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Par 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE January 4,19M
The Southern Israelite
Tfm Weekly Newepaper Fat Southern Jewry
Oar 55th Year
Despite absurdities
Vida Gotdgar
Edkor and PuUatMr
Faith Powell
AwaUnl Edtar
Linda Lincoln
Advertising Diractair
Mark Nicholaa
Production Managar
Published every Friday by The Southern Israelite, Inc.
Second Clou Footage paid at Atlanta. Go. (ISSN 00388) (USPS-776060)
Matting Addrcaa: P O. Box 77388, Atlanta, Georgia 30357
Location; 188 15th St., N.W. Phone; (404) 876-8248
A year of achievement
Subocriptione: $15.00 - 1 year; $25.00 - 2 years
Member: Jamah Telegraphic Agency, Befcyom News Service’.
American Jewish Press Aaan.; Georgia Press Aaen.; National Newspaper Assn. -
Other hostages
With the world’i attention focused on Iran, let us not forget
about the Soviet Jews who are also, in a way, held hostage.
Reports from the Soviet Union indicate that authorities have
clamped down on granting exist visas, particularly in the Ukraine.
In Kiev recently, 50 families who had been notified to report for
exit visas were told that officials had had second thoughts.
Refusniks have been victims of stepped up harassment and
arrests. ,
Prisoner of Conscience Vladimir Slepak was reportedly
fired from his job as a prison telephone switchboard operator on
the pretext that his work gave him access to secret information. In
Moscow, refusnik Yuri Golfand. who has been refused an exit
permit for six years, was visited by the Soviet militia and warned
to quickly find a job or face charges of parasitism. The “Catch-22”
is that as a refusnik, a job is almost impossible to find in any field
remotely connected to his training.
An article in an Odessa newspaper described recently released
POC Lev Roitburd as a “Zionist agent,” “parasite," “speculator,”
“drunk” and “hooligan” who^pnjoys the protection of Zionist
circles in the U.'S.”
The list goes on. Meanwhile, November’s emigration figures
were 12 percent under those of October. Is it the beginning of a
major change in Soviet policy? At this point it is impossible to tell.
One thing seems clear, however. In the past, Soviet officials
ha ve in many cases reacted to pressure from the free world. Letters
from the West and the intervention of public figures have been
credited with the granting of visas to many Soviet Jews.
It is urgent that this pressure continue. We must not forget.
if the Middle East did not exist,
man would probably have to
invent it to satisfy his need for
absurdity. Whether it is events in
the area, or the way those events
are viewed in the West, thi Middle
East can always be counted on to
produce spectacles that defy logic.
Following is a sampling of the
absurdities of 1979.
Israel gave up roughly half the
territory it controlled—a greater
territorial concession than any
country in the world has made
since the decline of the Portuguese
empire—but some well-meaning
people still refer to Israel as
“expansionist."
The Israeli withdrawals in Sinai
were mandated by the Israeli-
Egyptian peace treaty. The
radmentous treaty, which ended 31
years of war between the Jewish
state and its most important
neighbor, was condemned
throughout the Arab world and
received virtually no support in
Europe. The U.N. General
Assembly voted 102-17 to
condemn all “separate treaties
which violate the recognized rights
of the Palestinian people"—a slap
at the Israeli-Egyptian accord.
Jesse Jackson and the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference
discovered the Middle East and the
PLO, and suddenly (wo civil rights
groups that had'received virtually
no publicity for half a decade were
ail over the networks and the front
pages. One SCLC delegation
travelled to Libya to award Col.
Muammar Qaddafi, the world’s
leading bankroller of terrorism,
with something called the “Martin
Luther King Jr. Peace Medal." **
Jackson, who at least did not
hide his financial motives, met and
had his picture taken with any
Arab refugee he could find. But
when representatives of Jewish
refugees from Arab countries
requested a meeting, Jackson said
he didn't have time.
When Puerto Rican nationalists
‘The momentous
treaty...between the
Jewish state and its
most important neigh-,
bor...received virtually
no support in Europe.'
killed two American sailors this
month, there wasn't a news
organization that didn't refer to
the attackers at “terrorists.” But
eight weeks after Iranian militants
in Teheran seized the U.S. embassy
and 50 Americans—a diplomatic
rather than a military target-
some news organizations were still
calling the attackers “students.”
Perhaps the constant reference
to “students" at the U.S. embassy
is not the fault of the press. After
alt, the students are followers of
Ayatollah Khomeini, a man that a
former U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations referred to as “a
saint.”
Despite its alleged complicity in
the embassy seizure, despite' the
partners. What almost nobody
noticed was that Saudi Arabia’s
price in December—$24 a barrel—
was higher than those of the most
extreme price hawks in July. Thus,
"moderation” became a matter of
timing rather than policy,
particularly since the State
Department decided not to include
adamant opposition to jkocc
among the criteria.
The U.N. had proclaimed-1975
“International Women’s Year”
and proceeded to condemn Zionism
but remained silent on the seven
Arab countries that deny wotben
the right to vote. Similarly; this
eras the U.N.’s “Year of the Child,”
and h remained silent on the PLO’s
deliberate killing in 1979 of six
Israeli children and the wounding
of several dozen.
There was good news for a
change out of Libya. After what
the PLO regarded as a two-week
siege of its offices in Tripoli and
Benghazi, Qaddafi in effect broke
relations with the PLO and
withdrew recognition of the
organization as the sole legitimate
representative of the Palestinians.
He compared Yasir Arafat to
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin. The only hitch; Qaddafi’s
complaint is that the PLO isn’t
radical enough.
But the absurdities of 1979
couldn’t dampen the achievement
revelation that it ran Idi Ami 0 ’*
torturg.qhaakgm. $>d despite its of the year. The Jewish people and
continued terrorist attacks in the Egyptian people, both of which
Israel, the word most often applied have seen hundreds of conquerors
to the PLO in 1979 was
“moderate.”
“Moderation” was also ascribed
all year by the Carter
administration to Saudi Arabia,
because its oil price was always
lower than those of its OPEC
and terrorists come and go, made
peace. Early in 1980; they are
scheduled to exchange ambassa
dors for the first time in 3,000
yean. Try as they might, there
doesn't seem to be a thing that the
Saudis, Arafat or Qaddafi can do
4l
Wit and Wisdom
If you don’t strike oil...
hi Shmud Halevi
T*ub JcwigJi Poet
Stories About rabbis' sermons
abound, because generally
speaking, rabbis are, well
generally speaking. Yet there is
certainly an art to public speaking.
Consider the story of the town
that was looking for a new rabbi
On one particular weekend, they
happened to bring down two'
potential candidates for an
interview. Since the central
portion of the Shabb^tservice was
the sermon, it was decided that
both rabbis would deliver an
address to the congregation.
The two rabbis were given
adjoining rooms at the local hotel;
after services Friday evening, each
went to his room to prepare his
remarks for the following day.
Rabbi Goldberg was a
meticulously organized man, and
he had an elaborate speech all
prepared. But Rabbi Levin was a
bit unprofessional, and as yet he
hadn’t even considered what he
might say to the next day’s
audience. However, as luck would
have it, the walls at the motel were
paper-thin, and Rabbi Levin could
hear Rabbi Goldberg quhedearty
as he practiced, over and over
again, his brilliant and moving
sermon.
When the next morning arrived,
the two'Rabbis walked together to
shut “If you don’t mind," said
Rabbi Levin, “I’d like to give my
sermon first"
Rabbi Goldberg, who was
supremely confident of hi*
oratorical talents, was glad to
oblige. “He couldn’t' possibly
match my presentation,” thought
Goldberg, “So, why not?”
So Rabbi Levin, at the
appropriate time is the service,
strode to the podium and
proceeded to.deliver, word for
word, Rabbi Goldbergs sermon.
A look of terror passed across
Goldberg’s face, and he broke into
a cold sweat. Rabbi levin finished
his remarks, the congregation
visibly ’impressed with his
scholarship and poise, and it was
Rabbi Goldberg's turn.
Sneering at his smiling
colleague. Rabbi Goldberg took
his place at thelccturn. He thought
for a long time, and then he said;
“My friends, anyone can deliver a
great sermon. All it takes is a little
talent and much preparation. But I
am going to demonstrate a feat of
much greater brilliance. I am going
to repeat for you, syllable for
syllable, the exact speech you have
just heard."
Need leu to say. Rabbi Goldberg
got the job.
(How long should a sermon be?
In Texas, the general rule isr If you
don’t strike oil in 20 minutes,
STOP BORING.)