Trains of thought
While Jerusalemites are still bemoaning the snags that occurred last Tuesday with the launching of the express train from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv – which so far goes no further than Ben-Gurion Airport – residents of the capital’s German Colony, Baka and Katamon are still waiting for a final decision as to whether the Jerusalem Light Rail will run through the German Colony’s Emek Refaim. Outgoing Mayor
Nir Barkat was adamant that the light rail should run through the charming neighborhood street, and a few of the locals agreed with him. But there was also a strong opposition and there still is.
Supporters of the plan have organized a panel evening for Monday, October 2, at Beit Yehudit, 12 Emek Refaim, with the participation of three leading mayoral candidates in the upcoming election: Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin, Hitorerut leader and former deputy mayor
Ofer Berkovitz and Deputy Mayor
Yossi Daitch. The panelists will each present their vision for public transportation in the neighborhood in particular, and throughout Jerusalem in general.
Showing up in force and wearing their identical T-shirts as a sign of unity, especially in the face of a photo opportunity, will be members of Amutat Refaim Bamoshavot, chaired by Prof. Ariel Hirschfield, who are vehemently opposed to the light rail going through their neighborhood. The arguments for and against have been going on for more than two years, with a variety of alternative plans being put forward. But there has been no consensus on any of them. The nearby First Station, with its profusion of eateries, has taken a lot of business away from the restaurants and coffee shops of Emek Refaim, and opponents to the light rail plan fear that the situation will deteriorate even further during the construction process, which could take up to 10 years to complete. During this period, the value of all properties in the area will be reduced, and it will be difficult to sell apartments. Aside from all that, opponents believe the establishment of a light rail in Emek Refaim will ruin the character of the street and will not be of any real benefit to anyone.
■ COINCIDENCE is one of those strange phenomena that often defy explanation. During the Second World War, Germany and Italy were the key Axis powers in Europe fighting the soldiers of the Allied armies. Of course, much water has flown under the bridge since then, and former enemies, regardless of crimes their citizens may have committed against humanity, have become, if not exactly friends, at least partners in diplomatic endeavors, scientific research and the fight against terrorism. Nonetheless, it is an interesting coincidence that on the very date that Italian Ambassador Gianluigi Bennedetti will be conferring his country’s Gold Medal for Military Valor on The Jewish Brigade, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of her government will arrive in Israel. The Jewish Brigade was the independent Jewish military unit that fought the Nazis in Italy under the banner of the British Army and was composed primarily of Jews from British Mandate Palestine. After the war, some of the members of the Jewish Brigade were active in assisting the illegal immigration of Holocaust survivors to the Land of Israel, and later fought in the War of Independence. Very few members of the Jewish Brigade are still living. Among the veterans who are still alive are people in their mid to late 90s. The ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 3, at the Battalions Museum on Moshav Avihayil.
■ IT’S UNFORTUNATE that people who make money are so widely regarded with suspicion. Their business integrity, their politics, their friends and associates are all viewed with suspicion by the police, the media or both, and it doesn’t matter how squeaky clean they might be, the blots on their reputations remain indelible. At the risk of arousing ire in my fellow Jews, I will quote Jesus who said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Actually, it’s irrelevant who said it, it’s applicable in every generation. Too many of us are inclined to forget what rich people do with their money and, sometimes, their connections for the benefit of the State of Israel.
A case in point was Meyer Lansky, who though he associated with some of the worst gangsters in America and fraternized with the Mafia, was a proud Jew and a dedicated Zionist who used his Mafia connections to break up pro-Nazi rallies in America in the 1930s, and to smuggle arms into Israel and to raise money for Israel in the 1940s. But when Lansky wanted to settle in Israel and lead a quiet life, Dr. Yosef Burg, who was then interior minister, preferred to ignore the Law of Return, and would not allow Lansky to live in Israel. Judging by recent media reports, the Swiss took a similar attitude toward successful businessman and mega-philanthropist Roman Abramovich. Happily, Israel of 2018 is not like Israel of 60-something years ago and there is appreciation here for Abramovich’s philanthropy and investments. The World Jewish Congress also takes Abramovich at face value, and on the eve of Yom Kippur announced at a cocktail reception at the New York home of WJC president Ronald Lauder that the WJC, together with the Chelsea Football Club that is owned by Abramovich, will convene an international summit in Paris in 2019 to battle discrimination, racism and antisemitism in sports.
The reception, with the participation of senior CFC officials, was held to advance “Red Card For Hate,” a Chelsea-WJC initiative that aims to promote a global dialogue to combat all forms of hatred and discrimination in sports.
The summit will bring together sports ministers and other government officials from around the world, as well as leaders of national soccer associations, heads of major soccer clubs, soccer players, UN agencies, and representatives of civil society.
Meanwhile, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the invitation to speak at a UNESCO conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Lauder, though mindful of Israel’s position vis-a-vis UNESCO, did accept the invitation, primarily because the theme of the conference was the power of education to prevent racism, antisemitism and discrimination.
Lauder was among those who addressed the conference and asked, “How many Jews have to be murdered, as they have been already in France, Belgium, Sweden and Israel before people say something? How dare the world be silent to attacks on Jews seven decades after the gas chambers of Auschwitz were finally shut down? This is our response: “We will never be silent again.” And you should not be silent either.”
Lauder also spoke of the bias pervading the UN, which “singles out one, and only one, country for condemnation over and over again... the only Jewish state on Earth: Israel.”
“Between 2012 and 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted 97 resolutions criticizing policies and activities in different countries. Of those 97 resolutions, 83 were against Israel,” Lauder said, adding that in UNESCO alone, between 2009 and 2014, 47 resolutions of condemnation were passed – one against Syria and 46 against Israel.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the conference that antisemitism comes in many guises, including calls for the destruction of Israel. “Antisemitism always comes back, and it is all of our duty to fight back,” Guterres said, adding that member states have a primary responsibility to address their citizens’ human rights
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said: “To address antisemitism is to tackle one of the most powerful ideological forces of violent extremism. It is to defend fundamental freedoms and the equal dignity of all human beings. This is why addressing antisemitism should not be conducted by Jewish institutions alone.”
■ WORKING IN different time zones can often be a frustrating experience. KAN Public Broadcasting Corporation political reporter Gili Cohen, who traveled to New York with Netanyahu, is a very thorough reporter who often gets information that somehow bypasses her colleagues in other media. It may be just a tiny detail which is seemingly insignificant, but it adds depth to her report. She stayed up late on Wednesday night in New York to deliver an early morning report to Reshet Bet. But modern technology got in the way, and she was interrupted by anchor Arye Golan on almost every subject she touched upon. It wasn’t that he was being rude or over-bearing. It was simply that recordings of all the issues of importance had already been broadcast in Israel in real time, and he kept saying, “We’ve already had that.” Cohen must have wondered, under the circumstances, why she had been sent to the Big Apple at all.
■ AMERICA’S FIRST Lady Melania Trump hosted a reception at the US Mission to the United Nations for the wives of world leaders attending the UN General Assembly, and the guest list of course included Sara Netanyahu, who together with her husband had hosted the Trumps in Jerusalem.
Also present at the reception were Karen Pence, the wife of the US vice president, and Susan Pompeo, the wife of the US secretary of state. Although Sara Netanyahu wore a smart classic ensemble, green is not really her color, and whoever advises her on fashion these days should be urging her to stick to soft pastels. The pale pink jacket she wore when boarding the plane in Israel was much more flattering to her complexion.
Pink, in almost any shade, is actually her color, though she looks good in black as well.
■ MEDIA REPORTS on violence in the Breslov Synagogue in Mea She’arim on Yom Kippur and Sukkot, between supporters and opponents of Rabbi Eliezer Berland – who spent time in prison for committing sex offenses against some of his followers – placed ultra-Orthodox Jewry in general in a bad light. The reputations of many have been sullied by the actions of a few – well actually not so few, taking into account how many people were involved. The wild brawl in which people were injured and blood was shed erupted inside the sanctuary on the holiest day of the year. Berland committed grievous crimes, and under the circumstances, it’s difficult to say that he paid his debt to society, because even if he is now contrite, which he doesn’t appear to be, the only people who can forgive him if at all are his victims. But putting that aside, what right does anyone have to prevent a Jew from praying in a synagogue.? Perhaps one day he will repent. But with so many louts dressed in the garb of the pious desecrating the sanctuary because of him, how could he expect anyone to believe him even if he finally said he was sorry? And how can the people who engaged in what was the nearest thing to a pogrom call themselves religious? This was not just a crime against humanity, it was a crime against religion. Hopefully by Simhat Torah they will have come to their senses and will not stage a repeat performance. greerfc@gmail.com