Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 6, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 6
November 27, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 451,328

Launch of the IGF Website

One of the Begin Center's new successful programs, the Israel Government Fellows program, has launched its website this week. As mentioned in this bulletin previously, the Israel Government Fellows program, under the auspices of the Begin Center and MASA (a program of the government of Israel and the Jewish Agency), gathers together young Jewish leaders from countries around the world to live in Jerusalem, work in government offices, learn about Israel and reconfirm their commitment and connection to Israel.
Menachem Begin spoke often about the need for a responsible, dynamic government. In his May 15, 1948 speech, broadcast over the Irgun clandestine radio, he said:
"And within our Homeland, justice shall be the supreme ruler, the ruler over all rulers. There must be no tyranny. The Ministers and officials must be the servants of the nation and not their masters. There must be no exploitation…'Righteousness, righteousness shall you pursue' will be the guiding principle in our relations amongst ourselves. We will protect our state well, our Israel. It is for these goals and principles and in the framework of democracy that the Herut Movement will struggle…”
Thus, in the spirit of these elements of his heritage, the Begin Center launched the Israel Government Fellows initiative which is now in its third session. We invite you to visit and explore the new website, www.israelgovernmentfellows.org.il, view the short film and let us know what you think.

Ministry of Education Annual Conference

Once again, the Begin Center hosted to the annual conference of the Ministry of Education's Youth and Society Unit of the Jerusalem District this past week on Monday, Nov. 24. Some 250 educators, principals, teachers, youth workers and bureaucrats convened, making full use of the Center's convention facilities including six workshops. Special guests included mayor-elect Nir Barakat and panelists Prof. Oz Almog and Gen. (ret.) and former IDF Chief-of-Staff Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon who addressed the conference's theme of Identity and Identification. The Jerusalem District, it should be noted, extends from the Shiloh area in the North to Hebron in the South and from Jericho in the East to Mevasseret Zion in the West.

Inaugural Course Starts at the Begin Center

A new initiative has been launched at the Begin Center consisting of lecture series on a variety of subjects. The first course met for its first meeting this week. Dr. Shelly Goldberg, a professor at Bar Ilan University, is presenting the course "Meeting on the Edge of Kabbalah" which will have five sessions. Fifty people registered and paid for the course and will continue through the rest of the series.
Dr. Goldberg is also one of the lecturers for the Parashat HaShavua lecture series. This year she will be the primary lecturer for the third book of the Torah, Leviticus.

Evening of Hebrew Songs at the Begin Center

The first of seven evenings of the History of Hebrew Songwriting was held at the Begin Center this week. 170 people attended the first performance featuring the work of Abraham Shlonsky and Alexander Penn. Nahum Heyman, a well-known Israeli composer, was the master of ceremonies at the event which utilized rare film clips of Jerusalem and the poets themselves as well as many pictures. The audience enjoyed joining in the singing—which was encouraged—and was treated to additional performances by Ofer Kalaf.
The next such evening will be on January 6, 2009 and will feature the work of Nathan Alterman. Tickets are 40NIS and reservations can be made at (02) 565-2020, ext. 0.

Seen and Heard at the Begin Center

Amnon Ben Ami, Deputy Director of the Prime Minister's Office, stopped by the Begin Center to meet with Herzl Makov, the Chairman of the Begin Center. Ben Ami and his staff also visited the museum.

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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

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 5, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 5
November 20, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 449,529

Begin Prize 2008

As has been done for the past eight years, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center will present the Menachem Begin Prize during Chanukah. The Prize Ceremony will be conducted on the evening of the lighting of the third candle of Chanukah on December 23, 2008. This year's Prize will be awarded to Prof. Reuven Or, Director of the Department of Bone Marrow Transplant at Hadassah Hospital, who initiated a national program in Israel for a bone marrow bank. Awards of Honor this year will go to Prof. Moshe Arens for his work towards the security of Israel and his more recent historical work illuminating the actions of the Betar in the Underground during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and to Harold "Smoky" Simon for his contribution to the Israel Air Force during the War of Independence and more recently for his untiring work as Honorary Treasurer of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and as Chairman of World Machal.

"A World Before Catastrophe"

On December 21st, a new exhibition will open at the Begin Center. In cooperation with the International Cultural Center of Krakow, Poland, the Begin Center will host the exhibit "A World Before Catastrophe" which depicts Jewish life in Krakow, Poland, before World War II. The exhibition will be on view at the Begin Center until April 2009.

Traffic Changes

As a follow-up to last week's story about the traffic changes around the Begin Center, here are a few pictures illustrating the new signage and the adjustments made to the intersection.

31 Years Ago

On 19 November 1977, President of Egypt Anwar Sadat arrived in Jerusalem at the invitation of Prime Minister Menachem Begin. After Sadat spoke at the Knesset, Begin responded:
"We believe with all our hearts that the day indeed will come when we can sign a freely negotiated agreement with mutual respect. Then we shall know that the era of the war is over; that we have extended our hands to one another, we have shaken each other's hands and the future can be glorious for all the nations in this area."

Seen and Heard at the Begin Center

Commissioner of Police in Jerusalem Aharon Franco toured the Begin Museum with his senior staff.

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Forty young leaders of the General Assembly came to visit the Begin Museum and afterwards held their special meetings here.

* * * * *

A seminar was held for the Hebrew University-sponsored Outstanding Ethiopian Young Leadership with 30 participants led by Dr. Shalva Weil, President of the Society for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry Senior Researcher-Research Institute for Innovation in Education. They were addressed by Yisrael Medad, Information Resources Director, on Begin’s role in the liberation of Ethiopian Jewry.

* * * * *

The Yerucham-Miami Federation Partnership meeting (as part of the General Assembly) made an international conference call from the Nathan Silver Executive Board Room at the Begin Center and subsequently making full use of the Center's facilities for their deliberations and planning for the coming year.

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 4, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 4
November 13, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 448,034

The History of Hebrew Songwriting

Nahum Heyman, an Israeli composer, will do a series of performances at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center called "Chapters in the History of Hebrew Songwriting". Each month Eyman will focus on different poets and songwriters. The evenings will be stages as a multi-media performance including sing-a-longs with the audience, short video clips, storytelling and other audio-visual elements. The schedule is as follows:
November 25, 2008
Abraham Shlonsky, Alexander Penn
December 30, 2008
Natan Alterman
January 1, 2009
Mordechai Zeira, Ya'acov Orland
February 24, 2009
Leah Goldberg, Rahel
March 24, 2009
David Zahavi, Matityahu Shalem
May 19, 2009
Chaim Nahman Bialik, Shaul Tchernichovsky
June 9, 2009
BILU Pioneers, 4th Aliyah
Tickets to each show are 40NIS and reservations can be made at (02) 565-2020, ext. 0.

On the Lighter Side…

In a review of her new cookbook on the subject of Hamin, the traditional winter dish, also known as cholent in Yiddish, Sherry Ansky has a story, memory or literary quote to go with the recipes. Ansky spoke of her life and mentioned her father's correspondence with Menachem Begin about the Bible. Her father, Prof. Haim Gvaryahu, was a Bible scholar and together with Mr. Begin renewed the custom of conducting study sessions of the Bible at Prime Minister Begin's home on Saturday evenings after the Shabbat.
As our readers are probably aware, the idea for the Parashat HaShavua lecture series was born out of these study sessions. The Begin Center archives was also the recipient of a collection of audio tapes recording the radio broadcasts of some of the study sessions.

Traffic Changes Around the Begin Center

In preparation for the light rail system, and because of it, the streets near and adjacent to the Begin Center have undergone major changes and sidewalks have been repaved.
At the intersection of David Remez Street (between the Center and the Old Railway Station & the Khan Theater), Nahon Street and King David Street, officially known as the Mendes-France Circle, traffic lights have been repositioned. The section of Emek Refa'im Street just south of the Center, opposite the parking lot of the Liberty Bell Garden, has had its lanes reoriented and now there is a special bus lane in the direction of the King David Hotel.
Unfortunately, for the moment, there are significant traffic jams in the morning as now all the traffic from Emek Refa'im and Derech Bet Lehem flows into one traffic lane towards the center of town.

Activities in the Education Department

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center's Education department continues its activities. Already a Junior Knesset workshop session was conducted with pupils from Ort Geulah. In addition, soldiers and Border Policemen continue to arrive at the Center to participate in either a special leadership workshop or the new synergy workshop. In the coming week, we expect 50 soldiers who serve in the framework of the International Relations Unit of the IDF on the Israel-Egypt border to undergo leadership and management skills training at the Center.

Visitors

William Hess of New Orleans, Louisiana, came to the Begin Center with his wife Susan this week. They were in Israel to participate in the Jewish Agency meetings and the WZO meetings.

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 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.

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 2, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 2
October 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 445,720

From the Pages of History:
October 28, 1956

On the eve of the Sinai campaign launched on Oct. 29, 1956 David Ben-Gurion asked Menachem Begin to visit him at his home in Tel Aviv. Given the strained and even hostile relations between the two, the event was unique. Begin arrived at Ben-Gurion’s home where he found the Prime Minister sick in bed with a high fever. Begin was surprised when Ben-Gurion informed him that Israel was to attack Egypt the next day in cooperation with England and France. Ben-Gurion explained that he desired maximum Knesset support and although his coalition policy was “without Herut and without Maki (the Communist Party)”, Ben-Gurion told Begin that in matters of state security, he trusted him implicitly.
As the late Eric Silver recorded in his Begin biography, p. 122, Begin had been campaigning for a ‘preventive war’ for almost a year and responded to Ben-Gurion: “I applaud your courageous decision. You can depend on our support.”
This could have been the start of a rapprochement but Ben-Gurion’s capitulation to American pressure in January and the decision to withdraw before assuring Israel’s defense needs, renewed the parliamentary battling in the Knesset between the two.

Marking 30 Days

Upon the occasion of the ‘Shloshim’ to mark the passing of the Founder and President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation Harry (Zvi) Hurwitz z"l, a memorial ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 2, 2008 at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Jerusalem. The unveiling of the stone marker will be done at an earlier ceremony on that day at the cemetery. Please call 02-565-2020 for a place at either ceremony.

Prof. Levin's Book Launched

The Seminar Room was filled to overflowing on Sunday evening, October 26th, with persons who came to honor Professor Menachem Levin who has recently published a book of his memoirs. The speakers included Herzl Makov, Center Chairman, Prof. Yaakov Shavit, Yossi Achimeir, Prof. Hillel Weiss, Prof. Moshe Arens. Levin is one of the veteran Revisionists, who had worked with Ze'ev Jabotinsky and Menachem Begin, had served in various roles, both in the Underground and legal political activity as well as pursuing an outstanding academic career both in Israel and abroad as a guest lecturer and researcher. Prof. Levin even until this day continues to be involved in the issues of the rights to the Land of Israel, the security of the country and its economic and intellectual well-being.
Prof. Levin, in thanking the assembled members of the audience, emphasized how pleased he was that he merited that his book launch was held at the Begin Center, where the man he identified with, respected and served is memorialized. Prof. Levin, who is soon to be 91 and is significantly visually impaired, nevertheless continues his academic profession and the day after the event, flew off to lecture at New York University for the coming two months.

Mazal Tov!

To Dr. Micha Goodman, the popular lecturer of the Parshat HaShavua, and his wife Tzipi, the proud parents of twin girls. We wish a hearty Mazal Tov to the whole family, which includes the happy grandfather Mr. Arthur Fried.

Note to our readers: Now that we are past the holiday season, we hope to publish the News Bulletin regularly on Thursdays.

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 1, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 1
October 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 442,273

Begin Fellows Honored in Special Ceremony

A ceremony and luncheon was held to honor three of our very special donors—Begin Fellows—who have committed to a continuous yearly contribution to support the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation. The additional funds help make up the shortfall created by budget cuts in the government so that the Begin Center activities will continue irrespective of financial issues within the government. The Begin Center's mission is to commemorate the life, words and deeds of Menachem Begin and to pass on his heritage to future generations which can only be done with a consistent and thriving budget. These donors are helping to ensure that the activities, publications, research and preservation will continue from generation to generation.
The Begin Fellows honored at this ceremony are: Mark and Anna Ruth Hasten of Indiana, Eugen and Jean Gluck of New York and the Silver Family Foundation of Ontario, represented by Aaron Silver. They join previous honorees Hart and Simona Hasten of Indiana, Rose Lax of Ontario and Matti Drobles of Israel. Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, welcomed everyone to the meeting, said a few words to honor Harry Hurwitz saying that his loss is deeply felt at the Center and noting that Harry's latest initiative was this ceremony to honor these donors, and he gave an update on activities at the Center then turned the floor over to "Smoky" Simon, Honorary Treasurer of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, to give a brief report on the status of the Foundation. Yechiel Kadishai said a few words of thanks on behalf of the Finance Committee. Each Begin Fellow received a certificate, a replica of Menachem Begin's Nobel Prize Medal and a lapel pin. Other honored guests were Dr. Beny Begin, MK Reuven Rivlin, Hart Hasten, President of the US Friends of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation and Mrs. Freda Hurwitz.
After the ceremony, the group went to the restaurant downstairs for luncheon.

Begin Center Busy During Sukkot

The cultural events organized by the Menachem Begin Heritage Center over the Sukkot holiday were especially successful with quite impressive numbers of participants.
* The day-long symposium under the auspices of the Jerusalem Municipality 'Sha'arayich' initiative on the topic of "In God We Trust": US & Israel Models of Religion and State drew between 40 and 100 persons at each of the four sessions. Each session was addressed by outstanding academic lecturers from Israel's leading universities and other educational institutions.
* As popular as ever, learning sessions at the Begin Center are drawing overflow crowds. The unique Hoshana Rabba all-night learning program of four different lectures from Dr. Iddo Chevroni, Dr. Shelly Goldberg, Dr. Micha Goodman and Yirmi Stavitzky was so well attended that in addition to the Reuben Hecht Auditorium, a seminar room was required for closed-circuit broadcast of the speakers. This event is in anticipation of the Rohr Family Parshat HaShavua weekly lecture series which will begin with B'reisheet on Thursday October 23, at 7pm. Dr. Iddo Chevroni, a member of the academic staff of the Mandel Leadership Institute, the Shalem Institute's Biblical Literature studies and of Herzog College, will be the lecturer for the book of B'reisheet. We expect, as in previous years, that the Parshat HaShavua will be hugely popular bringing an audience to the Begin Center of young, old, religious, secular, men and women who will all learn the portion of the week together for an hour. Menachem Begin liked to learn the portion of the week and was quite committed to the study of the Torah. At a certain point in his years as Prime Minister, the study group lectures and discussions were broadcast live on the radio and recorded. The Begin Center's archives hold this very interesting and valuable collection of recordings.
* In addition to the various special events, the Begin Museum was open for extended hours from 9AM to 7PM and up to 500 people a day went through the exhibit during the Chol HaMoed intermediate days of Sukkot.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, October 26—Book Launch: The book launch of the memoirs of Prof. Menachem Levin, a Jabotinsky Movement veteran, will be held beginning at 6:30 PM at the Begin Center. The speakers will include Herzl Makov, Center Chairman, Prof. Yaakov Shavit, Yossi Achimeir, Prof. Hillel Weiss, Prof. Moshe Arens. Prof. Levin will respond. The event will be conducted 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/