Newspaper Page Text
The Southern
Israelite
The Weekly Newspaper For Southern Jewry ,
'Since 1925'
V Vol. LXII Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, January 24, 1986 No. 4
Spain recognizes Israe
at risk of Arab sanctions,
Israeli girl plants tree in the Jerusalem Forest on Tu B’Shvat.
Tu B’Shvat
New Year of the Trees
Jan. 25, 1986: How many of us
will associate this date and the
regeneration of the earth? Probably
not many, as most people usually
associate the end of January with
wrapping themselves up in a desperate
attempt to keep warm. Why not,
though, take a break from winter’s
icy tentacles by participating in a
joyous Tu B’ Shvat, the Jewish
New Year of the Trees?
TuB’ Shvat is an ancient agrarian
holiday, reflecting how our ancestors
lived in close harmony with the
cycles of nature. According to Jewish
law, eating from fruit trees was
permitted only after the fifth year
of planting, following the fruit’s
being consecrated in the fourth.
The 15th day of Shvat was settled
upon as the legal “birthday” of all
Rabbi Alvin M. Sugarman,
spiritual leader of The Temple, was
appointed by Mayor Andrew Young
as the city’s official representative
to participate at the formal public
ceremony in Jerusalem dedicating
a street in “Liberty Bell Park” as
“Martin Luther King Jr., Street.”
Rabbi Sugarman spoke, along with
Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir
and Robert Flatten, Charge d’affaires,
U.S. Consulate.
In recognition of the First celebra
tion of the new American holiday
honoring Dr. King, Israel’s President
Chaim Herzog declared Jan. 20,
1986, to be Martin Luther King
Day in Israel. All week the Israeli
school children studied about Dr.
King.
On Dr. Martin Luther King Day,
the Knesset held a special afternoon
session, which was opened by the
Jerusalem Children’s Choir singing
“We Shall Overcome.” The session
was officially opened by the speaker
of the Knesset joined by Henry
Kissinger, Abba Eban and Shamir.
After the session a reception was
trees. Customs associated today
with the holiday are recent innova
tions associated with 16th and 17th
century mystic Kabbalists. They
encouraged the eating of the fruits
of Israel as an expression of longing
for the Jewish homeland, and even
created a Tu B’ Shvat Seder. This
special ceremony calls for a table
set in festive white, litby candles
and complemented by the fragrances
of myrtle leaves and flowers. Four
cups of wine and blessings over a
variety of fruits are all part of this
seder.
Tu B’ Shvat signals the coming
of spring in Israel, a time when the
rains have let up and the flowers
are making their debut on the
See Tu B’Shvat, page 24.
held in the Knesset’s Chagall Hall,
hosted by President Chaim Herzog.
The late Dr. King was the first
person to be honored in the Israeli
Parliament. Dr. Kissinger stated,
“Dr. King we have your dream
too.”
King has long been admired in
Israel for his courageous leadership
of the civil rights movement in the
United States, his frequently demon
strated friendship for the Jewish
people, Zionism, the State of Israel
and his eloquent rejection of anti-
Semitism in all its forms. His tragic
assassination in 1968 caused deep
anguish to all Israelis.
In tribute to Dr. King, a special
memorial forest bearing his name
was planted in 1976 in the Galilee,
near Nazareth: It now consists of
over 10,000 trees and is growing
constantly.
Rabbi Sugarman just completed
a “Panim el Pamin” mission spon
sored by the Atlanta Jewish Federa
tion. He was among 180 Atlantans
who visited the Jewish state.
by Edwin Eytan
PARIS (JTA)—The Spanish
government, by establishing formal
diplomatic ties with Israel last Friday,
took what it and apparently most
of the Spanish people consider a
long overdue and honorable step,
at the risk of Arab economic sanctions
and possible terrorist attacks against
Spanish installations and citizens
abroad and at home.
Spain sought to forestall diplomatic
and economic repercussions in the
Arab world by informing Arab
leaders of its intention to recognize
Israel well in advance. Spanish
diplomats stressed that this will
not alter Spain’s traditional backing
of the Palestinian cause.
4 At their meeting with Israeli
diplomats at The Hague to sign the
documents of mutual recognition
the Spaniards presented the Israelis
with a paper calling for interna
tional recognition of Palestinian
rights.
Meanwhile, stringent security pre
cautions have been in place since
early last week at all Spanish
Embassies and diplomatic missions
abroad. These were especially evident
at Spanish legations in Western
Europe and the Middle East. On
the eve of recognition, hundreds of
members of Spain’s anti-terrorist
squad, the crack GEO, were dis
patched to European and Middle
East capitals.
Despite these precautions, three
Spanish officials, one a security
guard, were kidnapped in Beirut
last Friday morning. They are being
held by a Shiite Moslem militia,
reportedly as hostages for release
of several Lebanese gunmen sentenced
to prison terms in Spain last year.
It was not clear whether the kidnap
pings were connected with Spain’s
recognition of Israel or merely
coincidental.
Despite threats of terrorist attack
and economic retaliation, Spanish
public opinion seems nearly unani
mously in favor of Prime Minister
Felipe Gonzalez’s initiative to
recognize Israel. Virtually all of the
major dailies have congratulated
him for taking the step, expressing
regret only that it was not taken
much sooner.
Democratic government was
restored in Spain in 1974 for the
first time in 35 years, following the
death of Gen. Francisco Franco.
The Spanish people have since
been searching for their cultural
and historic roots. In the course of
that search, they have welcomed
the very notion of Sephardism, the
concept of a Spanish Jewry, removed
by the expulsion 500 years ago.
Dozens of books on the role
played by Sephardic Jews in Spanish
history are published every month.
A regular monthly television program
on the State-owned network is
devoted to the Jewish contribution
to Spain. Popular singers are per
forming songs based on Sephardic
themes.
The recognition of Israel is viewed
by many Spanish historians as closing
the breach between Spain and Jews
that opened in 1492. A special
service celebrating the new relation
ship between Spain and Israel was
held at Madrid’s modern synagogue.
Jewish congregants, most of them
relative newcomers from North
Africa, greeted each other with
cheerful “Mazal Tovs.”
Members of Jewish youth organi
zations filled Madrid’s community
center. They sang the Israeli national
anthem, Hatikva.
There are believed to be about
15,000 Jews in Spain. The largest
communities are in Madrid and
Barcelona. At the time of the ex
pulsion, an estimated quarter-million
Jews lived in Spain, among them
writers, jurists, rabbis, doctors and
philosophers.
Rabbi Sugarman and Mayor Teddy Kollek shake hands as Robert Flatten (second from left) and Foreign
Minister Shamir look on.
Rabbi represents city
at MLK Day in Israel