Center Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 19

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 19 | 26 February 2009


TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 473,427


WHY THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, NOT MT. HERZL?

Next week, the Begin Center will be marking the 17th yahrtzeit of Menachem Begin's passing in 1992. The graveside service will take place on Sunday, March 1, one day after the Hebrew date, 4 Adar.

Menachem Begin is not buried in the state-sanctioned plots on Mt. Herzl but, per his request, in the Mt. of Olives cemetery that has been in use by the Jewish people for over 2000 years. He was buried there on his strict instructions as conveyed in the following note he presented to his secretary, Yechiel Kadishai, which we reproduce from the Center Archives



and which reads, in translation:

>"My dear Yechiel,
When the time comes, please read to my beloved ones, family, friends and companions, the following request:
'I wish that I be interred on the Mount of Olives, next to Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barzani, and I thank you and all those who ensure that my wishes be carried out.'
Yours, in love,
Menachem Begin"

Meir Feinstein was an Irgun combatant who participated in several dangerous resistance operations. During the attack on the Jerusalem railway station in October 1946, he was shot in the arm but still managed to drive the retreating fighters to safety. Captured, his arm was amputated. Moshe Barazani was a member of the Lechi and was captured on Jerusalem's HaTurim Street in March 1947 just before he was to attack the convoy of the 9th Divisional Commander. Both were sentenced to hang but blew themselves up just prior to the carrying out of the sentence in the Central prison in the Russian Compound. They were 19 years old at the time of their deaths.

In his famous Kikar Malchei Yisrael speech, known as the "Tzachtzachim Speech", so-called because of the disparaging remarks made by entertainer Dudu Topaz against the military bravery of members of Herut and Likud at a Labour party rally there the previous evening, Begin, in an impassioned and obviously emotional section of his remarks, recalled the example of Feinstein and Barzani, one an Ashkenazi and the other, Sephardi, who, as Begin called out to the tens of thousands gathered in the square, were: "Jews! Brothers! Fighters!"

It can be assumed that their sacrifice and example of courage was the influence on his decision to select his grave to be near their final resting-place.


Upcoming Event for the commemoration of Menachem Begin's 17th yahrzeit:
1 March 2009
Yarzheit of Menachem Begin
5:30pm at the Begin Center
The Begin Center will be holding a commemoration event in the evening that includes a multi-media presentation in conjunction with Nahum Heyman who will lead sing-alongs with audience participation.
This event is in Hebrew and is open to the public.


MAZAL TOV

To Bobby Brown, formerly of the Jewish Agency and now affiliated with the Lillian Jean Kaplan Foundation, the philanthropic organization of Guma Aguiar, CEO and Vice Chairman of Leor Energy, as well as a member of the International Board of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation. He was extensively interviewed in the Jerusalem Post recently by Ruthie Blum. May he have many more such interviews.


CONDOLENCES

To Yuval Bar-Or, a member of the Begin Center staff, whose father died from a sudden heart attack. We send our deepest condolences and hope that his family knows no more sorrow.


VISITORS

Both the President of the US Friends of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, Hart Hasten, and the President of the Canadian Friends of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, Shoel Silver, visited the Begin Center this week and were briefed about the new programs and activities of the Begin Center. They were both in Jerusalem for the Jewish Agency Board of Governors meetings.

A delegation from the American Cultural Center and the US Embassy in Israel visited the Begin Center to ascertain the feasibility of a high level diplomat to visit the Center in the very near future. Although the visit will not be taking place, we are pleased that the Center is thought of as a high-profile location for distinguished visitors.


UPCOMING EVENTS

3 March 2009
Thinking after the Holocaust: Voices from Poland and Israel
5:00pm at the Begin Center
Co-sponsored with the World Jewish Congress Research Institute, this is a conference about Jewish life after the Holocaust, with Dr. Sebastian Rejak, Bureau for Polish–Jewish Relations, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Rabbi Sam Kassin, Dean Shenbar Sephardic Center, Jerusalem; and Prof. Daniel Grinberg, Prof. of History, University of Bialystok

This event is in Hebrew and reservations must be made to institute@wjc.co.il (click on the email address to send an email to reserve a place).

On 30 Years to the Peace Treaty

The Jerusalem Post's editorial - Countdown to 30 - on Feb. 24, 2009:


In a month's time, Egypt and Israel will mark 30 years since the signing of our peace treaty. Israel staged a phased withdrawal from the Sinai following the 1979 accord, giving up strategic depth, vital airspace, military bases, newly discovered oil fields and control of the Straits of Tiran - the gateway to Eilat. From the Israeli perspective, Israel gave - Egypt took. And peace was established.

But Egypt paid a stiff price for being the first Arab country to make peace with Israel. It was ostracized by the Arab world and vilified by Iran's newly installed Muslim fanatics. Anwar Sadat, assassinated in October 1981 by al-Qaida's precursors, didn't live to see the final Israeli pullback from Yamit in April 1982.

Israelis never fully appreciated, or perhaps wrongly discounted as lip service, the importance Sadat placed on a resolution of the Palestinian problem, linking it to progress on bilateral relations. "Even if peace between all the confrontation states and Israel were achieved," Sadat told the Knesset, "in the absence of a just solution of the Palestinian problem - never will there be that durable and just peace upon which the entire world insists…"

Sadat vaguely embraced Menachem Begin's proposal of autonomy, but the Palestinians brushed it aside, faithful to the principle of never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity. They have spared no effort since to undermine Cairo-Jerusalem relations.

Neither Begin nor Sadat set out to construct a cold peace. Perhaps, along with the disappointments on both sides, the weeks leading up to the anniversary could be used to reflect on what has been achieved - against all odds.

THERE IS much that Israelis do not understand about Egyptian policy. We never understood why, in 2000, Hosni Mubarak opposed an international administration for the Temple Mount, warning Yasser Arafat not to "give up sovereignty over Al-Haram al-Sharif."

We never really understood Egypt's lackadaisical attitude to Hamas's weapons smuggling - though by limiting the number of troops permitted along the border, the treaty does complicate Cairo's efforts to secure the Philadelphi Corridor. But even with technical support now from the US and Europe, weapons flow practically unabated.

We do not understand why Egypt is pushing a Gaza cease-fire that would further strengthen Hamas, while leaving Gilad Schalit in its clutches. But Egypt must be equally befuddled by Israel's decision to pummel Gaza for three weeks - even as Cairo explicitly blamed Hamas for instigating the violence - only to declare a unilateral cease-fire that left the Islamists emboldened.

We do not understand why Cairo refuses to allow a genuinely controlled but open border between the Strip and Sinai, stopping guns and bad guys but allowing everything else; or why it opposes port facilities in northern Sinai that could benefit Egyptians and Palestinians alike. In the long run, such a move would foster Palestinian self-determination.

Egypt is again trying to foster reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah. But Palestinian unity predicated on Hamas's maximalist demands hardly salvages what is admittedly a bad situation. Why doesn't Egypt condition its efforts on Hamas meeting the demands of the international community to renounce violence, recognize Israel and abide by agreements signed by the Palestinian leadership?

Israelis can appreciate that Egypt's frosty policy toward our country is influenced by a complex set of foreign and domestic factors. Yet we don't understand why, in international forums, Egypt occasionally leads the charge against Israel; why, at home, state-controlled media sometimes promotes stereotyping of Jews.

When a rudimentary bomb went off in Islamic Cairo on Sunday, killing a French tourist, the reverberations were felt in Jerusalem. We were troubled that some ascribed the attack to "frustration" over Egypt's supposedly ineffective response to "Israel's devastating offensive in Gaza"; and that Iran's condemnation of the bombing "as serving Zionist interests" was taken at face value.

Our criticism notwithstanding, the survivability of the regime the now-octogenarian Hosni Mubarak established is a strategic Israeli interest. Egyptian war games in the Sinai earlier this month drew little comment because Mubarak's men are in command. We were delighted by the release from prison of opposition leader Ayman Nour. Yet we know that democratization absent essential institution-building and the right kind of political socialization is catastrophic.

Preliminary judgment: Thirty years of fraught relations trumps the previous 30 years of bellicosity.

Recalling Camp David in Research

From a book review of A World of Trouble The White House and the Middle East - from the Cold War to the War on Terror, by Patrick Tyler | Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 640 pages:

Tyler also gives a good account of the Camp David negotiations that led to Israel's peace treaty with Egypt, and describes how the final late-night session before the agreement was reached would end up haunting Jimmy Carter. The president thought Menachem Begin had pledged to suspend settlement construction in the West Bank indefinitely, whereas Begin afterward said he had agreed only to a fairly insignificant three-month moratorium.

Odd Historical Facts

Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat flew VH-3D helicopters to Camp David on their way to negotiating the historic peace accord between their two countries in 1978.

Source

Leonard Fein Recollects

Does not public criticism of Israel give aid and comfort to the enemy?

The unfortunate answer to that question is that it does. (I myself learned this somewhat painfully years ago, when I said some critical things about Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s settlement policy. The very first letter of commendation I received was from the Syrian ambassador to the United States. Ouch.) It is easy to be so fixated on the events of the day that we overlook — some of us — that Israel’s ill-wishers are very real, and will eagerly pounce on any confirmation of their view that Israel is evil — evil, hence illegitimate.

Source

Begin as a "Non-Person"

From Sarah Honig's column in the Jerusalem Post:

Deflecting attention from the issues via character assassination is very prevalent in our politics and certainly predates the state. Even before becoming Israel's first premier, David Ben-Gurion was already a master practitioner surpassed by none. He spoke of Ze'ev Jabotinsky as Vladimir Hitler - no less (for the attention of those pure souls among us who shudder at any Nazi-allusions). Ironically, Ben-Gurion was lots closer to Jabotinsky in no-nonsense realism than generally acknowledged and eventually ended up implementing the very policies which Jabotinsky presciently advocated - hence, perhaps, BG's psychological hang-ups.

When not branding Menachem Begin an abhorrent fascist, Ben-Gurion rendered him a non-person and referred only to "that man seated next to Dr. Bader." This isn't irrelevant ancient history. Ad hominem propaganda is endemic, if not genetic, to Israel's left-wing dialectics, where the merits of an opponent's assertions are sidestepped by besmirching him.

Center Bulletin, Nol. 5, No. 18

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin Vol. 5, No. 18 19 February 2009

TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 472,769 (as of Feb. 22)


4TH ANNUAL "ELITZUR" LECTURE


The Annual Itzhak "Elitzur" Friedman Lecture honoring Young Heroes, sponsored by the Friedman Family in conjunction with the Begin Center, took place this week in the Reuben Hecht Auditorium. The evening was emceed by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, who opened the evening with a few words about the importance of bringing to light all the stories of history to eventually arrive at a whole truth. Dr. Jonathan Friedman spoke on behalf of the Friedman family and said a few words about his father, Elitzur's, involvement in Czech Betar and their activities to prepare Jews in Europe for life in Israel.







Prof. Moshe Arens spoke in English about his recent research work regarding the Betar's involvement in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. He gave a brief historical background to the events in the Warsaw Ghetto mentioning that even in those harsh and dangerous times within the walls of the ghetto, the two political movements could not come to an agreement about resistance or acquiescence. The narrative eventually leads to the final battle of the ghetto, the Battle of the Flags. It is called the Battle of the Flags because at the height of the fighting in Muranowska Square, the members of the Betar fighting group, went to the top of the tallest building and raised the flags of the Zionist movement (the blue and white flag) and the Polish flag, symbolizing that their spirit was not broken. Arens pointed out that this story is not well known because the authors of the history were from the other movements and chose not to mention that the Betar flag was flying during this final battle. "The Romans said veritas vincit—the truth conquers—and maybe my book will make some contribution to that goal," he said.

Last year, Arens was present at the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the battle of Muranowska Square which is a small step in regard to adjusting the public memory of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Prof. Aren's book has been published in Hebrew as Flags Above the Ghetto and is expected to be published in English soon.



AN EVENING TO COMMEMORATE "YAIR"


In a full Reuben Hecht Auditorium and overflow seating in the large seminar room, an evening dedicated to Avraham "Yair" Stern on the occasion of his 67th Yahrzeit was conducted on Wednesday, February 18. Initiated by former MK Geula Cohen and jointly sponsored by the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, the Uri Zvi Greenberg Heritage House and the Lechi Veterans' Organization, the nearly 400 persons were addressed by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, on the relationship between David Raziel and Avraham Stern, by Dr. Udi Lebel on the ethos of Yair amongst Israel's youth, by Yair Stern's son, his namesake, who spoke on his father's prophetic vision based on new documentary material that indicates that Great Britain signed an agreement with Syria in May 1945 to deny Jews a state and by Tovah Svorai who recounted the events of Yair's last day as she was with him in the apartment used as his hideout.

Shulamit Livant sang several underground songs and two short video clips on Yair and an interview with his widow, Roni, were shown.


HASBARA WORKSHOP AT THE CENTER


A group of 25 young women, students at the Lindenbaum Girls' Seminary, led by their instructor, Dr. Yitzhak Mansdorf, visited the Begin Center this past Tuesday. They are participating in a special Hasbara workshop and came to the Begin Museum specifically to observe historical footage of Menachem Begin in action—analyzing his speaking style, his method of communication and vocabulary—after which, Yisrael Medad, Director of Information Resources, addressed them on issues of explaining Israel's case. Medad placed emphasis both on the knowledge needed and the unique ability to make a successful media appearance so that Israel's message can be communicated effectively.


A BUSY WEEK IN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT


This week the Education Department utilized the full force of their variety of programs. There was a Junior Knesset workshop in Spanish for students from Uruguay participating in long-term programs in Israel and a full day of leadership workshops for Golani soldiers and another workshop for the police. In addition, the process is starting for the Begin Center to interview potential candidates for National Service girls for the next year.


UPCOMING EVENTS


1 March 2009
Yarzheit of Menachem Begin
5:30pm at the Begin Center
This year marks 17 years since Menachem Begin passed away. The Begin Center will be holding a commemoration event in the evening that includes a multi-media presentation in conjunction with Nahum Heyman who will lead sing-alongs with audience participation.
This event is in Hebrew and is open to the public.

3 March 2009
Thinking after the Holocaust: Voices from Poland and Israel
5:00pm at the Begin Center
Co-sponsored with the World Jewish Congress Research Institute, this is a conference about Jewish life after the Holocaust, with Dr. Sebastian Rejak, Bureau for Polish–Jewish Relations, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Rabbi Sam Kassin, Dean Shenbar Sephardic Center, Jerusalem; and Prof. Daniel Grinberg, Prof. of History, University of Bialystok
This event is in Hebrew and reservations must be made to institute@wjc.co.il (click on the email address to send an email to reserve a place).