Independence and annexation... or not
As the Fourth of July this year falls on a Saturday, American Independence Day festivities – depending on who is hosting them – will be held either before or after, but will certainly not resemble those of years gone by. Where there are gatherings they will be much smaller than in the past, and this year will be held in the shadow of decision or indecision related to applying Israeli sovereignty to areas of Jewish population on the West Bank.
The July 1 date which has been bandied about, also happens to be Canada Day, and is coincidentally very close to July 4, taking account of the enthusiasm of US Ambassador who flew to America to reportedly lobby for American support for sovereignty.
The Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel will have a virtual celebration of both Canada Day and American Independence Day, which it will combine with its annual raffle in which the first and second grand prizes are two round trip tickets to New York and the next a round trip for two to Europe. Given the coronavirus situation in the Big Apple, one suspects that unless the winners have urgent personal reasons for going there in the foreseeable future, that they’ll put their reservations on hold.
The raffle will be drawn on July 5, the same date on which AACI will have a virtual tour of Israel leading up to independence. The tour will be led by certified tour guide and the raffle will be drawn immediately afterward. The cost of participation in the tour is NIS 35 for AACI members and NIS 45 for non-members. Full details are available on the AACI website: aaci.org.il.
■ BANK HAPOALIM’s annual scholarship awards ceremony was this year a Zoom event and marked the success of a project run by the bank in conjunction with Sapir Academic College and Paamonim, a nonprofit organization whose aim is to assist families in financial difficulties achieve economic independence. Within the framework of the project, 32 students from Sapir College underwent special training over a period of a year to acquire the tools to help families in dire economic straits. In the course of their studies, they engaged in hands-on work with the families to help them devise means of repaying debts, and avoiding future debts so as not to fall victim to the bailiff.
Last year, Bank Hapoalim awarded scholarships to the value of NIS 3 million to university and college students in the belief that the scholarships would enable the next generation of graduates to be more financially savvy and capable of sharing their know-how and experience in steering more families out of the economic morass.
Participants in the disbursement ceremony included Sapir Academic College President Dean of Students
Sapir’s head of social integration head of community activities head of Bank Hapoalim’s center for financial growth Paamonim CEO head of Paamonim’s Negev
and head of Paamonim
Region student division
■ A POSSIBLE sign of things to come was the live concert last week to mark the summer festival of the Rimon Music School. The event took place at Zappa Herzliya under the title of “Shirimon” (“Songs of Rimon”). Seen in the audience – in addition to Rimon chairman and his wife, Rimon CEO and Rimon president
Rimon alumni singers
– were and who is the lead singer in the Lola Marsh band. Also present were KAN 11 broadcaster
music producer Army Radio music editor and broadcaster Another well-known figure seen in the audience was
one of the three offspring of Israel’s ninth president Shimon Peres and his late wife, Sonia.
A veterinarian by profession, Yoni Peres has also been active with the Israel Guide Dogs Association.
■ THROUGHOUT THE coronavirus crisis, a lot has been reported about conditions and people affected in Arab towns and villages, but very little has been reported about the Druze communities. The pandemic has resulted in considerable bilateral and multilateral cooperation and philanthropy. The economic deficits under which the Druze communities are operating came to the attention of the Jewish National Fund UK, which decided to build a playground in Beit Jann.
Believe it or not, there was no playground there until JNF UK donated the equivalent of NIS 585,000 with which to build one. The playground which is still on the drawing board will include an amphitheater, a climbing wall and facilities for other activities. It is expected to be operational before the end of the year and will be used by thousands of children from Beit Jann and surrounding villages.
JNF UK has also distributed approximately 1,500 food baskets and hygiene products among the elderly in the Druze sector, as part of a joint emergency operation with Latet and other charitable organizations.
who heads the Beit Jann Municipal Council, says that even though Beit Jann is struggling, “We are determined to succeed. As an urban planner, I can see that it doesn’t make sense for Beit Jann to be lagging 35 years behind. It can’t be that we don’t have any buildings for the benefit of the public, such as a community center. The playground that was set up by JNF UK will benefit thousands of children in the area. Alongside the playroom that was recently opened in Beit Jann, the children of our town and the surrounding villages will finally be able to have a good time. I see it as a great blessing that Diaspora Jews have decided to contribute to the Druze population. This is eternal proof that the blood covenant still exists. “
JNF UK CEO notes that as a veteran philanthropic organization, “We are proud to support the Druze sector daily and in times of emergency and assist all ages. We were recently involved in the distribution of thousands of products to Bedouin retirees, alongside the first public park in Beit Jann.” Galon underscored that support for Israel by British Jews takes all Israelis into account without distinguishing between sectors or religions.
■ IN OUR travels around the country, we pass many public buildings, and give little thought to who owns them or how they were established.
It has previously been mentioned in this column that various branches of the Rothschild family gave buildings such as the Knesset and the Supreme Court as gifts to Israel, and contributed handsomely to renovations at the President’s Residence and to various Israel Museum projects, among many other things.
The new National Library, which will be on a par with all the great libraries of the world, and is due to open in 2021, also carries the Rothschild imprint. The $200-million project has been jointly funded by Yad Hanadiv (The Rothschild Foundation) and the Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Fund.
The Gottesman Fund also has other impressive Israel projects to its credit.
Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL-JNF), whose accumulated wealth is derived from philanthropic contributions large and small from around the world, is in the process of making a major impact in Jerusalem, according to an article in the financial publication Globes. Many major events such as international conferences and performances by international dance companies, orchestras, and opera companies have been held at the Jerusalem International Convention Center at the entrance to the city.
The complex, popularly known as Binyanei HaUma (the Buildings of the Nation) belongs to the Jewish Agency and the Jerusalem Municipality, with the Jewish Agency holding the controlling interest of 75% of the shares.
Most people who visit the complex neither know nor care about this, but for KKL-JNF, the knowledge is of paramount importance in that the Convention Center has building rights amounting to 44,000 square meters at the western entrance to the capital.
There’s an awful lot of buildings that can be placed on that much land, a factor that prompted the KKL-JNF to embark into entering into a contractual arrangement with the Jewish Agency whereby it would become a part owner of the Convention Center, meaning that it would also acquire its building rights which would enable the construction of hotels, offices and commercial space.
According to the article in Globes, payment to the Jewish Agency will partially be in money and partially in a land exchange deal whereby the Jewish Agency will receive property that KKL-JNF owns in Netanya.
KKL-JNF chairman told Globes, “Promoting and strengthening Jerusalem is the main aim of KKL. The entrance to the city is a flagship project for the city of Jerusalem that will strengthen the city and allow Israel to compete with other capitals as an attractive place for conference centers and events.”
As of yet, nothing has been signed. The Jewish Agency together with the Jerusalem Municipality is examining other options that fit into the capital’s Gateway plan.
Visitors to Jerusalem who haven’t been to the city in a while are amazed by the amount of construction going on in almost every neighborhood, as well as in the center of town. High-rise towers are going up everywhere, and the number of hotels – both expansive and boutique – is astounding, considering forecasts that the dearth in incoming tourism will continue for at least a year.
Given losses already incurred by Israel’s business tycoons, a lot of real estate developers may go bankrupt, and Jerusalem, which according to legend received nine of the 10 measures of beauty that descended on the world, will be left with ugly scaffolding for an unpredictable period of time.
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