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Page 4 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE December 12, 1986
Editorial
The picture brightens
It is with considerable relief that we print on page 9 a
clarification from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency citing
figures in last week’s story regarding the dw indling population
of world Jewry.
The material in question said "the Holocaust reduced the
number of Jews in the world from 16.5 million before World
War 11 to 10.4 million after the war. By the end of 1985. the
world Jewish population was down to 9.5 million.”
The clarification tells us that 9.5 million Jews live in the
Diaspora. Add to that the 3.5 million in Israel and the picture
brightens. That is an increase of 2.6 million since the war.
Still, there’s nothing to cheer about because clearly, inter
marriage and a low birthrate are taking their toll in the
Diaspora.
Atlanta’s demographic study indicates that 11.7 percent ot
the members of Jewish households are not Jewish. Carrying
that a step further, the study shows that 20 percent ol the
households are "mixed."
Still, all is not gloom and doom, as author Charles Silber-
man pointed out during his recent lecture in Atlanta. Yet even
he is particularly concerned with the declining Jewish birth
rate. There are many personal and sociological reasons for this
hut at least that is an area where there may be hope as genera
tional lifestyles change.
In the meantime, regardless of the numbers, we can make
our Jewishness count.
Be a pinch hitter
A few years ago, B'nai B'rith lodges reinstituted a volunteer
ellort w hich had in years past been a rew arding and worthw hile
one-day project.
This is the pinch-hitter project where members of our
community volunteer to be Christmas Day substitutes for
non-medical stall at local hospitals, so workers can spend the
holiday with their families.
How often we say, or hear our friends say, “Oh, Christmas
Day is so depressing. There’s nothing to do.” It doesn’t have to
be that way. Volunteering a few hours to relieve others and.
perhaps, to brighten the day for patients who would rather be
anywhere else on the holiday can chase depression away.
There is still time to sign up. Call Stu Aaron, 449-0323
(days) or 394-4126 (evenings).
Be a pinch hitter. You may hit a home-run.
All the good gifts in the world, given with a dour
face. Scripture regards as nothing; hut a genial recep
tion, even though unaccompanied by any gift, is
regarded as everything.
A hot de Ruhhi Sat ban, ch 13.
The Southern Israelite
The Voice of Atlanta s Jewish Community
Since 1925
Vida Goldgar Jeff Rubin
Editor General Manager
Luna Levy
Managing Editor
Published by Sun Publications, Inc.
also publishers of The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle
Stan Rose Steve Rose
Chairman and President and
Publisher Co Publisher
Second Class Postage paid at Atlanta. Ga (ISSN 00388) (UPS 778060)
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The
Southern Israelite
A Prize-Winning
Newspaper
Vida Goldgar
After the fall
T his may go down in history as the shortest
column I've ever w ritten. Here it is. deadline time;
46 typew riler keys stare at me (along with another
six control keys) and for the time
being I can only use one hand a
mere five lingers to make all
those keys form words.
My left hand, from knuckles
to mid-arm. is immobilized. 1
won't go into serious detail, but if
there is a "klutz of the year"
award. I'm eligible.
Monday e\ening 1 took about
as ungraceful a tumble as you
can imagine. Let's just say l zigged w hen 1 should
have zagged. stuck out my hand to break the fall
and broke my wrist in the process.
l ike a dummy though. I brushed myself off.
declined an offer to take me to the emergency room
and went on to dinner with a colleague who, fortu
nately. arrived too late to see my performance.
Mistake. B\ the time dinner was oxer 1 knew this
wasn't going to stop hurting any time soon. So oil
to Piedmont Emergency.
There's a sign w here you register that indicates
patients will be taken in order ol the seriousness ol
their illness rather than arrixal time. I knew from
the length of time till they called me that my prob
lem ranked somew here between a stubbed toe and a
tummx ache but it xxas painful, nevertheless.
B\ the lime I xxas X-rayed, evaluated and
splinted, hall the night xxas gone, and so was 1. But
the worst xxas yet to come. Just getting dressed the
next dax was a riot and xvhen 1 hit the office (good
and late), the s\ mpathy soon turned to laughs when
1 called Luna in to finish buttoning my buttons, put
on my watch and tie my scarf.
But this, too, shall pass and there is some conso
lation in the tact that nobody 1 knew saxx me flop.
In the meantime, the next time somebody tells me
to watch my step, you better believe I'll take it
literal) v.
Children to children
Stanley M. Lefco
“1 really enjoyed your talk, not
about what happened to your
family, but what I learned. I
really never liked Hitler, and if 1
had a time machine right now 1
would go back into the past and
kill him before he had a chance to
kill or even start a hollocaust
(sic). I am happy at least that
you, your mom and dad and
uncle survived. 1 just hope we
never repeat this tagic happening
again.” This letter was one of
many sent by a sixth grader at a
Gwinnett County School after a
child of Holocaust survivors
spoke to his and several other
classes.
Hemshech, the organization of
Holocaust survivors, and the
Second Generation-Children of
Holocaust Survivors in coopera
tion with the Bureau of Jewish
Education send speakers to
schools, civic organizations and
churches to talk about the Holo
caust. The responsibility of re
membering and teaching about the
Holocaust is passing to the chil
dren of survivors as the survi-
vors themselves become lewer in
number and are unable for one
reason or another to address
groups.
One teacher had her class write
letters of thanks to this child, a
misnomer to the extent that he's
w-cll over the-age ot 18. Here we
relate a few of the more interest
ing responses, which are unedited:
“1 still can’t see how anyone
could treat another human being
so cruel even if they are a little
different! 1 was so glad to hear
your parents were survivors. Since
our class has been studying the
Holocaust, 1 have become more
interested in it.”
“It sounds like the Jews had a
hard time. 1 don't know how the
Jews could have survived the
concentration camps. 1 think it
would be horrible if they found
out.Hitler was a Jew. Hitler and
the Nazi Party were real cruel. I
really understand the trouble your
parents went through.”
“1 would have thought it was
very neat for my parent to have
told me about it it they were in
the Holocaust. But 1 would not
want them to be in it. ...you got
through a lot of us. 1 do not know
il 1 would have believed w hat you
were saying if your parents and
other relatives had not had gone
through the Holocaust.”
“It’s very sad that people had
to go threw (sic) that. 1 told my
family and they couldn't believe
people could he so mean to other
people.”
"I tell sad alter your presenta
tion thinking about how many
Jews were killed. It must have
been hard lor you to talk to us
since your parents were in this
terr i h 1 e ex ent. H i11 er w as so crue 1
to punish innocent Jews. 1 hope
nobody will be dumb enough to
believe something like what H itler
told the Germans."
“If I was a Jewish victim I
would try to run away. If 1 was a
survivor 1 would probably feel
good. 1 think another Holocaust
couldn’t happen in America be
cause we are to protective.”
“You really got through to
me.”
“Just because Hitler's moth
er’s doctor was a Jew, he didn’t
have to get mad at every Jew!!”
“...many people don’t care
about the Holocaust, but after
you came many people under
stand it better.”
“Like you said it was a horrible
disaster that the Germans did to
the Jews. The Germans I think
are some weird people. Especially
Hitler 1 didn’t think he knew
what he was doing he seems men
tally sick. 1 know how you feel
having to grow up in that horri
ble place for two years. Your
mother and father lost part ol
their family in that horrible
place."
“1 learned Jews really had it
hard back in the '30s. 1 never
knew a lot that went on in the
war until you told us about the
way the Nazi’s lelt about the
Jews I think it was a dumb thing
to do, but what does one little
sixth grader know about the
subject."