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live in the rebirth of the Jewish
state—something we prayed for
for 2,000 years—and “unfortunately
we continue to see Israel more as
an entity to which we pray in our
temples and our synagogues; more
as an ancient symbol than a living
reality.”
Hechided the majority of Amer
ican Jews for what he called a
mainly “arms-length, check-writing,
charitable relationship to an Israel
they’ve have never seen,” and added
that "our knowledge of Israel comes
largely from the sensational head
lines in newspapers or clips on tel
evision, which emphasize conflict,
terrorism and economic crisis.”
But Israel in 1986, he said, after
five wars, has won its battle against
external forces and despite the need
for eternal vigilance, is more secure
than any Jewish state at any time in
history.
At this point, Eizenstat believes,
“Israel faces a greater threat from
its internal divisions than from
external invasion.”
It is precisely these new internal
challenges, he said, that require a
new response from American Jews.
The three major problems of Israel
today, which he believes American
Jews can help solve, and thereby
give life to a new Zionism” are:
Israel’s weak economy; persistent
threats to democracy; and internal
fissures in Israel along ethnic and,
increasingly, religious lines.”
Calling for increased American
Jewish involvement in Israel’s
economy, Eizenstat cited her ear
lier days of a model economy which,
after the Yom Kippur War, became
“virtually an economic basket case.”
However, he said, a combination
of more recent cooperative actions
has stopped the “life-threatening
hemorrhage” though “the patient
is still not well.”
American Jews, Eizenstat said,
“must play a major role in reinvig
orating the Israeli economy.” The
flood of 300,000 yordim (Israelis
who leave Israel) is primarily be
cause of the economy, he said, not
the security threat. They left, he
said, because the economic oppor
tunities are not there.
What is needed, he stressed, is a
different kind of assistance from
the charitable assistance of the
past, though he emphasized, “I’m
not suggesting we stop that.” What
he suggested was the need to broad
en that assistance from the one
dimensional charitable donations
to actual business participation in
Israel’s economy. Seeds which are
being planted through Project In
dependence and UJA Economic
Missions must be nurtured, he
admonished.
Concrete suggestions included:
• Israel’s first independent in
vestment banking house should be
created with major Jewish invest
ment bankers in New York chal
lenged to organizae financing for
it.
• An American-based, diversi
fied mutual fund of listed securities
called the Israel Fund, should be
created by American Jews, selling
a significant percentage of Israel
stocks in its portfolio. (Eizenstat
admitted that this would be a diffi
cult, though not insurmountable,
challenge.)
Eizenstat had several other eco
nomic suggestions, all with a dual
objective: “First, to help revitalize
the Israeli economy, but, second,
to transform the American Jew
who sees Israel as a charity case to
an engaged equity partner who
sees Israel as a partner in every
way.”
Turning his attention to strength
ening Israeli democracy and plu
ralism and the internal strains be
tween Ashkenazic and Sephardic
Jews and between secular and Or
thodox Jews, Eizenstat admitted
that “involvement in the internal
affairs of another country, even
one to which we are so tightly
bound by history, religion and cul
ture, is inherently difficult and
generates understandable hostility
on the part of Israelis.”
Nonetheless, Eizenstat said,
Obituaries
Mrs. Sylvia Sopkin
Abe Samuels
Abe Samuels, 76, of Savannah
died Wednesday, July 23.
Graveside service was held
Thursday, July 24, at Bonaventure
Cemetery.
The native of Poland lived in
Savannah many years and was a
member of Congregation B’nai
B’rith Jacob Synagogue, Chevra
Kadisha, the Brotherhood, JEA,
B’nai B’rith Men and Clinton Lodge
54, F&AM. He was also a member
of the Scottish Rite Consistory and
H.G.H. Society. He was a retired
grocer.
Survivors include his wife, Mrs.
Anna Altstock Samuels of Savan
nah; son, Anchel Samuels of Sa
vannah; daughter, Mrs. Frances
Samuels Rokoff of Cincinnati; six
grandchildren and two great
grandchildren.
Samuel A. Cohen
Samuel A. Cohen, 82, died Sun
day, July 13.
Graveside service was held Tues
day, July 15, at Bonaventure Ceme
tery.
The Chatham County native was
a graduate of Savannah High
School and the IJ niversity of Geor
gia Law School. He was an attor
ney and.a realtor. He was a member
of Congregation B’nai B’rith Syn
agogue and a merchant for many
years.
Survivors include his wife, Mrs.
Ruth Mosberg Cohen of Savan
nah; son, Gerald Cohen of Wash
ington, D.C.; daughter, Mrs. Janet
Cohen Kopel of Metairie, La.;
brothers, Lewis A. Cohen and Wil
liam T. Cohen, both of Savannah,
and two grandsons.
Mrs. Sylvia Sopkin, 83 of Palo
Alto, Calif., died Saturday, Aug. 2.
She was the wife of Henry Sop
kin, the founder and conductor for
20 years of the Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra. He was also the founder
of the Atlanta Youth Orchestra.
Graveside service was held
Monday, Aug. 4, at Alta Mesa
Cemetery in Palo Alto, with Rabbi
Brad Bloom officiating.
Other survivors include sons,
Charles Sopkin of New York City
and Elliott Sopkin of Palo Alto;
sisters, Mrs. Beth Frisch of Mil
waukee, Wise., and Mrs. Nettie
Weiskoff of Los Angeles; and
grandson, Nicholas Weiskoff of
New York City.
Donations can be made to Hadas-
sah, c/o Henry Sopkin, 501 Forest
Avenue, Palo Alto, Calif. 94301.
Mrs. Rose Bershad
Mrs. Rose Bershad, 86, of At
lanta died Tuesday, Aug. 5.
Graveside service was held
Thursday, Aug. 7, at Beth Moses
Cemetery in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Survivors include a daughter,
Mrs. Shirley Puteska of Atlanta;
and son, Barry Bershad of Dun-
woody.
EXPANDING TO BETTER SERVE
THE COMMUNITY
GREENLAWN
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
“Jews the world over have a vital
stake not only in Israel's security
but in the direction its society
takes,” and he views the new action
agenda for Zionism as playing a
role in helping strengthen Israel’s
commitment to democracy and a
pluralistic society, and help bridge
the gap between Ashkenazic and
Sephardic Jews as well as work
with Israel toward solving the prob
lems of growing polarization be
tween Orthodox and non-Orthodox
movements.
He stressed that “religious plu
ralism is coming to Israel” and
“this is vital to the New Zionism.”
It will, he said, “improve Israel-
Diaspora relations, enhance the
unity of the Jewish people, improve
the legitimate claim of Israel to be
the center of Jewish life for all
Jews, help American Jewry’s strug
gle against assimilation, and make
aliyah more attractive.
The issue of aliyah must be ad
dressed, Eizenstat said, because it
has been an emotional and divisive
issue” and “it must be put at the top
of the agenda of every major A
merican Jewish institution.”
With programs heightening the
Zionist commitment of American
Jews, Eizenstat suggested that
“Zionism should be seen like the
steps of a ladder. A person reaches
the top rung by making aliyah—
the highest form of Zionist com
mitment. But,” he added, “if we
can advance American Jews up the
ladder of Zionism to higher levels
than that from which they started,
we would have succeeded in deep
ening their involvement with Is
rael.”
Concluding his remarks to the
attentive audience, Eizenstat said,
“American Jews must not be by
standers as Israel lives out the Zion
ist dream. ...We must become bus
iness partners, advisers, volunteers,
regular visitors—and if we wish to
perfect our Zionist commitment,
citizens.”
You’re just the type.
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PAGE 23 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE Aufust 8, 1986