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

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 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/

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 7, Vol. 5

MENACHEM BEGIN

HERITAGE CENTER, JERUSALEM
TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 454,043

DECEMBER 1948: BEGIN'S FIRST VISIT TO THE US

Today we launch a three-part series about Menachem Begin's first visit to the US 60 years ago in December 1948 where he was greeted with a ticker-tape parade in the streets of New York accompanied by the mayor. We take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Estelle Friedman, whose husband Elitzur Friedman joined Menachem Begin on this visit to the US, for her recent contribution of newspapers from that time to the Begin Center archives. Over the next two issues of the Bulletin, we will be publishing segments from The Jewish Ledger and The Answer that describe Menachem Begin's visit and quote from his speeches.For today, we present to you a picture of Menachem Begin with Yohanna Jabotinsky, widow of the Zionist leader and mentor of the Revisionist Movement, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, and members of the Betar Youth Movement at a festive dinner conducted in his honor.

Menachem Begin with Mrs. Yohanna Jabotinsky

MENACHEM BEGIN'S CONNECTION TO CHABAD

This past week we watched in horror and dismay at the events in Mumbai at the Chabad House. May the families of the victims find comfort in their sorrow. Menachem Begin spoke to and met with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson on several occasions and we direct our readers to the Chabad website where Menachem Begin says a few words about Rabbi Scheerson. The link is HERE. (As this is an external link to the Chabad site, we cannot be responsible if it doesn't work properly.)

MONITORING MENTIONS OF BEGIN ON THE INTERNET

One of the tasks that is undertaken by the Begin Center is to monitor the mentions of Menachem Begin on the internet. This allows us to see in what context he is mentioned and how often he is still mentioned even today. Here are a few examples this week:

• Israeli readers were reminded about Menachem Begin's modesty this week in an article in Ha'Aretz opinion piece lamenting the fact that our politicians today lack this admirable trait.

• The author of a new biography of the late Harold "Izzy" Asper (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), Mr. Peter C. Newman, reflected on Mr. Asper's admiration of Menachem Begin and the Irgun when he was interviewed about the book.

• The Los Angeles Times connected the King David Hotel with the attacks in Mumbai placing it first on its list of hotels that had been bombed. A few people who left comments mentioned that the LA Times notably neglected to include the bombings by Arabs against hotels in Netanya and Taba, actions that were directed solely against civilians. Yisrael Medad of the Begin Center wrote to the newspaper that "only the southern wing was targeted which was wholly British, having been taken over from the owners in stages, beginning already in 1938. The Army Headquarters were located there as were the offices of the Mandate Government Secretariat."

ISRAEL COMMUNICATION LAW

Amendment 40 of the Israel Communication Law was put into effect on December 1, 2008. It is an effort to eliminate, or at least reduce, spam advertisement messages.The Begin Center is not in the business of sending advertisements and we hope that everyone on this list enjoys receiving news about the Begin Center, our events and invitations for upcoming programs. This bulletin list is an opt-in list which means that our readers have requested to be on it. If this is not the case, please refer to the bottom of this email and unsubscribe. If you have any trouble unsubscribing, you may simply reply to this email and request to be taken off the list.

DECEMBER EVENTS

There will be three major events at the Begin Center in December.On December 21, the Begin Center, in cooperation with the International Cultural Center of Krakow, the Krakow Landsmanchaft and several other organizations, will open "A World Before Catastrophe", a view of the Jewish community in Krakow between the two World Wars.On December 23, the Begin Prize will be awarded to Dr. Reuven Or of Hadassah Hospital and certificates of honor will go to Prof. Moshe Arens and Harold "Smoky" Simon. Participants in the PERACH program will also be honored at this ceremony. On December 30, the Begin Center will award academic scholarships for university level research work done in fields about Menachem Begin and/or other related topics.

VISITOR COMMENTS

• "We will never forget this visit to this amazing museum, a tribute to a giant of a man." – South Africa and Los Angeles
• "I always believed, and after visiting the museum I am convinced, that Menachem Begin loved the people of his country, did everything for their benefit and was unique in his honesty and integrity. May his memory be blessed." - Israel

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

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 8, Vol. 5

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 5, Issue 8
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 455,254

December 1948:
Menachem Begin's First US Visit (part 2)

This week we present Part 2 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.
In response to our previous article, we received emails from David Krakow and Estelle Friedman informing us of the name of the young man in the picture last week with Menachem Begin and Mrs. Jabotinsky. It was Seymour (Simcha) Rosenberg at the age of 24 who replaced Moshe Arens as Natsiv of American Betar in September 1948. The picture was taken at the Diplomat Hotel in New York. We also heard from Mr. Rosenberg's daughter, Meira, who confirmed the information. We thank them for taking the time to write and contributing details to the material in our archives.
We invite our readers to convey to us any additional information about this visit and, of course, our Archives awaits any historical records related to Menachem Begin (letters, documents, pictures and newspaper clippings) you possess which can be scanned and returned, if need be.

* * * * *

In The Jewish Ledger dated December 8, 1948, Simon Bloom describes Menachem Begin, his speeches and his first visit to the US. He says:

I had no idea of the type of person I was expecting to see, but considering the exploits of the Irgun, and the fact that it was they who made it so uneasy for the British that they got out of Palestine, I wasn't prepared to see a 'melamed'.
That was my first impression of Begin. That's what he looked like and that's what he talked like. But don't get the wrong idea, because I use the word 'melamed'. I don't mean a man with a long beard. … It's the appearance of Begin that gives the feeling, hard to shake off, that the man is a dreamer, an idealist. And he must have as the core of his inner-drive the same burning convictions which shaped the life of another dreamer of another faith, Ignatius Loyola. …
During that span, from my first to my last attempts to pigeon-hole him, I find myself still of the conviction that here is a dreamer who will continue to make events and shape destiny. …
He gave his talk to his audience extemporaneously. He seemed to be reading a speech part of the time, but there was no reading. It was his manner of talking. At times he would lift his head and gaze aloft at the audience. On one such occasion he said softly, "Now you have seen what a 'terrorist' looks like," referring to himself. "I will tell you about another terrorist, but he is not here, only his picture and spirit are here." He turned reverently to the picture of Dov Bel Gruner which flanked the dais on one side with the pictures of Jabotinsky on the other. …
[In referring to the men who joined him on the tour of the US, Begin said,] "These heroic soldiers will be good citizens in the land of Israel tomorrow." … "Our war was a war for survival. What would have happened to us if we did not wage that war is no longer a secret. It is public knowledge now that the Jewish Agency had accepted the Morrison Plan on condition that it be given the right to distribute the monthly quota of four thousand immigration certificates. And this we know too, that the British would have been very happy to exterminate us completely in Palestine. Were it not for our war of liberation, we would have been left in a ghetto, without arms and helpless and on D-Day we would have met in the heart of Asia, the same fate which our brethren met in the heart of Europe. …
[In the words of another member of the delegation in regard to the time when the Haganah was turning in wanted Irgun members,] There was resentment in the Irgun about the wanted [men] to fight back against the Haganah. This would mean civil war. Begin said the decision was up to the eight [commanders]. They could fight back against the Haganah if they wanted. If they did that they might destroy the nation. Or if they didn't make that choice, then the Irgun might itself be destroyed. It was a dramatic scene as Benjamin described it. Here in their hands eight men held perhaps the destiny of a nation. Could they fight back against the Haganah or should they risk their own destruction and perhaps with that destruction the one factor that would drive the British out of Israel.
The thing that made their minds up for them were the other words that Begin said. Solemnly he told them if you decide to fight against the Haganah, you will fight without me. I will walk out now and you are free to choose from among yourselves a new commander. The choice is yours – civil war and disunity among all our people without me at your side, or my continuation as commander and the avoidance of bloodshed among our own people. We have but one enemy and that enemy is Britain.
Menachem Begin was asked at the Newark press conference a question "Of what significance is the proposed acceptance of the state of Israel in the UN to the Freedom party [the Herut Party] and to the future of the state of Israel?" He answered, "I don't think it will be accepted and if it will be it will not be to the advantage of Israel because it can only be on a compromise basis and it will necessitate the surrender of additional territory by the Israeli government. …
The UN has shelved the application for membership, but due to the difference in time, the shelving was not known then.

Hamshooshalayim

December is a very special time in Jerusalem. For the third year in a row, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center has participated in the initiative—Hamshooshalayim--of the Jerusalem Municipality to encourage tourism to Jerusalem in December. "Hamshoosh" refers to the Israeli slang term of a long weekend—Thursday, Friday, Saturday (i.e., Hamishi, Shishi, Shabbat). For three weekends in December, entrance to many museums, tourist sites and other entertainment options are free of charge or at a discount. On Fridays, many special walking tours of the city are provided, some of which are free of charge and some at a discount. Both English and Hebrew tours are available.
The Begin Center was fully booked last Thursday night from 9:00pm to 12:30am and is fully booked for the next two weeks. So many people requested reservations that due to limited space in the museum, some were unfortunately unable to get a reservation.
Not only tourists from abroad attend Hamshooshalayim events. Many people have come from all over Israel to participate. And many of those people have come especially to the Begin Center.

Visitor Comments

· "Menachem Begin was a very special Prime Minister. His life was lived with lofty goals and he accomplished so much for us. Thank you."
· "A wonderful experience to share Menachem Begin's life in a multi-media presentation. Very much appreciated."

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 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.

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 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/

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 54, Vol. 4

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 4, Issue 54
October 16, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 441,082

Mark Your Calendars:
Sukkot Events at the Begin Center

As we have traditionally done during the extra Chol HaMoed days of Sukkot, the Begin Center will have extended hours to visit the Museum and special educational and cultural activities.

Sunday, October 19—Symposium: A full day colloquium from 10 o'clock in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon, under the auspices of the Jerusalem Municipality 'Sha'arayich' initiative, devoted to the subject "In God We Trust" – Religion and State: The American Versus the Israel Model". Participants in the event include Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Prof. Yedidyah Stern, Dr. Micha Goodman, Prof. Avi Diskin, Dr. Ophir Ivri, Prof. Michael Rosenak and others. This event will be in Hebrew.

Sunday-Monday, October 19-20—All Night Learning: The eve of Hoshana Raba program will mark the opening of the fourth year of the Rohr Family Parshat haShavua weekly lectures. The four presenters will also be the lecturers who will give the weekly talks during the year, Dr. Iddo Chevroni, Dr. Shelly Goldberg, Dr. Micha Goodman and Yirmi Stavitzky. The Hoshana Raba program will begin at 9 PM and is also in Hebrew.

Thursday, October 23—Parshat haShavua, B'reisheet: The weekly Parshat HaShavua lectures, sponsored by the Rohr Family will renew as of Thursday evening, Oct. 23rd, at 7 PM. The book of B'reisheet will be dealt with by 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. This event is in Hebrew.

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.

In the News: Memories of Begin

Yael Lotan, of Ha'aretz, wrote a reminiscence of her childhood in which Menachem Begin was mentioned. She relates his election as commander of the Irgun:
"When Begin arrived in Mandate Palestine, he was a veteran in the Beitar Movement, and it was only natural for him to be in contact with my father, Binyamin (Benno) Lubotsky, a central figure in the movement at the time.
The commander of the Etzel underground then was Yaakov Meridor, but he … wanted to step down. One night, the heads of the movement met at our house in order to choose whom to appoint in his place. … That night (in August 1942, according to my father's memoirs), they decided to appoint Menachem Begin as commander of Etzel, in place of Meridor. At the end of the meeting, my father accompanied the members as they left. Once outside, someone suggested they go raise a glass (perhaps at Fink's, the legendary bar?)…"
Please visit our blog to read the rest of the article:
http://begincenterdiary.blogspot.com/2008/10/recalling-menachem-begin.html

From the Pages of History

October 6 was the 27th anniversary of President Anwar Sadat's assassination. Menachem Begin held their friendship in great respect and he made an extraordinary effort to be present at the funeral which fell on a Saturday, the Sabbath. Begin made special arrangements to honor both the Sabbath and his friend with whom he signed Israel's first peace treaty with an Arab country. Jehan Sadat, the widow of Anwar Sadat, said of Begin:
"I will never forget how Prime Minister Menachem Begin came to Cairo for the funeral of my husband. It was on Saturday and it was hot, and Menachem Begin insisted on walking the entire way on foot [from the hotel to the funeral] because of the holiness of the Sabbath. That won over my heart."

Sia'h v'Sig Tournament at the Center

Last week, eighteen students of Sia'h v'Sig—Israel's Debate Society—competed before nine judges last week to finalize the team that will be sent by Israel to international debate competitions in the upcoming months. Students came prepared for one debate and were given one hour to prepare their positions for their second debate. The winners will compete against other high-schoolers in international competitions in Canada and Europe, with the most important competition to be held in Athens. The Begin Center, in the past, has cooperated on various projects of the society connected to art of rhetoric, in the spirit of Menachem Begin's well-known eloquence.

Visitor Comments

"Powerful memories of 30 years ago when I was Mr. Begin's close friend and physician at Hadassah Hospital. His words and work toward peace still fill my heart and memories. With this kind of leadership, peace could be ours even today." – Israel

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 www.begincenter.org.il

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 53, Vol. 4

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 4, Issue 53
October 7, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 441,046

Goodbye, Harry

The funeral of the founder of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and the President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, Harry Hurwitz, took place on Friday, Oct. 3 at the Har Tamir section of the Har Menuchot Cemetery in the area reserved for members of the Irgun Tzvai Leumi.
In the presence of his family, his wife, Freda, son, Hillel, daughter-in-law Jennifer, grandchildren Nirit, Ilan and Sharon and her husband, Jay, together with hundreds of friends, comrades, admirers and fellow workers, the traditional Jewish service was conducted with decorum and respect.
The ceremony was introduced by Yosef Wittelson, a fomer Irgun fighter imprisoned at British detainee camps in Africa. He recalled Harry’s aid with others of the Revisionist Movement in South Africa on their behalf.
Former Defense Minister and Foreign Minister Moshe Arens, former Speaker of the Knesset MK Reuven Rivlin, Dr. Beny Begin, son of Menachem Begin and MK Benjamin Netanyahu, Likud Chairman and Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center eulogized Harry at the service. In addition, Dr. Hillel Hurwitz and Nirit Hurwitz spoke on behalf of the family. Moshe Arens said that in his work with Harry at the Israel Embassy in Washington DC, Harry was a tremendous help in public diplomacy efforts because of his broad knowledge and excellent speaking skills. MK Binyamin Netanyahu praised Harry's efforts in building the Begin Center and marveled at his fundraising ability. MK Reuven Rivlin said that Harry's life effort was Zionism and the Begin Center was the crowning achievement. He mentioned a conversation they had regarding the fact that he came from a family that immigrated to Israel 200 years ago, but he felt that Harry had an advantage over him, because Harry had to make the decision to leave the land he grew up in—in essence living the dream of Zionism—whereas he was born here, never having had the experience of having to choose Zionist ideals. Dr. Beny Begin said that only a person who had a complete belief in the justice of his cause could speak so convincingly of his cause and that describes Harry's devotion to Zionism and the land of Israel. Herzl Makov talked about his partnership of 10 years with Harry. He quoted the late Shmuel Katz, who wrote in a premature obituary, that "we lost a noble spirit." The Jerusalem Post published an obituary for Harry in 2001 by mistake and asked Shmuel Katz to write a few words. Makov said that the excellent tribute while premature at the time was true then, and is even more true today.
Dr. Hillel Hurwitz and Nirit Hurwitz spoke as representatives of the family. Dr. Hillel Hurwitz outlined Harry's life as a man and spoke of the loss of not only his father, but really of his best friend. Nirit Hurwitz said that as Harry's granddaughter, she knew very little about his work because when Harry was with the family, the family was the only thing that mattered and that today, she had lost the best grandfather.
All the speakers reminded everyone present that Harry lived a full life and gave himself totally to every endeavor. He was an active Zionist leader, a loyal supporter of Menachem Begin, a dynamic public speaker, a tireless fundraiser, a good friend, a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Each person that knew him had a special relationship with him feeling that Harry gave him or her the entirety of his attention. Each person counted himself or herself blessed to have known him.
After the traditional graveside ceremony, the members of Betar who were present sang the Betar Anthem.

Thank You to All who Sent Condolences

Thank you very much to all who sent condolences this week. They have been collected and will be presented to the family. Your kind wishes and thoughts are a tribute to Harry Hurwitz and his impact on many people around the world. May his memory be a blessing to us all.
Tributes and condolences can be sent to the Begin Center at 6 Nahon Street, Jerusalem, 94110, ISRAEL, or via email to ilanab@begincenter.org.il. Condolences can be sent to the family at HaNachal 4/2, Givat Tzarfatit, Jerusalem.

Shana Tova and G'mar Hatima Tova

We wish all our readers a Shana Tova, a G'mar Hatima Tova and a meaningful fast over Yom Kippur—a year of success, health and happiness for all of us and for Israel.
We also remind our readers that due to the holiday season the Bulletin may not be published every week.

Events Continue at the Begin Center

Reverend Robert Stearns celebrated his birthday at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. He was received by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center. Rev. Stearns expressed his commitment to the heritage of Menachem Begin and the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and promised to send his Israel Experience students, as well as missions from the US to the Begin Center.

In Memoriam

The Begin Center extends its condolences to Dov Shilansky on the passing of his wife Rachel. Mr. Shilansky was a former speaker of the Knesset, an Irgun commander in Italy and Germany, and came to Israel on the Altalena.

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Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 52, Vol. 4

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 4, Issue 52
October 7, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 440,625

Begin Center Founder Passes Away

Harry Zvi Hurwitz, Founder and President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, passed away on October 1. He worked a full day on Sunday and went to celebrate the Rosh Hashana holiday with his family. In the evening, he suffered a massive heart attack. Unfortunately, all attempts at resuscitation failed.
Harry Hurwitz was born in Latvia in 1924 and in 1934 his family arrived in South Africa. He grew up in the Betar Movement and assumed a leadership role having initiated many youth groups and activities, including Betar Camp. He became very active in the leadership of the Zionist Revisionist Organization and was for many years the editor of the Jewish Herald of Johannesburg. He was a well-known figure in the South African Jewish community.
Harry met Menachem Begin in 1946 in Tel Aviv when Begin was still leader of the Irgun and they maintained their personal friendship as well as their professional relationship until Begin's death in 1992. Harry spoke with Menachem Begin about making aliyah, but Begin told him that he still had much work to do in South Africa and that when he would be Prime Minister, he would call Harry to his government. And that was indeed what happened. In 1977, Menachem Begin assumed the premiership and called Harry the same day. On May 18, 1978, Harry and Freda Hurwitz arrived in Israel and three days later, Harry was at the Prime Minister's Office starting work.
During his years of service in Israel's government, he worked in the Prime Minister's Office as an advisor to Begin in External Information and World Jewry and he was stationed in Israel's embassy in the United States as the Minister of Information. After Begin left office, Harry continued to work with Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir as the advisor on World Jewry.
Harry was in South Africa when he heard about Menachem Begin's death. He announced on that very day that there would be established a Menachem Begin Heritage Center to remember the life, words and deeds of Menachem Begin. His vision was to create an institution similar to an American Presidential Library in Israel and he worked non-stop to fulfill that vision. In 1998, the Knesset passed the Begin Commemoration Law paving the way for the creation of a Heritage Center and the following year, the Foundation Stone was laid. The Menachem Begin Heritage Center was officially opened on June 16, 2004. Harry was at his desk every day working to ensure the Menachem Begin Heritage Center's continuation from generation to generation.
Apart from establishing the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Harry also wrote a book about Menachem Begin, Begin: His Life, Words and Deeds, that is in its third edition.
He is survived by his wife Freda, his son Hillel and his daughter-in-law Jennifer, his grandchildren Nirit, Ilan and Sharon and her husband Jay, and his two great-grandsons, Boaz and Eitan.
The funeral will be in Jerusalem at Har Hamenuchot Cemetery at 11:00AM on Friday October 3. The shiva will be at the Hurwitz home at Hanachal 4/2 in Givat Tzarfatit in Jerusalem. Condolences may be sent there or to the Begin Center.
His guiding hand, his words of wisdom and his tireless work will be deeply missed by everyone at the Center. His generous spirit, his warm laugh and his dedication to his family and everyone he loved will be missed by all.

Herzl Makov
Chairman
Menachem Begin Heritage Center

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Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 51, Vol. 4

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 4, Issue 51
September 29, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 440,625

Dear Friends,

For the first time, we are unable to send the regular bulletin because of the holidays falling in the middle of the weeks to follow. We will try to inform you of any important events, if they occur.

In the meantime, we send you the schedule of museum hours during the holiday season from Monday 29 September to 22 October. Anyone wishing to visit the museum during the Chol HaMoed days or other intermediary days is strongly urged to make reservations at: (972) 2 565 2020 or (972) 2 565 2011 or by email: offices@begincenter.org.il

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center ends the year תשס''ח on an unanticipated high note of numbers and activities.

Shana tova to all of you! May we all be granted good health and strength to continue our most important national task.

Herzl Makov Harry Hurwitz

Chairman Founder and President
Menachem Begin Heritage Center Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation

Museum Hours for the Holidays

September 29----- Erev Rosh Hashana----- closed
September 30 -----Rosh Hashana -----closed
October 1 -----Rosh Hashana 2nd Day -----closed
October 8 -----Erev Yom Kippur -----closed
October 9 -----Yom Kippur -----closed
October 13 -----Erev Sukkot -----9:00am to 12:30 last tour
October 14 -----Sukkot -----closed
October 15, 16, 19 -----Chol HaMoed -----9:00am to 7:00pm
October 20 -----Hoshana Raba -----9:00am to 12:30 last tour
October 21 -----Shmini Atzeret/Simhat Torah -----closed
October 22 -----Regular Hours…

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Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 50, Vol. 4

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 4, Issue 50
September 25, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 440,131

This is the new impressive wall in the Olive Tree entrance foyer of the Begin Center. The likeness of Menachem Begin was sculpted in a new method by the well-known architect Prof. Harry Brand, who was present at the unveiling with his wife Evelyn and their family. A number of VIPs were specially invited.
In brief remarks, Brand gave the background of this work which he was happy to present to the Begin Center, who in turn decided to place it where it now is.
The Hebrew is a quote from a statement by Menachem Begin which says: "Not by the right of might have we returned to the land of our forefathers but we have returned by the might of right…And therein, all its inhabitants, the citizen as well as the resident, will live in freedom and justice, in solidarity and peace."

30 Years Since Camp David
Symposium Launched at Begin Center

The Camp David symposium got off to an auspicious opening at the Begin Center on Monday night and continued through Tuesday at the Bar Ilan University.
Israel's 5th President, Yitzhak Navon, recalled in his fascinating remarks in Hebrew, Arabic and English, that even though he was not in Camp David he had a number of important and interesting discussions with President Sadat in Israel and in Egypt. He also recalled his conversations with Prime Minister Menachem Begin before and after Camp David and in the subsequent years and recounted several meetings with President Carter.
As an historian and man of history and literature, he cited a number of appropriate Arab songs and poems to illustrate the points he was making. President Navon urged Israel to continue the pursuit of peace, now and at all times.
Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, who had been at Camp David as one of the legal advisors and assistants to Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, stressed the main issues confronting the Israel delegation and recalled a number of humorous episodes. He spoke glowingly of the role of Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat, both strong and resolute leaders who, despite all the difficulties, were determined to end the state of war between the two countries.
Prof. Shmuel Sandler, of the Bar Ilan University, apologized for the absence of its president Moshe Kaveh and read the speech he had intended to deliver, supplementing it with his own emotions and reactions to Sadat's visit to Israel, the Camp David talks and their conclusions. He paid warm tribute to Prime Minister Begin.
In opening the proceedings, Harry Hurwitz, the Founder of the Begin Center and President of the Foundation, welcomed the distinguished guests and recalled a telephone conversation he received from Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Washington, DC during Camp David. The call was intended also to be heard by those in Camp David who were listening into Begin's conversations in order to determine his intentions.
When it came to the question of Jerusalem, Prime Minister Begin refused to discuss the subject and when asked to reconsider, he told the moving story of Rabbi Amnon of Meintz which is printed in every Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur machzor to describe the author of the famous prayer Unetanah Tokef.
Later when Begin came out of Camp David and appeared before 2,000 Jews in Washington, DC he proclaimed: "I am happy to greet you in Washington, DC to bring you greetings from Jerusalem, DC. You all know what D.C. stands for—District of Columbia. Jerusalem DC stands for Jerusalem, David's City."
"To this moment I still hear the outburst of applause of the large audience when they heard Menachem Begin's declaration of faith in the Holy Eternal City, Jerusalem," Hurwitz concluded.
The Master of Ceremonies of the event was Moshe Fuksman-Sha'al, Deputy Chairman of the Begin Center, who conducted the program in a wonderful way, with appropriate quotations from Begin and about Begin.
Short musical interludes were provided by Yonatan Niv, cello, Yoel Tayeb, guitar.

Events Fill the Center

This past Tuesday evening the Commander of the Central Front of the IDF met with officers under his command in the Begin Center to bid farewell to one of the officers and the celebrate the forthcoming High Holy Day season.
Later in the week the Reuben Hecht Auditorium was filled by a large number of young women soldiers and their parents at the conclusion of a course in which they had all participated.

Visitor Comments

"The Begin Museum pays tribute to the man and his accomplishments. He deserves such a place as this. We enjoyed the tour very much." – Israel

"There should be more men like this one—Menachem Begin, my leader." – Israel

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Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 49, Vol. 4

Menachem Begin
Heritage Center, Jerusalem
Volume 4, Issue 49
September 17, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 437,533

30 Years Since Camp David

1978: Camp David Ends, Begin Reports to Knesset

After 12 days in Camp David, Maryland, near Washington, DC, Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Israel's team were at last fee to leave and complete their journey in the US and then return to Israel. At first, Mr. Begin thought that the whole process would take three to four days, but it was not to be. The discussion between the Prime Minister and President Anwar Sadat under the patronage of the American President continued, broke down, and were resumed until an agreement was reached.
After his return to Israel, the Prime Minister made a comprehensive statement to the Knesset in which he said:
"I bring to the Knesset, and through it to the nation, the message of the establishment of peace with the strongest and largest of the Arab states; and, in the course of time, inevitably, with all our neighbors."
And Mr. Begin thanked the members of his team:
"We worked in the spirit of a team regarding every meeting between ourselves and the American delegation or every conversation between one of our members and a member of the Egyptian delegation. We would meet - whether it was day or night - for joint consultation; and each member of the delegation, without difference of status or rank, expressed his opinion freely, and everyone tried to take into consideration the view of his fellow-delegation member. Of this team, I shall say, simply: Well done.
The critical importance of the agreement with Egypt lies in the fact that this time we undertook to sign a peace treaty. No more partial agreements. No more interim agreements - in which the state of war remains as it was. But a peace treaty, which, in line with the known international models, generally opens with the following sentence: "The state of war between the two countries has come to an end." This is the difference - one of major importance. It means complete normalization of relations, including the establishment of diplomatic relations, an end to economic boycott, free movement of people and goods.
Experts on security assert and confirm that we have attained sufficient and satisfactory security conditions for the State of Israel, by laying down demilitarized zones, areas of thinned out forces and early-warning facilities."

* * * * *
Major Interviews in Yediot Ahronot

Four members of the Israel team at Camp David participated in a wide-ranging interview which the Yediot Ahronot (the largest Hebrew language daily newspaper) published in last Friday's edition. The participants were Judge Elyakim Rubinstein of Israel's Supreme Court, who was the assistant to Foreign Minister Dayan; Advocate Meir Rosenne, who was legal advisor to the Foreign Ministry; Gen. (ret.) Avraham "Abrasha" Tamir of the Ministry of Defense; and Mr. Dan Pattir, the Prime Minister's spokesman.
They all discussed the main issues at Camp David and cited some interesting and fascinating moments during the 12 days.
The main point stressed by Judge Rubenstein and endorsed by the others was that in the 60 years of Israel's existence, the first thirty years were characterized by war and bloodshed, especially with Egypt, and the second thirty year period, up to this time, was free of such major conflicts. "This represents a major change in Israel's status in the Middle East."

* * * * *

As reported last week, the Camp David meeting, discussions and break through will be the theme of the two-day symposium which the Menachem Begin Heritage Center is holding together with the Bar Ilan University on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 September.
The opening session, which will be at the Begin Center on Monday night, commences at 7:00pm. The following day there will be three discussion periods at the Bar Ilan University.
As seats are limited in both places, early reservations are strongly advised. Please call 02-565-2020 or email offices@begincenter.org.il.

60 Years Since IZL Entry into Army

A very unusual event will take place in the Begin Center on Tuesday evening, September 23, when the veterans of the Irgun Zvai Leumi will hold a ceremony to mark 60 years after the disbandment of the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the entry of its members, as units and individuals, into the army of Israel.
There are not many of these veterans left but those who are will receive an appropriate certificate to mark the occasion.
The ceremony will commence with greetings by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and Dr. Ephraim Even, Chairman of the Irgun Veterans Organization.
Addresses will be given by veteran Irgun commander Yitzhak Avinoam and Prof. Yehuda Lapidot.
There will be appropriate songs during the evening. The event is organized by Yehoshua Lendner of the Irgun veterans in Jerusalem.

Mazal Tov

The wedding of Dorit, daughter of Orna and Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, to Ariel, son of Michal and Yitzhak Gispan, took place on Sunday night at the Events Garden at Tel Gezer. It was a happy, warm occasion for family and guests.
We extend our hearty Mazal Tov to the young couple and to their families.

Visitor Comments

"Very well done!" Mt. Kisco, New York, USA
"Very moving and beautiful!" Brooklyn, New York, USA

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The Menachem Begin Heritage Center
6 Nahon Street Jerusalem 94110 ISRAEL
972 (2) 565-2020; Fax: 972 (2) 565-2010

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