Grapevine, May 26, 2026: Crossing redlines

It was bad enough when Ben-Gvir tacitly supported violent attacks against Palestinians by Israeli ultra-nationalists. Still, his treatment of pro-Palestinian flotilla crews taken prisoner by Israel was so undiplomatic that even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rebuked him. The governments of several countries published condemnations.

It certainly did no good for Israel’s already deteriorating PR image. Golan’s caustic remarks directed at MK Gilad Kariv, a Reform rabbi and a member of the Democrats Party, did not provoke Netanyahu’s ire even though the prime minister’s second wife, Fleur Cates, was converted to Judaism by a Reform rabbi.

Still, it did provoke sharp criticism from Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s American-born ambassador to the US. Even though he is Orthodox and very much to the Right politically, as someone raised in America, he understands what it means to insult the entire Reform movement, and he was quick to castigate Golan and apologize to Reform leaders.

The late Rabbi Herman Sanger, an eighth generation German-born rabbi, who arrived in Melbourne, Australia, 90 years ago to head Temple Beth Israel, at that time the city’s only Reform congregation, which had been founded six years earlier, used to tell his Orthodox critics: “The problem with you people is that you always see us as the last door on the way out instead of the first door on the way back.”

But getting back to breaking the rules of democracy. Some legislation should be introduced that requires the reputations of potential Knesset members to be evaluated by a panel of former MKs noted for their integrity to determine whether they are fit to represent the nation.

It’s not exactly contempt of court, but it is most definitely contempt on Levin’s part. Many believe that this is an abuse of office and an insult to the Supreme Court and the person who heads it.

As things stand, Amit has another three years in the role before he retires. If the Likud fails to get a majority in the upcoming Knesset elections, Levin will be out of office within the next few months. The overlong delay in making appointments may mean waiting until after the elections. Even if the Likud again heads the government administration, it’s not certain that Levin will be reappointed.

ON SUNDAY of this week, President Isaac Herzog also weighed in against Ben-Gvir. While refraining from mentioning names, he spoke out against the vicious attacks against Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.

On the following day, Herzog was in Bnei Brak to visit the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva in Kiryat Herzog. Here again, he took up the matter of treating people respectfully and of acceptance of the other. In a conversation with 300 students, Herzog emphasized the dangers posed to national security and social cohesion through ever-widening social rifts.

LEGENDARY COMPOSER, singer, and musician Shlomo Bar is returning to the stage after being out of commission for nearly a year due to injuries he suffered in a traffic accident. Known for his haunting musical style, Bar will be appearing at Confederation House, Jerusalem, on Thursday, May 28, where he will perform some of his all-time favorites from a career spanning more than half a century.

He will be accompanied by electric guitarist and saz player Eliyahu Dagmi and violinist Nir Sarussi, both of whom were members of Bar’s legendary band Habrera Hativeet (The Natural Choice). Bar, who was born in Morocco but has lived in Israel for most of his life, will celebrate his 83rd birthday on June 25.

ALSO ON May 28 are the closing events of the International Writers’ Festival at Mishkenot Sha’ananim in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Foundation supports the festival. A conversation between former hostage Eli Sharabi and TV host Roni Kuban is set to take place in one of the final events. Sharabi was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, and spent 481 days in Hamas captivity prior to his release in February, 2025.

Hamas massacred his wife Lianne and their daughters Noya and Yahel on the day of the terror organization’s invasion. His brother Yossi, who, like Eli, was kidnapped, was murdered after 100 days in captivity. Sharabi’s book, Hostage, has been widely reviewed, and Time magazine listed it as one of the 100 “must-read” books of 2025. Kuban appears everywhere these days – television, radio, the stage, and now, the writers’ festival.

Under the heading of “From Pioneers to the AI Revolution,” speakers will discuss the achievements of the past and the limitless possibilities of the future. In the latter category, Mobileye founder Prof. Amnon Shashua will speak about the significance of AI on security and the economy. The event will be a summit meeting between leading figures in Israel’s hi-tech orbit.

Hopefully, there will also be discussions on the dangers of AI. There are warnings on computer screens that AI is not always accurate. In addition, AI can be used in many areas, including identity theft.

A scary example was featured on KAN 11 by the channel’s police reporter, Roi Yanovsky, who was shown proof by the person he interviewed. That individual, who had had his own identity stolen, showed Yanovsky how easy it was to steal an identity replete with numerous personal details by flashing what was purported to be Yanovsky’s ID card on screen. Whoever stole the man’s identity has racked up a fortune in debts, and the victim, who debt collectors are chasing, has great difficulty trying to prove that these are not his debts.

VISITORS TO the Shuni Amphitheater complex cannot help but notice the upgraded entrance junction, which took the best part of a year to complete and which was launched last week.

The project was initiated and led by Netivei Israel – National Transport Infrastructure Company Ltd., in cooperation with Geocom and Drive Group. Attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Gil Hanania, the head of the Binyamina Local Council; Omri Honig, a project manager at Geocom; Yoav Riesel, the CEO of Drive Group; Alon Peleg, the head of the projects division in the maintenance unit at Netivei Israel; and Yael Gaon, the CEO of Safe Way on the Roads Ltd, which is part of the Drive Group.

The road to Shuni Amphitheater is now vastly improved and safer than before. In addition, new electric light poles have been installed, and a better drainage system has been installed for the Taninim Stream, which flows beneath the road.

All the companies involved in the project worked in close cooperation with the Binyamina-Giv’at Ada Local Council, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the Israel Antiquities Authority, and the Carmel Drainage and Streams Authority.

LIKE OTHER academic institutions of higher learning, thttps://www.jpost.com/tags/technionhe Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa has many students who were called to military service over the past two-and-a-half years. As a gesture of appreciation, the Technion held a festive appreciation evening for students in the IDF reserves, those on duty, but on leave, wounded students, and disabled IDF veterans.

“We are proud of you and owe you a tremendous debt,” Sivan told the students. “Since its founding, the Technion has operated from a sense of national mission and historical responsibility to Israeli society, its security, and its economy.”

“You – the students who bear the burden of service – are the living embodiment of this mission. Thousands of students and members of the academic and administrative staff answered the call on October 7, and many have since completed hundreds of days of reserve duty,” he continued. “We are committed to you and will do everything in our power to ensure your success, ease your work and study routine, and support you and your families. It is a great privilege.”

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, thousands of Technion students were called up for reserve duty under emergency orders, along with many members of the academic and administrative staff and teaching personnel.

From the beginning of the war, the Technion has provided extensive support to reservists, including academic accommodations, tutoring and personal mentoring, emotional support, and financial assistance, made possible with the help of Technion friends, alumni, and supporters in Israel and around the world.

Last year, the Technion was awarded the Defense Minister’s Shield.

THE SEVERITY of injuries sustained by soldiers wounded in combat has prompted scientific and medical research teams in all of Israel’s universities to look for new, more efficient, and faster-working means of healing such patients, or at the very least, improving their conditions.

ALTHOUGH MANY women in top-ranking positions in banking, insurance, and other finance-related professions may still not be earning as much as their male counterparts, the number of women who have broken through the glass ceiling continues to increase as evidenced last week at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Hundreds of women, including CEOs, senior capital market executives, and others from the world of high finance, came to participate in a conference titled “When Female Leadership Meets Money and Defense.”

The “chic” in this case stands for sophistication, and is not a derogatory term for a female.

The spelling tells the tale. The purpose of such gatherings is to make financial knowledge accessible and to encourage female leadership in the economic sphere. Attendees listened to a series of one-on-one conversations in which discussions centered on navigating investments, financial resilience, and decision-making in a changing world.

Eti Elishkov, the CEO of Libra, spoke about the brave step she took at the beginning of her professional career, Michal Mor, the CEO of Smart Shooter, shared her experience managing a defense company during a period of war, and Yafit Levy Attias, the CEO of Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing, described the transition from a family business to a leading public chain.

Further, Elah Alkalay, the chairperson of IBI Mutual Funds, discussed the importance of diversifying an investment portfolio, and Orly Grinfeld, the senior VP and head of the Clearing Department at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, reported on the resilience of the local market and the impact of the historical shift of TASE trading days to Monday-Friday.

The date is Wednesday, June 17. The vhttps://www.jpost.com/consumerism/article-895071enue is the Smolarz Auditorium l on the Tel Aviv University campus. In addition to the singers, the event will be hosted by television and stage personality Zvika Hadar. Also present will be Itai Hermann, the quiz genius who regularly appears as “the Chaser” in The Chase.

Many children with cancer are incredibly brave and stoically accept their conditions and the sometimes painful therapies designed to put them back on the path to health. Many parents cannot afford the expensive treatments their children undergo and are financially assisted by organizations such as Larger than Life, which maintains a health fund to offer hope to parents who do not have the means to pay for medications and treatments.

Among those attending the gala are children who have recovered from cancer and those still undergoing treatment. To see who they have helped to live a normal life, and those who still need help, puts donors in a more generous frame of mind. The foundation, which has been active for a quarter of a century, supports families of children with cancer through every stage of the treatment process.

“The annual gala evening of Larger Than Life is a peak moment of pride and hope for thousands of families,” the organization’s CEO, Efrat Lichtman, said. “In a complex reality, choosing to take part in such a meaningful event is a choice to be part of something greater, to save lives, and to ensure that children with cancer are not left alone.

Others show no consideration for anyone else on the road – especially pedestrians. They weave in and out of traffic, often ride on sidewalks, wait in the middle of a crosswalk for traffic lights to change, do U-turns in places where they are not permitted, park their motorbikes in the entrance way to supermarkets, making it difficult for customers to enter, particularly those confined to wheelchairs.

Their customers love them because delivery is fast and time-saving, although the cost of purchases is generally more than they would pay if they shopped in person. But most regard it as worthwhile when weighed against the time wasted waiting for public transport or coping with traffic congestion.

EVEN BEFORE the Knesset elections and the numerous post-election discussions about the state budget, people in the tourism and hospitality industry are looking forward to summer and the resumption of international flights.

Not everyone realizes that there is more to tourism than being a tour guide. Considerable knowledge of history, geography, geology, religion, cuisine, hotel management, and more is required. This has prompted several academic institutions, including Kinneret Academic College (KAC), to offer tourism courses, with their faculty participating in the annual Kinneret Tourism Conference.

This year’s conference, held at the Hilton Tel Aviv Hotel, attracted some 100 participants from the tourism, hospitality, and aviation industries. Ronnie Fortis, the CEO of Hilton Israel, was present in a dual capacity: both to meet and greet and to participate in the discussions.

Also present were KAC president, Prof. David Mendelowitz, Prof. Alon Gelbman, head of KAC’s MA Program in Tourism and Hotel Management, and Shmuel Zakay, the director of the Civil Aviation Authority.

Titled “A New Road Map for Tourism,” the conference focused on the trends now shaping the industry, current challenges, bringing back foreign tourists, changes in Israeli travel habits, and winging it or not as foreign airlines announce their return, then retract, then decide yet again to renew their routes to include Israel.

Following an influx of domestic tourism during Shavuot, hotel managers were optimistic that this summer would be much brighter than last year’s.

WHAT HAS become a summer tradition in Israel is the concert tour by American hassidic pop singer, songwriter, and musician Avraham Fried. Even though his beard has grown white over the years, the ever-energetic Fried, at age 67, retains his appeal and will once again fill the Sultan’s Pool on June 30.

Fried always makes a point of having an Israeli guest artist at his performances in Israel, and on this occasion, will follow the trend of helping former hostages who are singers and/or musicians to rehabilitate themselves through their respective talents. Fried’s guest in Jerusalem will be pianist Alon Ohel, who plays both classical music and jazz.

Hamas captured him at the Nova music festival on October 7. He was released on October 13, 2025, after spending 738 days in captivity. During that time, he was subjected to threats, sexual harassment, and surgery without an anesthetic. He suffered a serious eye injury when hit by shrapnel. Since his return home, Ohel has made a number of concert appearances and seems headed for a long musical career.

AMONG VETERAN performers in Israel’s pantheon of singers and musicians is Hanan Yovel, 79, a singer, songwriter, composer, and guitarist who made headlines in 2023 when he refused to sing at the Knesset during a memorial day ceremony. Outraged by racist remarks emanating from the Knesset plenum, Yovel said that he would not sing in front of such uncouth people.

But he continues to perform for his many fans. On June 18, Yovel will be honored with a special citation by the B’nai B’rith World Center in recognition of his fostering and strengthening the bonds between Diaspora Jewry and Israel during much of his long career. The citation will be presented to him at B’nai B’rith World Center’s annual journalism awards ceremony at the Konrad Adenauer Conference Center in Jerusalem’s Mishkenot Sha’ananim.

Some years ago, the organization decided to expand its recognition of journalists who report on Diaspora Jewry, thereby strengthening links and interests, to include members of the entertainment industry who, by performing for Jewish audiences abroad, deserve recognition.

Among the journalists who will be recognized at the upcoming ceremony will be Oren Nahari, who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. Nahari, one of the great intellectuals among broadcasters, revealed more than a year ago that he suffers from ALS.

He continues to work for as long as he is able, and has stoically accepted the fact that his condition is fatal and that his muscle control will continue to deteriorate until he dies. He talks candidly about his condition, and conducts his weekly radio program on KAN Reshet Bet as if nothing was amiss.

Print media winner this year is Zev Stub, Diaspora correspondent for The Times of Israel; and Tamar Ish-Shalom is the winner in the broadcast category for her JPPI-sponsored Jewish Crossroads podcast.