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The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, June 18, 1987-Page 11
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Do 4 votes outweigh 4 ra
By ■ J. B. SALSBERG
Let me refresh your memories, my dear readers:
Last week 1 tried to throw some Jight on the daric. very darlc side of Israel's electoral system — a system that breeds the most opportunistic and unsavor)' political horse-trading between each of the two major parties. Labor and Likud, and the numerous small parties. . when either one tries to form a majority governnient.
The small parties demand and usually get cabinet pkists, special rights in given areas of governmental jurisdiction and pledges, (written and signed beforehand) for legislation that one or the other junior partners insist upon.
The most reprehensible of such deals was made recently by Israel's premier, Yitzhak . Shamir, and the head of the small, ultra-Orthodox, non-Zionist Shas Party (Torah Guardians) and Yitzhak Peretz, the head of Shas, that has four votes in the Knesset.
J.B.Salsberg
The frustrated Shimon Peres, head of the Labor Party, minister of foreign affairs in the present "national unity government" and former premier of Israel, made it known that he will ask for the dissolution of the politically paralyzed Knesset arid go to the country for new mandates.
Shamir and his Likud block, presently low in the Israeli polls, naturally did not want an election now. So he went searching for'. a "junior partner" that would oppose an election now. He found such a partner in the Shas Party. But, at what price?
Shas is primarily interested in changing the existing Law of Return, so as to deny the sta-' tus of Jew to converted immigrants whose conversion was not performed by an Orthodox rabbi. This would, in effect, widen the gap be-tweeri Orthodoxy and the other streams of Judaism — Con.servative. Reform, Reconstruction.
; etc.'. ■■
As of now non-Orthodox rabbis from North America and other countries, who minister to the majority of Jews of those countries, have no rabbinic status in Israel. This state of affairs profoundly disturbs the millions of members (especially in North America) of the non-orthodox religious streams, among whom are to be found the rnost vital and most influential supporters and defenders of Israel's interests in the U.S. (as they are in Canada).
When Shamir began negotiating with Shas for its four votes against an immediate election, Rabbi Peretz, Shas' leader, demanded the changing of the Law of Return with respect to the admission of converted immigrants whose conversion took place within the religious mainstream of American Jewry — the Conservative, Reform or Reconstruction movement.s.
Shamir capitulated and agreed to amend the present basic Law of Returri, within 60 days, (as demanded by Shas) arid to place the final authority on the bbna-fides of conversion of an. immigrant in the hands of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate — that is, of course. Orthodox. .
The Shamir-Shas deal is naturally unacceptable to the riiajority of American Jews'who are affiliated with one or another of the discriminated sectors of Americari Jewish life. The Shamir-Shas agreement, if approved by the Knesset, will become the most diyisive act in modern Jewish society.
Shamir, him.self, is not known to be particularly Orthodox, or even particularly religious-minded. In such a case it can only be seen as' an act of momentary political convenience. But is it worth the cost?.
Are four votes in the Knesset worth riiore than the feelings and beliefs of 4 million American Jews whoare the backbone of Israeli support in the United States?
I know, my friends, that this is a very sensi-
tive matter. I assure you that I have neither the ■ desire nor the heart to get involved in this religious conflagration that the Shamir-Shas political deal has started. But, as I see it, this act, if approved by the Knesset, could launch Jewish society generally into a divisive direction of historic proportions.
Neither Israel nor world Jewry can afford such a destructive perspective;
The shocking news of that political deal for • four votes was no sooner made known then the bulk of Jewish society in the U.S. came forward with an appeal to desist, from that dangerous path,. .
Leaders of 21 national Jewish religious and. secular organizations in the U.S; sent a joint telegram to Shamir and other leading Israeli political figures urging the rejection of the Shamir-Shas agreement. The telegram signed by leaders of Con.servative and Reform movements, the B'nai B'rith, the Labor Zionists, etc. etc. ■ .said: Any.Knesset vote in support of the report--■ ed agreement, imperils the unity of the Jewish people, is coritrary to the interests and welfare of world Jewry, and is bound to make Israel a force for division between the Jewish state and the Diaspora."
Is the 4-vote political deal worth the horrendous price that we may have to pay for it?
It is a tragic deal and I hope, in the interests of Israeland world Jewish unity, that it will come tO; nought.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters are welcome if they are in English or French, no more than 250 words, typewritten with lines double spaced, and of interest to our reading public. Readers are cautioned not to make sweepiiig claims against persons or institutions which they cannot verifi>\:as libel laws are very stringent. We resen'e the right to edit letters, which must bear the sender's address, phone number and handwritten signature.
FILM DESERVES GOLDEN CROWN
As a Holocaust siirvivor, 1 read with great in--teres! Rabbi Gunther Plaut's recent column about the Holocaust documentary T\\mShoah: I agree with him about its impact; ^ ,
I watched the film with deep ernotion.
Claude Lanztnann showed to the world a piece of history, the darkest hour of the inhumanity of man to man. He paid homage to the dead inno-/ cent victims, and, for this, he deserves from all the Jewish people a golden crown with precious stones.
Bronka Zimmerman Montreal
"NO PITY FOR KILLERS"
Re your ongoing debate, about capital punishment: >
In Septeniber, 1968 I was li.stenirig to a lec; ture by Krister Stendahl. a highly respected Scandinavian theologian, and I shall never forget what he said: "Most of the evil in this world is the product of people Of goodwill." '
I despair of the people of "goodwill" and their misguided compassion for the murderer in our midst, What saddens me most is their disregard for the innocent victims.
Yet these unfortunate victims wilj never see a sunrise, hear good music, have a hug from their loved ones. They will never taste the food their mother cooked. They shall never have the children they might have had.
Therehas to beaprice paidby the murderer.
The murderer's life has to be forfeited, in fact, he/she forfeited themselves by their acts. Katrina Rimler Toronto
•* ■"' *. ■ ..* ''DON'T BLAME VIGTLMS" . One would riot know frorii Leila Speisman's recent article that Rabbi Moshe Meiselmari discussed the Holocaust uiider the heading "Reward and Punishment" in his lecture at Glanton Park Synagogue. . ,:
Rabbi Meiselman declared that the-Jevys_were punished collectively by the Holocaust and. that a distinction was riot made between innocent and guiUy individuals ■ He asked; ''Can it be that"such destruction could have come about without a sin of Klal Yisrael?"      :     ■ : '
Ms. Speisman reported Rabbi Meiselman's answer to a question from the audience, biit significantly, she neglected to relate the question to her readers.
That question wiis my own and I will repeat it here. I asked Rabbi Meiselman: "When yoii blame the victims, what happens to the guilt of
the perpetrators?"
Rabbi Meiselman acknowledged that his conception of the Holocaust did place blari^ie on the victims. He insisted, however, that the guilt of the Jews as a nation left them Unprotected from their enemies.
It is clear from Rabbi Meiselman's lecture, and from his answers to questions, that Je\y-ish guilt has priority over Nazi accountability in this twisted, fundamentalist representation of the Holocaust.
The views expressed by Rabbi Meiselman legitimize Jewish self-hatred with a new theology of guilt. I hope that our Orthodox brothers and sisters will repudiate this perversion of Judaism.
Morton Manilla Toronto
Reader offers a bravo to Natioiial Ballet of Canada soloist Sabiha Ailemann and claims she is ovierlooked by CJN critic Frank Raisky.
NEW SPECS FOR RASKY?
It seems to me that your theatre critic, Frarik Rasky, is either goirig blind Or needs a new pair 'of spectacles. V ;
In his recent review of prodiictions by the National Ballet of Canadarfte raved about everybody except my favorite Canadian ballet' star, Sabiha Ailemann. ;
I thought her pas de deux with Gr^oryOs-bbrne from Act III of Raymonda was tops.
Please print a picture of her in action'and give a scolding — or new pair of specs — to Mr, Rasky.
Leah Abrahamson Toronto
Frank Rasky replies. 1 share with you pry apologies and regrets. I share with no fan, however, my supreme admiration for soloist Sqbina Ailemann/ My review was getting bverlong and I absent-mindedly, as Sam Goldwyn used to say, included her out. 'My spectacles are just fine, thank you.
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CHOOSE LIFE OVER AIDS
This is a reniinder to thb promiscuous: Before an intirtiacy encounter, an uncaring indifference to mandatory AIDS testing may impose the death penalty on the toO trusting marriage partner. Therefore, choose life. H.Max Seiden Toronto
CHIDES TORONTO CONGRESS
Some 10 to 12 years ago, a partial- merger took place between ceiiain departments of Canadian . Jewish Cpngress.(Ontario Region) and the Urijt-ed Jewish Welfare Fund of Toronto, to create a "new" agency to be called Toronto Jewish Congress.
But it idoesn'tseem tohave made for better liai-: son between the CJC arid the new TJC,
1 have bbfoi-e me a brochure published recent^ ly by Tororito Jewish Congress which purports tobe'a guide to the community's agencies and-institutions.
The first thing that strikes my eye when I open it is a listing for B'nai B'rith Canada that states B'nai B'rith is a partner with Congress in the Joint Comriiunity Relations. Committee.
The fact is -7- and it's certainly a well ktiown; fact — that this partnership was dissolved some five or six years ago. Hasn't the TJC heard?
Looking further into this pamphlet, it lists the address of the"6ffice" of the Jewish Historical Society as that of three years ago. Aside from the fact that the JHS has no "office," its address is merely the location of its current preisident.
The irony here is that the TJC does know the correct information and has it correct on all its listings — except the one that reaches ■the public.'^:
Was this the "ratiorialization" and "efficiency" that Milton Harris promised that would conie v^ffrthe merger?
Sam R. Rotstein Toronto
GROUP URGED FIRING ROSS
^ Re your recent article, "Juliiis Israeli: The man who refuses to give up": . I would in no way wish to denigrate Dr. Ist raeli's efforts; However, the suggestion that the Atlantic Jewish Council has been silent on the
Malcolm Ross issue until very recenUy is far from accurate.
The article explicitly states that the AJC has only "become more vocal followuig a decision by the Board of Education not to dismiss /Ross.",
I would point out that among its Other initiatives it was the Atlantic;Jewish Council that prepared and submitted the original brief ca///>Jg for his dismissal.
The Atlantic Jewish Council has for over two years treated this issue as its top priority, and only the sensitive nature of its representations have limited the number of public statements the AJC could make.
Lee Cohen : President Atlantic Jewish Council Halifax
RABBI CLAIMS RABBI "MISLEADS'?
. In his May 14 letter criticizing the-bold stand of the Toronto cantors against, the new Jewish Theological Seminary policy of ordaining women as cantors. Rabbi Joel Roth claims that "the law committee of the Rabbinical Assembly issued an opinion validated by the requisite nurriber of members allowing worneri-to serve as cantors in June 1974, fully 13 years ago."
Rabbi Roth implies that this action was a valid precedent for the new policy of ordaining women as cantors.
He neglects to tell your readers that the motion to allow women to serve as cantors was' defeated by a vote of 8 to 3 in 1974. :
His reference to "the requisite number of members" supporting women as cantors, is to the 3 who voted in favor. / :
He purposefully misleads your readers into thinking that this was a majority position, rather than a defeated minority position. Rabbi Ronald D. Price Mount Verrionv NY
OVER 500,000 HELPED
Na'amat Pioneer Women are grateful for the fine articleby Sheila Dropkin on the annual Adopt-A-Child Dinner, when we honored TOm Cherington as our "Spiritual Father of the Year",
However, a slight misquote at the end of the piece translates into a large discrepancy in.' ; numbers.
^ I had stated that 40,000 youngsters are now ' growing up with Na'amat. This figure was incorrectly giveri asjhe total who have already grown, up with Na'amat support.
Because CJN readers have always responded so, gerierously to our appeals, we thirik ■they should know that over the years more than 500,000 youngsters have benefited. Norma Barkin .■■ Toronto