Although it appears from the volume of publicity that he receives that Mayor Moshe Lion is the most active person in city hall, Deputy Mayor Adir Schwarz has not been exactly idle.
Schwarz, who is also the chairman of Hitorerut, a rival political faction, has been involved in several important issues. He is fighting ongoing increases in the cost of fares on public transportation and is behind an upcoming bill to be proposed in the Knesset, whereby the entire Knesset would vote on fare increases and not the ministers in the government alone.
Another area in which he has been active is in promoting mutual respect for people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds, particularly in the Old City, where Christian clergy are frequently under attack, both verbally and physically.
This is intolerable in a city that prides itself on being the cradle of the three major monotheistic faiths.
More recently, Schwarz, a third-generation Holocaust survivor on both sides of his family, spoke at one of three Zikaron Basalon (Memory in the Living Room) events co-hosted by Hitorerut.
While the other two events were in private homes, Schwarz spoke in the courtyard of Beit Ha’am about how both sets of his grandparents survived, came to Israel, and made their homes in Jerusalem. Coincidentally, the Eichmann trial in 1961 was conducted inside Beit Ha’am.
Schwarz may soon have another battle on his hands. It was announced last week that the light rail will be suspended for three months while work is being carried out on infrastructure for extended light rail services.
At certain times of the day, there is a lot of overcrowding on buses and the light rail. It’s going to get a lot worse during the period in which light rail services will be suspended.
When the announcement was made, neither Transportation Minister Miri Regev nor Lion indicated any flexibility. This may change by the time In Jerusalem goes to press.
Bringing journalists and scholars together
■ MORE THAN any textbook, newspapers tell the story of a community, city, or country. Briefs published in newspapers are often ignored by writers of books, yet these briefs may contain extremely important information.
A conference open to the public, marking 20 years of the Historical Jewish Press project jointly undertaken by Tel Aviv University and the National Library, will be held at the National Library in Jerusalem on May 12-14.
For those who have not yet been there, the National Library is located opposite the Knesset and within easy walking distance of the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University.
The collaboration between TAU and the NLI resulted in the use of digital technology to harness Jewish newspapers from around the world and create the Historical Press Collection (Jpress) – the largest database of information about the modern Jewish era – and make it accessible around the globe.
The conference will bring together scholars, journalists, and educators who will share information and opinions on how Jpress has influenced research and creativity, reflect on its history, discuss its impact, and look toward its future.
Among the roster of speakers is Tali Lipkin Shahak, who made history by becoming Israel’s first female print media military reporter.
Her father, Azaria Rapoport, was the first military reporter of the State of Israel. He was also an actor with a wonderful radiophonic voice and is best known for his role in the1955 film Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer, which was Israel’s first feature film.
Books by rabbis
■ WITH PEOPLE becoming increasingly accustomed to reading short messages on their cellphones, there has been a fear among publishers that the public might stop reading books. But it ain’t necessarily so. Regular travelers on public transportation can vouch that they often see other passengers reading books on Kindle.
This is a more convenient and less cumbersome means for travelers, but many yeshiva students prefer to carry a large volume of Talmud or some other holy book, even though sacred texts have long been part of the digital revolution.
The fact that people are still reading books inspires others to write. For instance, Rabbi Ian Pear, the founder of the Shir Hadash congregation, now known as Or Hadash.
Pear’s new book, The Day the Devil Went on Trial, is filled with strange and often fascinating characters, but then again, so is the environment in which we live. The book, which is both humorous and philosophical, is available on Amazon, and the author would be happy if readers wrote a review.
Another rabbi, Shlomo Riskin, last week launched his latest book, and all present at the launch were informed that he had completed another, which will soon be released.
The Herzog family
■ THE MOST prominent representatives of the four Herzog siblings are President Isaac Herzog and his older brother, Michael, who was most recently Israel’s ambassador to the US. Prior to that role, he was a career army officer for nearly four decades and was affiliated with various think tanks.
The eldest brother, Joel, is an international businessman who lives in Geneva, where he holds senior positions in Jewish community organizations; and Ronit, their younger sister, is a clinical psychologist, lecturer, and teacher. Thus, she was the natural choice to present scholarships in memory of their grandmother Rabbanit Sarah Herzog to seven members of Emunah, the organization of which she was the founding president.
The ceremony was held in Jerusalem in the villa of the Emunah Academic College of Arts and Design. Ronit Herzog is the chair of the scholarship fund.
The seven recipients were chosen in light of their individual contributions to their communities and to society in general during the period in which Israel has been at war.
Among them were a pair of bereaved sisters whose brother fell in the current war. The sisters are engaged in National Service. Another recipient has been on reserve duty as a soldier for 130 days.
