"For things to be renewed, one
needs a new area."
To promote the periphery's
development, he supports pro-
jects like the Trans-Israel High-
way: "All communications and
infrastructure should be the best
possible; the north and the south
should be as accessible as any
other area."
But linking Israel to its neigh-
bors is more tricky.
In the past, Mr. Wertheimer
scoffed at Shimon Peres' visions
of Mideastern integration, sug-
gesting instead that Israel seek
its economic partners in the
Mediterranean basin rather than
in the. Gulf area.
Now he prefers to downplay
those differences, stressing he is
"Retirement" does
not seem to be in his
vocabulary.
"trying to be helpful" with Jor-
dan, Egypt and Turkey, and "I
would be happy, when the time
comes, to work with Lebanon."
However, he acknowledges hav-
ing criticized the rush to embrace
oil-producing countries "with
which we don't have very much
in common."
The focus of most of the criti-
cism against Mr. Wertheimer is
that he preaches free enterprise-
yet has taken advantage of gov-
ernment tax breaks by locating
his industrial parks and com-
munity in a remote area.
Mr. Wertheimer sees nothing
for which he need apologize.
Anyone, after all, could have
picked up and gone north or
south to enjoy the benefits and
suffer from the shortcomings of
remoteness.
Four and a half decades after
he built his first manufacturing
shack, he still lives in Nahariya,
commuting to Tefen. The word
"retirement" does not seem to be
in his vocabulary. He works a full
day, six days a week, although
he denies being a workaholic. He
vacations often, spends time with
his family and, as the Tefen com-
plex testifies, cultivates his cul-
tural and artistic interests, which
include friendships with some of
the country's leading artists.
His accomplishments have
earned him a shelf-full of acco-
lades, including the Israel Prize.
While the flattery is nice, he
says, he wants businesses like
Iscar, and places like Tefen, to
be the rule, not the exception.
And so he remains, as ever, dis-
satisfied.
"No one is paying attention to
the real point I am trying to
make," he complains, "namely
that-there is no reason why a
place like this shouldn't exist in
20 other places in Israel." ❑
sor
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