Center Bulletin, Vol, 5 No. 46

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin Vol. 5 No. 46 | 10 September 2009

TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 518,135

Contents:

1. CELEBRATING THE MENACHEM BEGIN HERITAGE CENTER
2. YAHRZEIT FOR HARRY HURWITZ Z''L
3. IN THE JERUSALEM POST
4. UPCOMING EVENTS: MARK YOUR CALENDARS
5. THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHT: THE ISRAEL GOVERNMENT FELLOWS PROGRAM


CELEBRATING THE MENACHEM BEGIN HERITAGE CENTER

On 27 August, 2009, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center celebrated in grand style a number of landmark events. Following is the translated text of the speech given by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center:

I am pleased and privileged to personally update you on a special celebration that we held on 7 Elul, 27 August, 2009, in the Menachem Begin Heritage Center marking ten years since the establishment of the Center, five years since the opening of the permanent building and having over 500,000 visitors to the Center since then.

Ten years have passed since the government established the organization and appointed the public council in accordance with the Menachem Begin Commemoration Law adopted by the Knesset by the initiative of then Member of Knesset Reuven Rivlin. Over the next five years, we dedicated ourselves completely to the planning and construction of the building as well as designing and initiating commemoration and education activities which would be the foundation of Center activities.

In the summer of 2004, in the presence of the heads of the State of Israel, the contributors and followers of Menachem Begin, we inaugurated the building. We remember that many of the guests admitted then that they had doubts about bringing forth the dream of the Begin Center into reality. They were happy to be proved wrong.

With much excitement, we opened the doors to the public. And the public indeed came. More than 500,000 visitors came to the Center in its five years of activity. They walked in the footsteps of Menachem Begin through the museum. They were moved to tears from the strength of his image. They experienced his leadership. They were uplifted by his speeches. They admired his personality. School students participated in the Junior Knesset program and through role-playing activities learned the parliamentary process. IDF soldiers participated in leadership workshops; workshops focusing on Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; and they learned the history of the Zionist struggle to establish the State of Israel. Additionally, the general public participated in a wide variety of lectures, tours, events, each of which was another brick in building Menachem Begin's heritage. We have tried to carry out all the activities guided by Menachem Begin the man and in his spirit – with modesty, with integrity and with a strong sense of commitment to Am Israel.

Success is not achieved alone and we have many partners – the many contributors whose generosity built the building and help to maintain activities; members of the Foundation and the Public Council; the Executive Committee that gave us its support and backing; and especially our staff whose devotion, love and abilities assist us in achieving our goals. We also remember with affection a man who we greatly miss, our dearest Harry Hurwitz z''l, who as early as 1993 was recruited by the founders of the Foundation in a professional and full-time capacity to raise the funds that enabled the fulfillment of the dream. From the beginning, and until his last day, Harry had the chance to see the Center become a reality, grow and thrive.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you personally for your support and thank the Almighty for allowing me the immense privilege and incredible honor of being a partner in this great endeavor of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

The video of highlights of the evening including entrance to the event, interviews and excerpts from the speeches through the evening (in Hebrew) is available for viewing at the Begin Center's YouTube Channel.


YAHRZEIT FOR HARRY HURWITZ Z''L

On September 21 it will be one year since Harry Hurwitz z"l, former Head of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, passed away. Because it is also the Fast of Gedaliah, the timing of the memorial events have been pushed toward the end of the day and in coordination with the breaking of the fast. The short ceremony at the cemetery will be at 5:30pm. At 7:15pm, the fast will be broken with light refreshments at the Begin Center and a memorial ceremony will take place afterwards. Hillel Hurwitz, Harry's son, will speak on behalf of the family and Ilana Brown, Harry's former assistant, will also speak. Herzl Makov will speak on behalf of the Center.


IN THE JERUSALEM POST

Last week, the Jerusalem Post published an opinion piece by Shalom Hammer in which he lamented that the Israeli school system failed to teach young people values and encouraged a quantity of knowledge, not a quality of knowledge. (To see the article, please see this link.) Using this as an opportunity to highlight the values-driven leadership workshops created by the Begin Center, Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, wrote a letter to the editor that was published on September 3. The text of the letter is as follows and can be read here.

Sir, - In "Back to school" (Shalom Hammer, August 31), the author states: Israeli education is predicated upon quantitative education as opposed to qualitative education... They program our children to amass volume as opposed to embracing values, and this breeds a society of ego-centricity."

This insight into the pedagogic problems that exist in Israel is at the heart of the educational workshops offered by the Begin Center, including one on "Value-Driven Leadership."

Much of the thrust of the Begin Center's projects, in formal and informal education as well as the rationale behind the museum, is to suggest to participants and visitors that beyond the historical facts, Menachem Begin sought to influence the Jewish people on the basis not only of benefits for the individual, but, more importantly, in values such as joint responsibility, Jewish heritage, concern for the life of the nation and the need to assist Jews in difficulty.


UPCOMING EVENTS: MARK YOUR CALENDARS

August 30 – September 27

"Slichot" an art exhibition hosted in cooperation with M'mizrach HaShemesh (Jewish Traditional Social Responsibility – founded by Avi Chai and Kol Israel Haverim). For more information, please go to their website: www.mizrach.org.il

October 21

Open House for new courses at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. Seven new courses will be taught on subjects ranging from Judaism, the History of Israel, Promoting Israel, etc. The courses will be in Hebrew. This is the second year of courses at the Begin Cente r and we look forward to another successful year.


WOULD YOU LIKE TO DONATE TO THE BEGIN CENTER?
THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHT:
THE ISRAEL GOVERNMENT FELLOWS PROGRAM

This week on September 9, 2009, the fourth session of the Israel Government Fellows (IGF) Program began with 25 Fellows from the US, Canada, Germany, France, Serbia, Russia and Venezuela. After a month-long orientation session, they will begin their internships in various government ministries, including the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Tourism, Justice and at the President's Residence.

4th Session of the IGF

The Israel Government Fellows Program is endorsed by the Prime Minister's Office and its mission is to strengthen the connection between Israel and the Diaspora and to promote Jewish leadership globally, inspired by Menachem Begin's commitment to Jewish unity and his model of value-driven leadership. Throughout the program, the Fellows will attend seminars as well as their internship placements, learning from experts in their fields about Israel's history, its place in the world today and the challenges it faces, as well as topics as diverse as Zionist history, security issues, economic issues, Jewish identification, the environment, Israel in the media and Israeli culture and arts, etc. In addition to full days of work, they will attend classes in the evening to learn Hebrew. The Fellows will also tour the country on monthly trips.




Jason Reinin, from California, participated in the IGF in the last session (2008-2009) and who currently works in the Ministry of Finance after his internship, said this:

My year in the IGF was the most educational, inspiring and interesting year of my life. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to use their full potential to contribute to this amazing country while at the same time take away once-in-a-lifetime experiences they will never forget.

Other past participants have found work in Israeli consulates, working with the Jewish Agency or other work in which they help promote Israel. Many former participants were so inspired by their experience, that they made aliyah to be a part of Israel directly and work for Israel here, rather than in their home countries.

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center, in fulfilling its mission to pass on Menachem Begin's heritage to future generations, has initiated the Israel Government Fellows Program to start to build the next generation of leadership in the Diaspora. Begin also believed very strongly in building ties between Israel and the Diaspora and in this program, Fellows spend ten months living in Israel learning about Israel as a democratic state in the Middle East which gives them deep, first-hand knowledge of Israel as opposed to an academic understanding of Israel.

Funds directed to the IGF Program can be used in a variety of ways. Funds for the program can increase the quantity and quality of programming including seminars, trips and courses outside the internship experience. More significant contributions can be used for scholarships for participants. MASA provides scholarships, as well as grants to those with financial need. However, the cost of the program and its associated cost of living in Israel for ten months without income is still prohibitive for qualified participants from Eastern Europe or Latin and South America, as well as qualified participants who simply cannot financially afford to dedicate a year to Israel.

We invite our readers to visit the Israel Government Fellows website at www.israelgovernmentfellow.org.il and view the video online here.

For a more precise breakdown of costs associated with the program, tuition, MASA grants and for other questions, please direct your inquiries to development@begincenter.org.il.

Checks may be sent to:

US Friends of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation
3901 West 86th Street, Suite 470
Indianapolis, IN 46268
USA

Canadian Friends of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation
One Yorkdale Road, Suite 601
Toronto, ON M6A 3A1
CANADA

Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation
c/o Mr. Eric Graus
139a, New Bond St.
London WIS 2TN
UK

Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation
6 Nahon Street
Jerusalem 94110
ISRAEL

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).

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).

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.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 5, Issue 12

January 8, 2009, Volume 5, Issue 12

TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 463,098


THE SONGS OF NATAN ALTERMAN

This week Nahum Ne'eman ("Nakh'che") presented a program on the songs of Natan Alterman in the history of Israeli music. This performance series is quite interesting because Natan Alterman and the others that are featured in the other performances are not songwriters, per se. They are poets who published poetry prior to Israel's existence and after. Later, their words were put to music and became popular Israeli songs.

The Reuben Hecht Auditorium was nearly full with an audience ready and enthusiastic to sing along to some of Alterman's songs. The singer that evening was Chani Livneh and there was a special performance by an Israeli folk dancing troupe. The guest lecturer was Chaim Guri, a songwriter, who was a friend of Natan Alterman. The evening concluded with the sing-along that the audience happily joined.
The next Nahum Ne'eman evening will be January 20 at 8:00pm about Mordechai Ze'era and Ya'acov Orland. Tickets are 40 NIS and reservations are required. Call (02) 565-2020.


PARASHAT HASHAVUA: NEWS AND UPDATES

The very successful Rohr Family Parashat HaShavua program will be finishing the first book of the Torah, Bereshit/Genesis, this week. We thank Dr. Ido Hevroni for his excellent lectures these past two months. We welcome next week Rabbi Yermi Stavitsky, the principal of the religious boys' high school, Himmelfarb, who will be the primary lecturer on the portions of the week in Shemot/Exodus.
Starting next Sunday, the Begin Center will launch an internet campaign to advertise the Parashat HaShavua in the Judaism section of Ynet. Links will be provided in the bulletin next week.

NOTE TO OUR READERS

In preparation for the launch of our new website, you may experience difficulty in accessing the current website. Look for details next week on the website launch, which will be at the same website address www.begincenter.org.il.

IN BRIEF

Rachel Glazer, who was once an intern at the Begin Center, visited leading a group of university students on a tour of Israel under the auspices of the ZOA. Yisrael Medad, Director of the Information Resources Unit, spoke to them about hasbara issues and how to bring the information that they learn on this trip back to campus with them.

Groups who are interested in more that just a visit to the museum, can coordinate with the reservations department to request a speaker from the Begin Center to give a short presentation on a variety of topics.


Shelly Goldberg's course, an introduction to Kabbalah, ended last week and was very successful. We hope to be able to plan more courses on an assortment of subjects in the future.


Not all of Israel's soldiers were in the South this week, as a large group who are in officer's training came to the Begin Center to visit the museum.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 5, No. 7

TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 454,043


DECEMBER 1948: BEGIN'S FIRST VISIT TO THE US

Today we launch a three-part series about Menachem Begin's first visit to the US 60 years ago in December 1948 where he was greeted with a ticker-tape parade in the streets of New York accompanied by the mayor. We take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Estelle Friedman, whose husband Elitzur Friedman joined Menachem Begin on this visit to the US, for her recent contribution of newspapers from that time to the Begin Center archives. Over the next two issues of the Bulletin, we will be publishing segments from The Jewish Ledger and The Answer that describe Menachem Begin's visit and quote from his speeches.

For today, we present to you a picture of Menachem Begin with Yohanna Jabotinsky, widow of the Zionist leader and mentor of the Revisionist Movement, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, and members of the Betar Youth Movement at a festive dinner conducted in his honor.




MENACHEM BEGIN'S CONNECTION TO CHABAD

This past week we watched in horror and dismay at the events in Mumbai at the Chabad House. May the families of the victims find comfort in their sorrow.

Menachem Begin spoke to and met with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson on several occasions and we direct our readers to the Chabad website where Menachem Begin says a few words about Rabbi Scheerson. The link is HERE. (As this is an external link to the Chabad site, we cannot be responsible if it doesn't work properly.)

MONITORING MENTIONS OF BEGIN ON THE INTERNET

One of the tasks that is undertaken by the Begin Center is to monitor the mentions of Menachem Begin on the internet. This allows us to see in what context he is mentioned and how often he is still mentioned even today. Here are a few examples this week:

• Israeli readers were reminded about Menachem Begin's modesty this week in an article in Ha'Aretz opinion piece lamenting the fact that our politicians today lack this admirable trait.

• The author of a new biography of the late Harold "Izzy" Asper (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada), Mr. Peter C. Newman, reflected on Mr. Asper's admiration of Menachem Begin and the Irgun when he was interviewed about the book.

• The Los Angeles Times connected the King David Hotel with the attacks in Mumbai placing it first on its list of hotels that had been bombed. A few people who left comments mentioned that the LA Times notably neglected to include the bombings by Arabs against hotels in Netanya and Taba, actions that were directed solely against civilians. Yisrael Medad of the Begin Center wrote to the newspaper that "only the southern wing was targeted which was wholly British, having been taken over from the owners in stages, beginning already in 1938. The Army Headquarters were located there as were the offices of the Mandate Government Secretariat."


ISRAEL COMMUNICATION LAW

Amendment 40 of the Israel Communication Law was put into effect on December 1, 2008. It is an effort to eliminate, or at least reduce, spam advertisement messages.
The Begin Center is not in the business of sending advertisements and we hope that everyone on this list enjoys receiving news about the Begin Center, our events and invitations for upcoming programs. This bulletin list is an opt-in list which means that our readers have requested to be on it. If this is not the case, please refer to the bottom of this email and unsubscribe. If you have any trouble unsubscribing, you may simply reply to this email and request to be taken off the list.

DECEMBER EVENTS

There will be three major events at the Begin Center in December.
On December 21, the Begin Center, in cooperation with the International Cultural Center of Krakow, the Krakow Landsmanchaft and several other organizations, will open "A World Before Catastrophe", a view of the Jewish community in Krakow between the two World Wars.

On December 23, the Begin Prize will be awarded to Dr. Reuven Or of Hadassah Hospital and certificates of honor will go to Prof. Moshe Arens and Harold "Smoky" Simon. Participants in the PERACH program will also be honored at this ceremony.
On December 30, the Begin Center will award academic scholarships for university level research work done in fields about Menachem Begin and/or other related topics.

==================

David Krakow adds:

The photograph which shows Simcha/Seymour Rosenberg, then Natsiv Betar U.S.A., together with Menachem Begin and Madam Jabotinsky was taken at a reception and Misdar conducted for Mr. Begin by the American Betar at the hotel Diplomat in N.Y. at the time of his visit in 1948. Natsiv Rosenberg, a long time member of the American Netsivut, had succeeded Moshe Arens as Natsiv in Sept. 1948 and headed the American delegation to the fourth Kinus Olami of Betar held in Tel Aviv in the spring of 1948.

Meira Rosenberg adds:

The Betari standing in the picture between Menahem Begin and Mrs. Jabotinsky is my late father, Seymour Rosenberg, who at the time was twenty-four years old and the Head of the American Betar.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 53

Volume 4, Issue 53
October 7, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 441,046


Goodbye, Harry

The funeral of the founder of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and the President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, Harry Hurwitz, took place on Friday, Oct. 3 at the Har Tamir section of the Har Menuchot Cemetery in the area reserved for members of the Irgun Tzvai Leumi.

In the presence of his family, his wife, Freda, son, Hillel, daughter-in-law Jennifer, grandchildren Nirit, Ilan and Sharon and her husband, Jay, together with hundreds of friends, comrades, admirers and fellow workers, the traditional Jewish service was conducted with decorum and respect.

The ceremony was introduced by Yosef Wittelson, a fomer Irgun fighter imprisoned at British detainee camps in Africa. He recalled Harry’s aid with others of the Revisionist Movement in South Africa on their behalf.



Former Defense Minister and Foreign Minister Moshe Arens, former Speaker of the Knesset MK Reuven Rivlin, Dr. Beny Begin, son of Menachem Begin and MK Benjamin Netanyahu, Likud Chairman and Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center eulogized Harry at the service. In addition, Dr. Hillel Hurwitz and Nirit Hurwitz spoke on behalf of the family. Moshe Arens said that in his work with Harry at the Israel Embassy in Washington DC, Harry was a tremendous he lp in public diplomacy efforts because of his broad knowledge and excellent speaking skills. MK Binyamin Netanyahu praised Harry's efforts in building the Begin Center and marveled at his fundraising ability.

MK Reuven Rivlin said that Harry's life effort was Zionism and the Begin Center was the crowning achievement. He mentioned a conversation they had regarding the fact that he came from a family that immigrated to Israel 200 years ago, but he felt that Harry had an advantage over him, because Harry had to make the decision to leave the land he grew up in—in essence living the dream of Zionism—whereas he was born here, never having had the experience of having to choose Zionist ideals. Dr. Beny Begin said that only a person who had a complete belief in the justice of his cause could speak so convincingly of his cause and that describes Harry's devotion to Zionism and the land of Israel.

Herzl Makov talked about his partnership of 10 years with Harry. He quoted the late Shmuel Katz, who wrote in a premature obituary, that "we lost a noble spirit." The Jerusalem Post published an obituary for Harry in 2001 by mistake and asked Shmuel Katz to write a few words. Makov said that the excellent tribute while premature at the time was true then, and is even more true today.

Dr. Hillel Hurwitz and Nirit Hurwitz spoke as representatives of the family. Dr. Hillel Hurwitz outlined Harry's life as a man and spoke of the loss of not only his father, but really of his best friend. Nirit Hurwitz said that as Harry's granddaughter, she knew very little about his work because when Harry was with the family, the family was the only thing that mattered and that today, she had lost the best grandfather.

All the speakers reminded everyone present that Harry lived a full life and gave himself totally to every endeavor. He was an active Zionist leader, a loyal supporter of Menachem Begin, a dynamic public speaker, a tireless fundraiser, a good friend, a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Each person that knew him had a special relationship with him feeling that Harry gave him or her the entirety of his attention. Each person counted himself or herself blessed to have known him.

After the traditional graveside ceremony, the members of Betar who were present sang the Betar Anthem.




Thank You to All who Sent Condolences

Thank you very much to all who sent condolences this week. They have been collected and will be presented to the family. Your kind wishes and thoughts are a tribute to Harry Hurwitz and his impact on many people around the world. May his memory be a blessing to us all.

Tributes and condolences can be sent to the Begin Center at 6 Nahon Street, Jerusalem, 94110, ISRAEL, or via email to ilanab@begincenter.org.il . Condolences can be sent to the family at HaNachal 4/2, Givat Tzarfatit, Jerusalem.


Shana Tova and G'mar Hatima Tova

We wish all our readers a Shana Tova, a G'mar Hatima Tova and a meaningful fast over Yom Kippur—a year of success, health and happiness for all of us and for Israel.

We also remind our readers that due to the holiday season the Bulletin may not be published every week.


Events Continue at the Begin Center

Reverend Robert Stearns celebrated his birthday at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. He was received by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center. Rev. Stearns expressed his commitment to the heritage of Menachem Begin and the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and promised to send his Israel Experience students, as well as missions from the US to the Begin Center.


In Memoriam

The Begin Center extends its condolences to Dov Shilansky on the passing of his wife Rachel. Mr. Shilansky was a former speaker of the Knesset, an Irgun commander in Italy and Germany, and came to Israel on the Altalena.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 52

Volume 4, Issue 52
October 2, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 440,625


Begin Center Founder Passes Away



Harry Zvi Hurwitz, Founder and President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, passed away on October 1. He worked a full day on Sunday and went to celebrate the Rosh Hashana holiday with his family. In the evening, he suffered a massive heart attack. Unfortunately, all attempts at resuscitation failed.

Harry Hurwitz was born in Latvia in 1924 and in 1934 his family arrived in South Africa. He grew up in the Betar Movement and assumed a leadership role having initiated many youth groups and activities, including Betar Camp. He became very active in the leadership of the Zionist Revisionist Organization and was for many years the editor of the Jewish Herald of Johannesburg. He was a well-known figure in the South African Jewish comm unity.

Harry met Menachem Begin in 1946 in Tel Aviv when Begin was still leader of the Irgun and they maintained their personal friendship as well as their professional relationship until Begin's death in 1992. Harry spoke with Menachem Begin about making aliyah, but Begin told him that he still had much work to do in South Africa and that when he would be Prime Minister, he would call Harry to his government. And that was indeed what happened. In 1977, Menachem Begin assumed the premiership and called Harry the same day. On May 18, 1978, Harry and Freda Hurwitz arrived in Israel and three days later, Harry was at the Prime Minister's Office starting work.

During his years of service in Israel's government, he worked in the Prime Minister's Office as an advisor to Begin in External Information and World Jewry and he was stationed in Israel's embassy in the United States as the Minister of Information. After Begin left office, Harry continued to work with Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir as the advisor on World Jewry.

Harry was in South Africa when he heard about Menachem Begin's death. He announced on that very day that there would be established a Menachem Begin Heritage Center to remember the life, words and deeds of Menachem Begin. His vision was to create an institution similar to an American Presidential Library in Israel and he worked no n-stop to fulfill that vision. In 1998, the Knesset passed the Begin Commemoration Law paving the way for the creation of a Heritage Center and the following year, the Foundation Stone was laid. The Menachem Begin Heritage Center was officially opened on June 16, 2004. Harry was at his desk every day working to ensure the Menachem Begin Heritage Center's continuation from generation to generation.

Apart from establishing the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Harry also wrote a book about Menachem Begin, Begin: His Life, Words and Deeds, that is in its third edition.

He is survived by his wife Freda, his son Hillel and his daughter-in-law Jennifer, his grandchildren Nirit, Ilan and Sharon and her husband Jay, and his two great-grandsons, Boaz and Eitan.

The funeral will be in Jerusalem at Har Hamenuchot Cemetery at 11:00AM on Friday October 3. The shiva will be at the Hurwitz home at Hanachal 4/2 in Givat Tzarfatit in Jerusalem. Condolences may be sent there or to the Begin Center.

His guiding hand, his words of wisdom and his tireless work will be deeply missed by everyone at the Center. His generous spirit, his warm laugh and his dedication to his family and everyone he loved will be missed by all.


Herzl Makov
Chairman
Menachem Begin Heritage Center

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 50

Volume 4, Issue 50
September 24, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 440,131


This is the new impressive wall in the Olive Tree entrance foyer of the Begin Center. The likeness of Menachem Begin was sculpted in a new method by the well-known architect Prof. Harry Brand, who was present at the unveiling with his wife Evelyn and their family. A number of VIPs were specially invited. In brief remarks, Brand gave the background of this work which he was happy to present to the Begin Center, who in turn decided to place it where it now is.



The Hebrew is a quote from a statement by Menachem Begin which says "Not by the right of might have we returned to the land of our forefathers but we have returned by the might of right…And therein, all its inhabitants, the citizen as well as the resident, will live in freedom and justice, in solidarity and peace."


30 Years Since Camp David

Symposium Launched at Begin Center

The Camp David symposium got off to an auspicious opening at the Begin Center on Monday night and continued through Tuesday at the Bar Ilan University.

Israel's 5th President, Yitzhak Navon, recalled in his fascinating remarks in Hebrew, Arabic and English, that even though he was not in Camp David he had a number of important and interesting discussions with President Sadat in Israel and in Egypt. He also recalled his conversations with Prime Minister Menachem Begin before and after Camp David and in the subsequent years and recounted several meetings with President Carter.

As an historian and man of history and literature, he cited a number of appropriate Arab songs and poems to illustrate the points he was making. President Navon urged Israel to continue the pursuit of peace, now and at all times.

Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, who had been at Camp David as one of the legal advisors and assistants to Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, stressed the main issues confronting the Israel delegation and recalled a number of humorous episodes. He spoke glowingly of the role of Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat, both strong and resolute leaders who, despite all the difficulties, were determined to end the state of war between the two countries.

Prof. Shmuel Sandler, of the Bar Ilan University, apologized for the absence of its president Moshe Kaveh and read the speech he had intended to deliver, supplementing it with his own emotions and reactions to Sadat's visit to Israel, the Camp David talks and their conclusions. He paid warm tribute to Prime Minister Begin.

In opening the proceedings, Harry Hurwitz, the Founder of the Begin Center and President of the Foundation, welcomed the distinguished guests and recalled a telephone conversation he received from Prime Minister Menachem Begin in Washington, DC during Camp David. The call was intended also to be heard by those in Camp David who were listening into Begin's conversations in order to determine his intentions.

When it came to the question of Jerusalem, Prime Minister Begin refused to discuss the subject and when asked to reconsider, he told the moving story of Rabbi Amnon of Meintz which is printed in every Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur machzor to describe the author of the famous prayer Unetanah Tokef.

Later when Begin came out of Camp David and appeared before 2,000 Jews in Washington, DC he proclaimed: "I am happy to greet you in Washington, DC to bring you greetings from Jerusalem, DC. You all know what D.C. stands for—District of Columbia. Jerusalem DC stands for Jerusalem, David's City."

"To this moment I still hear the outburst of applause of the large audience when they heard Menachem Begin's declaration of faith in the Holy Eternal City, Jerusalem," Hurwitz concluded.

The Master of Ceremonies of the event was Moshe Fuksman-Sha'al, Deputy Chairman of the Begin Center, who conducted the program in a wonderful way, with appropriate quotations from Begin and about Begin.

Short musical interludes were provided by Yonatan Niv, cello, Yoel Tayeb, guitar.


Events Fill the Center

This past Tuesday evening the Commander of the Central Front of the IDF met with officers under his command in the Begin Center to bid farewell to one of the officers and the celebrate the forthcoming High Holy Day season.

Later in the week the Reuben Hecht Auditorium was filled by a large number of young women soldiers and their parents at the conclusion of a course in which they had all participated.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 49

Volume 4, Issue 49
September 16, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 437,533



30 Years Since Camp David

1978: Camp David Ends, Begin Reports to Knesset

After 12 days in Camp David, Maryland, near Washington, DC, Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Israel's team were at last fee to leave and complete their journey in the US and then return to Israel. At first, Mr. Begin thought that the whole process would take three to four days, but it was not to be. The discussion between the Prime Minister and President Anwar Sadat under the patronage of the American President continued, broke down, and were resumed until an agreement was reached.

After his return to Israel, the Prime Minister made a comprehensive statement to the Knesset in which he said:

"I bring to the Knesset, and through it to the nation, the message of the establishment of peace with the strongest and largest of the Arab states; and, in the course of time, inevitably, with all our neighbors."

And Mr. Begin thanked the members of his team:

"We worked in the spirit of a team regarding every meeting between ourselves and the American delegation or every conversation between one of our members and a member of the Egyptian delegation. We would meet - whether it was day or night - for joint consultation; and each member of the delegation, without difference of status or rank, expressed his opinion freely, and everyone tried to take into consideration the view of his fellow-delegation member. Of this team, I shall say, simply: Well done.

The critical importance of the agreement with Egypt lies in the fact that this time we undertook to sign a peace treaty. No more partial agreements. No more interim agreements - in which the state of war remains as it was. But a peace treaty, which, in line with the known international models, generally opens with the following sentence: "The state of war between the two countries has come to an end." This is the difference - one of major importance. It means complete normalization of relations, including the establishment of diplomatic relations, an end to econo mic boycott, free movement of people and goods.

Experts on security assert and confirm that we have attained sufficient and satisfactory security conditions for the State of Israel, by laying down demilitarized zones, areas of thinned out forces and early-warning facilities."

* * * * *

Major Interview in Yediot Ahronot

Four members of the Israel team at Camp David participated in a wide-ranging interview which the Yediot Ahronot (the largest Hebrew language daily newspaper) published in last Friday's edition. The participants were Judge Elyakim Rubinstein of Israel's Supreme Court, who was the assistant to Foreign Minister Dayan; Advocate Meir Rosenne, who was legal a dvisor to the Foreign Ministry; Gen. (ret.) Avraham "Abrasha" Tamir of the Ministry of Defense; and Mr. Dan Pattir, the Prime Minister's spokesman.

They all discussed the main issues at Camp David and cited some interesting and fascinating moments during the 12 days.

The main point stressed by Judge Rubenstein and endorsed by the others was that in the 60 years of Israel's existence, the first thirty years were characterized by war and bloodshed, especially with Egypt, and the second thirty year period, up to this time, was free of such major conflicts. "This represents a major change in Isr ael's status in the Middle East."

* * * * *

As reported last week, the Camp David meeting, discussions and break through will be the theme of the two-day symposium which the Menachem Begin Heritage Center is holding together with the Bar Ilan University on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 September.

The opening session, which will be at the Begin Center on Monday night, commences at 7:00pm. The following day there will be three discussion periods at the Bar Ilan University.

As seats are limited in both places, early reservations are strongly advised. Please call 02-565-2020 or email offices@begincenter.org.il.



60 Years Since IZL Entry into Army

A very unusual event will take place in the Begin Center on Tuesday evening, September 23, when the veterans of the Irgun Zvai Leumi will hold a ceremony to mark 60 years after the disbandment of the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the entry of its members, as units and individuals, into the army of Israel.

There are not many of these veterans left but those who are will receive an appropriate certificate to mark the occasion.

The ceremony will commence with greetings by Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and Dr. Ephraim Even, Chairman of the Irgun Veterans Organization.

Addresses will be given by veteran Irgun commander Yitzhak Avinoam and Prof. Yehuda Lapidot.

There will be appropriate songs during the evening. The event is organized by Yehoshua Lendner of the Irgun veterans in Jerusalem.


Mazal Tov

The wedding of Dorit, daughter of Orna and Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, to Ariel, son of Michal and Yitzhak Gispan, took place on Sunday night at the Events Garden at Tel Gezer. It was a happy, warm occasion for family and guests.

We extend our hearty Mazal Tov to the young couple and to their families.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 48

Volume 4, Issue 48
September 11, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 436,631


30 Years Ago This Week: Israel and Egypt at Camp David

This week it is exactly 30 years after the historic Camp David meetings where Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat sat face to face to hammer out an agreement for the framework of Peace in the Middle East. The process began in the beginning of August 1978 when Secretary of State Cyrus Vance visited Jerusalem and Cairo to hand the heads of the governments the official invitations to come to the US for such talks. The talks began on 5 September 1978 and concluded on 17 September 1978.

At Ben-Gurion airport, just before boarding his plane, the Prime Minister expressed his hope that the Camp David process will be crowned with success for the sake of Israel and peace. He said:

The delegation – the Foreign Minister, the Defense Minister, myself, our friends and advisors – are leaving for the United States for the Camp David Conference on a mission of peace.

There is no people on earth that wants peace more than we do. Even as much as we do – and among our people there is no one who wants peace more than the present Government. To that end we will make every possible human effort so that the Camp David conference ends in an agreement which will enable the conducting of negotiations for the signing of peace treaties.

We the Israelis are particularly interested in the success of the three-way meeting. We are an integral part of the free world, which is under relentless attack on the part of the foes of human liberty – and it must defend itself. It has greatly shrunk and all those who are a part of it are interested in standing together.

For the sake of Israel and of peace, we are interesting in having the conference –in which representatives of the United States, Egypt and Israel will take part – end in success.

Mr. Begin was welcomed at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC by Vice President Mondale and Secretary of State Vance. Mr. Begin said:

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Secretary of State, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends. Four times I visited the President of the United States in the interest of peace since we were elected by our peoples to conduct their affairs, to care for the future, and for the preservation of liberty and democracy in our countries and elsewhere.

Twice I met the President of Egypt in a spirit of understanding and good will and common striving for peace, in Jerusalem and Ismailiya. However, there is no doubt that this fifth meeting with President Carter and third with President Sadat is the most important, the most momentous of them all.

My friends and colleagues, the Foreign Minister, the Defense Minister and I and our friends and advisors will make all endeavors possible to reach an agreement so that the peace process can continue and ultimately be crowned with peace treaties.

[Please note that on Monday 22 September the Opening Event of the conference commemorating 30 years since Camp David will take place at the Begin Center and the following day, 23 September, the conference will continue at Bar Ilan University.]


Sukkot 2008: Please Reserve Your Place

Visitors to Jerusalem during Chol HaMoed Sukkot (the intermediary days of Sukkot) are advised to make reservations as soon as possible if they intend to visit the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and its museum. The experience of previous years shows that the visiting hours are fully taken up during such a holiday se ason, but there is still time now to assure admittance.

Those wishing to make reservations should call (02) 565-2011 or from abroad 972 (2) 565-2011; or email anath@begincenter.org.il or offices@begincenter.org.il.


Visitors

Two interesting groups visited the Begin Center in the last few days. The first was a UJC group from Chicago who were very interested in the museum and other features of the building. They were briefly addressed by Harry Hurwitz, the Founder of the Begin Memorial Project and the President of its Foundation. He responded to a numbe r of questions from members of the group.

On Tuesday afternoon, a UC-Irvine group visited, including a Vice-Chancellor of the University, a professor and multi-denominational students. They were given a lecture on the Peace Treaty by Harry Hurwitz and Yisrael Medad, Head of the Information Resources at the Begin Center, answered their questions on a variety of topics.

* * * * *

Mr. Steven Gross of Toronto visited the Begin Center last Friday. He was greatly impressed by the entire building and especially the museum. His late parents, Kenny and Gladys Gross, had been staunch supporters of Menachem Begin from the days of the Irgun until his premiership. They were early supporters of the program to establish the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

* * * * *

Mr. and Mrs. Aizer of Johannesburg, South Africa, visited the Begin Center and were shown the Millicent Lavine Garden at the end of the Bronka Plaza. The late Millicint Lavine was a well-known gardener and donated much of the income from her work to projects connected with the Tel Hai Fund and later the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

* * * * *

Bonnie Lipton, a former national president of the Hadassah organization, visited the Begin Center this week. She was greatly impressed by the building and the outline of wh at it contains. She regarded the museum as an outstanding portrayal of the man, his work and the achievements of the Zionist movement.

Center Bulletin, Vol 4, No. 47

Volume 4, Issue 47
September 3, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 434,679


Menachem Begin versus Joseph Biden

Twenty-five years after his retirement from political life and sixteen years after his death, Menachem Begin is suddenly a factor in the upcoming US Presidential election. His name has appeared in reports and numerous websites describing a June 1982 confrontation Begin had while visiting Washington, DC, with then-Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware and now Vice Presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket. The report circu lating quotes a major article by Moshe Zak, a leading Israeli journalist and one-time editor of Ma'ariv, who wrote in the week of Begin's death in 1992 that:

During that committee hearing, at the height of the Lebanon War, Sen. John [sic, Joseph] Biden (Delaware) had attacked Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria and threatened that if Israel did not immediately cease this activity, the US would have to cut economic aid to Israel. When the senator raised his voice and banged twice on the table with his fist, Begin com mented to him: “This desk is designed for writing, not for fists. Don’t threaten us with slashing aid. Do you think that because the US lends us money it is entitled to impose on us what we must do? We are grateful for the assistance we have received, but we are not to be threatened. I am a proud Jew. Three thousand years of culture are behind me, and you will not frighten me with threats. Take note: we do not want a single soldier of yours to die for us.”

When that report appeared last week, the Begin Center in Jerusalem received numerous inquiries from people asking for verification from official sources that such a conference had actually taken place. The Information Resources team at the Begin Center searched for relevant documents and found the official report of a press conference that Begin gave on his return from that particular visit to the US on 23 June 1982 in which he enumerated various important meetings he had with the Pres ident and other personalities and House of Representatives and Senate Foreign Relations Committees. Begin said that in the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate:

A young senator rose and delivered a very impassioned speech - I must say that it's been a while since I've heard such a talented speaker - and he actually supported Operation "Peace for the Galilee". He even went further, and said that if someone from Canada were to infiltrate into the United States, and kill its citizens all of us (and thus he indicated a circle) would demand attacking them, and we wouldn't pay attention as to whether men, women or children were killed. That's what he said. I disassociated myself from these remarks. I said to him: No, sir; attention must be paid. According to our values, it is forbidden to hurt women and c hildren, even in war. …

And thus the argument went. But, as I said before, the same senator supported our operation in Lebanon - with all his heart, he said. What he doesn't like are our settlements in Judea and Samaria. I regret that I could not agree with him. He hinted - more than hinted - that if we continue with this policy, it is possible that he will propose cutting our financial aid. And to this I gave him a clear answer: Sir, do not threaten us with cutting aid. First of all, you should know that this is not a one- way street. You help us, and we are very grateful for your help; but this is a two-way street: We do a lot for you. And also in recent battles we did a lot for the United States; and I gave some examples, but this is not the place to go into them. Therefore, do not threaten us with cuts in aid, but take note: That if at any time you demand of us to yield on a principle in which we believe, while threatening to cut aid, we will not abandon the principle in which we believe - and propose cutting aid.

Moshe Zak wrote that "after the meeting, Sen. [Daniel] Moynihan approached Begin and praised him for his cutting reply. To which Begin answered with thanks, defining his stand against threats."


30 Years Ago: PM Begin Visits Romania

This week marks 30 years since Menachem Begin's visit as Prime Minister to Romania. He had two goals in mind—the first was to meet with the Jewish community which he had last visited 38 years previously and the second was to hold talks with President Ceausescu and Foreign Minister Macovescu. He wanted them to assure President Sadat that he, Begin, was serious in his efforts for peace.

On Begin's return to Israel, he told a press conference that:

The visit was a moving one. I refer to the meeting with the remnants of the Romanian Jewish Community in fact with the remnants of East European Jewry in general. We came to the synagogue on Friday evening, and there we saw the remnant of the glorious Jewish Community.

Before World War II there were a million Jews in Romania, but only 450,000 survived. Even in 1944 the arch-murderer Eichmann managed to deport from Transylvania, which is now part of Romania, hundreds of thousands of Jews and ship them to Auschwitz. This entire tragedy stood before my eyes when I saw the worshippers in t he synagogue. The old people, the women and the youngsters. The youngsters sang for us songs of Zion and we experienced profound emotion.

We must not forget that 38 years have passed since the outbreak of the war and the onset of the Holocaust, and this was the first time—after a span of a generation or more—that I had seen the remnants of East European Jewry.

The next day we went to the synagogue again—all the members of the entourage and myself—and again we met with the wonderful Jews who had survived. But in my mind's eye I saw also the thousands of Jews with whom I came to what was the Romanian border and who, on account of the intervention of the British Ambassador in Bucharest, were prevented from transiting to Constanza and from there to Israel…and as we were sitting in the synagogue: "We were like dreamers." Both because of the pain over those who are no longer alive and because of our encounter with those who still are—and they are loyal dedicated Jews who love Eretz Yisrael and are aware of what is happening in it.

High Tribute To the Begin Center by former Jerusalem Post Editor


A former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, Jeff Barak, wrote a critical article in the Post of today's leadership in Israel. He cited Ehud Barak's desire to sell his penthouse apartment in the Akirov Towers in Tel Aviv for $11 million.

At this point he wrote that:

a more telling comparison can be found in the excellent Menachem Begin Heritage Center museum in Jerusalem. There you can find a reconstruction of Begin's apartment at 1 Rehov Rosenbaum in Tel Aviv, his private residence until he became prime minister in 1977. The simply furnished living room is exactly like the living rooms of other lower middle-class Israelis of that period, who made do with very little. There is no room there for the grand piano so beloved of Barak. Begin, despite being the most grandiose and theatrical of politicians, lived a spartan way of life and handed this down to his children. His son Benny, a Jerusalemite, was famous, when a Knesset member, for taking the bus to the Knesset rather than using his MK's car.

Begin's successor, Yitzhak Shamir, as befits another former member of the Jewish underground, also lived modestly. His son Yair, the successful hi-tech entrepreneur, said that his father was disappointed in him when he decided to leave the air force, where he had been a successful career officer, in favor of the business world. Shamir senior was troubled by the thought, Yair said, that his son was giving up a job in which the security of the state was paramount in return for one where money became the prime object.

Camp David Commemoration

On the evening of 22 September, the famous Camp David meeting attended by Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Anwar Sadat will be commemorated with the participation of a number of leading persons from that time. Israel will be represented by the 5th President of the State of Israel Yitzhak Navon and Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein. The Begi n Center will be represented by Harry Hurwitz, Founder and President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, and the Bar Ilan University (a co-sponsor of the event) will be represented by the President of the University, Moshe Kaveh.

The following day a three-session symposium will be held at the Bar Ilan University. In that event, active participants in the Camp David negotiations and events will be the main speakers in the various panels.



Mazal Tov

Rami Shtivi, a senior worker in the Menachem Begin Archives at the Menachem Begin Center, and his bride Keren Shahar were married last week in a lovely ceremony on Kibbutz Hulda. The Begin Center extends hearty Mazal Tov to the newlyweds.

* * * * *

Yael, the daughter of Gaby and Shaul Mizrahi, was married last week at the Ahuzah Center in Jerusalem. Yae l was married to Yaron Pituvi. We extend a hearty Mazal Tov to the newlyweds, their parents and grandparents.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 44

Volume 4, Issue 44
August 13, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 427,560


World Zionist Organization Meeting at the Center

A special meeting of the World Zionist Organization headed by its chairman, Ze'ev Bielsky, was held at the Begin Center this week to mark the 95th birthday of Menachem Begin.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Bielsky spoke movingly of the great impact that Menachem Begin had upon the Jewish People from the time he commanded the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the political evolution of Israel as leader of the Opposition until he was elected Prime Minister of the country in May 1977.

Harry Hurwitz, the founder of the Begin Center and now the President of the Foundation, welcomed the Executive and pointed out that according to the Begin Law passed in the Knesset in 1998, one of its goals is to stud y and research the Zionist struggle for the creation of the State. He made brief reference to the highlights of Menachem Begin's main political actions and urged close cooperation with the World Zionist Organization.

Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Begin Center, is the Honorary Secretary of the World Zionist Executive.


60 Years Ago: The Herut Party

The creation of the Herut Party in Israel in August 1948 by Menachem Begin and his associates in the command of the Irgun Zvai Leumi was one of the major events in the development of the State of Israel. For 29 years, the Herut Party, and later its partner the Liberal Party, served in Loyal Opposition until they were elected to the Premiership and leadership of the State of Israel in May 1977.

At the time of the launch of the party, Mr. Begin outlined the party's main objectives among which he stressed the need to:

"safeguard the sovereignty of the people, abolish discrimination between Jew and Jew, the system of the party key and the system of 'protexia' poisoning the national life of Israel today.

Dealing with problems of the constitution, Mr. Begin said it was not sufficient to construct a document with fine formulae laying down democratic principles. It was the task of the Constituent Assembly to make democracy safe in practice for the people of Israel. The Herut Party, therefore, would insist upon the essential division of the power of the State. The concentration of power in the hands of one person or in one group of persons presented a dangerous threat to the libe rty of the individual citizen. A Prime Minister or any other members of the Government could not, in a free State, be at the same time legislator and judge.

But, continued Mr. Begin, the separation of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary would not by itself solve the problem of securing the people's freedom.

"A form of parliamentary government can be maintained but it can, in practice, operate as a totalitarian machine with power firmly in the hands of the ruling party and that party is in a position, in effect, to defy the will and abolish the liberty of the people. To meet this grave danger, which is very real indeed in Israel, the people themselves must be equipped with the legal right and the political machinery to make known their will when vital problems confront the nation. This can only be done by making proper prov ision for a referendum, with clear rules and arrangements for its use, so that Parliament can never be turned into a glorified party conference.

In pursuance of the exercise of democratic control in fact and not merely in theory, Herut will strive to assure the democratic control of all local authorities and institutions and will fight against the pernicious system whereby controllers are nominated by the central government. Local government must be responsible to the local masses and not to some Party secretary, Party boss or Central Government authority."

"If the present disastrous economic position in Israel is not radically altered we shall not only be doomed to poverty and inflation but be deprived of the opportunity of establishing agriculture and industry as the sound foundation of the State. Internal and foreign loans will not solve our economic problem, which is the problem of vast and speedy construction. Loans will melt away in the war effort and little if anything will be left for constructive work. The solution lies in a maximum mobilization of productive investments. This can be achieved with the help of the Jews in the USA, but barring the way to this solution stands Monopolism, which in accordance with the iron law of economics, seeks the maximum concentration of capital and the destruction of every rival factor which threatens to engage in those constructive spheres. Herut will fight against Monopolism and monopolies. We shall demand laws to prevent the establishment of monopolies in the future."

By 1951, Menachem Begin concentrated his vision for the Herut Party into a speech that was published in the Herut newspaper and subsequently published as a booklet "Basic Outlines of Our Worldview and Our National Outlook." The Menachem Begin Heritage Center republished this booklet in Hebrew and translated it into English. It is currently available for sale at the Begin Center.


Words Echo from the Past for ₤1,600

A rare pamphlet issued by the Irgun Zvai Leumi in 1947 was sold at the British auction house Mullock's for ₤1,600. This is one of the highest prices paid for such a document. The sale of the pamphlet aroused a great deal of interest in the British media and also attracted attention in other countries, including places in the Arab world.

The English language pamphlet was addressed as follows: "The Soldiers of the Underground to the Soldiers of the Occupation Army." It was distributed to British troops at the start of 1947, just after the Irgun blew up a wing of the King David Hotel.


Dr. Beny Begin Speaks at Parashat HaShavua

On Thursday, August 7, the Reuben Hecht Auditorium was filled to capacity and the overflow seating in the Seminar Room was filled as well with persons who came to hear a special lecture by Dr. Ze'ev Binyamin Begin and Dr. Micha Goodman on the Parashat HaShavua for Tisha B'Av, the parasha before Shabbat Nachamu, which is Menachem Begin's birthday.

Dr. Begin spoke about the letters written on clay that were found in 1935 at Tel Lachish. The letters were in Hebrew and date back from before the First Temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE as they refer to the defense of Jerusalem. The interesting thing about the letters is not that they exist at all, but rather that expert opinions had suggested that these letters contradicted the biblical account in the Book of Jeremiah, calling into question the written account. Until now. In the letters, the guards at Lachish claim that they cannot see the signal fires at Azakat Fortress. Experts had assumed that the lack of signal fires suggested that the fortress had already fallen which is not the account given in the Book of Jeremiah. Dr. Begin, using geological findings, shows that because of the topography of the land, the guards at Lachish would not have been able to see Azakat. Thus, there is no contradiction of the Book of Jeremiah.

Dr. Micha Goodman spoke about the importance of Tisha B'Av and its contrast to Tu B'Av, the 'holiday of love' in Israel.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 43

Volume 4, Issue 43
August 7, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 426,090*


Begin's 95th Birthday and 60 Years of Herut

Next week, the Begin Center will host a special academic event to mark two major milestones in the life of Menachem Begin—his 95th birthday on Shabbat Nachamu and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Herut Party soon after the creation of the State of Israel. This event will be presented jointly by the Begin Center and the University of Haifa. It will take place on Thursday, 14 August, starting at 9:30am with opening remarks by the Founder of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, Harry Hurwitz Three sessions, devoted to various aspects of the political and social activities of the Herut Party, will then follow to be chaired by Prof. Yechiam Weiss; Herzl Makov, Chairman of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and Yechiel Kadishai, Menachem Begin's Bureau Chief. A panel discussion with the participation of Ronni Milo, Prof. Weitz and Dr. Udi Lebel will close the day.

The 60th anniversary of the founding of Herut Party will also incorporate the launch of its newspaper Herut. There are still a number of active people around who played a part in those dramatic developments.


Menachem Begin Prize Nominations

By the end of this week the first official advertisement will appear in the press (and in this bulletin) calling for nominations for this year's Menachem Begin Prize. According to the conditions of the Prize, it is awarded to a person or organization who accomplished something extraordinary for the benefit of the State of Israel and/or the Jewish People.

Over the years, the Prize was awarded to numerous exceptional individuals and organizations such as: Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut who died in the Columbia disaster; Kaare Kristiansen, the Norwegian statesman who resigned from the Nobel Prize Committee when it awarded the Prize to Arafat; Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Firer, the remarkable founder of "Ezra L'Marpeh" an organization that has helped thousands in their medical treatment and ability to overcome illness; and many others.



This year's ceremony will take on a special character because it will be thirty years after Menachem Begin received the Nobel Prize for Peace in Oslo—the first Israeli statesman thus to be recognized and honored. Special plans are now in preparation for this unique event.


Cooperation with the Cinemateque

A very interesting meeting was held on Tuesday between the heads of the Begin Foundation and Begin Center and the two principle directors of the nearby Cinemateque which recently completed the 2008 Jerusalem Film Festival in which the Reuben Hecht Auditorium was a popular and attractive venue. The Cinemateque Directors Ilan Defris and Yigal Hay were particularly pleased that the film Exodus could be shown to great advantage in the auditorium in the presence of Bruce Tuchman, Executive, Vice President, MGM Networks; Sharon Harel, daughter of the late Yossi Harel who was the commander of the ship and who passed away a few months ago; and Prof. Foster Hirsh, lecturer at City University of New York, who published a biography of Otto Preminger, producer and director of the film.

The new facilities of the Cinemateque were explained and their expertise in preserving footage, especially from the early part of the 20th century, were offered to the Begin Archives. Now it is up to technical experts from both organizations to pursue the matter.


Discussions with Siebenberg House Museum

The heads of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation and the Menachem Begin Center were happy to meet with and have wide-ranging discussions with Mr. and Mrs. Theo Siebenberg of the Siebenberg House Museum in the Old City of Jerusalem. The possibility of active cooperation between the two was canvassed and further discussions will be held in the coming months.


*Visitor Number Jumps

In the past week, we have incorporated into the total number of visitors to the Begin Center the people who saw the movies in the Begin Center during the recent Film Festival.


Visitors

The Ambassador of Poland Madame Ambassador Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska and her assistant Alexandra Buchovska visited the Begin Center to discuss plans for various cultural, educational programs in the coming year.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 38

Volume 4, Issue 38
July 2, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 214,220



70 Years Ago—Recalling Shlomo Ben Yosef

This week it is 70 years since the Betari Shlomo Ben Yosef was hanged by the British. In protest against the Arab riots and attacks upon Jews, he fired at a bus carrying Arab passengers. No one was hurt, but according to British Emergency Regulations, his action was a capital crime. He was tried, sentenced to death and executed.

Ze'ev Jabotinsky was terribly upset by this whole development and made a number of his great speeches about the issue and wrote a number of articles calling Ben Yosef the "Knight of Hadar". Ben Yosef, who was just about 18 years of age, said in his last minutes that he was going to his death with the name of Jabotinsky on his lips. He was the first of the Irgun and Lehi people thus to be executed by the British.

The Irgun Veterans Association, the Jabotinsky Institute, the Betar movement and the local council of Rosh Pina, where Ben Yosef is buried, will hold a memorial service at the cemetery on Thursday.


Unveiling Ceremony of Harry Brand Sculpture

A most attractive new feature has been added to the Begin Center. It is situated in the Hurwitz Family Entrance Hall and is literally the first thing visitors see when they enter the building. It is an unusual artistic creation by Prof. Harry Brand, who is a leading architect and who was a member of the building committee of the Begin < st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center. It is made of solid aluminum and has next to it a significant quote from the thoughts of Menachem Begin which, in essence, says: "We are in our land not by the right of might, but by the might of right."

A select gathering of members of the Brand family, some of their friends, leaders of the Begin Foundation and Center and some visitors from abroad, including Lisa and Harry Posin of Boca Raton were present at the ceremony.



Herzl Makov opened the proceedings with warm words of thanks for Brand's creation which he presented to the Center. He was followed by Harry Hurwitz, who knew the Brand family and the Seeff family from South Africa. The Seeffs were leading and devoted members and supporters of the Zionist Revisionist Organization and the Betar Youth movement. In response, Harry Brand related that in 1957 when Menachem Begin visited South Africa, Mr. and Mrs. Begin stayed for a few days in the Seeff home in Johannesburg. At the end of the stay, Mr. Begin handed them a signed photo with an expression of gratitude. It is this official photo that formed the base of the artistic likeness which Harry Brand created. On behalf of the family he also thanked Mr. Hurwitz and his associates for their warmth and friendship to Mrs. Seeff after Sam had passed away.



There was enthusiastic applause from those present when the blue curtain covering the wall was pulled aside.


Bnai Zion Mission at the Center

The Bnai Zion fraternal organization in the US is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary with a series of events in different parts of the USA and elsewhere.

Among them is the visit of prestigious mission of the organization headed by its current President, Mr. Shaffer, and including its Executive Vice President Emeritus, Mr. Mel Parness and his successor, Mr. Jack Grunspan. Their program included a visit to the Begin Center and its state-of-the-art, hi-tech museum.

In addressing them briefly, the Founder of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Harry Hurwitz, related his own connection to the Bnai Zion during the time he served as Minister of Information at the Israel Embassy in Washington, DC. Mr. Parness recalled a number of meetings of the organization's leaders with Prime Minister Begin. The members of the mission were very impressed by the museum.


Lowell Milken and Family Pay A Visit

Mr. Lowell Milken of the Milken Family Foundation of Los Angeles, his sons Shmuel and Aaron, other members of the family and associates visited the Begin Center on Monday. They spent more than two hours touring various features in and around the building visiting the Menachem Begin Museum and getting a detailed briefing from Harry Hurwitz.

They were greatly impressed by all they saw and heard and will consider their practical participation in this great, educational, inspirational project.

Mr. Milken had a number of important suggestions which will be considered by the Board.


Congratulations!

"The Stopping Power of Land: The Geopolitical Rationale of American Military Intervention Policy in Post-Cold War International Crises" a working paper in Hebrew by Ziv Rubinovitz, a research assistant at the Begin Center, was published by The Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.


Visitors

Congressman Michael Pence and his wife Karen of Indiana paid a very brief visit to the Begin Center on Sunday. They are close friends of Mr. and Mrs. Hart Hasten of Indianapolis and were happy to see the important Institute with which the Hastens are connected.

Mr. Hart Hasten is the President of the US Friends of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation.

* * * * *

Mr. Simi and Mrs. Lorraine Abraham and their daughter Yakira who is currently studying in Jerusalem visited the Begin Center and were very happy to meet with Harry Hurwitz whom they had known in South Africa. Lorraine is the Executive Director of the Zionist Federation of Australia and Simi who was at one time in charge of Information in the South African Zionist Federation is now in private business in Melbourne.

Center Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 39

Volume 4, Issue 39
July 10, 2008

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 414,280


Apology

The editors of this bulletin apologize for misstating the total number of visitors that have been to the Center since October 2004. It was certainly not intentional; it was a transposition of the numbers. In fact, as you will see in today's bulletin, the total number of visitors is 414,280.

We were pleasantly surprised to receive a number of emails and calls from regular readers of the bulletin questioning the number and pointing out the mistake.

WELL DONE AND THANK YOU!


Begin Center Welcomes Jerusalem Film Festival

The Reuben Hecht Auditorium in the Menachem Begin Heritage Center is once again one of the major venues of the Jerusalem Film Festival which will function from 10-19 July. Dozens of movies in all categories will be screened at the Begin Center as in the previous 4 years. However, this year the major event of the Festival will be highlighted at the Begin Center. It is the rescreening of the movie EXODUS to honor the ship's commanding officer, the late Yossi Harel, who passed away last April when the highest tributes were paid to him by the government and many elements in the country.

The program at the Begin Center will take place on Wednesday evening July 16 and will include a short address by the Executive Vice President of MGM Networks, Bruce Tuchman, who is coming specially for the occasion; Sharon Harel, daughter of the late Yossi Harel, who is a film producer; Prof. Foster Hirsch, lecturer at City University in New York, who has published numerous articles, the latest of which is a biography of Otto Preminger who was producer and director of the movie. The moderator is Micha Shagrir.

At the beginning of the evening archival footage of the Exodus will be screened and tributes will be paid to Yossi Harel. The preliminary program will be followed by the screening of EXODUS, starring Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint, based on the novel by Leon Uris, screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and filmed on location in Israel.


Sadat's Family Angered by Movie

The family of the late President Anwar Sadat is furious about a new Iranian film Assassination of a Pharaoh which glorifies one of the Egyptians who shot President Sadat at a military parade on October 6, 1981, eight years after the start of the Yom Kippur War. The assassin, Khalid Islambouli, was brought to trial in Cairo and was hanged for the killing in 1982. Subsequently a Teheran road was named after him.

Sadat's daughter, Roqeya, said that "such slander will receive a strong response." And Sadat's nephew, Talat, who is a member of Egypt's Parliament, said that "making this film is a low attempt to tarnish the image of the man and falsify history."


Visitors

Malka and Robert Beren of Kansas and Florida came on a visit to the Begin Center on Wednesday and were very impressed by many aspects of it. Mr. Beren had visited the building when it was in the last stages of construction and spoke highly of the way the building was created and its content. They met with Harry Hurwitz, the Founder and President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation who accompanied them into the museum. They asked many questions about features in the museum and attendance and about the sort of people that come to it from Israel and abroad.

* * * * *

Members of the Executive of the Anti-Defamation League who were visiting Jerusalem and met with leaders of the State came to the Begin Center and visited the Museum which impressed them very much.

* * * * *

Mr. Nachman Shai, the CEO of the United Jewish Communities of North America and a number of his associates met with members of the Begin Foundation and the Begin Center to discuss a program in the Center at the time of the GA which will take place in Jerusalem from November 16 to 19. They are anxious that some of the young members of the North American Jewish Community should see the Center, hear the story and learn more about Menachem Begin.

It was also pointed out to them that 19 November is the date now inscribed in Israel's history when President Sadat of Egypt arrived in Jerusalem at the invitation of Prime Minister Begin. There is a temporary exhibit in the Center marking that historic event and the start of the Peace Process 30 years ago.