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El Al offers train tours
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israel Railways, in cooperation with El Al
Israel Airlines, has developed a new tourist service. Special
reduced rate tickets which may only be purchased outside of Israel
through El Al or a local travel agent, make it possible to view a new
landscape of the country.
A ticket priced at $3.00 will be good for any one round trip on
the railway system. $12.00 will provide one month of unlimited
travel. One can board the train, get off at an intermediate stop, tour
the area and then take the next convenient train to the final
destination.
Special arrangements can be made to stop at unscheduled
stations if travellers let the railways know in advance!
British Jews help Vietnamese
LONDON (JTA)—Britain's Jewish community will play its
part in welcoming and helping to absorb the 10,000 Vietnamese
refugees whom the government has said that it will allow into this
country, Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits said at a press
conference. He recalled that he himself had come to this country as
a refugee from Nazi Germany. He arrived at age 16, speaking no
English. Now he is in a “privileged position” and wants to do
whatever is possible to help today’s refugees, he said.
Generals differ; so what’s new?
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Gen. Kamal Hassan Ali, the Defense
Minister of Egypt, said Monday that “as a military man" he was not
impressed by the security value of Israeli settlements on the West
Bank. He made that remark at an impromptu press conference
following a helicopter tour of the region. If his host, Defense
Minister Ezer Weizman was embarrassed, he rose to the occasion
by observing that history is filled with generals who differ in their
views and conceptions of how to solve specific problems.
Passion Play revisions help
NEW YORK (JTA)—An official of the Anti-Defamation
| League of B’nai B’rith has expressed gratification that revisions
have significantly reduced the anti-Semitic potential from the 1980
Passion Play in Oberammergau, West Germany. Nat Kameny,
chairman of the ADL’s national program committee, praised
Oberammergau officials and villagers “for their willingness to
listen to Jewish criticisms of the traditional pageant to make
changes in accordance with the spirit, principles and guidelines of
Vatican II.”
More Americans visit Israel
NEW YORK—Nearly 30,000 Americans visited Israel in June
1979, a four percent increase over the same month in 1978. In the
first six months of 1979, 136,227 Americans visited the country.
Commenting on the increase in light of the economic situation
in the 11.S. and the general slackening in overseas travel, Israel
Zuriel, Israel's commissioner of tourism to the United States,
pointed out that Israel’s excellent value for the U.S. dollar, as well
as the low cost of hotels, sightseeing, meals and extras in
comparison with most other overseas destinations, had
contributed to the continuing development of American tourism to
the country.
Beg in’s health improving
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Premier Menachem Begin’s condition
continues to improve and he may be discharged from Hadassah
Hospital at the end of this week, a medical bulletin said Tuesday.
Dr. Silvan Lavie, head of the medical team that has been treating
Begin for a minor stroke he suffered two weeks ago, said a series of
tests made Monday showed “significant progress" toward
improving his eyesight Begin’s vision was impaired by a small clot
lodged in a blood vessel supplying his brain.
Begin conferred at length with Deputy Premier Yigael Yadin in
his hospital room. The Premier's press advisor, Shlomo
Nakdimon, said he was looking well and was walking in his room.
He has begun reading former President Richard Nixon’s auto
biography, an indication that his vision has improved, Nakdimon
noted. Nevertheless, Begin will need a period of rest at home before
returning to work, his doctors said.
letters to the editor
Letter campaign for Soviet Jews
Editor:
How wonderful that Russia has
been opening the gates wider and
letting more Jews emigrate but how
sad for the thousands of refuseniks
still in the USSR, many
imprisoned, who are continually
denied exit visas. In the joy of
discovering that our phone calls,
letters, and marches have been
heeded by the Russians who are
affected by public opinion
(especially before the Moscow
Olympic Games), we, as concerned
American Jews, have lost some of
our real for action. For our brethren
still in the Soviet Union, it is time
for us to renew our endeavors.
What will happen after the
Olympic Games? Or when the
SALT talks have been wrapped
up? One Russian official,
Konstantin Zotov, threatens that
“After the Olympic Games, we will
bring things to ahead. Some of
your people will be allowed to
leave and some of you will go a
damn sight farther Eastwards.”
Unmistakeably, the threat was to
Siberia.
Anatoly Sharansky is in dire
need of medical attention;
Vladimir Slepak serving five years
in internal exile has been
hospitalized for pneumonia, and
Ida Nudel, in similar exile,
interviewed by the BBC said, “I so
want to believe that some time I
will rise up the board of an El Al
aircraft and my suffering and tears
will remain in my memory only
and my heart will be full of
triumph and victory. And G-d
grant, it will happen soon!”
So while we are joyful at the
increase of Soviet emigrants, we
must not forget the prisoners and
so many other Jews losing their
jobs, being denied visas, bravely
putting themselves and their
families in critical positions with
the government all because they
wish to live in the country of their
choice.
We must continue to write
letters to our congressmen; the
leaders of the Soviet Union (first
commending them on their recent
increase of Jewish emigration
and then urging them to continue
all humanitarian efforts); as well as
refuseniks who need our
encouragement.
A Malava Malka “Evening of
Letter Writing" will be held on
Saturday night, Aug. 18 at 10 p.m.
at 1403 Stephens Drive (near
Briarcliff and LaVista). Please
come, bring extra stationery, and
show you care.
Ruby Grossblatl
Beth Jacob Committee
for Soviet Jewry
TSI photo stirs warm memories
Editor:
With pleasure and warmth of
remembrance, I read the short
article under the picture of Cantor
Baruch Grabowski, Cantor/ Rabbi
of Nuremberg, Germany (The
Southern Israelite, July 13).
In July of 1975 Marilyn
Ginsberg and 1 were on a Eurail
tour of Europe. Friday night of
July 11 was Marilyn’s father’s
yurtzeit, and we wanted to visit a
synagogue. We found one in the
telephone book and called to find
out the time of the service and to
see if we were welcome.
The synagogue is part of an old
age home. When we arrived we
found that two seats had been
saved for us on the second row.
The sanctuary was very small and
filled with elderly, and a few young
couples with children, who
participated in the service. The
service was conducted in Hebrew.
After the service we were
introduced around, and I
remember meeting one couple
who, with their blond, blue eyed
children, had just converted to
Judaism. Cantor Grabowski
explained that there were quite a
few conversions mainly because of
the guilt feelings stemming from
the Holocaust. After the service we
enjoyed a nice long visit with the
cantor in his study.
He and his wife and children are
from Argentina and are in Europe
because of Mrs. Grabowski’s
operatic career. When they got to
Nuremberg, the synagogue
persuaded them to stay and,
although he is not an ordained
rabbi, he agreed to accept the job.
He explained to us that most of
the German Jews who survived
World War II, who could, have
emigrated, and those who are left
are the elderly. Also many of the
Jewish people in Germany are
from the Iron Curtain countries.
He felt that the feelings between
the Christians and Jews are
strained, and he was looking
forward to leaving Germany.
After our nice visit he walked
with us through part of the city,
and shared with us his favorite site,
the Kaiserberg Castle, all lit up and
quite a beautiful sight at night.
Nuremberg, a most interesting
city and once the seat of Nazism,
looks centuries old. One has to
keep reminding oneself that the
city was bombed heavily during
the war. When the Germans rebuilt
the city they must have sprayed
Objection
Editor:
Recently my wife decided to sign
up for a photography class at the
Atlanta Jewish Community
Center. However, she quickly
realized the first class would have
to be missed because of a very basic
conflict. The class began on
August 2, which happened to be
the Ninth of Av on the Jewish
calendar, the day of mourning for
Jerusalem.
She called to inquire as to the
possibility of delaying the class one
week (and was told) that it was
AJCC policy not to close or to
diminish programming on the
Ninth of Av.
The Ninth of Av is a very
important day in the Jewish
calendar. Of all the fast days, only
1,000 years of dirt on the outside
walls. Cantor Grabowski reflected
that you have to be wary of people
who rebuild exactly the way it was
before it was destroyed, especially
using the same bricks.
During a morning city tour we
were atop the city at the Kaiserberg
Castle when I asked our guide
where the Nuremberg trials were
held. She pointed out towards
the whole city and said, “There.”
Susan K. Barnard
to policy
Yom Kippur and the Ninth of Av
should be observed by pregnant or
nursing women and those not
gravely ill.
It is such an important day that
all activities that would distract
one's attention from mourning the
loss of Jerusalem are forbidden.
Among these activities are
pleasurable activity such as
photography. Even the study of
Torah is very limited. Other Center
policies are equally disrespectful to
the history of the Jewish people.
With such policies, it is very
difficult for Jewishly concerned
members of the Center to support
or in some cases to participate in
Center activities.
Bob and Trudy Fergusson
State solons petition for Nudel
SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) A petition urging the release of
Prisoner of Conscience Ida Nudel, a leading human rights activist
in the Soviet Union, was signed by over 120 state legislators who
were attending the National Association of State Legislators
Conference here last week. The legislators petitioned the Soviet
government to “please release Ida Nudel and allow her to emigrate
to Israel." Their petition will be delivered to Soviet Embassy
officials in Washington.
P»ge 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August 3, 1979