Netanyahu in the US, a bomb and a medal
FROM THE JC ARCHIVE: MAY 22, 1998
Bibi triumphs in visit to America
Binyamin Netanyahu arrived in America last week an embattled Prime Minister — but he left a conquering hero five days later, buoyed by a reception among local Jews that his aides said had exceeded their wildest expectations.
At home, Mr Netanyahu’s American show of strength gave him a political boost, bolstering his hand as he tries to frame a response to Clinton Administration proposals with his coalition Cabinet. In Washington, it appears to have led Administration officials to trim their demands in the face of Mr Netanyahu’s evident grassroots backing in the US. Mr Netanyahu made close to a dozen appearances before Jewish audiences in New York and Washington. Bobby Brown, the Prime Minister’s adviser on diaspora affairs, commented. “The community is saying that when Israel is in trouble, we’re there. That opens the door to an agreement.”
Synagogue bomb blast linked to ‘widespread’ antisemitism
A Moscow Lubavitch congregation defiantly went ahead with a parade last week for Lag b’Omer, hours after its synagogue was badly damaged in a bomb attack. “We’re going to parade through the streets to show that we are not afraid,” said Rabbi Berel Lazar, Lubavitch head for the former Soviet Union, following the attack, in which two people were slightly injured. Hundreds of children and their parents joined the parade, singing and dancing in a festive spirit contrasting with the devastation of the attack.
Bidding war for Suffragette medal
A medal awarded to a Jewish activist in the suffragette movement has fetched £3,800 at auction — double the estimated price. The medal had been a treasured possession of Maud Joachim, a member of one of Europe’s leading musical dynasties. A forceful and articulate personality, Miss Joachim received a university education — rare for a woman born in 1870. She was 38 when she joined the suffragettes in the Women’s Social and Political Union and quickly became immersed in its high-profile campaign. Miss Joachim led demonstrations, heckled politicians and broke shop windows in the cause of women’s rights.