Unfortunately, according to a report in Yediot Aharonot, some 100 members of the Black Hebrews, most of them born in Israel, and knowing no other environment, are to be deported to the United States within the next two months.
The Black Hebrews, who believe themselves to be descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, originated in Chicago under the leadership of the late Ben Carter, also known as Ben Ammi Ben-Israel, came to Israel in the late 1960s, and for the most part settled in Dimona. They have been trying for half a century, with only minimal success, to acquire Israeli citizenship. Some have served in the army, but most have been rejected because they are not citizens of Israel.
Their community numbers around 5,000, and while they have integrated reasonably well in Dimona, they live in limbo because their future in Israel remains uncertain. Their permanent resident status can be revoked at any time.
A 44-year-old member of the Black Hebrew community, who was born in Israel, and whose children were born in Israel, in an interview on KAN Reshet Bet, said that he was in constant fear of being deported, because all his requests for citizenship had been denied. Another spoke of a mother of nine children, some of whom were born in Israel, who is being deported. She has lived in Israel for around 30 years, and before leaving America, sold all her assets. The hard-line policy will continue for as long as Arye Deri remains interior minister, and was no different when Eli Yishai occupied the same position.
A senior employee of the Interior Ministry told Reshet Bet that there was no intention of expelling the whole community, only those of its members who are living in Israel illegally and have not been accorded citizenship or permanent residence. When asked how come it has taken 20 or 30 years to catch up with such people, the employee replied: “We can’t put a GPS on every new arrival.” He kept insisting on the illegality of those being deported, saying that they have where to go because they are all American citizens. The fact that some of these American citizens were born in Israel, and knew no other life, made no impression on him.
■ THE LATE Nechama Rivlin, the wife of the president of the state, was a great lover of literature – both prose and poetry. Following her death in 2019, the Dr. Gardner Simon Prize for Hebrew Poetry, which she established in 2018 in cooperation with the administrator-general, was renamed to include her name.
At the award ceremony held this week at the President’s Residence, the first prize of NIS 50,000 went to poet Shlomit Appel for her book Memories from the Swimsuit Factory, and prizes of NIS 10,000 each were awarded to poet Adi Wolfson for his book In Body and Not Only and to poet Bacol Serlui for her book Trembleth for Fear of Thee. The awards are supported by the Dr. Gardner Simon Foundation and administered by administrator-general Sigal Yaakobi. The voluntary committee of adjudicators, headed by Prof. Ariel Hirschfeld, a Hebrew University lecturer in Hebrew literature, who is himself a writer, researcher and literary critic, reviewed some 170 books of poetry before reaching its decision.
■ IN YET another sad case of man proposes, God disposes, Alber Elbaz, the most globally famous of the alumni of the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, died in a Paris hospital in the predawn hours of Saturday night and Sunday morning – another victim of COVID-19, proving once more that fame and fortune cannot guarantee protection from the grim reaper. His burial is set for 12 noon on Wednesday at Holon Cemetery.
It is hard to believe that only three months earlier, in January, Elbaz launched his new fashion venture, AZ Factory, at the Paris Haute Couture Week to rave reviews in major fashion publications. His death, however, received much wider publicity in leading newspapers and fashion magazines around the world.
Shenkar has produced a number of designers who have achieved fame in Israel and abroad, but none could equal the reputation of the creative, innovative, sensitive, fun-loving and generous Elbaz, who never forgot his background or his roots.
Like Elie Tahari in New York (who is not a Shenkar graduate), Elbaz in Paris was always happy to take on young Israeli designers as interns and to give them the experience they needed to succeed in the world of fashion. Most of the Israelis taken on by Tahari and Elbaz were Shenkar alumni.
Among those who interned with Elbaz was Sharon Tal, who interned with him twice when he was the creative director at Lanvin. She subsequently worked with Alexander McQueen in London, and after returning to Israel revived Maskit with the blessing of its founder, Ruth Dayan.
Elbaz returned to Israel many times, maintained contact with former Shenkar classmates, and invariably visited his alma mater to inspect the new creativity that emerged from it, and to encourage young designers in their chosen path.
Although fashion is a very serious business, it also has its fun side, which the roly-poly Elbaz definitely enjoyed, and with his signature floppy bow tie, he liked to play the clown.
Probably the success story closest to Elbaz among Shenkar alumni is Kobi Halperin, who has carved a great career for himself in New York, but still has a way to go before he becomes as internationally known as Elbaz.
As far as fashion goes, Shenkar students also excel at textile design, so much so that textile designer Maayan Gutfeld, who specializes in textile art and design and is noted for her hand-printed high-quality socks, can boast that the feet of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are clad in her footwear. Knowing that Trudeau has a fetish for artistic designer socks, President Reuven Rivlin, when visiting Canada in 2019, presented Trudeau with socks designed by Gutfeld, and the Canadian premier was reportedly thrilled to add them to his collection.
■ IN THE pre-coronavirus era, one of the favorite restaurants of effervescent society photographer Sarah Davidovich was Jerusalem’s Piccolino, which was opened some six years ago by the late Nava Bibi, previously known for her Little Jerusalem Restaurant at Anna Ticho House. Bibi opened Piccolino together with her daughters Anat and Orit and her son-in-law Ronnie, and Davidovich was among the first customers, returning again and again with members of her family, with close friends and with visitors to Israel.
Davidovich is one of those rare individuals who invariably exudes goodwill, is incapable of saying a bad word against anyone, seeks only the positive in other people, and praises them to the skies. The attitude is contagious, as was obvious at her birthday party luncheon last week, which she held at the recently reopened Piccolino, where the food kept coming, whether ordered or not, while a singer/guitarist sat onstage and belted out popular songs, and where the proprietors surprised her with a darbuka tribute, while friends all sang the Israeli version of “Happy Birthday,” which is nothing like the English version.
Most of the 20 or so women around the table have known each other for years, some, who are now grandmothers, have known each other since before they were married. Nearly all grew up in Jerusalem, but more than half have moved to Tel Aviv and Herzliya Pituah, and specially came to Jerusalem to wish Davidovich well, to become infected by her radiant smile, and to pick up some of her generous vibes.
An unexpected guest was blind Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein, who came to Israel after spending three months in Dubai in an effort to create new understanding for people with disabilities, and to promote the realization that a disability often makes a person stronger rather than weaker. He came to the party with Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, who has been taking him around the city. Bernstein is so enamored with Jerusalem that he called his office from the restaurant to say that he is staying longer than originally intended.
Among the other guests were Tami Raveh, who chairs Channel 2 News, Yulia Shamolov Berkovich, a former Kadima MK and subsequently chairwoman of the Council of the Second Authority for Television and Radio; Eti Salansky, society photographer and jeweler; Mimi Kanfo, educator and hotel expert; Simi Mor, former member of the Jerusalem City Council; Mira Feldman, jewelry designer; Sima Zini, director of a daycare center for the elderly; and Karin Davidovich, the daughter of the hostess.
■ IT MAKES no difference whether a boy with his arm in a plaster cast is Druze, Jewish, Christian or Muslim. When he sees a dignitary, he wants to have that person’s signature on his arm.
As a grandfather several times over, President Rivlin understands that desire, and unhesitatingly autographed the cast of a young Druze boy whom he encountered this week when visiting Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif in Julis on the occasion of the Nebi Shueib holiday.
The visit, which was part of Rivlin’s nationwide farewell tour before leaving office in July, was timed to simultaneously honor the Druze community.
Mindful of Druze antagonism toward the Nation-State Law, Rivlin told his host and assembled members of the community, “For many years, we referred to the relationship between us as a ‘covenant of blood,’ reducing the deep connection between us to comradeship in arms. But over the last seven years, I have made sure to clarify – in words and in deeds – that the bond between us is one between members of the same people, between equal partners in the task of building Israeli society, or in other words, a ‘covenant of life.’” He assured them that this relationship is something “that no law can blur or erase.”
Tarif responded in similar vein, saying: “You have always had an open ear, an open heart and an open house for the Druze community and its leaders. You have helped deal with our problems, even when they were not your responsibility. I remember your meetings with the heads of municipal and budgetary authorities, time after time. You advised them and you implored the various government ministries to develop Druze communities. Even when Druze from neighboring countries got into difficulties, you found the way to help them with global leaders and the government here. All Israelis, regardless of their religion, race or gender, see you as someone they can turn to. You have made the President’s Residence into the home of all Israelis, whoever they are.”
Tarif added: “As you opened your heart and your home, many government ministries remained closed-off when it came to the Druze and their communities, and did not enact equal citizenship legislation when it came to us. I cannot understand why Israeli governments over the years do not react to the obvious when it comes to the only ally the Jewish people has here in Israel and around the world. The Druze community must be a mirror that the state holds up to the nations of the world and be a model and example for others.”
In the course of his visit to the north, Rivlin also met the women of Lotus, an initiative in Daliat al-Carmel that trains women who observe a traditional Druze lifestyle in the field of hi-tech, facilitating high-quality employment for some 400 women. The project, the first of its kind in the Druze community, is conducted in collaboration with The Portland Trust and supported by the Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services Ministry. The creation of a yearlong training program enables women with the potential to succeed in hi-tech careers to gain employment at the Daliat al-Carmel microhub.
■ SOME PEOPLE believe that classical music is only for musical snobs, an elite class of affluent people who can afford to pay for the best seats in concert halls, where they can see and be seen as they listen to world-class soloists and orchestras.
Yael Cherni, the founder and former director of KAN Kol Hamusica, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation’s radio station devoted to classical music, begs to differ. In her recently published book “Classical Music UNDRESSED,” which is available on Amazon, Cherni offers an updated look at the world of classical music, inviting any English-speaker who values music in particular and art in general to embark on a deep exploration that will enable better understanding of what she regards as the three main components of “this unique civilization” – the audience, the musicians and what goes on backstage.
Cherni, who has abbreviated her birth surname of Cherniavsky, can speak with authority from all three perspectives. She is both a conductor and soprano, and has many times been a member of the audience. She was the assistant conductor to Claudio Abbado and Simone Young. She has sung with several major orchestras.
Cherni considers herself a Sabra, even though she was “accidentally” born in Boston. “I was born in Harvard’s dorms and had poetic closure while I was invited as a guest lecturer there a few years ago,” she laughs.
She has been singing professionally since she was nine years old, but surprisingly is the only musical member of her family. Her parents, who were studying at Harvard at the time of her birth, did not encourage her to take on a musical career.
Although the classics, especially German lieder, are her main forte, she also sings compositions by George Gershwin and Jerome Kern, but prefers German romantic music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a conductor, she also favors this music. Her musical studies were mainly in the US and Germany.
Asked why classical music has endured whereas pop music fades from national and global sound tracks, Cherni believes that it’s too early to judge, and opines that some pop music might survive the test of time, such as the Beatles or Pink Floyd, which will still be heard in a hundred years from now.
She is not overly fond of the term “classical” music. She thinks that a more accurate definition would be artistic music, and refers to this new thinking about classical music in her book, in which she also deals with women and classical music from the 17th century to the present.
■ BEFORE AND since the Knesset elections, social media platforms have been weighed down with hatred, racism and incitement, demonstrating the worst in human nature, and giving non-Israelis who read some of these comments the worst possible impression of Israelis.
But the fact is that Israelis in general, though not terribly polite, and not always considerate on the nation’s highways, are basically kind and helpful, especially in emergency situations. Two examples:
A man, identified only as Itzik, was interviewed on the radio this week and spoke of having taken out a bank loan of NIS 100,000 for home improvements. Then, without warning, the corona crisis erupted, and he was faced with loss of income and mounting debts. He kept asking the bank for an extension on his repayment of the loan, but the best it could do for him was move the monthly repayment date by 10 days to give him a little extra leeway in getting the required sum together. It got to the stage where he was in danger of losing his home.
Realizing that it could happen to any one of them, his neighbors joined forces, contributed what they could and came up with what was left of his debt so that he could finish his obligation to the bank. They did this without him asking.
On the morning after Itzik told his story, Yediot Aharonot published an item by Korin Elbaz Alush that illustrated another example of Israeli kindness.
Ramat Gan shoemaker Yuri Paiskov, 71, had a reputation for golden hands and over the years built up a faithful clientele. He came from a long line of craftsmen who excelled in repairing boots, shoes and sandals.
Although he always exuded a pleasant demeanor and gave good service, his life was clouded by tragedy. Sixteen years ago, his son Oleg and daughter-in-law Ludmilla were killed in a terrorist attack, leaving two young boys, Daniel, who is now 25, and Yigal, who is 19. Yuri and his wife, Larissa, took their two grandsons into their home and raised them with love and care.
During Passover, Yuri closed his workshop so that he could enjoy the holiday with his family. A fire broke out in the workshop, destroying it and all his equipment. He did not have the financial resources to start again from scratch, and did not know what to do and where to turn.
But his loyal customers were not about to let him disappear from their lives. They mounted a fundraising campaign, to which people he did not even know contributed, and he is on the way to opening new premises, where he can continue to repair people’s footwear and make the old look like new.
■ SEVERAL JEWISH websites are running a story about a Christian missionary in the Jerusalem neighborhood of French Hill posing as an Orthodox rabbi. The man, who calls himself Michael Elkohen, is a widower with five children who attend Orthodox schools. He dresses in the style of the ultra-Orthodox, and his late wife, who also engaged in missionary activities, was likewise attired in the style of the ultra-Orthodox, and always wore a head covering.
The true identity of the family was inadvertently revealed by one of the man’s children, who told a classmate that she still believes in Jesus. The classmate went home and told her parents, and an investigation was made. Apparently, the man’s missionary activities had been discovered several years earlier, and he promised that he would stop. It is not certain whether he is actually Jewish. He speaks Hebrew fluently and is well versed in Talmud.
He says that he is a kohen, a member of the priestly tribe, has performed marriage ceremonies and has acted as a scribe. It is suspected that even though he is very knowledgeable about Jewish law and lore, he is not actually Jewish, because it is known that his father was not. There is no reference to his mother, who may have been Jewish.
Missionary activity in Israel is illegal, but it goes on in many places, including ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, where there may not be face-to-face encounters, but where missionary literature is placed in mailboxes.
■ THOUGH GENERALLY known as the ambassador for Indian cuisine, which she has promoted in numerous television programs and which she services in her exotic Indian-style restaurants, Reena Pushkarna has another string to her bow, and is also a promoter of excellence in education.
On Thursday of this week, at 7 p.m., she will be the Israeli representative together with speakers in India and the US, in an Excellence Summit on the shared values between the three countries of excellence in education, innovation, entrepreneurship and social services.
Registration is at: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_Ff1H7ruoSVCHvTJaakKsSQ
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