April 23, 2008
Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 392,674
60 Years Since the Battle for Jaffa
In his book The Revolt, Menachem Begin recalled the tense days before the actual attack by the Irgun Zvai Leumi to liberate Jaffa. Just before the battle, Menachem Begin was filled with a sense of history and said that "perhaps for the first time in my life I suffered from acute stage fright. Most of the men did not know me except as a name and a symbol. There they stood line upon line, the rebels going out to battle with perfect faith. The hour was great. I said to them:
"Men of the Irgun! We are going out to conquer Jaffa. We are going into one of the decisive battles for the independence of Israel. Know who is before you, and remember whom you are leaving behind you. Before you is a cruel enemy who has risen to destroy us. Behind you are parents, brothers, children. Smite the enemy hard. Aim true. Save your ammunition. In battle show no more mercy to the enemy than he shows mercy to our people. But spare women and children. Whoever raises his hands in surrender has saved his life. You will not harm him. You will be led in the attack by Lieutenant Gideon. You have only one direction—forward."
On Thursday, 24 April, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in cooperation with the Etzel Museum, the Etzel Soldiers Veterans Union and the Museum Division of the Ministry of Defense will coordinate tours of Jaffa revisiting sites of the 1948 campaign. Tours will take place from 9:00am until 6:00pm. Pre-registration is required. Please call 03-517-2044 or 03-517-7180. Price for adults is 25 ₪ (discounts for students, age 8-18).
In the evening, at 7:30pm, a rally will take place at the Charles Clore Park on the beachfront between Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Speakers will include Rabbi Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Gen. (res.) Ya'acov Amidror and Prof. Moshe Arens.< /P>
Center Full for Chol HaMoed Pesach
As expected the Chol HaMoed Days of Pesach brought a large number of visitors to the Begin Center. Many of them are visitors from abroad and a variety of languages could be heard through the days. Some of the visitors had made their reservations from abroad. Persons in Israel or still abroad are strongly urged to make reservations if they wish to visit the museum. It has become one of the most popular attractions in Israel.
Ehud Danoch tours the Center
Ehud Danoch, who until recently was Israel's consul general in Los Angeles, visited the Menachem Begin Center last week and was given a tour of the museum and other features in the building by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Center.
During his term of office in Los Angeles, Mr. Danoch arranged a large public meeting in Los Angeles to commemorate Menachem Begin. The event attracted many prominent persons including a number of leaders in the movie industry.
He was very impressed by the Menachem Begin Commemoration Project and thought that the museum was an exceptional place for education and inspiration.
Lithuanian Ambassador Drops In
The Ambassador of Lithuania Asta Skaisgiryte Liauskiene had a meeting in the Begin Center last week with Prof. Gerald Steinberg, who will shortly be visiting Lithuania to deliver a number of lectures. She then called on Harry Hurwitz, the Founder and President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation and told him how much she enjoyed receiving the weekly news bulletin that keeps her up-to-date on events at the Center and the widespread admiration and respect for Menachem Begin.
In Memoriam
One of the top journalists of Israel Mr. Shalom Rosenfeld passed away at the age of 93 last week. Like so many other leading journalists in the country, he started his career in the Jabotinsky movement as a member of Betar and the Irgun Zvai Leumi and later became one of the founders and editors of the Ma'ariv daily newspaper. His articles on a whole variety of subjects were read and appreciated by several generations of readers of that newspaper.
He was laid to rest at the Nachalat Yitzhak cemetery in Tel Aviv.
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