Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE June 27, 1986
The Southern Israelite
The Weekly Newspaper Tor Southern Jev-'rv
iince 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, Iru
Second Class Postage paid at Atlanta. Go fISSN (X)388i IUPS 778080;
POSTMASTER: Send ddcWs-. . njnges to the Southern Israelilt' PO Box
77,188 Atlanta. GA 8085”
Mailing Address: P.O, Box 77388, Atlanta, Georgia 30357
1 oration 188 15th St.. !YVV., At I., Ga. 303 18 Phone (404)876-8248
Advertising rates available upon request.
Subscriptions: $23.00, 1 year; $41.00, 2 years
Member ot Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Religious News Service,
American Jewish Press Assn . Georgia Press Assn , National Newsp per Assn
Vid a Goldgar
Conventional wisdom
Worthy project
The refugee assistance program instituted by The Tem
ple and reported on page 1 is aptly named: The S.S. St.
Louis project.
Anyone who remembers or read about the tragic story of
the S.S. St. L.ouis, or saw the filmed treatment called
“Voyage of the Damned,” must see the significance of the
project.
It was on May 13, 1939, that the luxury liner St. l.ouis
sailed from Hamburg, Germany with 937 Jewish men,
women and children aboard. It was one of the last ships to
leave Nazi Germany before World War II began.
The passengers had reason to be hopeful. Cuba, they
believed, would welcome them and enable them to get a
fresh start.
It was not to be. Cuba turned them away. With ever
increasing fear, the passengers were refused entry to country
after country—including the United States. There was
nothing to do but to return to Germany, where Hitler
gloated that “no one wanted the Jews.” Over 700 of the
Passengers on the S.S. St. L.ouis became part of his “final
solution.”
The Temple’s first refugee family is from l.aos. Future
families could be from any of a number of countries where
the political climate endangers their freedom even their
lives.
It’s a worthy undertaking and especially appropriate for
a Jewish institution considering the St. L.ouis passengers,
whom no one wanted.
Twice a year I pack my bags and head off to press
association conventions to renew acquaintances with
colleagues and pick their brains for new ideas, listen to
speakers on media topics and, w hen
I’m lucky, work in a little vacation
as well. This year the Georgia Press
Association, comprised of almost
every weekly and daily newspaper
in the state, and the American Jew-1
ish Press Association, which spans j
this country and Canada, some
how ended up with their meetings!
in successive weeks. The ditter-l
cnees in the two are great.
Ci PA. which annually meets at Jekyll Island, came
first.
I had almost forgotten the enormous peace of
sitting on a secluded strip of beach, watching the
waves whomp in then slip silently seaward again,
revealing shell-strewn sand. In the distance, dolphins
arc briefly into view, disappear, then leap again.
Here, off the Georgia coast, there are no deadlines,
no ringing phones, no news dispatches gone astray.
T he few official meetings are scheduled at reasonable-
hours. usually mealtime.
T here is plenty of time for reflection and time to sit
outside at night and marvel at how much brighter the
stars are than in the city. And there is time tor good
conversation.
With me is Ruth, a close triend tor over 25 years.
We have shared all the joys and tribulations ot our
combined nine children: consumed thousands of cups
ot coffee together; spent more thousands of hours on
the telephone. Even so. we’d never had an entire day
together, much less the marvelous lour here at the
beach. T hat makes it special.
It’s also special because it is the 100th anniversary
of the GPA, founded primarily as a means tor small
papers to combat unscrupulous out-of-state busi
nesses who didn’t pay for their advertising. The first
convention was held in August 1SX" 7 in the Hall of
Representatives of the old State Capitol in Milledge-
ville. For years, the location v aried, and I’ve been told
that after a particularly rowdy convention, the associ
ation was asked not to return to I occoa. T imes have
changed and it’s now more resttuI than rowdy. A lot ot
GPAs activities to help the field of journalism in
(ieorgia take place elsewhere. There are annual
seminars tor advertising, editorial and production
personnel. 1 here are scholarships tor journalism stu
dents and help in understanding the ever more com
plicated (and expensive) postal regulations.
So GPA isn't just watching waves and stars. \ 0 t
by a long shot. It’s also about providing better news
papers all over our state. But there is time to smell, if
not the roses, the sea.
With barely time at home to do my laundrv and
repack my bag with “city clothes,” it was oil to
Massachusetts Brandeis University, to be exact to
gather with my colleagues from the Jewish press.
Though historic Boston Harbor and the Charles
River are nearby, there’s no time to contemplate the
mystery of the tides. At AT PA, it's hit the ground
running. Even the opening night reception is cut short
for those of us on the nominating committee. It means
setting the alarm at the crack of dawn to catch a
demonstration of the latest computer equipment; grab
the chartered school bus and head to the Brandeis
campus for a business session a session on postal
problems a luncheon speaker a post-luncheon
speaker. All that by mid-afternoon when there is a
break to take a tour of Jewish and historic sites of
Boston. Dinner at a dairy restaurant includes a pica
from a recently released Soviet refusnik and, finally
late at night, unstructured time to chat with colleagues
over a drink or coffee. But we can’t stay up too late.
The bus leaves for Brandeis at 7:45 in the morning
f rom then until after 10 p.m. the schedule is relaxed
only by an afternoon reception at the American Jew
ish Historical Society. T here’s election of officers, a
fascinating panel on “T he Continuing Relevance of
the Holocaust,” presentations by various Jewish new -
services, a luncheon speech and a session on national
advertising With a little time to shower and change,
it’s back on the bux tor the journalism awards dinner
(I’d like to say we won an award, but truth is I missed
the deadline and forgot to enter, so we’ll nevei
know)
Up again for a 7:45 bus. Well, you get the idea
I cheated by spending the rest of the weekend on
mv own in Boston, reveling in historic sights anti im
wake-up calls
There may be a message here.
No matter how much I enjoyed the relaxation of
GPA at Jekyll, and how much I complained ax.
bleary-eyed. 1 boarded the AJPA bus, there is that
within me (Jewish guilt'.’) that says, it you go to a
meeting, you’d better learn something.
And I did. At both conventions.
New warning to Qaddafi
The administration sent a two-
pronged warning to Muammar
Qaddafi recently after the Libyan
leader called on Jordanians to
overthrow King Hussein and re
newed his threat to send “suicide
squads’’ against the United States.
In an inflammatory speech broad
cast by Tripoli television, Qaddafi
condemned King Hussein’s meet
ing earlier this month with Presi
dent Reagan, insulted British Prime
Minister Margaret I hatcher and
urged each Libyan to contribute
SK00 to help buy one million rifles
lor a war against the United States.
On June 12 State Department
•spokesman Bernard Kalbsaid that
Qaddali s speech "shows his com
mitment to international terrorism
unfortunately has not abated. Kalb
also took note of the Libyan’s
antagonism toward moderate
Arab leaders who “share with the
l nited States the goal of working
tor a just, lasting and comprehen
sive peace in the Middle East." He
promised that Washington “will
continue to watch Qaddafi’s actions
closely and will respond appro
priately to any action directed against
US. interests.”
I he day before, the Associated
Press reported that the administra
tion had decided to keep two air
craft carriers in the Mediterranean
“for the indefinite future." Belore
the March clashes with Libyan
forces in the Gulf of Sidra and the
April bombing of Tripoli and Ben
ghazi, the United States customar
ily stationed only one carrier in the
region.
In addition, the AP reported
that the Navy had increased its
monitoring of Soviet activ ity in the
Mediterranean. Moscow now hax
nine warships from its Black Sea
fleet stationed north of the levp
tian-L.ibyan border, the report said
Qaddafi’s televised speech came
in place of a promised public ap
pearance on the 16th anniversary
of the U.S. evacuation ol the
Wheelus airbase in Libya The
Libyan leader has not been seen in
public since the April 15 l S
bombing of his capital. I he W ash-
ington Post reported that Qadda
fi’s address was received “largely
with indifference” in Tripoli and
that a rally and parade to mark the
American withdrawal irom Whee
lus “drew no more than 2.000 spec
tators."
— Near East Report