REGULARS AT events hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon have a change of venue on Tuesday, March 18. Instead of getting together in the heart of Tel Aviv, they will be meeting at the Nala'agat Center Theater at the Jaffa Port, where they will see the documentary film The Seductive Allure of Peace: The J Street Challenge, featuring eminent legal expert Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz. As far as is known, this will be the first Israeli screening of the film which, in addition to Dershowitz, features distinguished scholars and writers from across the political spectrum. Among them are Prof. Ruth Wisse, Rabbi Daniel Gordis, Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick and Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens, a former editor-inchief of the Post. The film examines the rise of an activist organization, whose idealistic message appeals to many who are frustrated by the Middle East conflict and want peace between Arabs and Jews. Since it was founded in 2008, J Street has attracted controversy. Critics claim that J Street has divided the Jewish community and weakened American-Jewish support for Israel. J Street activists counter that it is their love for Israel and their fervent desire for peace that fuel their platform. A panel discussion will be held after the screening with the film's executive producer and director Ralph Avi Goldwasser, who is co-founder of The David Project and executive producer of other films, such as The Forgotten Refugees, Columbia Unbecoming and Northeastern Unbecoming. The event is being held in conjunction with StandWithUs. Advance registration is required. To reserve seats, contact AllureOfPeaceJStreetSalon. eventbrite.com. FOR 20 years, night owls tuning in just after midnight to Israel Radio in the aftermath of Thursday and the predawn period of Friday could hear Amnon Pe'er in spontaneous four- or fivehour jam sessions with anyone and everyone from Israel's entertainment industry. There were top stars and comparative newcomers all coming together in a sense of extended family, having fun with each other in a program called Laila Hai Me'od (a very lively night). Indeed, it always was. It was almost like a nonstop party, with people stopping by after a gig to loosen up at Studio 3 in the Israel Broadcasting Authority's Tel Aviv compound. Only a short time before Communications Minister Gilad Erdan officially announced that he would be putting the closure of the IBA into motion, Pe'er was informed that his services would no longer be required because he had reached retirement age. It was a cruel blow in that his 20th-anniversary program may have been his last. He could barely keep the tears out of his voice as he thanked people who had contributed to the program over the years, and paid tribute to entertainers who are no longer in the land of the living. Under ordinary circumstances, there would have been a protest, as there was when the IBA management tried to take the late Netiva Ben-Yehuda off the air. Management was persuaded to keep her on, and presumably something of a similar nature would have kept Pe'er on the air. He would not be the only retiree still broadcasting on a regular basis. Others include Israel Prize laureate Yaakov Ahimeir, Dan Kaner, Shmuel Shai, Moshik Timor and Yitzhak Noy. Like many well-known broadcasters, Pe'er came to Israel Radio from Army Radio, arriving in 1966 and working initially as a technician. His talents in front of the microphone were quickly discovered, and the rest is history. THE DAY may not be long in coming when Israeli men will be battling for equal rights. Appearing on the Politika program on Channel 1, Efrat Duvdevani, director-general of the President's Office, said that when a man and a woman with equal qualifications apply for a job, she is inclined to give it to the woman. Indeed, the majority of people in top-ranking positions in the President's Office are women. Women in even greater numbers are at the forefront of leadership in the Netanya Municipality, where Mayor Miriam Feirberg-Ikar has been in office since 1998 and is the first female elected mayor of Netanya. Feirberg-Ikar, like Duvdevani, says that if a man and a woman with the same qualifications apply for a job, the woman is more likely to get it. That would explain why 28 women are among the department heads, council members and advisers who meet almost daily with Feirberg- Ikar. Oh yes, spokesperson Shani Israeli-Pikholtz is also a woman. No other municipality in Israel can boast so high a female representation, though Beersheba, with seven councilwomen and 12 women in key positions at city hall, is catching up. There are only four women on the 31-member Jerusalem Municipal Council, compared to 11 on the 31-member Tel Aviv Municipal Council. THIS YEAR, beacon lighters for the start of Independence Day celebrations on Mount Herzl will all be women. The Culture Ministry has been flooded with hundreds of nominations. The choices are difficult, between women achievers and those who have made a breakthrough to become the first women in their respective roles. Among those who qualify in the latter category are Rivka Carmi, president of Ben-Gurion University, who was the first woman to be president of any university in Israel; Ruth Arnon, the first woman president of the Academy of Sciences and the Humanities; Jerusalem-born Ada Yonath, the first and so far only Israeli female Nobel Prize laureate; Karnit Flug, the first female governor of the Bank of Israel; Dorit Beinisch, the first female president of the Supreme Court; New York-born Naama Kelman, who in 1992 became the first woman rabbi in Israel, followed by Maya Leibovich, who in 1993 became the first Sabra woman rabbi in Israel; Dalia Itzik, the first female speaker of the Knesset; Brig.- Gen. (res.) Ruth Yaron, the first woman to head the IDF Spokesman's Unit; Maj. Oshrat Bechler, the first female officer to be appointed to take charge of a combat battalion, who is responsible for Southern Command on the Egyptian border; Dr. Orna Berry, the first woman to hold the position of chief scientist at the Economy Ministry when it was still the Industry and Trade Ministry; Yael Arad, who was not only the first woman but also the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal; and Tzipi Livni, the only justice minister to serve three nonconsecutive terms, and the first woman to hold the portfolio other than Golda Meir who, as prime minister in 1972, was a caretaker justice minister for three months. This is just a sample of women who have individually and collectively broken through the glass ceiling, and no doubt consideration will be given to others who may not have been the first in their fields but whose achievements are worth recognizing and honoring. REGULARS AT events hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon have a change of venue on Tuesday, March 18. Instead of getting together in the heart of Tel Aviv, they will be meeting at the Nala'agat Center Theater at the Jaffa Port, where they will see the documentary film The Seductive Allure of Peace: The J Street Challenge, featuring eminent legal expert Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz. As far as is known, this will be the first Israeli screening of the film which, in addition to Dershowitz, features distinguished scholars and writers from across the political spectrum. Among them are Prof. Ruth Wisse, Rabbi Daniel Gordis, Jerusalem Post columnist Caroline Glick and Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens, a former editor-inchief of the Post. The film examines the rise of an activist organization, whose idealistic message appeals to many who are frustrated by the Middle East conflict and want peace between Arabs and Jews. Since it was founded in 2008, J Street has attracted controversy. Critics claim that J Street has divided the Jewish community and weakened American-Jewish support for Israel. J Street activists counter that it is their love for Israel and their fervent desire for peace that fuel their platform. A panel discussion will be held after the screening with the film's executive producer and director Ralph Avi Goldwasser, who is co-founder of The David Project and executive producer of other films, such as The Forgotten Refugees, Columbia Unbecoming and Northeastern Unbecoming. The event is being held in conjunction with StandWithUs. Advance registration is required. To reserve seats, contact AllureOfPeaceJStreetSalon.eventbrite.com. FOR 20 years, night owls tuning in just after midnight to Israel Radio in the aftermath of Thursday and the predawn period of Friday could hear Amnon Pe'er in spontaneous four- or fivehour jam sessions with anyone and everyone from Israel's entertainment industry. There were top stars and comparative newcomers all coming together in a sense of extended family, having fun with each other in a program called Laila Hai Me'od (a very lively night). Indeed, it always was. It was almost like a nonstop party, with people stopping by after a gig to loosen up at Studio 3 in the Israel Broadcasting Authority's Tel Aviv compound. Only a short time before Communications Minister Gilad Erdan officially announced that he would be putting the closure of the IBA into motion, Pe'er was informed that his services would no longer be required because he had reached retirement age. It was a cruel blow in that his 20th-anniversary program may have been his last. He could barely keep the tears out of his voice as he thanked people who had contributed to the program over the years, and paid tribute to entertainers who are no longer in the land of the living. Under ordinary circumstances, there would have been a protest, as there was when the IBA management tried to take the late Netiva Ben-Yehuda off the air. Management was persuaded to keep her on, and presumably something of a similar nature would have kept Pe'er on the air. He would not be the only retiree still broadcasting on a regular basis. Others include Israel Prize laureate Yaakov Ahimeir, Dan Kaner, Shmuel Shai, Moshik Timor and Yitzhak Noy. Like many well-known broadcasters, Pe'er came to Israel Radio from Army Radio, arriving in 1966 and working initially as a technician. His talents in front of the microphone were quickly discovered, and the rest is history. THE DAY may not be long in coming when Israeli men will be battling for equal rights. Appearing on the Politika program on Channel 1, Efrat Duvdevani, director-general of the President's Office, said that when a man and a woman with equal qualifications apply for a job, she is inclined to give it to the woman. Indeed, the majority of people in top-ranking positions in the President's Office are women. Women in even greater numbers are at the forefront of leadership in the Netanya Municipality, where Mayor Miriam Feirberg-Ikar has been in office since 1998 and is the first female elected mayor of Netanya. Feirberg-Ikar, like Duvdevani, says that if a man and a woman with the same qualifications apply for a job, the woman is more likely to get it. That would explain why 28 women are among the department heads, council members and advisers who meet almost daily with Feirberg- Ikar. Oh yes, spokesperson Shani Israeli-Pikholtz is also a woman. No other municipality in Israel can boast so high a female representation, though Beersheba, with seven councilwomen and 12 women in key positions at city hall, is catching up. There are only four women on the 31-member Jerusalem Municipal Council, compared to 11 on the 31-member Tel Aviv Municipal Council. THIS YEAR, beacon lighters for the start of Independence Day celebrations on Mount Herzl will all be women. The Culture Ministry has been flooded with hundreds of nominations. The choices are difficult, between women achievers and those who have made a breakthrough to become the first women in their respective roles. Among those who qualify in the latter category are Rivka Carmi, president of Ben-Gurion University, who was the first woman to be president of any university in Israel; Ruth Arnon, the first woman president of the Academy of Sciences and the Humanities; Jerusalem-born Ada Yonath, the first and so far only Israeli female Nobel Prize laureate; Karnit Flug, the first female governor of the Bank of Israel; Dorit Beinisch, the first female president of the Supreme Court; New York-born Naama Kelman, who in 1992 became the first woman rabbi in Israel, followed by Maya Leibovich, who in 1993 became the first Sabra woman rabbi in Israel; Dalia Itzik, the first female speaker of the Knesset; Brig.- Gen. (res.) Ruth Yaron, the first woman to head the IDF Spokesman's Unit; Maj. Oshrat Bechler, the first female officer to be appointed to take charge of a combat battalion, who is responsible for Southern Command on the Egyptian border; Dr. Orna Berry, the first woman to hold the position of chief scientist at the Economy Ministry when it was still the Industry and Trade Ministry; Yael Arad, who was not only the first woman but also the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal; and Tzipi Livni, the only justice minister to serve three nonconsecutive terms, and the first woman to hold the portfolio other than Golda Meir who, as prime minister in 1972, was a caretaker justice minister for three months. This is just a sample of women who have individually and collectively broken through the glass ceiling, and no doubt consideration will be given to others who may not have been the first in their fields but whose achievements are worth recognizing and honoring. greerfc@gmail.com
