Page 12-The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, July 14, 1988
M-T
Some senior govemment officials very worried
By
MENACHEM SHALEV
JERUSALEM (jPFS)-
The 6-month old Palestinian intifada has taken its toll in Israel in labor shortages, defence expenditures, longer resen'e dutyv and curtailment of travel through the territories. . Most Israelis have taken it in stride. They are not going to concern themselves with the distant and intangible—but steady — deterioration of Israel's public image abroad.
But some senior government officials are very worried. Israel's image in the U.S. and Europe, they say. is ultimately a significant component of Israel's overall national security.
The term.s they use to describe the extent of the damage done to Israel's image in the Western world range from '*sub-' stantial deterioration" to "total collapse."
"Our relations with nuuiy European countries," said one toreign ministry oftl-cial, "have been reduced to the level of constant justification. European governments have to find excuses for every move ; which might be construed as friendly, or even neutral, toward Israel. Every little thing is now a problem."
Israel's flower-growers and hotel owners have already been made painfully aware of. ju.st how important Israel's image is. Tourism revenues are expected to drop this year by between $250 and $500 million, while- flower-growers have lost tens of millions of dollars because of the failure in March of the European Parliament to ratify protocols which would have lowered trade tariffs on locally gnnvn flowers. r-tThc, intifada is also responsible for some diplo-^ matic setbacks: It was either the direct Gau.se. contributory factor or convenient excuse for the following:'
• The scuttling of Poland's plan to raise the level of'its representation here from the present interests section;
• The failure of Greece to-keep its promise to raise its diplomatic relations with Israel to embassy levelbe-fore July 1, when it assumed chairmanship of the European Community.
• The delay of the Soviet Union in issuing visas to Israel's consular delegation to Moscow.
• Ireland'scontinuing refusal to accept a resident Is-j-aeli ambassador in Dublin.
• Portugal's decision not to open a chancery in Tel Aviv, or to accredit its ambassador in Rome with representation in Israel.
A complete pott ray al Of the fallout from Israel's deteriorating image ^s, however, difficult; Most of the real damage, analysts say, will only materialize in a year or two. Current levels of trade and diplomacy with Israel are based On the reservoir of goodwill that existed before the intifada.
The damage to Israel's image has been worst where it hurts most. Third World countries have been largely unaffected by it. perhaps because they had few expectations in the first place and because of their lack of exposure to televised images from the territories. In Europe, Israel's friends were affected most. r
When President Chaim Herzog visited Denmark last November, pro-Israeli feelings in that traditionally sympathetic country were at an all-time high. Now they are at an all-time low, withDan-ish supermarket chains boycotting Israeli goods, anti-Israel demOnstra-ti()ns and the a|mo.st daily appearance of fresh anti-Israel graffiti on the walls of Copenhagen's buildings and expres.si()nis of support for the Palestinians.
Another bastion of pro-•l.sraeli sctitiment. Norway, . has also been affected by the images of the intifada, the damage being compounded by the. experience of the 18,OGO-strpng Norwegian ' contingent in UNIFIL, the United Nations peace-,' keeping force: in South Lebanon.
Holland has been torn
frOnrits one-sided admiration of Israel, although pro-Israeli sentirnent remains strong. -
Other countries where the damage has been felt most^ include Sweden, Ireland, Greece and Spain.
At the end of six months, Greece will relinquish its chairmanship of the European Community to Spain. Since the community is governed.by a troika composed of the past, present and future chairmen, its leadership will then consist of the unending combination of Greece, Spain and Ireland.
Ironically, in many European countries both the governments and the much-besmirched media are rC: .straining public sentiments. Public opinion is swayed by left-wing propaganda and criticism by intellectuals.
Notwithstanding Herzog's recent diagnosis of the media as carriers of a certain strain of latent anti-semitism^ forieign ministrv officials believe
that, by and large, European print and electronic media are more balanced at this time than the emotions of the public.
Israel's standing in international organizations is slipping to the level of the post-1973 oil boycott days, as witnessed by the harsh attacks on it at a recent International Labor Organization meeting in Geneva.
Israeli officials say that they have postponed plans to ask for membership or privileges in international organizations until better times.
As might have been expected, the odd man out in Europe is West Germany. Constrained by historical sensitivities, German public opinion and politically minded parliamentarians have maintained balanced criticism and fair debate on the Palestinian problem. The German media are
commended by Israelis as the fairest of them all.
Nonetheless, a senior foreign ministry official in Jerusalem believes that the intifada has "demystified" Jewish suffering and enxi-ed sympathy which stems from European World War II memories.
In the economic field, apart from tourism and tlowers. the damage is not yet very noticeable. Tons of rotting grapefruit and oranges have remained un-bought in storage houses in France and Italy, but there has been no other decline in exports that can be directly attributed to the intifada.
Industrial, high-technology and diamond exports will probably remain unaffected, with busines.smen largely impervious to political sentiments.
Israeli industrialists ascribe the decline in exports to the government's monetary policies rather than to t^e political fallout in Europe, i
Support for Israel in Europe has dropped from 30-50% to jess than 20%, but public opinion polls in the United, States have found that support for Israel remains as strong as ever, a fact cited frequently by Israeli leaders.
They fail to report the other side of the coin: that support for the Palestinians has more than quadrupled, jumping from
less than 10% in mosi polls conducted before the intifada to more thaiL40% in some recent polls. '
Though government-to-government links remain strong. Israeli diplomats in the U.S.. like their colleagues in Europe, remark that the tone has changed. In almost all their meetings with local officials, the diplomats art*subjected to unprecedented criticism arid complaints. "
res
to intermarriage critics
OAKLAND, Calif. (JTA)^ Kitty Dukakis has respimded to critics who say that, as a Jewish wom-;an married to a non-Jewish man, she would serve as a bad role model were her husband to be elected President of the United States. ^
In an interview with the bi-mdnthly magazine Tik-kun, the wife (if Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis .said her marriage to the likely Democratic presidential nominee actually en-c()uraged her to seek a ''more formal identification" with her Jewish roots. '
"When people write articles, as they have, aiboul the fact that I would be a bad, role model because I am married to a Christian, what they: don't realize is that there are men and women '
like myself who are much , more"clo.sely identified with their Jewish roots because they have .married outside the faith." she said in an interview conducted by Michael Lerner; editor of the magazine. Dukakis vvas responding
House decision-making on Jewish issues should her husband be elected President in November.
Asked by Lerner which Jewish leaders a Dukakis ; administration Would \vot-k . with._Dukakis replied; "I don'tthink I ean answer that
The Name Game
There's a story in almost every Jewish surname and Toronto lawyer FRED M. CATZ-MAN has been researching their origins Over the past few years. Mr. Catzman reports on his research in The CJN. If you have any information relating to the origin and meaning of your surname, please pass it along to Fred M, Catzman, c/o The Canadian Jewish News, 10 Gateway Blvd., Suite 420, Don Mills, Ont.M3C3Al.
TOPF ^ TOEPP-ER
TOPE usually spelled TOP or TOPPisGerman for POT. Topfer commonly spelled TEPPER is a pot maker. English equivalents are POTTS and POTTER; -
HAENDLER - ENDLER
I have a distinguished cousin who is a professor and author — Norman Endler,formeriy.of Montreal, now of Toronto. The name was Haendler (pronounced Hendler), meaning a dealer or trades-, man. One of his forebears probably dropped the initial. "H" (as do the Cockneys). The name derives from Handel, the German word for trade or commerce, and one of its distingiiished bearers is the famed mu'sicar composer. HANDEL.
to an editorial that appeared, in the Denver-based Inter- . mountain Jewish News at the height of the priiiiary-campaign, charging that, a Dukakis presidency vvould . represent a troubling endorsement of intermarriage: ' ;
In the Tikkun article, Dukakis spoke at -length about her Jewish upbringing in. the .Massachu.setts., suburb of Brcxiklirie. saying that she has a "Very emotional, connection with my. heritage."
She also indicated that .she would play an active role in shaping White
definitely, because it's a policy Michael and I haven't discussed.
Lerner frequentl}^ has criticized the American Jewish leadership for not representing all segments of the American Jewish com-munitv.:
Beth Avraham Yoseph Gongregation
. seeks a full-ti^^^^^
YOUTH DIRECTOR
for its rapidly gRHving Orlhodo.x coiigrcgation in the dynamic Thornhill Jcwi.sh comiiiuniiy."
Apply in confidence io:_Youth Chairman • Beth Avraham >i)scph Congregation ; . • 613 Clark Avenue.: Thornhill, Ontario L4Y5y3>
ISRAEL AS IT WAS
The passage of time has not changed Rothschild.Blvd. in Tel Aviv very much. It's still a quiet, tree-shaded thoroughfare in the heart of Israel's liveliest city. This photo was taken in the mid-1950s.
UNITED ISRAEL APPEAL OF CANADA INC. UNITED JEWISH APPEAL OF CANADA INC.
. Notice is.hcrebv civen thai the . '
ANNUAL GP:NERAL MEETING ^
pr the above corporations will be: held on ".• ;
. at-thc Ritz Carlton Hotel /.
r T228 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal. RQ..
; ; - frotli 10 a.m. --- 11 a.m.
■ , ■ - . ;Martin Le\ine:Plrsident
Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University
Co-brdinatorpf Student Affairs
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ; 1^ >:
'The KUccessiiil candidate will denionstrate adniinistrative, conimunicatibn, and intt^iperspnal^^ and iin ability to work with an active lay committee of academicians and volunteers. Kriovvledize of Hebrew is an as.set'. Preference wil 1 be shown to. Hebrew UriiA^ersity graduafe^^, Sa 1 ary is commensurate to qualifications. ^
Please send'your detailed resume to; . :
NatibnaLExecutive Director , Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University -T \brkdale i^ad; S^^^
Toronto, Ontario M6A 3AI. .'■