Journalist and author Benny Ziffer, formerly of Haaretz, has published an extraordinary birthday blessing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a personal and deeply felt post in which he shares the moments that led to his fervent support for the prime minister.
"I thank G-d that 11 years ago He turned my heart and opened my eyes to see the greatness of Benjamin Netanyahu," Ziffer opened. According to him, the shift in his worldview began after he met with the prime minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu at his own initiative and through the mediation of his friend, author Eyal Megged. Ziffer recalled the first face-to-face meeting, which took place at the official residence on Balfour Street, where he found himself silent most of the time while Netanyahu "overflowed with wisdom and understanding".
In a behind-the-scenes description of that meeting, he shared how the prime minister ran through the house to bring a book of travel accounts written by American visitors to the Land of Israel over the generations, and how the two discussed the non-Jewish French journalist Albert Londres, who visited the country in the 1920s and wrote a book full of faith in Zionism titled "The Wandering Jew Has Returned".
