Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 14, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 14
January 25, 2009
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 465,861

Facing a Budgetary Challenge
The government of Israel, forced to go to elections in February, was not able to pass the 2009 State budget before the end of December 2008. In such cases, the law in Israel stipulates that the previous year's basic budget will be the reference point for the allocation from the State for the following year. As a result of this, the Begin Center is left with a State budget allocation of 2.9 million shekels for 2009. For 2008, the Begin Center received 6.9 million shekels which was the basic budget and the addition of a special allocation of 4 million shekels. Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, and Dalia Rabin, Chairperson of the Rabin Center (operating with similar State funding), met with the Minister of the Treasury and succeeded in raising the allocation from 2.9 million shekels to 5 million shekels. This budget will remain in place until the Knesset approves the State budget which is expected to occur in June 2009.
We realize that even in June it won't be easy to increase the State budget taking into consideration that Israel is facing, along with the rest of the world, an economic depression that will require significant resources to overcome. Besides that, Israel just completed the operation in Gaza, which is a large expense incurred by the Security budget, regardless of all other aspects of that operation.
In light of this budgetary challenge, the Begin Center will be required to make dramatic cuts in our ability to provide the whole scope of quality programs that we are so proud to have at the Begin Center. However, to help minimize the effect, we are launching fundraising campaigns in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK in the next few months in order to ensure continuation of the important work that is being done here. We will, of course, call upon our friends and supporters to help us overcome this challenge.

Successful Internet Campaign
Coordinated with an advertisement campaign launched on Ynet, a major internet news site in Israel, the redesigned Begin Center website in Hebrew was launched and increased its online traffic tenfold. This, of course, means that the presence of the Begin Center is accessible to a worldwide community. We hope to launch the website in English in the very near future.

From the Education Department
First school completes Junior Knesset curriculum
The Dafna Junior High School from Kiryat Bialik became the first school this year to come to the Begin Center for their concluding day of the Junior Knesset curriculum. The concluding day consists of putting into action all the theories that they learned over the course of the semester regarding the process of passing a law. The students come to the Begin Center and, using the unique layout in the Reuben Hecht Auditorium which is a replica of the Knesset chamber, take on various roles to simulate passing a law in the Knesset. Their visit to Jerusalem included a visit to the real Knesset and a trip through the Menachem Begin Museum.

Agreement with the Jerusalem police for leadership workshops
Recently the Begin Center signed and agreement with the Jerusalem police to bring 60 groups of policemen who will go through the museum and participate in a workshop developed by the education department of the Begin Center entitled "In the Public Service". The workshop focuses on the motivation of individuals to serve the public and elements of character that inspire someone to serve the nation. These concepts are based on the ideals and heritage of Menachem Begin who spent his entire life in public service. As an added element of the workshop experience, the police groups will take a walking tour of Yemin Moshe, the neighborhood next to the Begin Center, "In the Footsteps of Avraham Kirshenbaum," who was a fighter in all three Underground movements during the British Mandatory period and who died defending Yemin Moshe, the neighborhood he grew up in and where his family still lived (and still live today).

New in the Archives
Recently declassified dossier delivered by Romanian Ambassador
A few weeks ago, the Romanian Ambassador Dr. Valeria Mariana Stoica visited the Menachem Begin Heritage Center to deliver a dossier to the Begin Center Archives. It was a recently declassified file regarding Prime Minister Menachem Begin's first visit to Romania and the correspondence with Romanian President Nicolae Ceauşescu which opened a line of communication with Egypt that led to the invitation for President Anwar Sadat to visit Israel and to begin the historic peace process.

Oral History Project Continues
The Oral History Project at the Begin Center Archives continues to conduct interviews with people who remember the life and times of Menachem Begin. Recently, the Archives staff met with Ra'anana Meridor, the widow of Eliyahu Meridor, who shared memories of the time of Irgun and the beginning of the Herut Party. Prof. Moshe Sharon, who had been the advisor on Arabic matters from 1978-1979, also provided an interview.

Events
Past events
Another successful Nahum Heyman sing-along evening took place on Tuesday, January 20at 8:00pm highlighting the songs of Mordechai Ze'era and Ya'acov Orland. The Reuben Hecht Auditorium was filled with enthusiastic supporters of Hebrew song.

Upcoming Events
Date Change: The 4th annual Elitzur Lecture will take place on Monday, February 16 at 5:30pm. Details will follow in later bulletins. This event will be in English.

On January 25, five secular pre-army training courses will have a pre-election conference at the Begin Center to learn more about the party platforms and hear from candidates. There will be three panels covering the Economy, Education and Welfare, Defense and Foreign Affairs. Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, will present opening remarks and a short movie will be shown about Menachem Begin. This event is not open to the public.

Visit our blog: http://begincenterdiary.blogspot.com/
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center
6 Nahon Street Jerusalem 94110 ISRAEL
972 (2) 565-2020; Fax: 972 (2) 565-2010

offices@begincenter.org.il http://www.begincenter.org.il/

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 13, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 13
January 15, 2009
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 464,375

Doing Our Part for Citizens in the South
As part of the Begin Center's involvement in extending social services for the residents of the southern part of Israel surrounding Gaza, we have made available to bone fide residents a free tour in the Museum. Dafna Shkedy, the Museum's director, has reported that as of today, 540 persons, members of organized groups, have gone through the Museum as well as an additional 156 persons, mostly families.
The Center is proud to offer its assistance, along with other cultural institutions in Jerusalem, to help alleviate the feelings of anxiety the population under missile attack are undergoing. From some of the comments, we have learned that the character of Menachem Begin, as a leader and as a stalwart believer in the Jewish People and its national purpose, has been of help to them in this difficult period.
One of the participants in this outreach effort, the Abbu Family, wrote a letter of appreciation, noting that they were quite grateful to have been able to visit a "site which instills love for our dear country which enabled us to learn about the people who have brought us this far and granted us, the Jewish people, the ability to be who we are. Thanks to all those involved in this sacred task."

Begin Center Website Launched in Hebrew
After much work and preparation, the new Menachem Begin Heritage Center website in Hebrew was launched this week. We are still working out a few bugs and issues, as can be expected, but we invite you to peruse the site at http://www.begincenter.org.il/ to see the new look and style of the Begin Center presence on the internet.
We hope to launch our site in English in February.


Junior Knesset Workshop in English
A group of students from Chicagoland Jewish High School participating in a three-week Senior Israel Experience program came to the Begin Center this week to take part in a modified version of the Junior Knesset program. Rather than teach an entire semester of civics before coming to a concluding day at the Begin Center in which students re-enact the passing of a law, this workshop forum allows students to arrive, gain some background knowledge and on a single issue, go through the process of passing a law in the Knesset.
The young people from Chicago were very enthusiastic and enjoyed the experiential workshop that allowed them to achieve an understanding of the Israeli political scene from the inside out.
Aaron Weinberg said, "It was so much fun. I'm on the debate team…I love Israeli politics and Israel." Jeremy Hulkower said, "It was certainly interesting and fascinating. It was fun to be Prime Minister for a day. It gave me a chance to learn more about Israeli politics."

Upcoming Events
Nahum Heyman's next sing-along evening will be on Tuesday, January 20at 8:00pm highlighting the songs of Mordechai Ze'era and Ya'acov Orland. This event will be in Hebrew.
* * * * *
The 4th annual Elitzur Lecture will take place on Monday, February 16 at 5:30pm. Details will follow in later bulletins. This event will be in English.
* * * * *
An evening to remember Avraham "Yair" Stern will take place on Wednesday, February 18. Details will follow in later bulletins. This event will be in Hebrew.

Visit our other blog: http://begincenterdiary.blogspot.com/
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center
6 Nahon Street Jerusalem 94110 ISRAEL
972 (2) 565-2020; Fax: 972 (2) 565-2010
offices@begincenter.org.il http://www.begincenter.org.il/

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 12, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 12
January 8, 2009
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 463,098

The Songs of Natan Alterman
This week Nahum Heyman ("Nakh'che") presented a program on the songs of Natan Alterman in the history of Israeli music. This performance series is quite interesting because Natan Alterman and the others that are featured in the other performances are not songwriters, per se. They are poets who published poetry prior to Israel's existence and after. Later, their words were put to music and became popular Israeli songs.
The Reuben Hecht Auditorium was nearly full with an audience ready and enthusiastic to sing along to some of Alterman's songs. The singer that evening was Chani Livneh and there was a special performance by an Israeli folk dancing troupe. The guest lecturer was Chaim Guri, a songwriter, who was a friend of Natan Alterman. The evening concluded with the sing-along that the audience happily joined.
The next Nahum Heyman evening will be January 20 at 8:00pm about Mordechai Ze'era and Ya'acov Orland. Tickets are 40 NIS and reservations are required. Call (02) 565-2020.

Parashat HaShavua: News and Updates
The very successful Rohr Family Parashat HaShavua program will be finishing the first book of the Torah, Bereshit/Genesis, this week. We thank Dr. Ido Hevroni for his excellent lectures these past two months. We welcome next week Rabbi Yermi Stavitsky,the principal of the religious boys' high school, Himmelfarb, who will be the primary lecturer on the portions of the week in Shemot/Exodus.
Starting next Sunday, the Begin Center will launch an internet campaign to advertise the Parashat HaShavua in the Judaism section of Ynet. Links will be provided in the bulletin next week.

Note to Our Readers
In preparation for the launch of our new website, you may experience difficulty in accessing the current website. Look for details next week on the website launch, which will be at the same website address www.begincenter.org.il.

In Brief
Rachel Glazer, who was once an intern at the Begin Center, visited leading a group of university students on a tour of Israel under the auspices of the ZOA. Yisrael Medad, Director of the Information Resources Unit, spoke to them about hasbara issues and how to bring the information that they learn on this trip back to campus with them.
Groups who are interested in more that just a visit to the museum, can coordinate with the reservations department to request a speaker from the Begin Center to give a short presentation on a variety of topics.
* * * * *
Shelly Goldberg's course, an introduction to Kabbalah, ended last week and was very successful. We hope to be able to plan more courses on an assortment of subjects in the future.
* * * * *
Not all of Israel's soldiers were in the South this week, as a large group who are in officer's training came to the Begin Center to visit the museum.

Visit our blog: http://begincenterdiary.blogspot.com/
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

December in Pictures, a few more

Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin

Heritage Center at the Begin Prize Ceremony

MK Reuven Rivlin speaks at the Begin Prize ceremony

The audience at the scholarship awards ceremony in the
Large Seminar Room at the Begin Center

The marimba player at the scholarship awards ceremony

Herzl Makov with HE Valeria Stoica, Ambassador of Romania

Herzl Makov with HE Valeria Stoica, Ambassador of Romania

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 11, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 11
January 1, 2009
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 461,569

A Busy December in Pictures

Dr. Reuven Or (left) receives the prize from Moshe Nissim(center) and Yechiel Kadishai(right)
Harold "Smoky" Simon (center) receives a certificate of honor from Moshe Nissim and Yechiel Kadishai



Prof. Moshe Arens receives a certificate of honor from Moshe Nissim and Yechiel Kadishai


HE Valeria Stoica Ambassador of Romania (right) in Israel visited with Herzl Makov, Head of the MBHC



Prof. Jacek Perchla speaks at the opening of the special photo exhibition "A World Before Catastrophe" on Krakow between the World Wars


The Young Jerusalem Saxophone Group


A full audience in the Reuben Hecht Auditorium for the opening of the exhibition



Moshe Fuksman-Sha'al (left), Herzl Makov (center) and Freda Hurwitz (right) at the Scholarship Awards Ceremony




Avivit Mahatsri, recipient of the I.H. Asper Scholarship
speaks on behalf of all the recipients


Dr. Harel Doron gave a short presentation about his scholarship-winning work, "The New Rabbis in the National Religious Camp"


The eight days of Chanukah were a very busy time at the Begin Center with major events with hundreds of people attending and 1,468 people who entered the museum over the eight-day period (6.5 days of the Center and museum being open)—some of the days of Chanukah, every single tour of the day was full.
For more pictures, please visit our other blog: http://begincenterdiary.blogspot.com/

Building our Research Capabilities

Two new academic research articles have recently been published which were acquired for the Begin Center Library. The first is British Intelligence and the Mandate of Palestine: Threats to British National Security Immediately After the Second World War by Calder Walton and the second is British Intelligence and the Jewish Resistance Movement in the Palestine Mandate, 1945-46 by Steven Wagner. Both appeared in Intelligence and National Security, Volume 23, Issue 4 August 2008.
These articles have made use of recently released files previously unavailable to researchers and provide a wealth of information and we are sure visitors and students to the Hasten Family Library will be able to produce better studies of that period now that we possess these articles. We are aware that many similar papers are being published or presented at academic conferences and are making efforts to obtain them so that our information and resource units can provide the public all they need.

Junior Knesset in Spanish

The Education Department of the Begin Center has recently launched an abbreviated version of the Junior Knesset program as an hour and a half workshop for young people who are visiting the country on Birthright-type trips or participating in other MASA programs.
This week, a several groups from Argentina participated in the program. The original workshop format is in English and the suggested program allows participants to take on the major roles in the Knesset in order to pass a law.
We hope to see this program expand to other languages and to other groups.

Our Condolences

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center extends its condolences to former Likud MK Amal Nasr'aldin (1977-1988) of the Druze community on the loss of his grandson, Lutfi, who, as a reserve soldier, was the IDF's first casualty in the current Gaza "Cast Lead" Operation. Amal Nasr'aldin has visited the Center several times and initiated the publication, in Arabic with Hebrew translation, of a book on Menachem Begin as well as hosting a Begin Center event in Daliyat Al-Carmel. Lutfi was killed when his army camp was bombarded by Hamas rockets on December 29th.

Mazal Tov

To Dafna Shkedi of the Begin Center who was awarded this year's prize for Outstanding Employee. Dafna is in charge of the museum operations, in which she oversees the guides' training, deals with technical issues and adjustments in the museum and coordinates the activities to ensure our visitors have a good museum experience, from reservation to exit from the Jerusalem Elevator.

* * * * *

Yisrael Medad, Director of the Begin Center Information & Educational Resources Unit, was invited to participate in a Political Science departmental seminar at the Hebrew University at which Dr. Chares Demetriou presented a paper on "Political Violence and Legitimation: The Episode of Colonial Cyprus". In the ensuing discussion, Demetriou expressed interest to further learn of the history of the Irgun within an academic comparative framework. It is Medad's intention to expand the Center's academic research connections in the field of study of National Liberation Movements.

Visitors

A few of our friends from Canada stopped by the Begin Center this week. Moe Levy from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, representing the Asper Foundation stopped by with Shai Abramson, the Asper Foundation representative in Israel. Lou and Dvora Silver of Toronto also stopped by.
From the US—though originally from South Africa—Abraham and Taubene Hoppenstein visited the Center as well.

Visit our other blog: http://begincenterdiary.blogspot.com/
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center
6 Nahon Street Jerusalem 94110 ISRAEL
972 (2) 565-2020; Fax: 972 (2) 565-2010
offices@begincenter.org.il http://www.begincenter.org.il/

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 10, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 10
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 460,404

The Menachem Begin Prize Ceremony 2008

Before a full Reuben Hecht Auditorium and in the presence of MK Reuven Rivlin, the Menachem Begin Prize 2008 was awarded to Dr. Reuven Or for his critical medical and research work and for the establishment of two essential life-saving projects: the unrelated volunteer bone marrow donor registry and the national umbilical cord bank. Dr. Or is offering the hope of health for many people who are ill and who, for whatever reason, are unable to receive a bone marrow donation from a family member. Clearly thrilled to be receiving this recognition, Dr. Or peppered his speech with quotes from Uri Zvi Greenberg, Shai Agnon and other literary figures.
Harold "Smoky" Simon was honored for his many years of volunteer activity for the State of Israel and its society. His volunteering life for the State of Israel began in the War of Independence in 1948 as a member of the volunteer air force and eventual official appointment as the first Operations Commander of the IAF, and his volunteering activities only grew from that point, including working with Menachem Begin from South Africa, and continue even today. He is the Chairman of World Machal and recently organized an international gathering for Machal members to visit Israel for the 60th anniversary of the state, as well as acting as the Honorary Treasurer for the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation.
Prof. Moshe Arens was honored for his contribution to the security of the state of Israel and his illuminating research on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Moshe Arens began his career in Betar and in the government served as Minister of Defense, Foreign Minister, Israel's Ambassador to the US and currently he serves as the Chairman of the Ariel University Center of Samaria's Board of Governors. His most recent work has been researching the Betar organization's involvement during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. He found that Pavel Frankel was a forgotten hero of the Muranovska Square battle and who had been a leader of the Betar group in the Warsaw Ghetto. This led to recognition of the Betar involvement in the Uprising both in Poland and in Israel.
A number of students were honored with scholarship awards from the Menachem and Aliza Begin Nobel Prize Fund, a fund that was started by Menachem Begin with the proceeds of the Nobel Prize he received in 1978.
The evening was emceed by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, and music was provided by the Boarder Guards singing group. Yosef Wittelson lit the third candle of Chanukah at the opening of the evening.

Opening of "A World Before Catastrophe"

On the first night of Chanukah, the Begin Center hosted the opening of a special exhibition brought from Krakow, Poland, called "A World Before Catastrophe". It is the exploration and documentation of the Jewish community in Krakow between the two World Wars. Many organizations cooperated with the Begin Center to bring this exhibit to Israel including the International Cultural Centre in Krakow (the original location of the exhibit), the Polish Embassy in Israel, The Polish Institute, the Poland@Israel as part of the Polish Year in Israel 2008/9, the Landsmanschaft of Krakow Jews in Israel and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
The Reuben Hecht Auditorium was filled to capacity with many members of the audience remembering Krakow as it was presented in the exhibit and who were very moved to see the exhibition here at the Begin Center. Aryeh Golan, a senior Kol Yisrael program moderater, was the host for the evening and the ceremony was opened with short speeches by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, Her Excellency Agnieszka Magziak-Miszewska, the ambassador of Poland in Israel and David Reiser, the President of the Landsmanschaft of Krakow Jews in Israel. The main speakers that evening were Prof. Jacek Purchla, historian and author of the catalogue of the exhibition, and His Excellency Prof. Shevach Weiss, Israel's Ambassador to Poland. The Young Jerusalem Saxophone Group gave the musical performances during the evening.
The exhibition will be on display in the auditorium foyer at the Begin Center for free until April 15, 2009. The high quality catalogue is available in Hebrew at the Klein Souvenir Store at the Begin Center (it is a translation of the Polish/English one that was published in Poland).

December 1981: Golan Heights Law

Twenty-seven years ago, the Knesset, by a two-thirds majority, passed the Golan Heights Law which extends Israeli law to the Golan Heights. With its passing, the US declared that it would "punish Israel". Begin did not wish to stand by and allow the "punishment" to pass without comment. He issued a statement on 20 December 1981 that he read to the US Ambassador to Israel, read to the Cabinet and issued to the public. In it he says:
A week ago, at the instance of the Government, the Knesset passed on all three readings by an overwhelming majority of two-thirds, the "Golan Heights Law."
Now you once again declare that you are punishing Israel.
What kind of expression is this – "punishing Israel"? Are we a vassal state of yours? Are we a banana republic? Are we youths of fourteen who, if they don't behave properly, are slapped across the fingers?
Let me tell you who this government is composed of. It is composed of people whose lives were spent in resistance, in fighting and in suffering. You will not frighten us with "punishments." He who threatens us will find us deaf to his threats. We are only prepared to listen to rational arguments.
…As regards the future, please be kind enough to inform the Secretary of State that the Golan Heights Law will remain valid. There is no force on earth that can bring about its rescission.

December 30: Annual Research Scholarship Awards

On December 30 the Menachem Begin Heritage Center will host a ceremony to award scholarships to outstanding research work in fields related to Menachem Begin, his life, achievements and heritage. Three scholarships will be awarded for research work at the Doctorate and Master's level. Ya'acov Hecht wrote on the topic of politics and the diplomatic process before the strike on Osirak (the Iraqi nuclear reactor); Yaron Salman wrote on the psychological blocks of the Peace Process; and Harel Doron wrote about the "new rabbis" in the National Religious camp. Four scholarships will be awarded for seminar papers at the Bachelor level. Avivit Mahatstri, who will be receiving the scholarship named after the late Izzy Asper of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, wrote about Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat in the Peace Process; Oded Mazor wrote about the idea of the "victim" with respect to the reparations from Germany; Tal Koifman wrote about religion in the Underground; and four authors, Eli Cohen, Doron Liba, Aviad Korman and Eliav Raviv, share the honor for their paper about Menachem Begin and Dr. Beny Begin and their rhetoric speaking styles.
RSVPs are required to attend the event as space is limited. (02) 565-2020 to reserve a place.

Outside Events at the Begin Center

This week the B'nai Brith World Center-Jerusalem utilized the conference rooms here at the Begin Center. Philippe Karsenty gave a lecture about his court case in France regarding the Al Dura Affair, in which he was the successful defendant against France 2 television, and spoke about Israel and the media. He gave his lecture in English one day and in French the next.

* * * * *

The Jewish Agency is holding a brainstorming session at the Begin Center to redefine the role of the shaliach in Jewish communities abroad.

No Parashat HaShavua this Week

To our readers in Israel who attend the Parashat HaShavua on Thursdays, there will not be a lecture this week. We look forward to seeing you again next week when the Parashat HaShavua returns next week.

We wish all our Readers
a Happy and Joyous Chanukah Holiday!!!

Visit our blog: http://begincenterdiary.blogspot.com/
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

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 9, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 9
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 457,911

December 1948:
Menachem Begin's First US Visit (part 3)

This week we present Part 3, the last of the three-part series on Menachem Begin's first visit to the United States based on a recent donation of archival materials given to the Begin Center Archives by Mrs. Estelle Friedman, who was married to the late Elitzur Friedman, Irgun Field commander and Herut emissary to the United States.

* * * * *

The Answer, the newspaper of the Hebrew Committee for National Liberation, reported on the speech Menachem Begin gave in New York at the end of his first trip to the US. Begin spoke in Yiddish before several thousand people in the Manhattan Center on December 14, 1948. His remarks focused on the Chanukah story of the Maccabees.

In those days too, before the fight began, we were a minority in our own country under the yoke of a once-great empire whose strength began to wane. In those days too, we faced surrender or complete annihilation. In those days too, a minority within the minority raised the banner of rebellion against the enemy; in those days too there were collaborators and assimilationists who besmirched the noble patriots, betrayed them to the enemy and called them the same names we were called in our time—with the exception of "fascists" and "gangsters"—probably because in those days those terms were not yet known.
Undaunted by betrayal and the overwhelming forces of the enemy, the Maccabees fought on until victory was theirs, until a small part of their homeland in the hills of Judea was liberated. And from those hills they swept down into the valleys, they freed Galilee, they freed the coast and they freed the south. And within a generation or two, a great Hebrew State, the greatest in the Middle East was established and consolidated.
The same is bound to happen in our days…not because of our desire for expansionism, not because of our love of fighting. We hate war. We hate it because we have no more blood to shed because for 80 generations we always were the victims of war, because ours is a great hunger for peace for ourselves and for our little children, who were born into turmoil and have never yet known a day of peace and quiet. It is bound to come because we are compelled to break out from the straitjacket in which we are being confined by economic, geographic and political reasons, by the very urge to survive, by the very choice which we face: to break out from the ghetto, to retrieve all of our homeland or to be pushed into the sea and perish. …
A foreign princeling, a man who doesn't belong to Palestine, a man from the Arabian Desert, a hireling of his British overlords, is ruling over four-fifths of the Hebrew homeland by the grace of Britain…and this foreigner has the temerity to proclaim himself "King of Palestine." This foreigner aspires to ascend the throne of David, to make Jerusalem—the eternal city of the eternal people—his capital. If this intrigue should succeed, then you must realize that in the very heart of our country, only five miles from Petach Tikvah, there will be Abdullah's guns, or rather, British guns…
Should this intrigue succeed, we shall find ourselves walled in—and strangling in a ghetto in which there will be no room for the millions of our brothers who are compelled to come back home, for the millions of our brothers who do not want to remain in places where they are not wanted, to the millions of our brothers who have but one desire—to come back to the land of their fathers…
A people who for two thousand years were denied the elementary right to self determination are like a suffocating man suddenly brought into the open air. On November 29, 1947, some of my brothers were incapable of thinking. All they could grasp was a gust of fresh air. Now, one year later, the drunkenness is dispelled. Now our people are sober—all of them—and now we all realize that not the ink on a document of the UN, but the blood of our fighters on the battlefields of our country will determine the frontiers of our State…
We have to expel the invaders from our country, not because we want war but because we want peace, real peace, a stable peace, peace with prosperity and without hostile foreign armies in the very heart of our land and on the threshold of our cities.
Our soldiers, the soldiers of the Irgun, the soldiers of the Hagana, the soldiers of the Lechi, our soldiers who served their country with their guns and their blood, now want to continue to serve their country with their plowshares and their sweat. We owe it to them and to their children. We must bring peace to them and this cannot be done as long as our whole country is not free.
Other Events at the Begin Center
The Begin Center facilities are often utilized by other groups for their special events. This week the Center served the needs of a variety of groups and activities.

* * * * *

The Begin Center was the venue of a special conference convened by MK Prof. Arieh Eldad and the Ariel Center for Policy Research entitled, "Facing Jihad", on December 14 which included a public screening of Fitna, the controversial documentary about Islam – intended to educate the Israeli and general public about the true nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The sessions were addressed by many experts on Islam and the Middle East including Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders. Among the other speakers were: Prof. John Lewis, Dr. David Bukay, Itamar Marcus, Prof. Shlomo Sharan and Daniel Pipes. The auditorium was full and the event attracted much media interest.

* * * * *

On Saturday night and Monday night this week, four special screenings took place at the Begin Center of the film A Light for Greytowers which coincided with the Jewish Film Festival. This is the film's premier in Israel. The Reuben Hecht Auditorium was full for each of the somewhat controversial screenings. The film was meant to be shown to women-only audiences, but the Cinemateque refused to screen it with that requirement. Following the Orthodox tradition of Kol Isha laws, which do not allow women to sing or dance in front of men, this film is a musical set in Victorian England in an orphanage where the young women are not allowed to practice Judaism. The film has an exclusively female Orthodox cast. It has already been screened for women-only audiences in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles.

* * * * *

President Heinz Fischer of Austria had a reception at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center's Terasa restaurant. It was the end of his long day of meeting with President Shimon Peres, meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and visiting Yad Vashem.

Upcoming Events at the Begin Center

Next week the Begin Center will host two important events, the opening of the Krakow Exhibition "A World Before Catastrophe" on December 21 and the Begin Prize Ceremony on December 23. The following week, on December 30, the Academic Committee of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center will award scholarships to academic works related to Begin and/or his heritage including one in the name of the late Izzy Asper.

We wish all our Readers
a Happy and Joyous Chanukah Holiday!!!

Visit our other blog: http://begincenterdiary.blogspot.com/
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center
6 Nahon Street Jerusalem 94110 ISRAEL
972 (2) 565-2020; Fax: 972 (2) 565-2010

offices@begincenter.org.il http://www.begincenter.org.il/