News and Notes from Israel

Lest We Forget 12 September 2001

Latest Items of Interest

The following appeared in the Internet Edition of the Jerusalem Post.  In addition to being a great musician, Isaac Stern was a great friend to Israel in general and Jerusalem in particular. 

Jerusalem loses a special friend
Appreciation By Teddy Kollek

JERUSALEM (September 24) - Yesterday Jerusalem lost a great supporter, and I lost a dear friend.

For many, many years Isaac Stern has been a devoted honorary citizen of Jerusalem.

All of his life he worked to help young musicians and to encourage musical education in schools around the world. He has furthered the cause of music and lifted our spirits, and he will be greatly missed.

I met Isaac many years ago, and we immediately understood each other. We were both deeply devoted to single causes and together we were able to do a great deal for Jerusalem. The maestro initiated and helped build the Jerusalem Music Center through the good work of the Jerusalem Foundation.

Over all the years of his career he only agreed to be the chairman of the board of two institutions, Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. He spent a great deal of time at the center and gave classes to many young Jerusalemites who went on to become great musicians. Isaac Stern constantly worked to promote the cultural life of Jerusalem and was a great supporter of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.

Isaac Stern stood with us through every difficult period Israel has faced.

He was here in 1967 for the historic concert under the baton of Leonard Bernstein on Mount Scopus. He played before wounded soldiers during the Yom Kippur War. During the Gulf War in 1991 he played at a concert conducted by Zubin Mehta that was interrupted by a Scud attack. Isaac continued to play while the audience donned gas masks.

Isaac Stern worked tirelessly for Jerusalem. He helped raise funds for the Jerusalem Foundation and volunteered his majestic talent at every opportunity that could help Jerusalem.

Isaac Stern was a very special man. He had a tremendous sense of humor and an extremely generous heart. During my last election campaign for mayor of Jerusalem in 1993, I called him and told him we needed help. He came to Jerusalem and stood with me on Rehov Ben-Yehuda in the center of town and played his violin for passersby, collecting money for my campaign. The world is a lesser place without my good friend Isaac.

WORLD WAR III

An article by  Thomas L. Friedman which looks at the terrorist attack on New York from the perspective of Jerusalem appeared in the The New York Times of 13 September 2001.  To read this article, click here.

Zionism and Racism

An interesting article by James Hillingdon in the Financial Gazette (South Africa) for 6 September 2001 discusses the equating of Zionism with Racism.  To read the article, click here. Remember, to return to this page, click on the BACK arrow on the toolbar when you have finished reading the article.

To see the Statement by Rabbi Michael Melchior, The State of Israel Deputy Foreign Minister at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and related Intolerance, click here.  The speech was delivered by Ambassador Mordecai Yedid, Head of Israel Delegation, on 3 September 2001 in Durban and was forwarded to us from Ron and Barbra Kaplan.

Our indefatigable correspondents, Ron and Barbra Kaplan have forwarded the following item.  To see the advertisement, click on the image to the right of the text.  Thank you Ron and Barbra.

Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 12:37:50

This is an ad that was placed by the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem. They have placed it in major newspapers in Durban, South Africa. The Israel Emergency Alliance wanted to make sure that you see this, and that you join us in thanking them for their courage and for coming forward on the side of truth.

flyer.jpg (44848 bytes)

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Last Updated: 25 September 2001

©Dr Bruce Rosen, 2001