Footnote Page #5

You should have disqualified yourself

when you knew that my father

was one of the nominees.

Everyone in the room knows it.

And anyone with even

a tiny bit of decency!

My response to these

harsh accusations

I have to keep in my heart.

No son should hear about his father

what I can tell you about him.

So I'm asking you,

don't push me,

and let things be as they are.

But you're not denying the fact

that between you and my father

there is a decades long rivalry.

Why didn't you disqualify yourself?

Now when I think about it...

I suspect you voted for me

just to spite him.

You knew how much it would

hurt him to see me win

while he was nominated.

You knew that.

I would like to adjourn.

Either my opinion is accepted,

and the Minister informs

Eliezer Shkolnik that there was an error

or I resign.

And if I resigned, the reason for it

would become public anyway.

There must be transparency.

Same transparency with which

you run the Mishna Project?

Which for the past 20 years

allowed you to decide who gets access,

and who doesn't, to manuscripts?

The same transparency with which you blocked

the promotion of someone here,

and we all know who,

just because you were afraid

he was going to disprove your thesis

about the distribution of the scrolls?

Or maybe the transparency with which you've

prevented from Ariella Ascher her doctorate,

while she was dying,

a month before her death,

while her family members beg you

to approve her doctorate!

very cruelly,

just because her instructor

happened to be my father?

So let's talk about transparency,

Prof. Grossman.

I too know how to talk

with journalists

and I have a feeling that from

all the people in this room

you're the first one who should

want to keep it quiet.

Let me out of here!

- This meeting is not adjourned.

The only achievement of your father,

is Feinstein's footnote dedicated to him.

Beside that, he hasn't published

anything of any worth.

And do you know why Feinstein

mentioned him?

Because he knew that your father

is no longer a threat to him.

He had so much contempt to him

that he was willing to share

that lousy credit with him.

And he knew how much your father

needed that.

You don't get the Israel Prize

for that.

Now move away from the door,

please.

Move away, I said!

- You psycho son of a b*tch!

Professor...

I want the minutes

from this meeting.

We don't keep minutes,

as you well know.

I'm sorry I pushed you.

I shouldn't have done it.

Everyone, calm down.

Are you alright, Prof. Grossman?

We're exaggerating a bit.

- No...

We're not.

We're not...

Give me a couple of hours, I'll...

I'll tell my father.

Excuse me.

Who is it?

It's Uriel Shkolnik.

Is my father there?

Sure. Come in.

Here you go, Uriel.

Would you like to say something

about your father's achievement?

Did you talk to Yosh?

When is he coming back?

Don't know, in a day or two.

In a day, or in two?

- I don't know!

I'm sorry.

Talk to him.

You got some registered mail.

I can't do it.

I can't...

Ever since I became a Professor,

he stopped being happy for me,

all of my achievements

are at his expense.

And I know he's blaming me

that I'm ruining this world,

which was supposed to be his.

He might survive this blow,

maybe he'll even enjoy it.

It will be another proof that everyone

but him is an amateur. But he'll hate me.

If I'll tell him

about this mistake,

I'll be burying our relation

for good.

There's no greater betrayal

in your father and his principles

than what you're asking me to do.

With all of my critique of him,

he never looked the other way

just because it was convenient.

You know that. - Yes, but he wouldn't.

- We'll know. -So what?

It makes a mockery of the entire system.

It means there are things

more important than the truth.

Like what? Family?

Just like your father, I know

something about the price you pay

for cutting corners,

for giving up on the truth.

Enough already with this "truth"! How much aggression

you hide behind that concept of "truth".

I'm fed up with this romanticism of yours.

You don't care about truth,

but about honour,

just like everyone else.

Look what a terrible thing

you're doing in the name of "truth".

It's just a prize.

A prize, that's all.

It's not a betrayal of anything.

It's just something small,

and nice that you can do for...

a colleague, if you'll just be

a bit more flexible!

A tiny bit.

That's all I'm asking you to do.

I agree, under two conditions:

The first is that you'll write

the judges' decision.

I'll sign it, but you'll write it.

And the second condition is

that you'll never be nominated

for the Israel Prize.

And make sure that others

won't nominate you as well.

Not now,

or after my or your father's death.

Uriel, I gave the Israel Prize to you.

As far as I'm concerned,

it's yours.

If you want to pass it on,

for family reasons,

I won't stop you from doing that.

But if that's your decision,

then it's final.

Even if only you and I

know about it.

- Prof. Shkolnik's revenge -

Hello. - Hey.

You're the reporter from Haaretz?

- Yes, Noa. Nice to meet you.

Come in.

- Thank you.

I hope it's alright

I'm a bit early.

Eliezer is a stickler for timeliness.

- Wow, it's a very beautiful place.

When I studied in the "Hebrew",

I always wanted to live here.

- You studied in the Hebrew University? -Yes.

What did you study?

- Philosophy and History of Art.

You didn't study with Eliezer?

- I'm afraid not.

But I attended some of your

son's lectures. - That's nice.

I wanted to ask

maybe you have some interesting

photos of Prof. Shkolnik for the article,

it could be very nice.

Maybe a photo of him

with your son, Prof. Uriel Shkolnik?

OK... I'll look for it. Excuse me.

- Hello.

Nice to meet you. I'm Noa.

Are you comfortable here?

Would you rather to sit by a table? - It's fine.

Wherever you prefer.

Is it OK if I record

our conversation?

Shall we?

Could you tell me your life story

in general lines? "I was born... raised... studied..."

I was born in Jerusalem.

My parents immigrated to Israel

in 1932.

My father was a hats merchant...

What do you mean by

"in general lines"?

"The judges' decision"

Let's start some other way.

Maybe you could tell me a bit

about your research?

"Prof. Eliezer Shkolnik,

"the renowned student

of the late Prof.

"Yonah Naftali Feinstein

in Jerusalem

"did groundbreaking research

"in the study of the Jerusalem Talmud..."

My research focuses on mapping

the branches of the Talmud's text.

Mapping the branches of

the Israeli Talmud,

The Jerusalem Talmud,

whose printed version,

the one being taught today,

is very problematic,

philologically speaking.

"And his researches...

"And his research,

during the last decades..."

Did you say, "The Introduction to the Literature

of the Tana'im"? -Without the definite article.

"Introduction to the Literature of the Tana'im",

by Y.N. Feinstein.

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