In the digital era we live in, many white-collar employees work from home and other remote areas. Office camaraderie exists only among those whose physical presence is required in the workplace.
That’s the most obvious blight of advanced technology in the field of communications, and it affects every aspect of communications.
Thirty and more years ago, The Jerusalem Post was located in its previous premises in Romema. The printing press was in the basement; the newsroom, where the copy editors worked, was filled with people day and night; and the adjoining room for reporters was also often full.
Section and senior editors sat in a row of offices that stretched across both rooms. Though there were always a few people out on assignment, they came back to the office to type up their stories. Much of that no longer exists: Reporters and feature writers work from home, as do some editors, and workplace camaraderie today is largely limited to the Internet team.
On Tuesday, however, the conference room was packed to overflowing with present employees and past members of the editorial staff.
They came to bid farewell to popular former editor Steve Linde who left The Jerusalem Post last month after almost three decades.
Following his initial spell as night editor, Linde became managing editor and then editor-in-chief of the Post before taking over as editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Report, the Post’s flagship magazine – until he felt it was time to move on.
Linde came to the Post from Israel Radio and left the Report for JNS – a digital Jewish news syndicate, which has attracted some of his former colleagues from the Post, a factor that makes him feel more at home in a new location.
There were several speeches at the farewell, and while everyone was sad to see him go, most were happy to have the opportunity to chat face-to-face, and many lingered for quite a long time.
The common thread in the speeches was Linde’s admirable professionalism, his ability to stay calm in a crisis, his willingness to help anyone with a problem, be it personal or professional, and his remarkable memory for the birthdays of every member of the editorial staff. It appeared that everyone present had benefited from one or more of Linde’s qualities.
Where was Herzog?
■ DETRACTORS OF President Isaac Herzog have asked why he has not appeared at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. They ignore the fact that he has been a consistent voice calling for the return of the hostages and that he has met numerous times with released hostages and families of hostages still in captivity. He has also met with and paid condolence calls on families whose loved ones were murdered by Hamas or died after being kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
In all his meetings with foreign dignitaries at home and abroad, Herzog has raised the hostage issue by giving interviews to global media outlets in which the main topic was the hostage situation. He has also frequently called for a state investigation into what did or did not happen on October 7, 2023.
Herzog arranged for the President’s Residence to be bathed in orange light to honor the memories of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas on the day of their funerals as a symbol of national mourning.
He and his wife, Michal, have been more involved with the fate of the hostages than any other public figures. Last week, during their visits to Hungary and Italy, they again brought the urgency of the release of the hostages to the attention of the leaders of those countries.
In Hungary, where they participated in ceremonies honoring the memories of the tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews who had been deported to Auschwitz never to return, the Herzogs visited Budapest’s famed Dohany Street synagogue, reputed to be the largest in Europe with a seating capacity of 3,000.
The synagogue dates back to 1859 and is located close to the birthplace of Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl.
Herzog unveiled a plaque marking his official visit, some 34 years after his father, Chaim Herzog, Israel’s sixth president, had done the same.
The unveiling took place in almost exactly the same spot. The new plaque, placed alongside his father’s one, was also crafted from the same material, symbolizing the Jewish tradition of the continuity of generations.
Women's Leaders Summit
■ IN HER own right, Michal Herzog brings subjects such as the release of the hostages, bereaved families, sexual abuse, and mental health into all the events she attends, with or without the president, and in all probability will do so again at the Post’s Women Leaders Summit on March 25.
She may relate to only one of these topics, or to more as she did when she attended the awards ceremony for the winners of the Second Annual Azrieli Prize for Outstanding Social Sports Coaches at the Daniel Rowing Center in Tel Aviv.
“Sport can be a tremendous source of resilience and support, physically and mentally,” she said. “For many, it is a vital tool for rehabilitation.” She also credited sport with building community, identity, and a sense of belonging.
Among the winners was a coach whose athletes with intellectual-developmental disabilities won two medals at the Special Olympics European Championships and a Bedouin coach who established the first sports club in a Bedouin village in the South.
Additionally, a special recognition award was given to the Open Field program – a sports rehabilitation initiative for Supernova festival survivors.
Adjudicators were mainly key figures from Israeli sports, including Olympic and Paralympic medalists Arik Zeevi and Moran Samuel.
This is the second year that the Azrieli Foundation has awarded the Azrieli Prize for Outstanding Social Sports Coaches. The award, established as part of the Sport for Social Impact (SSI) program and its vision to promote and strengthen Israeli society through sports and physical activity, recognizes coaches who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in the use of sports to promote social and educational goals.
Chair of the Azrieli Group and the Azrieli Foundation Israel, Danna Azrieli, who leads the foundation’s philanthropic vision and activities, was in attendance, along with her husband, Azrieli Foundation Canada board member and honorary president of the Paralympic Committee Danny Hakim, Knesset Sports Subcommittee chair MK Simon Davidson, and Japanese Ambassador Yusuke Arai, as well as representatives of other diplomatic missions. Also present were the chairman of the Paralympic Committee Moshe Motz Matalon and Olympic medalist Arik Zeevi, as well as heads and representatives of sports federations, centers and NGOs involved in sports for social advancement.
In the category of Women’s Sports Advancement, Hanan Abu Kweder, 43, who established the first fitness club in an unrecognized Bedouin settlement in the Negev – a Pilates and strength-training coach from the Suar Almahaba Association – was given an award for pioneering work in promoting healthy and active lifestyles and advancement for women in the Bedouin community, breaking social boundaries and leading unique initiatives combining sports and educational values.
In the Special Populations category, Hadas Handler, 27, a swimming and cycling coach from the Special Olympics, was awarded for her work in advancing these two sports for people with disabilities, while creating an adapted and empowering environment for each athlete.
Three athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities flew to represent Israel at the Special Olympics European Championships in cycling and won two significant medals.
In the Shared Society category, Suha Sobeh, 40, a football coach from Tamra, working at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, earned her award for using football as a tool to promote shared living between Jewish and Muslim women, empowering girls and women and creating cultural connections between diverse communities, even under challenging conditions.
In the At-Risk Populations category, Jonathan Sidelsky, 40, a cricket coach from the Israel Cricket Association, was recognized for his dedication and creative approach to making sports in general and cricket, in particular, accessible to at-risk youth, creating empowering experiences and offering emotional support while building a diverse and inclusive sports community.
In the Promising Coach of the Year category, Dana Hadar, 26, a water sports coach from the Ziv Neurim Association, was awarded for her unique contribution to advancing at-risk youth and children with special needs through water sports.
The Special Recognition award was given to Safe Field for collaboration between NGOs using sports as a tool for social advancement by aiding rehabilitation and community integration through football and footvolley.
The program is a partnership between the Home Base, Safe Heart, and Balance – Back on Track associations, helping participants return to routine through social integration, assistance with rights fulfillment, encouragement of mental health treatment, and workplace integration.
Telling Israel's story
■ MANY WELL-KNOWN Israeli personalities become prominent figures in international organizations with little or no fanfare, but their presence is important because they help to tell Israel’s story.
One such person is former legislator and cabinet minister Dan Meridor, a member of the advisory board on the Washington headquartered Radio Abraham, a recently launched broadcasting initiative that embraces a new era of regional cooperation – breaking barriers, fostering economic partnerships, and strengthening cultural ties between Jews, Arabs, and Muslims. Other Israelis on the advisory board include Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror and Gen. (ret.) Ruth Yaron, along with Robert Silverman, a former US diplomat, who now teaches at Shalem College in Jerusalem.
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