Famous Israeli-French fashion designer dies from Covid. The world of fashion mourned a talented designer with a a checkered history in a highly competitive international field. Alber Elbaz was an Israeli fashion designer. He was the creative director of Lanvin in Paris from 2001 until 2015, after having done stints at a number of other fashion houses, including Geoffrey Beene, Guy Laroche, and Yves Saint Laurent. He founded the Richemont-backed label AZ Factory in 2019.
Being a mensch means being overall “good guy” but even for the best of people, it can be a hard road to follow. Aliyah Magazine, in association with Jewish TV channel, had the privilege of interviewing Prof. Dan Shectman, 2011 Nobel Prize winner in the category of Chemistry. Achieving this accomplishment is not easy and is reserved for the brightest scientists in the field, but more important than the scientific break through that he achieved, although certainly important, was how he maintained his mensch status in the face of diversity from some of the most respected scientists in the world.
How an does an ordinary guy go from scientist to Nobel Prize winner? For Prof. Dan Shectman it was an uphill battle that began over 30 years when he was on sabbatical at Johns Hopkins University 1981-1983. It was there that he opened the new field of quasiperiodic crystals. Prof. Shectman would literally change the way scientists viewed crystals, to the point where all books had to be re-written. But before this would come about he was ridiculed and publicly humiliated by the great scientist Linus Pauling, who until his death in 1994, would never accept Prof. Shectman’s findings. At one point Prof. Shectman was also told to leave his scientific group after being told he was “bringing a disgrace on his team.” While most people would have given up, Prof. Shectman quietly continued his work, eventually finding others who would listen to his findings and eventually agree with them. Eventually Prof. Shectman gained so much confidence in his work that he began to enjoy the challenge of proving Linus Pauling wrong. But through it all he maintained his dignity and self respect, never negatively responding to Linus Pauling’s comments. Because of his strong determination and belief that maintaining one’s mensch like status is important, regardless of the situation, today Prof. Shectman is a proud supporter of the Be A Mensch organization.
Be a Mensch Foundation kicked off the sales of the book in a press conference recently held in Tel Aviv”
Former Justice Minister Professor Yakov Neeman, and Nobel laureate Professor Dan Shechtman called to focus on building Jewish values to strengthen unity within Am Israel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpiSVArZ_8&feature=youtu.be
Professor Yaakov Neeman-Former Justice Minister
Standing from Left to right: Nobel Laureate Professor Dan Shechtman, WIZO acting President Tova Ben Dov and Master Chef champ Dr. Nof Atamna -Ismaeel
http://beamensch.com/the-book/
But what of the more universal potential of this aspiring movement? The foundation is reaching beyond Israel’s Jewish majority as well. Master Chef champ Nof Atamna –Ismaeel, an Israeli-Arab who has a doctorate in microbiology from the Technion, spoke at the kickoff event and called to adopt Mensch like values as a key to a tolerant society.
The Be a Mensch educational campaign launched in the Israeli media under the banner of “Respecting the other…strengthening unity” which properly applied fosters integrity, tolerance, and respect across Israeli society, while recognizing diversity.
Moshe Kaplan MD- founder and Chairman of Be a Mensch foundation
“If we could bring together people, and they walk away loving each other, this could be the cure for cancer,” says Moshe Kaplan who is an immunologist. “Our educational material is of universal value and will be available to Jews and non-Jews alike through the world.”
Here is a link to their web site: http://beamensch.com/
Written and performed by our own JTVC team , this song fun captures the joy of returning to the Jewish Homeland!
Written and performed by our own JTVC team , this song describes the vision of Jacob wishing his Children of Israel will gather together in their eternal homeland in Israel.
Written and performed by our own JTVC team , this song describes the plight of a lone Jew struggling to make the journey to his homeland in Israel.
“True Inspiration from WIZO” as Tova leads a major international Zionist organization.
Tova Ben Dov, World President of Wizo, shared a fascinating past with us, in a recent interview with Olga Israel. Olga is past president of the European Union Jewish Students’ Association, and head of Current Affairs with Jewish TV Channel.
The interview began with a discussion concerning the similar nature of their work in connecting with Jews on an international basis. Tova mentioned about the mutual exchange of dialogue that exists between such prominent Jewish organizations, in particular about the gathering of Jewish students that brings them together for a wonderful meaningful experience. Tova then moved onto her own incredible background that led her to the head of WIZO.
She first answered the question as to why she is in Wizo? Her father came to Israel in 1908 from Plonsk. The children of the famous Israeli leader Ben Gurion were raised by Tova’s grandmother, when Paula was running with her husband Ben Gurion all around the country. On her mother’s side is eight generations in Israel. Her uncle married his cousin, Tova’s grandmother. They had a baby when her sister (Tova’s grandmother), was already a grandmother! He was the Chief Rabbi of Tiberius.
The Jewish Agency arranged for prominent rabbis to travel to Tiberius to hear Jewish law from the chief rabbi there. He’s buried in Tiberius close to famous Tzadikkim. So as Olga put it, based on this colorful upbringing Tova is Zionism!
Tova joked that she has the birth certificate of a Palestinian, as she was born in 1937, during the British Mandate of what was then called Palestine. When the question of Palestinians was raised, she mentioned that a survey showed that 74% wanted to stay in Israel; however that was said without any prejudice as to any political stance on the issue.
Tova was born in Tel Aviv, a fact that she is proud of. She has done much good work for WIZO in Tel Aviv, from women in distress, high risk, etc. We were treated to a collection of wonderful cherished photographs, one showed her father digging the foundation stone for Neve Zedek, which was to become an important part of Tel Aviv. He was a graduate of the Rav Cook Yeshiva.
Her father was one of the first metal industrialists in Israel. However, in our next issue, we will see how her father was to become such a prominent influence on Tova’s sterling work. We will better understand about Tova becoming not just a world wide leader, but also an inspiration as a female equivalent of a Mench.
Be a Mensch Foundation kicked off the sales of the book in a press conference recently held in Tel Aviv”
Former Justice Minister Professor Yakov Neeman, and Nobel laureate Professor Dan Shechtman called to focus on building Jewish values to strengthen unity within Am Israel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpiSVArZ_8&feature=youtu.be
Professor Yaakov Neeman-Former Justice Minister
Standing from Left to right: Nobel Laureate Professor Dan Shechtman, WIZO acting President Tova Ben Dov and Master Chef champ Dr. Nof Atamna -Ismaeel
http://beamensch.com/the-book/
But what of the more universal potential of this aspiring movement? The foundation is reaching beyond Israel’s Jewish majority as well. Master Chef champ Nof Atamna –Ismaeel, an Israeli-Arab who has a doctorate in microbiology from the Technion, spoke at the kickoff event and called to adopt Mensch like values as a key to a tolerant society.
The Be a Mensch educational campaign launched in the Israeli media under the banner of “Respecting the other…strengthening unity” which properly applied fosters integrity, tolerance, and respect across Israeli society, while recognizing diversity.
Moshe Kaplan MD- founder and Chairman of Be a Mensch foundation
“If we could bring together people, and they walk away loving each other, this could be the cure for cancer,” says Moshe Kaplan who is an immunologist. “Our educational material is of universal value and will be available to Jews and non-Jews alike through the world.”
Here is a link to their web site: http://beamensch.com/
Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett a few years ago announced the formation of his new government. That was following yet another round of indecisive elections in Israel. The question of stability concerning his coalition is foremost on the minds of most voters.
While Bibi’s party Likud won the lions share of the vote, the actual composition of his coalition hangs on the narrowest of margins. In reality just one voice of dissent can turn the country into a spiral of another round of elections, maybe even weeks after any new round of voting.
Can anyone afford to see that happen? The opposition probably awaits the opportunity to pounce on any mistake the coalition makes, in order to prove the electorates’ mistake in choosing Bennett in the first place. Yet, there is always the risk that the same electorate might encourage even more votes in favor of Bibi in a new election just to increase the chances of Likud not having to depend upon such a narrow coalition. So the big losers could be both members of the opposition, and the upstarts that upset the coalition in the first place by causing new elections.
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