| The Jewish Journal Archive | ||||||
| November 7 - November 20, 2003 | ||||||
|
Local
Stories |
||||||
Local StoriesLocal Voters Undecided on Presidential Election; Activists Favor Dean or Kerry
MARK
ARNOLD and GARY BAND On the other hand, political activists, here and in the Boston area, are busy choosing up sides and going to bat for their respective candidates. The candidates commanding the most local Jewish support appear to be front-runner Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, and Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kerry. “I support Kerry because I’ve known him for a long time and I’m convinced he’ll do a good job,” says Salem attorney Jacob Segal, an activist in Democratic circles since the 1960s. William Wasserman of Ipswich, former publisher of the North Shore Weeklies newspapers(now owned by the Boston Herald), is doing volunteer work for Dean. Why? “He’s the most articulate and vigorous spokesperson on the failures of the Bush Administration, and he’s right on the issues I care about,” says Wasserman. The issues our interviews found most important locally were Israel, the economy and jobs, the war in Iraq, health care/costs, and international terrorism. Says Bob Sanford of Swampscott, a business consultant: “I still favor Bush because of his commitment to fight terrorism. If we don’t do it there (overseas), we will have to fight it here in the United States.” Voicing a similar sentiment is Marblehead’s Howard Rich, a Republican and confirmed Bush supporter. “Bush is strongest on defense. I think most of the Democrats would pull the plug on Iraq.” Political observers say that with nine Democratic candidates vying to be the Democratic Party’s standard bearer in 2004, it is understandable that many people are confused or not yet evaluating candidates. The first few Presidential primaries usually prune the list of candidates down to two or three, whom people can screen more easily. However, this time voters may not have that luxury. A reshuffling of the timetable (See box) has compressed 24 state primaries into a mere seven weeks between January 27 (New Hampshire) and March 16 (Illinois). Masssachusetts is one of eight states that will hold primaries on March 2. As a result of this compression, the Democratic shakeout may be virtually over by the middle of March, with a putative winner ready to walk through the remaining primaries and accept his mantle at the Democratic convention in Boston in August. Public opinion polls show Howard Dean, a vocal opponent of President Bush’s foray into Iraq, remains the front-runner, with 17 per cent support among Democrats and “Democratic-leaning” independents, according to an ABC/Washington Post poll conducted in late October. Second is Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt, who has strong union backing, and retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a strong critic of the president’s war stand, at 14 per cent. Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the first Jewish candidate for President, stands at 13 per cent, followed by Kerry at 8, New York civil-rights leader Al Sharpton at 7, and South Carolina Sen. John Edwards at 5. Bringing up the rear are former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun at 3 per cent, and Ohio Sen. Dennis Kucinich, the most liberal of the candidates, at 2 per cent. Dean’s lead has widened slightly in recent weeks, while support for Kerry and Lieberman has wanted. There appears to be very little support among Democrats here for Lieberman, and Vice President Al Gore’s running mate against Bush in 2000. Says Arthur Epstein of Marblehead, a liberal Democrat who supports candidates friendly to Israel: “It’s not only Lieberman that has Jewish ties, even Kerry and Clark do. I don’t think Lieberman has a chance. I’m not backing anyone yet. I’m waiting to see who shows signs of rising to the top. There isn’t anyone out there who excites me.” Like Epstein, most Jewish voters contacted here seem to be taking a wait-and-see attitude. More than 20 persons told the Journal they didn’t feel informed enough to take a position. “I’m still waiting to see more information,” said Sherry Brass of Peabody. “I’m definitely not supporting Bush. I’d like more understanding where Dean stands on Israel. To me the economy and jobs are very important. I’d like to have the candidates speak out on those.” Adds Stephen P. Cohen of Beverly Farms, an advocate for Israeli peace talks with the Palestinians: “The only thing I’m positive about is that it shouldn’t be Bush. On the Democrats, I’m ambivalent. I’ve been disappointed in Kerry, whom I initially supported. Now I’m not sure. I’m looking at Lieberman, Kerry, Gephardt and Dean.” Many of those backing Kerry indicate they are doing it without much enthusiasm. In a typical comment, Barry Beck of Peabody says: “I support Kerry. The rest of the Democrats I’m not sure have enough of a background for me to feel positive about them. I know more about Kerry.” On the other hand, all the Dean supporters we talked to voiced enthusiasm for their candidate. Steve Grossman, a former chairman of the National Democratic Committee and AIPAC, has long been a leader in Massachusetts Democratic circles; he ran for governor in the primary last year. He caused waves a year ago when he declared not for Kerry or Lieberman, but for Dean, and went on to become the Vermonter’s national co-chair. Why? “In 34 years of political involvement, I’ve seen very few politicians willing to put their career on the line for a matter of principle. Dean did that in 2000 when he championed civil-union legislation in Vermont. We need that kind of political courage in Washington.” Grossman adds that he could support any of the Democratic candidates, except Sharpton, if one of the others becomes the nominee. Sharpton alienated Jewish leaders in a series of actions in New York in which he acted in a way that caused them to condemn him for demagoguery. Arthur Horwitz, publisher of Jewish Renaissance Media, which publishes the Detroit Jewish News and the Atlanta Jewish Times, is a supporter and fundraiser for Lieberman, whom he first met when Horwitz was growing up in New Haven. He argues that unless Jews have serious disagreements with Lieberman’s views on the issues, they should support his candidacy. “We may never have another Jewish candidate for president in our lifetime,” he told the Journal recently. “If we don’t support one of our own, a man of unquestioned talent and integrity, we will be squandering the opportunity of a lifetime.” Some local people agree with Horwitz. James Cohen of Salem, who is active in Temple Shalom, says he backs Joe Lieberman “because he’s Jewish.” But others insist that’s not enough of a reason to support a candidate. Argues Jacob Segal: “I think we’ve come beyond that. Religion and even support for Israel are not my only criteria. I have real differences with Lieberman on school vouchers and charter schools (which he supports), and I thought he put too much God in the election when he ran with Gore.” Most local Jews strongly support Israel and the candidates who take strong positions in support of Israel’s government; several were laudatory in their comments about Bush for that reason. Robert Lappin, a major philanthropist and real estate mogul, is a registered Independent who generally votes Republican. Says Lappin: “I feel Bush’s courageous stand against terror will enure to the benefit the whole world and particularly the Jewish people. If he is successful in our war against terror, he’ll be remembered as one of our great presidents. If he fails, woe to all of us.” Democrats interviewed for this article said Bush’s support for Israel is not enough to make them cross party lines next November. “Bush is probably the best President we’ve had on Israel,” says Arthur Epstein. “But being a Democrat, I’d rather have one of us in the White House. There are lots of other issues: his economic policy isn’t reasonable, the tax cut doesn’t make sense. It’s tough out there and he doesn’t recognize it.” Michael Goldman, a Democratic political strategist from Marblehead, says that people looking for leadership often look for “who was there first — who took the right stand early on.” “It hurts Kerry,” he says, “that Dean appears to have stood up on Iraq and said the President was wrong.” The election, he thinks, will turn on the war and the economy. If the war is successful, the troops come home, and the economy turns around, Bush will win a second term, says Goldman. If the reverse happens, he can be defeated. Journal NewsQ reporter Rebecca Gil contributed to this report. The Influence of Jewish Voters America’s 5.5 million Jews make up only 2 per cent of the U.S. population. In voting terms, they are a much less potent force than Hispanic,Black, or Evangelical voters, experts say. Jews are overwhelmingly Democratic: in the Presidential election of 2000, they went 81 percent voted for Gore/ Lieberman, 19 per cent for Bush/Cheney. In states such as Florida, Ohio, or Michigan, where a close election might be determined this time, they represent less than 4 per cent of the population, so probably do not represent the swing vote. Yet, says Ira Forman of the National Jewish Democratic Council in Washington, “Jews are the most politically active minority group in the nation.” He explains: “When it comes to giving money to political campaigns, being the opinion leaders, political staffers, activists for change, Jews are disproportionately involved. ” Forman and other observers believe that President Bush will do better among Jewish voters in 2004 than in 2000 because of his strong support for Israel. But how much better is hard to judge because Jews are less and less one-issue voters. Republicans got 30 to 35 per cent of the Jewish vote throughout most of the 1970s and 1980s, swelling to 40 per cent — the highwater mark — with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Bush is given no chance of winning a majority of the Jewish vote next year. Most observers expect his Jewish support to revert to the pattern of the 1970s and 1980s, in the 30 to 35 per cent range. That means that whichever Democrat becomes that party’s standard bearer will have the support of most American Jewish voters. — Mark R. Arnold Unknown
‘Forced March’ Vet To Be Honored GARY
BAND Philip Dantowitz of Peabody, an intelligent and introverted man not overly prone to social interactions, will be honored for serving his country as an Army soldier in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and his endurance as a prisoner of war until he and the other surviving members of an 18-day Nazi-led death march were liberated on April 23, 1945. Dantowitz, 80, will be presented with an honorary membership in the Jewish War Veterans Post, and receive a citation from the city of Peabody and Congressman Tierney’s office. This recognition is in conjunction with the Veterans Day ceremonies at Peabody City Hall on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. “It’s quite a feather in our cap to have been put in touch with him, record his achievements and honor him on Veterans Day,” said Moe Sack, Commander of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States, North Shore Post 220. “This is practically an all-Jewish event,” says Sack. “We have the new rabbi of Chabad to give the invocation, Avrom Herbster will give the benediction, and we have Gloria Teller, a past president of the National Ladies Auxiliary of the Jewish War Veterans to sing “America the Beautiful.” A procession will begin at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall on Stevens Street at 10:30 a.m. and march the two blocks to City Hall in Peabody Square. Each year a different post leads the ceremonies, and this time the task falls to Post 220 and its 55 members who meet at Congregation Sons of Israel on Spring Street. The keynote speaker is Bernard Becker of Chelsea, a past national commander of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States. Peabody Mayor Michael Bonfanti will be in attendance, and invitations have been sent to Congressman John Tierney, Senator John Kerry, State Rep, Ted Speliotis, and State Senator Fred Berry. Dantowitz and his story were “discovered” when Albert Mangone of Peabody, a retired brigadier general in the Massachusetts National Guard and a Vietnam veteran, saw the PBS documentary, Berga: Soldiers of Another War in which Dantowitz was profiled. Mangone called Sack to tell him know about the unknown Jewish veteran. Born in Dorchester in 1923, Dantowitz grew up in an Orthodox family of four brothers and three sisters. Their parents, a father from Poland and a mother from Russia, were members of Congregation Agudeth Israel. He majored in mechanical engineering at Northeastern University until 1943 when a recruiter from the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps (ERC) came to campus and “sold us a bill of goods,” Dantowitz recalls with amusement. “He
said the ERC was just designed for defending our shores,” Dantowitz
says. “‘That’s the only reason you’d get called up,’”
he told us. After basic training he was sent to a training camp in Louisiana for a few months. And then the moment arrived. He was assigned to the Queen Elizabeth, a British luxury liner converted to a troop ship that would sail across the Atlantic. Close to 5,000 men filled the ship, many sleeping on deck and jockeying for the best place away from the guard rails, the wind, rain and crashing waves during the month-long journey. The ship pulled in at the port of Glasgow, Scotland. Dantowitz and the 500 members of the 110th Infantry Division took a train to England where they were given new rifles. They then took a small boat and set off for what was to be a 16-hour trip across the English Channel to France in very rough seas. “It seemed like an eternity,” the then highly seasick Dantowitz said. When they landed on a beach in France, the weather had not improved. He and the Division climbed what Dantowitz describes as an enormous hill through mud like he’s never seen. Assigned to a buddy, the teams of two put up tents in the torrential downpour. “There was more water inside than out,” he says. “It was just awful. We were frightened to death. But anything is an improvement over the seasickness.” The
men fought along with the allied armies for about a month. Paris was liberated
in July 1944, but the Allied advance to Germany stalled at the Siegfried
Line, a heavily fortified line of defense at the German border. A strategy
was need to draw the Germans out from behind their defenses. The 300 men
in the 110th Company K were assigned to occupy a small, largely deserted
farming village in Luxembourg. The men were quartered in houses, little
activity took place and the weather was good for September. But it wouldn’t. The German army soon attacked. “It came quite by surprise,” Dantowitz said. “The shell fire woke me up.” Dantowitz says he looked out a window and saw a line of German tanks approaching. The heaviest weapon they had was a .50 caliber machine gun and the highest ranking officer was a lieutenant. But the Germans, despite their show of strength, went right through the village en route to re-occupy France. “The tanks just kept rolling and the soldiers behind them kept marching,” Dantowitz recalls incredulously. “We fired our guns, but they had little effect and we soon ran out of ammunition. The Germans fired from their .88 millimeter rifles. That was an extremely frightening sound. But though the tanks were even more frightening, we were not the target of their offensive. They could have killed us all but they didn’t.” Dantowitz
and the men stayed in the village for another two days unsure what to
do. He says he heard the lieutenant calling for reinforcements, but was
informed by battalion headquarters — 20 miles away and under attack
— that none were available. He was concerned about being a Jewish soldier, especially with a dog tag that identified him as such that he did not remove; but although they were searched and belongings were taken, he says “the Jewish question never came up.” After the formal surrender, the men were taken to a place called Camp Stalag 9B near Frankfurt where the Jewish question did come up. Around 70 Jewish men were identified and placed in separate barracks where Dantowitz said life actually improved. “We had a little food, I was surrounded by Jews, it was sort of a homecoming.” They stayed there for a week before being transferred to Berga, a camp near the Czech border, in February. They stayed there for three months under difficult conditions. Very little food, hard labor, lice-infested beds of straw. “We were fed a starvation diet and worked 12 hours a day seven days a week.” On April 5, the surviving members of the camp were forced to march. For 18 days they trudged through the woods and open land, for what reason and en route to where no one knew. Although many were beaten, Dantowitz never was. But 48 men died on the march. On the morning of April 23, after a night spent in a farmhouse in Rotz, Germany, the men were preparing to march again. Dantowitz was considering hiding in a mound of hay when he heard some commotion outside and someone shouting ‘the Americans, the Americans.’ I had heard that cry before and it never came true. So when i heard that i thought it was just another hoax. But I got up out of the high loft where I was hiding, looked out the window and saw a German guard on his knees surrounded by soldiers and prisoners.” One hundred and sixty men were liberated from the Germans on the morning of April 23, and the war ended on May 7. Dantowitz returned to America via New York harbor in June and quickly returned to his home town. He married his childhood sweetheart Charlotte, whom he met at Hecht House in Dorchester, in 1945. He graduated from Northeastern in 1947 and earned a masters in mechanical engineering from Harvard a year later. Dantowitz and his wife moved to Peabody in 1957 and he worked for GE in Lynn for close to 30 years, retiring in 1982. The couple has two sons, one in Peabody, the other in Brookline, and twin granddaughters. Of the war experience Dantowitz admits it was a “harrowing experience.” And even though he almost didn’t make it back on any number of occasions, he doesn’t regret his involvement for a second. Baseball Legend Johnny Pesky Fields Questions from Temple Shalom’s Men’s Club SUSAN
JACOBS Johnny
Pesky is, and always has been, a first-class act. After retiring as a player, he coached and managed for the Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox and Pirates organizations. He served as manager of the Red Sox for two seasons, 1963-64, where he posted a combined record of 146 wins and 175 losses. He worked in the Red Sox broadcast booth from 1969 to 1974, and continues, to this day, to serve the team as a consultant. The dapper Pesky, who is trim, sharp, and at 84 years old still sports a full head of hair, spoke diplomatically about the current team. The 80 attendees asked about controversial Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez (“he’s a pretty good kid”), former Red Sox manager Grady Little (“I liked Grady very much. He was one of the nicest guys you could meet.”) and star pitcher Pedro Martinez (“as good a pitcher as we’ve ever had around here, although Clemens was the best, in my opinion.”) Pesky, who willingly signed autographs and posed for pictures, had a nice word for everyone. “It all goes back to how you were raised. You have to respect people,” he shrugs. Pesky was a Depression Baby, born in 1919 in Portland, OR. He told the audience that he attended a predominantly Jewish high school in Portland where he had some Jewish friends. “I didn’t go to college. I was a jock,” he said. “I played ball in high school, and scouts used to come watch. I got offers from several teams. Mr. Johnson was the scout from Boston. He always used to bring flowers for my mother and a bottle of bourbon for my father. When it came time for me to choose which offer to take, Ma said, ‘Go with Mr. Johnson to Boston.’ I did, even though their offer wasn’t the best one that I received.” Sixty some-odd-years later, Pesky doesn’t regret his decision. “Boston has been very good to me. I like Boston. My brother still lives in the house Mr. Yawkey paid for 50 years ago. (Pesky lives in Swampscott.) Some people ask me why I don’t move back to Oregon or down to Florida. They say, ‘It’s too damn cold in Boston.’ I say, ‘Stay in the house!’” Over the years, Pesky played alongside some of the greatest names in baseball history, including fellow West Coast teammates Dom DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr. “Ted Williams would say that Joe DiMaggio was the best player in the game, but I thought Williams was by far the greatest hitter. God took size and strength away from me, but at least I could consistently make contact with the ball and run,” said Pesky, who weighed just 168 lbs. in his prime. Since Pesky was not known as a home run hitter, it is ironic that Pesky’s Pole in Fenway Park is named after him. Sox pitcher Mel Parnell coined the term in the 1950s after Pesky hit a home run just beyond Fenway Park’s right-field foul pole. That home run, one of only six homers Pesky ever hit at Fenway Park, won the game for Parnell. Although he wasn’t a big home run slugger, Pesky’s career stats are impressive. Over the course of 10 seasons, the left-handed batter, who rarely struck out, hit an average of .307. On May 8, 1946, he became the first American League player to score six runs in one game. In 1947, he hit an American League high 207 hits. When asked abut his opinion on what happened in the infamous Game 7 of the 2003 American League playoffs, (when the Red Sox blew a lead and then went on to lose the game and a berth in the World Series) Pesky said simply, “We should have won. I can understand how (pitchers) Pedro and Wakefield felt.” He has been in the same position. He was labeled the goat in 1946 when the Red Sox lost to the Cardinals in Game 7 of the World Series. In the bottom of the eighth inning in a tie game, there were two outs with a man (Enos Slaughter) on first base. The batter hit a soft line drive into left-center field which ordinarily would have moved the runner to third. However Slaughter was running with the pitch, hoping to steal second. The center fielder relayed the ball to shortstop Pesky, who was too late to nab Slaughter racing home with the go-ahead run. Although the play at home plate would have been impossible, Pesky got all the blame. The Red Sox lost the World Series, and some fans still don’t forgive him. Pesky has learned that baseball is a tough business, especially in Boston. “I’ve learned that if you mess up, don’t make excuses. What are you going to do, jump off the Mystic River Bridge?” he says. He acknowledges that the game of baseball has changed dramatically over the years. “The game today is so different. In our era, if you played, you had to play nine innings. Now they count pitches and you have guys who study at MIT and Harvard analyzing the game,” he says. “You have the DH (designated hitter) rule, which personally I don’t like. I say, let the pitcher hit. A lot of them, like Tom Seaver, were pretty good hitters. Today you’ve got specialists in the bullpen who will pitch to one or two batters. In our day, we had iron men, not wooden men,” he adds. Every morning, Pesky and and several “Breakfast Club” buddies meet at the local Salem Diner to eat and talk sports. Invariably, the conversation turns to whether if the Red Sox will ever win another World Series. (Their last championship was in 1918.) “I plan to live a few more years, but before I die, I want to see us win a World Series because the fans around here deserve it,” says Pesky.
Running for a Reason Local Girls Attempt Their First Marathon to Raise Money for Leukemia & Lymphoma SUSAN
JACOBS This is the first marathon for each of them. To prepare for the grueling 26.2 mile race, they are receiving professional coaching from the Society’s ‘Team in Training’ program. ‘Team in Training’ members are paired with a person who acts as their inspiration to finish the race. Barnett-Green and Standley have been paired with Noel “Noelie” Reed of Avon, MA. Six-year-old Noelie was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year. After undergoing intense chemotherapy and numerous surgeries, he is currently in remission. But he is just one of thousands battling the disease. Each week 2,000 new cases of leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma (blood-related cancers) are diagnosed. Leukemia is the number one killer of children, yet it affects ten times as many adults. Until a cure is discovered, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society remains dedicated to supporting research and improving the quality of life for patients and their families. In July, Standley and Barnett-Green personally met Noelie and his mother Sarah. During that emotional meeting, Sarah told them, “If you succeed and cross that finish line, my son has a better chance of fighting off this cancer.” Both Noel and his mother will be in Disney World waiting at the finish line to cheer on Standley and Barnett-Green, who will be wearing wristbands in honor of the boy. “The challenge in training for a marathon pales in comparison to the challenge that patients like Noel face on a daily basis battling this disease,” says Standley, who admits that Noel is not her only inspiration for running the race. “I will also be running in honor of my mother, Rose Standley, who battled a different kind of cancer for a few years and is now a cancer survivor. If they (both) can fight off a killer sickness, it gives me all the motivation to train and finish the Disney marathon,” she adds. Barnett-Green,
who had been training in Boston with Standley, relocated to Phoenix last
month because her husband Tyler got a job there. She is currently working
out with the Society’s ‘Team in Training’ in Arizona. Barnett-Green’s
husband Tyler and Standley’s boyfriend Jerry Kelliher have been very
supportive and have helped the women raise money through clients and friends.
“It amazes me how generous people are,” remarked Barnett-Green.
Donations in any amount are appreciated and are 100% tax-deductible. Checks can be made payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Mail them to Julie Standley, 4 Longfellow Pl., Apt. 2402, Boston, MA 02114. Readers can also charge a contribution to their credit card. For more information on this option, call Standley directly at 781-608-0568.
Some Notable Goings On at the Journal MARK
ARNOLD Here are some developments we think you ought to know about: • B’nai Tzedek program. Lots of 13-year olds become bar and bat mitzvah in our community. Some of them elect to donate a portion of their gift money to tzedakah (charity) by setting up a philanthropic fund in their name. A $200 gift from the child is matched by a $300 donation from the Continuity Committee of the JFNS to establish a $500 philanthropic fund in his or her name. Then yearly, for 20 years, participants can make a donation to a Jewish charity of their choice on the North Shore. We want to encourage more kids to practice tzedakah. Therefore, beginning this issue, we will profile every youngster who joins this worthwhile program. • Russian survey. To better understand the current needs of our Russian readers, two issues ago (Oct. 10) we ran a survey on our Russian page, in Russian. In hopes of getting a larger response, we are running it once again in both Russian and English. Why English? Because some of those New Americans, or their children, may be more comfortable in English. (The English will also prove helpful to those who wonder what we are asking the Russians about.) Please: Don’t fill out the survey unless you are Russian. If you are Russian, fill out only one version — English or Russian, one per family. • Journal Rock Concert. The Journal will be sponsoring a rock concert on Nov. 23 by the Israeli rock group Reva l’Sheva (quarter of seven, in Hebrew). Why are we doing this? Because our mission commits us to helping people “lead Jewishly meaningful lives and connect with others who are doing so.” Rock is a crucial tool to reach young people. The band is described as “one of the few spiritually focused rock bands that both religious and secular Israelis enjoy.” And it is prominent enough to be featured at the General Assembly of major Jewish organizations, meeting in Jerusalem Nov. 16. This will be the group’s only New England appearance and we’ll be raffling off tickets for those who are interested. Tickets are limited and can be ordered at 781-581-3833. • Volunteers Wanted. As a nonprofit struggling to overcome a deficit, we need helping hands. Proofreaders, advertising clerks, envelope stuffers, receptionists, and people who can undertake special projects — if you have the time and interest in any of these tasks, call us at 978-745-4111 x130. You’ll learn how a community newspaper comes to life! • Krav Maga. The Israeli system of self-defense was featured in a major story by assistant editor Susan Jacobs in our Oct. 24 issue. Now we discover that actress Jennifer Lopez got a crash course in this martial art and demonstrates it in her new movie, Enough. What does she think of Krav Maga? She likes it, according to an interview in extra.com, because “women can kind of overpower men and deflect and get out of the way and really kind of fight dirty.” To which we say: Jennifer, Enough!
Students Spellbound by Genocide-Survivor Stories HARRIET
WACKS Eight hundred high school students from area communities sat spellbound as three victims of persecution shared their stories of survival at the annual Human Rights Day sponsored by the Holocaust Center, Boston North Inc. All three speakers recalled wonderful childhoods and loving families — and being totally unprepared for what was to befall them. Sayon Soeun, a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide, told of his abduction and forced recruitment into the Khmer Rouge at the age of six. He was forced to crawl on his back and stomach under barbed wire carrying a machine gun almost every day. He regularly witnessed tortures and killings that turned him numb to all emotion. He message to the students was the importance of education. Ernest Rugwizangonga, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide, learned only at age 15 that his family came from the Tutsi tribe of Rwanda. Shortly afterwards, he and his eight siblings were warned that the ruling Hutu tribe had decided to kill all Tutsis. He was one of the few to survive. His message to the students was that any kind of war is wrong and that we must resolve our conflicts peacefully. Rena Finder survived the Holocaust because she was fortunate to be chosen for “Schindler’s List.” Most of her family was murdered. Her three weeks in Auschwitz left an indelible mark on her. Yet her message to the students was that one person can make a difference, and that we can make the right choices. Students from Malden Catholic High responded to the program with superlatives. “I know that I walk away from this program with a new experience that may influence or even change my life,” said one. “It is programs like this that will ensure the events these people lived through will never happen again.”
Visiting Rabbi Discusses Why Jews Should Marry Jews
SUSAN
JACOBS SWAMPSCOTT – Why marry Jewish? Rabbi Alan Silverstein, president of the World Council of Synagogues and the conservative religious leader of Agudath Israel in West Caldwell, NJ, discussed this key question at Temple Beth El in Swampscott on Oct. 28. Free copies of the book Why Marry Jewish? Surprising Reasons for Jews to Marry Jews by Doron Kronbluth were distributed to all attendees. The program, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the North Shore, was designed to help parents feel more comfortable about initiating a dialog with their children about the importance of in-marriage. The approximately 80 attendees listened attentively to Silverstein, author of It All Begins With a Date: Parent/Young Adult Dialogues About Interdating. “The issue of Jewish continuity is the core concern of those who want to pass on our sacred legacy,” says Silverstein, who regards Judaism as a sacred treasure or heirloom. He cited recent Jewish population statistics indicating that our numbers are down by 6 percent or more. Silverstein, who has been pontificating on this subject for a decade, admits that there is no one magic bullet to assure that youngsters will marry within the faith. To improve the odds, he suggests joining a synagogue, sending children to Jewish preschool, providing a formal Jewish education from ages 5-16, enrolling kids in Jewish summer camp, giving them an Israel experience, encouraging participation in Jewish youth groups, urging them to attend one of the 40-50 colleges nationwide that have campuses with a strong Jewish presence, and, perhaps most importantly, maintaining a vibrant Jewish home. The middle-aged Silverstein, who holds a Ph.D. in American Jewish History, grew up in a very Jewish neighborhood in Philadelphia where “interdating was an Orthodox Jew dating a Conservative Jew.” In his era, dating a non-Jew was inconceivable. He acknowledges that times have changed, but he remains steadfast in his message. During the lecture, he asked (and answered) many of the typical questions that arise around the subject of intermarriage. These include: Q.
Where in the Bible does it say you can’t intermarry? Q.
Isn’t it racist to date only Jews? Q.
All the Jewish girls (or boys) I know are ‘JAPS.’ Q.
It’s just a date. I’m not going to marry this person. Q.
But I really love (whomever.) Don’t you want me to be happy? Q.
We really love and respect each other. We can work out the differences. Q.
It’s only a date. If we ultimately decide to marry, he (or she) can
always convert. Q.
I’ll raise my kids with an understanding of both religions, and when
they are old enough, they can choose whichever religion they want. With the current divorce rate in America hovering at around 50 percent, Silverstein admits that it is hard enough for a marriage today to succeed. When there are major obstacles (e.g. different religions), it becomes even tougher. He believes that it is best for people to date individuals whose values and lifestyle are similar to their own. “If
you’re an ardent vegetarian, you wouldn’t date someone in the
meatpacking industry,” he says. He urges parents not to be intimidated by the sensitivity of the issue. “Break the ice and engage in a serious discussion about the issues rather than be cowed into silence because you are uncomfortable with the subject,” he concludes.
Super Sunday Volunteers Reach Out to Community AMY SESSLER POWELL More than 200 people turned out on Super Sunday to make phone calls, serve food, stuff envelopes and do the important work of fund-raising for the Jewish community at large. “Everyone
who participated in Super Sunday, both the volunteers and the donors,
helped advance the quality of Jewish life here on the North Shore and
around the world, said Federation Executive Director Merritt Mulman.”
Super Sunday is the largest single fund-raising day for the Community Campaign of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore. Funds raised through the community campaign fund our local agencies as well Jewish agencies in Israel and around the world. The efforts of so many people bore fruit as $132,200 was raised from the the hundreds of people called, including 288 new gifts valued at $18,270, and 128 increases of $7,850. In addition, some 40 volunteers will continue in telethons scheduled throughout the month of November. Many of the volunteers who turned out yesterday spoke of the importance of having a vibrant Jewish community and of their own willingness to advance that cause with work that is not always glamorous. “I’m here because I’m Jewish and the Jewish community is very important to me,” said Mitchell Jacobson. “The Jewish Federation is the network, the glue for many services in the community. Imagine a community without it and you realize how lucky we are to have it. Look at all the kids that go to Israel, the people who get kosher meals-on-wheels and the kids that go to Hillel. We have an obligation to support each other.” Deborah Nathan agreed. “Federation is so important. It is our link to the Jewish community at large, the one unifying force. There are so many people in our community that are forgotten that Federation touches. Even if you don’t agree with every aspect, you know your money is going to a place where it will have a positive impact.” Some volunteers were there for the very first time. Hillary Steinbrook, a senior at Marblehead High School, was looking for volunteer opportunities to fulfill the requirements of National Honor Society. She heard about Super Sunday when she received the electronic newsletter on her email “I need to volunteer but I prefer to do it in ways that have meaning for me. Helping my Jewish community is one that has meaning to me,” said Steinbrook. Others have been making calls on Super Sunday for years. Glen Yanco said he first got involved more than 10 years ago through the JCC in Peabody, but has been touched personally by so many aspects of Federation over the years. “My kids went to Hillel. We found Rekindle Shabbat to be important as far as helping to keep our children Jewish. That is one of the biggest issues facing our community,” said Yanco. “In terms of Y2I, Hillel and other educational programs in our community, it is important to keep funding programs. This is the day the community expects to be called.” Many also recognized their obligation as Jews to raise money and to take care of others in the community. Kate Friedman said she initially got involved in Women’s Division to meet people when she moved to the area. Her reason for making calls on Super Sunday is that she recognizes her obligation as a Jew. “People don’t just give money. They need to be called. It has to be done,” said Friedman. “I get satisfaction when I get a new donor, an increase or a renewal.” Linda Greenseid said, “I have been deeply involved in the community for years and I really believe all of us here can make this a better community. There are services here that really help people we don’t even know about and they are here because of the hundreds of people here today. My two kids went to Hillel and received a phenomenal education. I want that available to others.”
National News Brandeis Editors Resign Over Race Scandal JILL
SUZANNE JACOBS WALTHAM, MA. (JTA) — A racial slur that appeared in Brandeis University’s student newspaper has led to the resignation of five of the paper’s editors, including the editor in chief. In a column in the Brandeis Justice, Dan Passner referred to Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker, who is black, by quoting another Brandeis student: “The only thing Baker has a Ph.D. in is something that starts with an N and rhymes with Tigger, the cheerful scamp who stole all of our hearts in the Winnie-the-Pooh series.” The student who allegedly was quoted denied making the statement. The column and subsequent resignations have raised the issue of minority students at Brandeis, which was founded in 1948 by American Jews and is named after the first U.S. Supreme Court justice who was Jewish. About half of the students at the Boston-area school are Jewish, according to Dennis Nealon, Brandeis’ director of media relations. The offending issue of the Justice, which is independent of the school administration, first was printed online and then hit newsstands on Oct. 21, generating anger, shock, sadness and disbelief across the campus. The president’s office and the student union issued condemnations. The Justice’s editorial staff held a forum to discuss race relations on campus. Representatives of the Brandeis Black Student Organization attended, but they walked out because they felt their demands were not being met. The newspaper “betrayed us as Brandeis students,” said Justine Moore, a senior majoring in economics and a representative of the black student group. “It really set us back and hurt us deeply. We knew we had to take a stand and get restitution, and the people responsible should pay.” Some
minority students at Brandeis say they feel a double sense of alienation
because they are both non-white and non-Jewish. Classes are canceled on most Jewish holidays, and some minority students complained that one of the cafeterias closes early on Fridays, before the Jewish Sabbath. But
Emily Aranoff, a freshman majoring in Near Eastern and Jewish Studies,
disagreed that there’s a problem on campus. Enrollment
at the private, Jewish-sponsored nonsectarian university stands at approximately
4,000, including 1,000 graduate students. But students said racial tension needed to be addressed more fully on campus. “There isn’t enough open dialogue” about issues of intergroup relations, said Meredith Glansberg, the paper’s newly appointed interim editor in chief. “Things get swept under the rug. When you look around campus you see people sitting with people who look like them, and I think that’s an issue,” she said. Glansberg said the Justice hoped to set up forums, dialogues and speakers on issues of diversity and racism. Senior Ari Gladstein said Brandeis missed an opportunity to address the larger issue of diversity and race relations on campus. “Instead of quibbling about consequences, we lost an opportunity as a campus as a whole to address the issue of racism,” he said. Such issues have been on the administration’s agenda for the past few years. In 2001, the university’s president, Jehuda Reinharz, appointed a committee “to study, report and take an active role in ensuring diversity and inclusion” at Brandeis. One outgrowth of the committee was the Brandeis Intercultural Center, which promotes diversity and intergroup relations. According to the school’s Web site, one of the center’s programs is a campus-wide show called “Culture X,” which showcases “the many forms of diversity — racial, religious, gender — found in the Brandeis community.” A “diversity requirement” in which undergraduates would be required to take one class reflective of minority experiences, such as an African-American history class, is being considered. On Oct. 27, the Justice announced its intention to print its next edition without a response from the black students group. In protest, about 50 students rallied outside the paper’s office for six hours overnight. “The
Justice wrote the most offensive word in American history and were unwilling
to comply with the people they hurt,” Moore said. While
both sides described the protest as “peaceful,” Heyman added
that the experience was frightening for him and his staff. Presses were halted, Heyman resigned and the paper was printed last Friday with the black students’ response on the front page. The mood on campus that day was calm. Posters displayed around campus read, “Diversity does not equal racism.” The posters had been hung by the Brandeis Intercultural Center prior to the incident. Students, including black students, expressed a desire to move on. “The editors didn’t do their job,” said Igor Barshteyn, a Brandeis senior majoring in psychology. “I don’t think it’s really reflective of racial tension on campus. But it shouldn’t have been printed.” For his part, the offending student had no answers for his actions. “I don’t know why I wrote it,” former sportswriter Passner said. “If I had known it would have caused any hurt feelings, I never would have written it.”
Progress on Falash Mura? URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK (JTA) — Increased pressure from American Jewish organizational officials is driving preliminary talks on a new deal to bring thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel before famine takes a heavy toll on the community remaining in Ethiopia. Coming on the eve of a federation-sponsored trip to Ethiopia, federation leaders, advocates for Ethiopian Jews, representatives of Jewish humanitarian groups and Israeli government officials met recently in Jerusalem to discuss new ways of expediting the emigration process for thousands of Falash Mura left in Ethiopia. The Falash Mura are Ethiopians whose Jewish ancestors converted to Christianity, often under social pressure, but who have resumed practicing Judaism and whose Jewishness is accepted by all three major Jewish religious denominations, including Israel’s chief rabbinate. Critics of deals to bring the Falash Mura to Israel charge that many of those left in Ethiopia are claiming Jewish ancestry merely to escape the famine and hardship of Africa. In a landmark decision last February, Israel’s Cabinet voted to immediately verify the Jewish ancestry of some 19,000 Falash Mura so they could be brought to Israel. Since 1998, Israel has absorbed about 2,500 Falash Mura immigrants per year. In the months since the Cabinet decision, however, little action has been taken and the verification process has stalled, prompting advocates for Ethiopian Jewry to blame Israel’s interior minister, Avraham Poraz, for foot-dragging. Poraz, who is responsible for implementing the Cabinet decision, declined to comment for this story. At the heart of the debate is the exact number of Falash Mura left in Ethiopia, and the cost to Israel of absorbing the immigrants. Participants said the closed-door meeting in Jerusalem on Oct. 23 was the first time an agreement was proposed with the potential to satisfy both skeptical Israeli officials like Poraz — who fear that bringing the Falash Mura to Israel will open the floodgates to an unknown number of Ethiopian immigrants with dubious claims to Jewish ancestry — and Jewish activists seeking to rescue Ethiopian Jews from famine and bring them to the Jewish homeland. “At the meeting, a proposal was brought to the table that reasonable people believe should satisfy all reasonable objections to the issue,” said one participant, who asked not to be identified. That
view was confirmed by other participants of the meeting, most of whom
refused to comment publicly about the discussions. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, one of only two Jewish groups running relief operations in Ethiopia, said it would welcome such a deal. “We would be happy to close down if the Falash Mura issue were resolved,” said Amir Shaviv, the JDC’s assistant executive vice president. “We’re there to maintain medical services. If these people were to go to Israel, we wouldn’t need to be there anymore.” The exact details of the proposed agreement have yet to be worked out, and it remains to be seen how quickly a deal could be implemented or whether, in fact, there exists sufficient political will to see a deal through. Until a deal is worked out to enforce the Cabinet decision, Ethiopia advocates say the risks of death and disease for the thousands remaining in Ethiopia are growing. “The Falash Mura have always lived in the most deplorable of conditions, and now there is famine and a malaria epidemic, which is probably the most virulent in history,” said Ricki Lieberman, chief operating officer and director of public affairs at the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry, or NACOEJ. “I
hope that all of these factors are coming together to make the Israeli
government understand that it must act effectively and quickly, and that
the American Jewish community must help NACOEJ feed and help this community
stay alive until they can get to Israel.” In Israel, advocates for the Ethiopians are pursuing legal action to force Poraz to accelerate the emigration process. But the prospect raised at the recent meeting of an agreement between Poraz, Jewish humanitarian groups working in Ethiopia and U.S. federation leaders could render such a move superfluous.
International News ‘Geneva Accord’ Renews Israel’s Partisan Struggle LESSLIE SUSSER JERUSALEM (JTA) — After three years in the political wilderness, the Israeli left has something to cheer about: The so-called “Geneva accord,” negotiated by a group of Israeli doves and Palestinian moderates, has revived dormant hopes of a peace agreement with the Palestinians and given the left a shot in the arm. Right-wing and centrist critics insist that the Geneva negotiators have done more harm than good. At the least, what the group of doves led by former Cabinet minister Yossi Beilin has done is to set the parameters of debate in Israel on the terms of a final peace agreement with the Palestinians. For with the U.S.-backed “road map” peace plan in tatters and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Karia locked in a power struggle with P.A. President Yasser Arafat, Beilin led a team that met with Palestinian figures to work out a prospective peace deal that entails far deeper Israeli concessions than any previous plan. The Palestinian negotiators are close to Arafat and reportedly have his backing. None of the Israelis involved in the talks holds public office — many were associated with the government of Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who was trounced at the polls in February 2001 following peace offers that many Israelis considered too generous — or has authority to negotiate in Israel’s name. But that hasn’t stopped the plan from garnering major attention in Israel and in Europe, where the accord is to be signed in early November. Opening the Knesset’s winter session on Oct. 20, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rejected the agreement as an “illusion” that would encourage the Palestinians to go back on their commitment under the road map to fight terrorism. The Geneva initiative differs from the road map by making a giant leap to a final peace deal while terrorism continues unabated. In contrast, the road map insists on step-by-step fulfillment of numerous obligations — especially an end to terrorism — before permanent status issues are discussed. Still, there is a potential meeting point between the two plans. If the roadmap’s two interim phases are implemented and a mini-Palestinian state has been established, the Geneva initiative could then provide a model for a final deal. However, even if the Sharon government does get past phase two of the roadmap, it’s unlikely to endorse the far-reaching concessions called for in the Geneva accord. The Palestinians might have other ideas, though, and critics say that’s the most invidious aspect of the proposal: In any future official negotiations, they argue, the unauthorized Geneva “concessions” will serve as a starting point for new Palestinian demands. Among
the fiercest critics has been Barak, who derided the proposal as “delusional”
and said it lacks key elements upon which Israel must insist: There is
no explicit Palestinian waiver of the demand that refugees be granted
a “right of return” to homes they fled during Israel’s
1948 War of Independence, nor is there explicit recognition of Israel’s
right to exist as a Jewish state. On territory, the Palestinians would get the Gaza Strip and 98 percent of the West Bank — including the city of Ariel, which they did not get at Taba — plus Israeli land near Gaza to make up for the rest. On Jerusalem, the agreement would give the Palestinians administrative control of the Temple Mount, with a multinational force guaranteeing free movement and security on the ground. Israel would get sovereignty over the Western Wall and the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives. As at Taba, Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem would constitute Israel’s capital, while Arab and other non-Jewish neighborhoods of the city would become the capital of Palestine. The biggest stumbling block in previous negotiations was the refugee issue. In the Geneva accord, the Palestinians refused to waive their demand for a right of return, a key element in their historical narrative of dispossession. Israel fears that such a right would delegitimize the Jewish state and — if it leads to a flood of refugees into Israel — effectively spell its end. The Geneva text refers to U.N. General Assembly Resolution 194, U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 and the 2001 Saudi peace initiative — which, some analysts say, is tantamount to bringing in the right of return through the back door. The agreement would allow each refugee to choose between five options, including settling in Israel. Though Israel could limit its intake of refugees, the agreement says that Israel “will take into account the average number taken in by the third countries.” That means Israel could find itself pressed to take in tens of thousands of refugees by the international committee that the agreement envisions processing applications. Critics say the Israeli negotiators were so intent on clinching a deal to boost their political fortunes that they gave away far too much. They also accuse Beilin’s group of subverting democratic processes by arrogating a role reserved for the elected government. The doves counter that the agreement fills a political vacuum caused by the government’s failure to initiate far-reaching peace moves. Moreover, they say, it shows that there indeed is someone to talk to on the Palestinian side. Former Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna, one of the negotiators, calls the initiative “a historic turning point” that enables Israeli and Palestinian leaders “to understand exactly what each side is ready to give up.” At
the least, the issues raised by the accord are sure to become central
in Israel’s domestic debate in the weeks and months ahead. But the
key to its fate depends on whether the international community adopts
the accord and tries to impose it on the parties — and that remains
unlikely. Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report. Features JTA News Briefs Israel
Offers first U.N. bill Defense
Aid Upped Palestinian
Power Struggle Drags On Hamas:
U.S. Should Help ‘Truce’ Putin Meets
with Sharon European
Poll: Israel is Threat 100,000
Rally for Rabin Wolfowitz
Praises Ayalon Plan Sharon
Grilled on Scandals L.A. Newspaper
Discusses ‘Protocols’ Feinstein
Likes Geneva Deal People in the News
Your
Money Matters MARK
SINGER The week of November 17 has been designated Retirement Planning Week. Launched by financial services and pension groups, along with a presidential letter of support, the focus of this effort is simple: to call attention to the need for retirement planning. We all know that people nowadays are living longer. On average, Americans lived to age 67 when the Social Security system was created in the 1930s. Today, life expectancy for men is 76 and for women is 80. The reality of longer life is putting a tremendous strain on our public retirement and health care systems. That’s why there is so much debate about how to make the adjustments necessary to enhance, or save, Social Security and other government assistance programs. The longevity trend puts pressure on a number of different areas of our lives. First, the workplace is having to face the issue of what retirement means now that the employee who faces normal retirement age is healthier and more productive than ever. The question of “forced” retirement certainly comes into question. Why move out one of the company’s most valued assets just because he or she has turned 65? The traditional definition of retirement — spending the last years beyond 65 sitting back and watching the grandchildren grow — is evolving into a more dynamic definition of one’s role in life. The second issue addresses the number one fear of retirees: running out of money. With income necessary for a longer period of time, more emphasis will be placed on professionally managing retirement portfolios. Taking on the appropriate amount of “risk” becomes more important than taking on no risk because taking on “no risk” may mean that the portfolio becomes depleted too soon. The third issue involves those planning for retirement who are raising families of their own. When so many worked for corporate America, forced saving plans, such as 401k or 403b plans, became the vehicle of choice for saving for retirement. With so many now working on their own, or in their own companies, and with the trend for many in the workplace to change jobs and careers more often than before, the onus is now on the individual to put in place a systematic saving plan. Finally, the family unit will have to deal with the issue of “the sandwich generation,” those who are parents to teenagers and may also be caring for their own ailing parents (the grandparents), putting an additional strain on finances and relationships. Clearly,
retirement is a conversation that should be addressed at the dinner table.
It impacts every aspect of our lives, young and old. Take time out during
the week of November 17 to share your thoughts and fears about what retirement
means with your family and peers.
Israeli Citizen-Soldier Voices Concerns about Call Up JOSEPH
YUDIN It used to be fun. That was the first thing I thought when I received my reserve duty call- up orders last month. Yes when I was in my twenties I would actually look forward to the olive drab uniforms, the desert Hummer exercises, the endless field training of the latest weaponry, and I would even be anxious to get out onto the “frontlines,” whether it be in Lebanon, Shechem (Nablus) or Gaza. I wanted to do my duty and I had fun roughing it with my closest buddies and the greatest military technology at our fingertips. I felt a connection with my comrades, my countrymen and my past. Indeed, looking out over the Land of Israel as a soldier in a Jewish army made me feel the connection to the warriors of the Judges, the Kingdoms and the Maccabees. Also, for one month out of every year, it was a relief to get out of the rat race and into the field. It was actually quite fun. Times have changed. Today we are not patrolling cities, villages, frontiers and borders in an effort to keep the peace and a sense of normalcy until a final settlement can be reached with the Palestinian leadership. A war is raging and I am about to go out to the front. Today I am a 35-year-old man with a wife, two kids and a huge mortgage. I have some major responsibilities. If, God forbid, something happens to me there will be some major repercussions. When I was a twenty-something gung-ho kid, I had only myself to worry about. Not today. For these reasons, I simply do not want to go. I do not want to get shot at. I do not want to chase terrorists through tunnels and alleyways throughout the Kasbah. I don’t want my wife to cry herself to sleep at night while dealing with a three-year-old, a baby and a full-time job. There are other reasons I do not want to go, as well. Not everyone does reserve duty. For instance, the vast majority of Israeli women do not do reserve duty. The vast majority of ultra-Orthodox do not do reserve duty or the regular army. The vast majority of Israeli Arabs not only are exempt from reserve duty and the regular army, but terrorists rarely target their communities for terror. Think about it: They are the only Arab community in the Middle East that lives in peace, votes in fair and free elections, is well educated, has free health care, is economically secure, does not serve in the armed forces and is not afraid to speak its minds. Lastly, many Israelis simply do not show up for reserve duty — or show up the first day with a “doctor’s note” and go home. In fact, according to Ha’aretz daily, “70 percent of [Israeli] men between 21 and 45 years-old do not do reserve service.” The other day I told a friend who did reserve duty until his 30th birthday that I would be going into one of the West Bank’s cities for a month or more. He looked at me deadpan and said, “Don’t go. There are enough insane Israelis around to do the reserves. They don’t need you. If there is a major war and they need you, they will make you go.” He had a good point. Maybe I shouldn’t go. If there is a major war, they will call me and I will report. Do they really need me, a slightly overweight, out-of-shape 35-year-old tour guide? There are plenty of strapping young lads ready to take time off from their studies to play soldier. I have paid my dues. Yesterday I took a group on a tour off the beaten track in the upper-western Galilee. As I was riding back on the Egged bus from Nahariya to my moshav, the top of the hour struck. Everyone stopped conversing with their neighbor as the bus driver turned up the volume to the radio as every driver does on every hour just after the five beeps beckon all passengers to listen to the hourly news updates. Three soldiers had been killed by a Palestinian who infiltrated the settlement of Netzarim in Gaza, two young women aged 19 and one young man 20 years of age. No one spoke for the rest of the ride back to Afula. The only thought that crossed my mind was that at any given moment, during any day of the week, there is a Palestinian who is trying to get through our defenses and into a mall, a café or a home in order to kill Jews. If soldiers are not sent into harm’s way, then harm will come home to our citizens. That is a fact…and a wake-up call. If I am called upon, as a soldier, to fight this war and to protect our citizens of all backgrounds, then that is my duty…and I will do it. Tune in next month to see how it went. Joseph Yudin, a reservist in the IDF paratroopers, was born and raised in Wyckoff, NJ. He has been living in Israel for 11 years and is a licensed tour guide. He can be reached by e-mail at joe_yudin@hotmail.com. Accepting the Reality of Islamic anti-Semitism CHARLES
JACOBS The emergence of the new global anti-Semitism has signaled the end of the post-Holocaust respite where Jew-hatred as a mobilizing force was put on the shelf. The recent Islamic conference, where retiring Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad urged Moslems to modernize and defeat the world’s Jews, was an indication of the growing indecency envelopi |