Following a briefing and inspection tour, Docter commented that innovative advances in breeding cannabis strains and stable hybrid seeds are impressive, and this did not go unnoticed in the Netherlands, as indicated by the R & D agreement between Eindhoven-based SeedTech with RCK. “This Dutch-Israeli collaboration could further improve the production of medical cannabis and pioneer the development of new medications, for the benefit of patients worldwide,” he said.
■ ON WEDNESDAY evening of last week, newly minted Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman decided to temporarily put the national deficit and other worries on the back burner and to have an enjoyable evening with a few family members – and a bodyguard – in Jerusalem’s First Station where they arrived for an early dinner at Station Nine, an Asian-style restaurant. Fortunately, he had made a reservation. As is often the case, the place was full as were all other nearby eateries, with people waiting patiently in line for their turn to get inside and sit at a table. Hopefully, he won’t take these queues as a sign that the economic situation is sufficiently good to justify raising taxes after all. On taking office earlier in the week, Liberman had announced that he would not raise taxes.
■ NESTLED IN what used to be the Jewish ghetto in Budapest, the long-abandoned and newly restored Rumbach Street Synagogue in Budapest, reopened earlier this month for public education and use. The historic building was largely destroyed by the Nazis during their occupation of Hungary in the 1940s. World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder went to Hungary for the official reopening, joining MAZSIHISZ, the Federation of Hungarian Jewish communities which is affiliated with the WJC, in celebrating the reopening of the historic synagogue which was originally built in 1872.
Prior to attending the festivities, Lauder met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who he thanked for the Hungarian Government’s financial support in the restoration process. The restored building also serves as the new home of the WJC’s office in Hungary.
“Without this synagogue, I would not be here,” said Lauder. “My grandparents moved to Budapest to get married and had their wedding in the very space we are currently celebrating. They eventually moved to Vienna, and then to New York as antisemitism grew throughout Hungary. And if they did not make that move, I wouldn’t be here today, let alone part of this historic celebration commemorating a very positive step forward for Hungary’s Jewish community.”
Lauder displayed a stone that was part of the original Rumbach synagogue, which he has carried throughout his travels as WJC president. It was passed down by his grandparents to his mother, and then to him. He shared how that stone has represented a symbol of good luck as the WJC works to combat the rise in antisemitism around the world.
Even before the fall of the Iron Curtain, there was synagogue restoration in Hungary. The late actor Tony Curtis, born Bernard Schwartz in New York to Hungarian immigrant parents, was heavily involved in raising and contributing funds for the restoration of the famed Dohany Street Synagogue complex, which is the largest in Europe, dating back to the 1850s, It was severely damaged but not destroyed during the Holocaust and post-Holocaust periods. Its surrounding garden includes a cemetery for victims of the Holocaust.
Jamie Lee Curtis – the daughter of the famed actor and a well-known Hollywood actress in her own right – is currently in Budapest to shoot a film. She attended the preopening of a new memorial museum in Masteszalka dedicated to her father and containing diverse Tony Curtis memorabilia.
In an Instagram post, Jamie Lee Curtis wrote that the museum is located down the street from the synagogue in which her grandparents used to worship. She intends to make the restoration of the synagogue a personal project.
Approximately 68 years ago, Tony Curtis starred in the title role of Harry Houdini, a famous Hungarian-born escape artist, who also happened to be Jewish, and whose final resting place is in the Machpelah Cemetery in New York.
In Israel, the Municipality of Ramat Gan in conjunction with the Hungarian Embassy opened a photo exhibition of Hungarian Jewish Life prior to the Second World War at Yad Lebanim in Ramat Gan.
Opening hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The exhibition will remain on view till July 1.
■ ON THE eve of leaving office last week, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and health minister Yuli Edelstein attended their last public event together in their respective former roles at a ceremony recognizing the work of the Health Ministry and various public service and volunteer bodies in combating and overcoming COVID-19 In presenting a certificate of appreciation to ZAKA Tel Aviv in recognition of ZAKA’s manifold activities during the crisis, Netanyahu said: “You stood by our side day and night. You acted with determination and you recruited hundreds of new volunteers. You were angels who helped us make it through these difficult times.” ZAKA Tel Aviv CEO Tzvi Hussid said that Netanyahu’s encouraging words empowered ZAKA to continue its mission of saving lives in Israel.
■ DURING HIS recent visit to Israel, AIPAC President Mort Fridman met with former National Security Council chief Maj.-Gen (Ret.) Uzi Dayan to discuss how to advance research into shell shock and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from which so many IDF veterans are suffering. Fridman said that he had come to Israel to see for himself how Israelis cope with these problems and to work out how Israel and the US could cooperate in this research with a view to helping army veterans in both countries to overcome their fears and nightmares. Dayan welcomed cooperation with the US in finding ways to enable these veterans to lead normal lives.
■ WITH THE exception of the weekend, not a day goes by in which outgoing President Reuven Rivlin is not making his farewells to various organizations and institutions. He has been doing this for some months, both in person and on Zoom. Sometimes, representatives of organizations and institutions come to the President’s Residence, and sometimes Rivlin goes to them – especially in the case of IDF units, but not only the IDF. Last week his various farewells included a Zoom discussion with German Chancellor Angela Merkel who is also bowing out of public life; a visit to the Israel Security Agency known as Shin Bet or Shabak in Hebrew, where he was escorted by outgoing head Nadav Argaman, who has been asked by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to stay a little longer; and to the Supreme Court, where he met with past and present Supreme Court justices, including former presidents, some of whom are his personal friends. One of them, Aharon Barak, was actually his lecturer at university when Rivlin was studying law at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. At his meeting with the senior ISA leadership Rivlin said:
“I am astounded anew each time by your activity, your daring, your courage, your creativity and your sophistication, but no less, by your preparedness, caution and sensitivity.
“We owe you a huge debt. Most Israelis don’t know how big. Over the last seven years, I have been informed about your extraordinary and different activities. The sophistication, the innovation, the unique capabilities. In the last round of fighting, Operation Guardian of the Walls, I learned again about your new abilities. We saw how important your work is. How vital it is. How much the cooperation between you and other civilian security organizations is a significant force multiplier, a decisive factor in preventing and fighting terrorism. You reached new heights with the intelligence you gathered and in your ability to calm tensions inside the country. That is a mission requiring outstanding sensitivity, insight and accuracy and you performed it nobly.”
Rivlin emphasized that the Israeli Security Agency is considered one of the best and most efficient in the world. “Thanks to the means, thanks to the technology – but first and foremost, and always – thanks to the people, men and women,” he said. “Thanks to you. Thanks to the unique set of values that you bring with you to every mission.” Rivlin also took the opportunity to thank the close protection unit of the ISA that has escorted him over the years which, “sensitively and considerately has protected my every move in Israel and overseas,” and added personal and affectionate appreciation to Argaman, praising him for “reaching new heights of achievement.”
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