When reading the biographies of famous people, we often discover that national and international heroes have feet of clay. Character flaws long hidden from the public are revealed by historians or investigative biographers who are not on the payroll of the subject of the biography. Sometimes we don’t have to wait that long.
In an article published in the paper’s weekend supplement last Friday, Gontarz writes of conversations that he had with two of Peretz’s staff members, Efraim Moreno, a volunteer, who could arguably be credited with setting her on the path to the presidency, and Peretz’s spokeswoman and media consultant, Maya Sapir, who is the only member of her team on salary.
Moreno, who is responsible for the care of the burial site of the Prophet Samuel, met Peretz four-and-a-half years ago when she came to visit the site. He was so impressed by her that he told her that he wanted to tag her. She didn’t understand what he was talking about, and he explained what tagging means on social media. Since then, he’s been working to promote her, and in recent weeks took a leave of absence from his job in order to devote his full energies to her campaign. He suggested that Gontarz speak to Sapir and politely but abruptly ended the conversation.
On the following morning Gontarz called Sapir, who was listening to a broadcast of an interview, though the article does not specify the subject of the interview – neither the person nor the topic. Sapir asked him to send her his phone number and she would be in touch. He told her that he had a feeling that she wouldn’t call. When she asked why, he told her that he had been speaking to Moreno the previous day, and she had been in the immediate vicinity. Moreno had asked her to speak to Gontarz but... Sapir cut him off, repeating the request that he send his phone number, promising that she would get back to him.
He sent the message. She replied that she’d get back to him. There was a spate of back-and-forth on WhatsApp in which, at one point, Gontarz asked to speak with Peretz, only to be told that she is currently not giving interviews.
“What does that mean?” he asked. “She just gave an interview.”
Sapir asked where.
“Yediot Aharonot” was the reply.
That was a deal that was closed a long time ago, said Sapir. Since then, Peretz has not given any interviews, despite many requests. Gontarz was flabbergasted that a candidate for the presidency, who for four-and-a-half years has had someone deal with her social platforms and her telephone calls without pay, and employs a salaried spokeswoman, was not interested in speaking to a journalist.
Sapir repeated that Peretz was not giving interviews, but presumed that the situation would change this week. Gontarz laughed out loud, pointing out that Peretz’s image was based on her close contacts with the public, which he characterized as “just a spin.” He thought it incredible that it was impossible to contact her, because this inability was in total contradiction to the image of Peretz that is generally conveyed.
He should not have been surprised. It has happened many times when someone, not necessarily someone running for office, but someone seeking glory, has given an exclusive interview to Yediot. That’s the deal – broad, favorable coverage in the weekend supplement, providing that for a certain period of time, that person speaks to no one from another publication.
Persisting in his quest, Gontarz said that he wants to ask Peretz questions and to receive answers directly from Peretz herself. She is, after all, a candidate for the presidency of the State of Israel.
These are the questions that he wanted to ask, but to which he received no replies at the time of going to press.
He has heard of different kinds of volunteerism, but not of someone volunteering (for an extended period of time) to a private individual who was not disabled, or someone with special needs. Why does Peretz not pay this man for his services?
Is there a chance that she would pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before he is convicted?
Peretz gives lectures. In the past, she stated that she does this in a voluntary capacity. Are all lectures given without remuneration?
If Peretz thought that she could contribute to the public, why didn’t she run for election for public office in which she could do something really meaningful, but instead chose to bypass this phase and to be elected to a ceremonial position which has no real content?
The role of the president is largely in connection with the public, which is achieved to some degree with the help of the media. In that case, why did Peretz decide at this time not to answer the questions of journalists?
Why is Sapir the only salaried employee on the Peretz team?
Why does Peretz see herself as being worthy of the presidency? What has she done till now for the general public?
How many people work for her without salary?
What Gontarz neglected to ask was whether the fact that the president earns a monthly salary well in excess of NIS 50,000 and receives a handsome pension afterward had anything to do with Peretz’s decision to run for president. After all, for someone who in her lectures frequently refers to the fact that she is the daughter of illiterate parents and grew up in a transit camp, it’s certainly a very forward leap, in terms of not only status but affluence.
Herzog has not entirely devoted his time to campaigning. Over the past week and a half he has also been to at least one wedding and a significant birthday party.
■ HERZOG HAD the opportunity last week to do some campaigning beyond the corridors of the Knesset, when he attended the wedding – at the Avenue in Airport City – of Hodaya Deri to yeshiva student Yonatan Ben Gigi.
In addition to the families and friends of the bride and groom, and a large representation of Shas personalities and voters, as well as numerous ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazim, there was also a fair sprinkling of members of Knesset invited by Interior Minister Arye Deri and his wife, Yaffa, who married off the youngest of their daughters.
The bride wore a classic, elegant lace gown handmade by bridal gown specialist Amalia Cohen.
Among the guests, in addition to the many MKs and Shas loyalists, were several past and present chief rabbis, including present incumbents Yitzhak Yosef and David Lau and some of their predecessors – Yona Metzger, Yisrael Meir Lau and Rabbi Shlomo Amar, who is currently Sephardi chief rabbi of Jerusalem. Also among the rabbis present were Shalom Cohen, the president of the Council of Torah Sages, the Baba Baruch, and the bride’s uncle Yehuda Deri, who is the chief rabbi of Beersheba. Standing out in the crowd was former entertainment personality Uri Zohar, who many years ago became religiously observant
■ HERZOG ALSO journeyed to Kibbutz Hatzerim, near Beersheba in the Negev, to join in the 95th birthday celebrations of former education minister Aharon Yadlin, who even at his advanced age remains active, uses public transport and is head of the Bialik Institute.
The event was top-heavy with past and present members of the Labor Party plus former Likud MK Yossi Ahimeir, who delivered greetings after Herzog, Labor leader Merav Michaeli, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Alon Schuster and several others. “I’m not here to create a political balance,” said Ahimeir, who happens to be a member of the board of directors of the Bialik Institute.
Ahimeir, who is also director of the Jabotinsky Institute, holds Yadlin in such high esteem that he gave the birthday party priority over a memorial event for the Altalena that was simultaneously being held at Tel Yitzhak. Up till now, Ahimeir has made a point of attending the annual memorial ceremony and laying a wreath, but he holds Yadlin in such high esteem that he felt the need to attend his birthday party.
He described Yadlin as the eternally young last of the Mohicans from the founding generation of the state, noting that he had been part of the Mapai leadership and had remained an idealist who does not rest on his laurels but remains an active volunteer in his kibbutz and refuses to allow his age to get in the way of his community work.
“Even though I don’t belong to his political camp, I identify with his love for culture and literature,” said Ahimeir, who during the current period of political strife did not forget to mention one of his own political leaders, Menachem Begin, who in the context of the Altalena had forbidden any action that might lead to civil war.
■ THE DERI wedding was not the only one last week in which there was a great mix of Orthodox and secular. When Rabbi Yaakov Ifergan of Netivot, otherwise known as the Rentgen (X-Ray), married off his daughter Hannah to Yishai Laks, there were a lot of businesspeople and lawyers among the guests, because Ifergan is well known for his uncanny ability to read people’s characters, on the basis of which he gives them usually sound business advice.
Foremost among the businesspeople was Argentinian tycoon Eduardo Elstein, who is a Chabadnik. Celebrity lawyer Zion Amir was also there, as were patent expert Dr. Esther Luzzatto and communications consultant and former IDF spokesman Avi Benayahu.
Psychic abilities seem to run in the Ifergan family. Ifergan’s Jerusalem-based sister Rabbanit Bruria Zvuluni is a well-known arbiter and consultant on many issues, and people also come to her for a blessing.
■ IN ADDITION to receiving the credentials of foreign ambassadors and meeting them at events that he hosts during the year, or at their national day receptions or when they accompany visiting dignitaries from their respective countries, Rivlin also meets Israeli ambassadors before they leave to take up new postings abroad, when they accompany him during state visits abroad and at the beginning of each year, when they all come home for a conference, part of which is held at the President’s Residence.
Last week Rivlin was given a heartwarming farewell by the Foreign Ministry, where ambassadors past and present paid tribute to him as the “president-diplomat” in recognition of his international role as 10th president of the State of Israel.
Rivlin was thrilled by the large-scale photo exhibition, depicting some of the highlights of his international activities, and was deeply moved when Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi showed him a plaque on the wall of the ministry’s Jerusalem Hall dedicated to Rivlin and his late wife, Nechama.
Rivlin has had so many farewells in recent weeks that it’s been a grueling emotional experience. This week, at a farewell during the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Manufacturers Association, former MAI president Shraga Brosh, who traveled many times with Rivlin as the head of a business delegation accompanying the president on state visits, told Rivlin: “It’s not such a bad thing to be a former president.”
■ AFTER RADIO stations last week honored Bob Dylan on his 80th birthday by playing many of his best-known songs day after day, on Friday it was the turn of local singer Boaz Sharabi, who celebrated his 74th birthday. One of 10 siblings born to a Yemenite family in Tel Aviv, Sharabi is not the only talented member of the clan. Some of his brothers have also distinguished themselves in the performing arts.
■ LAST WEEK, the Friends’ Circle of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Peres Center and the return to normal life. The festivities were held at the residence of Norwegian Ambassador Kare R. Aas, which is hardly surprising, given that what came to be known as the Oslo Accords were hatched in Norway, and even though they fell asunder, Shimon Peres never gave up his dream of peace with the Palestinians.
Yona Bartal, founder and executive director of the Peres Circle, was naturally in attendance together with Peres Center CEO Efrat Duvdevani and Peres Center chairman Chemi Peres. Among those who came to pay tribute to the vision of Shimon Peres were Moti and Rinat Kozhinoff, Lital Kiperman Vaknin, Miriam Zoglowek, Shalom Zeidler, Tzipi Livni, Gideon Mulayov and Inbal Arieli.
Aas proudly pointed out that the barman was his son, who likes to do that kind of thing in his spare time. Aas also disclosed that he’s having a hard time in trying to learn Hebrew. Chemi Peres offered him an instant solution to his problem. He told Aas that if the latter was willing, Hebrew lessons could be arranged with noted language-learning expert Tsvia Walden, who happens to be his sister.
■ WHILE TENSIONS between different sectors of society have abated somewhat in recent days, there is still far too much hatred, incitement and violence – but not everywhere.
In Jaffa last Friday, Jews and Arabs, including haredim and Bedouin adults and mostly youngsters from Bnei Brak, Abu Queidar, Ra’anana, Tamra, east Jerusalem and Tel Aviv-Jaffa came together on the beachfront in the mixed city in a show of unity and friendship.
Despite the fact that some of the youngsters could be defined as at-risk youth, all the participants reaffirmed the transformative power of sport to build trust and camaraderie between diverse communities. Organizers of the event, One Team – Sports for Social Change, Budo for Peace, HaGal Sheli and Haredim La’Ketzev, have for many years been using sports as a platform to educate and to promote a shared society among youth from varied backgrounds.
At the heart of the enterprise is martial arts champion Danny Hakim, the founder of Budo for Peace and chairman of One Team – Sports for Social Change.
Japanese Ambassador Koichi Mizushima was in attendance, not only because Japan will be hosting the upcoming Olympic Games, but because he firmly believes in sport as a catalyst for peace and friendship. Hakim, originally from Australia, trained for several years in Japan; has represented Australia, Japan and Israel in the Shotokan Karate World and European Championships; and has served as the chief instructor of the Shotokan Karate-Do International Federation in Israel.
Mizushima sees the core values of budo (the martial way) as contributing factors to morality, respect for others, and sensitivity to decorum, which in turn lead to mutual understanding, respect and trust among the people of the world.
Australian Ambassador Paul Griffiths, who was unable to attend, sent a message in which he wrote: “I commend this wonderful initiative in Jaffa. In Australia, we know well the power of sport in uniting people from diverse backgrounds and communities. It is inspiring to see Arab and Jewish youth coming together to build trust, respect and friendship.”
Noting that sport is a proven platform for a healthy shared society, Hakim said that there are more than 30 sports for peace organizations in Israel, with more than 100,000 youth involved in these activities. “The transformative power of sport has the potential to empower the next generation of doers, thinkers and builders of a more harmonious society.” he declared.
One Team – Sports for Social Change is an educational NGO using sports to promote personal growth, mental and physical health, social change, tolerance and peace in all sectors of society.
Hazem Abu Queidar, a veteran Budo for Peace instructor from the Bedouin village of Abu Queidar, said that he and colleagues have been promoting tolerance, self-control and respect, an integral part of traditional martial arts (budo), for many years. “Coming together strengthens the values we have. The more our youth are exposed to each other in a safe, friendly and fun environment, the stronger the foundation for a shared society.”
Miki Chayat, founder of Haredim La’Ketzev, emphasized that “the values of darchei noam [pleasant ways] and respect are important in Jewish life. Now is the time to reach out to each other and show respect despite our differences.”
Omer Tulchinsky, founder and pedagogical director, HaGal Sheli, said: “At HaGal Sheli, ‘My Wave’ in Hebrew, we are all equal, surfing the same waves in the same sea community without prejudice.”
■ LAST WEEK gatherings of solidarity with Israel and against antisemitism were held in major cities throughout Australia. At the Sydney gathering, which took place at the Central Synagogue, and was attended by a thousand people, participants included Federal Liberal member of Parliament Dave Sharma, who is a former Australian ambassador to Israel who has maintained his ties with Zionist organizations and with the Jewish community in general.
Sharma pays more than polite lip service to the time he spent in Israel. It may be recalled that he asked for an extension of his tenure and got it.
Another politician who came to demonstrate solidarity was state member for Coogee Margaret O’Neil. Both politicians were among the speakers.
Sharma said: “No country would tolerate rockets; no government would tolerate that. No Australian citizen would tolerate rockets and terrorism being brought into their living rooms night after night and day after day.”
O’Neill reiterated the Australian government’s position that Israel has the right to defend itself against the targeting of its civilian population by Hamas, “unquestionably a terrorist organization.” She underscored that “Israel is the only democracy in the region, and it must be protected.”
■ FORMER US ambassador David Friedman, in an interview with Israel News Syndicate, when asked his opinion about the opening of a US Consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, replied: “Why would there be a new consulate now in Jerusalem when now there is an embassy in Jerusalem? The embassy is providing visas and passports to whoever needs them on a nondiscriminatory basis. The embassy services Palestinians and Israelis, Jews and Arabs, Christians and Muslims. So there no need for a consulate.”
He also pointed out that the opening of a special consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem is tantamount to recognition of a separate Palestinian state and a separate capital to another country. This, he contended, was in violation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which was passed in 1995, and which says explicitly in Section 3, Paragraph A1: “Jerusalem should remain an undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected.” To open a consulate, he said, would be absolutely 180 degrees opposite of the policy of the United States which was passed by an act of Congress.
■ IN ADVANCE of their 36th wedding anniversary, Jerusalem Post Managing Editor David Brinn and his wife, Shelley, decided to hold a musical night in the garden of their charming home in Ma’aleh Adumim. In addition to his journalistic skills, Brinn is a talented musician who plays drums in local band The NightCallers and often haunts venues where good music is heard.
At the Jerusalem Folk Club, Brinn and his wife heard three of the five-member Moonshine Band – Oshri Biton, Coral Oulo and Omer Yihye – and their singing almost blew them away, reminding them of some of the favorite singing groups of their youth, so they invited them to perform at their party.
Many of the people present had not seen each other in more than a year, and were delighted to be able to get together again. Radio personality Arieh O’Sullivan brought a bottle of his own homemade moonshine, which he generously shared with all and sundry.
While both Moonshines proved popular, the real hit of the evening was Yuval, the gorgeous little Brinn granddaughter, who is happiness personified. She kept running in and out of the house, straight into the arms of her doting grandparents.
■ AT THE urging of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), security has been beefed up for Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and his political partner Ayelet Shaked, as demonstrations and incitement against them continue to mount. The security surrounding the trio has been increased to level 5, which is one level below the maximum.
Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich, borrowing from the format of the havdalah prayer at the conclusion of the Sabbath in which the difference between the Sabbath and the regular is noted, tweeted in one of many castigations of Bennett: “between Right and Left, truth and lies, values and politics, a path and opportunism, democracy and extortion, responsibility and license, loyalty and betrayal, the well-being of the state and career.”
■ OF ALL the participants in today’s global investment conference in Dubai cohosted by Khaleej Times and the Post, the participant who can arguably be credited with having the most experience in terms of the various topics is Pavan Kapoor, who is currently the Indian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and previously served as India’s high commissioner to Mozambique and the Kingdom of Swaziland, and from January 2014 to March 2016 was ambassador to Israel.