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PAGE 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE March 28, 1986
The Southern Israelite
The Weekly Newspaper For Southern Jewn/
St nee 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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American Jewish Press Assn.; Georgia Press Assn.; National Newspaper Assn.
Fiasco in Chicago
Even the fact that Chicago politics have long been almost
incomprehensible to the rest of the country doesn’t excuse the
disaster which took place in last week’s Illinois primary, where
Lyndon LaRouche candidates gained top spots on the Demo
cratic Party ballot.
What emerges is that nobody was on the ball; not the media,
not the Democratic party, not the voters.
The whole frightening fiasco only serves to point up once
again that in politics, take nothing for granted. It shows, too, the
need for voters to take the time to educate themselves. Voting for
someone with a “right-sounding” name or against someone
because you don't like the way he or she looks just doesn’t cut it.
We have only to look back to LaRouche’s recent efforts to
mount a slate of candidates right here, many of w hom didn’t even
know the policies of the group that was backing them. Fortu
nately, it didn’t work that time.
It might, the next.
Our primaries are still a way off, but Chicago should serve as a
warning. When you step into the voting booth, know for whom
you vote.
Now what?
At least for the moment, the American —Libyan confronta
tion seems to have cooled and at press time reports were that our
6th Fleet was winding up its “exercises” in the Gulf of Sidra.
Obviously the United States cannot idly stand by and ignore a
challenge to “freedom of the seas” and especially attacks on our
aircraft.
Even so, the incident will undoubtedly draw knee-jerk sup
port for Qaddafi from countries which really aren't all that cra/y
about him, widening the opening through which he can do what
he does best—spawn even more terrorism.
Vida Goldgar
Heart to heart
During the years 1 was active in Hadassah, 1 was
never able to refuse Rae Sternberg anything. I came
close recently when she asked it I’d be able to come to
dinner at Susan and Sidney Tour-
ial’s. 1 had been counting on a
night off to start my taxes. But
when Rae told me the reason for
the gathering—and even arranged
a ride across tow n for me —I didn’t
hesitate.
In Atlanta for the meetings of
the American College ot Cardi
ology was Dr. Mervyn Gotsman,
head of cardiology at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusa
lem. Dr. Gotsman was much in the news recently as
the man to whom Anatoly Shcharansky's care was
entrusted after his arrival in Israel. He is also former
Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s physician. How
could 1 pass up an opportunity like that.
With Dr. Gotsman a tall, gracious former South
African — was his petite, vivacious, European-born
wife Pnina, a former aide to Menachem Begin. Even
before we went in to dinner (and 1 was fortunate
enough to be seated between them). Pnina and 1 had
hit it off immediately and were soon chatting away
like old friends.
For openers. Dr. Gotsman spoke briefly of Is
rael’s economy and I’ll admit I felt just a bit uncomfor
table when he said, “As one comes into the affluent
United States, one feels the subtle difference between
Israel and the United States."
Things are looking up he said, thanks to the drop
in the price of oil and currency changes on the interna
tional markets. However, stringent budget cuts to
help curb inflation have had implications for Hadas
sah Hospital and other service providers in health,
education and welfare. When he talked about a 30
percent reduction staff at the world-famed hospital, 1
was saddened, even though Dr. Gotsman assured us
that nobody is sent out into the streets, but people who
retire are not replaced. That means that many of the
talented young doctors who might once have been
available to Hadassah are now in the United States
and elsewhere.
All the staff, Dr. Gotsman said, have taken cuts in
salary. Some of the stories he told ot the hardships this
has caused were heartrending.
Yet, he is convinced that the only way to solve
Israel’s monetary crisis is to reduce government
spending, and the only way to do that is to cut service.
“But somewhere,” he said, “we are going to have to
find alternative resources.”
Changing the subject, he called the situation of
Jews in Russia today “the second holocaust,” a much
quieter holocaust than that of the Hitler regime,
because so few Russian Jews “have roots as Jews.”
It is against this background, he said, that Shcha-
ransky protested against the loss of civil liberties and
the way people were being treated as political prison
ers in Russia.
In graphic terms that were never quite conveyed by
media reports after Shcharansky’s release. Dr. Gots
man described the physical and psychological effects
of solitary confinement w'hich were imposed on
Shcharansky for long periods of time during his
imprisonment. “This is a very very profound soul-
destroying period.” The space is no larger than two
paces by three paces, with no light except a small
electric bulb, no w'indow's, no furniture at all, no run
ning water, no bed, no reading matter. The diet alter
nated 900 calories one day, with 1,500 calories the
next. The 900 calorie days brought only 450 grams of
black bread with water. The 1,500 calorie days were,
Gotsman said, “what we would call the slops,” never
any warm food or tea or coffee.
Dr. Gotsman’s further descriptions were not pretty
but they made me more aware than ever of the torture
that Shcharansky endured and the inner strengths
that somehow helped him survive what no one should
be forced to endure.
Returning to his early theme, Dr. Gotsman des
cribed Shcharansky as a symbol and said, “T his is one
of the places that Jewry has to be strong. If we’re not
going to let the second holocaust eat us up we’re going
to have to come out and say something about it and
we’re going to have to do something about it.”
Dr. Gotsman fears a third holocaust as well the
disappearance from community of marginal Jews.
But that’s another story for another time.
The evening proved once more that I’ve always
gained much more from Hadassah than I’ve contri
buted.
Not a dirty word
by Stanley M. Lefco
Political action committees,
commonly known as PAC’s, can
conjure up images of nefarious
plots by single-minded groups to
further narrow interests, which
may not necessarily be for the
common good. Though PACs seek
to influence thinking and action,
by no means are they all delete
rious for the best interests of the
country.
One support-worthy PAC is the
National PAC (NatPAC). Found
ed in 1982 by Marvin Josephson, it
includes among its charter mem
bers such notables as Morris A-
bram, Woody Allen, Father Ed
ward Flannery, Bob Hope, Zubin
Mehta and Itzhak Perlman. Jo
sephson, a New York talent agent
and businessman, was determined
to garner support for Israel, the
goal of NatPAC, through the polit
ical process. He noted, “My disap
pointment has been with what I
consider to be the slow pace of
educating the American Jewish
community as to the need for polit
ical action.”
A related concern of NatPAC is
the strength of the Jewish vote. A
New York state survey after the
November 1984 election showed
that a decreasing number of Jews
are registered voters. Of course,
population shifts may account in
part for this, but national studies
have clearly documented that the
number of Jews is declining.
In March 1982, NatPAC had
300 members and supported 117
candidates with contributions to
taling $560,000. In May 1985, its
membership had increased to 35,000,
and $779,000 was contributed to
149 candidates. Since 1982, more
than $1.3 million has been distrib
uted to candidates. Under U.S.
law, an individual can give a max
imum of $5,000 annually to a
PAC. According to its executive
director, Richard Altman, Nat
PAC hopes in the 1986 congres
sional elections to contribute $1
million to candidates or the equi
valent of $5,000 for each of 200 can
didates. It boasts that it is the No. 1
non-labor or corporate political ac
tion committee in the country and
the sixth largest PAC. Headquar
tered in Washington, D C, Nat
PAC has supported those candi
dates who believe that “Israel is a
great strategic asset to the United
States and our only reliable ally in
the Middle East.” In 1984 it con
tributed $5,000 to these candidates
except for a few, who declined any
PAC lunds. Republican Sen. Nancy
Kassenbaum of Kansas limited con
tributions to $2,000. Paul Simon,
who ran successfully on the Demo
cratic ticket against incumbent
Sen. Charles Percy in Illinois, re
ceived $10,000. In Georgia, only
Sen. Sam Nunn and U.S. Rep
Wyche Fowler received NatPAC
support. NatPAC proudly boasts
that 88 percent of the candidates it
supported in the 1984 election were
elected to Congress.
An allocations committee de
cides who is to receive support. It
reviews position papers, the candi
dates’ records, speeches they ha\e
given and generally monitors their
positions on the issues. NatPAC
has a professional staff of five with
Altman at its head.
NatPAC does not set up a “hit’
list, but rather emphasizes those
candidates it hopes to see elected
or re-elected. In 1986 Sens. Pack
wood, Alan Cranston, Arlen Spec
ter and Alphonse D’Amato are
receiving high priority. Altman
noted that it is important for more
people from Georgia to join Nat
PAC so Georgia representatives,
receiving support, will be aware
that Georgians are supporting
them. Hopefully, this will make
them as well as other officials m
other localities more accountabe
to their constituency.