■ REHAVIA, ONCE known as the garden suburb of Jerusalem and the favored residential area for the social and political elite, has become the neighborhood of support gatherings for hostages and their families and for political rallies, which Justice Minister Yariv Levin has referred to in less than complimentary terminology.
In his view, and that of most of his fellow ministers, the gatherings to draw attention to the plight of the hostages and the urgent need to bring them home are criminal acts that should not be allowed.
Admittedly, in their desperation, families of the hostages have occasionally crossed red lines, but given the uncertainty and all the shattered hopes that have aggravated their anxieties, coupled with the deaf ears of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most of his government, few would blame them for any steps they might take.
In interviews on radio and television, relatives of hostages say they do not want any soldier to risk his life in the effort to rescue their loved ones.
They also say that if Netanyahu had agreed to a partial deal, some of their loved ones who were murdered could have been saved. The prime minister’s obdurate attitude and his reluctance to send representatives to negotiate have cost lives and will cost more lives if he insists on continuing the war.
This does not appear to bother him. But his attitude has made the families lose faith in the government and in the state. These families voice their feelings from many platforms and, in fact, do more harm to Israel than any comment by its enemies and opponents.
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman has also been harsh in his criticism of Netanyahu. Regardless of which party wins the next Knesset election, it will take a very long time to restore public confidence in the government and repair the damage caused by the present administration.
Netanyahu, in statements in response to Wednesday’s day of rage in Jerusalem, instigated a further split in national solidarity when he likened demonstrators to fascists and Phalangists, saying that he feared for his life.
What about the lives of hostages and soldiers? Are their lives any less important? Netanyahu knows in his heart of hearts that he can’t wipe out Hamas. You can kill human beings, but you can’t kill an ideology.
■ JUDGING BY the number of well-known personalities who have passed away during the past half decade, it seems that the 2020s will mark the end of an era. Some of the names that come to mind include Rabbis Chaim Kanievsky, Meir Mazuz, Shalom Cohen, and Gershon Edelstein.
Other public figures include Ruth Dayan and her daughter Yael Dayan and sister-in-law Reuma Weizman; Aura Herzog, Yevgeny Aryeh, Svika Pick, Yehonatan Geffen, AB Yehoshua, Meir Shalev, Uri Zohar, Miriam Naor, Nissim Kivity.
More recently: Yaakov Kirschen (Dry Bones), Miriam Binyamini, Rami Heuberger, Dan Margalit, Ram Caspi, Rabbi Menachem Hacohen, and David Blumberg. And that’s just a short list.
Many prominent Jews, who may have visited Israel often yet never came on aliyah, had made arrangements during their lifetimes that when the grim reaper arrived, they wanted to be buried in Israel, preferably in Jerusalem, and if possible on the Mount of Olives.
Hacohen was born and died in Jerusalem, as was Cohen, although of the two, the former probably had the more varied career. Hacohen headed the religious worker faction in the Histadrut labor federation, was chief rabbi of the Moshavim movement, and served as chief rabbi of Romania for 14 years.
He was also a long-time member of the executive board of the Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and was active in many other spheres, including interfaith relations.
As chief rabbi of Romania, he succeeded the legendary Rabbi Moshe Rosen, whose access to people in high places was honed in a concentration camp during the Second World War. Some of the other camp inmates became leading figures in the Communist Party and the government and often paved the way for Rosen’s requests to receive a favorable response.
When he accepted the position of spiritual leader of Romanian Jewry, Hacohen signed a one-year contract, thinking that he was simply filling a gap until a permanent leader was appointed.
But as so often happens in Jewish circles, temporary becomes permanent. His successor as chief rabbi was coincidentally also called Rosen, though he was not a descendant of the previous Rabbi Rosen.
Rabbi Sorin Rosen, a Modern Orthodox rabbi who was ordained in the US, is the son of a Jewish father and an Eastern Orthodox mother. He underwent an Orthodox conversion in Israel.
His contract was for three years, but when it ended, feeling a certain lethargy among Romanian Jews, he chose not to renew it and instead moved with his family to Montreal, Canada, where he found a position in a Jewish day school.
■ THE ASSOCIATION of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel now has an additional role. The Association’s Executive Director Orit Sulitzeanu announced this week that it has been appointed as special advisor to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.
“This appointment not only puts us on an equal footing with other organizations around the world which are dealing with righteousness and justice but also enables us to participate in UN activities,” said Sulitzeanu.
■ EMERITUS PRESIDENT of the Schechter Institutes in Jerusalem, Rabbi Professor David Golinkin is retiring upon reaching his 70th birthday. He will be honored with a dinner reception, an academic conference, and the launch of a tribute book this coming Wednesday, September 10.
Family and friends will share anecdotes about him, after which papers on his academic and rabbinic thoughts in relation to his approach to Judaism will be presented.
Born and raised in Arlington, Virginia, Golinkin has lived in Jerusalem since 1972 and has authored or edited more than 65 books. A Conservative rabbi and a noted Jewish scholar, he is also the founder and director of the Institute for Applied Halacha and the director of the Center for Women in Jewish Law.
Anti-Israel sentiments abroad
■ ANTI-ISRAEL feeling notwithstanding, some Israelis are making significant headway abroad. Amongst them is fashion designer, artist, and entrepreneur Anat Heifetz – the creative force behind the Kawayan brand, which showcased this year at the Venice Biennale.
Heifetz is now in the process of making her breakthrough in the US market. This week, she presented her designs at The Canvas, an international fashion platform and concept store in New York that hosts selected brands from around the world.
Heifetz, who is also a senior lecturer at Shenkar College, was the mentor of successful New York-based designer Kobi Halperin. In a full-circle role reversal, Halperin – now an exhibiting designer at The Canvas himself – helped set up Kawayan’s presentation while Heifetz was on her way back to Israel.
And there’s more: her artworks are also featured on the website of the Saatchi Gallery in London, giving her global exposure across both the fashion and art worlds.
■ IN CERTAIN orthodox circles the Conservative and Reform Movements are denigrated. This is illogical because both movements are keeping non-Orthodox Jews within the fold.
In a world in which Jewish study institutions welcome participants from all strains of Judaism, the Conservative and Reform synagogues are often a bridge to such institutions, which in themselves are sometimes bridges to a more Orthodox lifestyle.
But even when this is not the case, it’s important for Jews of all stripes to acknowledge that other Jews are part of their extended families. In recent years, Orthodox women have been given a greater role in Jewish life within their own communities and in general, but there are still hurdles along the way.
The Conservative and Reform Movements have long been engaged in exploring and fighting for women’s rights in Judaism. This is one of the objectives of the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center, whose Executive Director Orly Erez Likhovski will address members of the Na’amat English-Speaking Sophie Udin Club on Wednesday, September 17, at 1 p.m. Her focus will be on women’s rights.
The talk will take place at the Meshanot Center on the corner of Jabotinsky and Shalom Aleichem Streets in Jerusalem.
■ AFTER FOUR years in Israel, Laura Goldman, the public relations counselor at the French Embassy, returned to Paris this week, saying that it would be pointless to summarize a mission that took such a tragic turn on October 7, 2023.
“In a climate overwhelmed with violence and radicalism, carrying the voice of France was a difficult yet inspiring adventure, filled with challenges, interrogations, and lessons,” she said.
“I leave the shores of the Mediterranean with a somewhat simple conviction: as clouds continue to gather over this fascinating region, the path to hope and peace will be found through dialogue, tolerance, and mutual understanding only.”
Her parting words related to the hostages: “Bring them home!”
Goldman’s new role is being the advisor to the political director of France’s Foreign Ministry. At the embassy in Israel, she has been succeeded by Romain Rideau.
■ IT’S BECOMING increasingly tougher for Israelis to feel comfortable abroad. KAN 11 film critic Ron Fogel, who attended the Venice Film Festival, spent more time talking about the pro-Palestinian mood at the festival than about the films that were screened. By and large, the crowd was very unsympathetic to Israel, he reported.