Newspaper Page Text
wfpJWpMW mymm n
r~ a
News BriefsI
U.S. rejects appeal of SS guard
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The U.S. Board of Immigration
Appeals (BI A) has rejected the appeal of Reinhold Kulle, a former SS
guard leader at the Gross-Rosen concentration camp, who was
ordered deported in 1984 by the Federal Immigration Court in
Chicago. In a rare move, the BIA also took action that is expected
to result in the cancellation of Kulle’s social security benefits.
Kulle, 65, admitted during his 1983 trial that he had served
during World War II as an officer in the “Totenkopf” (Death’s
Head) division of the Waffen-SS at the notorious Gross-Rosen
camp in Upper Silesia.
Fellner apologizes for slur
BONN (JTA) — Hermann Fellner, a ranking member of the
Christian Social Union (CSU), has apologized for an anti-Semitic
slur. He handed a written apology to Werner Nachmann, chairman
of the West German Jewish community, and several hours later
made his amends verbally in the Bundestag.
Fellner is Home Affairs spokesman for the Bundestag faction
of the CSU, the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s
ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He created a furor two
weeks ago when he remarked in a newspaper interview that Jewish
claims for reparations from firms that used Jews as slave laborers
during World War II created the impression that “Jews are quick
to show up whenever money jingles in German cashboxes.”
Israeli-built plane fills U.S. bill
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israeli technicians spent two weeks in an
isolated desert area demonstrating to American experts the
capabilities of the Israel-made drone—pilotless light aircraft used
for reconnaissance purposes. Those demonstrations resulted in a
major contract from the U.S. Navy, according to an article in
Bamahane, the Israel Defense Force monthly magazine.
The Israel-made drone fulfilled the American requirements
with respect to maximum cruising range and altitude, ability to spot
hidden targets, take-off and landing on short (70-meter) runways,
and maintenance needs.
Toronto school won’t ban book
TORONTO (JTA)—A book that claims the Holocaust is a
hoax and other controversial publications will not be banned from
the library at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto.
After a three-month investigation, a special committee has
ruled out adopting a policy that would remove books such as “The
Hoax Of The Twentieth Century” from library shelves. The book
denies the well-documented fact that six million Jews died at the hands
of the Nazis.
The new policy of the Institute, however, could result in a book
being placed in a “limited access” area if it is the subject of an
“adverse judgment” by a Canadian court.
British airports isolate El Al
TEL AVIV (JTA)—El Al ticket counters at British airports in
Manchester and London have been relocated, apparently because
other airlines are nervous about possible terrorist attacks. In the
Dec. 27 assault on El Al ticket counters at the Rome and Vienna
airports, most of the 19 who died were passengers on line at
adjacent counters.
Israel’s national airline is not happy over the situation and is
expected to cancel its weekly flights to Manchester. The airport
management there moved El Al to an isolated part of the terminal,
citing security considerations. El Al said it should rather have tried
to improve airport security.
El Al reluctantly agreed to have its facilities removed from the
international flights terminal at Heathrow, London’s main airport,
to a terminal handling British Airways flights only.
Kahane stymied by Dulzin
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Leon Dulzin acted personally over the
weekend to cancel a decision by the Jewish Agency to rent the
Binyanei Ha’ooma convention hall here to Rabbi Meir Kahane’s
extremist Kach Party for its convention next month. Dulzin,
chairman of the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization
Executives, was alerted to the deal by MK YairTzaban of Mapam.
He expressed shock, declaring it was unthinkable to rent the
Jewish Agency-owned hall to a “racist, un-Zionist movement” that
was contrary to the essence of Zionism and democracy.
V____—
The Hebrew Academy led the way
Editor:
Let’s not make :*ny mistakes. I
am a very big supporter of the
Torah Day School of Atlanta, but
at the same time I keep the realities
in perspective. The Torah Day
School would not be here today
without the Hebrew Academy’s
30+ years of work prior to the
opening of TDSA. A person does
not become great by stepping on
others to get to the top, but rather
he beeomes great by listening to
the advice of others more experienced
than he and by pulling himself up
and climbing.
The people I hear over and over
again dow ngrading and finding fault
with the Hebrew Academy are only
showing their true ignorance. How
quickly they forget when the Academy
was the only school. Who would
think of criticizing then?
Only in recent times has the
Orthodox community beeomestrong
enough to start a new school. 1
would never for a minute suggest
that the Hebrew Academy change.
It is a great school and serves the
community well. 1 believe that there
can never be too many Jewish
schools in a community as long as
there are Jewish children in public
schools. A variety of types of Jewish
education can only enhance our
community. How dare anyone find
fault with any Jewish school that is
helping Jewish children.
1 w ill continue to support TDSA
and want that type of education for
my children. But 1 will not criticize
other schools and other types of
education in order to boost support
for TDSA.
Sam A uerhach
Kahane raises relevant issues
Editor:
The established Jew ish community
of Atlanta, joining with many
national Jewish agencies, has publicly
disassociated itselffrom Rabbi Meir
Kahane on the occasion of his visit
to the United States and Atlanta.
The rejection, by almost every
organized Jewish group in the United
States, of Kahane’s anti-Arab racist
statements stands in stark contrast
to the pitiful silence afflicting the
majority of black leaders where the
Rev. Farrakhan or Jesse Jackson
are concerned.
Several points deserve considera
tion: In condemning Meir Kahane,
1 condemn his methods, and some
of his statements and positions. 1
do feel, however, that Meir Kahane
has succeeded in raising some relevant
issues. 1 suspect that many leaders
in the American Jewish community
are concerned more about what
Meir Kahane has to say about
themselves than about what he
says about Jewish-Arab relations.
To be specific: Should we as a
communitv not be concerned that
much of American secular Jewish
leadership comes from sincere,
dedicated but unlearned Jews? Should
we not recognize that, while the
state of Israel deserves our total
and unlimited support, and is a
Jewish state, it is not fully guided
by Jewish law in its policies. (Many
American Jewish leaders recognize
this and are delighted about it.)
And most important, what is our
position on the question of the
ultimate nature of the Jewish state?
Would it be inconsistent with Jewish
tradition to legislate that Israel
must always remain a Jewish state
no matter what the Arab population?
It is a pity Meir Kahane has
turned himself into such an un
acceptable pariah by polluting his
message with anger, hatred and
violence. But Meir Kahane has
raised questions that many in the
Jewish establishment in Israel and
in the Diaspora should take quite
seriously.
Rahhi Han D. Feldman
Congregation Beth Jacob
AJCongress responds to creche issue
Editor:
There are several answers to
Edwin Black’s attack on the American
Jewish Congress for filing a lawsuit
against Chicago’s municipal creche
and menorah at Christmas time. In
the first place, it is not at all clear
that a lawsuit brought in the spring
would be considered in the federal
courts. Problems of standing, ripeness
and mootness would bedevil any
such lawsuit. A judge not anxious
for controversy—and they are not
uncommon—could, and probably
would, invoke those doctrines to
avoid deciding a creche case brought
in the spring.
Second, Black’s claim that such
suits invite anti-Semitism is belied
by the evidence. He concedes that
the American Civil Liberties Union
suit in St. Charles, Ill. has not
generated anti-Semitism, despite
the small size of its Jewish community.
We have seen no evidence of anti-
Semitism in Chicago. And it is not
a common reaction elsewhere either.
Most particularly, Black offers
no evidence that there is a marginal
increase in anti-Semitism because
of the filing of a lawsuit at Christmas,
as opposed to the very fact that
such suits are filed at all. School
prayer cases are inevitably con
troversial, sometimes generate anti-
Semitism, and are not brought at
Christmas. Cases against other
religious symbols, not related to a
particular holiday, also stir strong
feelings.
And Black never explains why a
lawsuit brought jointly against a
creche and a menorah—as was the
case with the lawsuit he is discussing—
should create anti-Semitism in the
first place.
Third, while many people disagree
with the philosophy of church-
state separation which underlies
“creche” (or menorah) suits, and
many disagree sharply, only a few
from the fringe engage in anti-
Semitic activity. It ill-behooves the
Jewish community to be deterred
from an effective course of action
in order to avoid the ravings of that
lunatic fringe.
Fourth, quoting an official of
the Anti-Defamation League. Black
argues that creches are not primarily
a constitutional issue—but rather
an insider-outsider issue— a problem,
he argues, for community relations,
not litigation. In this Black is flat
out wrong, because the constitutional
problem arises precisely because a
creche sets up an insider-outsider
dichotomy. Justice O’Connor has
identified the constitutional vice of
governmental endorsement of religion
in the fact that such endorsement
“sends a message to nonadherents
that they are outsiders, not full
members of the political community.
Editor:
You were so helpful to us a few
years ago in placing a notice in
your paper of a family from the
U.S.S. R. who arrived in the United
States looking for relatives. Your
paper brought the family together.
Now we are trying to locate
Rabbi Myer Tabakman, or his
and an accompanying message to
adherents that they are insiders,
favored members of the political
community.”
AJCongress is not insensitive to
the concerns Black raises. We have
repeatedly urged Jewish communities
to proceed carefully when dealing
with religious symbols at the holiday
season. Those views are stated in a
variety of places, including our
widely distributed pamphlet “Christ
mas/Chanukah: A Community
Guide.” Those views shaped our
response to a variety of incidents
this year involving public Christmas
observances, including those in the
public schools. What is not acceptable
is a total ban on Christmas season
litigation.
Finally, since practically every
reason Black gives in support of a
ban on creche litigation at Christmas
time is applicable to any and all
church-state litigation, one must
ask whether his objection is to the
timing of the Chicago lawsuit or
the fact that it was brought at all.
Ronald George Cohn
Regional director
American Jewish Congress
family. He was a rabbi in Beaufort,
S.C., in 1930. We hope some of
your readers can give us some
information.
Mrs. Bernice Lazere
Family Location and Legal Service
235 Park Avenue South
New York. N. Y. 10003
A search is on
PAGE 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE January 24, 1986