Bulb to light all Ramat Gan
Encyclopedia
The bulb to light all Ramat Gan was a political misstep in Israel
of the 1980s. It took this humorous form within the collective memory of the Israeli public.
On June 28, 1981, the eve of elections to the tenth Knesset
, Yaakov Meridor
gave an interview to radio networks. He was one of the top candidates on the party list of Likud
. He announced that a scientist working with him had invented an improvement in energy production on a chemical basis, with extraordinary efficiency and yield. As an illustration of the nature of the invention, "a global revolution that is yet to be grasped", he told to an interviewer, "It's as if you took an ordinary household light bulb and, with this lamp, you illuminated the entire city of Ramat Gan."
In March 1982, while serving as Minister of Economics and Inter-ministerial Coordination, Meridor gave publicity to the invention in a special television broadcast. For a few days he captured the top newspaper headlines. When the press found out that the mysterious inventor was Danny Berman, a 47 year old con-man and convicted felon, the minister was held up to ridicule, and the incident was mockingly recalled for years afterward.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
of the 1980s. It took this humorous form within the collective memory of the Israeli public.
On June 28, 1981, the eve of elections to the tenth Knesset
Israeli legislative election, 1981
Elections for the tenth Knesset were held in Israel on 30 June 1981. Despite last minute polls suggesting a victory for Shimon Peres's Alignment, Menachem Begin's Likud won by just one seat...
, Yaakov Meridor
Yaakov Meridor
Ya'akov Meridor was a Revisionist Zionist activist, Irgun commander and Israeli politician.-Biography:Meridor was born in Poland in 1913, to a family of middle-class merchants. After hearing reports of the first Arab rebellion in Mandate Palestine, he became a member of the Betar Movement in 1930...
gave an interview to radio networks. He was one of the top candidates on the party list of Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
. He announced that a scientist working with him had invented an improvement in energy production on a chemical basis, with extraordinary efficiency and yield. As an illustration of the nature of the invention, "a global revolution that is yet to be grasped", he told to an interviewer, "It's as if you took an ordinary household light bulb and, with this lamp, you illuminated the entire city of Ramat Gan."
In March 1982, while serving as Minister of Economics and Inter-ministerial Coordination, Meridor gave publicity to the invention in a special television broadcast. For a few days he captured the top newspaper headlines. When the press found out that the mysterious inventor was Danny Berman, a 47 year old con-man and convicted felon, the minister was held up to ridicule, and the incident was mockingly recalled for years afterward.
External links
- Dan Yachin, "The 80s: Launching companies despite the crisis". Globes Online: Israel's Business Arena, May 3, 2001. Retrieved January 30, 2006.