Grapevine: Begin prize winner

NO ONE was particularly surprised to see three generations of the Begin family at the annual awards ceremony of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center this week. Nor were they surprised when the grandchildren of Ariel University co-founder and former finance minister Yigal Cohen-Orgad showed up to witness him receiving the Begin Prize. But when two of the grandchildren of the other prizewinner were called up to the stage, there was an audible intake of breath. The other prizewinner was the eloquent and erudite Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who explained to the audience that his grandson and granddaughter are currently studying at religious institutions in Israel. During a wide-ranging address, Hoenlein discussed the need for more leaders with Menachem Begin's vision and integrity as well as the current state of Jerusalem. He thanked Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman for making the Mount of Olives safe and accessible for all those who wish to visit Begin's grave or the graves of ancestors who are buried there. “The resting place of Menachem Begin can be visited safely. Today everyone can go to the national cemetery of the Jewish people, which was neglected for far too long.” In excoriating the UNESCO resolution that denies the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, Hoenlein said that UNESCO was not only attempting to erase 3,000 years of Jewish history but also 2,000 years of Christian history, and lamented the fact that this is something that many Christians do not realize. He added that the UNESCO resolution is not directed just at the State of Israel but is a collective war against the Jewish people. “They're taking away our past as they want to take away our future.” IT WOULD seem that Kåre Schultz, the new CEO of Teva, is unwittingly erasing history with his decision to close the company's plant in Jerusalem, which has long been one of the city's landmarks. The current multinational company started out as a small pharmaceutical business called SLE in Jerusalem in 1901, named for the initials of the last names of its founders Chaim Salamon, Moshe Levin and Yitschak Elstein. Their business flourished over the years, and between 1930- 1940 was the main source of medical supplies for British troops stationed throughout the Middle East. In 1935, because of the growing demand, the three partners opened a plant called Assia in Petah Tikva. Around the same time, other pharmaceutical plants were opened to meet the need, one called Teva by Dr. Gunter Friedlander in Jerusalem and another called Zori in Tel Aviv. In the early years of the state, Teva raised money on the newly established Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. In 1964, Assia and Zori merged, and acquired controlling interest in Teva. The combined enterprise grew to become one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, buying up rival companies in North America and Europe and establishing joint ventures in Asia. Much of Teva's research and development is done in Jerusalem, and closing the plant would not only weaken the capital's economy, but also deprive it of the prestige that comes with being the BioMed center of Israel and a major contributor to the health and well-being of the world. Teva's Jerusalem plant has been located in the Har Hotzvim Industrial Park since 2005. Among other major companies to be found there are Mobileye, Cisco, Intel, Rafa Laboratories, Omrix and other internationally known brands. Analysts say that closure of the Teva plant could have a domino effect, which would spell disaster for the city. OF ISRAEL'S volunteer organizations, one of the most rapidly growing on a national level is Jerusalem-headquartered United Hatzalah, whose national dispatch and command center was inaugurated this week by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. In addition to dispatching EMS volunteers throughout the country, the command center also sends volunteers on international missions in response to disasters oversea, as well as to the United Hatzalah branches in Ukraine. “In today's day and age,” said Erdan, “thanks to the strength of the IDF, the main fight is not a fight to maintain our borders but rather on the home front where our enemies have focused their attention. As the security challenges increase, so does our need for the spirit of volunteerism. United Hatzalah is a symbol of that volunteering spirit and of the dedication needed to save lives. Nowhere else in the world can this combination of the extremely high level of professionalism, as well as advanced technology, be found like it is right here.”

Grapevine: Begin prize winner

In the early years of the state, Teva raised money on the newly established Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

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Grapevine: Begin prize winner

In the early years of the state, Teva raised money on the newly established Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

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