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News Briefs
Tourism to Israel declines
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The number of tourists arriving in
Israel in the first six months of this year was 531,900, as compared
with 649,200 in the same period last year—a decline of 19 percent,
the Central Bureau of Statistics reported.
During the first six months of 1986, 448,600 tourists arrived by
air, as compared with 559,900 in the same period in 1985—a
decline of 20 percent—while 75,800 tourists arrived overland.
Not including the return of persons who spent up to a week in
Sinai, the number of tourists arriving overland in the first six
months of this year was 60,700, as compared to the 76,500 who
arrived in the same period last year.
Egyptian official cancels visit
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Tourism Minister Avraham Sharir
expressed regret at the cancellation of a scheduled visit here by his
Egyptian counterpart, Fuad Sultan. No reason was given for Sul
tan’s cancellation, nor was a new date set for the visit.
Sharir, meanwhile, expressed some dissatisfaction that efforts
to revive tourism between Israel and Egypt were not making pro
gress. Israeli tourism to Egypt has been lagging since the massacre
of seven Israeli civilians by a berserk Egyptian policeman at Ras
Burka in the Sinai last October. The victims were part of a group of
27 Israelis who had gone on a Sukkot camping trip to Sinai.
Arabic paper faces closure
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The editor of the East Jerusalem
Arabic newspaper Al-Mithak has appealed to the Jerusalem
branch of the Israel Journalists Association for help to block the
shut-down of the daily on grounds that it is a front for a terrorist
organization.
Mahmoud Khatib, who edits Al-Mithak, was notified by Jeru
salem District Commissioner Rafael Levy last week that the inte
rior Ministry is considering closing the newspaper because it was
“guided” by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a
terrorist group headed by George Habash and based in Lebanon.
Similar notification was sent to an associated publication, the
Arabic weekly Al-Ahd.
Shultz visit concerning Taba out
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Secretary of State George Schultz
has decided not to travel to the Middle East this summer, the State
Department announced.
Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres had reportedly been push
ing for a visit by the Secretary to help resolve the dispute over
Taba, the small strip of territory on Israel’s southern border, and
possibly to make some progress in the peace process before the
scheduled turnover of the premiership to Likud leader Yitzhak
Shamir in October.
POC hospitalized in prison
NEW YORK (JTA)—Prisoner of Conscience Roald (Alik)
Zelichonok, 50, who received a three-year labor camp sentence on
Aug. 8, 1985 for allegedly “defaming the Soviet state and social
system,” has been hospitalized in the Alma Ata prison, according
to Jerry Goodman, executive director of the National Conference
on Soviet Jewry.
Zelichonok, a computer scientist at the Institute of Cytology in
Leningrad, was arrested after police conducted a search of his
home.
Zelichonok, who suffers from massive kidney damage, secon
dary hypertension and lameness (he has undergone several opera
tions for kidney and leg ailments), was hospitalized in February for
three weeks. r
Treatment helps AIDS victim
JERUSALEM (JTA)—There have been about 27 known cases
of AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) in Israel and
only one victim of the fatal disease, a 17-year-old hemophiliac, is
alive more than two years after he was diagnosed, according to Dr.
Zeev Handzel, head of the immunology unit at Kaplan Hospital in
Rehovot.
The patient has been pronounced “free of all signs” of AIDS
following two and half years of treatment at Kaplan Hospital,
where Handzel is conducting clinical tests involving the thymic
humoral factor. So far it has proved effective in AIDS treatment if
administered in the early stages of the disease.
Conservatively speaking
Editor:
Having attended the Rabbinical
Assembly convention in May, I
feel that the complacency that
comes across in Rabbi Arnold
Goodman’s article, “Conservative
rabbis pursue self-definition at
convention,” is hardly warranted.
Rabbi Goodman takes pains to
prove two problematic assertions:
1) that the Rabbinical Assembly
has conclusively rejected patri-
lineality; and 2) that the RA’s reso
lution requesting that the Union
for Traditional Conservative Juda
ism (UTCJ) cease exercising its
right to issue halachic opinions
indicates a rejection by the Con
servative Movement of the UTCJ’s
platform. Both of these assertions
require reasoned comment.
The vote against patrilineality
does appear to be a rebuff of the
Reform position in favor of this
practice. However, this vote must
be understood in context. Years
ago, the Rabbinical Assembly voted
not to accept women into its ranks.
The Reform Movement expressed
regret and indicated that it hoped
the RA would reverse its decision.
The Reform Movement was not
disappointed. In response to the
RA’s recent vote upholding matril-
ineality, Rabbi Bernard M. Zloto-
witz of the Reform Movement told
the New York Times (5/22/86),
“We were hoping that the Conser
vative Movement would recognize
the validity of patrilineal descent
and in time we expect them to do
so.” At the convention, 92 rabbis
voted against the resolution con
demning patrilineality and re
affirming matrilineality. This siza
ble group (almost 30 percent of
those voting) has already organ
ized itself as “The Committee for
Rabbinic Conscience in the Rab
binical Assembly.” One of the
founders of this group serves on
the RA’s Executive Council and is
attempting to block implementa
tion of the RA’s resolution. Thus,
the issue of patrilineal Judaism in
the RA is far from settled.
The resolution requesting that
the Panel of Halachic inquiry of
the UTCJ cease issuing halachic
opinions was definitely not a rejec
tion of the UTCJ. Since only 30
percent of the RA are members of
the UTCJ, this resolution should
have passed o)/crwhelmingly. How
ever, 40 percent of the voting rab
bis supported the continued activ
ity of the Panel of Halachic Inquiry
and opposed the censure. Obvious
ly, the UTCJ, both in its lay and
rabbinic constituencies, represents
a significant and growing minority
within the Conservative Movement.
The self-definition of Conserva
tive, which Rabbi Goodman ap
plauds, has not yet come about.
Indeed, all of us who are Conserva
tive Jews must conduct an honest
heshbon hanefesh, a searching of
the soul. Is our Conservative Move
ment as a whole prepared to stay
true to the traditional moorings
which Rabbi Solomon Schechter
gave us, or will we flounder in the
inconstant sea of popular tastes? If
we are prepared to uphold our own
founding tenets—that Halachah is
sacred in its origins and functions
in our everyday lives, and that
modernity can also contribute to
our life as religious Jews—there is
no limit to what we can contribute
to our world, both now and in
future generations.
David Rosenberg
Assistant, UTCJ
Lazarus’ poem not written for statue?
Editor:
According to “American Jewish
Landmarks: A Travel Guide and
History,” Volume I, by Bernard
Postal and Lionel Koppman (Fleet
Press Corporation), Emma Laza
rus did not write “The New York
Colussus” for the reasons sug
gested in your recent article. In
fact, Emma Lazarus died in 1887
and it wasn’t until 1903 that Geor-
gianna Schuylyer, a New York
artist chanced upon the poem in a
bookstore, had it inscribed on a
bronze plaque and got permission
to have it affixed inside the base of
the statue. It wasn’t until 1945 that
the tablet was moved to the main
entrance of the Statue of Liberty.
Invited to contribute a manu
script to the pedestal fund-raising
effort, Lazarus had at first said
that she had nothing appropriate
for the exhibition and that she
‘could not possibly write verses to
order.”’ She was persuaded to
change her mind. When her poem
was read at the auction it caused a
sensation and was sold for S 1,500.
When the statue was unveiled,
Emma Lazarus, who was critically
ill, was not even invited.
Your readers may be interested
in an exhibition at the Schatten
Gallery at Emory University, cu
rated by Drs. Ann Uhry Abrams
and Ann Cannon Palumbo entitled
“Goddess, Guardian and Grand
Old Gal” which will be on view
until Aug. 15.
Evelyn Messer
Reader opposes ‘converted’ label
Editor:
Israel cannot afford the loss of
friends, yet the Israeli Ministry of
the Interior is going to do just that
by printing the word “converted”
next to the designation “Jewish”
on the identity cards of Jewish
converts in Israel. This prejudicial
act means that a stigma is being put
on the convert who was not born
innocently into Judaism but chose
it with a free will.
The eyes of the world are on
Israel. It is a bold and successful
venture in democracy which enjoys
the strong support of the United
States. Unfortunately, it has also
incurred the wrath of some Arab
countries. In the midst of this
turmoil, Israel has managed to
survive because it too proclaimed
Only letters with names and ad
dresses will be considered for this
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accepted for publication.
to the world, like our Statue of
Liberty:
“...Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning
to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your
Remembering J
Editor:
The residents of the Louis Kahn
Group Home wish to pay tribute to
the memory of Mr. J. Joseph
Cohen, a very special gentleman.
We have the privilege of living in
this beautiful group home in the
comfort we are enjoying today in
large part because of the devotion
and caring Joe extended to us. We
were his “labor of love” as he so
often told us, and we loved him for
teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tost to me...”
Let’s keep it that way!
Patrick J. Tracy
Joseph Cohen
it. We wish to express our deep
gratitude for his many kindnesses.
The treasured memories we
shared with Joe will forever linger
in our hearts with our fondest love.
How truly fortunate we are to have
known this wonderful man, Joe
Cohen.
Rosalind Pap
on behalf of the residents of
the Louis Kahn Group Home
Israeli Arabs’ loyalty shifts—
WASHINGTON (Poiakoff)—Four out of five Arabs living in
Israel consider themselves Palestinian nationalists and not Israelis,
according to a survey of 600 Arabs conducted by a sociologist at
Haifa University, Sammy Smooha.
Of Israel’s 700,000 Arabs of its population of 4.2 million, 83
percent declared themselves as Palestinians compared with 46
^percent 10 years ago.
PAGE 5 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE July 25, 1986