Grapevine, June 5, 2026: Another good deal

The most recent is the formation of a Rami Levy Customers’ Club, whose members will receive pleasant perks from his supermarket and travel enterprises, as well as from Isracard.

Senior officials of the organizations of the signatories were also present.

As far as is known, Israir will be the first Israeli airline to allow its customers to pay in dollars for all flight-related purchases, a feature that aligns with Rami Levy’s longstanding discount policy. Members of Israir’s Superfly Club will also be able to benefit from the Rami Levy Club.

Some arrived in the country long before the state's establishment. This came to mind at the beginning of this week, as Iraqi-born Israelis and their descendants came together in droves at the President’s Residence to commemorate the Farhud, the vicious pogrom that prompted Operation Ezra and Nehemiah, named for the leaders of the ancient Judeans who took them out of Babylonian exile. The operation brought the bulk of the Iraqi Jewish community to Israel.

The leaders of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah were Iraqi-born Israelis, Mordechai Ben-Porat and Shlomo Hillel, who at the time were working for Mossad. Ben-Porat was a survivor of the Farhud and, in 1945, came to British Mandate Palestine.

Approximately a decade earlier, Hillel, still a child, was brought to the country by his parents. Both men later became politicians, members of Knesset, and ministers, with Hillel also serving as speaker of the Knesset. Both men lived into their late nineties and had many other achievements to their credit.

Ben-Porat lived in Or Yehuda, where he was responsible for creating the Babylonian Heritage Center. A street in the city was named in his memory.

Hillel was also a diplomat, author, and world chairman of the United Israel Appeal.

Other distinguished Israelis who were born in Iraq include former Sephardi chief rabbis Yitzhak Nissim and Ovadia Yosef; renowned kabbalist Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri; mayor of Beersheba, judge, high-ranking army intelligence officer and popular storyteller Eliahu Nawi; IDF officers and politicians Ra’anan Cohen, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Ran Cohen, Yitzhak Mordechai; Moshe Shahal, a longtime cabinet minister who held several portfolios and was also active in academic circles; Shoshana Arbeli-Almozlino, who served as health minister; authors Sami Michael and Eli Amir; storyteller, actor and author Yossi Alfi; poet Ronny Someck; prominent businessman and property developer Alfred Akirov; former military attaché, spy, and international businessman Yaakov Nimrodi; and celebrated actor Sasson Gabay.

Realizing that 2027 will be a milestone year in celebrating the 60th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, the powers that be at the Tower of David Museum have already begun preparing, and even on Sunday of next week, will pause to remember that this will be the 59th Gregorian calendar anniversary of the historic declaration by 55th Paratroopers Brigade commander Mordechai Gur: “The Temple Mount is in our hands!”

In celebration of the 60th anniversary, a landmark exhibition, “Eyes on the Wall,” will open next year at the Tower of David.

In addition to official photographs in state and Zionist archives, there are many more in family albums, private collections, drawers, attics, and forgotten storage boxes.

Members of the public who have such photographs are invited to make copies and submit them to this exhibition, where history and nostalgia will be intertwined.

The iconic photograph of three awed soldiers staring at the Western Wall, taken by the late David Rubinger, is firmly etched in Jewish minds. But there were thousands of others that deserve to be seen. Some of the photos did not remain in Jerusalem or even in Israel.

Filmed by foreign students, volunteers, tourists, and expats, the photographs were taken in numerous countries around the world and stored in an attic, a basement, a garage, or a seldom-opened drawer.

One such example is the legacy photo album found in Montreal by Prof. David O. Freedman. The photographs in the album were taken by his grandfather, Dr. Abraham O. Freedman, a Canadian physician who spent part of the 1920s in Jerusalem, where he photographed daily life and every nook and cranny, not to mention the vistas.

The grandson found the album when rummaging through his parents’ home. As he perused the pages, he realized that he had come across something extraordinary – a historical treasure that should rightfully be in Jerusalem. So he donated the album to the Tower of David Museum.

Exhibition curator Dr. Shimon Lev and associate curator Yael Brandt anticipate that many such treasures will come into Zion rather than go forth from Zion. But they are primarily interested in the Western Wall and its history, as depicted in postcards, photographs, and other memorabilia.

For submissions and further information: contact exhibitions@tod.org.il

Coming up on June 12 at the Hadar Institute, 25 Hovevei Zion Street in Jerusalem’s Talbiyeh neighborhood, is a joint concert of the Zimrat Ha’aretz egalitarian hazanut (cantorial music) choir and the Kol Rina liturgical choir. Zimrat Ha’aretz is conducted by Hadas Levmore.

The concert is free of charge and begins at 1 p.m. to ensure that out-of-town audience members can get home well before candlelighting time.

Two distinguished Technion-Israel Institute of Technology alumni, Boaz Levy, the chairman of Israel Aerospace Industries, and Michael Kagan, CTO at Nvidia, will, this coming Monday, June 8, receive the prestigious Technion Alumni Medal.

The medal is awarded to Technion alumni in recognition of outstanding contributions to Israel’s economy, industry, and education through exceptional achievements in science, medicine, engineering, technology, and architecture.

Both Levy and Kagan have received numerous awards, but the one from their alma mater is the icing on the cake.

“Boaz Levy and Michael Kagan fully embody the Technion’s values – innovation, commitment to the State of Israel, and profound impact on the economy, industry, and global technology. Their remarkable achievements and enduring connection to the Technion inspire future generations and strengthen the Technion’s contribution to society in Israel and around the world,” said Technion President Uri Sivan.

Free tests aimed at early detection of cancer will be conducted at health and hospital clinics throughout the country during National Cancer Awareness week from June 8 to 14.

At the behest of the Israel Cancer Association, special attention will be paid to any changes in freckles, birthmarks, or beauty spots. Various skin cancers tend to come to light during the summer months, when skin is often exposed to the sun.

Based on previous statistics and population growth, the ICA estimates that by the end of 2026, approximately 2,130 males and females will have been diagnosed with melanoma.

Of these, according to ICA spokeswoman Nava Inbar, 92% will be detected in the early stages and, in most cases, will be curable. Men are apparently more susceptible than women, and represent 60% of those who have been diagnosed.

Moshe Bar-Haim, the CEO of ICA, is particularly worried about young people who spend a lot of time sunbathing.