tchachtchachim, which more or less translates as riff raff.

Reacting to the slur, Begin, in a follow-up speech, made mincemeat of Topaz. And it wasn’t just talk to gain votes. After he was installed as prime minister, one of Begin’s first acts was to launch Project Renewal, aimed at upgrading the neighborhoods in which his key voters – the North Africans – lived.

Trump is notorious for making bombastic statements that capture international headlines for a day or two and then fizzle into nothing.

But in the case of his interference in the trial of Netanyahu, he’s launched a long-range dispute, which is being waged on both traditional and social media outlets.

Some people believe that Netanyahu may be guilty of at least one of the charges against him, who want the case to end, because it has dragged on for several years, and may go on indefinitely while other cases remain on hold and the general backlog increases.

There are Netanyahu’s admirers and supporters who say that any wrongdoing that he may have done is outweighed by his courageous leadership and his perseverance in battling Iran, when many – including world leaders – tried to dissuade him. And there are those who say that Netanyahu should suspend himself for the duration of his trial, with the proviso that he can return to his position if acquitted.

Former chief rabbi Yona Metzger, who was released from prison after 22 months following a three-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption, applied to then-president Reuven Rivlin for clemency, but was denied.

Former finance minister the late Avraham Hirschson served three and a half years for embezzlement.

Several other ministers and MKs from nearly every party were convicted of a variety of criminal offenses. Some were fined. Some were given suspended sentences or put on probation. Some were sentenced to engage in community service, and some went to prison. The worst case, not counting the rape conviction against Katsav, was that of energy and infrastructure minister Gonen Segev, who was twice sentenced to prison. Following his release in 2007 after serving time for drug smuggling, Segev went to live in Nigeria, where he became an espionage agent for Iran.

He contacted several retired senior IDF officers with offers of lucrative investment opportunities in Nigeria, and introduced them to so-called Nigerian businessmen, who were actually Iranian handlers who sought to recruit them..

After all that, we don’t need Bibi to go to prison as well.

For all anyone knows, there may not be sufficient evidence with which to convict him.

If he is indeed innocent, it is in his interests and the interests of the nation that his case should continue uninterrupted and that he suspend himself for a limited time for his trial to be concluded as quickly as possible.

■ ASIDE FROM political and military affairs, President Trump has an abiding personal interest in Israel’s economic affairs. According to an article in The New York Times, the Trump family is interested in investing in a hotel in Tel Aviv. To be specific, the hotel is the luxury 61-story Sarona Hotel, currently under construction and touted as the tallest hotel in Tel Aviv. Once completed, the project will have 800 rooms and suites – far in excess of any hotel in Israel. The NYT article reports that Eric Trump, one of the president’s sons, who runs the Trump Organization, has been in preliminary talks with the owners of the hotel, the Nitsba Group, headed by Haim Tsuff and Kobi Maimon.

After the Iranian strike, Eric Trump stepped back, but not completely away, and has made it clear that the Trump Organization has not lost interest.

In fact, it has been interested in investing in Israel for at least the past 18 years.

Not long after meeting Jared Kushner at a business lunch in 2007, when both were 25, Ivanka Trump, who was then her father’s chief property adviser, came to Israel for the first time in 2008. When interviewed during that visit, she said that she was primarily interested in buying a hotel in Tel Aviv, but would love to own one in Jerusalem.

The deterrent for having a Trump hotel in the capital, she explained, was that the political and security situations were too challenging.

That has not stopped other investors. Over the past two decades, more than a dozen hotels have either been built, enlarged, or are currently under construction in Jerusalem, with more in the pipeline.

There’s also a proliferation of hole-in-the-wall grocery shops, because people who are either in a hurry or on a very limited budget don’t want to be distracted or tempted in large supermarkets by what they see but don’t necessarily need. The small grocery stores stock basics, but in fewer varieties of each.

The downsizing has also spread to coffee shops – or will in the near future. Among the leaders in the return to the small neighborhood coffee shop are Yair Malcha, Gilad Almog, and Nir Edri, the owners of the Biga chain of coffee shops, who this week launched what they call Biga Street.

As of now, all the coffee shops in the chain will have a more homely and welcoming environment in a smaller space. Although the premises of any large coffee shop are usually attractive, it boggles the mind that proprietors who invest a fortune in appearance and equipment fail to take care of the acoustics. When most of the larger establishments are full, it is almost impossible to hear yourself think, let alone hear what one’s table companions are saying.

Pioneering the new Biga style are two coffee shops – one in Rishon Lezion and another in Tiberias, at an investment of NIS 3 million.

■ TOO MUCH has happened since that fateful night in May 2017, when the plug was suddenly pulled during the broadcast of Mabat, the flagship news program of Channel 1, the forerunner of what today is Channel 11. News anchor Michal Rabinovich burst into tears, and hundreds of employees of the now-defunct Israel Broadcasting Authority were panic-stricken, wondering where they would find jobs and how they would feed their families in the future.

But Gilad Erdan, who as communications minister had played a cardinal role in the dismantling of the IBA, was not as cruel as current Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who since coming into office has made several unsuccessful attempts to either privatize or close down the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, which is the successor to the IBA. Erdan realized the value of public broadcasting, but wanted to change the structure so as to ensure that a new public broadcasting network would not drown in the same annual deficit as the IBA.

Among the people who worked with him on this was Yesh Atid founder and current opposition leader Yair Lapid, whose late father, Tommy Lapid, had once been the director-general of the IBA. Before entering politics, Yair Lapid himself had been a program host on Channel 1.

Interviewed on Monday morning of this week, the day after the passing of a private bill by the Ministerial Legislative Committee to either privatize or close down public broadcasting in Israel, Lapid spoke with Aryeh Golan on Reshet Bet, the main radio news station of the IBC about the bill that Lapid intends to fight with all the resources at his disposal.

Golan is a veteran early morning news and current affairs broadcaster and interviewer. According to Lapid, the bill was designed to silence people like Golan, who were occasionally critical of the government, and to prevent him from interviewing members of the opposition so early in the day when most people had just woken up.

The bill was proposed by failed politician MK Galit Distel Atbaryan, who resigned her position as information minister when she realized that it was an empty, powerless title. Now she has again cut the branch on which she stands, because if the bill eventually passes in the Knesset, it will deprive ministers and legislators of an important platform from which to voice their views. Reshet Bet, which, under the bill, would no longer broadcast news or current affairs, makes a point of interviewing politicians from every party, as well as military and academic experts on issues of the day. But according to what appears in social media posts by Distel Atbaryan, she regards the radio news stations as racist. She is probably referring to Makan, the Arabic language station under the IBC umbrella, which, in accordance with the bill, would be closed down permanently.

Many of Israel’s Arab citizens grow up and continue to live in insular communities in which the main spoken language is Arabic. If denied Israeli broadcasts in Arabic, they will tune in to those of neighboring countries, most of which are far from friendly to Israel. Opponents to the bill see it as an infringement of basic rights of freedom of expression and freedom of information.

On Monday evening, Gili Tamir, in her nightly phone-in program on Reshet Bet, in which listeners seek her advice on solving numerous bureaucratic problems, received a call from a young Ukrainian immigrant who had just completed her army service. The caller’s grandmother, who was a permanent resident but not a citizen of Israel, was among the many people stranded abroad. In her case, it was worse because she is physically challenged and has minimal financial resources.

In addition, bureaucracy is hampering her return to Israel.

The granddaughter had called every possible government agency to help, but the best she could get was permission for her grandmother to enter the country if her relatives here deposited NIS15,060 with a particular agency. The family doesn’t have that kind of money. The grandmother has no one left in Ukraine. All her immediate family are in Israel. The broadcast was heard by Interior Minister Moshe Arbel, who contacted Tamir, asked for all the details in writing, and declared that he would personally handle the matter.

A broadcast such as Tamir’s would not be feasible under the proposed bill, because most of the problems are related to events reported by different news outlets.

On Tuesday evening, on a current affairs program on Reshet Bet, one of the interviewees, a physically challenged individual, was given the run-around from one government office to another. Some of the places were inaccessible to someone in his condition, and he didn’t know what to do. Arbel was listening to that broadcast as well and called in again to say that he would personally deal with the issue. When complimented by the program’s anchors, he simply replied that it was the task of a minister to serve the public, and that’s what he was doing.

■ THE ANNOUNCEMENT this week that former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot is leaving the National Unity Party and the Knesset, and a further announcement by former Labor MK Avi Shaked that he is establishing a new Jewish-Arab party together with Tamra businessman Dirat Amreikh, and yet another resignation by MK Matan Kahana are indicative of the pointlessness in conducting political surveys before election campaigns actually begin. For months now, surveys have focused primarily on how many mandates each party would receive if elections were held on that day or how those figures would change if Naftali Bennett decides to run. But a lot can happen between now and next year that can influence election results. Surveys are important from an academic standpoint, but publishing them, replete with diagrams, in traditional media outlets takes up a lot of space unnecessarily. Two paragraphs would suffice to simply publish the most recent findings.

■ HUNDREDS OF women from 13 countries last month participated in the 26th International Masorti Women’s Study Day. Originally scheduled for Friday June 13, on the Jerusalem campus of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, the event was postponed; but a week and a half later, participants hunkered down in front of mobile tablets and computers to share an evening of Jewish learning focusing on “On the Honey and the Sting:” Text, Prayer and Song to Guide and Strengthen Us.

The study sessions were held in Hebrew, Spanish, Russian, and English with women from Israel, Canada, Australia, the United States, France, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Uganda, Britain, and Germany listening and asking questions of Schechter scholars.

The annual international event is jointly sponsored by the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, and the Masorti Movement.

Under the mentorship of the late Prof. Alice Shalvi, the Masorti Women’s Study Days have continuously brought together hundreds of women of all ages to share a day of learning, singing, and getting to know each other.

This year’s study day offered sessions in Jewish Law, Meditation, Talmud, Art, Music, Poetry, and Literature alongside Prayer.

“We chose our topic this year in reaction to the events of October 7 and Israel’s road to recovery,” stated Diane Friedgut, the chief organizer of the event. “We brought together rabbis, cantors, poets, and lecturers in all of these languages to provide answers, and to ask even more questions, to assist us in better understanding ourselves, our peoplehood, and our Judaism.”

According to Rabbi Diana Villa, who taught sessions in English and Spanish, “This day is a highlight of the year. Not only am I speaking with and teaching Israelis, but also Jewish women from Argentina, Spain, Chile, and the US. It is invigorating and enlightening to have them all in my classes.”

Rabbi Dr. Sigalit Ur, hailing from Shorashim in the North, “Teaching in both Hebrew and English is an example of our ingathering of the exiles. The interactions between participants are a wonderful expression of sisterhood and intellectual endeavor.”

Not one missile or drone was released by Iran during the entire event, enabling it to continue uninterrupted without anyone – scholar or participant – having to go into a bomb shelter.

Teresa Plrola from Sydney wrote, “I made it to the opening session of the study day – and thank you, it was lovely to be part of it! Especially in light of the events of the previous day – incredible. I certainly felt the solidarity and life-giving energy in the ‘Zoom room.’”

Russian speaker Yulia Kornilova from Petah Tikva wrote, “Although we couldn’t meet in Jerusalem, the seminar was a real success. Alla (a Russian lecturer) delighted us with her talk about Meir Shalev, his novels, and practical ways to ease stress and anxiety in today’s difficult times. Interestingly, even the war seemed to pause for those 3.5 hours while the sessions took place.”

Doreen Bornfreund, international vice president of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism in Toronto, wrote, “Yasher koach on today’s Women’s Day of Study. Fabulous teachers and topics of study.”

■ IT SEEMS fitting that in its centenary year, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem should have a changing of the guard. Prof. Tamir Sheafer, who currently serves as rector, was this week elected as the university’s next president. The decision was approved by the University’s Executive Committee and Board of Governors.

Sheafer will assume the presidency in October 2025, succeeding Prof. Asher Cohen, who will complete two four-year terms in the role.

Sheafer previously served as dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. As rector, he has overseen the university’s unprecedented support for students, reserve-duty soldiers, and affected communities during the current war, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack and the events that followed. Over the past two years, he allocated approximately NIS 40 million to assist thousands of students. He also played a key role in maintaining calm and fostering coexistence among the university’s diverse populations, including Jewish, Arab, and international students, during this complex and tense period.

An expert in comparative and digital political communication, Sheafer has led international research collaborations examining how political systems and democratic resilience influence political and media dynamics. He also headed the Digital Political Communication Research Lab (DeepStory), which develops deep learning-based tools for analyzing political narratives.

Prof. Asher Cohen, who led the university through a period of significant growth and transformation, spearheaded record-breaking fundraising campaigns, expanded the university’s senior academic staff, and launched new programs and research centers, including computational medicine studies, the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICAMH), and the Sheldon Lavin Center for Sustainable Food. He also oversaw major infrastructure developments, including the Gav-Yam Hebrew Campus, which is expected to add over 10,000 hi-tech jobs in Jerusalem.

During Cohen’s tenure, the university saw a significant rise in enrollment and the launch of numerous academic and research initiatives. It also faced major challenges, including the pandemic and, in recent years, complex national events. Over the past three years, Cohen has led the university’s strategic mission on key national issues, including opposition to the judicial overhaul, the challenges facing Israeli academia post the October 7 war, and advocacy for the return of the hostages.

■ COINCIDING WITH Canada Day, stage and screen actor, singer, and film director Mike Burstyn, who was born in New |York, spent a large part of his life in Israel, and now lives in California, this week celebrated his 80th birthday. The son of renowned Yiddish actor Pesach Burstein and actress Lillian Lux, Burstyn’s stage debut was at the age of three. He has been performing ever since in English, Yiddish, Hebrew, and Dutch. He is best known in Israel for his film performance in the 1966 movie Two Kuni Lemel, in which he plays two identical brothers – one an Orthodox nerd and the other totally secular.

Burstyn has appeared on the Yiddish stage in Israel, sometimes recreating roles previously performed by his father. He has also appeared with Lea Koenig, the 95-year-old actress who is primarily associated with Habima.