A government getaway in Safed

June 12, 2011 - 4:13 PM by David

It was one of those small town events that remind you that Israel is, well, a small town.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara decided host the members of his coalition and their wives for a festive Shabbat weekend together – no politics, no back room wrangling, just bonding over gefilte fish for the Ashkenazis, Moroccan fish for the Sephardim, communal services and sing-alongs.

The weekend took place in the historic Northern city of Safed at the luxurious Ruth Rimonim Hotel, with 40 of the 66 coalition members showing up. According a report by Gil Hoffman in The Jerusalem Post, the ministers and MKs took part in a walking tour of the old city of Safed on Shabbat, Netanyahu, who is a Levite, was given the second aliya at the afternoon mincha prayer service at the hotel, and the vacationers ate Cornish hen and drank wine from the Golan Heights Winery.

Comedian Kobi Arieli provided entertainment and MK Nisim Ze’ev (Shas) served as cantor and led Shabbat songs. Agriculture Minister Orit Noked (Independence) stole the show with a rendition of the song “Eli, Eli” sung with men accompanying her, so haredi MKs wouldn’t have to leave.

The MKs were asked to keep their children under one years of age home, which meant that while some MKs stayed home like Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan and MKs Miri Regev and Yariv Levin, Israel Beiteinu MK Anastasia Michaeli attended with her husband after finding babysitters for their eight children. Deputy Negev and Galilee Development Minister Ayoub Kara (Likud) and his wife also left their six children with her mother.

The MKs reported that they enjoyed the team-building weekend.

“It’s an excellent weekend,” MK Ofir Akunis told Ha’aretz, after visiting several art galleries in the Old City. “There’s a great atmosphere, it’s a genuine team-building, in an informal atmosphere.”

Agriculture Minister Orit Noked called the weekend “amazing,” saying, “We had an enjoyable encounter. We sat and talked with each other, without speaking about politics. We also got a chance to meet our friends’ families, the people who give us support throughout the year. We managed to disengage for a brief time from the daily nuisances of life, and I didn’t speak on the phone even once.”

Now, if we could all do that once in a while, the tension that’s always in the air here might dissipate a little.

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