Photography buffs may be aware of the Ukrainian-born French photographer Boris Lipnitzki, who arrived in Paris in the early 1920s after having worked as a photographer in Odesa and Pultusk, but most people have probably not heard of this outstanding Jewish photographer. He quickly established a studio and photographed many of the leading personalities from the creative culture world of the visual and performing arts.
Among the famous figures whom he photographed in both their public and private surroundings were Albert Camus, Jean Cocteau, Coco Chanel, Sophia Loren, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Marc Chagall, Igor Stravinsky, Pablo Picasso, Josephine Baker, and a wide array of other icons from the stage, the screen, the fashion catwalk, and more.
His best work can be seen in photographs from the second half of the 1920s, when, as a young man, he captured the young and gay Paris through the lens of his camera and left it as a legacy for posterity.
Missed treasures
Some of the composers whom he photographed paid him with compositions dedicated to him and presented him with miniature handwritten excerpts, which eventually found their way to the National Library of Israel. The library has so many treasures, which, even though catalogued, do not always come to attention.
Fortunately, some 40 compositions by leading composers were discovered in the Lipnitzki archives at the National Library and were taken up as a project by the Israel Chamber Orchestra, which, this coming Tuesday, December 9, will play from the works of these composers at a concert at the National Library, where items from the Lipnitzki archives will also be on view.
■ The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which has close relationships with several countries through scientific cooperation and research, as well as in projects in other fields, has added another country to its range of academic diplomacy. Last week, the government of Ecuador inaugurated its official Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Israel, at the Hebrew University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, ASPER-HUJI Innovate.
The ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar; Ecuadorian Ambassador María Cristina Cevallos Calero; Hebrew University President Prof. Tamir Sheafer; and Prof. Amnon Dekel, executive director of ASPER-HUJI Innovate.
The new center will spearhead collaborations in entrepreneurship and innovation across government, industry, and academia. Activities will include professional and student training workshops, facilitation of industry partnerships across diverse fields, and additional initiatives designed to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
The agreement to establish the center was signed in May, during a visit to Hebrew University by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who had announced his intention to do so during a meeting with President Isaac Herzog.
“Innovation is a catalyst. It opens doors that did not exist before, transforms challenges into opportunities, and empowers societies to reimagine the boundaries of what is possible,” said Calero. “When supported by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, innovation becomes a powerful engine of economic growth, social development, and long-term resilience.” She thanked Hebrew University for its enthusiastic partnership and continued support, “which enable us to build meaningful connections with key players in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship.”
Sheafer emphasized that the “establishment of the Ecuadorian Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Hebrew University sends a clear message: innovation is a shared language between our societies. By bringing together Israeli researchers and students with Ecuadorian entrepreneurs, businesses, and universities, we are building a shared space where ideas are developed jointly and move between campus and industry in both countries. This center strengthens our role as a global university and demonstrates how close cooperation between academia, industry, and government in Ecuador and Israel can translate into real impact on the ground.”
■ Although more than 80 years have passed since the end of the Second World War, the owners and heirs of property confiscated by the Nazis or the Soviets or seized by neighbors of deported or fleeing Jews are still fighting for restitution. Some countries have enacted laws that place a time limit on claims, some have fought claims, and some have honored documented evidence that the property in question was owned by the family of the claimant.
There are no hard and fast rules. Even in Poland, where the time limit placed on claims has expired, restitution is still in practice if the claimants have the proof of ownership and a good enough lawyer to present the case. As for Jewish community property in places where Jewish communities no longer exist – that’s a somewhat tougher battle.
That’s where the World Jewish Restitution Organization comes in. On Sunday, December 14, at 5 p.m., the WJRO will host a conference at the National Library in Jerusalem under the heading of Restitution Remembrance and Justice – 80 years later to tell the story of the widespread theft of Jewish homes, businesses, art, and cultural treasures that were stolen from Jews who were beaten, deported, and murdered. There’s a long list of distinguished speakers who have devoted most of their energies to Holocaust victims and their heirs, to perpetuating the memory of the Holocaust as a warning of what could happen again without proper vigilance, and to prevent Holocaust deniers from evil of erasing the memory of so many millions of deaths including those of non-Jews who did not meet the Nazi criteria of a good Aryan.
It’s a pity that Herzog will open the conference through a pre-recorded video instead of in person. His father, as a British Army officer, helped to liberate Bergen-Belsen; at least one of his relatives was murdered by the Nazis, and immediately after the war, his grandfather and his uncle, Yaakov Herzog, went to Europe to rescue Jewish children who had been hidden and cared for in convents and bring them to Israel.
Among the people who will be making live appearances are WJRO and Claims Conference President Gideon Taylor, Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan, and several other well-known personalities, including child Holocaust survivor Colette Avital, a former ambassador and member of Knesset, and, in recent years, chairperson of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel.
■ Life is like a wheel that keeps turning, where each section is sometimes up and sometimes down. That also applies to the Lewinsky Wingate Academic College, which, within a few days of each other, held upbeat and sad ceremonies. The upbeat ceremony was the conferring of an honorary teacher’s degree on MK and former culture and sport minister Chili Tropper in recognition of his contribution to education, culture, and sport. Last week, there was a commemoration ceremony honoring the memory of Amitzur Shapira, a sprinter and long jumper who was the head coach of the Israeli track and field team that participated in the Munich Olympics in 1972. He was one of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by Black September in what has become known as the Munich Massacre.
Even after 52 years, the memorial ceremony attended by his widow, Shoshana, was an extremely emotional experience, symbolically held just before a race. Among others present were College President Prof. Roni Lidor; Yael Arad, chair of the Israel Olympic Committee; Gili Lustig, outgoing CEO of the Israel Olympic Committee; Vico Hadad, chairman of the Academic Sport Association; and members of the Shapira family.
Lidor noted that sprinters have been running in Shapira’s memory for 52 years. Lustig recalled that he was still a student when his relationship with Shapira began. Shoshana Shapira recalled that her husband firmly believed that sport was a people-to-people bridge.
■ A Tel Aviv University study shows that in the event of the re-establishment of a Joint Arab List for the next Knesset elections, the Arab voter turnout would rise to 61.8% and the Arab population could have 15 or maybe more seats in the Knesset. Even one vote can make a difference, and all Zionist parties, whether Left or Right, should give serious thought to how much of a difference Arab votes can make. The old watchword “If you can’t beat’em, join them” appears to have been adopted by Israel’s Arab community. They’re not going to become Zionists overnight, but Israel is where most of them were born, live, and work, and 75% of them want to be in the next government coalition. Something they have in common with haredim (ultra-Orthodox) is that most don’t go to the army – but that doesn’t mean they can’t be called up to civilian service, where they can do a lot of good – especially as paramedics.
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