TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 461,569
A BUSY DECEMBER
The eight days of Chanukah were a very busy time at the Begin Center with major events with hundreds of people attending and 1,468 people who entered the museum over the eight-day period (6.5 days of the Center and museum being open)—some of the days of Chanukah, every single tour of the day was full.
Dr. Reuven Or (left) receives the prize from Moshe Nissim (center) and Yechiel Kadishai (right):
Harold "Smoky" Simon (center) receives a certificate of honor from Moshe Nissim and Yechiel Kadishai:
Prof. Moshe Arens (left) receives a certificate of honor from Moshe Nissim and Yechiel Kadishai:
Moshe Fuksman-Sha'al (left), Herzl Makov (center) and Freda Hurwitz (right) at the Scholarship Awards Ceremony:
Avivit Mahatsri, recipient of the I.H. Asper Scholarship speaks on behalf of all the recipients:
Dr. Harel Doron gave a short presentation about his scholarship-winning work, "The New Rabbis in the National Religious Camp":
HE Valeria Stoica Ambassador of Romania (left) in Israel visited with Herzl Makov, Head of the MBHC:
BUILDING OUR RESEARCH CAPABILITIES
Two new academic research articles have recently been published which were acquired for the Begin Center Library. The first is British Intelligence and the Mandate of Palestine: Threats to British National Security Immediately After the Second World War by Calder Walton and the second is British Intelligence and the Jewish Resistance Movement in the Palestine Mandate, 1945-46 by Steven Wagner. Both appeared in Intelligence and National Security, Volume 23, Issue 4 August 2008.
These articles have made use of recently released files previously unavailable to researchers and provide a wealth of information and we are sure visitors and students to the Hasten Family Library will be able to produce better studies of that period now that we possess these articles. We are aware that many similar papers are being published or presented at academic conferences and are making efforts to obtain them so that our information and resource units can provide the public all they need.
JUNIOR KNESSET IN SPANISH
The Education Department of the Begin Center has recently launched an abbreviated version of the Junior Knesset program as an hour and a half workshop for young people who are visiting the country on Birthright-type trips or participating in other MASA programs.
This week, a several groups from Argentina participated in the program. The original workshop format is in English and the suggested program allows participants to take on the major roles in the Knesset in order to pass a law.
We hope to see this program expand to other languages and to other groups.
OUR CONDOLENCES
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center extends its condolences to former Likud MK Amal Nasr'aldin (1977-1988) of the Druze community on the loss of his grandson, Lutfi, who, as a reserve soldier, was the IDF's first casualty in the current Gaza "Cast Lead" Operation. Amal Nasr'aldin has visited the Center several times and initiated the publication, in Arabic with Hebrew translation, of a book on Menachem Begin as well as hosting a Begin Center event in Daliyat Al-Carmel. Lutfi was killed when his army camp was bombarded by Hamas rockets on December 29th.
MAZAL TOV
To Dafna Shkedi of the Begin Center who was awarded this year's prize for Outstanding Employee. Dafna is in charge of the museum operations, in which she oversees the guides' training, deals with technical issues and adjustments in the museum and coordinates the activities to ensure our visitors have a good museum experience, from reservation to exit from the Jerusalem Elevator.
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Yisrael Medad, Director of the Begin Center Information & Educational Resources Unit, was invited to participate in a Political Science departmental seminar at the Hebrew University at which Dr. Chares Demetriou presented a paper on Political Violence and Legitimation: The Episode of Colonial Cyprus. In the ensuing discussion, Demetriou expressed interest to further learn of the history of the Irgun within an academic comparative framework. It is Medad's intention to expand the Center's academic research connections in the field of study of National Liberation Movements.
VISITORS
A few of our friends from Canada stopped by the Begin Center this week. Moe Levy from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, representing the Asper Foundation stopped by with Shai Abramson, the Asper Foundation representative in Israel. Lou and Dvora Silver of Toronto also stopped by.
From the US—though originally from South Africa—Abraham and Taubene Hoppenstein visited the Center as well.