The paucity of bona fide foreign tourists is being compensated by large groups and delegations of special-purpose travelers who come for important dedication ceremonies, Zionist conferences, specific theme festivals, international sporting events, or study at Israeli educational institutions, etc.
Possibly because there were warning alerts against traveling to the Middle East over the past two years, there is an inclination to have bigger and better delegations.
A delegation of German influencers that was here last week was touted as the largest German delegation to come to Israel.
An Indian delegation that arrived a few days later is reportedly the largest ever to come from India, and large groups of American students fill the sidewalks of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Of course, nothing beats the annual Festival of Tabernacles, which in past years attracted up to 5,000 participants but this year consisted of just over 1,500 participants from over 70 countries.
Every group and delegation is important, but in relation to Israel’s economy, the most important was the Indian business delegation of more than 100 representatives of major Indian companies, led by Piyush Goyal, India’s commerce and industry minister.
They were welcomed by Nir Barkat, Israel’s economy and industry minister, and J.P. Singh, India’s ambassador to Israel. The visit, which was organized by the Foreign Trade Administration at the Economy Ministry and the Israel Export Institute, included lectures, symposia, and one-on-one meetings between Indian and Israeli businesspeople in the fields of hi-tech, pharmaceuticals, robotics, automotive, agritech, construction, e-commerce, and defense.
The meetings took place at the centrally located Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv. Among the Israeli officials in attendance were Ron Tomer, chairman of the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel; Avi Balashnikov, chairman of the Israel Export Institute; Prof. Avi Simhon, chairman of the National Economic Council; and Ofir Amani, economic attaché of the Economy and Industry Ministry in New Delhi and Northern India.
The visit was also a means of speeding up the implementation of a free trade agreement between India and Israel.
India is Israel’s largest trading partner in Asia. Israel’s goods and services to India last year exceeded $3 billion.
■ ALTHOUGH AMERICAN accents are most commonly overheard in conversations of students who are spending a year or two studying at Israeli high schools, yeshivot, seminaries for girls, colleges, and universities, there’s no shortage of students from other English-speaking countries. The Kfar Etzion Field School hosted students from the Yeshiva College of South Africa who came to volunteer as part of an experiential journey combining Zionism and service.
The students from Johannesburg participated in opening new trails at the Emek HaBiyar site and engaged in agricultural work that connects them to the values of settlement, love of the land, and the story of the Jewish people. The activity enabled them to experience firsthand the responsibility for preserving the nature of the region together with its historical heritage. This year will mark the first time that Emek HaBiyar will open to visitors during the winter season.
■ ANYONE WHO noticed a preponderance of media features on food last week should know that the reason was probably related to the 40th annual ISRAFOOD festival and exhibition, an initiative of the Stier Group. Food is part of a nation’s culture, and ISRAFOOD therefore attracted no less than 52 diplomats, including ambassadors and cultural and economic attachés, to Expo Tel Aviv.
They were given a comprehensive tour by Gil Stier in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce. Israel’s food industry was well represented by production companies, chefs, and owners and CEOs of supermarket chains. The exhibition of food products incorporated the brands of 47 companies. Among the diplomats present were Talatu M. Fachano, first secretary of Nigeria; Antonio Ignacio, ambassador of Costa Rica; Ezra Cohen, ambassador of Panama; Manuel Etchevarren, ambassador of Uruguay; and Daulet Yemberdiyev, ambassador of Kazakhstan.
■ SOMETIMES, IT’S easy to understand the antagonism that Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and other MKs have towards KAN, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. It’s legitimate for interviewers to disagree with interviewees, but it’s not fair to listeners or to interviewees when the interviewer keeps interrupting to argue against points that are being made and not allowing the interviewee to continue. It often happens that certain journalists who are controlling the microphone override the interviewee, who says in frustration, “Let me finish the sentence.”
What is particularly annoying is when interviewers, who, when not anchoring a news and current affairs program, are excellent journalists, cut off an interviewee with whom they disagree. Some of the guilty parties are Arieh Golan, Liat Regev, Liel Kyzer, Ran Binyamini, and Ayala Hasson. On the other hand, Yoav Krakovsky, Suleiman Maswada, Yair Weinreb, and Eran Singer are unfailingly patient and polite. Hearing views that differ from our own is an important means of learning to understand the other.
State commission of inquiry into October 7 on Israel's agenda
Yes, a state commission of inquiry into October 7 is one of the most significant subjects on the national agenda, and there are disagreements as to whether it should be conducted at all, and if it is conducted, who should be on the investigating team and who should lead it.
Then, there’s the matter of a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the crimes with which he has been charged. According to law, he can’t get a pardon if he doesn’t ask for one. Because Netanyahu is unlikely to request a pardon, as the price for receiving one is too high, and he would be forced to both admit to his felonies and step down from office; neither of these conditions appeals to him.
But there’s a move afoot to change the law. It has been widely published that President Isaac Herzog would like to pardon Netanyahu, but that he’s sticking to the existing law. Herzog would not like to see Netanyahu go to prison. It’s bad enough that a president of Israel, a prime minister of Israel, a finance minister of Israel, and several other ministers, MKs, and mayors have been convicted of crimes and sentenced to jail time. Herzog would rather not see another prime minister of Israel behind bars.
Getting back to public radio, if Karhi wants to introduce reforms for non-political reasons, he should place a limit on how many times a particular commercial can be aired on radio in the course of a day. Lately, listeners have been pelted with an inane commercial made by veteran singer Ilanit, who is promoting an anti-aging product called Longevity. It is broadcast several times an hour from early morning until late at night. Three times a day would suffice.
■ THE EUROPEAN Forum at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in cooperation with the Israel Council on Foreign Relations, will host Vahan Kostanyan, deputy foreign minister of the Republic of Armenia, on November 26 to hear his views on “Crossroads of Peace: Armenia’s Foreign Policy of Cooperation and Interconnection between Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East.”
■ DELAWARE GOVERNOR Matt Meyer, who happens to be Jewish, was honored last week by the Delaware and Philadelphia chapters of Americans for Ben-Gurion University in recognition of his leadership, public service, and commitment to innovation, education, and global partnership.
At the event held at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, Meyer said that the award belongs to the students, researchers, and communities connected to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev: Arabs and Jews, Christians and Muslims, and academics from across the globe, who show every day that cross-cultural collaboration, innovation, and compassion can thrive even in the most challenging environments.
As the governor of a small state, he was proud to stand with a university that shares his belief that education and science are essential to building a safer, more sustainable, more affordable, and more just future for every family, he said.
Prior to entering politics, Meyer was a public school math teacher who had studied computer science and political science at Brown University and had earned a law degree from the University of Michigan. After completing his university studies, he moved to Kenya, learned Swahili, and established a small business in Nairobi under the name of Ecosandals, a recycled footwear company that sold environmentally friendly footwear to customers in 17 countries on five continents.
He subsequently spent 12 months in Mosul, Iraq, as a diplomat embedded with the United States Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.
■ EACH YEAR, Rabbi Eli Canterman and his wife, Chana, the Chabad emissaries for Talbiyeh and Mamilla in Jerusalem, host a Yud Tet Kislev concert and spiritually uplifting lectures. This year, the event takes place on Monday evening, December 8, and the Cantermans have asked those who are interested to save the date. As yet, the program and the venue remain secret, but details will be disclosed within the coming week.
The Hebrew calendar date Yud Tet Kislev is regarded as the Hassidic New Year and also marks the release from Czarist prison in 1798 of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad, an acronym that stands for chochma (wisdom), bina (understanding), and daat (knowledge).