Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 3, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 3
November 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 447,126

Marking 30 Days

Upon the occasion of the ‘Shloshim’ to mark thirty days since the passing of the Founder and President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation Harry (Zvi) Hurwitz z"l, a memorial ceremony took place on Sunday, November 2, 2008 at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Jerusalem. The unveiling of the stone marker was done at an earlier ceremony on that day at the cemetery.
At the cemetery, many of Harry Hurwitz's close friends and family gathered to unveil the stone marker which was engraved with the words ברהיטות ובהדר נאבק למען עמו, באהבה ובמסירות דאג למשפחתו in Hebrew (“With fluent clarity and Hadar he struggled on behalf of his People, With love and dedication he cared for his Family”). Freda Hurwitz stood surrounded by her family, while the ceremony was conducted by Josef Wittelson. Harry's son, Dr. Hillel Hurwitz, recited Kaddish following the appropriate psalms related to Harry's Hebrew name, Zvi read by Hillel; Harry's grandson, Ilan Hurwitz; and Harry's grandson-in-law, Jay Wohlgelernter. The El Maleh Rachamim was sung. Following tradition, psalms were read relating to the letters of Neshama. In attendance at this ceremony were Menachem Begin's son, Dr. Beny Begin; former Speaker of the Knesset, MK Reuben Rivlin, who read one of the psalms. The unveiling ceremony ended with the singing of the Betar anthem.
The ceremony at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center was crowded with friends and admirers of Harry Hurwitz. The MC and first speaker was Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, followed by Moshe Fuksman-Sha'al, Deputy Director of the Begin Center. Other speakers were Yisrael Medad, Educational and Information Resources Coordinator at the Begin Center who read Mishnayot; Sharon Wohlgelernter, Harry Hurwitz's granddaughter; Rafi Harlev, representing the extended family; Hertzel Katz, Raphael Melmed and Yechiel Kadishai, three long-time friends of Harry Hurwitz. Each person who spoke knew Harry in a different way and together wove the portrait of a devoted family man, a leader of his community, a champion of the legacy of Menachem Begin, a true Betari; a man whose humor, speaking ability and drive combined to inspire others to follow in his footsteps. The ceremony ended with a short PowerPoint presentation of pictures from Harry's life and a video of the last interview he did for English-language Israel TV a fortnight prior to his passing. Also in attendance at the ceremony were Dr. Beny Begin, Uzi Landau and Dan Meridor.

Increase of Visitors over the Holiday Period

The holiday period of 2008 showed an increase of 1,000 visitors in comparison with the same period last year. This is due to the broad-reaching radio commercial campaign launched by the Begin Center. The commercials were aired on four radio channels in Israel and utilized the voice of Chairman of the Center, Herzl Makov, as well as an excerpt from Menachem Begin's famous speech that he gave in 1948 on the birth of the State of Israel. The result of the campaign was that the museum was filled to capacity every day and visitors were unfortunately turned away.

Workshop for Policemen at the Begin Center

Under the direction of the Educational Activities branch of the Begin Center, one hundred police officers, who are team leaders and sergeants, came to the Begin Center on Tuesday to participate in a workshop on synergy and leadership. The officers first went through the museum and then gathered together in the workshop forum.
Based on Menachem Begin's emphasis on democracy and leadership, the purpose of the workshop is to teach democratic principles and synergistic teamwork so that these officers, in leadership positions, will learn how to work together for the best possible result.
The Educational Activities team is planning four more of the synergy and leadership workshops for soldiers this month.

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The Menachem Begin Heritage Center
6 Nahon Street Jerusalem 94110 ISRAEL
972 (2) 565-2020; Fax: 972 (2) 565-2010 offices@begincenter.org.il www.begincenter.org.il