Israel Travel Diary – Peter MacKinnon

July 11, 2008

TUESDAY, JUNE 24/08

We are 37,000 feet above the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Air Canada flight 84 en route from Toronto to Tel Aviv. The eleven-hour flight featured some great views from the cloudless skies over Europe, including a spectacular glimpse of Istanbul. We have just been ordered to remain in our seats because we have entered Israeli airspace and no
one is permitted to stand or move around the plane once it is in this zone. Why this is so I do not know, but rules are rules, and so all passengers are seated above the calm blue waters of the Mediterranean as we approach the Israeli coastline.

This is day one of a week-long university delegation to Israel. The Canada-Israel Committee is our host and an ambitious program has been planned for us. 'Us' includes six Canadian university presidents, Supreme Court of Canada Justice Rosie Abella; historian Irving Abella, national archivist Ian Wilson and others associated with the
Canada-Israel Committee: all in all, with partners, about 22 or 23 people. I have always wanted to visit Israel and, though I have been invited to join this group before, I have been unable to do so until now.

The Israeli coastline is now visible on the horizon as flight 84 descends toward Tel Aviv. This should be an adventure.

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25

I am sitting on the balcony of the Hotel Carlton looking out upon the early morning and misty skyline of Tel Aviv.

We were met by our guide upon arrival at the Airport and proceeded in a bus to this downtown hotel where we paused for just a short time before going to a nearby restaurant for dinner with Yuli Tamir, Minister of Education in the Israeli government and a Labor Party Knesset member. She showed up for the evening despite speculation that the government is about to fall in a Knesset non-confidence vote. The fact that her ministerial career is at risk was apparent in the number of times her cell phone rang, triggering hushed but urgent conversations about the unfolding political situation.

Another memorable presence at this dinner was that of David Weinberg who moved here from Toronto 18 years ago to work in various public sector offices, and to write. He is a columnist with the Jerusalem Post.

The dinner and conversation lasted for nearly three hours (and it was an excellent dinner), with Minister Tamir giving us a candid overview of education policy in this complex environment. 'Complex' is her word and she used it frequently to describe this country and its challenges. David Weinberg's 'living on the edge,' and Irving Abella's 'living in real time,' were other evocative captions for Israeli life and politics. No doubt we will have a better understanding of what they mean as the days pass.

On the subject of education, and in particular higher education, the Minister addressed issues that are common throughout Europe and North America including access and the appropriate balance between public support and private investment, between grants and tuition. She thought the balance to be 50-50, which I take to mean that students should pay about fifty percent of the costs backed up by extensive student aid and student loan programs.

Following dinner we returned to our hotel and several of us took a brief walk along the coast which was busy and lively despite the late hour.

Now today - the 25th - our day began with a 90-minute session with Aluf Benn. He is the diplomatic editor of the prominent paper Ha aretz and he was outstanding in his time with us. His commanding knowledge of the country, its politics and public personalities, kept us on the edge of our seats for the entire session. He talked about the instability of the Knesset - thirteen political parties; no majority in the country's history; the average parliament lasts two years; no Israeli P.M. has voluntarily retired from office: all have been defeated, forced out or died in office. Neither he nor the education minister were admirers of proportionate representation because, they say, it adds to the instability of the Knesset.

Mr. Benn described negotiations with the Palestinians and Syrians, and he then addressed the "looming, over-arching issue with Iran." It is possible, he said, that Israel will attack Iran to destroy its capacity or potential to build nuclear weapons, and that it will do so before the end of the Bush presidency. He is not the only one among our hosts to refer to this prospect.

When asked to anticipate what Israel will be like twenty years from now, Mr. Benn replied that he thought that the geographical boundaries between Palestinians and Israel will be resolved. The big issue will be relations between Jews and Arabs within Israel.

Following the briefing by Mr. Benn we spent the morning at Tel Aviv University and the afternoon at Bar-Ilan University. We had general sessions in which we discussed university issues in general followed by smaller sessions arranged according to discipline. The general sessions were reassuring with respect to generic issues common to universities whether in Canada, Israel or elsewhere. These two universities are very good institutions that in some areas have achieved success on a global scale. One area that has attracted much interest is the commercialization of university research - a challenging and controversial subject in Canada - and Canadians have much to learn from Israel in this respect. Tel Aviv University has been particularly successful and I listened carefully to the reasons offered for this success, which focused on researchers, commercialization and the so-called development gap between discovery in a university lab and commercial uptake.

The smaller meetings were with deans and professors of law and I greatly enjoyed the discussions of legal issues in Israel with comparisons to Canada. It was nice to feel like a legal scholar again.

In the evening we walked through the older part of Tel Aviv to an attractive, informal restaurant. At dinner I sat next to our guide who has an MA degree and is a sergeant major of paratroops in the reserve Israeli Army. He is a most engaging man who helped us understand everyday life in Israel.

Tomorrow we leave Tel Aviv (a relatively new city of about 100 years) and travel to the great, historic city of Jerusalem.

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 26

We drove east toward Jerusalem with a stop at the Weizmann Institute of Science, an outstanding research institute and graduate school. Despite some differences in mission, this is a peer of the MIT's of the world, and it is said to have developed the largest and most profitable technology transfer company in the world. I am interested in this from two perspectives: The University of Saskatchewan has some big and important laboratories and I want to learn more about what makes for success on a global scale. And, as a member of Canada's Science, Technology and Innovation Council, I want to  
compare what Canada is doing with what Israel is doing so that I am better prepared for the work of the Council.

Our day continued with the drive into Jerusalem. One can approach this city only with humility in acknowledging its profound historical significance over thousands of years. Our first stop is one I shall never forget; it is at the residence of Israel's President Shimon Peres. We were ushered into an intimate, elegant state chamber and shortly afterward Mr. Peres entered from his private quarters. Now 85 years old, he conveyed great dignity and serenity and it was immediately clear that he remains fully engaged in the world around him. His reminiscences were personal and were rooted in a life and public career that coincides with the history of the modern state of Israel. I do not know what the verdict of history on this man will be; I know only that I found myself touched by his humanity. I was deeply impressed.

From the President's residence we proceeded to the beautiful campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Its fine grounds are highly secure after several of its students were killed or injured by a bomb in its cafeteria five years ago. Past security, we had lunch in the faculty club and spent the afternoon with some of the key leaders and faculty of this fine university.

The campus of Hebrew University is located on high ground and the views of Jerusalem are stunning. One such view takes in Jordan in the distance with Arab east Jerusalem in the foreground. Between the Arab district in the foreground and the Jordan River in the  
background are Jewish settlements that are among the unresolved controversies of this land. After taking in this vast and vivid panorama we drove into east Jerusalem for a presentation by Mohammed Dajani, a Palestinian scholar who advocates moderation and accommodation in the relationship between Palestinians and Jews. Not all of his colleagues are similarly disposed.

In the early evening we checked into our hotel for a quiet respite before resuming our busy schedule.

 

SATURDAY, JUNE 28

Yesterday began with a visit to the Supreme Court of Israel. The Court is housed in a stunning building close to the Knesset. Chief Justice Dorit Beinish received us in one of the conference rooms and we had an excellent discussion of the role of the Court. It has a massive caseload for the current 12 justices (5,000 cases per year) in part because there are no intermediate courts of appeal. By contrast, the Supreme Courts of Canada and the U.S. each hear about 80 cases a year but in both countries there is an elaborate system  
of intermediate appellate courts. No doubt many or most of the cases dealt with by the Israeli court (sitting in panels of three judges) can be dealt with easily and quickly but even then, the contrast between their Supreme Court and ours is striking.

From the Supreme Court we drove to the National Holocaust museum. It is an excellent museum, vivid and informative in its record of the darkest chapter in the history of humanity. Even those who know the history well can learn from this museum. Particularly moving was the childrens' memorial that reminds us of the 1.5 million children who perished in death camps.

In the afternoon we toured the Old City of Jerusalem, which of course has layers of history going back thousands of years. History, legend and myth are everywhere here, in proportions unknown to us. Among the many great sites we visited are the last three stations of the Cross and Christ's tomb. Each of these places featured on-sight religious observances with much recitation and prayer by scores of clergy and their followers. We concluded the day at the colourful West Wall where many hundreds were gathered in song and prayer in preparation for the Sabbath, which of course is today - Saturday - in  
Israel.

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 29

We departed from Jerusalem early yesterday morning, passing by the Old City once again, and then through newer areas with the yellow- pink limestone buildings that are a prominent feature of this unique city. We drove east, descending through a stark and barren landscape to the Dead Sea. I remember the pictures of Philip floating in these waters in which one cannot sink. It was very bright and extremely hot and my preference was a place in the shade from which to look out upon these historic waters.

From the Dead Sea we drove north along Route 90 through some of the occupied territory along the west bank, reaching the Sea of Galilee by late morning. This sea is really a mid-sized lake by Canadian standards, though its historical importance stands in marked contrast to its modest size. From his birth in Bethlehem and his early life in Nazareth Christ came to this area and ministered to the people on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. It is here that he is reported to have walked on water; made plenty from scarcity in sharing two fish and five loaves of bread with a multitude of people, and delivered the Sermon on the Mount from a point of elevation above the northern shore. It is here that he met many of his disciples who were fishermen in the area.

Eight years ago I was in Saudi Arabia and I traveled to Jeddah, which is about as close to Mecca and Medina as it is possible for a non-Muslim to go. From that experience, and from this current exposure to Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee, one can only be impressed by the power of belief. Commitments of faith and emotion that have their origins in these places command the devotion of billions today, and continue to shape geography and politics in our world.

Speaking of geography, to the immediate east of the Sea of Galilee are the Golan Heights and on this very hot day we traveled up and into these heights which overlook the Sea of Galilee to the west and Syria to the east. The strategic importance of these heights is now obvious to me, and despite the present quiet between Israel and Syria, I doubt that it is more than an interlude. The status of this land is another of the great, unresolved questions of the region.

Leaving the Sea of Galilee we drove west and returned to the shores of the Mediterranean at the northern Israeli city of Haifa, an important port and industrial city. Our hotel has a commanding view of the harbour below. Following a short break we went out to dinner with representatives of the University of Haifa.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 30

There were two more University visits yesterday - in the morning to the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, and in the afternoon to the University of Haifa. The Technion is described as an engineering university and it is an excellent one. The University of  
Haifa has a more comprehensive mission. The most memorable of the day's presentations was that of Majid Al-Haj, vice-president of the University of Haifa, a Palestinian and Israeli citizen and a sociologist whose particular interest is demographics. He was clear  
in his views on the regional issues: Israelis and Palestinians alike are tired of the tensions and violence; public opinion polls reveal that majorities of both peoples recognize the need for a two-state solution, and that, he believes, will happen. He was less optimistic about the resolution of the tensions within Israeli society and asked the provocative question: can a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic state remain officially a Jewish state? I think for him the question has become rhetorical and that his answer is no.

We went to a lovely evening reception celebrating Canada Day at the official residence of Jon Allen, Canada's Ambassador to Israel, and his partner Clara Hirsch. Once again, I was the beneficiary of being the brother and brother-in-law of Phil and Maria. [MacKinnon’s brother Phillip is Canadian Ambassador to Egypt.] Jon and Clara spoke warmly of their high regard and affection for Phil and Maria, and of their fond remembrances of their time in Cairo just a few weeks ago.

 

MONDAY, JUNE 30 continued (evening)

This morning we visited IDC Herzlia or Interdisciplinary Centre Herzlia. This is a private university, a Zionist university of 5,000 students whose stated aim is to educate the next generation of leadership - public and private - in Israel. It does not have the sciences and so its curriculum does not include the more expensive subjects. Its law school must be a money-maker with 2,000 students and only 23 faculty members. The President gave us a provocative welcoming address in which he advocated a private model in which students would pay the full cost of their education backed by a loan system that would provide for repayment of loans from lifetime earnings. Afterwards we went to the law faculty for a conversation on legal education. We then sat down to an excellent lunch at which I was fortunate to be seated beside Aharon Barak, former member for 26 years, and Chief Justice for a decade, of the Supreme Court of Israel. He is a most cordial man of 72 years and he had many stories about his life, career and perspectives on the country.

After lunch we drove south to the desert and to Be er Sheva. Here we visited Ben Gurion University. This is another if Israel's public universities - 35 years old, 17,000 students and a heavy, fortress- like architecture. Two of its features are of particular interest to me. It was established to advance understanding and economic development of the desert area, and it does highly regarded research in water. There are parallels here to the U of S. With the establishment of the College of Agriculture as one of two foundational colleges (now there are 13), the U of S was expected to contribute to the economic development of our province and region. And the U of S also does impressive research in water.

We returned to Herzlia to prepare for our departure and for our last evening with our traveling companions. It is a very cordial group and we had a lot of fun together. We had dinner at a local restaurant where we were joined once again by Ambassador Jon Allen.  
After appropriate toasts and farewells several of us proceeded to Tel Aviv airport to catch Air Canada Flight 85, the 12-hour return flight to Toronto.

This has been a marvelous week. One feels the energy of this impressive country, and the engagement of its people with day-to-day issues of which survival is at the top of the list. Its protagonists are formidable and close-at-hand. Its prosperity depends on the ingenuity of its people and not on an endowment of natural resources. Its politics are fractious but the country is a functioning democracy. Its people are welcoming and friendly. I am grateful for the opportunity of this visit.