Page 12-The Canadian Jewish News. Thursday, October 2. 1986
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al of uniting Jews behind organization
MARK DODICK
TORONTO -
Montreal community leader Mart in Levine suc-^ ceeds Allan Offman of .Toronto as president of United Israel Appeal of Canada Inc. He was elected at the recent annual general meeting he|d at Beth T?edec Synagogue here.
Offman moves to the newly created post of deputy, chairman, and Charles Bronfman re^ maitis as chairman.
the national meeting was held in conjuncliiin .with the Ontario Region iiiecting .of .UlA. Guest speakers at the national .nieeting were Dr., Av-.rahani . Avi-hai... .world •.chairman of-'UIArKeren . Havesod and Rabbi Richard Hirsch. executive director, ot" the : World Union tor Progressive Jud- ' aism.
Levine. .viee-prcsident. and director of the. Pascal Groijp of Coinpanios, starts his term, with the goal of uniting the Canadian Jew-i s h c o nil in u n i t \ ., b e h i ri d UlA.- ■ , Towards that end he said
.he.intends "'tq.:visit every Jewish comniuriity in Can-
. ada during the neM year, including repeat visits: to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa." ' which heha.^ visited in the last month.
"Our.; communities ..in conjunction svith UI.-\ and
•Keren Haye.sod are likely to top all previous levels of contributions," he said, adding that the Women's Division is working to.raise • 15?^ of the total.; : . Le\'ine.. who series as an
;advisor to Montreal's Coh^ibined Jewish Appeal;-concluded his remarks, to the meeting by saying:that '."oursis the responsibility to Aveave a special fabric within .society, to create a belter garden in which to
Offman, reflecting on his term,.said the complex, mandate of yi.-\ in Canada demanded the creation of a Projects Commission to. oversee major projects in Israel.
The commission, he
said, would carefully ad- ■ judicate the value of projects. He added that one third of Canadian allocations to Israel through UIA is in the form of innovative projects.
Current projects include: bringing children from poor home environments to a better setting in Kibbutz; Sasa; building a community recreation centre for those in high tech jobs living in Nes Ziona ([which is also being separately funded by the Wilfred Posluns faimily); a rehabilitation facility and auditorium in Kiryat Shemoha (named for the Phil GrahoVsky family): a recreational facility in .Metullah (by the Ottawa community in memory of Hy Hochberg); and a vocational training school in Nazareth.
Canadian con\mitment to I'lA. has been reflected in
Martin Ltvine
: the increases in alliKaiions'. said Ofi.man. noting that-central fund raising campaigns here on. a per capita basis are three time.s greater than .Aiiierican con-tributions. •
.And while American missions to Israel have dropped 40"7 because of;. the fear of terrorism. Cana- .
Allah Offman
dian mi.ssions have cliiiib-ed in the same period by 40^, he^said. • ■• Offman said his period as president was a demanding one because of the complexity^ of Canadian' and Israeli Jaws;
Biit during his tenure..he said awareness of UIA was: fostered through mi.ssions;
a documented; annual report of UIA's activities wa.S'produced; and operations in Israel were rationalized. ,
Offman said he was ver)' impressed by tiie dedication Jew ish eommuriities acrciss the country showed to Israel through UIA and their interest in what has been acconipli.shcd.
Avrahanv Avi-hai focused hi.s remarks on how the canipaign has been presented, .criticizing ihe/em-phasiis on local priorities.
Organizer.s. he .said, list specific local community needs first and Israel as an entity last when they apr - proachcontributor.s;.
But. "isFaelis the .source of fund raising and should be .seen\as a cause for Jewish survival and existence.".;- . ' Rabbi Richard Hirsch pre.sented an analysis of the current; p<ilitical. economic and social situation in Israel. .Of four'niajor pro-:
. blems the counir.v:_faces., three are soluble, the last is not. he said.
Thcecononvic problems are slowly being solved; the clash between Ashken-azini and Sephardini is.be-; ing alleviated through "assimilation." and the peace process i.smoving slowly but surely to -a solution:
However, Hirsch said, the rift between the ultra-Orthodox and nOnrOrth-odox in Israel has no solution and will rip the Israeli isociety apart.
Because the Orthodox wield so much power, the Coasen ative and Reforiti movements should combine in I.srael for religious-political rcason.s, Hirsch said.
And Diaspora Jewrv: has an interest in the outcoiiie ;of this conflict; and must get involved, he said, . Major awards presented ■. at the meeting include a project honoring .Allan OfT-nian to bcV named later; a
perpetual .scholarship for two students from' Yaffo. Dalet for ;-outg:pirig ■ Women;s Division president Rosalind Karby; and
/a gift to Zvi.Garcy; special:, emissary to :English speaking cduntrics from Keren Hayesdd.
The other executiyes of the new board are: yicc-president.s, Lois •-Snook-
. ie"; Bessner (Women's Division president), Harold Brownstein. Dr. Charles Gold, Dr,.(DeralilHalbert,.. Frank Kettner. .Sol Leder-inan.. Wij.frcd Posluns; treasurer, Orin Krivel; co-treasurers. Charles Diamond, .Adrienne Offman; corporate. secretary.. Schuyler: Sigel; a.ssistant secretary. Lois: Raphael;. honorary legal; coun.sel. Dcinald Carr; chairman of unfederated- com,muni'ties. Sana Taylor; .Atlantic Reb'ini chairman. Niartin Chernin; Ontario Region chairman. David .Stein-
' bcfiz..
PARIS -
The president of the French .section of the World Jew ish Congress has protested to the French government that Kurt Waldheimin the .Austrian.presidency represents a violat ion of the 195^ Austrian State Treaty.. of which France was a signatory nation.-
"In May. .1955.. our ' country signed an agreement with the U nited States. Great Britain andthe Soviet Union'; to re-establish .
Austrian independence, M. Dreytus-Schmidt said in a, letter to Foreign Mini.ster Jeari-Bernard ;Raymond.
One of the denazification provisions of the treaty states that members of the Nazi Party, theSS, SA and other Nazi organizations cannot serve in the Austrian armed forces with the exception of. '•those persons who were , discharged by the ap-. propriate body in accpi^d-ance w ith .Austrian law,''
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TEL AVIV (JTA>-
. The, Israel police W'lil.. esiablish a special unit .to try, to-fight the national • ra.sh of vehicle theft.s.
Through August, this year, 8,(XK) cars have been stolen inside Israel.- and 2.500 of them; have ne\er been found.
Police sii.spect that the missing vehicles have been ,
disnVantled b\ thieves, mainly in. the Gaza Strip and tlie Israeli-.Arab'"Little Triangle" area north of Pefah Tik\a, \\ ith the parts sold to local garages^-
'..The pvilice said they planned aerial sur\eys to try to trace stolen vehicles hidden in orange groves until ihe\ are dismantled:;
Preyfus-Schmidt said.
The State Treaty becaine ■integrated into the .Austrian i constitution, he added. . f 'Immediately after the inauguration ceremonies on July 8. Waldheim. who was proven to belong to the SA (Brown-Shirts) and two other Nazi groups atid \vho was never:'"denazified,'" formally tcxik coniroi of the Au.strian armed forces, the ^ WJG ciftlcial said; ^ ■
"This, Mr. mini.ster, is.a clear violation of the 1955 treats, which is still in force today," he stated. ■. '
'*! am forwarding this information to, ypu aftd the government of France, fully conscious that its position at the forefront of the battle for human rights w ill clearly determine its nioral and legal position concerning theabrogation of the 1955 treaty :(by) the .Austrian goyernment.'*
American and British legislators had previously raised the issue xif W'aId-heim and the treaty with their governmerUs (CJN Sept.; LI).; .
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l;shana tovah tikatavu
Nothing has changed except the murderers
THE CAN ADIAN SOCIETY FOR YAD VASHEM
pays tribute to the memory of those who perished from time immemorial.
Our best wishes for a year of health, happiness, but most of all. peace.
We look forward to your continued involvement and support.
Canadian Society for Yad Vashem
B Abilibi Avenue, Willdwdale.OntatioM2M2V1 .. (416! ?23-;>511
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A healthy and prosperous New Year to our clients and friends from the partners and staff of Peat Marwick.
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MARWICK