■ CONGREGANTS AT Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue were in for a special treat on Friday for a Shabbat service that was slated to include a special liturgical recital by cantors Yechiel Nahari, Elchanan Mishmarti, Netanel Cohen, and Moshe Dweck.
The service was also set to include Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef, who is the third member of his family to hold this illustrious position, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, who is himself a singer and, during his army service, was a member of the IDF’s rabbinical choir.
As mayor, Lion visits some of the synagogues within walking distance of his home and is often invited to lead part of the service.
Despite political and military uncertainties, May is a festive month that nevertheless celebrates May Day, Lag Ba’omer, VE Day, Mother’s Day, Jerusalem Day, and Shavuot.
In addition, Israel’s Christian communities will mark Pentecost and Whit Monday. The nation’s Muslim community will celebrate Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice), and certain members of the Asian community living in Israel will celebrate Buddha Day.
As for VE Day, it happens to fall on this Friday and marks the 81st anniversary of the Allied Forces’ victory in Europe, signifying the end of the Second World War.
■ TAIWAN TREADS a very fine line diplomatically. Although its representative in Israel is a full-fledged ambassador, she is seldom referred to as such – and certainly not in the biweekly newsletter sent out by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv, in which she is referred to as “the representative.”
Other than having to work as “the representative” instead of “the ambassador,” Ya-Ping Abby Lee functions exactly as an ambassador would.
She paid a solidarity visit to Dimona and Arad after both cities were severely damaged by missile attacks.
Taiwan’s representative also visited Holocaust survivors to hear their stories and shared knowledge of Taiwan’s speedy response system in cooperation with United Hatzalah.
She attends conferences, enters into joint venture negotiations with universities, meets with members of the Knesset’s Israel-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group, and supervises the granting of visas to people wishing to travel to Taiwan.
And all this is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s really high time for Israel to enter into full diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which is supportive of Israel in international forums.
It’s time to look at those states in the Middle East and Asia that had the courage to form diplomatic ties with Israel, while risking the ire of neighboring states, and to look at those small countries in Asia, the Pacific, Africa, and the Caribbean that risked the wrath of China and established full diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Herzog is doing all that he can to leave a legacy
■ EVERY NATIONAL leader wants to leave a legacy. Troubled by the growing political, religious, and economic rifts in Israeli society, President Isaac Herzog has said he is doing all that he can to encourage the different segments of the population to focus more on their commonalities than their differences.
Herzog’s vision is, he said, for a shared society to be a reality by the time that Israel celebrates its 80th anniversary on May 1, 2028, which will be Herzog’s last before he completes his seven-year tenure in July.
Unlike the United States, where presidents can serve two consecutive four-year terms, Israel allows for only one seven-year term.
The last president to serve two five-year terms before the law was changed was Herzog’s father, Chaim Herzog.
On Wednesday, May 13, Herzog will host a conference at Teddy Hall in the Jerusalem International Convention Center, in conjunction with Time to Talk. This is an international parliamentary-style organization founded at Herzog’s initiative to promote Jewish unity and solidarity within Israel and the Diaspora.
In his introductory address, Herzog will refer to the mission of the founding generation of the state, which was to create it and to build it up.
Today’s generation, he will say, must guarantee a shared Israel of tomorrow. The conference will begin at 8 a.m. and will conclude at 4 p.m.
Throughout the day, there will be lectures and panel discussions on cardinal issues affecting the Jewish world, with at least one panel exploring Israel-Diaspora relations.
It’s not just Israel-Diaspora relations that are important; it’s also the countries with which Israel has diplomatic relations, regardless of whether or not those countries have Jewish communities.
Both Panama and Costa Rica, where Herzog spent much of this week, have vibrant Jewish communities.
At the Panama Independence Day celebrations in Jerusalem some six months ago, Ambassador Ezra Cohen announced that direct flights between Israel and Panama would soon begin.
To confirm that, Rami Levy, whose multifaceted business interests include Israir, a low-cost domestic and international airline, was sitting close to the ambassador in the front row.
However, Israir flights to Panama have not yet eventuated, and Herzog arrived in Panama via El Al. The first place he visited was the Panama Canal, which was apparently so hot that everyone, including the president, removed their suit jackets, and most also took off their ties.
■ NOT ONLY is Israel courting South and Central America and vice versa – the same applies to international Jewish organizations, some of which are headquartered in Israel but have branches in countries around the globe.
One such organization is WIZO – the Women’s International Zionist Organization, whose World president, Anat Vidor, has been honored.
The Buenos Aires City Legislature (Legislatura de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires) has awarded her with the title, “Distinguished Guest of the City of Buenos Aires.”
Vidor received the honor during her official visit to Argentina as a guest of the WIZO Argentina Federation, where she met with leaders of the local Jewish community and senior public figures.
The award was presented to her in a ceremony at the Legislative Palace by legislator Silvia Imas, in the presence of dignitaries from the Legislators of the City of Buenos Aires’ chamber, other public officials, and the presidents of AMIA and DAIA.
“This special recognition by the Legislators of the City of Buenos Aires’ chamber is deeply meaningful because it reflects the standing WIZO has built around the world over more than a century,” said Vidor.
Amalia Polak, the honorary president of WIZO Argentina, said: “This is the first time in history that someone from Israel, leading a Zionist organization, has received such an honor.”
“This recognition reflects the strong bond between Argentina, the Jewish community, and Israel, and sends an important message of solidarity and shared values between our communities,” she said.
■ IF HOPES for a peaceful relationship between Israel and Lebanon become a reality in the near future, the Galilee, which has suffered severely from Hezbollah attacks, will once more attract swimmers, hikers, and domestic and overseas tourists who want to visit a part of Israel that still exudes an old-world charm.
In readiness for such an eventuality, the Kinneret Association of Municipalities appointed Tiberias Mayor Yossi Nevea as its chairman and Yosef Ben-Yosef as its CEO.
Members of the association believe that once the security situation eases, the swimming season on the shores of the Sea of Galilee will go into full swing.
Nevea, who has served as Tiberias’ mayor since 2024, also serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Mei Reket water corporation.
He has previously held senior positions in a variety of enterprises. Among his former roles: CEO of the Tiberias Municipality, CEO of the Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Institutions in Tiberias, and director of Bezeq – The telecommunications company’s northern region.
For the past three years, Ben-Yosef served as VP of human resources at the University of Haifa.
Previous positions have his included: CEO of the Yavne’el Local Council and Cmdr. of the Tiberias Fire and Rescue Authority branch.
Ben Yosef holds a master’s degree in emergency management from the University of Haifa and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and humanities from the Open University.
He is also a graduate of the Mandel Center for Leadership in the North, and a graduate of an Interior Ministry’s CEO training course and a Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s director training course, to name a few.
Judging by the mini-biographies above, it would seem that some Israelis might highly underrate the people of the North.
■ MUCH IN demand lecturer Rabbi David Sabato, whose areas of expertise involve the Torah and the Talmud, and who teaches at yeshivas, synagogues, and universities, will, on Tuesday, May 12, deliver an address in Hebrew at the Hazvi Yisrael Synagogue on Hovevei Tzion Street in Jerusalem.
Sabato will share some insights from his upcoming book, Prophetic Revolutions: The Great Visions of the Biblical Prophets.
As Jerusalem figured frequently in Biblical prophecy, the topic: Enveloped in light – Isaiah’s Jerusalem from the beginning till the end of days’ coming just two days ahead of Jerusalem Day, is totally appropriate.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jerusalem Post or its affiliates.
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