It was in the cards that Mike Huckabee, who a week ago was confirmed as US ambassador to Israel – despite the fact that, with only one exception, all Democrats voted against him – would be feted at the Friends of Zion Museum soon after his arrival in Jerusalem.
It was also a given that he would be accorded a gala reception by United Hatzalah, which enjoys widespread support from members of the Republican Party and from Evangelicals.
In the very near future United Hatzalah founding president Eli Beer will host a gala event for Huckabee at the museum.
The guest list will read like a who’s who in the Greater Israel movement. As Huckabee shares the movement’s ideology, he’s bound to feel completely at home.
But even before that, he will be honored at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem hotel, at a Sabbath dinner hosted by Pastor John Hagee, the founder and national chairman of Christians United for Israel, who support Israel in their prayers, in rallies, in philanthropy, and in many other ways.
All American ambassadors to Israel are inundated with invitations. Huckabee will probably set a new record.
Shooting itself in the foot
■ KAN 11 has many positive projects and achievements to its credit, but in typical Israeli fashion, it is shooting itself in the foot by overplaying its disdain for the prime minister and one of his most loyal acolytes.
A few weeks back when Roni Kuban interviewed Transportation Minister Miri Regev and raised the issue of the prime minister’s responsibility for the October 7 catastrophe, Regev, in defending Benjamin Netanyahu, said something that started with the words “If the prime minister is guilty...”
The phrase was taken out of context, and because of Regev’s style of intonation, it now sounds more like “Is the prime minister guilty?” than “If the prime minister is guilty.” It is broadcast several times a day, which is neither fair nor objective. In fact, it’s a distortion, which could be interpreted as a subtle form of incitement.
Small wonder that many Likudniks want KAN 11 to be closed down. Both Miri and Bibi have numerous flaws, but relating to them in this manner is not the way to go.
Searching for peace
■ HOW CAN we make peace with our enemies if we can’t make peace among ourselves? The disturbance in the High Court of Justice last week amplified the widening polarization within different segments of the population.
It was further emphasized last Thursday at the appointments ceremony for 35 new judges at the President’s Residence.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who continues to snub Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, refrained from sitting next to him. The buffer between the two was provided by President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, with one seated alongside Amit and the other alongside Levin.
At one stage, when the Herzogs vacated their chairs, Amit leaned across and tried to speak to Levin, but the justice minister recoiled. Such public animosity is disgraceful.
Bring them home
■ APROPOS THE Herzogs, mention has been made several times in this column about their concern for the hostages and their close relationship with bereaved families who lost loved ones in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, as well as those whose loved ones are still in captivity or who were murdered or who died while in captivity.
The presidential couple also maintains close ties with released hostages. In fact, no other public figures can equal their sensitivity to and involvement with most aspects of the hostage situation.But they truly outdid themselves last Friday when they visited released hostage Liri Albag at her family’s home.
Like most of the released hostages, Albag participates in rallies on behalf of the remaining hostages, and speaks publicly about her experiences at the hands of Hamas. She does this to infuse more awareness of the urgency of securing the release of those still in Gaza.
In common with other released hostages, she has been mocked and has received hateful messages on social media platforms, including some that threaten her life, and others wishing that she had stayed in Gaza. Some of the messages are so hurtful, she said publicly, that she would not wish them on her worst enemies. But the most hurtful were those regarding her weight.
Albag happens to be well endowed, and did not look like a skeleton when she arrived in Israel last January after more than a year in hell. But she was taunted by her captors, who mocked her about her weight, and she has suffered similar cruelty from Israelis since her release.
Why? Because she dared to say that Netanyahu was responsible for the failings that brought about the calamity of October 7. She was not the first or the last to say so, but others were not attacked on the basis of their physique.
The Herzogs were appalled by such insensitivity, and decided to call on Liri and express their admiration for her courage.
“Liri, we came here to support you. There is so much good in the world, and that good is with you. You are a voice of courage and hope, and I embrace you on behalf of an entire nation,” said President Herzog.
“I read the harsh attacks and comments written about you, and my heart broke. There is no place for such venom – especially not toward someone who went through hell. I want you to know you are not alone. We must not give these things a platform. When the enemy sees us divided, they rejoice. We must preserve our unity, especially in this time when our enemies seek to destroy us.”
The president reiterated the State of Israel’s commitment to bringing all the hostages home, and the importance of providing emotional support to those returning from captivity, and to their families.Liri responded: “We need all of them back with us this Passover, all 59 hostages. We all want them to come home as soon as possible.”
The meeting was held in an informal, friendly manner, and Liri was hugged by both the president and his wife.
Netanyahu's disapproval
■ WHILE PRIME Minister Netanyahu has stated that he does not approve of the manner in which his older son, Yair, expressed opposition to the announcement by France’s President
Emmanuel Macron that France may recognize a Palestinian state by July, he nonetheless agrees with Yair’s sentiments.
Realists can accept the possibility that sooner or later there will be a Palestinian state, and Palestinians will not have to wait nearly as long as the Jewish people for the realization of their nationalist aspirations.
Yair Netanyahu did have a valid point about colonialism. It would be a true game changer in geopolitics if the United Nations had the courage to say that membership of any nation still practicing colonialism will be rescinded within one year, unless that nation’s colonialism is revoked. The threat of expulsion from the UN could be effective in making the world a better place.
Improving quality of life
■ WIZO, THE Women’s International Zionist Organization, of which one of the founders in July, 1920, was Vera Weizmann, the wife of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all sectors of Israeli society, especially children who have emerged from cycles of domestic violence.
In collaboration with the Israel Lifesaving Federation, WIZO has established the Rescue and Resilience workshop, which provides such children with empowerment through a meaningful experience that continues their personal and social development by combining practical lifesaving skills with tools to strengthen emotional resilience and build self-confidence.
Through maritime rescue activities and challenging teamwork, the children experience moments of success in a safe and supportive environment – moments that reinforce the knowledge that they are not only survivors but also young leaders in the making, capable of protecting themselves and becoming a source of security and hope for others.
The workshop serves as another significant milestone in their path toward safer, more independent, and hopeful lives.
The Rescue and Resilience program is designed for children from the “safety net” communities – support networks for women and their children who have broken free from domestic violence.
Held simultaneously in Herzliya and Hadera, the workshop offers engaging water-based activities aimed at building self-confidence and emotional resilience for children aged nine to 12. The workshop is an initiative led by World WIZO President Anat Vidor and supported by WIZO Australia.
“This initiative exemplifies how WIZO, in partnership with Jewish communities worldwide, expresses our deep commitment to strengthening Israeli society. Thanks to WIZO Australia’s support, we are giving these children an empowering experience that combines personal resilience with Zionist values, reinforcing the unbreakable bond between Israel and the Diaspora,” said Vidor.
Currently, 18 youngsters in Herzliya and 15 in Hadera are participating in the program, which focuses on several core objectives: trauma-informed care delivered by skilled instructors, outdoor group activities that foster teamwork, building self-esteem and confidence, developing resilience and coping tools for trauma, and personalized mentoring to help rebuild trust.
Because swimming and lifesaving are intrinsic to Australian school programs, the Australian Embassy has long been involved with the Israel Lifesaving Federation, of which several of the co-founders and board members, such as co-founders Paul Hakim and Lisa Segalov, are immigrants from Australia.
Last week, Australian Ambassador Ralph King visited Herzliya beach to meet with participants there, and commended the organizations involved for their collaboration on such a vital, lifesaving initiative.The ambassador noted that all the participating organizations – the embassy, WIZO Australia, World WIZO, and the Israel Lifesaving Federation – are working together, investing substantial resources to ensure that children from across Israeli society learn about the sea, water safety, and essential skills that help prevent unnecessary drownings.
Traditions and Passover
■ NOT EVERYONE knows how to properly conduct the Passover Seder, and there are different customs and traditions in every home.
Melbourne-based singer Aura Levin Lipski, who runs a network of websites under the umbrella of Jewish Australia, produced a new website, Songs for the Seder, replete with online transliterations. In addition, she sings all the songs to the best-known melodies.
■ FACT that he’s a retired, prizewinning restaurateur does not mean that Marcel Hess has stopped cooking. He loves to prepare Sabbath and holiday meals, and every item on his family’s Passover menu was prepared by him in his home in Jerusalem.
This included salad dressing, foie gras, veal roast, corned beef, beef, roast beef, chicken soup with traditional matza balls, potato kugel, chopped chicken livers, egg salad, chicken schnitzels, pan-fried whole chicken, crispy baked vegetables, slow cooked, with Passover kishke and cholent, plus many other delicacies.
There are fewer kosher-for-Passover products in the supermarkets than in past years, and in many supermarkets, there are no designated shelves for kosher-for-Passover products, which are mixed with products that are not kosher for Passover.
Worse still, where a shelf here and there is marked kosher for Passover, there are non-Passover products, and some are marked kosher for Passover on one side of the label and not kosher-for-Passover on the other.
Tourists and new immigrants with a limited command of Hebrew have thus purchased items that do not conform to Passover dietary laws. Moreover, it often requires a magnifying glass to find the kosher for Passover imprint on a label, whereas in past years the imprint was much more visible.
Then there’s the business of selling hametz. This is supposed to be a proper contractual arrangement, whereby the seller comes to the synagogue or the rabbi’s home, presents details of exactly where the hametz would be stored, and the contract is sealed.
Then came online selling of hametz – with no intermediary, and in some cases no guarantee of the receipt of the seller’s request. Modernizing old traditions is not always a good idea. Admittedly, online selling is time-saving, and can be done at the absolute convenience of the seller.
What is truth?
■ IT WOULD be nice if all the stories fed to us by Zionist leaders and emissaries were true. No one, regardless of their politics, wants to learn that the ideology in which they have believed for so long is false.
Highly respected historian Tom Segev, who also happens to be an investigative journalists, checks all information carefully, and only a few years ago discovered that his mother and the IDF had been lying to him about his father’s death in the War of Independence, making him out to be a hero, killed by an Arab terrorist, when in fact he died from falling off a ladder.
Segev has also found fallacies in legendary Zionist tales. Every nation distorts some aspect of its history. Such distortions often lead to the shaping of policy and to needless enmities.
Speaking out
■ THE HUNGARIAN Embassy will, on Wednesday, April 16, present an online screening of Judit Elek’s documentary film To Speak the Unspeakable: The Message of Elie Wiesel. The screening coincides with the Memorial Day for Hungarian victims of the Holocaust.
Wiesel, an eminent writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor, died in July 2016 in New York.
In the mid-1990s, Elek and her crew followed Wiesel as he retraced the journey he had been forced to take from his birthplace, Máramarossziget in Transylvania, to Auschwitz, 50 years after his release from the notorious death camp.
What he encountered in Sziget was no longer the world he remembered. In his visits to the old places of his youth, he was confronted with the total absence of everything that was once important to him. With this journey, he reminded postwar populations of what is unspeakable and yet cannot be reminded of enough. Another great value of the film is the presentation of the everyday life of prewar Transylvanian Jews, full of joys and sorrows.
The link to the film and the password required for access will be sent by email to the viewers shortly before the start of the screening, after which the movie will be available for 24 hours.
Registration was actually requested for April 15, but as the film will be available for 24 hours after the initial screening, people who register on April 16 at the email address culture.tlv@mfa.gov.hu may be able to view the film on Thursday.
Would-be viewers are asked to indicate the email address to which the link to the film should be sent, as well as the approximate number of viewers, so that the embassy knows where to send the link. Wednesday’s screening will be at 5 p.m., and the film will be available for the next 24 hours. The film is in Hungarian with English subtitles.
Screening at the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem
■ ANOTHER INTERESTING documentary will be screened at the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem on Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m. The subject will be former US senator Joe Lieberman, who died a year ago at the age of 82.
A religiously observant Jew, who walked to the Senate building if voting took place on a Jewish holy day, Lieberman was a frequent visitor to Israel, where he had many friends.
Titled Centered Joe Lieberman, the film will be introduced by his wife, Hadassah Lieberman, a leading personality in her own right.
The daughter of Holocaust survivors, she has worked in senior positions for major organizations, and sits on the boards of many national NGOs, particularly those connected with women’s health, improving the integration process for immigrants, and the challenges of caring for aging parents.
She was also politically active when her husband was campaigning in 2000 in a failed attempt to become the first Jewish vice president of the US.
The film covers Joe Lieberman’s 40 plus years of public service. He granted access to the filmmakers in the hope that the story of his life would inspire in others a spirit of bipartisanship and civic responsibility.
The film is in English with Hebrew subtitles. Tickets are NIS 20, but reservations must be made in advance. For inquiries call (02) 565-2020.
The symbol of the daffodil
■ THE MENTION of a kosher concession at Auschwitz sounds incongruous, given the history of Auschwitz during the Second World War. But in view of the fact that there’s an Auschwitz Jewish Center which offers prayer services, there’s no reason for there not to be kosher food for those participants in the March of the Living for whom kosher food is important. They will no longer have to carry powdered soup packages and cans of tuna from home.
Arrivals in Poland in the week preceding the March of the Living may be interested in joining the annual commemoration of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which is organized by POLIN: Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which is located in the confines of the area that the Nazis designated as the Warsaw Ghetto.
Unlike Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is held in accordance with the Jewish calendar, the Poles – Jews and non-Jews alike – commemorate the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising on April 19, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.
One of the symbols of the commemoration is a yellow daffodil. Every year, an anonymous person sent a bunch of daffodils to Dr. Marek Edelman, the last of the surviving leaders of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and he in turn placed it on the famed monument to the Warsaw Ghetto heroes created by Nathan Rapoport, who created an identical monument at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
When the petals of the daffodil are spread out, they form a six-pointed star, one of the best-known symbols of the Jewish people, known as the Star of David (Magen David).
It became a tradition in Poland and elsewhere in the world for people to affix a paper daffodil to their clothing on April 19. Edelman died in 2009, but the tradition of the paper daffodil continues, and is also worn in Israel.
Two weeks after the commemoration of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is Polish Constitution Day, celebrating the declaration on May 3, 1791, of the first modern constitution in Europe.
It was not celebrated during the Communist era, but with the fall of Communism, Poles once again reclaimed this important achievement in their history.
It is celebrated annually in countries that have diplomatic relations with Poland, including Israel, albeit not always on the exact date, as will be the case this year.
To mark Constitution Day and Polish Armed Forces Day, Polish chargé d’affaires Maciej Hunia and his wife, Bozena Hunia, together with Poland’s Defense, Military, Naval and Air Attaché Col. Adam Godlewski and his wife, Dorota Janczak-Godlewska, will host a reception and concert during the first week of May.
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