Stories from the catalogue: Shemtov with Dalia Moran,
professional manager of Yad Yaari Archive
Illustrious public servant and former Health Minister Victor Shemtov’s personal archives and memorabilia have been presented to the Yad Yaari Center at Givat Haviva.
One of Israel’s most respected of the political ‘old-timers,’ Victor Shemtov was always held in high esteem - within his own party ranks as well as by opposition politicians, no mean feat indeed!
Even though now 93 years young, Shemtov’s opinions are still much sought after by present day politicos and commentators and the presenting of his personal archives to Yad Yaari, the research and documentation center of the HaShomer HaTzair movement and Kibbutz Artzi Federation, will greatly enrich the already important archival materials of well-known past and present personalities to be found there.
In a modest gathering recently held at the Shemtov family abode in Jerusalem, Yad Yaari directors Dalia Moran, Dudu Amitai and Dr. Shlomo Shealtiel – head of the Yad Yaari research team and fellow landsman of the Bulgarian-born Shemtov - presented him and wife Greti with a special catalogue documenting his greatly valued and much appreciated collection of manuscripts, documents and personal records now housed at Givat Haviva.
Recalling the past, reflecting on the present:
Shemtov with David Amitai, Yad Yaari director
“It was a lovely, most informal meeting and despite his age Victor Shemtov recalled anecdotes that we hadn’t heard before and which we found rather moving, to say the least,” explained Yad Yaari Director Amitai – and then repeated one of them.
“During the extended doctors’ strike of the early 1970s when Victor Shemtov was Minister of Health he was asked to sign a back-to-work order which presented him with a big dilemma,” explains Amitai. “He said that he couldn’t agree as a socialist because he supported the right to strike and therefore supported the striking doctors. He took his dilemma to then Prime Minister Golda Meir and despite the differences in their political opinions she told him, ‘I will do it for you’ – and she did, something that Shemtov said she would not have done for anybody else, not even her closest allies,” recalls Amitai.
The 1973 strike saw over 8,500 medical doctors walk off the job demanding higher salary increases than had been agreed upon the previous year.
From right to left: Greti and Victor Shemtov, Dr. Shlomo Shealtiel, Dr. Moshe Mosek
from the State Archive and Mrs. Mosek, Dalia Moran
Following the resignation of Golda Meir, a proposal known as the “Yariv-Shemtov formula” was put forward suggesting talking to Palestinians who were prepared to recognize Israel, accept UN Security Council Resolution 242 and not engage in terror, but the Rabin government rejected the proposal prepared by Victor Shemtov and Aharon Yariv, a former major general and head of Military Intelligence and who served in the governments of both Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin. However, in the years to come, the “Yariv-Shemtov formula” has become the most agreed-upon basis for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on all levels.
Although Rabin rejected the “Yariv-Shemtov formula” he held great respect for Victor Shemtov and showed this by inviting him to his 1994 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.
Victor Shem Tov served terms in Knessets 5, 6, 10 and 11. He sat on committees dealing with economics, finance, foreign affairs and defense as well as ethics, and his government posts covered a stint as Minister without Portfolio, Minister of Health and that of Welfare.
Shemtov's personal archives will enrich to a large extent the scope of documentation available at Yad Yaari to the scholarly community and the public about the times and the tasks of HaShomer HaTzair movement in its different formulations and branches.
