MAN ON THE RUN

From running marathons to running a top travel agency, Allan Wolman could also not get faster enough to Israel in 1967 to volunteer during the Six Day War.

A tribute by David E. Kaplan

It was with such surprise and sadness that we, at Lay of the Land heard the sad news that Allan Wolman, a contributor to our media platform over the years, had passed away on January 20, 2026. In our digital age where we engage less in person, we were unaware that he had been so ill in recent months.

My first thoughts that came to mind was how fit Allan had been having run three times in South Africa’s famed “Comrades”, one of the most grueling marathons in the world as well riding in the “Argus” (Cape Town’s equally famed international annual cycling race) an impressive eight times. All this we gleaned from his bio under his numerous articles.

What also came to mind to us at Lay of the Land was his article on his experiences as a volunteer to Israel in 1967, which we published in June 2022 on the 55^th anniversary of the Six Day War. As in October 2023 when Israel was attacked and faced multiple enemies on multiple fronts and its future was uncertain, so too was the situation in June 1967 – uncertain. However, for overseas volunteers like Allan in Johannesburg, there was no “uncertainty” where they needed to be:

“We needed to be in Israel.”

Having signed up as a volunteer at the Zionist Federation in Johannesburg, when war did break out on the 5^thJune, Allan relates he felt a sense of disappointment “as one group had already departed for Israel, and I was not part of it. With ears glued to the radio constantly, as well as almost camping at the Zionist Fed, the days ticked by until I received the call to be ready to leave that evening!

**Connecting at the Knesset**. Only a year after the new Knesset building in Jerusalem was dedicated on August 30, 1966 (background) and only days after Jerusalem was reunited and restored to Jewish sovereignty after 2000 years, volunteer Allan Wolman explores Israel’s reunited capital.

The excitement was overwhelming. I called my parents and next my dad arranged $300 – money that he could ill afford at the time – and rushed around to pack and get ready to leave.

Our SAA plane was a Boeing 707 that took about 250 passengers – all full of volunteers! The excitement at the departure hall was so memorable with proud Dad, tearful Mom and all my ‘envious’ friends who clubbed together and gave me $100 – a fortune in those days!”

For most of the group this was their first trip out of South Africa and it was to a country at war. Most people characteristically flee from wars but not these young Jews, mostly students, who put their lives – and for some their loves – on hold, to support the call of “our Jewish state in need.”

Allan recalls the excitement on the last leg of the flight to Israel from Athens on an El Al flight where on route they were joined by an Israeli fighter jet “to escort us in as the war was not yet over.”

MIDNIGHT AT DIZENGOFF

Allan’s first impression disembarking at then Lod Airport was of “a bunch of bearded rowdy looking soldiers looking fearsome. After the necessary arrival requirements, our group was bussed to a senior citizen’s home in Herzliya – by that time it was already dark, enhanced by the enforced blackout. I remember those first few hours so vividly – the residents of the home were clapping and cheering us. After an almost 24-hour flight and the excitement of landing in Israel, some of our group walked down to experience a swim in the Mediterranean and then – even with the war and the “blackout” – we hitched that evening a ride into Tel Aviv. Sometime before midnight, we arrived at Dizengoff Street –the only place we had heard of – when the cease-fire came into effect and the lights were turned on and the euphoria was simply indescribable. After six days of anxiety, the nation breathed a sigh of relief.”

**Relic of War**. Allan Wolman leaning back on a burnt-out Jordanian Jeep on a tour of the West Bank shortly after fighting ceased

With what Israel has been experiencing over the past two years since October 7 – of its reservists abroad returning home to fight and its civilians volunteering – it was interesting to ‘travel’ back to 1967 and see how the Jewish youth in the Diaspora responded to the unfolding crisis. Allan writes how the morning after their arrival, they were assigned to kibbutzim across the country “to assist with agricultural work as most of the men were still in the army.” Allan was assigned to kibbutz Kvutzat Schiller (Gan Shlomo) near Rehovot in central Israel and it felt “like landing on another planet.” Following orientation, “I was billeted in a room with three other young guys from England, two of which remained lifelong friends.” Of the fellow South Africans in his group, he writes of Raymond (“Rafi”) Lowenberg who remained in Israel, married, but was tragically killed on the first day of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. “I have hardly ever missed a memorial day in honour of Raymond – a brilliant guy; had his matric before he had a driver’s license and a degree at age nineteen.”

**Having a Field Day**. Fellow volunteers of the writer (including Raymond Lowenberg and Peter Edel) join a group of army Nachalniks in June 1967 working on kibbutz Kvutzat Schiller’s cotton plantation.

Allan records touring around Israel with his new friends most notably towards the Suez Canal not too long after the war ended “and witnessed the endless lines of destroyed Egyptian army trucks and tanks. We hiked through Gaza, and Gaza City was a dingy backward town with no building higher than two stories. Also hiked to El Arish, again a pretty backward little town. We never made it to the Canal but pretty close as it was a military security zone. Hiking back to Israel proper, Peter, Raymond, Alan and I were given a ride by an Arab Taxi who on route back, decided to turn off the road into an Arab refugee camp, which was a pretty hostile areas for Jews to venture in. Anxious and afraid of what lay ahead for us, we discussed in broken Afrikaans to knock the driver unconscious and take over his car to avoid the danger we feared lay ahead. Such bravado came to nought as the taxi stopped outside a house where his wife and children came out to collect fruit and vegetables he was delivering to his family. We felt ashamed for suspecting the worst.”

**Dig This**. Sitting on a destroyed Jordanian military earth-mover, are (left-right) volunteers Allan Wolman, Peter Edel and Raymond Lowenberg.

Again, what is reminiscent of the current war in so far as Israelis uniting for the return of all the hostages held in Gaza, and civilians across the country volunteering in their support for the soldiers, Allan’s recollections capture a similar mood in 1967 of national unity and support:

“What struck me was the coming together of everyone in support of each other. There was such unity. This was so visibly evident when traveling around the country and seeing at every town or settlement, refreshment tables set out by the women of the area preparing sandwiches and refreshments for the soldiers who were either leaving or joining their units as the army remained on full alert.”

Allan’s writing captures the elated atmosphere in Israel in the immediate aftermath of the Six Day War, describing that period:

“…as one of the most profound and memorable experiences of my life. Firstly, this was my very first trip overseas and, in a country, celebrating (with much relief) one of the most astounding military victories in modern warfare, the mood was one of exuberance and happiness after the anxiety leading up to the war. Most of the time was spent working various jobs on the Kibbutz from working in the chicken sheds shoveling chicken ‘shit’ to working in the various orchards and apple packing plant and weeding the cotton fields. You knew you had ‘made it’ – I am talking here serious ‘upward mobility’ – when you were trusted to drive a tractor. This was a status symbol; a far cry from the chicken coup!”

He records the “amazing” evenings as:

“a living metaphor of the sixties. We sat around our rooms drinking coffee and socializing with the girls; Raymond would be playing his guitar and we would listen mesmerised to the music and lyrics of the latest Beetles classic – “Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band”. For sure, we were anything but ‘lonely’; we all felt part of something great happening, so much bigger than ourselves.”

Allan concludes with “all good things must come to an end” and one morning “I came to the realization that if I didn’t get off the Kibbutz, I would remain there for the rest of my life,” so he packed his bags and said his goodbyes and left to spend a few weeks with his cousin Cyril Swiel in Tel Aviv. It proved “a real learning experience seeing the other side of life in Israel. I met up with some friends from South Africa and decided to travel through Europe and see the world.”

**Field of Dreams**. Having “lots of fun, laughter and discussing girls” says Allan Wolman (left) followed by Peter Edel and Raymond Lowenberg while picking apples in the orchids.

That zest to “see the world” would lead Allan towards the tourist industry where following his return to South Africa he would go on to run one of the oldest travel agencies in Johannesburg, Rosebank Travel and co-found the XL Travel Group. However, “seeing the world” could never quite match his “being in Israel” in 1967, an impact that sowed the seed for eventually, decades later in 2019, making Aliyah – settling in the Jewish state.

We will miss Allan’s writing, notably his exposure of hypocrisy. This was evident in his Lay of the Land article WHEN DOES LACK OF FOOD MORPH INTO LACK OF TRUTH, that took to task the global media that was“hellbent on shaming Israel in the midst of an existential war,” while “ignoringthe mega-million starving across the world.” He wrote, “If you didn’t know better, you’d think Gaza was the only place on earth where children go hungry. Just switch on CNN, Sky, or BBC – every night another solemn anchor, another indignant UN official, another weepy “expert” telling us what a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Gaza. And yes, it is tragic. But if starvation is now characterised as the world’s ‘No. 1’ war crime, what about all the other famines the media doesn’t bother to cover?”

Exposing selective news coverage similar with what is happening today in the global media by ignoring the fate of the protestors in Iran, Allan wrote that when it came to Gaza, “suddenly every camera lens, every crocodile tear, and every moral sermon is locked in. The media’s appetite for images of starving children seems oddly selective – especially when it’s Israel in their crosshairs. We hear next to nothing about starvation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia in the Horn of Africa,” or in his native South Africa “a country run by a government that shouts ‘a better life for all!’ while literally letting its children starve to death.”

Lives only matter “when it suits the script” wrote Allan.

Allan pulled no punches in telling it the way it is

We will miss that as we will miss him.

We, at Lay of the Land, extend our deepest condolences to wife Jocelyn, their three sons and their families.

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).

OUT OF THIS WORLD

A tribute to Israeli entrepreneur, innovator, philanthropist and visionary Morris Kahn (1930-2026) who sought frontiers below and beyond.

By David E. Kaplan

I met Morris quite recently, shortly before he passed away on January 1, 2026 but it was as a hologram at the Peres Center for Peace and Technology in Tel Aviv-Yafo. Fascinated, I watched and listened to an animated life-size Morris sharing stories, ideas and how he achieved his goals in various fields of business, technology and science. If less than a month ago was the last time I saw Morris, the first time was in 1994, when I interviewed him in person, at his office in AMDOCS for Telfed Magazine, then a publication for the Southern African community in Israel.

The interview began with Morris saying that he never, on principle and embodied in policy gave interviews nor did he permit members of his vast staff from “talking to the press without permission.” His skepticism and suspicion of the media now with hindsight was quite visionary considering the situation today of ‘fake news’ and its consequences.

He continued with a broad smile that he was happily “making an exception” as he had such respect for Telfed and its publication in the service it provided for his fellow Southern Africans in Israel. Such respect was reciprocated not only by Israel’s Southern African community but all Israelis for a man who came to this country in the mid-1950s with little but gave so much to Israel and beyond.

I use the word “little” only in the material sense as he arrived with abundant talent and unbridled vision. Truly a kindred spirit of Simon Peres and seemed right that my last image of Morris was of him illuminating on ‘his world’ inside the Shimon Peres Center of Peace and Innovation. In the spirit of illumination, it was most fitting that Morris was given the honor in 2019 of lighting a candle at the national ceremony in Jerusalem on Israel’s Independence Day.

Best describing Morris were the words of another esteemed South African Israeli, the late Smoky Simon who as a co-honoree at a joint Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony said of his friend, who at the time was ten years his junior:

“You are a phenomenon. You have succeeded in capturing the mysterious and elusive formulae of how to successfully combine pleasure and relaxation with philanthropy, establishing social projects, promoting medical and scientific projects together with your business activities in one great package. Little wonder you have been honoured by the universities of Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Bar Ilan, Ben Gurion and the Weizmann Institute, and now, just for good measure, you are involved in the international competition to assist Israel in being the first country to get a robot onto the moon.”

**Moonstruck**. Despite the disappointing news that the Israeli moon lander Beresheet crashed into the moon, benefactor Morris Khan (seen here next to Beresheet) stayed positive and was ready to try again. Afterall, it still reached the Moon even if “not the way we wanted,” and made Israel the fourth country to even reach it, following the United States, Soviet Union and China. (Photo: y Getty Images)

Morris, who hailed from Benoni in South Africa where he had been a member of the socialist Zionist youth movement Habonim, first visited Israel in 1955, and related of having discovered “a strange country, a foreign language, different food – but a feeling of being at home with my people.” It was enough for him to return the following year and to stay.

From starting out manufacturing bicycles at a factory in Beit Shemesh in partnership with kibbutz Tzora, Morris’ trajectory soared establishing companies that grew into commercial behemoths such as Golden Pages Israel, Amdocs with 26,000 employees worldwide, the Aurec Group and Coral World International, which established aquariums around the world from his first in 1978 in Israel’s Red Sea resort of Eilat and then in Maui, Hawaii, Perth, Australia; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Coral Island Nassau, The Bahamas; Oceanworld in Manly, Australia, and elsewhere. The shared vision of Morris and world-renowned reef biologist David Fridman was based on the concept of a “revolutionary kind of aquarium,” an underwater observatory where visitors can enjoy close-up encounters with coral reefs and other aquatic forms of life in the Red Sea, “without getting wet.”

**Educating the Youth**. A young enthusiastic child at the Underwater Observatory in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, on July 25, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

The Red Sea Underwater Observatory, also known as Coral World Eilat was the first land-based, undersea tourist attraction and enjoyed immediate success paving the way for its replication elsewhere in the world.

**Sea’ing is Believing**. As Morris Kahn envisioned, Eilat’s underwater observatory where visitors can enjoy unique encounters with the Red Sea’s coral reef and aquatic forms of life, “*without getting wet*.”

Morris’ underwater venture began with a family adventure when he began scuba diving with his family in Eilat in the late 1960s and realized “that most people don’t get a chance to see the beautiful underwater world – the coral and the fish – because they don’t dive.” So, in 1972, he began the construction in Eilat of the Underwater Observatory and Marine Park, which since its opening in 1974 welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. In 2014, the underwater observatory expanded by adding the biggest shark pool of its kind in the Middle East, which covers an area of 1000m² offering a rare opportunity for ‘close-encounters’ with the sharks of the Red Sea. When I last visited it, I overheard the stunned remark from a USA tourist next to me “Wow, this beats the shark pool at Las Vegas!” I was uncertain whether he was referring to card sharks or those with fins, but nevertheless the observation was spot-on.

**Morris on a Mission**. South Africa-born Israeli billionaire entrepreneur, Morris Kahn speaks during a press conference at the Israel Aerospace facility in Yehud on July 10, 2018. (Flash90)

Transitioning his GPS, Morris recalibrated his sights from below to above – from the deep depths of the earth’s sea to outer space and became a major sponsor and a public board member of Space IL, Israel’s nonprofit initiative to land an unmanned spacecraft on the Moon as part of the Google Lunar X Prize. “Landing a robot on the Moon is very complex but I enjoy being involved in the challenge,” explained Morris of his motivation. “I am a great believer in education and one of our goals at Space IL is getting the young generation excited and educated about science and space. We are trying to create the effect that Apollo had on the young generation in the U.S. I think it would be important for Israel to succeed in a competition like this. It would put Israel on the map in Space.”

**Aiming High**. Always aiming to entice the youth to take an interest in science, Morris Kahn unveils a lego model of SpaceIL’s Beresheet spacecraft, during the opening of the Lego space park in Tel Aviv on July 25, 2019.

Addressing the local media before the launch, Morris said, “This mission that we were talking about was really a ‘mission impossible’. The only thing is, I didn’t think it was impossible, and the three engineers that started this project didn’t think it was impossible, and the way Israel thinks, nothing is impossible.”

Morris’ words of “nothing is impossible” nailed the Israeli narrative revealing why such a tiny country, one that at it geographical narrowest could be ridden in one of Morris early bicycles in less than a half-hour, could be the ‘Startup-Nation’ it is today. Morris was a major contributor to this status.

**Moon Men.** After the impressive aquarium at his office in Ramat Gan, the next thing to catch a visitors eyes eye is the photo of Morris (right) standing beside his good friend, the astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, immediately after his fellow Apollo 11 crew member, Neil Armstrong.

Making ‘Aliyah’ (immigrating) in 1956, Morris has sure lived up to the direct translation from the Hebrew of “ascending” or “to go up” – both metaphorically and physically. From bicycles in his early years to spacecrafts in his later years, Morris’ journey has been one of outreach from under the sea to outer space and everything in-between.

Morris Kahn leaves a legacy that will endure long into the future that he so embraced and enriched with his exploits and achievements.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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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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 3^rd 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 (3^rd 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 (3^rd 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)

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).

THE SOUL OF SYLVIA

Naming a lane after one of Israel’s finest field agents – Sylvia Raphael– brought back memories about a heroic South African woman that resonates to an Israel today at war

By David E. Kaplan

It was long overdue.

On the 22 January 2024, people from kibbutzim and towns and cities across Israel came together alongside a green picturesque riverbank park in Rosh Ha’Ayin in central Israel to attend a lane-naming ceremony. They did so bound by a past that was in some way connected to the extraordinary life of a South African woman born in Graaf-Reinet to an atheist Jewish father and an Afrikaner Calvinist mother and who for reasons deep within her as well as late awakenings about the horrors of the Holocaust, placed herself in the most life-threatening situations spying for Israel. The sixties and early seventies were a most dangerous period for Israel; it was to be a most dangerous period for Sylvia Raphael.

**In the Right Lane**. Invitation to a ceremony marking the naming of a lane in Rosh Ha’Ayin after Israeli field agent Sylvia Raphael from South Africa.

As a journalist in Israel who has spent nearly 20 years researching and writing about fellow South African Sylvia Raphael, thoughts percolated through my mind as I watched the mayor of Rosh Ha’Ayin pull the cord to reveal the sign that read in English and Hebrew Sylvia Raphael Lane 1935-2005. Only 20 minutes earlier, as I walked from my parked car, I was stopped by a curious local resident, a young father wheeling a baby in a pram, who asked who the lane, across from his home, was being named after. When I told him, he asked:

“מי היא הייתה?” (Who was she?)

**Brave Beaut**. A young Sylvia Raphael from Graaf-Reinet in South Africa’s Eastern Cape.

This is why I began this article with “long overdue”, although, as I watched the cloth give way to the name Sylvia Raphael, I took comfort it was fulfilling the prophetic words of former defense correspondent, and close associate and advisor to Yitzhak Rabin, Eitan Haber. Back in 2005he wrote in Israel’s daily,Yediot Ahronot following Sylvia’s funeral at Kibbutz Ramat HaKovesh that:

“One day when true peace comes, they will write books about her, name streets after her and make movies of her life.”

**Honouring a Hero**. A group gathering beneath the unveiled sign of Sylvia Raphael Lane in Rosh HaAyin with the writer (center), Sylvia’s best friend on kibbutz Ramat Hakovesh Hadas Zamir (third from left) and mayor *Shalom Ben Moshe* (front).

Well, we are far from “true peace”, nevertheless there has since been a book, many articles, an internationally acclaimed documentary “Tracing Blood” directed by Saxon Logan in which I was interviewed, a square named after her at the Moshava (settelment) Migdal in the north of Israel, and on this 22 January 2024, a lane in Rosh Ha’Ayin in central Israel. I looked around at her old friends, representatives from the South African community in Israel and colleagues from the shadowy world of espionage and I was sure that going through everyone’s minds was:

“How we could have done with Sylvia today.”

On everyone mind in Israel is the October 7 massacre, our hostages in Gaza and the daily loss of our precious soldiers. It is like an inescapable daily horror show and we all know it occurred due to a gross failure on intelligence. In these tragic times, we reflected on not only on the fascinating life of Sylvia but her abilities of providing critical intel, a professional attribute that Sylvia was in a class of her own. As Haber so poignantly and poetically put it:

“If Israelis knew what Sylvia actually did for future generations, they would go twice a week to her grave to lay flowers that it would one day reach the heavens.”

**Bald and the Bold**. Posing as a photojournalist, Sylvia Raphael on a movie set on in the South of France with actor Yul Brynner.

Well, the local resident who stopped to question me, need not go to her graveside to lay flowers but could step onto the lane each day, walk along the bank under the shade of trees with his children and appreciate he is doing so in safety because of the service Sylvia once performed.

So, who was Silvia?

In a 2005 interview for The Jerusalem Post following Sylvia’s funeral, her Norwegian husband, Annaeus Scholdt, revealed to me:

“She was a gifted woman; quick witted; and well qualified to do what was required of her. I still do not know – even as her husband and her lawyer – what she had done prior to her business in Norway. She was the consummate professional; she would never speak to me about her Mossad past. All I know it was extremely dangerous.”

It must have been!

Sylvia took over from Israeli spy Eli Cohen following his public hanging in Damascus in May 1965 defying the Syrian assumption that Israel would never replace him with a woman; in 1967 she watched from a hotel balcony in Egypt as Israeli mirages flew over on a bombing mission; and as an intimate friend of the Jordanian Royal family, Sylvia used to babysit the current king of Jordan, King Abdullah!

Only a few years earlier, Sylvia had joined the stream of young ‘sixties’ adventurers volunteering on kibbutzim, attracted by the alluring amalgam of ideology and fun on Israel’s agricultural cooperatives. She found herself on Kibbutz Gan Shmuel near Hadera. If her good looks were attracting attention, there were others too interested. The Mossad spotted and recruited her.

**Shades of Sylvia**. Shaded by trees are Harris Green (left) and Rob Hyde, representing the South African community in Israel at the ceremony honouring Sylvia Raphael.

The late sixties and early seventies were turbulent times. Palestinian terrorism was constantly front-page news, replete with aircraft hijackings, assassinations and attacks on airports and embassies. Rising rapidly to become one of Israel’s top field agents, Raphael posed as a Canadian freelance photojournalist, Patricia Roxburgh joining an agency in Paris, known for its sympathies for the Palestinians. Dropping subtle antisemitic barbs on the European cocktail circuit, she ingratiated herself into anti-Israel circles easing her penetration into the inner sanctums of the Arab world. Her brother David ‘Bunty’ Raphael says in the documentary:

“One day she was in Cairo, the next in Damascus and a week later in Mogadishu. Who had even heard of Mogadishu in those days? We all thought she was covering stories for her publisher; now we know she was leading a complete double life.”

**Hot Shot**. Attractive Israel field agent, Sylvia Raphael, posing as Canadian photojournalist Patricia Roxburgh was able to infiltrate the inner sanctums of enemy Arab countries as well as terrorist camps.

She had been one of the very few agents who penetrated the PLO bases in Jordan and Lebanon when an unattractive little-known terrorist dressed in khaki, a red and white headscarf and a holstered gun on his belt, had set his sights on causing as much mayhem and destruction in pursuit of high-profiling the Palestinian cause. Did the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ ever meet? With both Yasser Arafat and Raphael now gone – Who knows?

Rising in the ranks to become one of the spy agency’s star operatives, most of Raphael’s exploits are still shrouded in mystery, apart from the one assignment that went horribly wrong. In July 1973, Raphael joined a hastily assembled team of Mossad agents to track down Ali Hassan Salameh, Black September’s operation chief in Europe and thought to be the mastermind of the Munich massacre. In the sedate Norwegian village of Lillehammer, the team gunned down a Moroccan waiter called Ahmed Bouchiki instead of Salameh. The documentary shows how Salameh deviously masterminded the Mossad to kill the expendable waiter. Sylvia had expressed constant doubts about the mission but her bosses authorized the mission to proceed.

**Sylvia the Spy**. With Israel today being attacked by the Houthi in Yemen, Mossad agent Sylvia Rafael is seen here on ‘assignment’ as a photojournalist in Yemen in 1967. (Photo Double Exposure exhibition)

No matter how professional, in the furtive world that Sylvia had lived, mistakes with lethal consequences were always a possibility. Hazards of the ‘trade’! The Mossad’s botched assassination would prove a prelude to another mistake, this time from the other side. In September 1985, Force 17, a splinter group of the PLO, murdered three Israelis on a yacht off the coastal resort of Larnaca in Cyprus. They claimed publicly that the victims were Mossad agents, one of whom was the prized Sylvia Raphael. They believed they had their revenge.

Not so! Raphael would live for another twenty years before succumbing to leukemia at the age of 67.

In 2015, I had occasion to interview Eitan Haber on the 20^th anniversary of the assassination of his close friend – Yitzchak Rabin. We sat in the Executive lunge of the Hilton Tel Aviv. At the end of the interview, I asked him:

“You said in 2005 that Sylvia was one of Israel’s best agents; can you tell me why?”

He replied, “She was not one of the best; she was THE best.”

Intrigued, I asked him to elaborate. He simply smiled and said:

“I will say no more.”

DOWN MEMORY LANE

Although not strictly born Jewish, Sylvia felt Jewish. This was evident not only for the risks she took for the Jewish people but before she passed away in 2005 in Pretoria, South Africa, she had arranged to be buried in Israel, on the kibbutz that she was a member, Ramat Ha’Kovesh and for the following words to be inscribed on her stone:

“I am buried in the soil of my soul”

She most certainly is, and as of January 22, 2024, the lush soil along a lane in Rosh Ha’Ayin now too exudes the soul of Sylvia.

FAREWELL “MR. BETH PROTEA”

Walter Robinson was a giant of a man with a giant personality and giant visions who overcame giant challenges

By David E. Kaplan

Each person’s passing is customarily marked by a stone revealing name, dates, a biblical reference and messages from loved ones. For Walter Robinson, who passed away 2 August 2023 aged 99 in Herzliya Israel, there already exists a stone – a mighty one that has windows, doors, balconies and patios for it is a stone not marking of a person’s passing but of a community’s celebration of life. That stone – more like a sparkling gem – is called Beth Protea, a retirement home perched in the city of Herzliya north of Tel Aviv in central Israel and it would not exist were it not for the grit and determination and always inspiring presence of Walter Robinson.

**At Home in Israel**. Named after South Africa’s national flower, the pride of the community in Israel, Beth Protea.

When Beth Protea was just an idea – an abstract conversational point “between men enjoying a scotch” as Beth Protea’s oral folklore records – it was Walter who grabbed that idea like a ‘loose ball’ in rugby and ran with it. There were no shortages of “tackles” along that tumultuous run for touch but nothing was going to stop this Irishman, also South African but most of all, an Israeli and a feisty proud Jew. Armed with a multitude of talents, exuberant personality, a power of persuasion delivered in lyrical Irish, and a team of merry men, all very able and ably plied “by copious amounts of whiskey,” as Walter put it to this writer in an interview many years ago, Beth Protea was transformed from an “good idea” to the pride of the Southern African community in Israel.

I remember as a much younger young man attending Beth Protea meetings where Walter would hold the floor. Waiting for the right moment to enter the verbal fray, with a loud authoritative but so pleasantly lyrical voice, he would present his argument, so well packaged and when the odds were stacked against him – as they frequently were – not hesitate to bring the full weight of G-d behind him as he so adeptly dived into the Torah portion of the week and selected that which served Beth Protea best. I have no doubt, with Walter’s hand, G-d had a hand too in ensuring the success of Beth Protea.

**Walter Holding Forth**. Always a pleasure to listen to, the founder of Beth Protea Walter Robinson addressing a gathering in the Gallery at Beth Protea.

Before getting the Beth Protea project off the ground, finding the funds proved the first of the proverbial ‘tackles’. Walter related to this writer that “We held our first fundraising campaign back in 1985 in Haifa where there was quite a large resident Southern African community and after our presentation, you won’t believe the first question someone asked. “What are you guys planning to serve for lunch?” Can you believe it? That was the first question asked by this crowd of South Africans! We had no land to build on; we hadn’t raised a dime, and people wanted to know what we would be serving for lunch.”

Quick off the mark, Walter replied, “Well, if you don’t start donating, there will be no dining room in which to serve lunch!” and nearly three decades later, it was Walter himself with his beloved Fanny, themselves residents at Beth Protea, who would be sitting in that dining room and be asking:

“What’s for lunch?”

It was only fitting that Walter would spend the final leg of his life’s journey in the ‘The home that Walter built’.

**Inspirational Leader**. Walter on being appointed in 2013, ‘Hon. Life President of Beth Protea’ being flanked by the then Chairman of Keren Beth Protea Colin Schachat (l) and then present Beth Protea chairman, Isaac Lipshitz.

Before Walter and Fanny arrived to settle in Israel, there had been a group who were toying with the idea of a retirement home but mainly to cater for parents who were left behind in South Africa. The concept found little traction until Walter’s arrival from Cape Town in 1981. Well-known and respected for his communal work back in his adopted South Africa, the ad hoc group roped him in and within a few months of his arrival in Israel, he was chairman of a steering committee. “They allowed me to unpack my suitcases first,” he bellowed with his boisterous Dublin guffaw. That Dublin accent was his inimitable trademark and it was only fitting that at his funeral – which in the words of his children was “a celebration of his life” – began with the playing of a joyous Irish song that many, familiar with the lyrics, joined in. Tears gave way to smiles as the song touched on life, lasses, love, green landscapes and whisky. The music and its message resonated and encapsulated the adventurous life of a man’s journey, a journey that spanned five countries ending in Israel but beginning in Dublin, Ireland, where Walter qualified as a civil engineer at Dublin’s prestigious Trinity College.

It was while there during WWII that Walter nearly ended up in jail and was rightly proud of it!

NO ROUTING OF ROBINSON

The year was 1944 and Walter and his student chums – all fervent Zionists – started a newspaper called the Dublin Jewish Youth Magazine(DJYM). One day, Walter opens the evening paper, and “I see this MP, Oliver Flanagan, questioning whether the directors of the DJYM have a license to publish and whether our articles had been submitted for censorship as required by wartime regulations. Both were serious offences, carrying prison sentences. Of course the answer to both was – NO. Bugger it, we just did what felt was right,” says Walter, delighting in his mischievous past. Flanagan was a notorious antisemite who in his maiden speech in the Irish Lower House the previous year, had urged the government “to rout the Jews out of the country.”

Well this antisemite was not about to “rout” Robinson. Once it was brought to fulminating Flanagan’s attention that “The owner of the paper’s printers was a great friend of Prime Minister Eamon de Valera and so if the printer could not go to prison, neither could we,” the harassment halted. Walter’s Zionism continued to soar, culminating nearly fifty years later in his finest communal achievement – the opening of Beth Protea in 1992.

**Walter Honoured**. Seen here on the occasion of Walter being appointed Hon. Life President of Beth Protea are two of his grandchildren and (l-r) Herman Musikanth clutching the whiskey, Fanny (centre) and Walter.

Much would happen in the intervening years. Walter would work all over the world, beginning in Ireland, then the Scottish Highlands for three years and then further afield in Pakistan working in the naval dockyards of Karachi, followed by many years in South Africa where he met and married Fanny. Fanny I too got to know well when she was editor of Telfed magazine, a position that I would later assume. Walter and Fanny married in South Africa in 1956, and after a spell in Ireland and a trip through Europe, they settled in Cape Town where Walter joined the family engineering business. Their three children, Gary, Brendon and Rena, were born there and educated at the Jewish day school, Herzlia School, where Walter was active on the board serving as vice-chairman and subsequently chairman. How poignant, as was pointed out by one of his children in a tribute at the funeral, that from the school he immersed himself in Cape Town ‘Herzlia’ to the retirement home in the city of ‘Herzliya’ he immersed himself in Israel – covering the bookends of life’s journey – were associated with Theodor Hertzl, whose line, “If you will it, it is no dream” pertained to Walter who transcended that other journey throughout his life – from dreamer to doer.

**Living the Dream**. Passionately supportive of Herzlia School in Cape Town, South Africa where he served as vice chair and chairman, Walter Robinson applied the inspirational words of Theodore Herzl at the entrance to the school to his monumental project in Herzliya, Israel – Beth Protea.

One of Walter’s other kids had it right when said in tribute “He made the impossible possible,” and to understand how, the words of one his good friends who worked very closely with Walter to get Beth Protea literally “off the ground” come to mind. At a special ceremony I attended conferring on Walter ‘Honorary Life President of Beth Protea’ in 2013, Beth Protea’s “financial whiz” Herman Musikanth poignantly summed up Walter’s extraordinary leadership skills:

“Walter led out front, completely absorbed and dedicated, causing all those around him to follow. It was the trust, the honesty of purpose and his personal efforts, generated through his leadership that created the support.” Quoting the words of Albert Pike written in the early 1800s that “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and this world is, and remains, immortal,” Herman concluded with – as I do now:

“I believe that Beth Protea is probably as immortal as one can get.”

Category: Obituaries

MAN ON THE RUN

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OUT OF THIS WORLD

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THE ESSENCE OF HER NAME

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OF MARKETS AND MINDSETS

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REMEMBERING OLGA – A WARRIOR FOR ISRAEL

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REMEMBERING A WOMAN OF VALOUR

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GOODBYE TO ISRAEL’S “MR. TENNIS”

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FAREWELL TO HENRY SHAKENOVSKY

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THE SOUL OF SYLVIA

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FAREWELL “MR. BETH PROTEA”

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