There was no music emanating from the President’s Residence on Tuesday, the day before Simchat Torah.
There were no long lines of parents carrying toddlers and wheeling baby carriages. There were no senior citizens leaning on canes or walkers, willing to sacrifice comfort in order to get close to the President of Israel and possibly shake his hand. There were no police on the street, and the security guards at the entrance to the residence were members of the president’s regular detail.
In other words, there was no traditional open house this year.
However, scores of youth congregated in clusters within the grounds. Nearly all had been displaced from their homes in the North and South. Some were living in places not too far away from home, and others were a considerable distance from all that had been familiar.
They came from as far apart as Eilat in the South and Kiryat Shmona in the North.
Some were already performing National Service; others belonged to Zionist youth groups. There were a few Scouts in uniform, along with some new immigrants.
In past years, visitors strolled through the giant sukkah, which the Ministry of Agriculture had helped decorate with the best of Israel’s horticultural and agricultural products, especially new strains of fruits and vegetables developed by Israeli researchers and farmers.
There was none of that this year. Instead, there was a small, sparse sukkah on the lawn decorated with fake fruit and vegetables. Presidential staff ushered out some religious youth who wanted to eat inside the sukkah, preventing them from fulfilling one of the most basic commandments of Sukkot.
The purpose of the event was twofold. One was for the young people to be motivated by influencers, and the other was for them to share their experiences and feelings.
In the latter case, they gathered on the grounds, arranging chairs in a circular formation to ensure everyone could see each other. There were approximately a dozen such circles. A few of the groups successfully discussed the concept of building the Israel of tomorrow, but in most cases, the youngsters looked bored and were not really listening to the group leaders.
On the other hand, when sitting inside the building, first with influencers or motivators such as Olympic Judo champion Peter Paltchik and sports mental health counselor Avishai Regev, who finished second in the Race for a Million, each of whom presented condensed versions of their life stories, the youngsters displayed great interest.
After lunch, they met with their hosts, President Isaac Herzog and first lady Michal Herzog, for an incredibly informal Q&A session during which the Herzogs responded to the queries not on the stage but on the floor, moving from one side to the other to make eye contact with whoever asked a question.
The youngsters were not the least bit shy, and hands kept popping up throughout the main hall of the building.
Part of that enthusiasm could be due to Herzog’s youthful appearance. Not an imposing figure, the president retains his boyish look, even though he’s already 64. The rapport was almost tangible.
The topics discussed ranged from judicial reform to the Herzogs’ taste in music. They were also asked about whether the Herzogs lived in the President’s Residence or returned to their private home in Tel Aviv every night. There were also questions about the length of presidential tenure and how the Herzogs felt when they first moved into the residence.
The most important questions, however, related to education. Most of the youngsters had their education disrupted when evacuated from their homes. Some complained that the local authorities in the locations to which they had been assigned were unhelpful regarding matters related to the education of youth uprooted from their homes and communities. The president was asked what he could do about that. Herzog explained that there was nothing he could do personally, although he had plenty of good connections with people who promised to make them aware of the problem. Michal Herzog acknowledged that there are flaws in the education system.
For the record, the Herzogs enjoy all musical genres; they live at the residence, and their living quarters are upstairs. Herzog said that the President’s Residence did not belong to him but was the home of all Israelis. This half-truth has been repeated over and over again by every Israeli president. Apart from the fact that the presidential budget comes from taxes paid by the population, no one other than employees or security personnel can just walk in off the street. Invitations must be issued or appointments made. There’s a regular weekday prayer quorum whose identities are known to security, but they are the exceptions to the rule.
Herzog pointed out that the President’s Residence also serves as a mini-art museum, showcasing a variety of unique and diverse works. Of particular note is the ceiling, crafted by Holocaust survivor Naftali Bezem, who was born in Germany 100 years ago. There are 63 painted squares that tell the story of Jewish survival in the face of oppression, beginning with Jacob’s ladder and continuing to Bezem’s own illegal immigration by ship to the Holy Land during the period of the British Mandate. The squares include Jewish symbolism. Herzog also sees the ceiling as reflective of the current situation.
Regarding his tenure, Herzog said he was almost halfway through his seven-year period but still had much to do. Well aware of the trauma that has stricken the nation and will continue for some time, the Herzogs have met and visited with bereaved families who lost loved ones to terrorism or whose loved ones have fallen in battle. “We know of the pain, bereavement, and fear that all of Israel has experienced,” said Herzog. “Many people were unaware of their own capabilities before October 7,” he added, alluding to the numerous initiatives taken to help evacuees, soldiers, hostage families, and those suffering from the traumatic effects of Hamas terrorism.
Looking out across the hall, he told the youngsters, “Some of you may one day be in positions of leadership, and one of you may be here as president.
HERZOG, WHO has taken a particular interest in the hostages, mentions them at every opportunity, and he did so when concluding his session with the youngsters and again later in the evening, when he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
As for the influencers, who in the morning had aroused the teenagers’ interest, Paltchik spoke of how he, as an infant, had arrived with his 23-year-old mother from the Soviet Union, who came without language, family, or friends. They were joined sometime later by his grandparents. His mother then moved to the US, but he remained with his grandparents, who raised him. He was an underweight child who did not adjust easily but decided early on that he would be a fighter.
His grandfather enrolled him in a judo club and came with him to every training session and contest. Since then, he has telephoned his grandfather from wherever he participates in competitions around the world.
When Paltchik went to the Tokyo Olympics, he was sure he would return with a gold medal but failed. It was a severe blow to his ego. He had not only disappointed himself but also his family, fans, friends, and sponsors.
Recognizing the need to change his attitude, he focused his attention on his responsibilities to the six-member judo team, consisting of three men and three women, during the Paris Olympics. “Nothing is more Israeli than being responsible for each other,” he said.
“I came to Tokyo like a horse with blinkers and failed,” he continued, explaining that in Paris, everything was different. The team had arrived in the midst of Israel’s worst crisis, and Paltchik was determined to tell Israel’s story wherever and whenever he could. Numerous threats on social media also targeted him, preventing him from going anywhere without the presence of numerous security guards. Every morning, he and a security guard would go through the latest batch of threats. His wife had told him not to be a hero if anyone shot at him.
Finally, he won his gold medal, and he produced it at the President’s Residence to an ear-splitting cheer reverberating in the hall.
“This is the best answer to those who want to humiliate you because it enables you to demonstrate what you can do, and to walk proudly with the Israeli flag held high,” he said.
REGEV SPOKE of the many hardships he encountered in “Race for a Million,” which outside of the country is known as “The Amazing Race.” According to him, this shows the Israeli mentality versus the rest of the world. In Israel, he said, the first consideration was money, not overcoming a fear of heights or extreme sports. “How many of you would risk bungee jumping?” he asked. “What are you prepared to do for money? What are your limits?”
Referring to his fellow contestants, he said that most come for the experience rather than the money. “Those who come only for the money miss out on a lot, and in the end, most don’t win,” he said. Though initially attracted by the money, he was able to prove to himself that he could withstand below-zero temperatures, rope climbing in the air, and other challenges. “If it was only the money, I would have dropped out midway,” he said. “The story is never to give up. Victory is to overcome your own difficulties and to enjoy what you’re doing.”