Category: A Special Breed

LAST ONE OUT TURNS OFF THE DARKNESS

First to race into the inferno of October 7, Ran Gvili is now the last.

By Forest Rain Marcia

“Don’t worry Ma. See, my arm is fine!”

He knew his arm wasn’t fine. She knew it too.

They both knew there was no way he was staying home. Not after the videos he had seen, not after the emergency message he received, the message all policemen in the area received, the message they thought they would never hear: a call to respond to an invasion.

It didn’t matter that he had a broken shoulder and was scheduled for surgery in a few days. He was trained to defend the innocent, and nothing would stop him.

It was October 7th, and his country needed him.

Master Sergeant Ran Gvili of the Yasam Special Patrol Unit put on his uniform, took his father’s car, and drove to the police station. He met his team, donned battle gear, gathered weapons and ammunition, and drove straight into the eye of the storm: “The Al Aqsa Flood.”

The Last Israeli Hostage in Gaza: The Story of Ran Gvili | KAN 11

At the Saad junction, they found themselves in battle with the invaders. They helped party-goers escape the Nova massacre and reach safety. Ran was shot in the leg. He fashioned a tourniquet and battled on. At Alumim, he and other warriors managed to prevent the invaders from entering the kibbutz, saving those sheltering there — but at a terrible cost. The attackers had already slaughtered 22 workers from Thailand and Nepal and taken others hostage. Fourteen people fleeing the Nova party were murdered near the kibbutz, and five defenders of Israel were killed.

We think.

While learning through the news about friends and colleagues who had been killed, Ran’s brother, also a policeman, assumed Ran was home.  After all, Ran was injured and scheduled for surgery.

When Ran’s phone rang, the battle was raging. His brother was shocked to hear him explain where he was and to learn that he had also been shot in the hand: “Don’t tell our parents. I’m shot, but I’m fine.”

Ran sent this selfie(below) on October 7th – his last photo.

Last selfie photo of Ran Gvili from the 7th October 2023

Separated from his team, with a broken shoulder and two gunshot wounds, Ran sheltered from the attackers and passed critical information to the relevant security forces, doing everything he could to bring help to the battle. When the invaders discovered his location, he fought them alone.

The bodies of fourteen terrorists were found at the point where he had been sheltering. Ran was gone.

It took more than fourteen to subdue him and take him to Gaza.

Intelligence officials discovered footage of his unconscious body being taken to Gaza. They informed the Gvili family that the injuries Ran sustained are not survivable — unless given emergency intensive care, which he did not receive. None of the liberated hostages saw him during their captivity.

No one knows for certain what happened to Ran. Until his body is returned, his family clings to the faint hope that this powerful warrior — their Rani —could somehow survive.

Lion of Judah. Despite the odds, Ran Gvili was an Israeli hero who ran into danger to save lives.

He was among the first to race toward the battle and is now the last who has yet to return home. His mother says Ran always made sure everyone else was ok before thinking of himself. It is like him to be last, to make sure everyone else goes first.

Hollywood has nothing on us. Our heroes are real.

I never met Ran, but I have met his mother, Talik Gvili, and seen her in action. She is a hero, a warrior of a different kind. It is no surprise that her son is a hero.

Since October 7th, Talik’s heart has ached for her Rani, but she has devoted her mind to defending our people. She has spoken in the Knesset and around the world, advocating for the release of all hostages through strength. Only victory over Hamas will protect us from future invasions. She says:

 “I am the mother of a hostage. I do not want to be the grandmother of a hostage.”

One of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed was between Talik Gvili and Einav Zangauker, mother of Matan, who at the time was held hostage in Gaza. I was accompanying families of hostages to the Knesset, where, during committee sessions, families were given the chance to speak to parliament members and other government officials. Each family spoke in turn; all listened respectfully, no matter what was said or how long it took. Some pleaded with the government officials to save their loved ones. Others explained that they expected their loved ones to be saved in a way that didn’t endanger the future of Israel.

Einav Zangauker unleashed her fear and frustration at the committee head, haranguing him with devastating accusations:

“The blood of my son will be on your hands. They will bring him back dead, and you will manage the funeral and the shiva.”

There were some seventy people in the room. We all sat in silence. The more she spoke, the more extreme her words became, and the more everyone cringed, devastated, in their seats.

Until Talik spoke.

It was like magic. I don’t remember her exact words, but with grace and dignity, she broke the torrent of Einav’s rage, refocused her, and calmed her to the point where she got up, walked around the table, hugged Talik, and sat down next to her, holding her hand.

Allowing us all to breathe again.

Cry Freedom. With the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty in the background ,  the late Master Sergeant Ran Gwili mother appeals for his ‘liberty’ from Gaza.

Talik has rightly received awards and praise for her wise and eloquent advocacy. After one event, I approached her and told her I admired her greatly but needed to correct one huge mistake in her speech. Startled, she focused on me. I said, “You claim that you aren’t a hero, but that ignores what heroes are. They aren’t just warriors in battle; heroes are people who go above and beyond what the average person would do in the same situation.” She looked at me, unmoving. I continued, “When this happened, you could have crawled into bed, pulled the covers over your head, and refused to move. It would have been much easier.”

Her eyes softened. She sighed and nodded. “That’s true. Thank you.”

Waiting for Ran. Itzik Gvili, says of his son Ran, “He didn’t think twice, he went and fought, even with two bullets in his body.” Addressing a crowd at Hostages Square, he speaks about his son in the present tense. “It’s hard for me to accept condolences. Until I see his body, I don’t speak about him in the past tense.”

Hero. Mother of a hero. I wish I could give her a fraction of the strength she has given for all of us, for our safety, for our future. Now her Rani, one of the first to race into the inferno, is the last in Gaza.

We say that “the last one out turns off the light.” Perhaps Ran, the last one out, will be the one who turns off the darkness that has taken over Gaza.

Perhaps he won’t come home until we make sure the darkness is extinguished. There is a job that has yet to be completed. We are responsible for making sure that happens.



About the writer:

Forest Rain Marcia is an American-born Israeli who lives in northern Israel. She’s a branding expert and storyteller. Her passion is giving voice to the stories of Israel illuminating its profound events, cherished values, and exemplary role models that transcend borders, casting Israel as an eternal wellspring of inspiration and strength for a global audience.
Forest Rain made Aliyah at the age of thirteen. After her IDF service, she co-developed and co-directed a project to aid victims of terrorism and war. These activities gave her extensive first-hand experience with the emotional and psychological processes of civilians, soldiers, and their families, wounded and/or bereaved and traumatized by terrorism and war (grief, guilt, PTSD, etc). Throughout the years, she has continued to voice the stories, pain, and strength of traumatized Israelis to motivate others to provide support and counter the hate that threatens Jews in Israel, around the world, and Western civilization itself through the understanding that what begins with the Jews never ends with Jews.

Inspiration from Zion: https://inspirationfromzion.com/






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 ESSENCE OF HER NAME

In loving memory of Tova Ben Dov

By Rolene Marks
Tribute

If anyone was the absolute embodiment of her name, it was Tova Ben Dov. Tova, as her name suggests, was goodness personified. With twinkling blue eyes and the familiar sound of “Bubbeleh” greeting all who she was fond of, Tova brought her unique charm, wisdom and humour to all who knew her.

I will never forget the first time I met Tova. I joined a cohort of WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organization) women at the World Zionist Congress and saw how this slender, twinkly-eyed lady wielded tremendous power and respect and how when she spoke, she commanded the room.

Assigning herself as my “ima Israelit” (Israeli mother), Tova was a pillar of support and a gentle guide to help navigate the travails of Aliyah. I looked so forward to our chats where she would share anecdotes and always looked for the silver linings, even though these past years that have been so difficult for all of us. Tova never missed a beat – she knew what was happening in our communities around the world and stood strong in her identity, always encouraging pride in who we are and the imperative of standing up to the hate.

Tova Ben Dov (l) and Rolene Marks (r).

With wisdom, humour and patience, Tova was a mentor to so many, including WIZO women. Creating leaders and education was important to Tova; and from Melbourne, to Malmo, we were guided, encouraged and mentored by her.

Tova was more than just Honorary Life President of WIZO – she was the beating heart of the movement. Tova poured her heart into everything that she did and it shows in her legacy and the love that so many have for her.

Tova was born in Tel Aviv to parents from a Zionist family that was one of the founders of the Jewish state. For six decades, she devoted herself to WIZO.

Starting her career as a volunteer at the Herzliya Pituach branch, she became a respected leader on the national and international stage.

Working her way up the WIZO ladder, she held several leadership positions, including President of World WIZO from 2012 to 2016. She also served as vice president of the World Jewish Congress, a member of the executive committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel and a member of the International Council of Women.

Among other things, Ben-Dov founded the Open House in Sderot, named after former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as well as the first secure daycare center in the southern Israeli city. During her tenure, WIZO won the Israel Prize in 2008 for its contribution to advancing the status of women and gender equality.

Among Ben-Dov’s notable accomplishments within WIZO was the establishment of the Margaret Thatcher Open House in Sderot (above) which provides professional treatment, therapy and support programs to thousands of children and families in a city whose residents are traumatized by war.

In 2011, Tova was honoured with the Yakir Tel Aviv-Yafo award in recognition of her dedication to the well-being of the city, and in 2016, she was awarded the title of honorary fellow of the World Zionist Congress.

These are incredible achievements and are testament to a lifetime of service to her country.

Her greatest pride and joy has always been her family and her siblings, three children, seven grandchildren and a great-granddaughter, survive her. Tova was laid to rest in the Kiryat Shaul cemetery.

Her passing leaves a gaping hole in the lives of so many. May we all live up to the example that she set. Tova by name – and by nature. Goodness personified. May her memory be eternally blessed.





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 PLONSK TO A NATION

Tracing Ben Gurion’s roots from small town in central Poland to forging a nation.

By Motti Verses

This coming October 16 will mark another birthday of a leader whose wisdom we could certainly use in today’s roller-coaster reality. Born back in the 19th century in 1886, he is sadly no longer with us. While most people, myself included, tend to honor his memory by visiting his grave in Sde Boker, this time I decided to pay tribute in a different way: by tracing David Ben Gurion’s roots in Poland.

On our way back from Gdańsk to Warsaw Chopin Airport, we turned off the highway to a small, easily overlooked town: Płońsk, 70k/ms north of Warsaw. Israel’s founding prime minister was born here, and I was determined to find the house where he first saw the light of day. Thanks to modern technology, the task was surprisingly easy. Without it, it would have been nearly impossible, as there are no road signs directing visitors there.

It was a moving visit. The oval-shaped old town plaza is tiny, ringed with homes of bygone eras. Among them stood a turquoise-colored building that, according to images on my phone, matched the one I was seeking. Once a restaurant, now closed, it bears a “For Rent” sign in the window. Perhaps this is a golden opportunity for a Jewish investor to acquire the property and give it a purpose worthy of its history. A modest black plaque announces that David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding prime minister, was born here.

Food for Thought. From the outside, a visitor would know that this small turquoise building had once been a restaurant but could be excused for not knowing that long before had been the childhood home of one of the most iconic nation-builders of the 20th century – David Ben Gurion.(Photo: Motti Verses)

Back then, he was still David Grün, growing up in a modest Jewish household. At the time, Płońsk was part of the Russian Empire (today, Poland) and had a vibrant Jewish community that made up roughly half its population. His father, Avigdor Grün, was a teacher and an active member of the Ḥovevei Zion (“Lovers of Zion”) movement, which inspired young David with the ideals of Jewish national revival.

As a teenager, Ben-Gurion joined Poale Zion, a socialist-Zionist youth group, and even began teaching Hebrew to local children. Life in Płońsk’s close-knit shtetl, shared with both Jews and Poles, shaped his worldview: he saw the necessity of Jewish self-reliance while also recognizing the challenges of coexistence. In 1906, at the age of 19, he emigrated to Eretz Israel  and the rest, as they say, is history.

Płońsk to Palestine. David Ben-Gurion (bottom center)  in white shirt at a gathering of “Poalei Tzion” (Jewish worker youth movement) in Płońsk before his emigration to Eretz Israel/Palestine in 1906 still under the rule of the Ottoman Turks. In the back row, right of the flag, stands his father, Avigdor Grün. (Photo: Ben-Gurion Archives)

Today, Płońsk commemorates him with various educational initiatives. The Płońsk Memorial House (Dom Pamięci w Płońsku) tells the story of his youth and of the once-thriving Jewish community. Located just across the narrow street from the turquoise house, it is dedicated to the intertwined history of Polish and Jewish residents who lived together in Płońsk for nearly five centuries. The museum is housed in a restored early 20th-century two-story brick building that once served as both a pharmacy and a residence. The project reflects a broader goal: to preserve the shared memory of both communities, foster intercultural dialogue, and honor the legacy for visiting descendants of Płońsk’s Jews as well as tourists interested in the town’s history and its connection to David Ben-Gurion.

Sign of the Times. A modest black plaque informs that Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion was born in this house.(Photo: Motti Verses)

What struck me most was a remarkable mural on one of the nearby building walls. This vibrant graffiti artwork tells the story of Israel and Ben-Gurion. It was created by the multifaceted Polish artist Bruno Neuhamer (also known as Bruno Althamer), a draftsman, illustrator, sculptor, and street artist. The mural was unveiled on October 26, 2021, during the Jewish Culture Festival in Płońsk. The project was realized in cooperation with the city authorities, the local cultural center, and the Israeli Embassy in Poland.

Mural of Memories. Located on a wall of a tenement house at 6 Warszawska Street in Płońsk, Bruno Neuhamer’s mural tells the story of Israel and the life of Ben-Gurion, including the legendary image of the Prime Minister standing on his head which he did from childhood in Płońsk to old age in Israel, including on Tel Aviv beach.  (Photo: Motti Verses)

The central image shows Ben-Gurion balancing on his head,  inspired by a 1957 photograph by Paul Goldman, preserved at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv. According to historical accounts, young Ben-Gurion often fainted, and his doctor prescribed headstands as a remedy. A habit he maintained well into later life. Beyond the literal image, the pose – as I saw it – carries a deeper metaphor: to achieve something great, one sometimes must turn the world upside down.

“HISTORY IS NOT WRITEN, HISTORY IS MADE”.  This is the last line in the Murial’s inscription on the life of Ben Gurion that appears in Polish, English and Hebrew. (Photo: Motti Verses)

In Ben-Gurion’s case, this is the story of a boy from Płońsk who did just that, ultimately founding a nation. The mural is filled with details: exotic plants, tanks with raised barrels, adding layers of meaning. At first, the tanks seemed out of place, yet in today’s reality, Neuhamer’s choice feels prophetic. The mural left me thoughtful, even melancholic, about Israel’s present and image in the world.

Early Life. One of the exhibits relating to David Ben Gurion in the Płońsk Memorial House. (Photo: Motti Verses)

As an Israeli visiting Płońsk, I felt a mix of emotions. Walking the same streets that young David once knew was like touching the roots of modern Israel’s story. It was a reminder that a boy from here turned the world upside down to create a nation. There was a strong echo of resilience, dreams, and lives stretching from Poland to Israel, along with sadness for the absence of the once-vibrant Jewish community, erased by the Holocaust. The silence where synagogues, schools, and children’s laughter once filled the air was palpable. And yet, there was also warmth: many Polish young people today take pride in commemorating their town’s connection to Israel. Płońsk still holds a living link to the Jewish people. An encouraging reality in our times.

Past Preserved. Across the street from Ben Gurion’s childhood home is the entrance to Płońsk Memorial House. (Photo: Motti Verses)

It was pleasantly cool in Płońsk this August. In winter, average temperatures here hover around 0 °C (32°F). My thoughts drifted to young David’s reality, and to the stark contrast of his later life in the Middle East-especially during the sweltering hot days of the Negev desert in Sde Boker. Quite a change, and quite a challenge.

You don’t need more than an hour to see Płońsk; everything is small and close together. But if you’re in the area, make the stop – it will certainly be worth it.

It will also be both enlightening and rewarding to see how from this small town emerged a giant of the 20th century that defied insurmountable obstacles and challenges to forge a nation on their ancestral land that today hosts the largest core Jewish population in the world, with 7.2 million, followed by the United States with 6.3 million.

The man who did headstands knew where and when to stand where and when it mattered!



*Feature picture: Birth of a Nation. The writer stands in front of Ben-Gurion’s childhood home in Płońsk, Poland. (Photo: Motti Verses) 




About the writer:

The writer, Motti Verses, is a Travel Flash Tips publisher. His travel stories are published on THE TIMES OF ISRAEL  https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/motti-verses/. And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPSAnd his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – 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).

OF MARKETS AND  MINDSETS

Farewell to Stef Wertheimer –  a feisty ‘warrior’ for peace and prosperity who has died at age 98.

By David E. Kaplan

I was privileged to interview  Stef Wertheimer in 2010 as editor then of the Hilton Israel Magazine. As Israel’s leading industrialist and second largest metalworking tool manufacturer in the world, Stef had been under the international spotlight since 2006 when Warren Buffet’s, Berkshire Hathaway acquired 80% of his company ISCAR Metalworking for a staggering four billion US dollars, the largest then ever buy-out of an Israeli company. Not only was it a resounding vote of confidence in the Israeli economy but also a break in the mindset of Israel being mainly a market Mecca for hi-tech investors.  Industry was instantly up there in the vanguard of the pack – its stature restored.

Man on a Mission. Stef Wertheimer – a visionary and a warrior for peace and prosperity.

I naturally felt that this should be the main focus of the interview but how radically off base I was. As we began casually chatting, Stef made it clear that he did not want to talk about the Buffet deal, saying dismissively:

“that’s only about money.”

Seeing my obvious surprise, he explained, “money can cloud what is really important. The real significance of the deal did not happen in 2006 but in 1952.”

What did he mean?

Public fascination, he explained, falsely gravitates to the Buffet deal because of the staggering sum, but “this is not the true barometer of success. To tell you the truth, my first deal operating out of my kitchen in Nahariya was far more significant and therefore more meaningful to me.”

Son of a musician and decorated First World War veteran, Stef Wertheimer was born in Kikenheim, Germany in 1926. In 1936, with the Nazis entrenched in power, the Wertheimer family fled Germany for Palestine.  “I was 10 years old, so they did not ask me,” he says, chuckling.

Rearing to Go. Always striving high, the refugee child from southern Baden, Germany, Stef Wertheimer as a teenager in Tel Aviv.

Learning a trade as an apprentice to a refugee, Stef, at age eighteen, joined the newly established Israel Air force flight school. Although he graduated as a pilot, the army was far more interested in “my skills in metal processing.” Given the important task of developing weapons, no one in those days would have imagined that young Stef was well on his way to becoming a global industrialist and ‘warrior’ for peace.

When the state of Israel came into being and the battles ended, he started his cutting-tool factory from his home in Nahariya with a borrowed lathe and a loan from a local butcher.

He tells the story:

“Living in Nahariya, I used to ride my motorbike to kibbutz Hanita where I paid for the use of a machine. I then decided in 1952 to work at home and started with small blade sharpener which cost forty lirot. My ‘factory floor’ was the balcony off our kitchen. I called my business ISCAR. Family and employees shared the same premises and as the business expanded, I ‘invaded’ the bedroom and shifted the beds into the corridor. My baby daughter used to ride her tricycle taking bites of food from my workers. That is how she grew to enjoy spicy cuisine from my Mizrahi (Jews of Middle Eastern ancestry) workers.”

Factory Floor. A young highly motivated Stef Wertheimer (center) in his backyard Iscar workshop in Nahariya in the early 1950s. (Photo: private)

Deflecting any discussion “about money,” Stef steers the interview to that which he is most proud of  – his unofficial title as the ‘Father of Israel’s industrial parks’. Promoting nothing less than a new ‘Industrial Revolution’ for the Middle East, Stef’s vision was about transforming the industrial and political landscape of Israel and beyond. “A successful society is a skilled society,” he asserted.

Stef went on to establish seven industrial parks in Israel, with the goal of fostering economic growth and job creation to help “create stability in the region.”

Aiming High. The ISCAR World Headquarters and Central Manufacturing Facilities located in Tefen in the high hills of Israel.

His first, built in 1982, set the tone encompassing everything from transportation to cultural and educational facilities. Establishing them specifically in peripheral areas, these complexes of export-oriented factories generated annual sales of $2.7 billion and provided employment to its surrounding areas. Stef’s attitude was clear:

“There is no unemployed, only people who are unlucky to find a job.”

A visionary for regional peace, he posed the question: “Imagine if there were hundreds of these “Pockets of Peace” all over the Middle East? Who would have the time or the interest for war? People would be too busy creating instead of destroying.”

In response to my question whether he was proposing mass industrialization as a tool for regional harmony, he replied:

“Yes, if people are highly skilled, earning good salaries and enjoying job satisfaction, then there will be no urge for individuals or nation states to resort to violence to achieve their aspirations. Religious fanatics only flourish where poverty and despair rule. However, to achieve an industrial revolution, we need a revolution in our educational system as well. For too long we have been obsessed with professional degrees, steering our children towards becoming bankers, doctors or lawyers. We have been short-sighted with little thought as to how our small country can absorb these professions. When we award too many degrees with no jobs to support them, we create an export market of our finest commodity – our talented youth. The sad result is that Jewish and Arab families, who both cherish close family ties, are reduced to talking to their loved ones over Skype [Before the age of WhatsApp] instead of over the kitchen table. We should train our youth for jobs that will keep them here in Israel.”

And to the question whether this would not require a change of mindset towards technical education, Stef replied:

“Sure; we prefer to pursue the ‘clean’ professions because we are pressured by our parents. This has been embedded into our culture. We have an aversion to rolling up our sleeves and getting our fingers dirty. Jews gravitate to commerce and the professions rather than into industry. This needs to change.”

Questioning how we break from tradition if it’s so imbedded in our culture, he replied:

“One needs to look no further for a shining example than one of our revered Zionist pioneers, A.D. Gordon. Was he suited to work in the fields? Definitely not. He was an elderly intellectual, of no great physical strength and with no experience doing manual labor, but he took up the hoe and worked in the fields. By personal example, he provided the inspiration for generations of Zionist pioneers to create a Jewish economy by physically working the land. He showed how manual labor – so essential to the creation of the state – was honorable and enriching work.

Today, we need the same insight and spirit of A.D. Gordon to move new generations not to the fields but to our factory floors. In the same way that tilling the land in early days was considered honorable, today we need to correct the erroneous notion that manual labor is ‘low’. Nations with the most dynamic economies such as China, India, Singapore, Switzerland, Denmark and France have introduced a dual system of technical education that combines classroom learning with on-sight internships in various industries. We need to do the same.”

Book of Revelations. Says Warren Buffett, “There’s no better way to explain the miracle of Israel than to examine the life of Stef Wertheimer.”

Having such bold visions, it was only natural for Stef to try out politics which he did in 1977 when he  was amongst the founding members of Dash, (Democratic Movement for Change) a new centrist political party. The party was highly successful, winning 15 seats in the 1977 elections, with Wertheimer taking one of the seats. The party was a combination of capitalists and socialists, doves and hawks that aimed to bring about a transformation in Israeli politics, especially by introducing a constitution and changing the voting system. The goal was to break the deadlock induced by ideologically oriented parties and to separate religion and state. The party split in 1978, and Wertheimer joined the liberal, free-market party Shinui. However, by 1982, now exasperated with politics – more faking than making –  he resigned and returned to his business ventures.

Did he have any regrets for not persevering longer in politics, I asked.

“No regrets; I found the routine of politics dominated by too many lawyer-types who spend endless amounts of time clashing over budgets and how to spend rather than generate money.

However, the experience was not a waste as it paved the way for me to create the Industrial Parks and what I call, ‘Islands of Peace.’ As a member of the Knesset Economic Committee, I was asked to help several small companies that were experiencing financial problems. How could I prevent them from closing down? I came up with the idea that each company on its own could not survive, but if they were placed together and shared the same facilities, infrastructure, and access to top business guidance, they would have a better chance of survival. To this end, I brought in experts from Harvard University and MIT. A sum of $120 million was allocated for this project and supported by the Minister of Finance, Pinchas Saphir.”

However, all did not proceed according to plan, politics being what it is. Of the $120 million, $100 million found its way to the financially troubled but politically more attractive and larger companies, while Stef was allocated $20 million to focus on the smaller companies.

“Was this not disillusioning?” I asked.

“I was only too happy,” Stef replied. “Let them waste money on decaying behemoths… I will focus on the small companies, with young people who have the passion and the vision to forge ahead.’ History records what was wasted with the $100 million and what was achieved with the $20 million.”

Movers & Shakers. Stef Wertheimer showing Warren Buffett (left) around Tefen in northern Israel. (Photo by FLASH90).

With the seed money, Stef established in 1982 – the year after he left the Knesset – Tefen Industrial Park in the northern Galilee. At the time of the interview in 2010, Stef was currently developing his seventh park, located in Nazareth. “Although it will be managed by Arabs it will be a place where Jews and Arabs will work together. It will be a model for coexistence, where people of different cultures and religions will work with rather than against each other. The battlefield today should only be the market place.”

One can only sigh acknowledging Stef’s farsighted perspective amidst Israel’s current war.

Officially opening the Industrial High-Tech Park in Nazareth is President Shimon Peres with Stef Wertheimer (right) who said, “This industrial park is a model and a real investment in the local economy and Jewish-Arab coexistence. It will create jobs in this area and will help keep the young people of the area, from all sectors of society, here.” (Photo: Government Press Office)

Based on the large-scale economic program for Europe following World War II, Stef had promoted a similar Marshall Plan for the Middle East. His idea was to set up industries on a mass scale to provide training, create jobs, alleviate poverty and raise the per capita income of those living in the region. “People don’t know this,” said Stef, “but the money the government spends on ONE fighter plane could pay for FIVE industrial parks. Think of it – which offers a better return on investment?”

In pursuance of his vision, Stef drew up plans in the 1990s for an industrial park in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian and the Israeli governments both offered support, but one week before the groundbreaking ceremony, the Second Intifada broke out and that plan was indefinitely shelved. Decades later, instead of industrial parks, it’s the city where Israeli hostages were held and where the mastermind of the October 7 massacre Yahya Sinwar  was killed on the 17 October, 2024.

As Stef Wertheimer leaves us, he also leaves us with his vision to be still pursued and achieved :

 “The battlefield today should be only the market place of tomorrow.”




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).

REMEMBERING OLGA – A WARRIOR FOR ISRAEL

In her death, as in her life, Olga’s memory and legacy is a lasting testimony.

By Jonathan Feldstein

On nearly a daily basis, for most of 470 days, Israel has suffered the death of civilians due to terrorist rockets and missiles, stabbings, and shootings; hostages whose bodies have been recovered and repatriated; and the loss of more than 400 soldiers in combat. Whether we knew any of the victims or not, each loss is a national tragedy, knocking the breath out of us as we hear the stark words “cleared for publication.”

This is especially the case for soldiers, because as a people’s army, they are our sons and daughters literally and generically. In too many cases, they are also husbands and fathers, leaving behind hundreds of widows and thousands of orphans. Each soldier’s death is noted in the print, broadcast, and electronic media, many times over, so we have a glimpse of who we’ve lost, and the depth of the loss to the family in mourning.

On January 6, Israel lost another brave warrior who devoted her life for defending Israel and the Jewish people.  But she wasn’t an Israeli, and she wasn’t Jewish. She didn’t wear the uniform of the IDF (though I suspect she’d have been honored to). Olga Meshoe Washington was a dynamic young South African native, a devout Chrisitan, who put Israel’s defense only second to her family: husband Joshua, sons Ezra and Judah, her parents Rev. Kenneth Meshoe (a member of the South African parliament and head of the African Christian Democratic Party) and her late mother Lydia who died just two years before; and her extended family.

Minus the IDF uniform, Olga was every bit as much a warrior for Israel. Accordingly, in her memory and honor, unique accommodations have been made to bury Olga not in her native South Africa or adopted home state North Carolina, but in Israel, literally in the Land and among the people who she loved and for which she advocated relentlessly.

Olga’s death is being felt and mourned literally around the world. It’s evident from a truly overwhelming outpouring of condolences and memories of her too short life, that she made a unique and indeed very personal impact on tens of thousands. There are many stories, memories, and inspirations that those of us who were privileged to know Olga will take with us. Many Jews and Israelis, like me, are not only mourning, but feel compelled to share about her life, so that millions of other Jews and Israelis will understand what a great loss we have all experienced, collectively, even if we never knew much less heard of Olga.

Reflecting her life, following Olga’s social media one sees two main things reflected today that were the center of her life: her family and her advocacy for Israel and the Jewish people. Being South African, she was particularly busy counteracting the slanderous antisemitic actions of the South African government in recent years, something for which her voice was clear and respected. Allegations that Israel was an apartheid state that it was committing war crimes and genocide, are things that Olga refuted easily, with intelligence, clarity, and poise. 

This week, a group of friends and colleagues gathered virtually from four continents, to reflect in a deeply emotional conversation about Olga and her life. We are all mourning, but just as in the Jewish tradition to visit a house of mourning to comfort the mourners, by sharing stories of her life, we found this to be a comfort to ourselves, and also a way to reflect on Olga’s greatness.

Olga was described in Biblical terms, like Ruth, who gave up everything that she could have been as a young partner in a major South African law firm to devote her life and energy to Israel. People described her warmth, her wisdom, that she’s irreplaceable. At 44, she did so much in her life; it’s overwhelming to imagine what she could have done, and what we all have lost. One noted that it feels like the earth shifted off its axis. Underscoring the huge impact she made, someone shared that others were contacting her saying, “I felt so close to Olga but now seeing that everyone was so close to Olga.”

The hardest part of the conversation was talking to her young sons, so that when they are ready, when they want the women they will marry to know about their mother, they can get a glimpse of Olga’s greatness and can remember her through others. Hopefully this will be a comfort to Olga’s sons and extended family, and also to inspire others – Jews and Christians – to pick up the torch she carried so high, and run with it.  (You can see the entire conversation here.)

Olga’s legacy will surely continue in her children, described as royalty coming from two families of Christian Zionist leaders, but also in the lives of the many whom she touched. Being buried in Israel is not something to be taken lightly, especially when it comes with involvement of the office of the President. Indeed, it’s unprecedented. In her death, as in her life, Olga’s memory and legacy is a lasting testimony. She will be laid to rest on January 22, followed by memorials in South Africa and North Carolina, amid thousands of mourners, Jews and Christians coming together in solidarity to honor her.

In Jewish tradition, participating in someone’s funeral is a Biblical obligation known as a “chesed shel emet,” an act of loving kindness at its most pure because it can never be repaid to help the family defray the significant cost of burial in Israel, with everything involved, a crowd funding campaign has been established for people around the world to contribute to her burial. The funeral will also be live streamed for those who wish to participate virtually.

Olga Meshoe Washington was a friend, natural leader, mentor, brave warrior, woman of devout faith, and an inspiration and source of wisdom, and guidance to us all. We pray that her family will be comforted by the outpouring of love and support from around the world, and that we will measure up to continue Olga’s legacy and radiate her light and legacy. Writing about someone in the past tense means accepting that she’s no longer with us, which is one of the hardest things for those who knew her. But we take strength from the words that Olga would comfort us with, “All is well.”

Rest in peace, dear Olga. We will always remember you with fondness, reflecting your smile even amid our loss. Your legacy lives on with us, and you and your love for Israel will never be forgotten.





About the writer:

Jonathan Feldstein ­­­­- President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.





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).

REMEMBERING A WOMAN OF VALOUR

In Loving Tribute to Olga Meshoe Washington
14 September 1981 – 6 January 2025

By Rolene Marks

How does one put into words the devastation that so many of us around the world are feeling about the passing of the remarkable Olga Meshoe Washington? I never thought I would ever be writing those words. It is unimaginable. The brightest light has left us. I have started this tribute several times but it is so hard to fathom writing about the radiant and brilliant Olga in the past tense? Maybe if I do not write in the past tense it will not be true.

Charismatic Speaker. A sought-after figure on the global speaking circuit, Olga addressed organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Christians United for Israel, and the World Jewish Congress. In 2022, she spoke at the United Nations Human Rights Council and participated in a UNHRC side event in Geneva.

As news of Olga’s passing reverberated around the world, tributes poured in. Organisations, individuals, politicians, media – people who had known Olga personally and others who connected with her through her work, everyone felt the shockwaves of grief.  I do not think there was a corner of the globe that was not impacted by Olga. The magnitude of love and sorrow is testament to the impact that she had during her life.

Olga was simply magnificent. In every way. I used to call her Queen Olga – because she carried herself with regal bearing, treating each person as if they were the most important in the room.

Rolled up her Sleeves. On her way in 2023 to Israel to attend The Jerusalem Post’s “Top 25 Young ViZionaries” awards ceremony, she landed in Ben Gurion Airport on October 7th to a country at war. Instead of turning back, Olga got right to work and with Jewish National Fund-USA participating in a number of projects such as packing supplies and working out of the organization’s situation room. “My experiences,” she later said, “only strengthened my resolve to tell the truth and to be an ally to Israel and encourage others to be an ally to the Jewish people.”

Olga was a daughter of Africa, passionate about her beloved South Africa – but for many of us in Israel and for Jewish communities around the world, she was one of ours as well. Daughter of Africa – and daughter of Zion.

If ever there was anyone who embodied an Eshet Chayil, a woman of valour, it was Olga Meshoe Washington.  Olga was a woman of unparalleled integrity and moral clarity.

Father and Daughter. Olga with her father, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader in South Africa’s parliament, Reverend Kenneth Meshoe.

It was not just that she was an extremely gifted orator or brilliant in her chosen career as a lawyer, Olga was a formidable advocate for Israel and the Jewish people. Olga shone as a speaker and debater – and her opponents were swiftly put in their place with facts and conviction. Her love and dedication to Israel and the Jewish people was unwavering – as was her Christian faith.

Watching out for Israel. IBSI Board Member for ‪@unwatch, Olga Meshoe-Washington addresses the United Nations Council of Inquiry against Israel who on the Israel “apartheid” libel, said: “It trivializes the humiliation and injustices endured by black South Africans who lived through apartheid and who still, together with their descendants, bear the scars of its legacy.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8J9i7oIN-k

Olga was involved with so many organisations at the highest levels. She founded and directed the pro-Israel Christian lobby group DEISI (Defend, Embrace, Invest, Support Israel), was named one of 25 young visionaries by The Jerusalem Post, served as chief operating officer of Club Z, a US Zionist youth movement, spoke at a UN Human Rights Council event and was part of the family of so many other organisations. Everyone felt the unique magic that Olga sprinkled with her faith, devotion, support and love.

It is not just Olga’s work that shone. Her love for her family and friends were paramount. Olga married Joshua and became a mother to the two most gorgeous little boys. Our hearts are aching for the Meshoe and Washington families at this unfathomable loss.

In these dark months of war, my phone would ring at night and it would be Olga, checking in to see if my  husband and I were okay, to offer a prayer but most important to listen and advise. It was always an honour to share ideas and sometimes a giggle over something pop culture with Olga.

Always an Eye out for Israel. “EYE ON ISRAEL” host Shahar Azani (Executive Director, StandWithUs Northeast Region) speaks with Olga. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp7GKh6Kgl8&t=13s)

Olga always had opinions and perspective, most often grounded in her faith and her values. I was also privileged to share a panel with her once or twice and host her for World WIZO during the pandemic and she just mesmerized everyone with her intelligence and her vibrant personality.

Olga will be laid to rest in Israel, the country she loved so much and fought so valiantly not just to defend but also embraced and invested her commitment and her love.

Eternal Enrichment. Olga and her family on a visit to her beloved Israel where she will be laid to rest at the Tel Regev Cemetery, near Haifa.

In his tribute post to his beloved wife, Olga’s husband Joshua referred to the heavens applauding for the life she led. The heavens are applauding – and so are we, Olga. Yours was a life lived impeccably and you are absolutely irreplaceable. Your legacy will live on in all of us.

Our hearts embrace the Meshoe and Washington families. May Olga rest in power – and may her memory be eternally blessed.


IBSI Board Member, Olga Meshoe-Washington at the UN in Geneva





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The funeral will be January 22nd 2024, at the Tel Regev Cemetery near Haifa. 
Shuttles will be available from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.

To register for one of the shuttles to the cemetery, please use this link: https://forms.gle/rfUbVq6NgbSjK1Nn7

The ceremony will also be live streamed for everyone abroad. 
Hope you will be able to join us in giving a unique and befitting farewell to such an amazing woman, that gave so much of herself to and for this country and our cause. 
To help defray the costs of the funeral for the family and donate from the US please click here:  https://genesis123foundation.revv.co/olga
To donate from anywhere else in the world please click here: 
https://www.runforzion.com/rememberingolga

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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).

POLICE OFFICER SERVES IN HONOR OF HER SLAIN HERO HUSBAND

First to engage, first to fall – he saved the lives of his colleagues.

By Rolene Marks

*Photos courtesy of the Harush family and Israel Police.

“If I had just a tiny bit of information about what was to come, I would never have let him go,” said Hodaya Harush in memory and tribute to her late husband, Eliyahu. Hodaya is an extraordinary woman, a mother of three, who is Haredi and serves in the Israeli Police as an investigator at the Netivot police station. Eliyahu Harush was the first officer to fall on 7 October in Sderot during the “Battle of Sderot Police Station” that would become one of the seminal moments of that ‘Black Saturday’ – a symbol of the heroism of Israel’s police who fought valiantly against a ruthless enemy who threatened the civilians of their town.

A few nights before the seventh, Hodaya had a dream. She dreamt that she was standing with Eliyahu’s shift commander and she was crying. Hodaya tried to erase the dream from her mind but the events of the days to come would reopen that memory.

Eliyahu dropped Hodaya and their three girls off at her father’s house in Petach Tikvah on the Thursday before he started his shift at the police station. He was going to collect them after Shabbat ended. They communicated via What’s App for the next two days and one of the last messages Hodaya received from Eliyahu was a sticker with the message:

 “Keep an eye out for children who don’t have family”.  

Her final words to him were “Chag Sameach”.

Saturday morning started with sirens and rocket fire. Hodaya gathered her children and joined the rest of the extended family in the mamad (shelter). Hodaya like most Israelis, is used to rocket fire and sirens and tried to settle the children back to sleep. Her brother-in-law, who was also a police officer, received a message from his patrol unit and was called away. Hodaya understood that something big had happened. Although she had never broken Shabbat, Hodaya opened her phone and saw the messages coming in. The news came in that Sderot Police Station had been taken over by Hamas terrorists. Hodaya had seen a picture of the white pick-up trucks with mounted guns on the back that is synonymous with Hamas that day. Hodaya tried to call Eliyahu. She sent messages. She tried another police officer, Mor Shakuri, but there was no answer from either of them. Shakuri was already dead, killed, as was her father Roni that day, when terrorists opened fire on a car he was in with two other officers.

Hodaya’s daughter Lia, just 5-years-old at the time, told her that she had a dream. Lia dreamt her father had been killed. Hodaya felt that the dots were starting to connect. The day passed without any word from Eliyahu – or his whereabouts. Hodaya started to call anyone she could to try find out what happened to Eliyahu. She called hospitals, other police officers and friends. Her heart could not reconcile what she knew logically – something was wrong. She had seen that the district commander had given the order to demolish the police station and was frantic he may still be inside.

“On that Saturday, I didn’t know exactly what was happening, and that uncertainty is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. His father and I ran backwards and forwards from the balcony looking for a sign of a patrol car but none came. It was like a movie. His sister said that maybe he’s hiding and without knowing, I told her: I know that Eliyahu is the first to go out to defend and protect his comrades and the citizens,” says Hodaya. “He is the first to save lives,” she continues.

At 1h36 in the morning, police officers finally arrived and told her that Eliyahu had been killed. Hodaya’s first question was if the police had the body – and if it was whole. They confirmed he had been killed at the front of the police station. Hodaya broke down, devastated. At 26, she was now a widow with three small children. She had to find her strength for them. Two weeks later, she returned to work.

“Even before they buried my Eliyahu, they came to me from the National Police Academy; I was still in training. They came to me from the academy and said to me: Listen, if you don’t want to continue with the course, just tell us.” Hodaya answered with an emphatic no.

“The first thing I said to them, without hesitation, was that it was Eliyahu who sent my resume, I told them: this is Eliyahu’s will. Eliyahu made sure that I joined the Israel Police and I am going to do everything possible to serve as a police officer,” says Hodaya.

Hodaya wrote her eulogy before she knew what happened that morning. She spoke of how he fought in Hashem’s name with bravery and determination to save lives. At the funeral, two officers told her that because of Eliyahu, they were alive. He had saved their lives.

It was at the Shiva where Hodaya would find out what happened that morning. A police officer told her the events as they unfolded:

Eliyahu was on shift with another officer, Sharon, when they received a call that there was an infiltration at nearby Zikim beach. Rockets were raining down on the south and other parts of the country. He told the officer to gear up – full gear, rifles, vest – everything. They were unaware that Hamas terrorists were already in Sderot. As Sharon exited the building, a pick-up truck arrived and opened fire. Sharon managed to get to a nearby shelter where he stayed for five and a half hours. Eliyahu ran out, drawing the fire to him as other officers ran to the roof where they were eventually saved. Eliyahu was the first to engage with the terrorists and the first to fall. He saved the lives of his colleagues who managed to get to safety.

Hodaya has started a campaign to dedicate a Sefer Torah in Eliyahu z”l’s name:

https://my.israelgives.org/en/fundme/Harush

Ten police officers fell in the Battle of Sderot, 59 on 7 October and 66 since 7 October.






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).

GOODBYE TO ISRAEL’S “MR. TENNIS”

A tribute to the passing of tennis icon and Israel Prize recipient – Dr. Ian Froman.

By David E. Kaplan

When it comes to immigrants having enriched Israel, South Africans have been amongst the ‘top seeds’ and when you add the contribution in the field of sport and tennis, few more so than Dr. Ian Froman, who passed away at the age of 87 on September 9, 2024.

It is no surprise that “Mr. Tennis” as he was affectionately known, was a recipient of Israel’s most prestigious civilian award – the Israel Prize. Over the years I have had the privilege to interview Ian for a number of publications both in Israel and South Africa.

On hearing of his passing, I thought back to a sweltering hot summer’s night in 2015, when a special gala event in his honour was held on the commercial rooftop of a high-rise in Herzliya Petuach.

From the stars in the night sky above to the stars below of Israeli tennis, there  was Amos Mansdorf, Gilad Bloom and Shlomo Glickstein, as well as video-clips and photos that included Ilie Năstase, Jimmy Connors, Brad Gilbert and Tomas Muster, all taken with Ian over many years at his proud “offspring” – the Israel Tennis Center in Ramat Hasharon. From those around the world who were unable to attend, there were audio-visual messages giving Ian what they described as  “a big hug.”

I thought at the time of the Beatles number, “All you need is love” as there was a lot of it about. There was the love of Ian for tennis and the State of Israel and there was the reciprocal love of the Israel tennis world and the State of Israel for Ian.

Ian’s journey, more like an adventure, began with love.

Ian in action. Early days of tennis in Israel, Ian found it more difficult finding a court to play than finding his form.

OPEN COURT’SHIP

Representing South Africa in tennis at the 1963 Maccabi Games having competed and getting to the 3rd round in the men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1955 going down to eventual finalist Kurt Nielsen, this young graduate in dentistry “fell in love with Israel” and “I made the decision to make Aliyah (immigration to Israel).” Only snag was when he returned to Johannesburg after the Maccabi Games, he also fell in love with a young girl named Ruth.  After courting Ruth for a few weeks, he was now faced with a dilemma – it’s either Ruth or Israel.  “I doubted Ruth would ever come live in Israel and so I stopped asking her out. What was the point …. why pursue that which you know has no long-term future.” Still, Ian could not shake Ruth from his mind and so called her again to ask her out but this time it was she who turned him down. Explains Ruth:

“I wanted to live in Israel and thought why pursue a romance with a dentist who obviously wanted to stay and practice in Joburg!”

The Magic of the Maccabiah. The 1961 South African Maccabi tennis team with Ian Froman (six from the left).

This bizarre situation of each not knowing what the other was truly thinking was only later resolved when Ian accepted a chance invitation to a function at Ruth’s parent’s home and an intimate chat over cocktails, revealed they loved Israel as much as each other, so much so that later that same evening, they announced their engagement. Shortly thereafter, the newlyweds – or in tennis parlance, ‘Doubles Partners’ – moved to Israel and so began their journey into the history books. Ian never went on to practice dentistry and instead proceeded to change the face of tennis in Israel.

It did not happen overnight!

INSPIRATIONAL IAN

After arriving in Israel in 1964, “I thought I would slot into the local game, only to discover that tennis in those days was something out of the Jurassic age. I used to run around like a madman just to find a courts to train. There were no facilities and we often used to furtively sneak onto private courts to practice. Apart from private courts, it seemed to me that the only privileged people playing tennis were tourists at beach hotels.” This motivated Ian, who together with Freddie Krivine, Joseph Shane, Harold Landesberg, Rubin Josephs, and Dr. William Lippy began fundraising to launch tennis as a sport in Israel by building a national Israel tennis centre (ITC). This was achieved on an old strawberry patch in Ramat HaSharon donated to the ITC by the government, and on April 25, 1976, the late Leah Rabin, wife of the late Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzchak Rabin, cut the ribbon to the Center, and 250 children signed up to participate. Who in a sense also “signed up” was the Prime Minister, who for the rest of his life played frequently for well-deserved relaxation.

Turned on to Tennis.  Two of Ian’s friends and converts to tennis, Leah and Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzchak Rabin.

The Israel Tennis Centers, under Froman’s inspirational direction and fundraising finesse, grew over the years from strength to strength, as tennis centers opened up from Kiryat Shmona in the North to Beersheba in the South. It was little wonder that this chapter in the history of tennis in Israel is referred to as the “Froman revolution”. In 1989, Froman received the Israel Prize, the country’s most prestigious civilian award.

This recognition was bestowed not so much for the Center’s contribution towards striving for excellence in the sport, but more for providing community enrichment programs and popularizing the sport across the socio-economic divide. The centres from inception, catered to children and families from all religions and ethnic groups – without prejudice.

“Tennis should not be an elitist game and we set out from the beginning to make it accessible to kids from outlying areas,” asserted Ian. “We included children from all backgrounds and religion, providing them with a lifetime sport in an educational environment.” The ITC proved an enriching sporting mechanism where Jews and Arabs could meet and play from a young age and foster better understanding.

Recognising the immense contribution beyond sport, State President Chaim Hertzog, said in presenting the Israel Prize to Ian:

 “You have created a virtual social revolution throughout Israel.”

Inspirational Ian. Dr.Ian Froman, President of the Israel Tennis & Education Centers is awarded in 1989 the Israel Prize for “social impact”  through sport by Israel’s State President, Chaim Herzog.

What the State President meant by a “social revolution” was best explained by the late Kollie Friedstein, another South African roped in by Froman, who would go on to serve as Executive Director of the ITC as well as Chairman of the Israel Tennis Association. Friedstein, who immigrated to Israel in 1942 from Johannesburg imbued by the ideology of his Zionist youth movement – HaShomer HaTzair and was one of the founders of Kibbutz Shoval in the Negev, disclosed to me in an interview that he was drawn to Froman’s concept, “not so much to produce future tennis champions, but of creating healthy environments across the country attracting kids who might otherwise be on the streets. I saw this as an expression of my Zionism.” Of course, the advantages of sport centers were not always immediately apparent to everyone at the time. During the opening ceremony of the Yaffo Tennis Center, Shlomo Lahat, the then mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, was pelted with rotten tomatoes by local protestors. Established in an area known at the time for its crime, prostitution and drugs, residents had complained that they needed an upgrade in educational and cultural facilities, not tennis courts. Soon enough though, the Tennis Center became the pride of the town, and people were advertising their homes for sale as being “within walking distance of the Tennis Center.” Froman knew where he was heading with his vision.

Apart from being one of the largest social service organizations for children in Israel and the largest tennis programme for children in the world, the ITC over the years produced outstanding players who made their mark on the most prestigious courts around the world.

While its graduates have included greats like Sholmo Glickstein,  Amos Mansdorf and Dudi Sela all top 30 ranked players, it was the double players of Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich who made history for Israel by winning Grand Slam titles. In 2006, Ram became the first Israeli tennis player to win a grand slam title when he captured the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon with his Russian partner, Vera Zvonareva. Then in 2008, with  Erlich, the “Dynamo Duo” became the first Israeli  doubles tennis team to win a Grand Slam tennis title in winning the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Former Israeli professional tennis player Gilad Bloom who reached a career-high world ranking of 61, posted on social media on hearing of Froman’s passing:

“At age 11, as a promising young player in Israel, Ian introduced me to Dick Savitt, a Jewish Wimbledon and Australian Open champion. Within a year, I became a world champion for my age group.  Alongside my parents, Ian was one of the most important people in my life and influenced its course more than anyone else.”

Referring to the experiences he and other top players of his generation and those that came before and those that followed, Bloom says, “The confidence of Israel tennis players to compete at the highest level, would never have been possible without Ian Froman.” Rattling off the names of Israel’s tennis greats like Amos Mansdorf “the best player of my era,” Shahar Pe’er and Dudi Sela who all literally “grew up in the tennis centers Ian established,” he took a sport “that didn’t exist in Israel and brought it to the point where we had top-20 players and reached the Davis Cup semifinals.”

Fun under the Sun. Rival reactions on the faces of Ian Froman (left) and the British Ambassador to Israel Simon McDonald (right) already on the phone following the winning point for the UK against Israel in the Davis Cup at Ramat HaSharon. (Photo: D.E. Kaplan)

And it was at the Davis Cup tournaments hosted in Israel that brought Israelis in their multitudes to the stadium in Ramat Hasharon. There was always a festive atmosphere with that head of white hair bobbing up all over the place as Ian was at home holding “court”.

Tennis Frenzy.  Ian would gaze up with pride during a Davis Cup match at the packed Canada Stadium in Ramat HaSharon. It was testament of how far the sport had developed during the “Froman revolution”.(Photo: D.E. Kaplan)

CUP RUNNETH OVER  

Covering the Davis Cup tournaments  as a reporter, I recall, when Israel was up against countries like the UK, Chili, Austria or South Africa, one could be excused for thinking it was more like war than tennis – a far cry from the sedate ambience of a Wimbledon or Roland Garos. With drums beating and blearing horns, the crowd traditionally erupted with every point won and then descending into the depths of despair with every point lost. Usually there were selected tunes for either – “David Melech Yisrael” for points won, with the player’s name substituted for “David” and the Funeral March” for points lost. Always placing the weight of the nation on the shoulders of their Israeli competitors, the spectators forgot they were spectators and close calls were far too important a matter to be left to the likes of umpires, who battled to maintain decorum – generally an unknown phenomenon in Israel.

Such was the vibrant atmosphere at  Ian’s creation.

On their Feet. Lively Israeli spectators at a Davis Cup match between Israel and Chili at the Israel Tennis Center Canada Stadium, Ramat HaSharon. (Photo: D.E. Kaplan).

TIME FOR TENNIS

“In life, everything is timing,” said Ian at an event honouring him in 2022.  “When hitting the ball in tennis, you need to time it correctly. If you get married or go into business, timing is essential. For me, the timing was just right. It started just after the Yom Kippur War. Israel was pretty depressed. With the Russians and Ethiopians who came in afterwards, how would we help them integrate? ” These words resonated with this writer as I recall following the mass Russian immigration to Israel in the 1990s,  the Tennis Centre in Ramat Hasharon together with the South African immigrant organization, TELFED, sponsored a project organising tennis lessons for Russian adults that were bussed to the Centre and received tennis instruction in Hebrew as well as Israeli folk dancing on an adjacent court.  It was a project that gelled exactly with Ian’s philosophy of using the ITC as an instrument of integration into Israeli society. As he said, “The centres have been a way of bringing children together in Israel, which is a melting pot of people from all over the world, from different societies, different religions, different backgrounds and different finances.”

How right he was.

Community Participation. His presence unmistakable even though face partially obscured, Ian Froman (3rd from the left back row) with an inspired team of South African TELFED volunteers (including TELFED director, Sidney Shapiro Top left) at the Ramat HaSharon tennis stadium at the Davis Cup tournament between SA and Israel in 2001.  Also present were   ITC Tournament Director at the time, Danny Gelley (3rd left in thefront) and ITC Director, Janine Strauss (top row far right). (Photo: D.E. Kaplan)

FINAL SET

Listening to the fine tributes at Ian’s funeral at Kfar Vitkin from members of the family, friends and people from the world of Israeli tennis, I thought back to that event honouring Ian in 2015 when he said what I thought captured his journey best of all:

“I do not have to think back on life as a cup half empty or half full, for mine runneth over.”


Condolences to wife Ruth, children Yarona, Amira, Philip and their families.



*Feature picture:
Love, Set and…Oh, what a Match. Lovebirds, Ruth and Ian Froman at a 2015 event honouring Ian’s contribution to Israeli society and tennis in Israel. (Photo: D. E. Kaplan)





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).

FAREWELL TO HENRY SHAKENOVSKY

Tribute to a man of law, of reason and of community

By David E. Kaplan

(Courtesy to the Jerusalem Report where a shorter version of the tribute was first published)

“Dialogue,” is the word that I closely associate with the late ‘Judge’ Henry Shakenovsky of Ramat HaSharon, Israel who on the 8 August at the age of 95, left this troubled world a poorer place devoid of his off-the-cuff humour and wise ‘counsel’. “Resolution is best achieved by listening and understanding the other side,” he publicly expressed at a meeting well over two decades ago when I first got to know him. It’s a credence that Henry always adhered to both in public and private discourse and followed through by example. He impacted many to follow this path, myself included.

Apexed with a wad of white hair, he would like a lighthouse, illuminate any place by his presence but it was much more his personality and erudition than his appearance that would hold the floor. Armed with a vocabulary that he masterly marshaled to be so poignantly persuasive, it was little wonder that he excelled as a barrister/ advocate at the South African Bar and in later years, even following his aliyah to Israel, remaining as an Acting Judge on the Supreme Court of the Witwatersrand Local Division (WLD). How many times I recall him saying, when trying to make arrangements, “Apologies, I will be in South Africa presiding in a case.” I would welcome on his return  listening to him relate cases, usually with bizarre circumstances that would have me in stiches of laughter as he comically embellished in his inimitable way the facts of the case and the issues of law both in English as well as in Afrikaans, particularly as it related to witness testimony. Having grown up in the old Orange Free State province of South Africa, Henry spoke a “suiwer” (pure) Afrikaans and frequently teased me over my “kombuis Kaapse taal” (kitchen Cape dialect), with its own nuances and humour. Our love of the law and language was our bridge but there was so much more.

Out in the Open. Understanding the topography and turbulence, Unity in Diversity delegation meeting outside in the hills of Judea/ “West Bank” with Henry Shakenovsky (center).

Henry’s later retirement from the Bench in South Africa never impeded him from giving ‘opinions’ or ‘judgments’ on issues in Israel. I think back to 2005, when Israel was a society divided as it agonized over the issue of separating from the Palestinians in Gaza. There was a “them” and “us” self-imposed schism in the country and a prevailing mood of “What’s the point in talking to them? They don’t understand and never will.” This did not cut with Judge Shakenovsky who some six months preceding Israel’s evacuation of Gaza, formed a group with his wife Ruth and close friend Maurice Ostroff of English speakers from opposite sides of the political spectrum to thrash out the most divisive issue on Israel’s national agenda. Appropriately named Unity in Diversity (UID) – I believe coined by Ruth – I participated at these vibrant, at times volatile gatherings where Henry acted as the moderator and I reported on it for The Jerusalem Post.

Determined to Dialogue. Outreaching to understanding, the cofounders of Unity and Diversity (UiD) Maurice Ostroff (left), Henry Shakenovsky (right) with Rabbi Bernard Paz from Mitzpe Yericho (center).

It was always as if a court was in session with Henry presiding.  In the absence of a gavel, ‘Judge Shakenovsky’ nevertheless maintained order and vociferous debate ensued.

Comprised of mainly former immigrants from South Africa, North America and the UK and from both sides of the “Green Line”, we exchanged views on issues that were dividing the nation. At the very first meeting, Henry introduced his vision with the following:

 “We aim to explore whether there are shared values which, despite our differences, could unite us.”

What followed were tough meetings held alternately in ‘safe’ zones in central Israel followed by visits in armored busses to communities in Judea and Samaria or the “West Bank” as some participants insisted or demanded on calling. Some who came to that first meeting said, “That’s enough. I’m not wasting my time again.” Participants were at loggerheads over fundamental issues. Even the choice of words by a participant could cause a furor. Was the disengagement from Gush Katif in Gaza an ‘evacuation’ or an ‘expulsion’? Although at times feeling trapped in a verbal minefield, Henry was masterful at handling the situation.

As is today in 2024, Members of the Knesset  back then were little better at setting an example of decorum and so Unity in Diversity under Shakenovsky’s co-leadership, felt it was up to them to create a fresh dynamic of intellectual discourse. “Our aim,” asserted Henry, “was never to try to change the views of the other side but to establish a forum for dialogue where people would be free to express their views to an audience that would listen.”

Meeting of Minds. In an office adorned with books of law, Henry (left) meeting with former President of the Supreme Court of Israel, Aharon Barak, at Reichman University.

How frequently Henry would quote – sometimes bellow – in Latin:

“Audi alteram partem”

A fundamental legal principle of “Let the other side be heard as well” in which each party is entitled to a fair hearing and given the opportunity to respond, Henry hammered this home when rowdy participants got out of hand.

There was something poetically poignant here because Henry’s birthplace in South Africa was a small dorp named “Vrede”, which in Afrikaans means “Peace”. This name arose following a bitter feud between the early Afrikaner settlers of the area as to where the town should be located. A compromise was finally reached and peace among those early citizens was achieved, hence the name, “Vrede”.

It is that dialogue and compromise that drove Henry to constantly seek the ultimate prize of “vrede” or “peace” on a new but biblical landscape and to shift away from the paradigm of “them” and “us”.

What was most disquieting to Henry was what he so eloquently termed “the dislike of the unlike.” 

However, it was his legal insights and understanding of the “dislike” from OUTSIDE Israel who were abusing the law to legally assault the Jewish state under what became known as “Lawfare” that Henry’s contribution to our Truth be Told (TbT) committee proved so invaluable. Established in the wake of the notorious 2001 UN Conference Against Racism or “Durban Hatefest”, TbT, a grassroots organization committed to proactively articulating Israel’s narrative to the outside world, depended on erudite lawyers of Henry’s standing . He contributed immeasurably during the period of the Goldstone Report and the years following, when TbT members were responding to the lies and distortions appearing daily in the international media.

Memorable Meeting. A few members of the Truth be Told committee with Henry Shakenovsky (front left) meeting in Tel- Aviv with visiting from South Africa, Rev. Kenneth Meshoe, founder of the African Christian Democratic Party (center) and his wife Lydia (front). Also present are Barry Shaw, Harris Green, Annette Milliner, Rolene Marks and the writer (top left).

While Henry has sadly left the world stage, that stage since the October 7 massacre in southern Israel has only worsened as it pertains to the Jewish state and Jews across the world.

The global assault to undermine Israel  by the abuse of law has only but intensified and a new generation of like-minded Henrys are needed today more than ever.

May Judge Shakenovsky’s legacy endure through the lives of others he so influenced.

A “mensch” and a community man (Henry served on the executive of Beth Protea, the retirement home for Southern Africans in Israel), he will be sadly missed by friends, family and colleagues.

Condolences to wife Ruth, daughter Jill Cohen in Israel, sons Brian and Richard in Australia and their families.



*Feature Picture: Acting Judge Henry Shakenovsky on the Supreme Court of the Witwatersrand Local Division (WLD).

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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).

BARTALI RAISED THE BAR

In a post October 7 world when Jews again are tagged and targeted, the name of cycling legend Bartali personifies  true heroism– reflections and recollections during the 2024 Tour de France.

By David E. Kaplan

This year’s 2024 Tour de France  – won in spectacular fashion by Slovenian Tadej Pogačar – had plenty of high moments and the breaking of long-held records. For the most part, I watched on TV all 21 stages. What particularly caught my attention was on the Saturday and penultimate stage of the grueling 21-stage race that ended the next day in Nice in a nail-biting ‘time trial’, was the commentator’s line which he repeated again and again:

 “If Pogačar wins today’s mountain stage, he will equal the record of 5 mountain stage wins in a Tour with Gino Bartali.”

Bartali? Where had I heard that name before?

Records and Revelations. Tour de France 2024 race leader Tadej Pogačar climbs to victory on penultimate stage 20 atop Col de la Couillole, equaling the record of the great Gino Bartali who saved Jews during WWII in Italy. (Photo: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
 

It rang a clangor and for more than only cycling. I let the thought linger until the end of the stage when Pogačar won in spectacular fashion and the animated commentator was battling to catch his breath as if he had himself just raced the132.8 km and said:

 “The only other man to have won five mountain stages in one Tour was Gino Bartali in 1948.”

Again, the name Bartali and coupled with a “76-year-old record had been equaled.”

76 years…Bartali……!

And then I remembered.

Pogačar had equaled a record of not only the leading cyclist of his era, a three-time winner of the Giro d’Italia (1936,1937 and 1946), who won the Tour de France in 1938 and again after the war, a decade later in 1948  but  had, in the intervening years, saved the lives of Jews in wartime Italy.

It all came back to me when I recalled back to a Yom HaShoah ceremony many years earlier in my hometown of Kfar Saba in central Israel. That year, the annual memorial ceremony for the six million victims of the Holocaust focused on the connection between sport and the Holocaust and related the story of an Italian, not Jewish and a great cyclist named Gino Bartali, who at great risk to himself and his family, had saved Jews from certain death at the hands of the Nazis. There was good reason why on July 7, 2013, Yad Vashem recognized Gino Bartali as Righteous Among the Nations.


Writing on the Wall. Years later, Gino Bartali sticks his head out his car window to view graffiti honouring him and other Tour de France winners –  Ottavio Bottecchia (1924), himself (1938), Fausto Coppi (1949) and  Gastone Nencini (1960).

During his lifetime, Bartali didn’t talk about his wartime activities and was only after his death in 2000 that details began to emerge.

A villager from a poor Tuscan family, Bartali in the second half of the 1930s was reaching the peak of his career having won his first Giro d’Italia in 1936 and then retaining the title in 1937 when war clouds began to ominously loom over Europe. When he then in 1938, won his first Tour de France, it was in the aftermath of this triumph  that revealed as much about Bartali’s moral character as his cycling prowess.

Cycling Courier. Gino Bartali and his bicycle that helped saved the lives of Jews.

As related by Bartali’s son Andrea, there was one particular fan of his father who was following the cyclist’s progress with more Machiavellian than sporting interest – Benito Mussolini, the country’s fascist leader.  Under the evil spell of Hitler, “He believed,” said Andrea, “that if an Italian rider triumphed in the Tour de France it would show that Italians too belonged to the master race.”

Man of Modesty. Bartali wanted to be remembered for his sporting career on his bike and when asked about his wartime excursions, used to say: “I did the only thing I was good at, I cycled.” In truth, he did so much more risking his life to save Jews from the clutches of the Nazis in wartime Italy.
 

Bartali would go on to win won the 1938 Tour de France but for him, unlike for Mussolini it was a ‘race’ only in a cycling not in an ethnicity sense. While the Italian leader felt Bartali had contributed to fascist prestige and wanted to exploit the cyclist’s win, Bartali would have none of that.

“When my father was invited to dedicate his win to Mussolini and the fascist cause, he refused,”revealed Andrea.  A risk-taker on the saddle, he was even more so when off.  By refusing to dedicate his win to the fascist cause “my dad was insulting il Duce. He was taking a great personal risk.”

However, he would take far more serious risks in the near future.

Streets of Salvation. Bartali’s bike on display in the cycling museum in Madonna del Ghisallo Church, Lombardy. Withing the frame and handlebars, were hidden the photographs and counterfeit ID documents for Jews fleeing for their lives from the Nazis.

In the middle of that year’s 1938 Tour de France, on the 14 July, Mussolini published the Manifesto della razza (Manifesto on Race), which led to Italian Jews being stripped of their Italian citizenship and any position in government or the professions. These antisemitic laws demonstrated the increasing influence of Adolf Hitler over Mussolini. Nevertheless, Italy still managed to remain a country in which Jews could at least take refuge, but that all terrifyingly transitioned when Italy surrendered to the allies in 1943 and the German army responded by occupying northern and central parts of the country. They immediately started rounding up Jews and sending them to concentration camps.

Smiling Monsters. Bartali defied them both – Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler riding in an open car, circa 1940s.(Fotosearch/Getty Images)

It was at this point that Bartali, a devout Catholic, was asked by the Cardinal of Florence, Archbishop Elia Dalla Costa, to join a secret network offering protection and safe passage to Jews.

His role in the network spearheaded by the Cardinal together with Rabbi Nathan Cassuto (later arrested by the Nazis, deported and sent to his death) was uniquely suited to his temperament and  talents. As an internationally renowned cyclist; a national hero  with a face recognised by all, he became an unsuspecting courier – on two wheels – relaying forged documents, most of it relating to Jews trying to escape.

ON THE ROAD

So, on the ‘surface’ (literally as well as figuratively),  Bartali was undertaking long training rides for which he was renowned, but in reality, he was carrying photographs and counterfeit identity documents to and from a secret printing press produced by the Assisi network, another rescue operation initiated by Church people in that town. All these secret documents were hidden in the frame and handlebars of his bicycle.

Riding through many roadblocks manned by Italian fascists as well as Nazis,  when Bartali was stopped and searched, he specifically asked that his bicycle not be touched “since the different parts were very carefully calibrated to achieve maximum speed.”

A perfectly credible explanation.

At remarkable risk, Bartali cycled thousands of kilometres across Italy, peddling between cities as far apart as Florence, Lucca, Genoa, Assisi and the Vatican in Rome.

At one point he was arrested and questioned by the head of the Fascist secret police in Florence where he lived and for a period, went into hiding, living incognito in the town of Citta Di Castello in Umbria.

In addition to these defiant exploits, Bartali hid his Jewish friend Giacomo Goldenberg and his family.

“He hid us in spite of knowing that the Germans were killing everybody who was hiding Jews,” Goldenberg’s son, Giorgio would later reveal.

“He was risking not only his life but also his family. Gino Bartali saved my life and the life of my family. That’s clear because if he hadn’t hidden us, we had nowhere to go.”

The Goldenberg family would emigrate to the emerging Jewish state after the war. Young Giorgio Goldenberg, son of Bartali’s friend, would take with him a signed 1940 photo Bartali had given him of his cycling victories. Giorgio now goes by the name of Shlomo Paz and has three children and five grandchildren and lives outside of Tel Aviv.

BRAVE BARTALI

Portrait of a Cyclist. The 1941 photo Gino Bartali gave to young Giorgio Goldenberg who would change his name to Shlomo Paz and live outside Tel Aviv.

Andrea Bartali says that eventually “little by little my father told me about his actions during the war.” However, “he made me promise at that time not to tell anyone.”

An unusual type of hero was Bartali.

When asked why he could not speak about his father’s heroic wartime exploits, he replied that his father had said:

“You must do good, but you must not talk about it. If you talk about it, you’re taking advantage of others misfortunes for your own gain.”

Father and son. Gino Bartali with his son Andrea who would years later be in Jerusalem to see his late father honoured at Yad Vashem.

Because Bartali didn’t want to be acknowledged for what he had done, very few of those he helped ever knew his name or what role he had played in their rescue.

Andrea Bartali says his father refused to view his actions as heroic.

“When people were telling him, ‘Gino, you’re a hero’, he would reply: ‘No, no – I want to be remembered for my sporting achievements. Real heroes are others….”

Really? If Bartali been caught by the Nazis – despite being a sporting hero –  he most likely would have been shot.

Living Legacy. Bartali’s son Andrea Bartali visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem in 2013, where his father was recognised as Righteous Among the Nations for risking his life to save Jews during WWII.

None of this was related by the sports commentator at this year’s  2024 Tour de France while he constantly made the comparisons between Pogačar and Bartali.  Probably, like the Jews Bartali saved, the commentator did not even know the story.

However, for those who do know and remember, in a post October 7 world when Jews again are tagged and targeted, the name Bartali personifies  true heroism – others before self.



The Road Ahead. Members of the ISRAEL-PREMIER-TECH team at the 2024 Tour de France emblazoning to a global audience on their cycling attire the name ISRAEL and the Star of David.



*Feature picture:
Hero on and off the bike. Gino Bartali rides uphill in the 1938 Tour de France.(Photo STF/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)





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).