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News Brlets PL O using airports to run guns? JERUSALEM (JTA)—Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Ambas sador to the United Nations, claimed that the Palestine Liberation Organization uses duty-free shops and stands at several European airports to pass along weapons, explosives, money and documents to terrorists for attacks on civil aviation. Netanyahu made the charge in an interview published in Maa- riv. He said terrorists made use of the PLO facilities to smuggle explosives into or out of the countries without having to pass through security checks. He did not name the airports or the countries. Hebrew-Christian groups probed NEW YORK (JTA)—An in-depth investigation to determine the facts about the full scope of so-called Hebrew-Christian activi ties in the United States and Israel is beingstarted by the New York Jewish Community Relations Council’s Task Force on Missionar ies and Cults. Julius Berman, Task Force chairman, in announcing the probe, said the purpose of the investigation is to alert both the Christian and Jewish communities concerning the deceptive tactics used by the Hebrew-Christian and “messianic” groups seeking converts among Jews. Secret Israeli spy trial begins TEL AVIV (JTA)—The secret trial of an Israeli intelligence officer accused of spying for Syria has been confirmed by Israel’s police minister, according to American press reports last weekend. The New York-based Hebrew weekly, Israel Shelanu, published the first reports of the trial in Haifa’s district court last Thursday and Israeli papers have since picked up the story quoting Israel Shelanu. The Haifa court has imposed a strict ban on the publication of any information about the proceedings. But the reports that quoted the American press have cleared the Israeli censor. New test to detect radioactivity JERUSALEM (JTA)—A sensitive new technique for detecting radioactivity in rain water has been developed by Hebrew Univer sity and Weizmann Institute scientists. Tests using the technique show that radioactive iodine in rainfall rose 30 times more in West Germany following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster than it did in Israel. The new technique, developed by Dr. Michael Paul of the University’s Racah Institute of Physics and his colleagues at the University and at the Weizmann Institute, is able to detect radioac tivity in rainwater at concentrations one million times less than could be previously measured. Ruling on Holocaust tract hailed LOS ANGELES (JTA)—The Simon Wiesenthal Center hailed the French government’s decision last Thursday to revoke a con troversial doctorate granted to Henri Roques last year by the University of Nantes. The 371-page dissertation questioned the existence of gas chambers at Nazi concentration camps and argued that there is no conclusive evidence to prove that the Nazis had ever gassed their victims during the Holocaust. U.S., Sandinista accord urged SNOWMASS, Colo., (JTA)—The Central Conference of American Rabbis has called on the Reagan administration to “normalize relations" with the Sandinista government in Nicaragua and urged a halt to U.S. funding for the military activities of the Contra rebel forces fighting the government in Managua. At the same time, the nearly 400 delegates attending the CCA R’s 97th annual convention here voted to support a resolution condemning the Nicaraguan government for its treatment of Jews, its ties with terrorist groups, and its denial of freedoms, its persecu tions of Meskito Indians and what the CCAR called “the betrayal of its own revolution." Seven come eleven The complusive gambler by Marlene Goldman NEW YORK (JTA)—About 25 percent of some 3 to 4 million compulsive gamblers in the United States are Jewish, an overrepresen tation for a relatively small com munity, said Robert Custer, chief of the treatment services division of the Mental Health and Behav ioral Sciences Service at the Vet erans Administration Central Office in Washington. “Many Jews fit the profile of the compulsive gambler," said Custer, who is also a medical adviser to the National Council on Compulsive Gambling. “They’re ambitious, competitive, of superior intelli gence, hard driving, energetic and action oriented.” Of the 900 compulsive gamblers Custer has treated, the average have completed two years of edu cation beyond high school, and are most often attorneys, accountants, bankers and stock brokers, popu lar occupations among the Jewish community. Custer, a diplomat of the Amer ican Board of Psychiatry and Neu rology in Psychiatry, discussed characteristics and possible treat ment associated with compulsive, or the clinical term, pathological gambling, at the three-day national conference on Addictions in the Jewish Community, sponsored by the Council of Jewish Federations and the Federation of Jewish Phi lanthropies of New York. The compulsive gambler often describes the effects of gambling as similar to a combination of stimula- tant-tranquilizer analgesic. While gambling, the person may create a fantasy world where he feels influ ential and respected. The four most common types of gambling are horse racing, sports betting, casino games and stock options or futures. Women who constitute 20 percent of gamblers, are frequently attracted to games involving less money. They often participate in church or synagogue bingo matches, Las Vegas night activities at local organizations, and the lottery. “No huge amounts of money are involved but it is absorbing of their time and energy," said Dr. Sheila Blume, medical director for the alcoholism and compulsive gam bling programs at South Oaks Hospital on Long Island, in an interview with the Jewish Tele graphic Agency. Many of Blume’s patients have been Jewish. “We get the impres sion that it’s a considerable prob lem in the Jewish community,” she said. There is a link between the cur rent Jewish gambling problem and Jewish history and tradition, ac cording to Louis Linn, M.D., clin ical professor emeritus of psychia try at Mount Sinai School of Medi cine and a consultant in psychiatry to Mount Sinai Medical Center. In the study, "Jews and Patho logical Gambling," published in the book “Addictions in the Jewish Community,” Linn attempts to il lustrate how the Jewish religion and history have combined to pos sibly make Jews more susceptible to compulsive gambling. “If one considers the Jewish his torical experience, replete with danger, uncertainty, ambiguity, repeated uprootings and exile...and the need to start over again...in foreign lands and among unfriendly strangers, one begins to understand why the capacity to eroticize anxiety has had survival value for the Jews,” Linn said. The gambles of day-to-day life and the need for recreation and excitement in the ghettos has, ac cording to Linn, caused Jews to be prone to compulsive gambling. Playing with the Hanuka draidel, betting games using nuts on Rosh Hashana, and those who celebrate Purim, the Feast of Lots, by gam bling, have all exposed the Jews to the thrill of taking risks. Characteristic of compulsive gam blers in general, is “beginner’s luck.” In the early phase, the gambler wins big, and according to Cus ter, toward the end of the winning streak, the gains often approach the person’s annual salary. “This acts as a reinforcer,” said Custer. “The gambler says, ‘Where has this been all my life?’ ” But then the losing starts and the compulsive gambler begins neglect ing every other aspect of his life including school or work, family and religion. “Gambling consumes with a passion,” Custer said. There is a period of heavy bor rowing and an increase in the Editor: Growing up in a small town may present various conflicts with one’s Jewish identity. Growing up in Mobile, I have often come across such conflicts. Everything from finding Passover food items to having legitimate Jewish youth opportunities becomes increasingly difficult. One in this position should strive to maintain their Jewish beliefs and standards by taking advantage of all local Jewish programming as Editor: The Relais Universitaires, a non-profit organization licensed by the French Ministry of Education, is bringing a group of French stu dents (ages 13-18) to the Atlanta area this August. The students are coming to par amount gambled. “The crisis point is the request for a bailout,” when money is given from parents, spouse or in-laws, said Blume. “This is the perfect time to get people treat ment but the point is usually missed,” she continued. Custer agreed that the bailout helps deny the problem and as gambling increases during this period, responsibility for behavior decreases. Depressions and suicide attempts, increase at this time, al though the number of successful suicide incidents is not known. “We need ministers, priests and rabbis to know this exists,” said Custer, “and we need to identify the problem and know the treat ment resources.” The majority of the compulsive gamblers are handled by Gamblers Anonymous which insists on a ces sation of gambling and full repay ment of loans. GA is a voluntary fellowship of compulsive gamblers gathered to help themselves and each other. Membership is free for GA and many can recover fully with GA alone. According to Custer, “Where we’re really lacking is good solid research.” There is no national program to combat compulsive gambling, but the federal govern ment and seven or eight states do provide funds for treatment and study of the problem. There is research at the National Institute of Mental Health to study the brain chemistry of compulsive gamblers and see if there is a defi ciency in certain enzymes or bio logical substances. “We think this is a factor,” said Custer. Recovery for compulsive gam blers is facilitated by their person ality strengths. “Gamblers are won derful people,” Blume said. “They’re bright, hard working and they care. Once they realize their problem, they put tremendous energy into recovery.” well as outside opportunities. Luckily, I have had this oppor tunity to become involved in the Jewish community at Camp Bar ney Medintz which has greatly helped me find my Jewish identity. Howard Silverboard Staff-in-Training Program Camp Barney Medintz The above was excerpted from remarks made by Howard Silver- board during a Sabbath program at Camp Barney Medintz. —Editor. ticipate in the everyday life of an American family and learn about the USA. Host families are needed for August. For more information, call 455-8172. Maureen McDermott 1 etters to the etutor Finding Jewish identity French students need ‘host’ homes PAGE 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE July 11, 1986