Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscapeReliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond
Also available on YouTube@The Israel Brief – Simply click on the red subscribe button to receive alerts when a new report is posted.
What’s happening in Israel today? See from every Monday – Thursday LOTL’s The Israel Brief broadcasts and on our Facebook page andYouTubeby seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA, broadcasting out of Virginia, USA.
The Jewish state’s cycling team, ‘Israel-Premier Tech’ soars at the Tour de France
By David E. Kaplan
Heaven Sent. Pointing above, Stage 16 winner, Israel team’s Hugo Houte engages with his deceased brother “WE DID IT”.
In only the country’s third appearance in the most prestigious cycling race in the world, Israel at the 2022 Tour de France took two nail-biting stages. A world force-fed on a daily diet of negative coverage of the Jewish state, this 109th Tour offered over a billion TV viewers a refreshing re-imaging of ISRAEL for 21 days on the saddle.
Home at Last. Leaving a past of over 2000 years of history in Africa behind, Ethiopia’s Jews embrace a future in Israel.
Israel is the only country in the world that has extracted a people of Africa en mass to save rather than enslave. The story of Israel’s Ethiopian community is one of unimaginable hardship and loss, but it is also one of a remarkable homecoming after 2000 years of exile.
Muddy Waters. Wading through ‘elements’ past and present, the writer emerges invigorated at Israel’s Dead Sea.
This Communication Executive revisits his past when as a child and later as a student in Jerusalem, he would frequently visit the popular places around the Dead Sea. Time has not stood still. What remains and what has changed makes for intriguing reading as the writer ‘floats’ on a high…. or is it a low?
LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche
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While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The Israel Brief – 25 July 2022 –The growing crisis for JAFI in Russia. Abbas meets with King Abdullah 2. Good news for Israeli motorists. Dutch retailer chain to open in Israel.
The Israel Brief – 26 July 2022 – Update on Jewish Agency issue. Israel sends more aid to Ukraine. Palestinian lawyers protest. Israel to train rangers.
The Israel Brief – 27 July 2022 –Abu Akle family meet Sec of State Blinken. SA Minister of Foreign Affairs accuses Israel of Apartheid. UN official says Jewish lobby controls social media. Germany to pay compensation to families of Israelis murdered in Munich in 1972.
The Israel Brief – 28 July 2022 –Israel slams comments by UNHRC investigator, Miloon Kothari. Court hearing in Moscow for JAFI. IDF release footage of use of human shields by Hamas. Families of Munich victims reject compensation offered.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The Jewish state’s cycling team, ‘Israel-Premier Tech’ soars at the Tour de France
By David E. Kaplan
There is hardly a more prestigious thrill in the world of professional cycling than winning a stage at the Tour de France. However, when there are 176 riders as began the 2022 Tour de France with the Grand Depart in Copenhagen on July 1; and there are only 21 stages, the odds are challenging. The commentators common line every day for 21 days is:
“Who will have the legs to sprint for the line.”
Talking about legs, I knew something was ‘afoot’ when I received a WhatsApp from a friend on July 6 asking:
“Are you watching?”
He did not have to specify what – it was a given. I turned on Eurosport just in time to see an Israeli team make history in the Tour de France when one of its riders won a stage of the world-famous race.
Pulsating Pedaling. The name ISRAEL is now a recognised winning brand at the Tour de France.
Australian Simon Clarke of Israel-Premier Tech won stage five of the tour in a photo finish after a 157 kilometer (97.5 miles) run from Lille to Arenberg featuring 20 kilometers (nearly 12.5 miles) of cobbled roads.
It was the first time ever an Israeli team had performed so well.
It was a sheer joy and pride for Israelis, to see their country’s name branded on the riders cycling top at the podium.
Riding into History. Stage 5 winner, Israel-Premier Tech’s Simon Clarke at the podium following a photo finish after a 157km run from Lille to Arenberg.
With the Tour de France being the most prestigious cycling race in the world, reaching more than 15 million spectators and over 1 billion television viewersglobally, this was a refreshing media spotlight on Israel.
Could it happen again at this Tour? Having happened once, anything is possible!
So when I again received a WhatsApp from my friend and a co-founder of Lay of the Land, Yair Chelouche this time on the 19 July, saying again: “Are you watching?”, I replied, “You gotta be kidding.”
“Turn on your TV we may have a story in the making!”
I flipped to Eurosport and screamed in joy as there was the name ISRAEL in bold leading the pack. However, it was still some 40 kilometres to the finish line and anything could happen. Could the rider keep it up with the profusely panting predators lunging from behind?
This was riveting stuff and warranted cracking open a beer. After all, this rider needed all the support and I thought cracking a Gold Star – one of Israel’s premier beers – was my thoughtful contribution.
After dropping on the Port de Lers, the Israel-Premier Tech rider Hugo Houle chased back to the front of the race with 40 kilometers to go before attacking from a reduced group at the foot of the final climb. The beauty of the French countryside – its medieval churches and chateaus were but passing flashes of distractions as all eyes were on Hugo Houle, who was like horse with blinkers bolting back to the barn as if stung by a wasp!
At the Finish Line. Pointing to the heavens, Stage 16 winner for Israel-Premier Tech, Hugo Houte, engages with his deceased brother saying to himself, “WE DID IT”
When he attacked he was – in his words – “setting the table” for fellow Israel-Premier Teck team member Mike Woods but “ when I saw that they let me go, I just went all in, full gas. You never know how it will turn out in the breakaway. Sometimes you need luck. Nobody wanted to commit…and then it was just a time trial to the end.”
‘Luck’, ‘legs’ and ‘commitment’ saw the Israel-Premier Tech rider take the stage. A joy for Israel, it was an enormous emotional win for Houle.
With one minute and ten seconds ahead of the chasers behind him, Houle had plenty of time not only to raise his arms in celebration on the approach to the line but also to point to the sky in memory of his brother.
“It sounds incredible, but I know my brother helped me,” said an emotional Houle of his younger sibling Pierrik who was killed by a hit-and-run driver a decade earlier. “He went to run in the snow and was hit and left dead by the roadside. It took me three hours to find him.” “It was my dream to win a stage of the Tour de France since he left us,” said the Stage 16 Israeli-team winner.
From Impossible to Possible. “I never won a race, so I guess it’s the right place to win my first race,” Houle said shortly after his win of Stage 16. “I think what I achieved today can be an inspiration of what is possible.”
So while most Stage winners express absolute joy as they are received by their teams after crossing the finish line, “This one is for my brother,” Hugo Houle could be heard saying as he was embraced by his team after the 178.5-kilometer (111-mile) leg from Carcassone to Foix,
“This means a lot to me,” Houle told reporters shortly afterward, with his voice breaking as he struggled to hold back the tears.
The Tour de France is not all about racing and picturesque countryside – it’s about human stories.
With the name of the Israel team having changed from Israel Cycling Academy to Israel Start-Up Nation and finally to Israel-Premier Tech, there was something common in all the name-changes – the inclusion of the word ISRAEL.
I thought back to my Hilton Israel Magazine 2019 interview with the Israeli-Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist and powerhouse behind the renaissance of cycling in Israel, Sylvan Adams. Credited for the successful campaign to have Israel host in 2018 the Big Start of the Giro d’Italia, I recalled his words:
“I intentionally insisted on ISRAEL in the name of the team – our name is part of our identity, so that sports commentators cannot avoid mentioning ‘Israel’ in their coverage of races where our riders compete. It’s strategic branding. Instead of TV viewers around the world hearing of ‘Israel’ in news reports relating mostly to political issues, they will increasingly hear it in the context of sport. We are resetting the visuals.”
Rough Riders. On gravel, Israel-Premier Tech’s Simon Clarke on Stage 5 which he wins in a photo finish.
How right he was.
I also think back to early 1990’s when Avi Ganor, a former business correspondent for Israel’s daily Haaretz, gave it all up to start a local monthly magazine called OFANAYIM (Bicycle).
“Meshuga (crazy)!” my friends said. “How can you make a living out of a magazine about a sport that nobody in Israel takes seriously?”
Really? Takes seriously?
Two decades later, an Israeli team is winning stages in the Tour de France.
Israel is a country that faces endless existential challenges but always has the knack of getting – literally and figuratively – ‘back on the saddle’
Hugo Houle solos to emotional TDF win
The Road Ahead. The writer interviewing Sylvan Adams in 2018 in Tel Aviv following the Giro d’Italia in Israel, where he said, “Next up, is the Tour de France”.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Traveling south along the shoreline of the Dead Sea from Lido Beach always brings back unforgettable childhood memories. Weeks after the 1967 Six Day War, I visited the Lido, a luxurious Jordanian hotel at the northern end of the sea. A road was paved to Ein Peshcha and it was possible to enjoy an immersion experience of the freshest spring water merging with the salty sea waters. The sweet salty connection etched my memory. The blue sea was then full and impressive. Great memories.
This is the Dead Sea, earth’s lowest point with an elevation of 430.5 meters below sea level. Due to the high salt content of the water, no living creature can live in the sea.
Since then so many years have passed, and the sights of childhood are left only in mind. The sea is shrinking and drying at a frightening speed. In the northern section it can hardly be seen and only when approaching an oasis – Kibbutz Ein Gedi. The road winding up the ridge, a more optimistic picture is obtained. If the road had been paved in recent years, it certainly would not have had to be turned up. It was possible to continue south at a lower location aided by safety concrete piles. The tranquility, the wilderness, the colors of the blue sea with the drying salt are breathtaking, but so sad.
Desert Delight. Past and present fuse as the early morning sun rises above the mountain in Jordan illuminating a tranquil Dead Sea.
During my studies at the Hebrew University, when I lived in Jerusalem – my hometown, the escape east to the Dead Sea was frequent. The choices were either to Jericho to “wipe some hummus” and slide in the narrow concrete canal of the Uja Stream, or south to Ein Gedi for a hike in the Nahal David and Nahal Arugot streams. Today the first option does not even come to mind. The territory is in the hands of the Palestinian Authority and no one is willing to risk a trip experience turning into a question mark. Ein Gedi remains a popular option. Excursions to springs, streams, water ponds and tiny waterfalls in the heart of the arid wilderness were frequent and full of happiness. Later came the visits and stays in the Ein Gedi kibbutz hotel , which I always preferred over a stay in the Ein Bokek hotels.
Lovers in Paradise. Serene beauty, solitude and togetherness, a formula for fun.
I returned to Ein Gedi with my partner, who was born in Israel in the Sharon region, but it turns out that she is not familiar with this area. Full of excitement, I returned to walk in recognizable districts. The Nature Reserves Authority has made the visit to Nahal David an amazing experience, accessible to almost everyone and special in nature. The ibexes that used to hide away from sight, walk around with no fear and their quantity is quite large. A variety of small waterfalls await everyone to enjoy the cool and fresh water. This is compensation for the disappointing sign forbidding immersion in the pond of the rather powerful waterfall of David. Not many years ago, we used to bathe in the cool water enjoying the water falling on our shoulders.
Cool It. Nothing like a cold refreshing natural shower in the soaring heat of the desert.
After the ultimate Dead Sea mud experience all over our bodies, we found ourselves in our car – climbing on the winding road to the kibbutz on the way to the hotel. Same curvy road. Loud noise from the industrial chicken houses was a childhood memory. Years later, the chickens vanished but the rusty houses remained. This week the rusty structures had disappeared and only their concrete ramps remained. A strange sight.
My beloved hotel was still there, scattered over large areas dipped in greenery, with ancient baobab trees and desert flowers. A real oasis. The room where we stayed was clean and compact with an adjoining garden, overlooking the arid mountains. Meals in the hotel’s dining room remained as they were. Rich and basic. Who needs more? In the morning we enjoyed shakshuka, a salad and an outdoor coffee while the view of the powerful mountains left us speechless.
I was looking for the old bus painted blue to hop on leading the way to the hot springs and the beach; to enjoy the sea water and smear mud all over our bodies. The idea back then was to be photographed on camera using Agfa or Kodak film spools and wait a week for the prints. Today, with a state-of-the-art iPhone, the photos are instant, but the bus is no longer there. It’s been put out to pasture due to old age. Ein Gedi’s hot springs are temporarily closed.
Playing it Cool. While a student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1980, the writer, Motti Verses (far left) with friends frolicking in Nahal David in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve.
Challenges and improvisations in this unique area are endless. ”We had to close our famous hot springs facility next to the sea shores, as the water receded dramatically”, says Shahaf Homri, CEO of kibbutz Ein Gedi. “Over recent years we have lost a staggering 50 meters and the waterfront that was part of the facility in 1982 when we opened, is now 5 kilometers away,” says Shahaf“No hospitality business faces a challenge like this globally. We are planning a totally different hot springs fascination to meet this new millennium, as the Dead Sea deserves a more modern attraction”, he says to me.
I was looking for Zalman’s cactus farm, an initiative of kibbutz member Zalman Dagmi. I loved enjoying the variety of plants in his compound. Unfortunately the farm is gone and the plants are now scattered all over the hotel and the kibbutz is now branded as a botanical garden. Nice, but for my money the older option was more desirable.
Road of Revelations. In contrast to the arid crust of the desert, the exotic flora along the coastal road provides a kaleidoscope of color.
The spacious swimming pool in the shade of the trees and at the foot of the mountains remains the attraction I really missed. On a sunbed overlooking the dying sea and the mountains of Moab, I was contemplating on my fortunate unforgettable vacation that connects past and present.
Driving back home charged with energy with my partner at the wheel, I looked at my mobile phone, googling sadly about the Dead Sea, and a beacon shines via a surprising recent announcement by Travel + Leisure, the prestigious American travel magazine with 4.8 million readers. It read:
The Dead Sea, Israel has been selected as the world’s number 1 healing spot around the world for 2022, from hot springs to salt flats.
“Besides being absolutely breathtaking, this landlocked salt lake has long been touted for its health-giving properties. From slathering the black mud over your skin for exfoliation and alleviating skin conditions like psoriasis, to its professed natural power to remedy asthma, arthritis, osteoporosis, and other issues, the body of water also boasts a low content of pollen and other allergens. At 400 meters below sea level, harmful UV rays are filtered through an evaporation layer above the Dead Sea, the ozone layer, and an extra atmospheric layer. This is said to mean that sunbathers can absorb the beneficial effects of vitamin D from the sun’s rays, without risk of sunburn and ensuing skin damage,” the leading travel iconic magazine highlights.
Looking at the great view with that new knowledge my optimism soars. I am indeed fortunate to have had such a unique experience.
About the writer:
Motti Verses is a Communications Executive, Video Presenter, Writer, Marketing and PR Expert. He was Head of Public Relations for Hilton Hotels Israel for more than 30 years. Now he is the publisher of Travel Flash Tips.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The dream of Jerusalem sustained them through the centuries. The hope of one day returning home to Jerusalem has been the song in the heart of Ethiopian Jews and home they came.
The story of Israel’s Ethiopian community is extraordinary. It is a story of hardship, tragedy and loss – but it is also a story of incredible hope, survival and fortitude.
Jewish Journey. Berchko Adela as a young girl in Ethiopia, before Operation Moses is today 68, a married mother of five and lives in Ashdod, Israel. (Doron Bacher/via JTA)
Ethiopia’s Jewish community (Beta Israel – House of Israel) had existed in that country for centuries. The origins of Jews in Ethiopia are unclear; though most believe that they are the descendants of King Solomon and Queen Sheba. There are many theories though, some believing they are the lost tribe of Dan, while others believe they are the descendants of Christians who converted to Judaism. The Jews of Ethiopia maintained their independence for over 1000 years in spite of continuous massacres, religious persecution, enslavement, and forced conversions.
In 1616, using modern Portuguese weapons, the Amhara finally conquered the Jews, enslaving, converting or killing many of them. They were referred to as “Falashas” – a derogatory name meaning “stranger” or “exile” – Ethiopian Jews could no longer own land or be educated.
But the dreams of Zion sustained them.
Promised Land. New immigrants from Ethiopia shortly after disembarking from the plane as part of Operation Solomon, 25 May 1991. (Photo: Gadi Cavallo/ Dan Hadani Archive,)
In 1974, civil unrest broke out and a pro-communist military junta, known as the “Derg” (“committee”), seized power after ousting the emperor Haile Selassie I. The Derg installed a government which was socialist in name but military in rule. Lieutenant Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam assumed power as the head of state and Derg chairman. Mengistu’s years in office were marked by a totalitarian-style government and Ethiopia became extremely militarized with heavy financing from the former Soviet Union and the former Eastern Bloc countries as well as Cuba. Ethiopia was effectively a communist state in the 1970’s and 80’s. With this, Ethiopia took on the communist mantles of being both anti-religion and anti-Israel.
The Jews of Ethiopia bore the brunt of this.
Ethiopia in the 1980’s endured a series of famines and hundreds of thousands lost their lives. The images of starving children with distended bellies are seared into our global consciousness.
Out of Africa. A still from the documentary ‘With No Land.’ (Courtesy of the Other Israel Film Festival)
The situation for Beta Israel became untenable and many started to leave Ethiopia. Ethiopian Jews started the long, arduous journey on foot through neighbouring Sudan to reach the Promised Land. The journey was fraught with danger and many died along the way.
In late 1984, over six weeks, about seven thousand Beta Israel were covertly flown from Sudan to Israel in Operation Moses. Due to pressure from Arab states, Sudan ceased allowing the emigration in January 1985, leaving many Ethiopian Jews stranded.
Months later, the United States evacuated five hundred Jews from Sudan to Israel in Operation Joshua. However, after this operation, Israeli leaders struggled to convince Mengistu to allow the remaining Beta Israel to leave. Finally, in 1990, Israel and Ethiopia reached an agreement that allowed Jewish emigration.
Home Free. Ethiopian Jews arrive in Israel waving Israeli flags in this still from the documentary ‘With No Land.’ (Courtesy of the Other Israel Film Festival)
The situation became increasingly more desperate and in 1991, rebel forces seized control of Addis Ababa, the capital, threatening the country with political collapse. Israeli officials embarked on an emergency mission to evacuate as many Jews as possible, dispatching thirty-four planes. Many of these planes had their seats removed to increase their passenger capacity; one set the record for passengers carried aboard a Boeing 747 at 1,087 people. Over thirty-six hours, starting on May 24, 1991, more than fourteen thousand Beta Israel were flown to Israel in the remarkable Operation Solomon. Several babies were born aboard the flights, and numerous doctors were mobilised to assist the sick and the new born babies and moms upon arrival in Israel.
Israel’s rescue was the only time in history that a Westernised country brought out Africans to liberate rather than to enslave.
Desert to Knesset. Tamano-Shata came to Israel as part of Operation Moses, the first wave of mass immigration from Ethiopia and is today Israel’s Minster of Aliyah and Integration.
Today there are an estimate 170 000 + Jews of Ethiopian origin in Israel and many have gone on to achieve extraordinary things in a variety of areas including the Rabbinate, politics, military, fashion, journalism, the arts and many more.
Despite economic and social challenges, including incidents of racism, the community has largely integrated into Israeli society. Efforts continue to bring the remaining Ethiopians with Jewish origins, whose total number is disputed, to Israel.
Welcome to Israel. Then Jewish Agency chairman Isaac Herzog before becoming Israel’s President (2nd right) and Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata (centre) greet Ethiopian immigrants arriving at Ben Gurion Airport on March 11, 2021. (The Jewish Agency
Israel’s vibrant Ethiopian community, who have fulfilled the dream of returning home to Jerusalem, Zion form a strong part of the fabric of society that makes Israel so very special.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscapeReliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond
Also available on YouTube@The Israel Brief – Simply click on the red subscribe button to receive alerts when a new report is posted.
What’s happening in Israel today? See from every Monday – Thursday LOTL’s The Israel Brief broadcasts and on our Facebook page andYouTubeby seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA, broadcasting out of Virginia, USA.
From rugby to netball, squash to tennis, the 21st Maccabiah is “rocking”
By David E. Kaplan
Zionism in Motion. Having a ‘field’ day, Israel takes on the mighty South Africa powerhouse at a packed Wingate.
After recent years of few tourists to Israel, Israel is flooded with visitors to the world’s third biggest sporting event – the Maccabiah. Even President Biden was present for the Opening Ceremony of the “Jewish Olympics” in Jerusalem. How important is the “Jewish Olympics” today?
ANTISEMITIC “MAPPING PROJECT” EXPOSES BDS’ REAL AGENDA
Is a Kristallnacht in the USA farfetched or a real possibility?
By Eitan Fischberger and Arsen Ostrovsky
Targeting Jews. Promoted by anti-Israel groups, US website raises alarm over its targeting of the Jewish community.
A new website endangering the Jewish community of America by targeting Jewish institutions in Massachusetts, includes a high school, a center for people with disabilities, student groups, synagogues, newspapers, Jewish-run charities, and even a center for Jewish arts. The writers appeal to prevent a future Kristallnacht on American soil!
From Hiding the Truth to Hiding his Face. Nazi defendant Josef Schütz takes refuge behind a folder in a German court.
“One could sense the tension as the judge entered the courtroom, and everyone stood up,” notes the writer who was instrumental in bringing Josef Schütz to this long-awaited point. A long life also meant that the unrepentant Nazi lived long enough to hear a German judge sentence him for being an accessory to mass murder.
LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche
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While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
From rugby to netball, squash to tennis, the 21st Maccabiah is “rocking”
By David E. Kaplan
When cynics scoff that the Maccabi Games “is not real sport” or
“it’s not front page, back page or any page news” or even more disparaging, “Who cares?” they are wrong.
In sport parlance – “It’s on track”.
In one 24-hour period – in full view of the international media -visiting US President Joe Biden was introduced to two polarized but defining components of the Jew of the 21st century – a journey from the depths of near oblivion to Jewish national sovereignty when in the morning he visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center and in the evening the opening of the 21st Maccabiah, commonly referred to as the “Jewish Olympics”.
Let the Games Begin. Raising his USA cap as the USA delegation marches onto the field in the Opening Ceremony at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, July 14, 2022, Joe Biden becomes the first USA president to make an appearance at the Maccabiah or ‘Jewish Olympics’. Joining him in jubilation are Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog (left), and Prime Minister Yair Lapid. (Ronen Zvulun/POOL/AFP via Getty Images).
When Joe met the two American Holocaust survivors at Yad Vashem, he was meeting not only Giselle Cycowicz and Rena Quint but a stark reminder that only a few years before the State of Israel was born in 1948, Jews were lining up to be mass murdered while much of the world stood by and yawned. At same day’s end, as the golden summer sun’s rays settled over the sublime skyline of Jerusalem, the American President waved as Jewish athletes – over 10,000 from 80 countries including the USA, the largest overseas delegation – marched proudly onto the field at Teddy Stadium for the 2022 21st Maccabiah. These athletes were the living embodiment of “Muscular Zionism”, the concept conceived by Max Nordau who sowed the seeds for a “Jewish Olympics” when at the Second Zionist Congress in Basel in 1898, he spoke about forging a new Jew – far removed from the stereotype Ghetto image – who would be strong in appearance and resolute in spirit.
Moving Meeting. Giving both women and hug and kiss on the cheek, President Joe Biden speaks with Holocaust survivors Giselle Cycowicz (r) and Rena Quint in the Hall of Remembrance during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem on July 13, 2022. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Image.
While the concept of “Muscular Zionism” was born, it took a further three decades before the first Maccabiah opened in 1932 in Tel Aviv with a colourful parade through the streets of Tel Aviv led by Mayor Meir Dizengoff riding his iconic white horse.
That triumphant march in what was nicknamed the “White Horse Olympics” would culminate in 1950, the first Maccabiah held in a sovereign State of Israel. Edna Kaplan who I interviewed some years ago was a participant in the South African delegation that year.
Rose among the Thorns. Edna Kaplan (centre) was the only woman in the South African running squad at the 1950 Maccabiah.
“I was the rose amongst the thorns,” she said chuckling. “I was not the only woman in the South African athletic squad, I was the only woman in the entire delegation.” A sprinter, Edna described the conditions of the rough track, with Tel Aviv’s Reading Power Station in the background. In keeping with the family’s sporting tradition, her daughter Janine, literally ‘ran’ in her mother’s footsteps, participating in the1973 Maccabiah also as a sprinter. Janine was then part of the Rhodesian (later Zimbabwe) delegation. Such an impression did it make, that within six months, she immigrated to Israel.
This has frequently proved the impact of the Maccabiah.
Running for Gold. In the first post-WWII Maccabiah in 1950, South African Edna Kaplan competes in the Woman’s 100m at Reading in Tel Aviv.
A South African ‘Israel Prize’ recipient, Dr. Ian Froman – the driving force behind the Israel Tennis Centers – credits representing South Africa at the 1961 Maccabi Games in tennis – having competed in the men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1955 – leading to him to making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) shortly thereafter. As a young graduate in dentistry “I fell in love with Israel” and then got his teeth into tennis instead of dentistry!
FAMILY AFFAIR
“How important is the Maccabiah today?” was a question I put to veteran Israeli squash player Stanley Milliner originally from Cape Town. A multiple Maccabiah medal recipient over five Maccabi Games – including gold – Stanley says that “While there is a lot of feeling in Israel that the Maccabi Games has passed its time,” he disagrees. “It brings together Jews from all over the world. What’s more, it bring them together IN ISRAEL. This remains so important today as it affirms the centrality of Israel to global Jewish life in such a warm and entertaining way. There is nothing like sport to achieve this. It creates this feeling of ‘mishpocha’ – of getting together for a ’family affair’.”
Super Siblings. Holders of multiple Maccabi Games medals, including gold, former South Africans Stanley Milliner for squash and sister Jillian Milliner for tennis will be again proudly competing for Israel
Stanley elaborates that this feeling was all-pervasive at the opening ceremony attended by Biden, “who we knew was there but we did not see.” Says Stanley:
“You have never seen these people before from all over the world, speaking different languages and yet you feel you have known them all your life. This is what I mean – like long-last family coming together.”
What was interesting, continues Stanley:
“was that for some of the Israelis in squash who had never before participated in a Maccabiah, it was a new experience for them. For the first time they realized that they were part of a huge Jewish global experince. “
Staying within ‘the family’ is Stanley’s sister, Jillian Milliner who has also participated in five Maccabiah and is a three time Israeli gold medalist in tennis. Now playing in the 65-plus age category, I caught up with Jillian following her hard-fought victory against a Chilean in the soaring heat. She collapsed and required treatment from the para-medics, “but only after I won the match in a tie-breaker!”
Striving for gold both in singles and doubles, Jillian is “so proud to be again representing Israel. For me it’s very meaningful. I was speaking with someone from the US delegation that said it was the largest US delegation in history – over 1,600 athletes and this is in the age of Covid. They so much wanted to come, to be in Israel. This is the spirit of the Maccabiah. Despite the cynics and those who want to denigrate and pull Israel down, the Jewish world with Israel at the core is thriving.” While looking for gold on a personal level, “for the Jewish world,” says Jillian, “this is our Golden Age.”
SHOOTING STARS
Manning the kiosk at the Maccabiah Netball venue in Ra’anana was Carol Levin, Treasurer of Netball in Israel, Carol was not exaggerating when she said:
“This place is rocking.”
I had not yet stepped into the hall but could hear the high pitch screaming. Then entering, I was met by a kaleidoscope of colour and a cacophony of cheering supporters. I understood this is what Carol meant when she said only minutes before:
“What a VIBE!”
This “vibe” represents netball’s popularity at the Maccabiah and in Israel which has come a long way since its founder, JodiCareira, arrived in Israel over 25 years earlier with her family “and a netball that I got for my Bat Mitzvah. My friend Yoni Weil called me and said let’s go play outside and here we are at the Maccabiah, with Israel competing with top teams from all over the world. Who knew then, what would be today?”
Who would indeed!
Golden Girl. Prime mover for netball in Israel, gold medalist Jodi Carrera at a rugby match at a previous Maccabiah.
UPROAR IN THE STANDS
It was a treat watching – or ‘experiencing’ – the rugby at Wingate.
Irrespective of who was playing or the scores, it was refreshing for Israelis who instead of arguing over divisive issues plutzing the nation, could plutz instead over the decisions of rucks, mauls, scrums and lineouts – “important stuff”. After all, the ref couldn’t see what us experts were seeing in the stands enhanced in our observation skills by copious tall glasses of frothing beer from the pub that was doing a roaring trade!
Having a Field Day. South Africa beats Israel in a round robin match on the 15 July 2022 at Wingate. (Photo D.E. Kaplan)
Sitting in the stands at the semi-finals, I noted with the banners, giant flags and national team T-shits there was always the Magen David – Star of David – reflecting the ultimate victor – the Jewish people.
Following the first Friday afternoon’s packed match between South Africa and Israel, everyone shook hands – nothing to do with the rugby. Spectators from across the world were wishing each other “Good Shabbos”.
Cruising while Watching the Bruising. Supporting Israel – as well as the local pub – at the rugby at Wingate are former South Africans (l-r) Leigh Freedman, Barry Kornel and Phillip Levy.
Beyond the sights and sounds, the message of the Maccabiah is clearly – A Jewish world divided by geography is united by history.
I only hope, Max Nordau is a “spectator” watching and smiling from above.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The Israel Brief – 18 July 2022 –Wrapping up Pres. Biden’s trip. IAF respond to rocket fire. Cop killed in ramming laid to rest. Did Mandela like Israel?
The Israel Brief – 19 July 2022 – Israel and EU Association Council reignites toes. Lapid in exclusive to i24 News – restart Joint Economic Committee. Remembering AMIA. Is Nikki Haley getting ready to run?
The Israel Brief – 20 July 2022 –Major UK-Israel trade deal. UN Watch report on Palestinian torture. Macron to Abbas: start direct talks with Israel. Over 80% new olim are happy.
The Israel Brief – 21 July 2022 – Terrorist caught says Shin Bet. IDF and military drones. IDF Chief in Morocco. Foreigner to perform in Israel.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The conviction of a Nazi war criminal is hardly a common occurrence these days, not even in Germany, the only country in the world that is still relatively active in investigating and prosecuting Nazi perpetrators. Last week, in fact, a new record of sorts was established, as 101-year-old Josef Schutze was convicted of accessory to the murder of 3,518 inmates of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, making him the oldest Nazi criminal ever convicted of Holocaust crimes.
Can’t ‘face’ the Truth. Convicted of more than 3,500 counts of accessory to murder, defendant Josef Schütz hides his face behind a folder when he first arrived for his trial in Brandenburg an der Havel, northeastern Germany, on October 7, 2021. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP)
For those of us who played a role in helping to achieve this result, the verdict was extremely gratifying. It ended a nerve-wracking month in which Schutze had been rushed to a local hospital a few days before his verdict was originally scheduled to be delivered on June 2. Given his advanced age, one could not dismiss the possibility that the efforts over the past years might all have been for naught. I fully realize that such outcomes should be considered an occupational hazard, but that does not eliminate the frustration and anger at the missed opportunities.
Daily Death. Like all other Nazi concentration camps, the conditions at Sachsenhausen were incredibly barbaric with daily executions by shooting or hanging. Seen here a photo found on a SS.
Thus my immediate association was that of the case of Kosice (Hungarian-occupied Slovakia) police officer Laszlo Csatary, a notorious sadist who played a key role in the deportation of more than 15,000 Jews to Auschwitz in the spring of 1944. He had been sentenced to death in absentia in 1948 in Czechoslovakia, but by then he had escaped to Canada. After the Canadians stripped him of his Canadian citizenship in 1994, he voluntarily left the country and ostensibly disappeared, but we were able to find him in Budapest 17 years later. The Hungarians were in no rush to prosecute him, and finally indicted him only after extensive international media exposure, but he died several days before his trial was scheduled to open. He would have been the first Hungarian collaborator successfully prosecuted and convicted since Hungary made the transition to democracy, so his untimely death was particularly upsetting.
After Schutze was hospitalized, an Israeli filmmaker who is preparing a documentary on the recent trials being held in Germany suggested to me that perhaps I should pray a little harder in his case. She obviously had heard a joke I often relate in lectures and interviews, that I am the only Jew in the world who prays for the good health of Nazis (only those who can be brought to trial). In fact, I actually did so, although I certainly can’t validate that my prayers affected the positive result.
Unrepentant. Prisoners in the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen in December 1938, although for Josef Schütz he did “absolutely nothing” and told the court he was not aware of the gruesome crimes being carried out at the camp.
When Schutz appeared in court last Monday, we all breathed a sigh of relief and listened carefully to his lawyer’s defense strategy, which was basically composed of two parts. One was to cast doubt on Schutze’s identification as the S.S. guard in Sachsenhausen by that name. (There were several other persons with the same name from the same town.) The second was a litany of all the usual arguments against the “belated trials,” the passage of decades since the crimes, the advanced age of the defendant, his ostensibly minor role (“small cog” argument) in the camp, and the fact that more culpable criminals were not held accountable. Schutze was then given an opportunity to address the court, but instead of arousing any sympathy, he was pathetic, claiming that he had no idea why he was put on trial and claiming to have been a law-abiding citizen all his life.
Hoping for Justice. Holding a picture in the courtroom during the trial at the Landgericht Neuruppin court in October last year, survivor of Sachsenhausen, Auschwitz and Buchenwald, 100-year-old Leon Schwarzbaum told the media that “This is the last trial for my friends, acquaintances and my loved ones, who were murdered, in which the last guilty person can still be sentenced – hopefully.”
Thus the main drama was to take place the next day, Tuesday, when Judge Udo Lechtermann would deliver his verdict.
One could sense the tension as the judge entered the courtroom, and everyone stood up, but the uncertainty as to the verdict dissipated quite quickly as the judge announced that Schutze had been sentenced to five years in prison, the maximum sentence for the offenses he committed. He referred to the documents which proved that he served in Sachsenhausen, including for example a letter written by his parents to friends that their son was “with the S.S. in Oranienberg,” the site of the concentration camp. He then presented a concise summary of the horrific crimes committed there, identifying the various groups of victims: Jews, Roma, homosexuals, socialists and other opponents of the Nazi regime – who were among the estimated 55,000 victims executed by experiments, forced labor, shooting, and inhumane conditions of hunger and disease, noting the importance of the role played by S.S. guards like Schutze.
So little justice has been achieved in Germany when it comes to Nazi crimes, and so many important figures in the implementation of the Final Solution have escaped punishment, that there are many people who scoff at victories like the one in this case. My approach is that even minimal justice is better than no justice. Anyone who saw the faces of the relatives of the victims of Sachsenhausen (who under German law can join the prosecution) when Schutze was convicted, will understand that the closure they felt when he was convicted is priceless. And believe it or not, according to Sachsenhausen memorial director Dr. Astrid Ley, quite a bit of new information about the history of the camp was revealed during the course of the trial. The German lawyers like the indefatigable Thomas Walter, who made these “belated trials” possible deserve our admiration and gratitude.
History Lesson. Sachsenhausen memorial director Dr. Astrid Ley says that valuable new information about the history of the Sachsenhausen camp was revealed during the course of Schütz’s trial.
In closing, I cannot conclude without pointing to a very sore point. Not a single Israeli official was present at the verdict, nor was there a single Israeli journalist, even though several media outlets have correspondents stationed in Germany. Apparently, for them, anything less than an Eichmann or a Mengele is of no interest.
About the writer:
Dr. Efraim Zuroff is the chief Nazi-hunter of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Director of the Center’s Israel Office and Eastern European Affairs.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
In the late 1930’s, Nazis and their enablers created a map of Jewish businesses to target and boycott, ultimately leading to the Kristallnacht (‘Night of Broken Glass’), a violent pogrom across Germany and Austria, in which thousands of Jewish-owned stores and synagogues were looted and almost 100 Jews were murdered.
Kristallnacht was an example of how singling out and demonizing a group of people based on race or religion can lead to violence. Less than a century later, a disturbing new effort called the “Mapping Project” based in Massachusetts, and linked to the movement to boycott Israel, has again singled out local Jewish institutions, this time for their supposed impact on Israel’s policies vis-à-vis Palestinians and responsibility for a litany of ills across America.
Since its inception, leaders of the movement to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel (BDS) have framed their effort as a way to secure Palestinian liberation that is rooted in justice and which appeals to human rights. But widespread support for the Mapping Project from over 21 pro-BDS groups, the movement’s official affiliate in Boston, and US-designated terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has ripped off this veneer, exposing BDS for its true raison d’etre — singling out and targeting Jews. With incidents of antisemitism reaching record highs in 2021, this is especially troublesome and dangerous.
Targeting Jews. Promoted by anti-Israel groups such as Boston BDS, a new website claiming to show ties between various Massachusetts institutions and “support for the colonization of Palestine” has raised alarms over its dangerous targeting of the Jewish community. Using a series of dots and lines in different colors, the targeting includes a high school, a center for people with disabilities, student groups, synagogues, newspapers, Jewish-run charities, and even a center for Jewish arts.
According to its website, the Mapping Project aims to “reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them.” Reading such an ominous decree, a casual observer could be led to believe that the entities named would be genuine human rights abusers. On closer examination, however, the map includes organizations such as Jewish high schools, synagogues, and even groups that serve people with disabilities.
Feeding into millennia-old conspiracy theories of Jewish control and manipulation over world events, the project goes on to assert that “Zionists” in the US and Israel “use their influence to enable a range of oppressive agendas.” This brand of vitriol — shared by white supremacists — has fueled multiple attacks against Jews in the US, including the 2017 Poway Synagogue Shooting, the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting, and the 2022 Colleyville Synagogue Hostage Crisis, each of which involved a perpetrator blaming some unrelated injustice on the Jewish people.
The map also caught the attention of American lawmakers. Following its release, a bipartisan group of 37 members of Congress urged a federal inquiry. Similarly, the FBI announced it was monitoring the website for threats against Jews. These welcome steps are vital as antisemitic incidents in the New England region alone, where the authors of the map are allegedly based, increased by 42 percent over the last year. Even vocal Israel critics such as US Rep. Ayanna Pressley have put distance between themselves and the Project, declaring: “It is not acceptable to target or make vulnerable Jewish institutions or organizations, full stop.”
Returning to the Dark Ages. Is this where BDS wants to take America today? Members of the Storm Troopers with boycott signs, block the entrance to a Jewish-owned shop. April 1, 1933.
But what’s noteworthy here is not simply the existence of another antisemitic hit list. It’s that it has unwittingly exposed that the BDS movement isn’t about Palestinian liberation, justice, or human rights. Rather, it is a convenient ploy for naming, shaming and singling out Jews.
Boycott Jews. Is this what BDS in the USA want to emulate – an SA member standing guard at the entrance to a Jewish-owned store in 1933 boycott with a sign reading inter alia “… do not go to Jewish stores!”
We see this in the response from the Ramallah-based BDS National Committee (BNC), a coalition of groups — some of which are US-designated terrorist organizations — leading and coordinating BDS activities worldwide. True to its credentials, the BNC’s leaked letter to its Boston affiliate disassociating from the Mapping Project actually doubles down on its encouragement of Palestinian defiance “by all means, including armed resistance” —a thinly-veiled euphemism for terror. By reaffirming this support, the BNC lets slip that its opposition to the Mapping Project is not one of substance, but rather public relations.
Shattered Illusions. Could this happen in the USA? A man looks at the wreckage of a Jewish shop in Berlin on Nov. 10, 1938 in the aftermath of Kristallnacht (‘Night of Broken Glass’). AP Photo
The near unanimous praise the map has received from BDS groups should remove any doubt about the movement’s intent and make it abundantly clear what it truly is: a modern-day strategy dedicated to targeting Jews, whether in Israel or the US. Armed with this knowledge, the federal government and members of congress must utilize all available measures to stop this insidious map and ensure that a 21st-century Kristallnacht does not occur on American soil.
About the writers:
Eitan Fischberger
Eitan Fischberger is an editor-at-large with the J’accuse Coalition for Justice, and an international relations and Middle East analyst.
Arsen Ostrovsky
Arsen Ostrovskyis a human rights attorney and CEO of The International Legal Forum.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
