Obit

 

Bambi Sheleg, 58

FOUNDING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF of the Israeli Eretz Acheret and Liebhazer Prize recipient Bambi Sheleg has died Monday, August 15, after a long battle against illness. She was 58.

Sheleg began her journalistic career writing for Nekuda, a monthly journal for settlers. After her stint as Nekuda’s associate editor, she edited Otiot, a children’s magazine, for ten years. She then transferred to and wrote regular columns for the Maariv, Israel’s daily newspaper, in 1996. (Bambi Sheleg, Lone Gentle Voice in Israeli Media Wilderness, Dies at 58, forward.com, Aug. 15, 2016)

Sheleg released the bi-monthly Eretz Acheret (A Different Place) magazine in the year 2000, five years after the assassination of former Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. In an interview with forward.com in 2010, she stated that her goal was to heal Israel by bridgng the gaps among the diverse social sectors of Israel, rather than magnifying their differences. (A Different Kind of Israeli Magazine, forward.com, Aug. 18, 2010)

Her focus on building bridges among the people led to her being a recipient of the prestigious Liebhazer Prize for the Promotion of Religious Pluralism and Tolerance in Israel in the year 1998.

Big names from Israeli politics paid tribute to Sheleg for her huge contribution to the Israeli community.

 

 

Saul Halpert, 93

FORMER LONG-TIME television news reporter and respected political journalist Saul Halpert passed away on August 16. He was 93.

The New York native started his career with a brief stint in radio. He helped build the news section of ABC- 7, where he stayed for 16 years. He then transferred to NXT/KCBS-2, where he was part of the program The Big News. After ten years, he went on to NBC-4, where his hosting work on News Conference earned him two Golden Mike Awards from the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California. (Veteran Southland journalist Saul Halpert dies, lawestmedia.com, Aug. 18, 2016)

Halpert’s 40-year journalistic career was highlighted by stints of reporting for KABC-Channel 7, NXT/KCBS-Channel 2, and KNBC/NBC-Channel 4 in Los Angeles. Aside from this, he taught journalism at his alma mater, the University of South Carolina.

Halpert was able to cover the Baldwin Hillfirsts Dam collapse of 1963, during which he and his crew had to be rescued. He was also able to cover the first visit of The Beatles in Los Angeles. (Saul Halpert, 93, longtime TV journalist in LA, laobserved.com, Aug. 18, 2016)

A small memorial is being arranged for Halpert’s family and friends.