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PAGE 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August 30, 1985
The Southern Israelite
The W**Wy Newspaper For Southern Jewry
Since 1925
Vida Goldgar
Editor and Publisher
Allen Rabinowitz
Special Assignments
Leonard Goldstein
Advertising Director
Luna Levy
Associate Editor
Eschol A. Harrell
Production Manager
Lutz Baum
Business Manager
Published every Friday by The Southern Israelite, Inc.
Second Class Postage paid at Atlanta, Ga (ISSN 00388) (UPS 776060)
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American Jewish Press Assn.; Georgia Press Assn.; National Newspaper Assn.
Made in Israel
Many economists have recommended American investment in
and trade with Israel as a beneficial way for the Jewish state to
improve its troubled economy. One Atlanta high technology firm
decided to follow that recommendation and has been very pleased
with the results.
Simpletec Inc., a software trading company that acquires,
refines and distributes software products in both foreign and
domestic markets, has been involved for a year with bringing
Israeli-produced technology to the United States. The company
recently concluded deals with the U.S. military for technology
using Israeli software that will be applied to a number of projects.
It all started when Les Trachtman, Simpletec’s president, read
an article on Israeli export opportunities and decided to investi
gate. With Simpletec vice president Roger Schneider, he con
tacted the Israeli Consul General’s office and was put in touch
with the Israel Export Authority. The Jerusalem government
assisted Simpletec in finding Israeli suppliers and American
markets.
Schneider has raved about Israel’s “incredible latent talent” in
software development and its outstanding reputation for research
capability and applied technology. He recommends the high cali
bre of Israeli technology in a number of fields to American com
panies and has nothing but praise for the assistance his firm
received from the government.
According to Schneider, the only thing missing in Israel is
expertise in marketing and distribution, one of the prime compo
nents of American business.
Simpletec is to be lauded for its involvement in the Israeli
economy. We hope that other firms follow its lead and take
advantage of what Israel has to offer. By doing so, a company can
tap in to a thriving industrial and technological society and per
form a mitzva by assisting Israel.
—A.R.
Vida Goldgar
Falwell fallacy
Somehow I can’t shake the image of the Rev.
Jerry Falwell smiling into the cameras and urg
ing Americans to buy Krugerrands. His plans to
raise a million dollars to spur
reinvestment in South Africa
and/or influence Congress not
to push for economic sanctions
against the apostles of apar
theid are repugnant—especially
so coming from a man of God.
This is the man who seeks to
impose his view of morality on
this country.
A few years back, when almost everybody
seemed to be jumping on Israel, there were those
among us who were willing to close one eye to
Falwell’s antithetical views on domestic political
issues because “he’s a friend of Israel.” I was
among those who questioned the basis of this
friendship. I still do.
The growing strength of the religious right—
including Falwell’s Moral Majority—and the
vast sums of money it is able to generate are felt
throughout America. School prayer statutes are
threatened; book burnings seem only a step
away. And anybody who disagrees with the fun
damentalist tenets is a sinner.
Now, Falwell has become an authority on th,e
problems in South Africa. His characterization
of Noble Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu as a
phony—a statement for which he later apologized—
was nothing short of outrageous.
Obviously the issues which engulf South
Africa in chaos are not going to be resolved
quickly. Nor will they be resolved only by dem
onstrations, mass arrests, or economic reprisals
But neither can this country stand by and do
nothing, despite President Reagan’s praise of the
Botha government as “reformist” and Falwell’s
call for economic support. This is neither moral
nor, I believe, the view of the majority.
Law and responsa
by Stanley M. Lefco
“Judaism is a decentralized con
geries of rival beliefs, practices,
and doubts with no font of author
ity other than revelation, in the Old
Testament, and rabbinic interpre
tations, notably Talmud, which
the Orthodox assimilate to revela
tion. Neither source commands uni
versal allegiance or unequivocal
comprehension.”
So writes Israel Shenker, author,
writer for the New York Times,
and correspondent for Time, in his
book, “Coat of Many Colors: Pages
From Jewish Life.” Three chapters
are devoted to The Law, Responsa,
and More Responsa.
Jewish law includes the Hebrew
Bible. It is said that Ezra, the priest
and scribe, was sent to Babylon to
enforce the law upon the Jews in
Palestine. In 40 days, dictating to
five stenographers, he “reconstitut
ed” the Bible and 70 books of Jew
ish law.
Yet, what is the law? A story is
told of a man seeking the advice of
the scholar, Hillel. “Make a pros-
lyte of me,” he urged, “on condi
tion that you teach me all the law
while I stand on one foot.” Hillel
responded, “What you would not
have done to you, do not do to
others. This is the whole of the law;
the rest is commentary. Go, learn
it.”
The 16th century scholar, Joseph
Karo, codified the law into eight
volumes. Shulchan Arukh, The
Ready Table. Shenker states that it
was recognized by the faithful as
the most readily accessible and re
liable source.
The law required interpretation
and so responsa evolved. These are
the expert opinions on worship
and on the meaning of the applica
tions of halacha, religious law.
Spain’s Solomon ben Abraham
Adret (C.1235-C.1310), known as
Rashba, wrote thousands of respon
sa. Estimates vary from 6,000 to
1LOOO. The landmark decision that
tt was illicit for Jews to ask gentiles
to perform work forbidden on the
Sabbath was rendered by.Meir ben
Baruch.
Shenker notes that one of the
most controversial responsa dealt
with a 19th century machine for
baking matzo. While it was pro
gress, it nevertheless deprived many
of the poor of income they would
have received from making matzo.
The question posed to the rabbini
cal scholars was whether it was
prohibited or permitted. On the
issue of women wearing slacks, an
interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:5
led to the conclusion that it was not
allowed.
Responsa play a vital role in
Jewish life and continuous inter
pretations of Jewish law are neces
sary to meet the needs and demands
of a modern and ever-changing,
society. Even during the Nazi re
gime, responsa were being given.
Rabbi Ephraim Oshry stole bits ol
paper from cement sacks and wrote
his responsa on them, which he
buried in the Kovno ghetto. Believ
ing he would not survive, he hoped
that others would find them. He
did survive, managed to retrieve
his notes and turned them into four
volumes. In the Conservative move
ment, the Committee on Jewish
Law and Standards was established
to issue responsa.
In 1967 a program was begun to
computerize responsa. It was esti
mated that there were 3,500 printed
volumes of responsa, being the
work of 1,000 authors. In 15 years
the Responsa Project had put 2
volumes, approximately 40,000 re
sponsa or 40 million words, into
the computer. The ultimate goal is
500 volumes. .
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
summed it up, “Judaism is based
on a minimum of revelation an
maximum of interpretation.