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Pag* 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE February 9, 1979
Tke Southern Israelite
The Weekly Newspaper For Southern Jewry
Our 55th Year
Vida Goldgar
Editor and Publisher
Linda Lincoln
Advertising Director
Mark Nicholas
Production Manager
Published every Friday by The Southern Israelite, Inc.
Second Class postage paid at Atlanta, Ga. Publication No 776060
Mailing Address: HO. Box 77388, Atlanta, Georgia 30357
Location: 188 15th St., N.W. Phone: (404) 876-8248
Advertising rates available upon request.
Subscriptions: $15.00 - 1 year; $25.00 - 2 years
Member: Jewish Telegraptj^ Agency; Religious News Service,
American Jewish Press Assn., Georgia Press Assn.; National Newspaper Assn.
New talks-
^ new hope?
Indications this week that the disrupted peace talks between
Israel, Egypt and the United States may resume before the end of
the month are certainly welcome.
This round is expected to bring Israeli Foreign Minister
Moshe Dayan and Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Khalil to
Washington under the mediation of Secretary of State Cyrus
Vance.
And there's the rub. Just this week, in testimony before
Congress, Vance re-emphasized the Carter Administration’s
agreement with Egypt that the West Bank autonomy questions
must be linked with an overall political settlement. (See story,
page 1).
Israel's opposition to this “linkage” has been, and we assume
continues to be, firm. So, where do they start?
Of course, there are other points at issue, but “linkage,” which
was one of those post-Camp David deviations Egypt tossed in
when peace seemed a real possibility, is clearly a sticking point.
With Carter and Vance putting the muscle to Israel on that, we
wonder how successful new talks will be.
What happened to the “honest broker?”
Keep it up
A West German official has indicated that public opinion
toward extending the statute of limitations for the prosecution of
Nazi war criminals has taken a more favorable turn since the
telecast of “Holocaust" in that country.
We trust that fact will not be lost on those whose responsibility
it is to decide the issue.
We also trust that efforts in this country will continue and
right-minded citizens of ail faiths will join the move for justice.
Where’s the manual?
A columnist's prerogative to write whatever is on
his or her mind includes the prerogralive not to write.
The lime / usually spendfilling this space will be used
this week to visit my new granddaughter. This guest
column seems particularly appropriate under the
circumstances.
Vida Goldgar
by Milton May
Would you buy a new car without getting an
owner’s manual? Of course not! You may not read it;
but when in trouble and when all else fails you read
this instruction manual.
Every new piece of equipment,
no matter how small, comes with
an instruction manual or owners
manual or operating manual. All
are intended for the same purpose.
Sometimes there is a warranty
attached to the equipment to
insure quality of performance, that
is if you read the manual.
There is one addition or
acquisition to our lifestyle that comes with no
instruction manual and with no warranty and that is a
new baby. The newborn infant arrives bare and with a
lusty announcement. Search if you will but there is no
instruction manual in the placenta. When my first
bom arrived 1 insisted that the doctor look again at
the delivery table. I needed a manual. All I got was a
paperback book by Dr. Spock and I was told to read.
You must understand. Engineers have a one track
mind. How can one accept a complete piece of
machinery without an operating manual. I must
research this subject. When 1 received congratulations
from my father, may he rest in peace, I asked him how
come this miracle of life provides no manual. My dad
looked at me with his benign and patient eyes and
referred me to Psalms 25:14, “The secrets of life are
revealed to those who fear Him.” The instructions you
need for this bundle of joy, he told me, comes by direct
pipe line from above.
To further the peace of my mind my father
paraphrased an ancient legend to the effect that before
a fetus comes to term he or she must be graduated
from a pre-natal school conducted by the angel
Gabriel. The diploma, the legend continues, is sealed
in the cleft of the upper lip. Our first born came
seemingly late. She was going to graduate school
conducted by the angel Ariel.
By this time my mother of blessed memory,
chimed in. “Don’t woiry son," she said, “the baby will
let you know when you are doing something wrong to
her.” However, I have a one track mind and without a
manual, a written one, an engineer is useless. Finally
my father cited another legend. During the labor pains
the mother gets all of the operating instructions for
her baby directly from another angel named Raphael.
Prove it isn’t so! I never had labor pains and I cannot
challenge that legend.
Mothers from all parts of the world attest to the
truth of their personal communication with the angel
Raphael. A mother will read all of Dr. Spock and get
all kinds of medical advice from her pediatrician but
she will always counter by the remark, “But my baby is
different, 1 know.” Even the doctor’s wife will tell you
that despite all (he free medical advice she can get that
“her ‘Tchachke’ is different.” How come? Why?
Raphael told her during the labor pains.
As for myself with my one track mind, since
Raphael did not talk to me and since 1 had no
operating manual I had problems maneveringaround
that little bundle of joy. To this day my first born
reminds me that I did experiment with her upbringing.
Not mother! For she knew exactly what to do. By the
time the third one came I did not even ask for a
manual. I just let him grow like a weed. This 1 cannot
understand. If Ford or Chrysler gives manuals why
can’t Gabriel or Raphael?
Dare I even raise the question of warranties!
Funny, but you don’t look...
by Anne M. Hammerman
Dayton Jewish Chronicle
L
There has been a noticeable
.renewed interest in the physical
traits of the Jewish people. One of
the Jewish weeklies wrote about
“Looking Jewish." This was
followed up by Jewish bodies, etc.
Others are writing books about
“The Jews in Stereotype," the
latest one being by M. Hirsch
Goldberg. It is called “Just
Because They’re Jewish.” This
book is important because it
details where we, as Jews, also tend
to stereotype ourselves. According
to an excerpt from Mr. Goldberg’s
book in the Baltimore Jewish
Times, an American scientist even
went so far as to measure Jewish
noses to see if the stereotype were
true. This survey and results
reported on are part of what has
been termed one of the most
extensive research works on the
question of Jewish “race.”
There is a 578 page book, “The
Jews, A Study of Race and
Environment,” by Dr. Maurice
Fishbcrg. On noses, Dr. Fishberg
says: “The results do not bear out
the popular opinion that the hook
nose is • to be considered the
‘Jewish’ nose because only a small
minority of Jews have the privilege
of possessing this kind of nose.”
After physically measuring
2,836 adults male Jews and 1,284
Jewish females in New York City,
Dr. Fishberg concludes the
predominant type of Jewish nose is
actually straight! “It may
consequently be surprising to
some that observations among the
Jews show that there is no valid
reason for considering the arched
or hooked nose peculiarly Jewish.
The reverse is rather true. If the
most prevalent type of an organ is
to be considered as typical of a race
of people, than the Jewish nose is
the straight, or Greek variety."
These facts are only a
preliminary of what I really have
on my mind. A great many words
and many hours of research time
have gone into these conclusions.
But, what difference does it make
what we look like as long as we feel
Jewish?
To this writer, feeling Jewish
means many things. It means being
socially sensitive. It means caring
about humanity. It means
sharing—not only your time but
your money. It means helpihg your
friends, family and neighbors in
any given time of need. VAnd it
means believing- having faith in
your heritage and being a part of
our tradition of generation to
generation (dor v’dor).
Feeling Jewish is being
interested in Israel and helping in
every way possible. Feeling Jewish
is making a point of examining
labels on merchandise and
choosing those items “Made in
Israel.” Feeling Jewish is believing
in the sanctity of the family. And
feeling Jewish is being proud of
who you are and not ever, ever
feeling apologetic about your
birthright.
Feeling Jewish is feeling special.
We are a part of a people who has
given the world its religion and its
law. We have been and continue to
be part of the cultural life of the
countries in which we live.
If you feel any of the above then
it matters not whether you “look"
Jewish or not. As Jews we do have
a certain sympatico with other
Jews. We very often recognize
fellow Jews at general gatherings
by wave lengths of inexplainable
electricity. It is hard to put a finger
on that certain something which
makes us recognize one another.
But we do.
Many of us feel a certain special
pride when famous entertainers or
politicians or leaders are affirmed
as Jewish. Their accomplishments
make us feel more Jewish.
Likewise, when one of our faith is
accused of doing something
shameful, we feel like crawling into
a dark corner—because we feel
responsible for our fellow Jews.
So be you blond, brunette, or
redhezd—be you long-nosed, flat
nosed, or snub-nosed—none of
that will make you Jewish. What is
in your heart and in your mind is
what really counts. Do you feel
Jewish?