In the vanguard of cutting-edge fiber technologies, Argaman is protecting lives
By Gina Raphael
Outside of my family and business, my entire life’s focus has been working on behalf of the State of Israel. Each year, I look forward to a summer adventure focusing on philanthropic projects and visiting friends, bringing this mission to life. Memories of my summer adventures live on through pictures on Facebook but also through lives changed and bridges built.
As Chair of the Women’s International Zionist Organization(WIZO) in Los Angeles, I am so honored to lead an amazing movement of Chaverot working on behalf of women and families in Israel. We are proud of our Women’s Shelters, Day Care Centers, Youth Villages, after school programs focused on Ethiopian Youth and so much more. It has also been a gift to work with and build connections between elected officials in California and our City of Beverly Hills with the State of Israel.
While my love for Israel has been expressed through philanthropic and leadership opportunities, we have continually pursued ways to carry products at Mickey Fine – our small chain of pharmacies – that are made in Israel. The goal has been to bring Israel to life in our stores in Beverly Hills not just through our love of the country but by bringing unique Israeli products into our stores. Yes, there has been the occasional skin care, gift item and food product; and of course, the Israeli pharma company Teva, through our distributor McKesson Pharmaceuticals has been critical in our ongoing inventory.
What brought us this long-sought business connection to Israel from a commercial perspective has ironically been the Covid-19 pandemic. While Teva Pharmaceuticals has been an essential part of fighting the virus with its hydroxychloroquine product, our strongest connection ever has come from a leader in the scientific break-throughs, Argaman Technologies, their amazing founder, Jeff Gabbay and their BioBlocX Reusable Face Mask. Seeking a way to better protect our family, team and community, we literally sought out Argaman to bring a fresh perspective to the traditional face mask in this most challenging of times.
Chief Scientist and President of Argaman Technologies, inventor Jeffrey Gabbay with copper-infused cotton fibers. (photo credit: FELICE FRIEDSON/TML PHOTOS)
Originally pursuing unique materials to cure hospital infections and better deliver cancer therapies, Argaman utilized revolutionary new applications that have been modified in face masks to battle the current pandemic. The textiles have been tested on RNA viruses like bird flu and swine flu and have been applied to the current Corona virus. The cotton fiber of the mask is infused with compounds that are bad for bacteria but benign for humans. They use ultrasonic waves that are used to attach to the fibers.
According to Jeff Gabbay, President & Chief Technology Officer of Argaman, “the virus will wane but we have to make sure while the virus slows down that we are proactive and do what we can now to protect ourselves in the event there will be a second wave; only we don’t know when. It means acting now to avoid the disorganization and anxiety we all suffered with this wave.”
Jeffrey Gabbay at Argaman Technologies in Jerusalem. (TML Photos)
With mandatory usage of face masks in Los Angeles and in other cities as well, finding a reusable mask that provides a super level of protection became critical. In just a few short weeks, we have placed several orders and brought face masks for local and customers across the country. With the uncertainty of the virus, the belief in mighty Israel and brilliant Argaman to protect us is comforting at every level. Building distribution of this product line has been a top priority for us at Mickey Fine with the double mitzvah of protecting people while highlighting the innovation that Israel brings to the world.
The writer demonstrating the revolutionary Israeli mask at her pharmacy in Beverly Hills, California .
While I am optimistic that my annual summer Israel adventure to Jerusalem will take place this August to work on behalf of philanthropic projects in Israel and finally meet my new friend Jeff Gabbay, I know that the world in which we live will remain forever changed. Most likely face masks will become a standard part of what we put in our purse and take on the plane. But we are also more confident that Israel is providing us that extra protection every day in our stores and for the community.
Gina Raphael and husband Jeffrey Gross at Mickey Fine, a pharmacy with a soda fountain (JNF Impact – May 2016)
Gina Raphael and her husband Jeff Gross own Mickey Fine Pharmacy & Grill (www.mickefine.com), the leading independent pharmacy chain in Beverly Hills. gina@mickeyfine.com
El Al – Israel’s National Airline – missions to bring stranded Israelis home during the Corona crisis
By Rolene Marks
“This is Am Yisrael (the people of Israel) – we never leave our brothers or sisters stranded”.
Marathon Flight. Four El Al 787-9 Dreamliners headed to Peru to rescue around 1,000 stranded Israelis. The 16 hour plus flight times, made them the longest flights ever flown by El Al. (Photo: Jacob Aviation)
I recently enjoyed the distinct pleasure of interviewing Captain Ofer Aloni, a veteran pilot who has had a renowned career both in the army flying Cobra helicopters; and for El Al – Israel’s national carrier.
Captain Ofer Aloni is warm and engaging. A pilot with an enduring passion for music, Captain Aloni recently participated in a historic mission – to bring back stranded Israelis from Peru because of international travel bans due to the global spread of the Corona virus. He graciously shared some insight into this extraordinary mission, one of several to various countries.
Hitting The Right Chord. When not flying, music is a big part of Captain Ofer Aloni’s home life. (Photo: Courtesy of Ofer Aloni)
What makes these missions extra special, is that this is the first time the Boeing airplanes, with their tails proudly displaying the Israeli flag, have flown to these countries. Australia, Peru, Colombia, Nigeria, Costa Rica and various others – Israel has proven that we will dispatch our national carrier to the far flung corners of the world to bring our citizens home safely.
First Direct Flight To Melbourne Lands. Rescuing stranded Israelis, the flight on the 2 April 2020 from Tel Aviv Israel to Melbourne Australia took 16 hours and 24 minutes.
Captain Aloni describes how the mission started. “We heard that there was a mission being planned to go to Peru and everyone wanted to be a part of it,” he says. Israel does not have an Embassy in Peru but the prospect to fly to a place where El Al had never been before, proved intriguing.
Before the planes could take off on their extraordinary mission, a sterile environment had to be created on board because of the highly contagious nature of Covid-19. A sterile area was created behind the cockpit – business class became a no-go area. Pilots and cabin crew took great pains to keep a distance from each other, and social distancing rules means that there was absolutely no contact between pilots and passengers and cabin crew had to wear masks and what has now become de rigueur Corona accessories.
With a sterile environment set up on board, it was time for the two El Al flights to depart for Lima, Peru.
“Flying into the unknown is very exciting for a pilot and this time we were flying over countries and in weather we had not previously experienced,” says Aloni. The flight path soared over the magnificent Amazon Rain Forest and high above the Andes mountains, with its unusual clouds and the weather was eye opening. High clouds above the Andes Mountains are fertile ground for storms.
For this long haul flight that took over 30 hours with no layover, the six pilots took shifts. Usually, the pilots that are off shift, are able to rest comfortably on proper cots with sheets and blankets but in this case, nobody seemed to mind catching a few z’s on the floor of the cockpit. “It was special, and the atmosphere was different – we knew that we doing something completely out of the ordinary,” says Aloni.
The flight path from Tel Aviv to Lima.
It was certainly out of the ordinary. With the whole world engaged in a war against encroaching Corona virus, airports were closed and for the first time, flight traffic was quiet.
After flying for so long, it was time to notify air traffic control that El Al was coming into land.
“This was the most incredible feeling. It was so exciting not just for us, but for the air traffic controllers at the airport in Lima. This was the first time ever that they were greeting El Al pilots and having planes land in the empty airport. I felt so lucky! Prime Minister Netanyahu phoned to congratulate us but we are Israel – we never leave our people behind,” says Aloni.
The notes of an emotional speech given aboard by captain Ofer Aloni on the return flight from Peru.
With a 1000 enthusiastic and grateful passengers on board, it was time to head home. This was a flight like no other and while Aloni and his crew had to keep a safe distance from the passengers, the affable Captain took to the on-board microphone to address everyone. For Israelis and Jews around the world, this was defining moment. It was a moment that would signal light and collective brotherhood.
August 2018 – Captain Ofer Aloni, son of Holocaust survivors, with his guitar, making a special emotional gesture with passengers returning from Poland to Israel , after delegations visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and other Nazi death camps.
“I used the opportunity to speak about using this opportunity of quarantine to appreciate our togetherness. I said to them that I would love to hug all of them, we couldn’t at this time, but we can focus on each other,” says Aloni.
Footage of the speech and ensuing singing was posted to social media channels and had people the world over singing – and shedding a few emotional but joyful tears.
Home sweet home – and was homecoming ever this sweet?!
The reception waiting for crew and passengers was simply extraordinary! There were about 30-40 parents, clapping, crying and thanking us and I could not contain my tears,” says an emotional Aloni. “This was the greatest reward! There are moments in life that you cherish. For me, it has been the rescue of four soldiers I rescued during combat, and now this mission is definitely another one. We don’t leave anyone behind – on the battlefield and in crisis,” says Aloni.
Israel has proven the ancient tenet that we are all responsible for each other – even if it means flights to every corner of the globe, including the unexplored that bring with them new terrain, and that every life is precious which is why we never leave anyone behind.
Can’t go to concerts, then ‘Corona Concerts’ come to you as top Israeli musicians perform nightly in our living rooms
By David E. Kaplan
How accustomed are Israelis that when the chips are down, they will not be denied culture and entertainment! It’s a hallmark of the character of this country and its people. Through wars, intifadas and incessant missile attacks, the message projected is that ‘The Show Must Go On’.
It’s in our national DNA.
Over a decade before Israel emerged as a state, culture was foremost on the minds of those navigating its destiny.
On 26 December 1936, The Palestine Orchestra – the forerunner of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) – was born. Its genesis coincided with The Great Arab Revolt (1936-1939) that began in April 1936 when a Jewish convoy was attacked, and two drivers killed. If frightening violence against Jews prevailed in Palestine, it was the impeding genocide of Jews in Europe that was the impetus for the formation of the IPO.
The great Polish-born Jewish violinist and musician, Bronislaw Huberman, who foresaw the Holocaust, persuaded 75 Jewish musicians from major European orchestras to immigrate to Palestine, creating what he called the “materialization of the Zionist culture in the fatherland” on the sand dunes of Tel Aviv.
Striving for excellence, Huberman invited the greatest conductor of the time, Arturo Toscanini, to conduct the opening concert, to be performed at the Levant Fair in Tel Aviv on 26 December 1936. Toscanini abandoned his renowned NBC Orchestra for several weeks “to render paternal care to the newly born…”
Having escaped the rise of Fascism in his homeland of Italy, the great Maestro said:
“I am doing this for humanity…”
That thirst of a people for music prevailed and is embedded in Israeli culture.
Origins Of An Orchestra. Violinist Bronislaw Huberman founder of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and Moshe Chelouche, Chairman of the Palestine Philharmonic – forerunner of the IPO – (centre), greets Arturo Toscanini (left) on his arrival to conduct the inaugural concert of the Israel Philharmonic orchestra in Tel Aviv on December 26, 1936. Moshe Chelouche was a descendant of the family that founded Neve Tzedek in 1887 and later Tel Aviv in 1909 and 2nd mayor of Tel-Aviv.
When in 1948, South African Dr Jack Medalie the grandfather of famed Israeli songwriter Doron Medalie volunteered to serve in Israel’s War of Independence as a doctor in the front line, he recounted how in the thick of war, “I was surprised one day when we were taken to a desolate place in the Negev where our soldiers sat listening to an orchestra under the baton of a young American.” The name of that “young American” was –Leonard Bernstein, who was touring the war-ravaged country with an ensemble of 35 members of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra performing to civilians and soldiers alike – a grueling schedule of forty concerts in sixty days.
Conducting several Beethoven pieces, “with a gusto of physical movement the like of which I had never seen,” recorded Medalie, “it was an amazing spectacle of an orchestra playing to an appreciative brigade of soldiers behind enemy lines.”
Bernstein In Be’er Sheva. Leonard Bernstein at a concert given with members of the Israel Philharmonic for the armed forces, Be’er Sheva, November 20, 1948.
War might be raging, but culture was no casualty.
Recovering from his surprise, it did concern Medalie that between Beethoven and Bernstein “a few enemy bombs could have destroyed most of the Palmach in the Negev.”
Bernstein would later describe that of all his experiences in the nascent Jewish state during its war for survival, “the greatest being the special concerts for soldiers. Never could you imagine so intelligent and cultured and music-loving an army!”
Has any army anywhere been so described?
Band On The Run. Hurrying from one base to another under fire, the Palmach’s musical and entertainment troupe, ‘Chizbatron’ is seen here with Chaim Hefer, the bands founder and chief songwriter, seated center right with the piano accordion.
Maintaining high moral during that war was critical, and whose ‘VOICE’ was most prominent was polish born Chaim Hefer who joined the Palmach in 1943 and took part in smuggling illegal immigrants through Syria and Lebanon. In January 1948 he was one of the founders of the Chizbatron, the Palmach army troupe, and was its chief songwriter. Hefer and his troupe would travel to combat units in the front line -their stage often a bed of rocks, a dusty dirt road or their tour truck. With the lighting furnished by a jeep’s headlights, the sun, the moon, or simply from a bonfire, the band often performed four to five times a day, each time before a different squad and sometimes sustaining casualties when some of its members were injured as their truck hit a landmine on the way to a performance. The fact that the ‘Chizbatron’ performed in the most dangerous places during the war, contributed to raising the morale, and some even say that “the Chizbatron was a battalion in its own right.”
‘Golden’ Oldie
This is little doubt that one of the most iconic Israeli songs of all time is “Jerusalem of Gold”. Written by the “first lady of Israeli song and poetry” Naomi Shemer and released three weeks before the beginning of the Six Day War in 1967, the paratroopers who first liberated the Western Wall – then more commonly called the Wailing Wall – sang this song in triumph after the Old City’s liberation after 2000 years of “occupation”.
Written during neighbouring Jordan’s occupation when Jews could not enter the Old City and worship in their holy places, it describes the longings of the Jewish people for Jerusalem.
After the war, Shemer added the last verse and is a heart-wrenching ‘reply’ to the lamentable second verse:
“We have returned to the cisterns
To the market and the square.
The shofar calls on the Temple Mount in the Old City.
And from the caves in the rocks, a thousand suns glow again.
We will go down to the Dead Sea by way of Jericho. “
The album “Jerusalem of Gold” was the most widely-sold album in Israel and there was hardly a home that didn’t have a copy of this record. The lyrics and tune resonated to Jews across the globe, awakening their eternal longings – a musical affirmation of a people’s desire to survive and strive.
Maestro Mehta
Another “Classical” illumination was revealed to me in an exclusive interview in 2016 with former IPO lifetime director and conductor Zubin Mehta who regaled on his solidarity concerts in Israel during the First Gulf War (1990-1991) when he, and violinist Isaac Stern, were presented with gas marks “just in case.”
“We never needed them,” he said, “and we only performed during the day, as the scuds were mainly at night when the country was in total darkness.” However, what fascinated the Maestro was “the grit of Israeli audiences. People were rightly worried of scuds landing anywhere in the country with possible chemicals, and here we were, the Israeli Philharmonic, performing to packed audiences. Israelis were undeterred – they wanted to hear the music they loved.”
Deafening alarm sounded in the hall, disrupting Mozart’s Concerto No. 3 for violin and orchestra. The orchestra players went offstage to wear their masks, and Stern stepped off the stage, too, wanting to continue with the concert, but it was impossible to continue playing the concerto while the musicians wore masks. He decided to play the Adagio from Bach’s Sonata Violin No. 1 in Bach Minor, with the alarm still wailing in the background, and the audience stood up and burst into applause, which was accompanied by a siren. Stern wore no mask.
Play On
Fast forward to 2002 and in the midst of the Second Intifada, when people avoided public places due to random suicide bombings on busses, bus stops, malls, clubs and restaurants, the South African Zionist Organisation in Israel – Telfed – organized a solidarity concert at Yad Lebanim Auditorium in Kfar Saba, aptly titled – “The Show Must Go On”. Actors, musicians, dancers and singers from all over the country – including a dance troupe from Eilat – performed and while it was feared, “no one will come, people are scared to go out at night”, the auditorium of over 800 seats was a sellout.
The people’s spirit of solidarity through culture prevailed, and snippets of that show can be enjoyed by logging below (As the movie begins on YouTube halfway, you will need to ‘rewind’ to the beginning):
Corona Concerts
Clearly, come hell or high water, Israelis from the past to the present, love their music, so no sooner had the government introduced regulations limiting gatherings due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus – including the cancellation of all cultural events until further notice – many of Israel’s top performers signed up to entertain Israel’s populace stuck at home.
Writing in The Jerusalem Post, Hannah Brown expressed that “The missile barrages last November that drove residents of the south into shelters were a good dress rehearsal for the current health crisis. In that case, musicians went to the shelters and played for small audiences. But this time, even small numbers of spectators are not permitted, so the musicians are performing in empty auditoriums” and televised to the nation. Some of the musicians are performing in their own homes, like last Monday night’s concert in the garden of Omer Adam, whose music fuses elements of eastern “Mizrahi” and Western pop instrumentation.
Israel’s 2020 own “The Show Must Go On” series, kicked its first concert on a Saturday night in March with Idan Raichel, one of the most well-known Israeli artists abroad.
The diverse group of performers appearing on Israel’s Channel 12 includes Harel Skaat, Amir Dadon, Maor Cohen, Asaf Amdursky, Dudu Aharon, Danny Robas, Knessiat Hasechel, Netta Barzilai, Marina Maximillian Blumin, Monica Sex, Natan Goshen, Idan Habib, Miki Gavrielov, Elai Botner, Amir Benyun, Kobi Aflalo, Karolina, Keren Peles, Shiri Maymon,Rami Kleinstein, Shuli Rand, the Shalva Band, Shimon Buskila and more.
Golan Einat, owner of the Zappa Group that is cosponsoring the ‘Corona Series’ together with Keshet, said: “In these difficult days, it is a great privilege for us to try to bring Zappa’s live performances directly into the homes of hundreds of thousands of people in Israel.”
And now all of you who might have missed these extraordinary concerts, can ENJOY at your leisure at home by linking onto the various performing artists below:
Leket Israel “Steps Up To The Plate” to serve food to those in need
By David E. Kaplan
Inspired by the proverb, ‘Want not, waste not’, the passion and drive of one young man back in 2003 to put food on the table for Israel’s needy, created an organization – Leket Israel – that is today the largest food rescue organization in the country.
From the trunk of his private car and a fridge housed in the car’s garage, Joseph Gitler has come a long way – feeding over 9,000 mouths daily.
Today, more than ever, this organization is needed during the Corona crisis as people battle with economic uncertainty and increasingly something as basic as “putting food on the table.” Undeterred by the national lockdown, Leket Israel has not stopped from endeavoring to collect, package and deliver food packages to the needy across the country.
If the situation today is grim, it was grim too when the organization was founded in 2003 by Gitler, then still in his twenties and working in hi-tech.
“It was a difficult time in Israel,” explains the Manhattan native and graduate of Yeshiva University Fordham University Law School who had immigrated to Israel only two years earlier. “The Intifada was raging, tourism was down, hi-tech was in the doldrums and coupled with all this, there was an ever-worsening poverty situation throughout the country. While I was well aware of this from statistics I picked up from the media, it was literally brought home to me when people were knocking at my front door, collecting money for food.”
Got His Hand’s Full.Leket Israel’s Founder and Chairman, Joseph Gitler with rescued produce.
“I could not accept this,” says Gitler. “I came here with notions and values about the country and realized I had been living in a little bubble in Ra’anana. Sure I was aware of poverty, but it was ‘elsewhere’, not that it prevailed all over the country, and on my doorstep, effecting ‘regular Joes’, who, for whatever reasons, could not make ends meet.”
Noting the success of certain food rescue organizations in North America, Gitler set about his task. “No one was thinking big on how to rescue food here beyond soup kitchens reaching out to local bakeries for leftovers.” So Gitler dove straight into the Yellow Pages turning to event caterers. Despite economic fluctuations, there is rarely a slump when it comes to family celebrations – “life has to go on” – and Gitler started working the phone. “I must have called over 60 catering halls and asked:
“Do you have left over food after an event?
“We do.”
“What do you do with it?
“Well, we throw it away.”
“So, if I come at night with packing material and distribute it to needy folk, would you be willing to give it to me?”
And so he began, prowling the streets at night with his car collecting food that would have gone to waste.
It soon dawned on Gitler: “Why only focus on night caterers?”
Far more food was being destroyed during the day at army bases, manufacturers, restaurants, shopping malls and large hi-tech companies, and so over the next seven years “we expanded our hunting ground to wherever quality mass food was going to waste.”
Field Of Dreams. Volunteers of all ages at a farm collecting food that will be distributed to the hungry (courtesy of Leket Israel).
Standing alongside his ‘captain’ on the bridge of Leket Israel, is its CEO, Gidi Kroch. No stranger to being at the helm, Kroch is a retired Lieutenant Commander in the Israeli Navy, having served as the head of a Fast Attack Missile Boat unit and the celebrated Fast Attack Patrol Boat division. He joined Leket Israel in 2007 after two decades in hi-tech. He readily admits that he initially took the position “as an interim measure thinking it would be a relaxed 10.00am – 4.00pm Amuta (non-profit organization) type job” while he eased back into the job market after an absence of seven years in the US. After three months – noting the hours he was working – his wife asked in jest:
“Honey, are you sure you are not still in hi-tech?”
Kroch has never looked back. “I have never enjoyed such job satisfaction, knowing that I can use my skills and expertise in truly helping people. We are an organization that is constantly growing and evolving rising to new challenges all the time.”
Helping Hands. Janine Gelley (left) and Hilary Kaplan at the Leket warehouse in Ra’anana helping to package fresh produce for packages for the needy. (Photo D.E. Kaplan)
Right now with the Coronavirus and an end to tourism and events for the foreseeable future – that challenge is HUGE!
So while on a daily basis, Leket Israel rescues surplus cooked food from corporate cafeterias, IDF army bases and hotels and distributes it to 9,000 people in need throughout Israel, “with the outbreak of the Coronavirus,” says Kroch, “these food sources suddenly dried up leaving thousands of elderly and vulnerable people without a hot meal. As a result, we launched an emergency operation to purchase prepared meals for the upcoming weeks of closure period set by the Ministry of Health.”
Family Affair. Inculcating the value of volunteerism, families for Leket Israel join in the fun of picking fresh produce in the fields for the needy.
The fundraising campaign was initiated through a one million shekel donation made by the Family Foundation of Inbar & Marius Nacht, to be doubled and tripled by other donors from Israel and abroad. Additionally, US Ambassador David and Tammy Friedman donated $50,000 USD to Leket, specifically earmarked to support needy families on Passover.
This will enable Leket Israel to purchase over 50,000 meals and provide much needed sustenance to those in need across the country.
There is more good news emanating from a bad situation.
On the produce side, Leket Israel is seeing an increase of 1,000 tons in donations of agricultural produce. “This comes as a result of the drastic decline in the purchase of agricultural goods by restaurants, hotels, catering companies and more,” explains Kroch.
Tal, a farmer from the Ben Shalom farm in Rishon Lezion, recently donated 12 tons of cabbage to Leket Israel. He grew this harvest to be sold in the marketplace but that was not to be, thanks to Corona!
UK ‘Fielding’ Volunteers. A group of students from the JFS School in London volunteering with Leket Israel picking fresh produce.
“The Corona crisis has affected every step of the entire food chain,” explains Tal. “The company that normally purchases my produce closed overnight since it had nowhere to sell to. I have no way to market my cabbage in such a short time frame.” So while donating these cabbages fails to provide an economic solution for Tal, it does however, “gives me great comfort knowing that people in need, without access to fresh vegetables, can enjoy my goods. I am truly grateful that it will not all end us as waste.”
Says Kroch: “We thank the farmers, like Tal, who during this difficult time, when they are unable to sell their produce, are showing great humanity by donating it to ensure that it is being given to the people who need it most. We at Leket Israel could not continue to provide for Israelis in need without the incredible support of the Israeli farming community, especially with the Passover holiday soon approaching.”
Says Lillian Levitt an Assisted Living Resident in Jaffa, “It’s a blessing from heaven. The food is of great quality.”
Over and above its distribution to individual homes, Leket is responding to requests from all over the country and supplying not only to its partner agencies but also to municipalities and community centers throughout Israel.
Fun In The Fields. A novel and enriching way to celebrate a bachelorette party, bride-to-be Alia celebrates with her bridesmaids by gleaning for the needy in Nahalal fields!
‘Rooted’ in the Bible
Originally called Shulchan le’Shulchan (‘Table to Table’), as this writer remembers it when he volunteered at a warehouse in Ra’anana packing meals for the needy in the Sharon region, the organization changed its name to Leket Israel “to be more connected to the roots of the Jewish people,” explains Gitler.
“Leket in Hebrew means ‘gleaning’, which is the act of collecting crops from a farmer’s field after its been commercially harvested or where it was not economically profitable to harvest. Our forefathers in biblical times, promoted gleaning as an early form of a welfare system.” Gitler refers the writer to the passage in Deuteronomy:
“When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings.” (Deuteronomy 24:19)
In the words of Lilian Levitt from Jaffa, the work of Leket Israel is like “a blessing from heaven.”
BDS South Africa’s wraps Palestinian headscarf over African continent in new logo
By David.E. Kaplan
In the midst of the global Coronavirus crisis, BDS South Africa in its online newsletter dated March 20, announced that following consultations with several of its partners “in South Africa and on the African continent,” that the organisation will henceforth function under the name:
“Africa for Palestine (AFP)”
While Africa is focused on protecting its populations from a killer virus, BDS South Africa is promoting and facilitating another kind of killer virus – antisemitism, but now not only in South Africa but across the African continent.
Antisemitism Over The Air. In this meme shared in March 2020, the coronavirus is depicted as being Jewish men.
Such is the ambition of BDS South Africa – excuse, Africa for Palestine!!!
With the African continent joining the world in trying to protect and save lives, BDS SA is moving in the opposite diabolical direction. What’s more, it brazenly does not disguise its nefarious intent as emblazoned in its new LOGO, with the entire continent of Africa ENVELOPED by a Palestinian keffiyeh.
Does Africa really want to be branded by the headdress popularized by the likes of the late Yasser Arafat and the airline hijacker, Leila Khaled, the female member of the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine?
The Plane Truth. Hardly a role model for today in Africa, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacker Leila Khaled brandishing her firearm.
Of course not.
Who can forget the photographs of Khaled wearing the keffiyeh circulated in the Western newspapers after the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 and the Dawson’s Field hijackings.
In a continent committed to a better future of science, technology and innovation, branding with yesteryear’s terrorism is not the way to go.
Does BDS South Africa really believe that Africa is gullible to this attempted “Hostile Takeover” as they graphically articulate in its new spine-chilling logo?
Under The Microscope. The message of this meme of a microbe is that “Zionism” not Coronavirus is the “deadliest virus on earth”.
The people of Africa will see through this façade of deception!
Coronavirus does not distinguish between nations and religions, between Jews and Arabs and yet BDS South Africa is diabolically and deceptively exploiting the virus to fan antisemitism and defame the Jewish state with fabrications.
So while since March 19, 2020:
– the Israeli government has sent hundreds of coronavirus testing kits to the Palestinian Authority and Gaza as well as 2,000 protective suits and twenty tons of disinfectants and 100 liters of sanitizing gel
– Israeli doctors and specialists have been dispatched to the West Bank city of Jericho to train Palestinian medical teams to save lives in combating the coronavirus pandemic
– Palestinian Authority officials Ahmed Deek and Hussein al Sheikh – responsible for cooperation between the PA and Israel – praised Israel’s assistance, particularly the Israeli government’s honoring of the PA’s request to provide accommodations in Israel for 45,000 Palestinian worker-commuters from the West Bank to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection
and:
– The UN Security Council issuing a formal statement welcoming Israeli Palestinian cooperation against Corona stating that it “provided a blueprint for renewed peace talks” none of these Israeli measures had any impact on BDS South Africa’s leadership who proceeded to serve its regular platter of conspiratorial accusations against Israel, as part of its 2020 annual “Israel Apartheid Week”.
Riveting Revelation. Israeli Arab, Yosef Haddad (left) vs BDS South Africa’s founder Mohammed Desai on national South African TV on the 19 March 2020.
On March 19, when Israel announced it was considering a complete lockdown over coronavirus, BDS South Africa’s founder Mohammed Desai, charged Israel with refusing to issue vital life-saving instructions in Arabic to Arabic speaking citizens and residents of the Jewish state. However, Desai’s accusation was immediately revealed as false on South African national television by the TV debate’s other guest, Israeli Arab, Yoseph Haddad, who called Desai a “liar”.
Said Hadad:
“As an Arab Israeli, I got the instructions in Arabic; SO STOP LYING.”
He then proceeded to ask the founder of BDS South Africa, who advocates boycotts of Israel whether he would himself boycott Israel in the following scenario:
“Israel today is working on a vaccine for Coronavirus. Should it discover a vaccine, would you use it?”
Mumbling and digressing in trying to dodge the question, Haddad persisted for an answer:
“Would you use it – Yes or No. The question is simple”
The BDS South Africa head refused to answer and then concluded with this disgusting yet revealing comment:
“Israel’s expertise should not be used as an exercise of blackmail.”
He knew he had been exposed as the fraud he is, as is the organisation he founded and heads, and now seeks to re-brand or disguise!
There is also no “disguising” the true Mohammed Desai when one takes a closer at the print on the white T-shirt he wore for this debate on national TV’s prime time:
Beneath the large colorful Google logo, appears the Search Box with Israel typed in and then the question:
“Did you mean Palestine?”
True Colours Revealed. Mohammed Desai, founder of BDS South Africa wearing an offensive T-shirt negating the state of Israel in a debate on South African national television.
Clearly, the founder of BDS South Africa shares the same sentiments as the cofounder of the global BDS movement Omar Barghouti when he said:
“The two-state solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is finally dead. But someone has to issue an official death certificate before the rotting corpse is given a proper burial… Good riddance!”
For BDS South Africa’s founder – there is no partnership, no coexistence,no Jewish State; there is no Israel!
All this finally begs the question:
Why has BDS South Africa changed its name to the preposterous and presumptuous – ‘Africa for Palestine’?
The answer lies not in any success but due to its failure.
BDS South Africa is rebranding because its hateful and hurtful message no longer resonates with most the of people of South Africa.
Rather than a “rose”, the newly morphed BDS South Africa is but:
“A Reptile By Another Name”
At 2:40 minutes into this short video clip, Israeli-Arab Yosef Haddad asks the head of BDS South Africa, Mohamed Desai whether he would use an Israeli-made coronavirus antidote.
The pretty village of Jish is situated on a picturesque hillside in the Upper Galilee. However, unlike most others in the Arab sector, its skyline is not dominated by the ubiquitous minaret of the village mosque; instead, the cross stands proud, for Jish is home to 10,000 Maronite Christians who constitute 65% of the village’s population.
Overlooking the Christian Galilee village of Jish, the cross stands prominent (Photo: Stephen Schulman).
In the afternoon of the 24th December, I was one of a group that was graciously hosted at the family home of Shadi Khaloul, a leading member of the Maronite community. In his 40’s, affable, articulate and outspoken, Shadi filled us in on its history, its contemporary status and regaled us with his own story.
Shadi Khaloul, a leading member of the Maronite community (Photo: Stephen Schulman).
The Maronite Catholic Church, although having formal communion with Rome, maintains its own rites and canon law is unique in having its own liturgical language: Aramaic, spoken in Israel in the time of Jesus and shared with Judaism. The church was founded by Saint Maron, whose followers moved from Syria to Lebanon where many of them live today while the rest are dispersed around the globe.
Interior of modern Maronite church in Jish. (photo by Shmuel Bar-Am)
Whilst being Arabic speaking, they see themselves as Aramean Maronite Christians with their own distinct identity and in 2014 they officially gained the status of a national minority. They are not required to do military service but most of them prefer to serve. Shadi is no exception, having done his stint as an officer in the paratroopers.
The new Maronite church in Jish (Photo: Stephen Schulman).
After completing his army service, Shadi, like so many other post-service young people decided to see the world and seek his fortune. He worked for some years in Las Vegas and with the passing of time found his true ‘pot of gold’. “I was studying at a comparative religion course where I discovered that the lecturer and students were completely ignorant of my religion and its vernacular, so I was asked to prepare a presentation. I then felt that more important to me than material wealth was to return home and devote myself to the cultivation and learning of Aramaic in my community.”
He has been true to his word and his tireless efforts have borne fruit. Aramaic studies in the Jish schools have been given an official status and the Ministry of Education approves and funds their study. While it is not compulsory, the great majority of students opt to learn it. Children who never understood the prayers now not only take delight in understanding the words but in also speaking the language!
Concerning the present situation, Shadi sees the Maronite community as an integral, contributing part of Israeli society where they have security, equality and freedom to freely worship and perpetuate their culture. “The Maronites have always felt an affinity with the Jews. After all, we have a common language. In 1948 in the War of Independence, we did not side with the Arabs.”
He does not mince his words.
“In 1860 in Lebanon under Turkish rule, we sought a measure of autonomy where we could live peacefully side by side with our neighbors. The result was a massacre of our community where approximately 20,000 were killed. Learn from our bitter experience. Here in the Middle East, the reality is that you must be the majority to ensure your safety!”
Leaving Shadi’s home, our group strolled through the village to savor the festive atmosphere. Many of the homes were gaily decorated and festooned with lights. Before leaving, we congregated next to the beautiful new church with a tall Christmas tree in its courtyard.
Delivering presents to the community (Photo: Stephen Schulman).
Our final stop was Mi’ilya, a small village north of Nahayaria whose approximately 4,000 residents are Melkhite Greek Catholics. A distinguishing feature is the King’s Castle: the ruins of a Crusader fortress upon which a church has been built. Walking up to the ruins to visit the church, we were met by the local inhabitants, many of whom were dressed in their red Santa Claus costumes. The atmosphere was festive and as Chanukkah and Christmas coincided, our greetings of Chag Sameach (Happy Holiday), as in Jish, were happily returned.
Built For A King. King’s Castle in Mi’ilya was built over the ruins of the 12th century Crusader fortress that first belonged to the Crusader King Baldwin III, and was called the “King’s fortress” (Photo: Stephen Schulman).
Leaving the fortress, our group visited the village community centre that was humming with activity. The village has a special pre-Christmas custom when families bring their Christmas presents to the centre for safe keeping. The Scouts then store them in separate rooms according to the neighborhoods before being fetched on Christmas Eve. We arrived as the presents, with the aid of many happy young volunteers, were being loaded on light vehicles on their way to their happy recipients!
Two young girls posing at the grotto scene at the church in Mi’ilya (Photo: Stephen Schulman).
On the way home towards Tel Aviv, there was much time for reflection. Here we were, on Christmas Eve, returning from a visit to two Christian villages whose residents, living within the Jewish state, enjoyed complete freedom of worship. I remembered the words of Shadi Khalloul and of a fellow Maronite Brigitte Gabriel of the sad plight of Christian communities in the Middle East. How distressing those basic rights that we take for granted in our country and about which much of the world remains silent, are not accorded in many of our neighboring states.
About the writer:
Stephen Schulman, is a graduate of the South African Jewish socialist Youth Movement Habonim, who immigrated to Israel in 1969 and retired in 2012 after over 40 years of English teaching. Stephen, who has a master’s degree in Education, was for many years a senior examiner for the English matriculation and co-authored two English textbooks for the upper grades in high school. Now happily retired, he spends his time between his family, his hobbies and reading to try to catch up on his ignorance.
Stephen Schulman, is a graduate of the South African Jewish socialist Youth Movement Habonim, who immigrated to Israel in 1969 and retired in 2012 after over 40 years of English teaching. Stephen, who has a master’s degree in Education, was for many years a senior examiner for the English matriculation and co-authored two English textbooks for the upper grades in high school. Now happily retired, he spends his time between his family, his hobbies and reading to try to catch up on his ignorance.