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Goldwasser heads AJWF
slate of officers for 1977
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Atlanta Jewish Welfare
Federation incoming president,
David Goldwasser, assumed of
fice Tuesday, calling for broader
involvement by the community
in Federation’s wide-ranging ac
tivities. . ’
“More of our people, involving
all segments of Jewish life,”
Goldwasser said, “must be ac
tivated in the year-round work
of AJWF irt order to develop an
understanding of the alms and
needs of the organization. Only
with this wider exposure can we
broaden the base of giving, and
take care of the needs we face.”
— Giting the “growing needs” of
the community and Israel,
Goldwaaser indicated that “our
population is growing, our aged
are multiplying, our society is
more Complex, our children are
living in a new world and oUr
community is deeply concerned
about-Jewish identity and sur
vival."
* President Goldwasser
succeeds Sidney Feldman, who
becomes honorary president.
Vice presidents are Henry Birn-
brey, Community Services and
A Holocaust victim’s “page of testimony" recently sent
to Yad Vashem. (See story page 13.)
'Let my people go
Repression of Soviet Jews
an alarming developmenf
tanning, Dr. Marvta C. Gok
n§f Campaign and Allocatioi
Michael Schwartz, Community
Relations and Internal Jewish
Affairs. Also elected: Edward
Krick, treasurer; Mrs. Jack I.
Freedman, assistant treasurer;
Mrs. Harvey Jacobson,
secretary; M. C. Gettinger, assis
tant secretary.
President Goldwasser has a
wide rapge of activities in the
community. He is a former vice
lent and director of
David Qo/t
by Jack Qeidbart
In the past several weeks the
Soviets have stepped up anti-
Jewish actions to a tempo that is
very disturbing. Their purpose
now seems not only to harass the
Jews into conforming to Com
munism but to eliminate all
vestiges of Judaism as well.
The Russians are intent on
eliminating the Jewish religion
— not necessarily by use of box
cars and concentration camps —
but by methods equally in
sidious and alarming. They are
attempting to deprive the Jews
in Russia of their status as per
sons.
In what appears to be a
systematic attempt to break the
Russian Jewish emigration
movement, Soviet authorities
have escalated their attacks on
Jewish “refuseniks” — those
Jews who have applied for and
been refused exit visas.
In an unprecedented move, the
Soviet government newspaper,
lives tin, recently accused these
“refuseniks” of being agents of
the American government’s
CIA. The article accused them of
being “dedicated to the destruc
tion of the Soviet state.” Also
implicated in the sharp Kremlin
attack were Western cor
respondents and personnel at
the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
There are now more than 2,-
000 “refuseniks” being held,
some of them waiting up to 7
years for exit visas. They are out-
Symphony Orchestra; vice presi
dent and trustee of the Atlanta
Arts Alliance; governor of the
American Jewish Committee;
former national president of
Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity;
former vice president of the
Temple; and the recipient of the
1976 Human Relations Award of
the American Jewish Com
mittee.-
fKT2W
mm
pres:
National Service Industries;
president of the Atlanta
Israol as 51st state?
Tel Aviv (ZINS) — The founder of the religious
Reconstructionist philosophy in America who is now a resi
dent of Israel, 95-year-old Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, recently
proposed a solution to Israel’s problems. His thesis at
tends that “Israel could no longer thrive as a sovereign
state" and therefore suggests that the people learn to “be
happy” with “something less than a strenuous autonomy.”
A cheerful way out of the dilemma would be for Israel to
apply to the United States for inclusion in its federation
fabric as the 51st state, he proposed.
The venerable Rabbi Kaplan is convinced that the
Americans would gleefully accept Israel’s application. He
feels that the distance between the two countries is no
obstacle, just as the distance between Washington and
Alaska or Honolulu poses no obstruction.
can hear the echoes and mur
murs of this anti-Jewiah feeling
in the streets, shops, buses,
Metro and schools where our
children are pupils. Yesterday, it
was only the refuseniks under
threat. Today, it is every Jew in
the Soviet Union who is a poten
tial victim for sacrifice.
“At this serious and
dangerous moment in our lives
we want you to know that no
treachery, threat or libel can in
timidate us. We shall continue to
fight for our freedom. We shall
do everything in our power to
restore and maintain the honor
and dignity of our people.”
Heading the list of signers
were the three accused of trea
son by the newspaper, Izves-
tia Vladimire Slepak, Alexan-
^ Tdfn td P*gA 30
ing witnessed all this happening
before. The Nasis did it all in
much the-same way.
There is the same concerted
effort to dehumanise the Jews
and the same dispassionate dis
regard for family, religion and
basic decency. And the Jews in
Russia sense it A total of 250
“refuseniks” from cities across
the U.S.S.R have issued a state
ment saying: -*•
“We shall very soon feel and
experience the full depth of antl-
Jewish prejudice.
“During the last few months,
we have seen an escalation in the
growing stream of harrassments
against Jews. Today, it is an ac
cusation of spying and treason in
the newspapers. From there. It
is not far to a dreadful trial.”
“Already, all around us, we
casts from Soviet society, suffer
ing harassment, loss of jobs and
threat of imprisonment.
The news coming out of
Russia has an all too familiar
ring to it. There is a sense of hav-
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