JERUSALEM POST Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein, who is one of a handful of Israeli journalists who have more than once been among the recipients of B’nai B’rith journalism awards, thought that he was going to interview this year’s winner, Yuna Leibzon, who spent the last six years broadcasting the manifold aspects of Jewish life in New York for Channel 12.
But Leibzon, who knows Klein from the days before he fell in love with journalism, and was the spokesman for World Bnei Akiva, turned the tables on him – and she interviewed him. Journalists themselves are seldom the story. Their role is to report the story, not to be the story.
Klein became the story after accepting a government invitation to visit Qatar in April 2024, after being approached by a series of various influential Israelis whom he considered to be trustworthy and free of ulterior motives. With hindsight, he believes he was naive.
A plethora of media reports about Qatargate, coupled with the fact that he had written about his visit, prompted police to investigate him and then to aggressively interrogate him. The story that he had been detained was leaked to the wider media – initially without his name. His cell phone was confiscated and has not been returned, a factor that several legal experts have stated is illegal.
Following a long and harrowing experience, Klein was eventually let go, and no charges were brought against him. But it was food for thought about the nightmarish misadventures that can be experienced by innocent people. Leibzon wanted to get the story from the horse’s mouth, and Klein, who had nothing to hide, was completely open in response to her questions.
B’nai B’rith Certificates of Merit handed out
For the interviewee turned interviewer, her presence at the awards ceremony was by way of a triple celebration that included the 35th anniversary of her family’s aliyah (immigration) from Lithuania, and her own “second aliyah.” Her parents had chosen not to remain in Israel, and moved to America instead. After October 7, 2023, Leibzon and her husband decided that Israel was the only place where they wanted to live. They have returned permanently for what she called her second aliyah.
B’nai B’rith Certificates of Merit were awarded to Roi Kais of KAN 11, and Avital Indig of Makor Rishon.
Kais has made it his mission in life to focus on the small Jewish communities in Arab countries to ensure that they remain an integral part of the Diaspora mosaic. Because he was raised in a traditional home, he said, it moves him emotionally to witness a circumcision ceremony, a bar mitzvah, or a Jewish funeral in any of these communities and to make Jews in Israel and elsewhere aware that Judaism is still being practiced in places where Jews are an acute minority in surroundings that are often hostile. This is in addition to his general coverage of the Middle East.
It may be DNA inherited from her American-born father, but Avital Indig had a long-time urge to find out what makes American Jews tick given the many denominations within American Judaism, the diverse political affiliations, the differences in affluence and levels of education, and the massive range of organizations and institutions with which they are affiliated. Makor Rishon gave her the opportunity to explore the social and religious fabric of American Jewry.
(Incidentally, Izhak Hildesheimer, a former recipient of a BB journalism award, recently celebrated his 90th birthday. He also writes for the Israeli weekly paper, and is still going strong.)
B’nai B’rith also awards a special citation in memory of Naomi Shemer for members of the entertainment industry who have influenced Diaspora communities to strengthen their ties with Israel.
This year’s recipient was Haifa-born composer, lyricist, and musician Effi Netzer, a pioneer of community singing, who at 91 is still straight-backed, agile, on the ball, and musically active. Unlike the three other award recipients, Netzer delivered his acceptance speech without notes, and said that for him, coming to Jerusalem is always like a pilgrimage.
The most common sentiment at any kind of event in Israel these days is to wish for the speedy return of the hostages from Gaza. Netzer went one better. Sitting down at the piano, he began playing and singing “Re’i Rachel, Re’i” (Look Rachel, Look) based on the biblical passage in which Rachel the Matriarch, who is weeping for her missing children, is assured that they will return to their borders.
No other song could have been more appropriate.
■ THE ANNUAL B’nai B’rith World Center Journalism Awards, recognizing excellence in Diaspora reportage, were the brainchild of the late Wolf Matsdorf, a German-born social worker and journalist, who was an active member of the American nonprofit Jewish and Zionist service organization.
Matsdorf believed that journalism was a vital bridge in illustrating and promoting strong relationships between Israel and Diaspora Jewish communities. Born in Frankfurt – where, he said, he was the first Jew to obtain a driving license – he succeeded in fleeing Germany just before the Second World War, at a time when Nazi aggression was already being felt by Germany’s minorities and its physically and mentally challenged citizens. He reached Australia in 1938 on board the Niagra, which was subsequently destroyed in 1940.
Also in 1940, some 2,500 enemy aliens, most of them German Jews – as well as a few Nazis who had somehow slipped into Britain before they were apprehended and a few Italian fascists – were put on a passenger ship, the Dunera, and sent by the British government to far-off Australia. There were German U-boats along the way, and the Dunera was hit, but managed to stay afloat.
The ship, which was meant to hold a thousand people but had more than double that number aboard, took more than two months to reach Australia. Conditions on board were appalling, and some of the crew were vicious antisemites. Among the Jews were people of every imaginable field.
After the war, some were repatriated or found their way to destinations in Europe, the Land of Israel or the US, but approximately 900 remained in Australia and contributed to the arts, culture, sport, industry, and overall development of the island continent, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney.
Matsdorf was fixated on the “Dunera Boys,” as they were called, and interviewed many of them. After moving to Israel in 1971 and making his home in Jerusalem, he edited the B’nai B’rith journal.
A few years before his death in September 1989, Matsdorf and his wife Hilda were among the pre-war residents of Frankfurt who were invited by the mayor to return as guests of the city. They came from several countries, but as soon as they all sat together on the bus, they were once more Germans, delighting in the recorded songs of the 1930s and 1940s emanating from the vehicle’s loud speaker, and singing along in German to national favorites such as “Lili Marlene.”
Germany had not yet been reunited, and everyone strained at the windows to catch a glimpse of the distant view of the East German border. They also made a point of visiting what had once been the leading hotel in Frankfurt, which had displayed a sign on a wooden board outside stating “Dogs and Jews not allowed.” The word “Jews” had been erased, but man’s best friend was still not permitted to cross the threshold.
■ DESPITE STORIES of inflation, economic hardship, and major financial losses that appear on financial pages of newspapers around the world, it seems that there are people with more than enough money to give to good causes.
Bar-Ilan University has received a $20 million transformative gift from The Haron Dahan Foundation. The donation will significantly expand the university’s pioneering Dahan Youth Program – a flagship STEM initiative designed to inspire, educate, and empower Israel’s next generation of scientists and innovators.
The announcement of the gift was made during the dedication of Bar-Ilan’s new main entrance – the Aharon and Rachel Dahan Gate – a symbolic and physical threshold to the future, named in honor of the foundation’s visionary benefactors. This generous donation underscores the legacy of the late Aharon Dahan, a self-made businessman born in Tiberias who rose from poverty and, after settling in Baltimore, became a passionate advocate for education, unity, and opportunity.
“He came from poverty in Tiberias, but he never forgot where he started,” said Dr. Zipora Schorr, a representative of the foundation, emphasizing Dahan’s lifelong commitment to access and inclusion. “He believed in peace, in unity, and in building a future where all kinds of people can learn and grow together.”
The Dahan Youth Program has already impacted over 8,000 students ages 9–17 and now stands poised to expand even further. The initiative consists of two distinct tracks: one for gifted students with exceptional aptitude in science and technology, and another designed to enrich the education of students from under-resourced schools who lack access to strong STEM programs. Students in both tracks are given opportunities to explore advanced STEM concepts, benefit from university mentorship, and participate in hands-on experiences in Bar-Ilan’s state-of-the-art laboratories.
Over the past three decades, the Dahan family has helped reshape the landscape of Bar-Ilan – physically, intellectually, and culturally. Their philanthropy includes the establishment of the Dahan Center for Culture, Society & Education in the Sephardic Heritage, the creation of Dahan Unity Park, and a pivotal lead gift to build the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine – Bar-Ilan’s medical school in Israel’s north – which they continue to support to this day.
The dedication of the Rachel and Aharon Dahan Gate brought together Bar-Ilan’s Board of Trustees, Dahan foundation leaders, students, and supporters to celebrate the unveiling of what is intended as a major campus landmark. This marks the beginning of a dynamic phase of university growth, including plans for a future train station and the construction of a new engineering facility.
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