EACE ACTIVIST Leah Rabin, the wife of assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was born in April 1928 and died in November 1999. She is primarily remembered for her fierce campaigning for Arab-Jewish coexistence in Israel, and her devotion to the well being of adults and children with autism. She was among the founders of Alut, The Israel Society for Autistic Children – and adults – and served as Alut President from the organization’s inception until her dying day.
Among her very close friends and admirers were Rani and Hila Rahav, who run one of Israel’s most successful public relations agencies. The Rahavs are also closely involved with Alut and with honoring Leah Rabin’s memory. Alut held its annual seminar on April 2, International Autism Day, and the Rahavs, who are board members of the organization, presented scholarships to people from Alut who had distinguished themselves. The occasion was also used to mark the 25th anniversary year of Leah Rabin’s passing, as well as her birthday.
■ THE LATE Yekutiel Federmann was one of the pioneers of Israel’s hotel industry, and the co-founder with his brother Samuel of the Dan Hotels chain. In addition to the Dan Hotels, Federmann, a resident of Haifa, was active in construction projects in Africa.
He was also an ardent collector of African art, currently on display at the Haifa Museum of Art under the title of The Voice of Africa: The African Collection Rediscovered.
At the end of 1966, he received a request from Haifa’s legendary Mayor Abba Khushi to bring West African sculptures to Israel and donate them to Haifa’s Museum of Ethnology and Folklore. Federmann donated dozens of sculptures and other objects from the Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, and Upper Volta, which were displayed in January 1967 in a West African Art exhibition.
His son Michael (Miki) Federmann, whose various titles include that of honorary consul of the Ivory Coast, is the sponsor of the current exhibition, which includes approximately 300 items illustrative of West Africa’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. The exhibition was curated by Dorit Shapir, a former senior curator of African and Oceanic Art at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
The opening of the new exhibition at the Haifa Museum of Art was attended by Ivory Coast Ambassador Kouakou Feni, Kenyan Ambassador Jon Chessoni, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav and his wife Rivka, as well as Yotam Yakir, CEO of Haifa Museums, and of course Federmann and his wife Liora.
Federmann said that it was a huge thrill for him to see the African collection of the Haifa museums come to life after decades had passed, and to know that a large part of the impressive collection was donated to the city by his father.
Lauding the project as an important exhibition that shines a spotlight on essential cultures, Federmann added that for him it was a heartwarming closing of a circle. He and his wife found in the Haifa Museum of Art “a momentum of creation and renewal – significant, high-quality, and intriguing museum work – and when this happens in Haifa, where I was born and to which I have a deep connection, it was undoubtedly a wonderful discovery that we were happy to embrace.”
Yahav said that “The Voice of Africa [exhibition] tells a story of African art but also a special Haifa story. The collections staff of the museums’ warehouses have taken on a complex task in recent years to discover and catalog what is in the Haifa Museums’ warehouses. Then it became clear how special and rare the collection is.”
Yotam Yakir, CEO of Haifa Museums, in expressing heartfelt gratitude to the Federmann family for their support, said: “We were thrilled to find friends who believe in the wonderful development process that the Haifa Museum of Art is undergoing. This exhibition, alongside other projects, is another opportunity to be impressed by the rare depth, richness, and diversity of our Haifa Museums collections, which are receiving professional momentum, constant upgrading and improvement in every aspect.”
■ CONTINUOUSLY EXPANDING, the hotel empire of David Fattal in Israel and beyond now boasts a new addition to Jaffa’s bustling Jerusalem Boulevard, aptly named Bazaar – before the establishment of the state, the long street was full of bazaars. Now it’s full of stores and restaurants, plus the Bazaar boutique hotel with 104 guest rooms and suites and a Parisian-style bistro which is open day and night. In the past, the building where the hotel is housed served as a venue for fairs by bazaar proprietors.
The NIS 90 million project in the Fattal Colors series marries history and tradition to modernity and was designed by Omer Leichter. Throughout the hotel, guests will find objects of art which are part of the extensive collection of Dobi Schiff and curated by Iris Barak, including works by David Adika, Guy Levy, Natalia Zurbova, Shai Alpayia, and others, who all live and work in Jaffa today.
For the soldiers
■ INTERNATIONAL GAMING giant Playtika and Eran’s Angels have launched “The Home” – a dedicated project for the place where regular soldiers and reservists whose lives have been affected by the war can return to their normal routines. The project is part of the company’s commitment to support IDF combatants.
The festive launch event was held with the participation of Ziva Shalom, global VP of well-being and community contribution at Playtika, Icho Tibi, CEO of Eran’s Angels, reservists, and Playtika management, members, and employees.
Singer, composer, and musician Amir Dadon performed at the event, which was also attended by Nelly Tagar, Liron Weizman, Yadin Gellman, Lee Menachem, Liron Ravivo, Bendam, Ann Zivi, Oren Assido, and others. The Home, located at Kikar Atarim in Tel Aviv, offers active-duty soldiers and reservists emotional and mental health treatments, processing workshops, employment guidance, financial advice, and legal assistance, and provides them with social and emotional support.
More than a thousand of these heroes have already gone through processing workshops at The Home after returning from the war. Playtika and Eran’s Angels invite reserve soldiers to come and enjoy the many diverse activities which will help them to overcome the trauma of war.
The Home was born from the understanding that the real challenge for those returning from combat is the great fear of the “day after.” These soldiers find themselves alone, in a complex situation, facing a new and unfamiliar reality. They are forced to deal with bureaucracies when their physical, emotional, and financial condition is not at its best. The Home provides the fighters with the tools and help they need.
■ WITHIN THE framework of its 100th anniversary activities, the Hebrew University has organized a broad range of events, and it’s natural that some of these should honor its founders. Thus, when Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund, director of the University’s Einstein Center, opened it to Einstein’s fellow countrymen, one of the first people he thought to invite was German Ambassador Steffen Seibert, who later wrote on X/Twitter. “I felt so unworthy to stand at Albert Einstein’s original standing desk. Thank you, Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund and colleagues, for showing us the glorious treasures of the Einstein Archive at Hebrew U, including the original of the general theory of relativity.”
■ SUPER MODEL Bar Refaeli, 39, knows that she won’t be gracing the covers of fashion and sports magazines forever and has long been involved in business ventures. Her latest is a pop-up shop in the Ofer Mall in Ramat Gan, which opened for business on April 1. It will stock her Livelle facial skincare products until April 19. Refaeli was present at the opening to explain the benefits of the merchandise.
■ COULD THERE be some connection between the visit to Israel this week by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and the upcoming Future Investment Initiative conference that will be held in Tirana, the Albanian capital, on May 16-17?The FII conference will take place immediately after the European Political Community Summit, to which 40 heads of state have signaled their attendance.
When planning the international economic conference, organizers could not have known that US President Donald Trump would drop a bombshell that would cause a global stock market crisis.
Despite plunging stocks and panic situations, FII PRIORITY Europe will be held in Tirana, Albania, on May 16-17, immediately following the European Political Community Summit, which will bring together over 40 heads of state to formulate a means of dealing with economic shifts.
Most will subsequently move on to Tirana, where they will be joined by leading executives of wealth funds and some of the world’s most influential investors from the Middle East, Asia, and the US. With nearly €3 trillion in assets under management from the Gulf alone, and growing investment momentum from Asia and North America, this is an opportunity to ignite cross-border partnerships and unlock transformative investment flows.
With the theme “Investing in a Connected Europe,” the summit takes place at a defining moment for Europe, as it navigates global economic shifts and seeks new capital and strategic partnerships to drive sustainable growth across its €15 trillion economy.
It will be extremely interesting to learn which, if any, Israelis will attend. In January, there were several Israelis, including President Isaac Herzog at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
A Happy Passover – inasmuch as it’s possible to be happy in the circumstances in which Israeli citizens find themselves.
greerfc@gmail.com