Breakfast meeting with Mannie Shimoni

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In an entertaining and informative talk about the seven years he worked as Abba Eban’s right hand man in the Ministry of Education, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mannie Shimoni gave a few examples of Eban’s wry sense of humor: “At the age of two years, I emigrated from South Africa because I couldn’t stand Apartheid!” he would comment when asked about his early childhood.

 Telfed Netanya held a mens breakfast on the 25th June at a beach front restaurant. The function was attended by 25 men who met in a great atmoshphere to enjoy an excellent Israeli breakfast and talk by Mannie Shimoni.

Mannie continued to quote Eban as saying “The acoustics in the new Knesset are terrible … you can hear every word!” he complained about the new Knesset building, and the aphorism for which he is best known: “The Arabs never miss a chance to lose an opportunity”.

He also revealed Eban’s most erroneous forecast:  During a visit to Japan in February 1967 Eban prophecied in a press conference: “The two things that will not happen in the Middle East in the foreseeable future are – peace or war!”

Referring to Eban’s phenomenal linguistic capabilities Shimoni told the story of Eban’s farewell address to the senior officials of the Ministry of Education after which Yaakov Sarid, the Deputy Director General, and a pedantic Hebrew linguist himself, commented to Mannie: “Eban did not make a single grammatical error in the course of his 40 minute speech”.

Eban, Mannie related, wrote all his own major speeches.  At July 1967’s special General Assembly, while Eban was drafting his famous speech in justification of Israel’s defensive action  in launching the Six Day War, Israel’s ambassadors to the UN (Mike Comay) and to the USA (Abe Harman) sat in an adjoining room and wrote their suggested changes on the draft.  When Eban saw their comments he succinctly and acidly voiced his disapproval: “A committee cannot write a speech” he told Mannie who conveyed Eban’s displeasure to the two ambassadors, who quickly got the hint………

During the period Mannie worked for Eban in his capacity as President of the Weizmann Institute, he organized the famous “Rehovot Conferences” in which tens of representatives from all over the developing world participated.  The conference featured a dinner hosted by Eban which usually took place in mid-August, and to which Mannie and his wife were invited.  Mannie related that he used to boast that he was proud to throw an international bash to celebrate his wife’s birthday which was on August 15^th!

The breakfast meeting was attended by 25 people.