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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) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Southern Israelite, P.O. Box 250287, Atlanta, Georgia 30325 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 250287, Atlanta, Georgia 30325 Location: 300 Atlanta Technology Center, Suite 365, 1575 Northside Dr., N.W., Atl„ Ga. 30318 Phone (404) 355-6139 Advertising rates available upon request. Subscriptions: $23.00 a year. Member of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Religious News Service, American Jewish Press Assn , Georgia Press Assn , National Newspaper Assn 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."