No one better
■ NO MINISTER could have been more suitable to represent the Israel government at the reception hosted by Thailand’s Ambassador Pannabha Chandraramya in celebration of her country’s national day than Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, given that the overwhelming majority of Thai workers in Israel work in agriculture.
Thai ambassadors usually serve in Israel for two or three years. Chandraramya is a rare exception, in that, when she concludes her term here in February 2024, she will have served just over five years. Part of the reason is that Thai workers were among the victims and hostages of Hamas. Eight are still in Gaza, two of them unfortunately dead. One of the other reasons is her greatly appreciated work in strengthening relations in all spheres between Thailand and Israel where she has developed many friends as seen by the fond attention she received at the reception, held at the Israel Air Force Center in Herzliya.
Thai citizens are extremely patriotic and the ambassador and Embassy staff were all attired in colorful national costumes made from Thai silk – mostly in lilac or bright yellow. In addition, they still revere their late king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was committed to the welfare of the Thai people and worked arduously to improve the quality of life of all his citizens. His son, King Maha Vajirlongkorn is following in his footsteps, said the ambassador. Large portraits of both monarchs were featured on stage, with yellow roses beneath each portrait.
Israel and Thailand have had official relations since 1954, which makes 2024 a significant anniversary year. In addition, December 5 is both the national day of the Kingdom of Thailand and the anniversary of the birth of king Bhumibol, in front of whose portrait the ambassador bowed before delivering her speech. It’s also Father’s Day in Thailand, she said.
Speaking of the strong bonds between Thailand and Israel, Chandraramya cited the visit to Thailand by a delegation of Israeli start-ups. Thailand has been the destination of choice for 450,000 Israelis during the past year. There are also ongoing people-to-people contacts through the 30,000 Thai workers in Israel who contribute to the country’s agricultural output and its economy. Chandraramya also underscored that Thailand and Israel have a strong and lasting partnership.
Dichter referred to the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties in honor of which 70 trees had been planted in the Ben Shemen Forest as a symbol of lasting partnership.
Israel cannot ignore the fact that Thais were among the victims in the Hamas massacre, he noted, emphasizing “We have a responsibility to the 41 Thai citizens brutally murdered.” The tragedy was not confined to Gaza, he said, but was continuing in the North.
To illustrate the strong link between Thailand and Israel, Dichter related that many of the Thai workers had wanted to go home and visit their families after surviving October 7. He had gone to wish them well on the day before they left Israel, and one had asked him whether he could come back in a few months. Dichter had replied in the affirmative and then asked how many others wanted to come back, and all raised their hands.
Possible truce?
■ IS A truce between Russia and Ukraine in the offing? That would certainly be a reason for the good spirits of Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov, warmly greeted by many of the guests attending the Thai National Day reception. For much of the period of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Viktorov has walked around with a stern expression on his face, and some people have taken care to avoid him, whereas previously they had basked in his company. However, it appears that relations are getting back to what they were.
Viktorov shared the information that at age 60, he had decided to learn Hebrew. He said that he was not yet fluent, but when he trotted out a few words, his Hebrew was devoid of a Russian accent.
When Viktorov and his wife were chatting to Yitzhak Eldan, a former Chief of State Protocol, founding president of the Ambassadors’ Club of Israel, and who recently completed writing his memoirs. They discussed former Russian ambassadors, and Eldan – who keeps track of the photos stored in his phone – showed Viktorov a photograph of himself with former Russian ambassador Gennady Tarasov, for whom Viktorov has great admiration.
As for Alexandr Bovin the Russian Federation’s first ambassador to Israel following the resumption of diplomatic relations which had been severed following the Six Day War, Viktorov said that it was Bovin who had inspired him to become a diplomat. Bovin had arrived in Israel as the ambassador of the Soviet Union and the following day, he became the first ambassador of the Russian Federation. Even under the previous regime with which Bovin, a journalist and political scientist by profession, did not see eye-to-eye, he was not afraid to air his views, nor was he prevented from doing so, Viktorov recalled.
■ THE OFFICIAL opening last week at the National Library of the exhibition “Kafka. Metamorphosis of An Author” featured chocolates in the shape of Kafka’s unfortunate antihero, Gregor Samsa.
Guests included Swiss Ambassador Simon Geissbühler; Swiss Cultural Attaché Yael Wyler; German Cultural Attaché Christine Ringer, Czech Centre Tel Aviv director Lukas Pribyl; and Lara Stock, director of the Austrian Cultural Forum Tel Aviv, which also supported the event. On hand were cartoonist-illustrator Michel Kichka, who created new images of Kafka for the exhibit, and Israel Prize laureate Hadas Ophrat, who designed the space.
The evening’s program began with a performance by the Ruth Kanner Theater Group with texts based on the notebooks of Kafka’s Hebrew studies, followed by remarks by the library’s head of Cultural Programming Tsila Hayun, CEO Oren Weinberg, and Dr. Stefan Litt, Humanities curator, Kafka expert, and exhibition co-curator.
The many donors who contributed to the success of the exhibition were publicly thanked.
More than 80 rare original items, many never before presented for public view, can now be seen.