For What it’s Worth: Warren Hecht

This year will be the 75^th anniversary of the State of Israel. It should be a joyous occasion. Soon it will be Passover. Unfortunately, it appears that right now in Israel there is little joy. Instead, there is a country split apart. At the time of this writing, Yoav Gallant, the Defense Minister who asked that the vote for law be put on hold, was fired by the Prime Minister. The Defense Minister is no leftist. He is a member of the Likud Party, the same party as the Prime Minister. Also, the Consul General in New York, Asaf Zamir, resigned in protest to the law, and all Israeli embassies have closed for one day in protest. There are also strikes by various unions. 

Last month I went to an event as part of Black History Month. On the program was listed the national anthem. When it came to that part of the program, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was sung. There are those, including the NAACP, who refer to “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as the Black national anthem.  It was well received by the vast majority of the audience, which was mostly Black.

Although I am a lawyer, I am not admitted to practice law in Israel. Thus, I do not have expertise in Israeli law. However, I do understand politics and the roles of the courts in society. Therefore, I will venture into the issue of the new proposal which will significantly change the legal system in Israel.

One of the columns I wish I did not have to write is an obituary of someone who was important to the community and with whom I had personal relationships.  My goal is twofold: giving proper respect to the deceased, and making sure that their life work is known and appreciated. Also, I want their family to know that we cared about their loved one and hope the column helps them deal with their loss. 

A few weeks ago, Shmuel Sackett argued that Arabs who support acts of terror in Eretz Yisrael must immediately and permanently be expelled and their property seized. In response, I said that I would expect he would take the same position concerning Jews who support such conduct directed toward Arabs. I was being flippant because I knew he would not take such a position. Not surprisingly, my usual critics had a meltdown.

This time of the year, with the long Saturday nights, is a good time to write my column. If Saturday night does not work, I write on Sunday morning. Before I write, I think of possible topics. This week, I was struggling to come up with something. Then I learned of Jan Fenster’s death, and it became clear to me. This week I was supposed to write about Jan Fenster.