|
Minister of Culture Limor Livnat: “I Feel at Home Here”
“I am happy to come to the Jabotinsky Institute in my role as Minister of Culture, because I feel at home here,” said MK Limor Livnat, Minister of Culture and Sports, in her greetings at the annual awards ceremony for research and study scholarships. “I grew up on the Jabotinsky heritage, and his words are totally relevant and current for our own time.”
More than 100 people attended the ceremony, which took place in the museum on July 2, 2009 and was moderated by Amira Stern, director of the Archive. Participants included the prizewinners, their families and representatives of the families that contributed the scholarships.
The culture minister also felt “at home” because her own parents attended the event: her father, Lehi veteran Uzi Livnat, and her mother, singer Shulamit Livnat, who gave a vocal presentation at the ceremony. In her remarks, Limor Livnat recalled the words of Jabotinsky on wielding counter-pressure in response to those who exert pressure upon you, noting, “this is truly as it should be today, in negotiations with the Palestinians.”
The culture minister expressed “pride in the activities of the Jabotinsky Institute to perpetuate Jabotinsky's memory and legacy, to preserve his writings and his literary works, and to advance research activity. This is an invaluable contribution to researching our past and commemorating it for generations to come.” She congratulated the prize recipients, both for the range of topics they covered and for the fact that they represented many academic institutions. “It is just a pity that out of the high school students, there is not one from a secular high school,” she commented.
Peleg Tamir, chairman of the Institute, addressed the minister and expressed the hope that “during your tenure and the tenure of the current government, your office and your heart will be open to the needs of the Jabotinsky Institute, an institute of culture, research and heritage that is almost unique in its field. We call upon you to make every effort to strengthen and advance the Institute by increasing its meager budget, strengthening its standing and encouraging visitors to come to its exhibits and events.”
Livnat responded, “I pledge to do all that I can, with all my heart and my deep faith, to support and strengthen the Institute.”
Peleg Tamir noted that the “winners are all worthy of praise for their efforts and hard work, and the research and writing they carried out to expand their knowledge and to enrich the public’s knowledge of Jabotinsky’s heritage and movement. I wish them success in their continued research. I thank the families who funded the various scholarships, which truly honor the memories of their loved ones.”
The chairman reminded the audience that the ceremony was held around the date of the death of the first commander of the Irgun in the Land of Israel – David Raziel. “While this is not the time or the place to discuss this man’s extraordinary contribution to the creation of Israel, it is worth recalling what Jabotinsky said of him after their meeting in Paris in 1939: ‘I have waited for a man like this for 15 years.’”
Prof. Aryeh Naor, chairman of the Institute’s academic committee, noted in his greetings that this event was a source of encouragement and joy, and that each year, more and more university and high school students were becoming interested in the Jabotinsky heritage and the various organizations that he inspired. Prof. Naor hoped that the number of projects would grow over the coming years, along with the number of scholarship funds and donors to these funds.
David Raziel’s widow, Mrs. Shoshana Raziel, honored the ceremony with her presence and received an ovation from the audience.
After the greetings, the winners were called up to receive their prizes. Dr. Yoni Aviv, who gave thanks on behalf of all the winners, delivered a brief lecture on The Relationship Between Abba Ahimeir and Menachem Begin, which focused primarily on their relationship during the period of statehood.
|
){kind=link}