Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Page 2 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE November 7, 1986 Accolades to Gerald Cohen highlight ADL award dinner by Vida Goldgar This year’s ADL Abe Gold stein Human Relations Award Dinner on Oct. 30 drew not only hundreds of Atlantans to honor Gerald Cohen, but a “Who’s Who” of ADL’s national leaders as well. The dinner, which is usually held in December, was moved up this year to coincide with the annual meeting of the National Executive Committee of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, held in Atlanta for the first time. Leon Goldstein, dinner chair man, cited a triple honor for his family: That the region’s most prestigious award is given in the name of his father; that Gerald Cohen was the honoree, and that the national leaders were present for the event. Nathan Perlmutter, ADL’s long-time national director, paid tribute to the memory of Ben Massed Jr., a staunch and gener ous supporter of the league for many years. “He’s gone now, but not his dream” of harmony, logic and order. “He found intolera ble, dissonance among men,” Perlmutter said. To help ensure the continua tion of Massell’s primary ADL interests, he had made a gener ous bequest to the organization which, Perlmutter said, will be used to fund the Ben Massed Jr. Fact Finding and Research Insti tute of the Anti-Defamation League. “We will research and produce publications...to be dis tributed throughout the nation, each carrying special recognition to Ben Massed Jr., so that when ever and wherever these mate rials are studied, people will be reminded of Ben’s commitment to combating bigotry." In his keynote address, Rabbi Ronald B. Sobel, senior Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in New York City, focused on the primacy of separation of church and state. “1 believe it can be said, without fear of contradiction, that one of the jewels of American life is reli gious liberty,” he said. He warned that there “continue to be attempts to overturn this fundamental American principle,” but added that “Protestant, Catholic and Jew have joined together in rec ognizing, as never before, the need for better understanding.” Rabbi Sobel also warned that “We cannot tolerate anyone who claims this to be a Christian nation,” reminding the audience that “this is a nation for every body. That’s the American ideal.” Chosen to introduce the hono ree was Rabbi Harry H. Epstein, whose presence soon after recent surgery was warmly acknowledged by the audience. Of Gerald Cohen, the rabbi said, “He has endeared himself to all of us because of his total commitment to everything that is Jewish and everything that is humane.” He said that Cohen is one of a distinguished group who “have created an im proved society” and that Cohen realized “that merely being in volved in his own family and bus iness was not sufficient. He reached out to the needs of the community and the world at large.” In accepting the Abe Gold stein Human Relations Award, Cohen called it a “truly humbling experience.” With acknowledgment of the love and understanding of his wife Helen and their family, Cohen said, “After family comes community.” He recounted the small Jewish community of the 1940s when he was growing up and cited the influence on him of past community leaders who, he said, were “first generation grad uates of the school ofhard knocks but were outstanding by any stand ard of measurement.” KGB detains refusnik Nudel NEW YORK, (JTA)—Long time refusnik Ida Nudel was removed from a Moscow-bound bus in the city of Bendery Thurs day Oct. 23 while en route to meet with Elie Wiesel, who was visiting Moscow, according to both the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry and the Long Island Committee for Soviet Jewry. Witnesses said she was picked up by her arms and legs and thrown from the vehicle to the ground by three KGB agents, who then took her to their head quarters. Nudel was reportedly told there that she was barred from leaving the city until Nov. 10, when she must report back to learn what further restrictions will be imposed upon her. Nudel, 55, has been living in exile in Bendery, Moldavia, since 1982, and occasionally allowed to return to Moscow for medical care. She has been banned from living in Moscow since 1978, when she was arrested for hang ing a banner from her Moscow apartment balcony that read, “KGB, Give Me a Visa to Israel.” Nudel first applied to emigrate to Israel in May 1971 along with her sister, liana Fridman. Frid man, her husband and son re ceived exit permits a year later, but Nudel was refused. Although technically released from exile in 1982, she was refused a residence permit in every town where she tried to settle. Bendery finally allowed her to stay there, but she lives isolated under constant sur veillance. Briefs Hebrew Univ. fsils to open JERUSAl EM (JTA)—The Hebrew University, reportedly more than $50 million in debt, failed to open for the new academic year last Sunday because it is unable to increase the rents charged students living in the dormitories. Housing Minister David Levy opposed the move which would affect about a third of the 17,000 enrolled students. The rent increase would bring the university an additional $1 million. Captor liable for IAF pilot JERUSALEM (JTA)—Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin said last Sunday that the Amal militia in Lebanon and its leader, Nabih Berri, would be held responsible for the safety and well-being of an Israel Air Force navigator who bailed out of his Phantom jet during a bombing mission over south Lebanon last month. Berri, who is minister of justice in the Beirut government and heads the mainstream Shiite group, confirmed three weeks ago that the flyer was alive and being held by Amal. He men tioned no conditions for his release. Pilot error has happy ending Jerusalem (JTA)—A French charter plane carrying tourists to Eilat landed by mistake in Aqaba, Jordan, a few miles away, on Nov. 3. But after an hour on the tarmac it was allowed to leave, with the good wishes of Jordanian soldiers and police. Finance Minister Chaim Corfu thanked Jordan that night for its good neighborliness. The error was attributed to the French pilot who was not familiar with the region and thought he was on the Eilat airfield when he was not. Rumanian shut burns down JERUSALEM (JTA)—A synagogue in the Rumanian town of Bohush in Moldavia was burned to the ground after its janitor was stabbed by unknown assailants last Thursday. Rumanian Chief Rabbi Moses Rosen said the arson occurred a day after a visit to the provincial synagogue by the Hasidic Rebbe of Bohush who lives in Israel, accompanied by several of his followers. The janitor suffered knife wounds on his face and arms. Rosen said there have been scattered anti-Semitic incidents in Rumania in recent years and anti-Semitic lyrics to a popular song were published recently in a major newspaper. But no synagogue was ever burned down before, Rosen said. Soviet Jewry emigration down NEW YORK (JJ A)—Only 104 Soviet Jews were permitted to leave the Soviet Union in October, according to the Coali tion to Free Soviet Jews. This brings the 1986 Jewish emigra tion total so far to 735. In 1984, only 896 Soviet Jews were given permission to leave, and last year, 1,140 were granted exit visas. In 1979, 51,320 Jews were permitted to emigrate from the Soviet Union, which means the drop-off in emigration over the last seven years is more than 98 percent. Flerovs arrive in Vienna VIENNA (JTA)—The family of Inessa and Viktor Flerov arrived here last Monday. Inessa Flerov’s brother, Michael Shirman, a leukemia victim in Ness Tziona, Israel,expected to see his sister and her family in Israel Wednesday. Shirman hopes to receive a bone-marrow transplant from his sister that may possibly save his life. Herzog goes down under JERUSALEM (JTA)—President Chaim Herzog left Nov. on an 18-day state visit to Australia and Southeast Asia, undertaken, he said, to advance Israel’s good image and pro mote its trade with that region. In a radio interview prior to his departure, Herzog said his np is important politically because it will give Israel a high- pro i e pu lie platform from which to combat anti-Israel propaganda. Herzog, accompanied by his wife, Aura, will visit Australia ew ea and, Fiji, the Philippines and Singapore. The presi- ” £ ressed srae . s efforts to broaden its trade with a region a as emerged in recent years as one of the world’s major commercial centers.