Friday, March 14, 2003 | 9:10 a.m.
RAMAT-GAN, Israel -- Sitting in the office of Mayor Zvi Bar is always a pleasure and a learning experience. After 13 years in this office, he is still one of Israel's most respected leaders. What you see is what you get when talking to this rugged but sophisticated municipal officer.
I first met him in 1991 when Scuds from Iraq were falling on his city. He took time to show me the damage to some apartment buildings. During our tour he told me that the buildings would be replaced with even more roomy apartments for its senior citizens. A year later, in 1992, I returned to the city to compare my earlier photos with the new buildings. The mayor had kept his promise and the results were amazing. It's no wonder that after 11 years more, he is still the mayor of this city of 150,000 residents.
This time I asked him if he has plans in the event of a missile attack when the United States hits Iraq. Without hesitation he replied that he doesn't expect to get hit, but if it happens it could be with chemical or biological weapons. Yes, he has already worked out a plan for thousands of his residents to be given care and shelter south of this city. Just like he reacted in 1991, there is no panic in his voice but solid ideas for any event are well beyond the planning stages with other mayors.
When asked about a media report that some foreign residents in another town were being denied gas masks, he said he doubted the story. "I will give them my gas mask," he told me. He meant exactly what he said. The people of Ramat-Gan were the targets of several Scuds 12 years ago. Nobody can predict what will happen in the near future, but they have confidence that their mayor will meet any challenges. This third-generation Israeli of Kurdish and Hungarian parents exudes a quiet confidence necessary during times of stress. His experience as a paratrooper officer in combat is reflected in his eyes and voice.
As I left the mayor's office with Gen. Aharon Davidi, who was with me at the interview, a large group of people was coming in for a meeting with the mayor. "Who are these people?" I asked. The mayor's assistant told me they are senior citizen board members there to discuss their problems and programs with the mayor. Davidi told me that the mayor not only listens, he also acts.
Because of possible use of chemical weapons, the plans for evacuating some populated areas makes good sense. In 1991 Tel Aviv Mayor Shlomo Lahat got carried away and called the residents of his city, who left during Scud time, "deserters." Following that conflict, officials noted that more people would have died if the missiles had hit apartments with full occupancy. Although Ramat-Gan was a key target, the Scuds took but one life.
No matter what happens, cities like Tel Aviv and Ramat-Gan will continue to live. One of my recollections as relayed to Sun readers in February 1991 follows:
"This morning and early afternoon the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, with Isaac Stern playing the violin and Zubin Mehta directing, was performing at Beit Hahayal in Tel Aviv. No they weren't playing before standing-room-only crowds because as a precautionary measure all places of entertainment, including basketball games, are limited to crowds that will fill only half the gymnasium or hall."
Israelis are accustomed to adapting to all situations, even the most stressful. The war now being planned by several large nations is just one more war Israelis haven't asked for but will meet head-on. No matter when or how it happens, they must be prepared to handle any and all situations. Somehow or another people like Saddam Hussein or the Hezbollah will find an excuse to attack the only democratic society in the Middle East.
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