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News Briefs
Jerusalem now largest city
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Jerusalem, with a population of 428,000
according to the latest census, has outranked Tel Aviv as Israel’s
largest city.
The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the census of
population and housing conducted in the summer of 1983 showed
the population of Jerusalem had increased by 36 percent since the
1972 census, while that of Tel Aviv grew by 10 percent in the same
period, and Haifa, Israel’s third city, by only three percent. The
population of the country as a whole increased by 28 percent.
Specter puts Egypt on notice
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has put
Egypt on notice that as a member of the Senate Appropriations
Committee’s Foreign Operations Subcommittee he will urge his
colleagues not to approve any “substantial aid” for Egypt until it
sends its ambassador back to Israel.
Specter made this warning directly to Egyptian Foreign Minis
ter Esmat Abdel Meguid when Meguid met with the Senate For
eign Relations Committee last week.
Soviets expel two Frenchmen
PARIS (JTA)—French Jewish writer Alain Finkielkraut and
French journalist Dominique Nora returned to Paris Feb. 8 after
being expelled from the Soviet Union. The two were under house
arrest at their Kiev hotel for two days after they met with several
Jewish refusniks.
They were accused by the Russians of having given one of the
refusniks unspecified “subversive” material and of “belonging to an
international Zionist organization.”
Finkielkraut said the investigators wanted them to reveal the
names of the people they had met and the contents of their
conversation.
Gandhi urged to change policy
NEW YORK (JTA)—Kenneth Bialkin, chairman of the Confer
ence of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has
called on Prime Minister Rajev Gandhi of India to change his
country’s “policy and attitude” toward Israel.
“Indian hostility toward Israel and her people has caused the
American Jewish community great consternation in recent years,”
Bialkin wrote in a letter to Gandhi last month.
“On numerous occasions the Indian government has discrimi
nated against Israeli citizens...by denying them permission” to
enter India to participate in various international events.
Bialkin urged that under its new prime minister, India “assume
a fairer, more even-handed approach to the Middle East conflict—
an approach that will allow India...to play an active and effective
part in encouraging the Arab world to negotiate directly with Israel
and seek a peaceful solution for this troubled region.”
Israel data saves U.S. billions
NEW YORK (Special)—Israel has provided the United States
with some S50 billion worth of technological data from captured
Soviet military equipment, it was disclosed last week by Meir
Rosenne, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States.
Addressing a meeting of the American Friends of Tel Aviv
University, the Israeli envoy said that Israel had saved America
“many years of research and billions of dollars” by sharing with the
United States the planes, tanks, missiles and other Soviet military
equipment it captured from Arab armies. He said the $50 billion
price-tag was an estimate based on a study by two American
generals in the Pentagon.
Austria paying Reder pension
VIENNA (JTA)—The political furor over Defense Minister
Friedhelm Frischenschlager’s reception of Nazi war criminal
Walter Reder, when he returned to his native Austria on January
24 after nearly 40 years in an Italian prison, was hardly abated
when the ministry of Social Welfare disclosed last week that the
convicted mass-murderer of civilians has been receiving a war
pension from the Austrian government since 1970.
According to the ministry, the 69-year-old former SS Major
has been receiving a monthly stipend equivalent to $324 plus a $29
old age supplement. The pension was granted in 1970, retroactive
to 1964.
V
/
NCJW lauds Headstart Program
Editor:
I was pleased to note the 20th
Anniversary of the Head Start Pro
gram. It was not long after the
Head Start Program was initiated
that the first experimental HIPPY
(Home Instruction Program for
Preschool Youngsters) was set up
by a team headed by Dr. Avima D.
Lombard of the National Council
of Jewish Women Research Insti
tute for Innovation in Education at
the Hebrew University School of
Education in Jerusalem.
Initiated in 1969 as a research
project, it was designed to examine
the feasibility and effectiveness of
home-based educational interven
tion involving mothers and their
preschool children from education
ally disadvantaged sectors of the
society. The idea behind HIPPY
was that home instruction could
effectively improve learning pat
terns. Participation in the program
helps these children become more
responsible, responsive and suc
cessful school pupils, while changes
in mothers relate to their self-image
and attitudes toward education.
In response to the international
interest and following consultation
with people in a number of coun
tries, the Research Institute decided
to widen the circle of participation
in HIPPY and to introduce an ele
ment of international collaboration
around the issue of home-based
preschool educational enrichment.
As a result, two international work
shops on HIPPY have been held;
the First took place in December
1982 and the second in May 1984.
A third is planned for June 1985.
As a result of the workshops,
local HIPPY programs are now
being implemented in Turkey, in
Richmond, Va.; and in Tulsa, Okla.
In addition, preparations are being
made for programs which will short
ly get under way in the following
cities: Glendale, Ariz.; Montclair,
N.J.; Santiago, Chile; and Disaneng,
Bophuthatswana.
The HIPPY Program, and like
wise the Headstart Program, is re
garded as a model of successful co
operation between academia, the
government and the community.
Again I congratulate the Headstart
Program and hope that programs
of this type continue to exist for
another 20 years.
Susan Feinberg, President
National Council of Jewish Women
Atlanta Section
Do a mitzva for
Jewish Home
Editor:
The Jewish Home is looking for
a community member to serve as
our religious director. This person
would assume responsibility for
conducting services on Friday
nights, Saturday and Sunday
mornings, and holidays. The Jew
ish Home’s “congregation” con
sists of residents from The Jewish
Home, the Jewish Tower and the
Atlanta Group Home Inc. (develop-
mentally disabled adults).
While there is not much we can
offer in the way of salary, the posi
tion is a mitzva that is rewarding.
Should you be interested in more
information, please contact Deb
orah Beards, executive director,
The Jewish Home, 351-8410.
Nathan Becker, Chairman
Religious Committee,
The Jewish Home
A special happening
by Ben Rabinowitz
Callaway Gardens is a lovely
spot, no matter what you’re doing
there. But when you’re there for a
Beth Jacob Congregation Torah
Retreat, Callaway Gardens takes
on itself the very special aura of
holiness that prayer, learning and
fun gives off. Specifically, the week
end of Jan. 25 to 27 of this year
and that special shabbat, gave an
air of holiness to Callaway Gardens
...but a special “happening” made
the entire experience more mean
ingful and holy and, yes...fulfilling
to the participants.
During the shabbat morning To
rah reading, one of the participants
announced the usual kind of dona
tion to our “Ethiopian Jewish Bro
thers.” It didn’t pass lightly...the
idea that from this beautiful shab
bat experience at Callaway Gardens
a gesture of one-ness with all Jews,
and especially Ethiopian Jews,
should emanate, caught on quickly.
That night, after Havdalla, and
before the main speaker of the even
ing began, Chuck Lowenstein made
an eloquent, low-key appeal for
this kind of gesture from the retreat
participants. Chuck spoke about
the Portion of the week which be
gins the recounting of the exodus
from Egypt by the Israelites...and
how our generation has the great
privilege to aid and participate in
this modern day exodus, “Opera
tion Moses.” He explained that
there would be no soliciting of
donations, and whoever wished to
be a part of the gesture must under
stand that this would be “plus" giv
ing and in no way affect contribu
tions to the annual Federation cam
paign.
Chuck also explained that what
he was asking was that all there
could participate in a Torah mitzva.
The mitzva of “Redeeming Cap
tives.” The price to “redeem" an
Ethiopian Jew is $6,000 and just
maybe, Chuck said, maybe this re
treat could redeem a Jew.
The speaker was introduced to
discuss the topic of the retreat
which dealt with The Life of The
Chofetz. Chaim and his teachings
concerning “Loshen Hora.” but
Rabbi Berel Wien joined in the ap
peal...he took a few minutes to re
mind the audience that G-d works
in mysterious ways for the Jewish
people. He recounted how G-d re
shaped the world in biblical days:
He caused a famine over the entire
civilized world; changed the seats
of power from Mesopotamia to
Egypt; caused the introduction of
the feudal systems, etc. just so Jo
seph and his brothers could be re
united and the beginnings of the
Jewish people would be formed.
Rabbi Wien asked that we compare
the events of then and the events of
today and asked that we recognize
“the Hand of G-d” in reuniting
brethren today.
Israel OKs VOA
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israel has
agreed to the Reagan administra
tion's proposal to build a powerful
Voice of America (VOA) radio
transmitter in Israel to relay broad
casts to the Soviet Union and other
Eastern bloc countries, according
to a report in Maariv.
Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin
made a verbal commitment to Pres
ident Reagan at their White House
meeting last month, Maariv said.
It was not put in writing. Rabin
reportedly acted on a decision taken
secretly by Israeli leaders in recent
weeks.
And that ended the appeals. But
not the beautiful gesture of unity
and responsibility, because those
people who heard and took the
message to their hearts, sent in
their checks. A teenage boy shared
his birthday money...a young father
gave a “chai” for every member of
his family...a retired communal
worker gave his Social Security
check for this month.
Checks were made out to the
United Jewish Appeal and will be
presented to the Atlanta Jewish
Federation...a meaningful gesture
of love and concern...a “kiss” across
the ocean to our fellow Jews in
their time of desperate need. Those
caring, loving Jews at the retreat
saved a life...redeemed a captive...
contributed over the needed $6,000.
And, it is important to consider
that Rabbi Feldman had made a
prior appeal from the pulpit and
these funds were raised in addition
to the more than $2,500 that the
rabbi had already sent to national
agencies who are assisting the Ethi
opian Jews.
Kol Hakovod!
transmitter deal
The American request raised con
siderable controversy here. The
United States wants the transmitter
in Israel to overcome Soviet jam
ming of VOA broadcasts relayed
via Europe. But many Israelis feared
that to acquiesce would involve Is
rael directly in the cold war between
the superpowers and would have a
detrimental effect on the situation
of Soviet Jews which has seriously
deteriorated during the past year.
But President Reagan exerted
pressure, Maariv said, and Israel
was forced finally to agree.
PAGE 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE February 15, 1985