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PAGE 7 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE August 29, 1986 Jewish poor Continued from page 6. Community Center. But more like ly, many are just too proud to admit their financial need.” However, many communal insti tutions don’t make it easy. For example, 25 years ago. many syn agogues at least maintained a base ment or side room for Jews who were unable to buy holiday seats. 1 oday, most synagogues wouldn’t even consider such an accommoda tion. Part of the reason we have been under-equipped to handle today’s poor, is the all-out effort to help yesterday’s poor. Thirty years ago, when Holocaust survivors came to this country with nothing in their pockets, many of them were finan cially desperate. The Jewish com munity effectively mobilized re sources to relieve such plight. Today, Russian Jews enter the United States without the economic hardships post-war refugees expe rienced. “Now. there are commun ity and federal programs paying for support that simply didn’t exist after the war,” confirms Betty Dayron, assistant executive direc tor of Chicago JFCS. “Plus, many of the Russians who come have planned their emigration, so they could bring some possessions with them.” Nonetheless, in the last five years, federations have begun to confront the newest problem. “Perhaps, the turning point was the 1979 reces sion,” observes Goldberg. “Many family service departments suddenly received requests for aid from peo ple unemployed for the first time in their lives. It opened many people’s eyes—you can still be Jewish and poor.” Perhaps the greatest disadvan tage of children of near-poor Jew ish women is being raised without the strong role models and family cohesion that in prior decades con verted economic adversity to a character asset. As such, they are prime candidates for classic “gen eration to generation poverty. The solution? “We must mount a strong campaign to let all disad vantaged Jews know that the com munity has structures to help them,” insists Bert Goldberg. “And our professionals must sensitize them selves to the problems of Jewish poverty, so if a person with eco nomic problems does approach his rabbi or agency, he doesn’t get turned away out of sheer insensi tivity.” Failure to reach out to the child ren of the new Jewish poor may not only be abandoning a segment of today’s youth, but the genera tions to follow. If these children do become economically trapped, by the turn of the century, we may see a new Jewish minority—out of touch and out of luck. Edwin Black is the author of “The Transfer Agreement: The Un told Story of the Secret Pact Be tween the Third Reich and Jewish Palestine" (Macmillan), winner of The Carl Sandburg Award for the best non-fiction of 1984. WE BOUGHT IT ALL FROM ONE OF AMERICA’S MAJOR DEPT. STORES Nino Cerruti • Bill Blass Evan Picone-Cricketeer Geoffrey Beene Polo University by Ralph Lauren ' Pierre Cardin and many, many more AND NOW YOU CAN BUY IT AT 40*- original department store prices rngfop? JRY PRICED AT to $175.00 Select from suits of 100% wool and year round wooj blends. Single and double breasted models in shorts, regulars, longs NORTHEAST ATLANTA 3343 BUFORD HIGHWAY. N.E • 325 1923 Now Open Sat. 'til 9 GWINNETT MALL CORNERS SHOPPING CENTER • 476 9091 Now Open Sat. 't* 9 DECATUR/STONE MOUNTAIN MEMORIAL DRIVE • 292 7555 SMYRNA/MARIETTA 2514 COBB PARKWAY • 955-0513 Open 7 Day* A Wwk • Daily 10 to 9 • Sat 10 to 5:30 Sun 12:30 to 5:30 Vita • Mastercard • Amarican Express 7-day money beck guarantee on any unaltarad garment. Alterations, if desired, avaleble on the premises. Because of our low prkes. alterations will be made at taloring coat. MEN’S WEAR OUTLET The Gentlemen's Discount Center Watch for our rew store opening soon in Roswell