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Italian Jews kidnapped
ROME (JCNS)—Italy's fint kidnap victim of 1980 wit 26-
year-old Barbara Piatelli, the daughter of a prominent Rome
detigner and clothing manufacturer.
The following day, 30-year-old Carlo Teichner, who is alio in
the clothing businets, suffered the tame fate.
Both victima are Jewbh. Their families are typical of many
wealthy Jewbh families in Rome, where almost half of Italy’s
Jewbh population lives.
Like others, the victims’ families have built up large and
successful businesses from modest beginnings on the basis of hard
work and a flair for Rome fashion trends.
It b considered unlikely that Mbs Piatelli and Mr. Teichner
were kidnapped on account of their Jewbhness. Affluence b felt to
have been their prime attraction for the kidnappers.
| h | i 0 ft*
Nazis expel Frank Collin
NEW YORK (JCNS)—Frank Collin, the man who ia 1978 led
a Nazi rally in Chicago after originally intending to march with hb
supporters to the predominantly Jewbh suburb of Skokie, has
been expelled from hb party.
This follows hb arrest on charges of sexually abusing young
boys. Information leading to hb arrest came from other Nazi party
members. “Quite frankly," said Harold Covington, former deputy
director of the National Socialbt Party of America, “we handed
Frank Collin to the cops on a silver platter.”
75 F-16s In 1981
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The 73 F-16 fighter planes that Israel
has ordered from the United States will be in Israel's possession by
October 1981 instead of in 1984 or 1985 as originally expected. The
advance in the delivery date was noted recently by the Pentagon
and General Dynamics Corp., manufacturer of the jet combat
plane. It was made possible because the Israeli government picked
up the contract for 55 of the aircraft which the U.S. had made with
Iran but which was cancelled after the revolution in that country
Suit year. -■
A brls In Afghanistan
PARIS (JTA)—A bris was performed recently in Kabul, the
capital of Afghanbtan, where some 15 Jewish families are left,
according to Western correspondents who just returned from that
city. Some 40 people, practically the entire Jewish community of
Kabul, were present at the ceremony which took place on the first
floor of the building where the Jewish community center b located.
The boy, named Raphael, was born to a local family surnamed
Cohen.
No U.S. pressure, says Begin
JERUSALEM (JP)—Prime Minbter Menachem Begin told
the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel
had not and would not propose a three-way U.S.-Egyptian-lsraeli
summit to solve difficulties in the autonomy negotiations. The
media had been floating the idea, and that was all, he insbted.
Israel had not taken the idea up in anv diplomatic contacts.
The Prime Minister said enquiries had been made into American
officials’ statements in Washington and Tel Aviv, calling on Israel
to help the U.S. by being more forthcoming on the Palestine issue.
Assurances had been received that no American pressure was bemg
exerted or intended, Begin said. However, he added in a lighter
vein, denials of pressure do not necessarily imply absence of
pressure.
to Hit*editor
Tough stance, not talk
A moral ban on lecture fees
JERUSALEM (ZINS)—A moral injunction against Knesset
members' lecturing for a fee to Jewbh audiences overseas was laid
down recently by the House Committee. Acting on a motion by
Amnon Rubinstein (Shai) referred from the plenum, the
committee decided that “it does not befit the status of a Knesset
member to lecture for money to Jews and Jewbh communities
overseas.” The House Committee did not agree, as Rubinstein first
suggested, to write thb ban into the House rules, which have the
force of law. Nor did it agree to the proposal of Prof. Yosef Rom
(Likud) to ban other lucrative activities by MKs outside their
parliamentary duties. ' -.
Editor:
Thb morning’s paper contained
the dbmal news that Saudi Arabia
has raised oil prices, retroactive to
Jan. 1. To me thb has the
dbtressing appearance of nose-
thumbing in our face despite then
confident expectation that we will
defend their oil reserves with
American lives!
Of course 1 can hear the glib
voices of our adminbtration and
state department telling us that we
must assure the continuity of our
oil supplies at any price, not only in
dollars but in American lives as
well. I, for one, bitterly disagree
with this assumption and will
continue to do so as long as we
have an inexhaustible supply of
coal in the ground, shale on the
ground and the technology to
produce oil from these natural
resources.
amply demonstrated by Khomeini
and further evidenced by Saudi
Arabian intrigues against peace
between Egypt and Israel, realism
demands that we should have a “no
Arabian” oil strategy on the
drawing board! We have the
alternative sources of energy
ready-at-hand and should
commence the utilization of them
forthwith.
Tough talk and bluster will not
stop the Soviets, moreover with
the exception of Sadat, there b no
reliable Arab leader in the Middle
East.
Moreover, we can and must use
the coal as fuel despite the
environmentalbts who would
enslave us to the whims of Arab
sheikhs. To a degree we are already
enslaved, Russia's move in that
direction of the Persian Gulf faces
us with the choice of oil or blood.
Given the apparently built-in
Islamic antipathy to the U.S., as
Even Pakistan, in imminent
danger of invasion by the Soviet
Union, has indulged in the luxury
of criticizing the U.S. and spoke
contemptuously of our “niggardly”
offer of a 400 million dollar aid
package.
Saudi Arabia, which has the
largest oil reserves—therefore with
the most to lose, treats us with
utter disdain, sabotages the Camp
David accords, encourages with
huge monies Jordan’s Hussein in
hb incredible intransigence, funds
the terrorist PLO and crudely
attempts to play Russia against the
U.S. and adds insult to injury by
again rabing the price of its oil.
Yet no word of cribdsm has
been forthcoming, either from the
administration or the news media.
A stranger to the American
political madness would easily
conclude that it must be our oil for
which we are risking a nuclear
holocaust. Again, 1 reiterate,
embargo, temporarily at least,
OPEC oil; use our resources with
which we are abundantly blessed;
coal, shale, nuclear power, alcohol
and others. Inform OPEC that
until they reduce their prices, so
that our economy will no longer be
endangered, (and inflation
reduced to manageable propor
tions) we will not purchase a barrel
of their vastly overpriced oiL
Such a policy of American self-
interest will within 90 days bring
OPEC to its senses and, I predict,
they will not only beg us to buy
then oil, but will beg even more
urgently that we emplace a military
deterrent within the Middle East
capable of halting Russian
expansionism.
Acting with courage based upon
our objective perception of the
unreliability of the Arab sheikhs
and potentates we can substan
tially reduce, even minimize, the
danger of a nuclear confrontation.
R.M. Travis
Nes Ammim Christians
take on special mission
by Carl Alpert
If you are a plumber, a carpenter
or an expert on growing roses there
b a pleasant little farm village in
northern Israel which would be
happy to have you as a member.
The cultural, human and physical
qualities of life here are excellent; it
b an ideal place to raise a family.
There is only one qualification: No
Jews need apply!
Some will at once recognize that
the reference b to Nes Ammim, the
Christian village about fifteen
miles north of Haifa. It may seem
odd that this lovely farm
community dares practice such an
exclusionary policy in the State of
Israel. In its 15 years of exbtence
there have been close to a hundred
Jews who have applied. All were
turned down, and one even
threatened to appeal to the
Supreme Court.
The strange, discriminatory
policy b due to the special mission
which the people of Nes Ammim
have taken upon themselves: to
promote a dialogue of under
standing and mutual faith between
Jews and Christians; to educate
Christians to the fundamental
dependence of their faith on
Judabm; and to convince Jews
that there are Christians to whom
anti-Semitbm in any form b
abhorrent
The first efforts to set up the
village were met with vigorous
opposition from many Israelis.
The Orthodox community viewed
the newcomers suspiciously as the
vanguard of a missionary
movement. The survivors of the
Warsaw Ghetto, in the adjoining
kibbutz, wanted nothing to do
with people who professed the
same faith as those who had sought
to burn them in Poland. It was
only by patient and persbtent
efforts that the settlers were able to
convince their neighbors that their
motives were pure. And to
safeguard certain principles they
adopted several self-limiting
restrictions: No one would ever be
converted to Christianity; no Jew
who had in the past converted to
Christianity would be accepted; no
Jew would be accepted as a
member lest there be fear of
conversion; and the settlers would
abstain from accepting Israeli
citizenship lest the outside world
ascribe their program to civic
partisanship.
Lincoln, Nebraska, reviewed for us
the organizational basis of Nes
Ammim. At one time it Was policy
to encourage a rotation of arm her
families. After anywhere ’from
three to eight years at the village,
members were expected to go back
to their native countries to help
spread the story of Israel as they
bad experienced it. Now there is a
tendency to permit well adjusted
families to remain and become
rooted here. i
The 160 inhabitants of Nes
Ammim today some largely from
Holland, Switzerland, West
Germany and Sweden, with added
member* from the U.S. and
elsewhere. Almost all of them
kaow Hebrew, but the lingua
franca of the village is English. The
children attend the local Israel
schools, talk to their parents in£
their native language, bat to each
other and to their clan mates in
Hebrew.
Since they don’t want this to
become a cultural enclave, a
Christian ghetto, they seek to
integrate into the life of the
country. Their day of rest is
Shabbat, and not Sunday. They
mark the Christian holidays, but
the Jewish ones as weiL Their
children (lucky kids) get gifts on
both Hanuka and Christmas. They
hold a Seder on Passover. While
their public dating room is not
strictly kosher, it avoids use of
forbidden flesh and seafoods.
Under such cirpunstaoces hums
tempting to inquire whether any of
tike members had converted to
Judaism. The reply: None (so for)
but almost al have been compelled
to change their understanding of
Christian doctrine.
about Nes Amman. Last year they
Young Lev Bausch. formerly of
Next year there may ha
Perhaps yon nmy has
PAGE 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE February 8, 19M