MEMORIES OF MENACHEM

Congratulations on the Magazine’s cover story articles on Menachem Begin’s legacy (April 1), which I really enjoyed.

I was brought up in a Herut household. My grandfather, Sigmund Stock, and my father, Erwin Lamm, supported the Irgun and were lifelong leaders in Australia of the Revisionist party.

When Begin visited Melbourne in 1963 as a guest of the State Zionist Council of Victoria (SZCV) for Yom Ha’atzmaut, we greeted him at the airport. My father was vice president of SZCV, and was involved with his trip planning and schedule.

While Menachem and Aliza Begin stayed in the finest hotel in the city during the week, they moved to the Caulfield neighborhood over Shabbat (at his insistence) where they stayed in my parents’ home. My sister and I were bundled out to stay elsewhere with family. Friday night, he prayed in a packed Mizrachi Synagogue. The Begins were guests for Shabbat meals, followed by a crowded Oneg Shabbat in our home.

Shabbat morning Begin davened and addressed Caulfield Hebrew Congregation, and lunched at SZCV president Arnold Bloch’s home.

Shabbat afternoon he suddenly appeared at our home. Aliza had taken sick. My uncle, Dr. Eric Stock, was called and attended to her.

Begin gifted me a hard copy of his book The Revolt, inscribed with: “To Danny, this book is dedicated with my best wishes, God bless you my dear boy, Menachem Begin.”

Begin was the keynote speaker for Melbourne’s largest-ever-attended Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremony of 7,000 people. He spoke in Hebrew, Yiddish and English to a rapt crowd. Notwithstanding that Zionist youth members sat in the bleachers, we were all enthralled.

Begin distinguished himself with Tagar, nobility, at all times. (Two guiding principles of the Betar youth movement established by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Begin’s mentor, were Hadar and Tagar. Hadar means to do things beautifully, like hidur mitzva (beautifying the commandment); Tagar is refinement and class.)

Several years later, in 1968, I attended a lecture given by Begin in a hall behind a Dizengoff Square theater. After the lecture, Begin invited me to join him and [right-hand man] Yechiel Kadishai for supper in nearby Cafe Roval.

With his election victory in 1977, my family and the many Herut supporters and Betarim were overwhelmed with excitement and confidence in Israel’s new government.

Then prime minister Begin led Israel with great distinction, with civility and with an adherence to democratic principles not always previously respected by all his predecessors. DR. DANNY LAMM, AM

Melbourne, Australia The writer is past president of Mizrachi Organization, Melbourne; Zionist Federation of Australia; and Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Dan Meridor, in his interview with Yonah Jeremy Bob (“Begin was from another league of historic proportions,” April 1), is spot-on in his analysis of how Begin differed from present-day Likud and other right-wing politicians – who, unlike Begin, either use their positions of power to make money or at best only appeal to the facile, jingoistic attitudes of their supporters to get an electoral edge, with no concern for principles of justice, the rule of law and human rights.

Another former Likud politician who still holds Begin’s principled positions is his son Bennie Begin. I was reminded of this by the picture of Bennie as a young boy with his parents when they were hiding from the British, which appears on page 9 of the same issue. Bennie remembers that the “L” in Likud stands for liberal, and he remembers when his father risked his life and his freedom every day to stand up for his principles. It is unfortunate that he has no political influence today.

MICHAEL GERVER

Ra’anana

Benny Begin remembers that the L in Likud stands for liberal