■ MANY VARIED social welfare initiatives have surfaced since October 7, 2023. Some were conceived by branches of government, but the overwhelming majority came from ordinary citizens who felt the need to do something to help displaced evacuees, families of reservists, soldiers fighting in the war, families of hostages, senior citizens living alone, bereaved families, farmers who need extra hands to harvest their crops, and more.
Several individuals and organizations that do good work in education, psychotherapy, and the provision of equal opportunities expanded their activities to include civilians and soldiers suffering various kinds of trauma as a result of the Hamas atrocities and the ensuing war that is still being waged.
Among such organizations and institutions are Youth of Light and Healing Space, founded by psychologist Ran Oren; the Athena Fund, an educational tool for expanding the imagination, which was founded by Uri Ben Ari; and Klikit Data, a training and employment center for people with various types of autism, headed by Talia Varman.
All three received the Ambassadors’ Club of Israel’s Bridge of Hope Award in honor of Israel’s 77th Independence Day at a well-attended rooftop event at the Canada-Israel House in Herzliya Pituah.
There was also a fourth recipient, 17-year-old high school student Yair Cohen, whose project ACI President Yitzhak Eldan had read about in Maariv, a sister publication of The Jerusalem Post.
Concerned about the negative media reports that Israel was receiving abroad, Cohen asked Israeli ambassadors serving overseas to send him letters or video clips with messages of hope. The Foreign Ministry was impressed with the video he made and used it as part of its global civic diplomacy program.
Eldan suggested to Cohen that he do something similar with foreign ambassadors serving in Israel. Part of that was screened at the event, where several mentions were made by both Israelis and non-Israelis about the need to bring home the hostages still languishing in Gaza.
Oren started his project some 20 years ago with a small group of young people with low self-esteem, most of whom came from dysfunctional families. Some did not believe they could experience change, yet they did and became respected and productive. They entered various careers in which most did well and rose to executive positions. Some of the therapists at the farm originally received therapy there themselves, said Oren.
Ben Ari and his team create what he calls Imagination Boxes as an educational tool. Ben Ari quoted Albert Einstein, who said that imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited, whereas imagination is not. Countless devices and services we now take for granted were initially derived from fertile imaginations. “Those who imagine shape the world and create the future,” said Ben Ari.
Klikit is a social-business enterprise that employs individuals on the autism spectrum, pays them a decent salary, and restores their dignity, Varman explained. She gave examples of two such people with high-functioning autism, who had been employed in menial jobs in which they performed repetitive tasks and were paid only NIS 200 per month.
At Klikit, their cognitive abilities were developed, and they proved to be adept in many fields. One of them is now working in a very responsible position for Israel’s largest shipping company, and the other is also employed in a high-ranking position with another company. “We give an opportunity to every person with high-function autism, even if they appear to be unsuitable,” said Varman. “We empower them to become financially and personally independent.”
A general request was made of all the ambassadors to become ambassadors of these three projects in their home countries, and thereby act as Bridges of Hope. ACI members include honorary consuls, one of whom is celebrated mountain climber Nadav Ben Yehuda, the honorary consul for Nepal, who came in IDF uniform straight from the battlefield. He has been serving in the reserves for much of the war.
■ FEWER DIPLOMATS than usual were seen at the Polish Constitution Day and Armed Forces Day reception hosted in the Zucker Hall of the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv by Polish Chargé d’affaires Maciej Hunia and his wife, Bozena, together with Defense, Military, Naval, and Air Attaché Col. Adam Godlewski and his wife, Dorota.
The absence of many ambassadors was because of Europe Day, which had been brought forward and celebrated on the same evening. This was unfortunate as Poland currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Curiously, when the national anthems were played, that of the EU was omitted, though it is customary at national events hosted by ambassadors of all member states of the EU to play it after their own anthems and “Hatikvah.” However, notwithstanding the absence of the anthem, the EU flag was present.
Whatever the event lacked in ambassadors was compensated by the large number of uniformed military attachés.
In his address, Hunia explained the history of the Polish Constitution and was obviously pleased that the May 1791 Constitution was the second ever after that of the United States. He also mentioned the long history of Polish-Jewish symbiosis and “the enduring friendship between Poland and Israel.”
When Hunia first took up his position, it was as ambassador, and then, for whatever reason, he was demoted to charge d’affaires. However, Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who represented the government, addressed him as ambassador and was careful in his reference to the Holocaust and the March of the Living to follow the Polish narrative of German concentration camps on Polish soil.
Kisch was heckled during his speech, though not about the Holocaust but the hostages, many of whom died or were murdered because Israel had not entered into negotiations for their release with Hamas.
Kisch said that today, Poland is an important player on the world stage. He also voiced a wish for the speedy return of the hostages and for the safety of the soldiers.
Attendees were treated to a concert by the Guy Mintus Trio, performing unique interpretations of Poland’s beloved national composer Frédéric Chopin. Mintus is undoubtedly a highly gifted pianist who delighted some members of the audience who were thrilled with his improvised arrangements, while others shuddered at the distortion of the original melodies, which were not always recognizable.
While it is true that jazz allows for lots of improvisation, there was something disconcerting about Mintus’s weird facial expressions and his exaggerated body contortions, which suggested that he had been possessed by a dybbuk. He was actually quite charming and almost modest when he stopped playing to speak to the audience, one of whose members, Shlomo Aronson, was celebrating his 100th birthday on the actual date of the reception.
Aronson, one of the many Polish-born invitees present, was known in Poland as Stanislaw. A former officer in the Polish Home Army during the Second World War, he participated in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. He retained his military rank after the war when he served in the IDF as a lieutenant colonel during the War of Independence (1948). He also served in the Yom Kippur War (1973) and the First Lebanon War (1982).
Hunia presented him with a bouquet of flowers, and Mintus played “Happy Birthday” in both traditional and improvised versions. The song “Sto Lat,” traditionally sung in Poland at all kinds of celebrations, could not be sung because Sto Lat literally translates as 100 years, which everyone presumably hopes to reach, but Aronson had already done so.
■ FEMALE PHILANTHROPISTS are becoming increasingly visible. Counted among them in giving to numerous causes in Israel are Baroness Ariane de Rothschild, Dr. Miriam Adelson, Shari Arison, Danna Azrieli, and Liora Ofer. All contribute to Israel’s institutes of higher learning.
Shari Arison must have been pleased to learn that a trio of female students from Reichman University has been chosen to represent Israel at the finals of the L’Oréal Viva Technology Brandstorming contest in Paris next month. The trio, Linoy Ezra, Hadar Raphael, and Daria Sela, are students at the Arison School of Business at RU. They were the national winners from among scores of students from other universities who competed for the honor.
■ WHENEVER SHE is in Israel, Adelson goes to see at least one of the projects supported by her family’s foundation.
During her current visit to Israel, she added another string to her philanthropic bow and attended the launch of the Adelson Institute for Smart Materials Development at Bar Ilan University.
The Adelson Institute is poised to rapidly transform ideas into smart materials and, by extension, into successful and marketable products. This includes advanced chemical capabilities to both academia and industry, accelerating the development of medical treatments, display technologies, and next-generation energy storage solutions.
“We are gratified to partner with Bar-Ilan University in maintaining and expanding Israel’s status as a force for scientific advancement in the fields of energy and health care through the groundbreaking launch of the Adelson Institute for Smart Materials,” said Adelson.
“Through the Adelson Institute for Smart Materials, Bar-Ilan University aims to strengthen ties between academia and industry, promote technological advancement, and bridge the gaps between academic research and practical solutions,” said BIU President Prof. Arie Zaban.