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).

Sons and Daughters

This most recent election campaign hghlighted children of famous leaders and, at times, the children highlighted their fathers:

In a jab at Foreign Minister and Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, [Benny] Begin mentioned his late father: "When we were kids, they taught us that you don't involve parents [in an argument], but I nevertheless decided to say this: When we made peace with Egypt, Menachem Begin taught us that when you need to return territory for peace you do so under certain conditions. But this same Menachem Begin also continued to enforce Israeli law and sovereignty in the Golan Heights... both decisions had wide public acceptance," he said.

Begin was referring to the frequent mention of former MK Eitan Livni, Livni's father, in Kadima's televised campaign.

Source

Center Bulletin No. 5 No. 17

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin Vol. 5, No. 17 12 February 2009

TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 469,154


4TH ANNUAL "ELITZUR" LECTURE


The Annual Itzhak "Elitzur" Friedman Lecture, sponsored by the Friedman Family in conjunction with the Begin Center, is dedicated to a man who was not only active as a youth in the Betar movement, but committed himself also to leadership roles in Betar in Europe and the US, leadership roles in the Irgun in Palestine and being a leader in the Herut Party in Israel. In his honor and memory, the theme of these annual lectures commemorates Young Heroes.

This year's lecture will be given by Prof. Moshe Arens, whose research work has illuminated the Betar role in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and also brought to light the heroism of Pavel Frankel, the Betar leader in the Ghetto. He will speak in English about his research which has been published in Hebrew as Flags Above the Ghetto. Previous lectures have been dedicated to unraveling the mystery of Ilan Ramon's diary that survived the Columbia disaster, new evidence on the Entebbe rescue mission and, last year, the journey of Soviet Jews who fought the odds to come to Israel.

Elitzur Friedman was born in Czechoslovakia, joined the Betar movement progressing through the ranks to a leadership role. With the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Germany in 1938, with other Betar members Elitzur escaped to Hungary and participated in the illegal immigration to Palestine—both helping others to escape, as well as eventually joining the group on the ship Sakarya that landed in Palestine on February 14, 1940.

After a 6-month stint in the detention camp at Atlit, Elitzur was released and subsequently disappeared from the radar of the British while he operated as a commander with the Irgun Zvai Leumi. Even though the British were looking for him and even captured him and sent him to Latrun, they never realized that they had him in their hands. Due to his successful assumed identity, they thought he was someone else and continued to search for Itzhak Friedman, sending every Itzhak Friedman they found to prison or to exile in the prison camp in Eritrea. In 1947, Elitzur escaped from Latrun in the trunk of a car. He fought in Jerusalem during the War of Independence and in the autumn of 1948, he was chosen by Menachem Begin to join him on his trip to the United State for a mission for the Herut Party.

He stayed in the US at the invitation of American Betar to help develop a new generation of Betar leaders. He met and married his wife Estelle during this time and they returned to Israel in 1951. In 1953, Elitzur decided that he would end the 15-year interruption of his studies and began his journey to academia in the US. His second career as an academic was as successful as his first as an activist and fighter for Israel (though he never stopped his activities for Israel). He completed his degree in chemistry, continued his studies earning himself a professorship, and finally became a Dean at the Pratt Institute. He was very popular with his students and he loved teaching. Even as a professor, his thirst for knowledge continued to drive him in many disciplines and he never gave up his quest for learning. Elitzur suffered a heart attack and stroke in 1989 and died in 1997.

This event will take place at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center next week, Monday, 16 February 2009. 5:30pm Reception, 6:00pm Lecture. Please call 02-565-2020 for reservations or reply to this email.


ELECTION DAY FILLS THE MUSEUM


The Menachem Begin Heritage Center used the Election Day holiday to encourage people to come to the Begin Center. A special advertisement was printed in the Israeli press encouraging people to visit the Begin Center after they had voted. It was a good opportunity to remind voters to exercise their right to vote and remind the people of Israel of Menachem Begin, a leader of integrity, vision and the first one to sign a Peace Treaty that continues to hold today.


FRENCH DOCUMENTARY ON THE PEACE PROCESS


The Menachem Begin Heritage Center was approached by a French production company who intend to make a movie about the Peace Process between Egypt and Israel for the 30th anniversary of the signing of the treaty. Their researcher arrived this week from Paris to start work in the Begin Center's archives. The researcher is focusing at this time on the oral history project that the Begin Center undertook to record interviews with the main characters who were there throughout the Peace Process.



TAMMUZ – TOP 10 HISTORY MOVIES OF 2008


The documentary Tammuz about the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak was named one of the top ten history movies of 2008 at the annual "History Makers" ceremony in New York.



UPCOMING EVENTS


18 February 2009
"Yair"—An evening about Avraham "Yair" Stern

7:00pm The evening's events begin

An evening to remember Yair Stern, founder of the Lechi, who was shot by a British CID officer in 1942 on 25 Shvat, will be held. There will be films shown as well as a lecture, interviews and underground songs.

This event is in Hebrew and is already fully booked.

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).

Carter Recalls Peace Negotiations

From a recent interview with Jimmy Carter:

Q. Are you surprised that more progress has not been made since Camp David?

A. I was really disappointed when President Reagan dropped the ball completely. He showed no interest in the Mideast peace process after I left office and we were right on the verge of a complete success back then. We had two facets of the agreement that I negotiated with (Israeli Prime Minister Menachem) Begin and (Egyptian President Anwar) Sadat. One was the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, not a word of which has ever been violated in the last 30 years. The other one was a commitment of Israelis to withdraw their political and military forces from the West Bank and to let the Palestinians have full autonomy. On that part of the process, Israel did not carry out their promise and President Reagan didn’t try to enforce the agreement that they had signed and that their parliament had approved. So yes, I was disappointed.

Begin, Senior and Junior on Ceding Land

Benny Begin spoke of his father, former Prime Minister Menachem Begin: "When we struck peace with Egypt, Menachem Begin taught us that if you must cede land for peace you do it, but only under certain conditions.

"He was the one that made sure to pass a law cementing Israel's sovereignty in the Golan Heights, out of strategic foresight, and there is a wide public consensus on this issue. The man made very courageous decisions."

4th Annual "Elitzur" Lecture

4th Annual "Elitzur" Lecture


on

Monday, February 16, 2009

Reception: 5:30pm

Event: 6:00pm



Speaker:

Prof. Moshe Arens

who will discuss his new book

Flags Above the Ghetto

on Betar's role in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising



at

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center

6 Nahon Street, Jerusalem



This event is in English.

Please make reservations at:

(02) 565-2020 or via email to

ilanab@begincenter.org.il

Center Bulletin Vol. 5, No. 16; 5 February 2009

TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 468,108



UPCOMING EVENTS

16 February 2009

4th Annual Elitzur Lecture

5:30pm Reception
6:00pm Lecture

Prof. Moshe Arens will speak about the research he has done regarding the Betar's role in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and specifically about the role of Pavel Frankel. This month his book was published in Hebrew called Flags Above the Ghetto, and will be available for sale during the evening event. He hopes to publish this book in English, in the near future.

This event, sponsored by the Friedman family in honor of their late husband and father Elitzur, will be in English and is open to the public for free. Please call 02-565-2020 for reservations or reply to this email.

18 February 2009

"Yair"—An evening about Avraham "Yair" Stern

7:00pm The evening's events begin

An evening to remember Yair Stern, founder of the Lechi, who was shot by a British CID officer in 1942 on 25 Shvat, will be held. There will be films shown as well as a lecture, interviews and underground songs.
This event is in Hebrew and is already fully booked.

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.


CEREMONY OF COMPLETION OF ARMY SERVICE


This week a large group of religious young women and their families came to the Begin Center and held their ceremony to mark the completion of their regular army service in the Reuben Hecht Auditorium. This is an unusual group because most of the time, religious young women do a variation of army service by joining the corps of national service workers. In fact, the Begin Center has two such national service girls working here this year as their service to the nation. But these young women completed regular army service as other young men and women do in Israel.


FROM THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The Education Department held three workshops this week for soldiers. A pre-officer infantry group—those who are thinking about and are on track to becoming officers—completed the Military Commander's Dilemmas workshop to give them a taste of what they can expect as commanders. A Nahal group of commanders completed the same workshop.

A high-ranking group of majors and colonels assigned to a special unit in combat engineering and who were part of the IDF's Operation "Cast Lead" in the Gaza Strip specifically regarding the weapons smuggling tunnels, came to participate in the Synergy workshop for teamwork. As a special element, Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, gave a lecture on Value-Based Leadership using Menachem Begin's life, work and heritage as an example.


IN THE MEDIA

Ynet, a popular news internet site in Israel, featured an article on the Krakow exhibition that is currently showing at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, "A World Before Catastrophe". The article is featured both on the Hebrew website and the English one. A link to the English website is here.


GUESTS

Nachum Segal, the most prominent Jewish radio show host in the New York-New Jersey Area, presenter of the well-listened "JM in the AM" program, http://jmintheam.org/, was a guest of the Center this past week. A close friend of the Center's supporter, Barry Liben, Mr. Segal, his brother, his producer and a friend and his son came in on Wednesday to tour the building and to experience the Center's Begin Museum.



Segal was so excited that he called Barry Liben as he entered the Sindy & Barry Liben Jerusalem Elevator in honor of American Betar to inform him of his immense satisfaction at being in the Center. Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, met with Mr. Segal and Yisrael Medad, Director of Information Services, served as the group's guide.


MAZAL TOV


The Menachem Begin Heritage Center extends a Mazal Tov to Josh Hasten and the whole Hasten Family, major supporters of the Begin Center, on Josh's achievement of earning CAMERA's 2009 Letter-Writer of the Year. We wish him many more such accolades in the future and to continue his great work for Israel.

Netanyahu Promises To Protect Begin's Grave

Bibi: My gov't will keep J'lem united

Likud chair Binyamin Netanyahu toured the Mount of Olives on Monday afternoon, and promised to keep Jerusalem united if he should win the February 10 election.

Netanyahu's advisers said he came to the controversial site in the capital in order to bring attention to reports that his main competition, Kadima leader Tzipi Livni, had agreed to give up portions of the city in negotiations over the past 14 months with her Palestinian counterpart, Ahmed Qureia...

..."We did not return to Jerusalem after praying for it to be rebuilt for 2000 years in order to give it up," Netanyahu told a throng of reporters from around the world at the City of David. "We did not unite the city in order to divide it, and my government will maintain a united Jerusalem. A sane country does not give its capital to its enemies."

...He then visited a lookout point over the Mount of Olives cemetery and the Temple Mount, where former Likud prime minister Menahem Begin is buried.

"The people buried here prayed that there would be a day when Jerusalem would be rebuilt," Netanyahu said. "The foreign press is here because they understand that this election is about whether our capital will be given to our enemies. The Likud and I are committed to maintaining a united Jerusalem with defensible borders. But for that, we need as large a Likud as possible, because only the Likud can maintain a united Jerusalem."

Begin Center Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 15

JANUARY 29, 2009 | VOLUME 5, ISSUE 15


TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 467,275

NEW PROGRAMMING AT THE BEGIN CENTER

The Education Department of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center has been working very hard to implement a new series of programs recently. Ilan Cohen and Yossi Suede created special workshops sessions designed for military personnel and police officers. Within this specific audience, the workshops address a specific need which is the lack of Zionist history, specifically with respect to Menachem Begin and his heritage, and practical tools for leadership training. With this need in mind, the Education Department created four types of workshops.

Military Commander's Dilemmas is a workshop directed to commanders in which they define and explore the terms 'Authority' and 'Responsibility' and their relationship to each other. Through this discussion the participants move to defining what the elements of commander's profile would be and what motivates him—proving to himself his ability to lead, pressures of society, working toward his ideals, etc. A special competitive activity was created to augment the workshop utilizing the history of Avraham Kirschenbaum who lived in and defended Yemin Moshe, the neighborhood next to the Begin Center, during the British Mandate period.

The Public Service workshop is directed to everyday soldiers, not commanders, who are doing regular, often repetitive, jobs in the army. This workshop provides tools for soldiers to understand their role in the larger framework of the Zionist dream. Again, the story of Avraham Kirschenbaum is utilized, but this time as a tour with discussions about the dilemmas he faced.

The Synergy workshop was created to help individuals work together in a group and understand their role in a broader framework. Using traditional teambuilding activities, the soldiers are able to utilize the most effective style of leadership and create a stronger team. The neighborhood surrounding the Begin Center is used as the field for the competitive activity in which team go to find clues at 16 locations to fill in a puzzle. The final answer to the puzzle and the moral of the workshop is "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

The Jewish and Democratic State workshop is directed to officers to gain a perspective about society as a whole. The participants discuss the conflicts and agreements between the concepts of a Jewish state and a democratic state and develop tools regarding these issues in a variety of hypothetical situations. This workshop was designed to help these young leaders in the army navigate the grey area between the Jewish character of the state and the ideals of democracy.

Another workshop that is currently in development is one regarding Value-Based Leadership in exploring the motivation of leaders—a leader whose actions come from a position of holding fast to values or a position based on a pragmatic review of the current situation.

The Education Department was fully scheduled this week with a session of the Junior Knesset for a religious girls' school from Arad, with group of soldiers from the Communications Corps who participated in the Military Commander's Dilemmas workshop.

PRE-ELECTION CONFERENCE

Three hundred pre-army students heard lectures by prominent politicians this week in the Reuben Hecht Auditorium this week. Herzl Makov opened the day of seminars and spoke about Menachem Begin and leadership. This event was closed to the public.

ISRAEL GOVERNMENT FELLOWS SEMINARS

The IGF Program's speaker for its Thursday seminar was Prof. Menachem Megidor, the
President of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He spoke about Israeli higher education and mentioned that he always enjoys visiting the Begin Center. The group also had the pleasure to meet with Prof. Yisrael (Robert John) Aumann, Nobel Laureate in Economics whose was honored for his work on conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis.

IN THE MEDIA

With President Obama's inauguration ceremony last week, all eyes turned to Washington, DC, and American presidents in general. As such we saw all the living former Presidents of the United States, among them former President Jimmy Carter. He was famous for helping to broker the Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel that was negotiated between Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat. Unfortunately, President Carter is now more famous for his revisions to history, twisting of facts and blatant anti-Israel stance. This week saw a couple of mentions of Carter in relation to Menachem Begin in the media:

First Alan Howe in Australia's Herald Sun writes:

Last Thursday they brought President-elect Barak Obama together with the three living former presidents and the incumbent.
There they were: George Bush Sr and his son, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
Liars, the lot of them.
Carter might be his country's most famous born-again Christian, but he's not averse to telling the odd porky.
For years he insisted that at the Camp David negotiations then Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin agreed to a freeze on new West Bank settlements and then broke the promise.
Begin did no such thing and 25 years later Carter finally agreed.

Mike Evans in his Op-Ed in the Washington Times writes:

Carter refers to Jews again and again as "radicals," another word for terrorists. He called former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin a "radical" and then goes on to describe him as the "most notorious terrorist in the region." Of course, he said the British said that, not him...
It appears that Jimmy Carter is revising history. The Benjamin Netanyahu I know was attending college during the Camp David meetings. In fact, when I recommended him to Begin for a government job, the prime minister did not even know who Benjamin was. I have no idea how Carter was so aware of Benjamin Netanyahu's political ideology; he was selling furniture to help fund his schooling.
The former president writes that Begin agreed to divide Jerusalem. I found that to be astonishing … especially since Mr. Begin had given me a copy of the letter he wrote to Carter on Sept. 17, 1978. In the letter he wrote, "Dear Mr. President. … On the basis of this law, the government of Israel decreed in July 1967 that Jerusalem is one city indivisible, the capital of the State of Israel." According to Begin, Carter informed him that the U.S. government did not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Begin told me he responded, "Excuse me sir, but the State of Israel does not recognize your non-recognition." The former president writes that Prime Minister Begin agreed to a freeze on building Jewish settlements. Begin told me he had not agreed to a total freeze; he only agreed not to build new settlements for three months, during the negotiations. Carter gives the impression that he and Begin were close friends by saying that Begin and Sadat visited him in Plains to reaffirm the personal commitments each had made to the other. I found that quite humorous; Mr. Begin told me he had refused to meet with Carter when the president traveled to Jerusalem. At that time, he was no longer prime minister but was outraged that Carter had misrepresented the events during their meetings.

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