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NEII/S BRIEFS
Begin petition passed along
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—A petition urging Premier Menachem
Begin to modify his policies in the interests of peace was passed
hand-to-hand last week along a human chain extending for some
ten miles from the heart of Jerusalem into the hills surrounding the
city. Spokesmen for the Peace Now movement which organized
the demonstration, estimated that 4,000 men, women and children
participated, standing several yards apart on the main Jerusalem
highway.
Terrorists killed by French
TEL AVIV, (JTA)—French soldiers of the United Nations
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) killed two terrorists and
wounded a third, Sunday night in an exchange of fire with an
armed group attempting to infiltrate an area just evacuated by
Israeli troops. According to a report from the French contingent,
its UNIFIL patrol challenged the infiltrators who opened fire. The
patrol returned the fire inflicitng casualities but sustained none
itself, the report said
ACLU membership drops
WASHINGTON—An estimated 30,000 members either
resigned or did not renew their memberships in the American Civil
Liberties Union, according to Aryeh Neier, who has announced his
resignation as the body’s executive director, although making it
clear that his action had nothing to do with the fracas over the
defense of the Nazi Party in Skokie, III. He conceded that he had
not foreseen the strong reaction to the Skokie incident, but added
although the membership had dropped to 200,000 nationally, that
was up from 140,000 when he assumed professional direction eight
years ago. Neier, whose family fled Nazi Germany, fought through
some internal fights in the organization in the past few years as key
figures resigned over differences on policy.
Appeal to nix 1 Passion Play’
BONN, (JTA)—The Munich, Augsburg and Regensburg
(Bavarian) branches of Germany’s Assoication for Christian-
Jewish Cooperation have appealed to the Town Council of
Oberammergau to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the
staging of the controversial Passion Play based on the anti-Semitic
text written in I860 by a priest named Joseph Alois Daisenberger
which blames the Jewish people for the death of Jesus. The
Council’s decision overturned a decision by the previous Council
last February to proceed with plans for a different version of the
play written in 1750 by a Benedictine monk, Ferdinand Rosner.
Mattel continues swastika toys
NEW YORK—The Mattel Toy Company has rejected a request
by the American Jewish Congress to halt production and
distribution in West Germany of models of Stuka dive bombers
and other swastika-emblazoned reminders of the Nazi war
machine. Spencer Boyce, vice president of Mattel in Los Angeles,
said the company would continue to produce toys and sell them in
accordance with West German law that permits the swastika to be
used in such circumstances.
AFL-CIO helps Yiddish dally
NEW YORK (JCNS) —The AFL-CIO. America’s huge labor
confederation, has donated $10,000 to the fundraising campaign
for the Yiddish Daily Forward.
The Forward is trying to raise $230,000 to insure its continued
appearance. This is the third appeal made by the paper in recent
years. Previously, the AFL-CIO, had made similar $10,000
contributions.
Dayan not getting along
TEL AVIV (ZINS)—Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan is
reported as being at odds with a number of important government
officials, including his closest collaborators and colleagues,
according to a report in the magazine Davar Hashavuah. As j
reported, the circle of alienated colleagues includes the head of
Israel’s first delegation to Cairo, Eliyahu ben Eliashar; the Defense
Minister, Ezer Weizman; and Dayan’s closest colleague, the
director of the Office of the Foreign Ministry, Epi Evron. The
magazine described Dayan as a man with a complex, disturbed
over the fact that he is playing an increasingly smaller role in the
shaping of foreign policy in general, and a very minor part in the
conversations going on between Begin, Weizman and Sadat in
particular. According to Davar Hashavuah, Dayan feels that he
has been shunted aside to a less important role and tends to
consider himself as somewhat superfluous.
E
to tlic^cMlitor
Anti-Semitism felt by UGa. students
Editor:
Coming from a background of
being “sheltered" from the evils of
anti-Semitism, except for the
Holocaust, I really never had
experienced anything such as what
is happening on the University of
Georgia campus today. The events
of the past week have convinced
me that we as Jews, will never be
safe from that small but loud
minority.
Monday night, a few members
of a non-Jewish fraternity directed
anti-Semitic remarks toward the
Tau Epsilon Phi house. This was
an attack not only on my fraternity
brothers and I, but also on my
Jewish brothers all over the world.
Thursday, there appeared a
letter in the campus newspaper.
The Red and Black, by one of my
fraternity brothers. The gist of the
letter was totally misunderstood
by the newspaper’s editor. They
titled it, “Sigma Chis Insult Jews.”
The intent of the letter was to make
the students at UGA aware that
anti-Semitism still exists, not to
implicate the Sigma Chis any
further. They are not to be held
responsible for the actions of a few
of their members. We do not judge
the whole Christian community
upon the J.B. Stoner types. This
misinterpretation of The Red and
Black has intensified the situation
at Georgia. The author of the letter
told me he has received a death
threat and expects more.
It may seem to some that mine is
an over reaction to a small anti-
Semitic incident. To others 1 may
seem justified. The point I wish to
make is how ironic it is that not
two weeks after NBC’s
“Holocaust,” latent anti-Semitic
emotions are beginning to appear.
“Holocaust” served to sensitize the
Jews to the events of Nazi
Germany. It also served to
desensitize those anti-Semitic
minds.
There is a lesson to be learned
from these events. It is
encouraging to see Jewish students
at UGA coming together to face
the situation together. Numerous
meetings have been held getting
opinions and beliefs on what
should be done. No matter how
diverse the opinions are, we are all
facing the dilemma in a mature,
responsible manner. Everything
from hushing the situation to
literal violence (which I condemn),
has been suggested. Feelings and
emotions are running high. We are
faced with a problem and are
determined to solve it.
It is important to remember that
anti-Semitic events are world wide
and that the events at UGA prove
that the problem can touch us all.
It is my first contact with open,
blatant anti-Semitism. I have
discovered that being a Jew in this
world is not something to be taken
for granted; it is something of
which I am proud, despite the
obstacles.
In writing this letter, I speak for
myself, not for my fraternity
brothers, nor for any other Jewish
student at the University of
Georgia. 1 do speak my conscience
and my emotions. To me, nothing
speaks louder.
Mark Tenenhaum
University of Georgia student
Israel’s new first lady was UGa. student
Editor:
This past week Yitzhak Navon
was named President of Israel tc
succeed Ephraim Katzir on May
29. What you may not know is that
his wife, the former Ofira Erez, was
a student at the University of
Georgia in 1959-60 (I believe) and
spent a large part of that year in
Athens and in Atlanta.
I was president of Delta Phi
Epsilon Sorority at the time, and
we decided we wanted to sponsor a
student from Israel for the school
year. We spoke with the Temple in
Athens, and they agreed to take
care of her monthly allowance for
the year. We then spoke to the
dean of foreign students, Dolores
Artau, who arranged for Rotary
International (1 believe) to select a
student and pay for her
transportation—and they selected
Ofira of Tel Aviv.
I believe she was the first Israeli
foreign student ever at the
University of Georgia. My mother,
Anne Lichtenstein (Mrs. Aaron)
and Esther Sirower(Mrs. Bernard)
met Ofira when she landed in
Atlanta, and from there she came
to Athens to spend a year with us.
She studied for her master’s in
education while at Georgia.
Ofira had been Miss Sabra
Israel the previous year—based on
her beauty, brains and talent (and
she was and is well-endowed in all
these areas). She became an
integral part of our chapter that
year, and we made her an honorary
member for life. We all enjoyed
long talks with her about life in
Israel, and she was q very
important part of our college
education. She often added special
joy to our mealtimes by singing for
us and leading us in Hebrew
songs—particularly on Friday
evenings.
Ofira spent many weekends and
school vacations with me and my
family, and we are still very good
friends. My husband (Richard)
and I spent time with her and
Yitzchak when we were in Israel in
1968, have spent time with them
when they have been in N.Y., and
have had her as an overnight guest
in our home.
After Georgia, Ofira went on to
study at Columbia where she
specialized in psychology. On one
of her trips home to Israel from
New York, she met Navon, and
around 1963 they were married.
They have two children, ages 4 and
5, named Erez and Nini. She is a
psychologist in Israel now
llene Lichtenstein Dolins
Atlanta artist elaborates on illumination
Editor:
Having read the article on the
art of Haggadah illustration, I was
disturbed by the reference to
"adoption of an art form derived
from Christian and courtly
traditions” and a “homely
instrument with a slant towards
children’s entertainment.” I feel
compelled to elaborate and
enlighten the reader on the
development of Hebrew
illumination.
Is the author, Charles Spencer,
aware of the Oriental influence of
the Sephardic illuminators as
opposed to the occidental
approach of the Ashkenazi? These
contrasting styles, later pollinating
one culture with the ideas of
another, were products of several
schools of illumination yet
remained Hebraic in character.
The Eastern or Islamic influence,
with its strict and literal sense of
the second commandment, anti-
iconic in nature, were traditionally
Sephardic. The Ashkenazi Jews
were inclined to be more liberal
and sophisticated with the classical
antiquity of the Northern French
school of the I3thand I4thccntury
and influenced by Latin
illumination of Europe.
The iconography (depiction
of the human form) was later
accepted by the Sephardi only in
the Haggadah since the book was
used at home and not in the
synagogue. The illuminated
decorative pages were at the
beginning and ends, grouping two
or four illustrations to the pages,
with very little or no attention to
the text.
Medieval German Jewry had no
objection to illuminating the
human figures and scenes out of
life with the illustrations on the
text page. The Sarajevo,
Kaufmann. Sassoon. Rylands,
Barcelona and Golden Haggadah
are all written in square Sephardic
script and are westernized with a
mingling of Spanish. French and
Italian styles.
Sol Belon
Commercials
disturb survivor
Editor:
We the survivors of the
Holocaust were subjected to the
unspeakable pain of watching and
reliving that horrible period
between commercials for
deodorant, beer etc.
Was there no other way to
present this program?
Tosia Schneider
Page 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE May 5, 1978