With just over a month left before he concludes his term, and moves down the road from the President’s Residence to King David Court, which is adjacent to the King David Hotel, President Reuven Rivlin cannot possibly take up all the invitations that he received to pay state visits to countries with which Israel has diplomatic relations. Even though Rivlin has been assured by ambassadors and visiting foreign ministers that he will also be welcome as a former president, most of these trips will be taken up by his successor Isaac Herzog. However, there are at least two trips that Rivlin will take before leaving office. One will be a lightning trip this week to Romania, where he was supposed to go last year but was prevented by the COVID -19 pandemic. The other is to the United States at the invitation of President Joe Biden. One suspects that even in retirement, Rivlin will make several trips abroad, not so much in a quasi-diplomatic capacity as in that of an ardent, life-long soccer enthusiast. It is not inconceivable that several major soccer clubs with which he has had a long-time connection will invite him to watch international matches.
■ WHAT WAS heartening to see last week, was the affection between the two rivals for the presidency. Each respected the other, and in conceding Herzog’s victory, Miriam Peretz did not resort to the perfunctory handshake but gave him a warm hug, which was returned both by Herzog and his wife Michal. In his address to the Knesset and the nation, Herzog, in a fine example of the spirit of “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,” lauded Peretz and assured her that they would continue working together. If only that spirit could wash over the Knesset every day.
■ AFTER A two-year hiatus in which he gave no on-stage performances, popular singer Eyal Golan, who celebrated his 50th birthday in April, was thrilled to see that the crowd still loves him. After returning from Morocco where he did a photo shoot for Goldstar beer, Golan opened the summer season in Caesarea last Wednesday night to an adoring and excited audience of some 4,000 fans. He sang songs from all the genres that he has explored over the years including the best-loved melodies, and also introduced a range of new items, proving that he is still reinventing himself in line with current musical trends. In the audience were his current wife Danielle Greenberg, his oldest children Alin and Liam Golan by his first wife Ilanit Levi, singer Eden Ben Zaken and her husband, soccer player Giovanni Rosso and his wife and several other well-known personalities. Golan will give additional concerts in Caesarea on June 8, 14 and 15.
■ DURING THE pandemic, health care officials warned of the vulnerability of senior citizens and took such precautions on their behalf that the seniors got sick just from losing physical contact with their children and grandchildren. What they needed most was a hug, not just a jab. During the war with Hamas, there was concern that seniors would not be able to get to bomb shelters in time if they received a red alert warning. But seniors in general, having come so far in life, are fairly hardy souls, and in most cases, can fend quite well for themselves, and also for others as demonstrated by the residents of Beit Tovei Ha’Ir, a Jerusalem retirement facility, where most of the residents are Orthodox.
Aware of the need for instant medical care for victims of traffic accidents, heart attacks, as well as for babies who arrive in the world sooner than anticipated, the residents of Beit Tovei Ha’Ir decided to raise the money required for the purchase of an electronic ambucycle. Within the space of a week, they raised in excess of NIS 30,000 and were delighted to be able to present a check to United Hatzala founder Eli Beer who explained the importance of their gift in reaching people located in places too narrow or too high for a regular ambulance to navigate.
■ PEOPLE WHO have been donating to Leket, the Israeli Food Bank, which for several years has been collecting surplus food from restaurants, hotels and banqueting halls, as well as going out into the fields to harvest in order to feed the poor, can now benefit from their generosity if they happen to have a taste for beer.
Leket Israel and BeerBazaar have launched the Leket beer – Leket Tree – a delicious craft beer with a side of social responsibility. For every beer purchased, BeerBazaar will donate a meal to an Israeli in need through Leket Israel. An Israeli amber ale, Leket Tree has 4.9% alcohol and is rich in fruity flavors.
Leket Israel CEO Gidi Kroch, is delighted by BeerBazaar’s innovative support, not to mention his enjoyment of the beer itself. “They have created a wonderful, quality Israeli beer that brings with it great value and social responsibility. I wish the people of Israel a peaceful summer with time to enjoy a chilled beer which will help Israelis in need through Leket Israel,” he said. Social responsibility can also be a great marketing tool.
■ IT MAY be that people are simply eager to get together again, or it may be by way of a grand farewell to the Ramatayim Men’s Choir which is disbanding after more than a quarter of a century of harmonizing, and also being the mainstay of the annual Rainbow of Music concerts for the past decade, but the Malki Foundation which organizes the concert with proceeds benefiting families that keep children with severe mental and/or physical disabilities at home instead of placing them in institutions, is overwhelmed by the response. The concert on Wednesday, June 23, at the Jerusalem Theater, was originally scheduled for the Rebecca Crown Auditorium, but due to the huge demand for tickets, has moved to the larger Henry Crown Auditorium.
Also featured on the program are Simon Cohen, Colin Schachat, Yitzchak Meir, Avremi Roth, and Tzvi Weiss.
■ TO COINCIDE with the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq on June 7, 1981, during the administration of Menachem Begin, the Begin Heritage Center will on Sunday, June 6, host an international online symposium to be cochaired by Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and Courtney and Jeff Blankinship of the Blankinship Family Foundation. Participants will include President Reuven Rivlin, Begin Center Executive Director Herzl Makov, award-winning writer Yossi Klein Halevi, social activist and former MK Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Minister for Aliya and Integration Pnina Tamano-Shata and Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik of Yeshiva University and Shearith Israel Congregation. All speakers will relate to Menachem Begin’s legacy, his commitment to principles, his defense of Jewish rights and his commitment to the values of freedom and democracy. The program starts at 7 p.m. Israel Time and 12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Full details are available on the Facebook page of the Begin Heritage Center.
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