Things that were part and parcel of the lives of people living in the second half of the 20th century are all but unknown to millennials. For instance, it’s still not unusual to say “nafal li ha’asimon” (the nearest equivalent to the penny dropped). But stop any number of millennials in the street and ask them what exactly is an asimon, and few, if any, will know. It’s a telephone token, shaped like a coin with a groove in the middle. It was used to make calls from public phones. But if public phones no longer exist, the last reminders of another era, having been removed from city streets in 2022, why should millennials be able to define an asimon? For that matter, how many millennials are familiar with a phone with a dial?
Something else that’s disappeared is the bus routes pamphlet, which was available at every central bus terminal throughout the country. It was user-friendly, extremely informative, and saved the hassle that’s involved in looking for a bus route on the Internet.
Something else that’s disappeared is the telephone directory that was delivered to people’s homes from their local post office. The directory is no longer published, and post offices are fast disappearing. Legendary restaurants that had been permanent fixtures for years, such as Fefferberg on Jerusalem’s Jaffa Road, disappeared overnight, as did Fink’s Bar, which was a hop, skip, and a jump from Jaffa Road, King George Avenue, and Ben-Yehuda Street. It was the most popular watering hole in town and was also famous for its goulash. Fefferberg, a kosher restaurant with an Eastern European menu, was unique because all its kitchen staff, including the chefs, were Arabs.
Even organizations that seemed to carry a spirit of immortality fell by the wayside. In a recent Grapevine column, there was mention of the British Olim Society, which in its heyday was extremely active on several fronts.
The presumption that it was still around prompted Ellie Morris to write a letter of correction and protest.
“The British Olim Society has not been in existence for more than 20 years. Its closure left a big gap in the assistance offered to UK olim, which was eventually filled by Telfed,” she wrote, adding that “Hitachdut Olei Britannia (HOB) has been in existence since the 1950s. A wholly volunteer organisation, its remit is to aid with social absorption by providing activities for British immigrants.”
■ WHILE JEWS from around the world will be flocking to Poland a little over a week after Passover, Vishnitz Hassidim from many parts of the world will be flocking to Bnei Brak during the week of Israel Independence Day, not to celebrate Israel’s national holiday, but to join in celebrating the 80th birthday of Rabbi Yisroel Hager, the Grand Rabbi of Vishnitz, who was born in Tel Aviv on 6 Iyar, 1945. Three years later, on 5 Iyar, David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the sovereign State of Israel. Both events took place in Tel Aviv. The Gregorian calendar date of Rabbi Hager’s birth was April 19, which is also a significant date in Jewish history, and was one of the key dates in the saga of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
■ AS THE demography of Israel increases, so does the need for social services. In response to this need, United Hatzalah last week launched a new operations center in Bnei Brak, which will serve as the nerve center for emergency medical activities throughout the country. The new center is equipped with an advanced artificial intelligence system that enables early prediction of emergency cases and dynamic adjustment of emergency force deployment – a breakthrough step in improving medical response in Israel.
Analyzing data in real time
The innovative system is capable of analyzing data in real-time, identifying patterns, and predicting where medical emergencies are likely to occur. United Hatzalah ambulances and volunteers will be able to move closer to strategic points even before an emergency call is received, thereby significantly reducing response times and saving even more lives.
“The establishment of the new center represents a significant leap in handling medical emergencies,” said Eli Beer, president and founder of United Hatzalah. “We are combining the best technologies with the dedication of thousands of volunteers, aiming to reach every patient at maximum speed. The AI system will allow us to prevent unnecessary delays and provide initial treatment during critical times.”
David Salach, director of the Centers Division, added: “The center in Bnei Brak joins the national center located at the organization’s headquarters in Jerusalem, but its uniqueness is the ability to adjust force deployment in advance, even before a call for help is received. The system is based on advanced algorithms that learn from previous emergency call patterns, weather data, traffic congestion, and additional parameters – thereby creating accurate forecasts of high-risk areas in real-time.”
■ IN MANY Jewish families, it’s a tradition to buy new shoes for the children just before Passover and Rosh Hashanah. When singer Moshe Peretz was a boy, new shoes every six months was a family custom, and his parents used to take him to a Gali store to purchase the new footwear. Now, he’s actually promoting Gali together with his wife, fashion and jewelry designer Yarden Gozlan, and their four children, Michaela, 10.5, twins Noam and Guy, 9, and Riff, 7. Nothing in the world is dearer to him than his children, says Peretz, and when the Gali offer came, he thought about what delightful photographs he and his family could look back on and remember the fun they had posing for the commercials. He wouldn’t mind having another set of twins, he says, so that there would be even more fun in doing things together as a family.
■ BILATERAL AND trilateral chambers of commerce are the economic bridges between countries – sometimes the main contact among countries that do not have diplomatic relations, but do have trade relations. Among the long-time and extremely important bilateral chambers of commerce is that of the Israel-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which for many Israeli enterprises has been a gateway to Europe.
Last week, at a special event held under the patronage of French Ambassador Frédéric Journès at the Spot Hostel near the Port of Tel Aviv, recognition was given to three Israeli companies that have demonstrated excellence in their business relations with France during 2024, a year in a challenging global environment.
The three were Alpa Cosmetics, Hanita Lenses, and Quantum Machines.
At the reception, the three companies were awarded trophies by French Chargé d’Affaires Mikaël Griffon, together with the chamber’s president Julien Roitman, in recognition of their particular contributions to the dynamism of commercial relations between France and Israel.
The Alpa Cosmetics group is a key player in the distribution of prestigious French brands such as Chanel and Longchamp, and a partner of Beiersdorf for Nivea and Labello.
Hanita Lenses Ltd., based in the eponymous kibbutz and specializing in intraocular lenses, has strengthened its presence in France by integrating its local distributor as a full partner.
Quantum Machines, a leader in the quantum field, collaborates closely with several French research centers and the promising start-up Alice & Bob.
Griffon praised the commitment of the three companies, illustrating the resilience of the Israeli economy during times of war and France’s continued confidence in this resilience.
The event included round-table discussions with the participation of Ester Elias, director of foreign trade at the Economy and Industry Ministry, and Thomas Marx, head of the Department of Economic Affairs at the French Embassy.
■ INTERFAITH RELATIONS have taken on greater meaning during the past year in efforts by many nations to counteract racism, xenophobia, hatred, incitement, and violence. In the United States, in particular, interfaith events with Jews and people of African descent are held in the period leading up to Passover in the form of model Seders, as both Jews and African-Americans come together to celebrate liberation from slavery.
It has become an annual tradition for the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles to host an interfaith Seder, which it is doing in collaboration with the Museum of Tolerance.
The event, on April 3, will have added meaning this year as it will bring together religious and civic leaders, first responders, and others who were directly impacted by the Los Angeles fires, says the Federation’s Aram Goldberg. “It will be an evening of reflection, unity, and collective resilience.” Nearly 20 religious institutions burned down in the fires, and hundreds of other houses of worship sustained immeasurable damage, while hundreds of families lost their homes, he adds.
Among people who have indicated their attendance are LA Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, California Assembly Member Isaac Bryan, Rabbi Ahud Sela, president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, and Reverend Heidi Worthen Gamble, mission catalyst for Presbytery of the Pacific. The central theme of the interfaith Seder will be “From Hardship to Hope: The Power of Collective Strength and Enduring Resilience.”
“Passover provides a springboard for reflection, unity, resilience of the spirit, and the transformative force of unity in the face of adversity,” said Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of Jewish Federation Los Angeles.
HOB may be contacted via its webpage, www.hob-israel.com, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/groups/HOBIsrael. It also has an electronic newsletter.
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