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PAGE 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE January 31, 1986
The Southern Israelite
The Weekly Newjpoper Fo» Southern Jewry
Since 1925
Vida Goldgar
Editor and Publisher
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
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The gift of life
Several weeks ago. we used this space to emphasize that
January was National Volunteer Blood Donor Month,
Obviously, the need for blood does not end just because this is
the last day of January. The need is ongoing and urgent.
This Sunday, Feb. 2. there are two convenient locations where
the regular quarterly blood drives will be^sponsored by organizations
in our community.
Doors open at Ahavath Achim Sy nagogue at 9 a.m. while the
drive at the AJCC Zaban begins at 10.
This would be a good time to set a record.
Reality
Once again, hints that Israel and Jordan are close to reaching
some sort of negotiating stance are creeping more boldly into the
news.
Our State Department's Middle East expert. Richard Murphy,
has been meeting with both King Hussein and Prime Minister Peres
to try to mediate some mutually acceptable forum for peace
discussions.
So far, though, a major stumbling block remains. Vasir
Arafat. There are those who seem to feel that if Arafat recognizes
Israel's right to exist and accepts the appropriate United Nations
resolutions, the problem will be solved. No way.
There is little doubt that Israel w ill refuse to accept Arafat as a
partner to talks, no matter what lip serv ice he pays. Still, such an
action might encourage other Palestinians without PLO
connections—to come forward.
But first, H ussein must deal w ith this reality and cut the strings
that keep Arafat in the picture.
Vida Goldgar
Of spirit and courage
When we were still young enough to play Let s
Pretend." mv cousin Mary Lou and I had a favorite
subject. Sneaking a handful of dried beans trom her
mother's kitchen and scavenging
an empty tin can from the trash lor
a cookpot. we built a make-believe
fire on our “deserted Pacific island
to cook the beans as surv iv al lesson
No. I.
As I recall, this all took place in
a trench Mary Lou's dad had dug
in their back yard tor some pipes
he was planning to connect to
something or other. T he trench was our protection, either
against the elements (did we at that age know about
typhoons?) or against uncivilized natives (drawn no
doubt bv the pretend smoke ol our pretend tire).
W hat were we pretending'.’ 1 hat we. jointly, were
Amelia Earhart.
Right now I can imagine many ot you puzzling
over this, wondering" Who was Amelia Earhart.’ Okay.
I'll tell vou. She started setting records in aviation
history before 1 was born.
She was the first woman to cross the Atlantic
Ocean bv air. It was 1928 and that time she was a
passenger. Four years later, she became the tirst woman
pilot to fly across the Atlantic alone. She was the tirst
woman to fly from Honolulu to the mainland ot the
United States and the first to fly across the United
States alone in both directions. She was also the tirst
woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross.
1 doubt Marv Lou and I knew any ot that. W hat
wet/h/know and w hat led to our game wasthatinher
ever wider challenge to expand the capabilities 0 f
flight, she very nearly succeeded in her attempt to flv
around the world. With her goal almost in reach, Amelia
Earhart’s airplane vanished at sea in the Pacific Ocean
1 hadn't really thought about that long-ago event
for many years. What triggered it was this week’s
enormous tragedy that engulfed the Challenger shuttle
Over and over again, we watched replays in living color
as the lives of seven of today’s heroes of flight were
snutted out as they followed in the footsteps ot the Amelia
Earharts and others w ho preceded and came alter her
to expand the capabilities of flight. For her. the
ultimate was to fly around the world. That, today, is
commonplace. For the seven w ho died this week, the
challenge was so much wider. A half century trom now
who knows what the limits will be. W'e can be certain,
though, that there w ill be men and women then, as this
week and throughout recorded history, who will he
willing to take the risk—and give their lives it it comes
to that to expand the frontiers of knowledge.
Hick Scohhe, Mike Smith. Judith Resnik. Christa
McAulifie. Ronald McSair. Ellison Onizuka ami
Gregory Jarvis were of the same spirit and courage as
Amelia Earhart. In light of our present-day knowledge,
their risk seems greater. But for Earhart’s day and
time, and with the aircraft available then. I’m not so
sure.
Vet around-the-world flight didn’t stop because
Amelia Earhart died in the Pacific. Space exploration
must not stop because, after 24 successful shuttle
flights, something went dreadfully wrong this week.
It w ould dishonor the memorv of those w ho died.
Virus in the heartland
by Stanley M. I.efco
“The situation is not an epidemic,
but it is a v irus in America's heart
land," commented Rabbi A. James
Rudin, in discussing the growing
anti-Semitism in the Midwest Rabbi
Rudin serves as the national inter
religious affairs director ot the
American Jewish Committee.
The facts are pretty clear. The
farmers are stuck in an economic
quagmire. They are financially over
extended. They can’t make their
mortgage and equipment loan
payments. As a result, the banks
are foreclosing and taking awav
the only thing they have or that
matters: their land. Familv farms
have been around for a long time,
centuries in some instances. When
the banks come in and demand the
collateral, they literally w rench the
heart and soul out of the farmers.
The farmers of the Midwest
represent about three percent of
the population. Rabbi Rudin described
them as non-violent, democratic,
and pluralistic. One envisions the
M idwest as a w holesome section of
the country w here patriotism, dev o-
tion to the land and religion are
highly valued.
Yet. the farmers are looking for
a scapegoat for their dilemma. It
may be too difticult tor them to
face the tact that in large measure
they may be their own worst enemies.
The government probably had a
hand in it by making credit easy
and promising financial rewards.
I he banks also may deserve some
blame.
The tarmers look around them
and see their livelihoods being taken
away while the rest of the country
apparently basks in prosperity. As
Rabbi Rudin pointed out. it’s not
like 50 years ago during the depression
when everyone was suffering. So
they become easy prey for every
hate-mongering group around.
The Aryan Nations, Posse Comita-
14s, and The Order, to name a few,
are feeding on the farmer’s vul
nerability. The Order, for example,
claims the government is a Zionist
Occupied Government or ”ZOG.’’
These radical right groups point
their ugly fingers at David Rockefeller
and Chase Manhattan Bank, which
fHadassah unit plans conference^
NEW y ORk (.1 I A) A historic first will take place in l >arls
March 8-10 when Hadassah Medical Relief Association (H MR A).
Hadasxah's new international organization, convenes its brst
conference tor members from four continents.
Bernice I annenbaum, chairman of the two-year old organization,
announced that the conference would be a great step in promoting
the goals of HMRA which are to improve the quality ot life in
lsr,ul through involvement, education and fund-raising. ^
they claim are merely fronts for the
evil mastermind, the House ot Roths
child. In essence, they tell the farmers
that their problems are caused by the
Jews, who are trying to take over
the country and their land.
This is nothing new It’s not
particularly alarming, because this
type of propaganda has been going
on since recorded time I he problem
is that the farmers are buying it.
They honestly believe the Jews are
behind it all. In a somew hat related
matter they are being taught that
the Holocaust is a fabrication, which
they are also accepting as the truth.
The concern for Jews should be
theease with which these groups can
foster anti-Semitism. Without any
proof, they are successful purveyors
of hate. Rabbi Rudin indicated
that church officials are being
contacted and are considered the
first line of defense.
1 he approach is obv iously reac
tionary. It cannot and should not
be expected that Jewish organizations
could have foreseen that the plight
of the Midwest farmers would become
a cesspool of hate. What is the
answer .’ We would welcome hearing
from groups on the methods they
are employing to combat anti-
Semitism in non-reactionary
situations.
Arnold Toynbee once wrote. All
significant changes take place at
the periphery, never in the heartland.