According to the rules, the director greets the audience, thanks the distinguished guests and expresses appreciation for the efforts of the organizers – in this case, the eighth cohort of fellows in the Mandel IDF Educational Leadership Program, the program’s staff and director, and the Mandel Leadership Institute’s administrative staff.
The rules also stipulate that the director, before leaving the podium, deliver some brief and learned remarks, preferably including a quote from rabbinic literature or Western philosophy. The main thing is that he should sound scholarly and not speak at length. If he also happens to be thought provoking, that is praiseworthy. This is also the place to note that I stole the idea for these opening remarks from the brilliant French anthropologist, Dan Sperber’s 1985 article, “Anthropology and psychology: Towards an epidemiology of representations.” Man, 73-89.
According to the rules of the ceremony, and provided that he received approval in advance from the moderator, the director may not only thank and impress, but also relate a story or ask a question.
A few weeks ago, I was in New York on a business trip. After a meeting at the Avi Chai Foundation on the Upper East Side, I passed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and came upon an interesting ceremony. I pulled out my cell phone and recorded it. Unfortunately, I incorrectly estimated when the ceremony was over. So when you reach the end of the clip that I’ll soon screen, the ceremony is not yet over.
I leave you with the question: “What happened next?”
Or in other words, “When is the ceremony over?”
To watch the clip, click here.
The director’s greeting ceremony is over.
From the opening remarks by Dr. Eli Gottlieb at the Bimat Mandel forum on ceremonies and their significance in the Israel Defense Forces.