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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 Second Class Postage paid at Atlanta. Ga (ISSN 00388) (UPS 776060; POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Southern Israelite. P O Box 77388. Atlanta, GA 30357 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 77388, Atlanta, Georgia 30357 Location: 188 15th St., N.W., At!., Ga. 30318 Phone (404)876-8248 Advertising rates available upon request. Subscriptions: $23.00, 1 year; $41.00, 2 years Member of Jewish Telegraphic Agency; Religious News Service; 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.