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NEII/S BRIEFS
Reagan criticizes Carter
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Former California Governor Ronald
Reagan sharply criticized Administration policy on the Middle
East at a Chicago dinner on behalf of State of Israel Bonds last
week.
Reagan took the Carter Administration to account for terming
Israel's settlements on the West Bank illegal, for inviting the Soviet
Union into the Middle East discussions, and for placing the burden
on Israel for setting up a Palestinian homeland. On the last score,
he stated: “Since Jordan contains 80 percent of the territory that
constituted Palestine after World War I, while Israel encompasses
only 20 percent, the Carter Administration is wrong in attempting
to make Israel solely responsible for setting up a Palestinian
homeland."
El Al resumes service
TEL AVIV, (JTA)—El Al resumed service Monday morning
ending a shutdown by management that grounded its fleet of jets
for 20 days during the height of the pre-Passover tourist season.
The suspension was lifted as a result of an agreement between
management and the airline employees to negotiate the differences
between them and reach a settlement within three months.
Millions view ‘Holocaust'
NEW YORK, (JTA)—NBC-TV has estimated that some 120
million Americans viewed the 9'/$ hour “Holocaust” film, some 10
million less than watched the earlier ABC-TV series, “Roots.” The
network said that the 120 million viewers comprised the total
audience which saw one or more parts of the four-segment
program shown this week. NBC reported that 43 percent of the
New York audience saw the first portion while 59 percent saw the
final segment; 56 percent of the Chicago audience and 56 percent of
the Los Angeles audience saw the final segment. The audience
share for the first segment in Chicago and Los Angeles was 43
percent.
Battered wives in Israel
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—A leading Israeli criminologist
reported that between 30,000—50,000 Israeli wives suffer beatings
by their husbands each year, almost two percent of the population.
According to Dr. Menahem Amir, director of the Hebrew
University’s Institute of Criminology, the high incidence of
battered wives in Israel is not the result of drunken spouses, as in
most other countries, but a direct function of the male chauvinist
society that exists in Israel.
JWV to march in Skokie
NEW YORK, (JTA)—The New York department of the Jewish
War Veterans has reported that, following filing by the American
Nazi Party of a request for a permit from Skokie Village to stage its
march on June 25, it was coord^iating a campaign to bring
thousands of JWV members to the Chicago suburb for a counter-
demonstration. Marvin Morrison, the New York JWV department
executive director, said the New York department was taking “all
necessary steps” to prepare a large counter-demonstration.
Assimilation rate high
JERUSALEM—Forty-five out of every 100 marriages by Jews
in the Diaspora are of the “mixed marriage”variety, and 80 percent
of Jewish youth are prepared to marry non-Jewish brides,
according to a statement by Dr. De La Pergola of the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. According to this view, the rate of
assimilation in the smaller West European communities is about
60 percent. In the United States the figure in nearer to 40 percent,
while in South Africa it is estimated to be no more than 15 percent.
Anti-Nazi rally In Germany
BONN, (JTA)—Europe’s biggest post-war anti-Nazi rally took
place in Cologne on April 22 when about 25,000 demonstrators
assembled to demand the dissolution of SS organizations and the
banning of “all Nazi activity and propaganda." Simultaneously,
former Chancellor and the current chairman of the ruling Social
Democratic Party, Willy Brandt, issued a major statement on the
spread of neo-Nazism in Germany, describing the ignorance of
young Germans about the Third Reich as “shocking."
The rally and the Brandt statement followed a government
announcement last week that tougher measures would be taken to
stop the circulation of Nazi propaganda aimed at young people.
Begin to meet Bond leaders
NEW YORK—Israel Bond leaders from fifty American
communities will attend three special meetings with Prime
Minister Menachem Begin in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York
City, from Tuesday, May 2 to Thursday, May 4. The gatherings are
part of the nationwide observance marking the thirtieth
anniversary of the State of Israel.
to (Ju^CMlilor
‘Holocaust’ was
Instructive
Editor:
Even though I have grown up
knowing all about the Holocaust
since my parents lived through it,
after watching“Holocaust” on TV,
(an excellent production) I still
can’t understand how such
atrocities could have happened in
the 20th Century.
On the other hand, maybe I can
understand. The Nazis in Germany
may have started off just like the
Nazis in Skokie, III. Just with
simple marches and rallies. They
were within their "rights.”
I hope that every Jew and
Christian in America took the time
to watch “Holocaust” and to
realize that it could happen again,
if we let the Nazis in America
spread their sick hatred. The Nazis
have no “legal rights.” Murderers
have no rights. To make things
even more appalling, there is a
“Jewish” lawyer defending the
Nazis’ rights in Skokie. How he
can do this and sleep at night, I
don’t know. Hopefully, he has
watched “Holocaust," and has
come to his senses.
I think it was wonderful to have
four nights of television time
devoted to this important and
moving program, to emphasize the
details and horrors, and bring it to
the attention of all civilized people.
Unfortunately, the Holocaust is
not written about in most history
books. However, we can’t and will
not let the rest of the world forget
what happened to 6,000,000
innocent Jewish men, women and
children.
I know that this time, the Jewish
people will fight the hatred and
diseased minds of the Nazis and
anti-Semites in America and all
over. The Jewish people will
continue to survive as long as man
exists. No matter what we have to
go through, we will not be
persecuted and wiped out. The
Jewish people are a very special
nation of people, and I am very
glad to be a part of it.
Regina Abrams
U.S. position on Soviet Jews
(The following letter from a representative of the United Stales
Department of State was received by Stanley Lefco in response to a
letter he wrote President Carter.)
Mr. Stanley M. Lefco, President
Gate City Lodge
B’nai B’rith
3272 Peachtree Road N.E., Suite 246
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
Dear Mr. Lefco and Members:
On behalf of President Carter, I am replying to your comments
on the problems of Soviet Jews in obtaining permission to emigrate
to Israel. We appreciate your interest and the interest of your
members.
The U.S. Government is making every effort to encourage the
Soviet Government to permit the emigration of Soviet Jews and
others who want to join relatives and settle in Israel and other
countries. We consider freedom of emigration to be a basic human
right guaranteed by a number of internationally accepted
documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
During his visit to Moscow in March 1977, Secretary Vance
stressed our support for family reunification and Jewish
emigration; a list of several hundred Soviet Jews who had been
refused exit visas for Israel was presented to the Soviet
Government. Our strong interest in this matter was reiterated
during Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko’s September visit to
the United States, at the Belgrade Conference on implementation
of the Helsinki Accords, as well as during both the January visit of
Soviet parliamentarians to the United States and the March U.N.
Human Rights Commission meetings in Geneva.
We are encouraged that there has been some increase in the
issuance of Soviet exit visas for Israel relative to the past few years.
While the 1977 rate represents an approximate 25 percent increase
over the 1976 rate, it remains considerably below the peak years
1972 and 1973. We will continue to seek greater progress in this
important area.
William D. Blair, Jr.
Acting Assistant Secretary
for Public Affairs
Dropout of Soviet Jews high
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Immigration to Israel is up this year but
the dropout rate among Soviet Jewish emigres reaching Vienna is
still running high, according to a report presented to the expanded
World Zionist Organization Executive meeting here. The report
placed the number of olim since the beginning of the year at 5,869,
a 26 percent increase over the same period in 1977.
A total of 1,988 immigrants arrived in March, most of them from
the USSR. This was a 35 percent increase over March, 1977. But
the drop-out rate—Jews who leave Russia with Israeli visas but opt
to settle in other countries—was 55 percent compared to 53 percent
in February, the report said.
Jerusalem Poai
Jewish Quiz Box
by Rabbi Samuel J. Fox
Why do some Jewish legal
authorities forbid plastic surgery
for cosmetic purposes.
It is obvious that surgical
procedures create an injury to the
body. Jewish law prohibits causing
any injury to the body because the
body is given to man on loan and
he is obligated to protect the
property of the Almighty.
In the case of therapeutic
surgery where a life is saved by the
surgical process, the surgery is not
only permitted but required by
Jewish law because of the
alternatives involved.
Some rule that surgery is also
permitted to correct a blemish on
the body and to alleviate pain.
There are some authorities who
even permit cosmetic surgery to
alleviate real psychological
anguish which they consider pain.
Most authorities would not permit
cosmetic surgery just for style or
convenience.
Psge 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE April 28, 1978