Center Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 34

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin, Jerusalem | Vol. 5, No. 34, June 18, 2009


TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 497,692


EVENTS

On Sunday evening, June 14, the World Jewish Congress Research Institute, in cooperation with the Begin Center, conducted a seminar on “Reevaluating America and the Shoah”. Greetings were made by Matityahu Droblas, Co-chairman, World Jewish Congress–Israel and Herzl Makov. Dr. Rafael Medoff, Director, David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, Washington, DC spoke on "Abandonment and Rescue: American Christian and Jewish Responses to the Shoah" and Dr. Ofer Schiff, Head of the Israel Studies Program, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva spoke on "Abba Hillel Silver: An American Zionist Leader and the Shoah". (Pictures here)

On Wednesday afternoon, June 17, the Professors for A Strong Israel held their Annual General Meeting which included presentations of Israel’s Academic Monitor as well as a lecture by physicist Nahum Shahaf on his investigation, as requested by Daliah Rabin, on the murder of her father.

That same Wednesday evening, Bnai Brith International conducted its annual Award for Journalism Recognizing Excellence in Diaspora Reportage for 2009. The award winner was Jacky Hugi of Ma’ariv. A Certificate of Merit was given to Haviv Rettig Gur of the Jerusalem Post and the Lifetime Achievement went to Dov Judkowski. Introductory Remarks: Dr. Haim V. Katz, Adv., Chairman, B'nai B'rith World Center. Guest lecture was delivered by François Zimeray, French Ambassador for Human Rights on “Reconciling Human Rights Standards of the 20th Century with the Age of War and Terrorism”.

Senior Begin Center staff are planning for two notable future events, Menachem Begin's birthday close to Shabbat Nachamu at the end of July and the marking of the Center's 5th anniversary since its opening at the end of August.


ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE AND GUIDANCE

IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING LIBRARY AND ARCHIVAL RESEARCH FACILITIES, STAFF OF THE BEGIN CENTER ARE AUTHORIZED BY THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION TO SERVE AS COUNSELORS FOR HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS WHO ARE WRITING TERM PAPERS IN LIEU OF THE BAGRUT EXAMINATION IN HISTORY. EVERY YEAR, UP TO THREE 11TH AND 12TH GRADERS ARE PROVIDED WITH CLOSE ATTENTION ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE THEM TO FOCUS ON PROPER RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, OBTAINING INTERVIEWS AND BEING DIRECTED TO THE RELEVANT RESOURCES. SOME OF THE PUPILS HAVE MERITED AWARDS AND PRIZES FROM THE ZALMAN SHAZAR CENTER AS WELL AS THE JABOTINSKY INSTITUTE FOR THEIR ACADEMIC PRODUCTS.

THIS PAST WEEK WE WERE INFORMED THAT LIDOR BEN-HAMU, WHO WROTE A SEMINAR PAPER ON "THE IDEOLOGY OF LEHI - A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PERIOD PRIOR TO AND AFTER THE DEATH OF YAIR STERN", RECEIVED A GRADE OF 98 AND WE WISH HER MUCH SUCCESS IN HER FUTURE ENDEAVORS.


ARCHIVAL UPDATE

THE MENACHEM BEGIN HERITAGE CENTER, TOGETHER WITH THE JABOTINSKY INSTITUTE, HAS FINISHED THE DIGITATION PROCESS OF THE HERUT DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED BY THE HERUT MOVEMENT BETWEEN OCTOBER 1948 AND DECEMBER 1965. THIS INFORMATION TRANSFER FROM HARDCOPY TO COMPUTER-FRIENDLY WILL MARKEDLY INCREASE THE CENTER’S ABILITY TO SERVE RESEARCHERS AND TO LOCATE ARTICLES, NEWS STORIES AND OTHER JOURNALISTIC ELEMENTS SO THAT THE HISTORY AND THOUGHT OF MENACHEM BEGIN AS WELL AS HIS POLITICAL ACTIVITIES CAN BE TRACED AND INVESTIGATED.

Soon, the Revisionist daily, HaMashkif, will also be digitized with the assistance of the Central Zionist Archives.

A visitor submitted a picture of Menachem Begin visiting a Jewish day school in Columbia in 1949 and it can be viewed here.