June 26, 2017: My bar mitzvah year was historic

By Michael Regenstreif

I celebrated my bar mitzvah on April 22, 1967 on Shabbat HaGadol, the Shabbat just before Passover. It’s hard to believe that a half-century has passed since I became a 13-year-old Jewish man.

My bar mitzvah year was historic. Every community, every school and every organization, it seemed, was in the midst of some significant project to mark Canada’s centennial. Expo 67, the biggest centennial project of them all, began its six-month run just a few days after my bar mitzvah.

As a Jewish community, we were happy to celebrate Canada’s milestone, and to virtually see the world at Expo. But our eyes were also on Israel, then just 19 years past its War of Independence. Another war seemed increasingly inevitable as Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, expelled the United Nations peacekeeping forces from Sinai and Gaza, and massed its troops near the Israeli border.

About six weeks after my bar mitzvah, on June 5, 1967, the war broke out. We feared for the very survival of the tiny country, the world’s only Jewish state. But, what would soon come to be known as the Six-Day War was over on June 10.

Israel had defeated the military forces of the surrounding Arab countries while capturing the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan. Israel had secured its greatest ever military victory in its shortest ever war.

Israel and the Jewish Diaspora rejoiced particularly in the reunification of Jerusalem. The capital city had been divided since 1948 when the War of Independence ended with Israel in control of western Jerusalem and Jordan in control of eastern Jerusalem.

Eastern Jerusalem includes the Old City where sites like the Western Wall – a place holy to Jews for millennia – are located; a place which became forbidden to Jews. The Western Wall, or Kotel, was in the same city as the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, but Jews were forbidden to go there for the first 19 years of modern statehood.

As mentioned, we rejoiced in Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War and, particularly, in the reunification of Jerusalem. If ever there was an underdog of a country, surely it was Israel – surrounded by hostile Arab countries with massively larger territories, populations and militaries. That Israel prevailed in the war seemed like a miracle.

By 1967, David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding prime minister, was four years into his retirement and widely regarded as the country’s elder statesman. Ben-Gurion, too, rejoiced in the reunification of Jerusalem, and felt Israel should retain the Golan Heights for strategic reasons, but said the rest of the captured territories should be given back. He understood there were would be unintended consequences to the military victory.

“If I could choose between peace and all the territories which we conquered last year, I would prefer peace,” Ben-Gurion said in a 1968 interview (footage from which is included in the documentary film, “Ben-Gurion: Epilogue”).

Israel eventually signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and returned the Sinai to Egypt. But, by the time of those treaties, Egypt had relinquished any claim to Gaza and Jordan had relinquished any claims to the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem – leaving those areas to be settled in negotiations with the Palestinians.

Fifty years after the Six-Day War, Israel and the Palestinians have yet to reach the agreement they need to end the conflict with a two-state solution that ensures Israel the Jewish and democratic future it needs and ensures the Palestinians will be able to meet their own national aspirations.

While hopes of peace with the Palestinians have been raised and have fallen many times, recently, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman – who, as foreign minister when I met him a few years ago in Ottawa, was an uncompromising hardliner – recently said an agreement with the Palestinians is “far closer” than it has ever been before.

Asked why, Liberman credited the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump on the scene and the realization by Arab countries “that their problem is not Israel. Israel can be a solution to the problem.

Can Liberman be right? We’ll see.

October 10, 2016: The most inspiring leader I’ve ever encountered

By Michael Regenstreif

I’ve encountered a lot of political leaders over the years, including prime ministers, premiers, mayors and legislators at every level of government. Most of them have been Canadian, of course, but there have also been many from other countries – particularly from Israel, because I work in the arena of Jewish community journalism.

And, of all the leaders I have ever encountered, the most inspirational figure was Shimon Peres, Israel’s former president, prime minister, foreign minister, defence minister, finance minister and the longest-serving member of the Knesset in history.

Since Peres died on September 28, at age 93, he has been referred to as the last of Israel’s founding fathers. And, indeed, he was.

From the birth of the modern State of Israel in 1948 until his retirement from the presidency in 2014, just nine days before his 91st birthday, there was not a time that he was not serving the state at the highest levels. And, even over the past two years, until suffering a massive stroke last month, he remained remarkably vital and tirelessly active as Israel’s elder statesman. Peres never gave up working to make this a better world. Peres never gave up on his dream of Israel thriving in a peaceful Middle East.

As an aide and adviser to David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s founding prime minister, Peres played an important behind-the-scenes role during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence and would go on to even more important roles in the country’s defence. In the 1950s, he was director-general of the defence department and later served as minister of defence in both the 1970s and the ‘90s.

So, when foreign minister Peres and prime minister Yitzhak Rabin – one of Israel’s greatest generals – became Israel’s leading champions of peace with the Palestinians, they were acting from a deep understanding of defence and a deep understanding of the futility and waste of endless war. They envisioned a better world that, sadly, neither lived to see.

I’ll never forget watching Peres and Rabin on the White House lawn with U.S. president Bill Clinton and PLO leader Yasser Arafat in 1993 and the hopeful feelings so many us felt then.

Peres never gave up on the dreams of that day and he continued to work for peace the rest of his life.

My most vivid memories of Peres were of the two days in May of 2012 when I got watch to Peres in action as Israeli president on a state visit to Ottawa.

At age 88 then, Peres was the oldest head of state in the world. But he maintained an incredibly busy schedule and showed no signs of fatigue whenever I heard him speak.

I particularly remember his riveting speech at the National Gallery during a reception hosted by then-Israeli ambassador Miriam Ziv. Speaking to an audience of international diplomats, cabinet ministers and MPs, Supreme Court justices, at least one former prime minister of Canada, academics, journalists, military officials and Jewish community leaders, Peres gave a long compelling speech.

Holding the microphone in his hand, Peres spoke, without a script or notes, about the State of Israel in both historical and contemporary terms, about Israel’s enduring friendship with Canada and about his past visits here. He spoke about science and technology, noting that Israel had become such an important centre for scientific, medical and technological breakthroughs, and he made predictions about unimaginable breakthroughs to come in the years and decades ahead.

He discussed the rapidly changing Middle East and expressed optimism about a future that would finally include peace with the Palestinians.

Despite having been part of history for so many decades, this 88-year-old man was excited about the future. He even cracked a couple of jokes with the timing of a seasoned comedian. It was a remarkable performance that earned sustained ovations from the high-powered audience.

I was right near the front of the audience as Peres spoke and recognized the man beside me applauding enthusiastically for Peres was an opposition member of Parliament from Montreal.

“That was quite the speech,” I said to him.

“He was absolutely amazing,” future prime minister Justin Trudeau responded.

Shimon Peres, the last of Israel’s founding fathers, never stopped believing in his dream of Israel thriving in peace. And he never stopped working to make that dream come true. Now it is up to the sons, daughters and grandchildren to fulfil that dream.

Leonard Cohen’s new song

Leonard Cohen – poet, novelist, singer and songwriter – is another inspiring figure who has continued to do remarkable work late in life.

The Montreal-born artist has an album of new songs coming out on October 21. While I haven’t yet heard most of them, he did release the title track, “You Want It Darker,” on the Internet last month.

Much was made of the fact that Cohen released the song on September 21, his 82nd birthday. It is a song that only an older man could have written; a song from perspective of someone who has lived long and is prepared for death.

I think, though, what’s possibly more significant than his birthday is that Cohen released the song in the Jewish month of Elul, as we prepare for the High Holidays.

It is a song he sings directly to God. “Hineni, hineni, I’m ready my lord,” he sings in the chorus.

The melody seems like it comes directly from the synagogue music Cohen heard growing up at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal. And, indeed, he turned to Cantor Gideon Zelermyer and the Shaar choir to sing with him on the song. The choir’s haunting harmonies are heard from the beginning of the song, Cohen himself sounds like he’s singing from the depths of his soul, and the final minute of the song is devoted to Cantor Zelermyer repeatedly, and seemingly distantly, singing the word “hineni.”

A stunning performance from Cohen, the choir and the cantor.

May 21, 2012: An inspiring visit by Israel’s elder statesman

By Michael Regenstreif

It was quite extraordinary – if not awe-inspiring – to watch Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres, the State of Israel’s remarkable president and elder statesman, in action over the two days he spent in Ottawa during his official state visit to Canada, May 6 to 10.

At 88, Peres is the world’s oldest head of state, but he seems more than able to maintain a gruelling schedule of travel, meetings, speaking engagements and events that would wear out many half his age.

I was on hand for several of Peres’ Ottawa events, beginning with a Monday morning welcoming ceremony in front of Rideau Hall.

The ceremony was filled with pomp and circumstance.

With Governor General David Johnston and a long line of dignitaries, including Foreign Minister John Baird and Israeli Ambassador Miriam Ziv and a Canadian Armed Forces honour guard and military band there to greet him – as well as an invited gallery of Jewish community leaders and students from the Ottawa Jewish Community School – the Israeli president’s car arrived at Rideau Hall accompanied by Mounties on horseback.

Peres was sure-footed as he inspected the honour guard, greeted the dignitaries, listened to the governor general’s speech, made a speech of his own, and then did a royal-style walkabout to greet the invited guests.

In his remarks, Peres spoke warmly, in both French and English, about “the uninterrupted friendship that your people have shown towards my people from the very first day of our statehood.”

He also recalled his first visit to Canada, more than 60 years ago, when he was sent here by then-prime minister David Ben-Gurion to buy arms for the nascent state.

After the ceremony, the president and governor general held a private meeting inside Rideau Hall. But Peres was soon on the move again – to Parliament Hill where he was greeted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in front of Centre Block.

Stepping inside, there was another brief welcoming ceremony where Peres signed the Parliamentary guest books before going into a private meeting with Harper in the prime minister’s office.

During his visit to Ottawa, Peres also held meetings with Opposition Leader Thomas Mulcair and Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae. All three of Canada’s major party leaders are well regarded as supportive friends of the State of Israel.

Other events during the Israeli president’s time in Ottawa included a state dinner in his honour at Rideau Hall, a meeting with academics on joint scientific collaboration between Israeli and Canadian institutions, which culminated in the signing of a memo of understanding between the Royal Society of Canada and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and a ceremonial tree planting on the grounds of Rideau Hall.

As Canadian Jews, most of us have planted trees in Israel – if not literally, then through donations. But here was the president of Israel planting a tree in Canada. Quite appropriately for a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has dedicated much of his later career to the peace process, the tree was an Eastern White Pine, which the Iroquois call the ‘Tree of Peace.’

His final event before moving on to Toronto and Montreal was a reception for 600 people hosted by Ambassador Ziv at the National Gallery attended by diplomats, cabinet ministers and MPs, Supreme Court justices, academics, journalists, military officials and Jewish community leaders.

Peres gave a long riveting speech at the reception. Holding the microphone in his hand, he spoke without a script or even notes. He talked about the State of Israel in both historical and contemporary terms, about Israel’s enduring friendship with Canada and about his past visits here. He spoke about a rapidly changing Middle East and, at length, about science and technology, making predictions about breakthroughs a decade or so away. He even cracked a couple of jokes. An amazing performance that earned sustained ovations from the high-powered audience.

As I mentioned, Peres is Israel’s elder statesman. He has been at the very centre of Israeli political life for all of Israel’s history. First as an adviser to Ben-Gurion, and his emissary, and then as a member of the Knesset, influential cabinet minister, and prime minister – he was acting prime minister for several months in 1977 and held the office officially from 1984 to 1986 and 1995 to 1996 – and now as president, Israel’s head of state.

When I heard Shimon Peres speak about the future and confidently envision a Middle East of peace and co-operation, the vision seemed like it really could come to be.