The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, January )6, 1986-Page 3
Takes over ^'mi^
FRANK RASKY TORONTO -
It's hot the en<l of an era, but rather the beginning of a niew chapter in the ongoing family s^a of the Canada-wide; 5,000-member " Weizihann mis-hpocha" now celebrating their 20th anniversary.
Those words were spoken last week here in an emotion-fraught ceremony marking the changing of the top executives of the Canadian Society for the Wciz-mann Institute of Science. • At tend i ng were more, than 75 representalivcs of its 1.1. chapters across Canada at the annual open meeting of the society held at the Primrose Club.
They witnessed a sa-called "changing of the guard' 'of - its leadership. Murray Koffler^ a chief founding father of the scxrie-ty 20 years ago. stepped down as board chairman to become chairman emeritus.
Replacing him as chair-hian was Jimmy Kay, former presiderifof the society.
Tom Beck, a former
vice-president, rei Kay as president.
Koffler, 61, who is also retiring later this year as board chairman of the Shoppers Drug Mart chain of 410 pharmacy stores throughout North America, was visibly moved as he talked of the growth of the Canadian branch of the 'Weizmann family."
He recalled how the society started with a few dozen pvopje, with him-: self as first president^ aill committed to aiding the Weizmann liistitute, which has bloomed into a garden oasis of science since its founding in the desert at Rehovot in 1934,
He called the institute an Israeli "bridge to the outside world." Its 34 buildings are involved in 700 research projects de-
signed to benefit humankind, exploring everything from the conquering of cancer, the functioning of the brain, the prociess of aging, to thie secrets of life itself.
■"For 20 years, people have been calling me 'Mr. Weizmann Institute.,' " he said.''Jimmy Kay will now assume that title. With jimmy doing the shepherdihg, I am confident that the Weizmann family in Canada will move from strength to strength for the next 20 years."
Kay, chairman of Dylev Ltd., which operates a chain of fashion apparel stores throughout North America, thanked Koffier foir being a catalyst con^ stantly stimulating Canadians to participate in the Weizmann adventure.
Thanks to Koftler, Caria-diari-s. had formed "an un-cotiimon h.md with ihe pioneers of Israel, who
.■■^By-.:-^ JANICE ARNOLD
MONTREAL-
The president ofTcHiya Canada, a Zionist grouping affiliated with the Israeli party of the same-name, says he is considering mak-. ing represeritations to the World Zioni.st Court in Jerusalem because the Canadian Zionist Federa-'tion has not accepted Tehiya Canada's application for con.stitueni status within theCZF.-
Howard Grief says a recent decision by the CZF Committee oh Organizations and Applications of New Constituents to defer the matter to the CZF national execUtive"aniounts. to (the application's) rejection for all practicial pur^ poses...'' Moreover, : charges Grief, the committee Vote should never have taken place.
The committee, chaired by Max Garfiiikle and cOmposM of representatives of the CZF constituent organizatktns, voted 7-4 to delay a decision oii whether Tehiya Canada should be admitted by deferring the matter to the CZF national executive, whkh is^edul-ed to hold its next meeting at the end of March, Gar-finkk told The Canadian Jewish News.
NVhile Garfinkle could not provide the exact wording of the decision, he said it also included reference to dealing with the Tehiya question at the next national convention of the CZF, but this would be the decision of the national executive. Garfinkle did hot know when the next CZF national convention Would be held.
"After a lengthy discussion, the feeling of the committee was that Tehiya Canada has followeduhe letter of the-rules, but not the spirit," said Garfinkjeg^ _lllt wais felt by seven out of the 11 members that the
onus is on Tehiya Canada toddmonsfrate that it is an active, functioning Zionist group in Canada."
Proof might be the holding of such activities as lectures, he said. However, Garfinkle acknowledged that the CZF has no written constitution, and that some of the constituent organizations of the CZF exist on littje more than paper.
activity
If Tehiya Canada can show by the national executive meeting in March that it is an active Zionist group on a national basis; said Garfinkle,"in due time, it will be a constituent of the.CZF."
Grief, a Montreal lawyer, derives no reassurance from that .statement. G'^ief first inquired about how to register Tehiya Canada as a CZF constituent member on Oct. 21, 1981, soon after the cfrganization was founded.
Grief can provide a file containing 27 pieces of correspondence written since then to back up his claim that he has not only been given the bureaucratic run-around, but that the CZF, whose leadership is dominated by (Grief says) those aligned with the Labor party or sharing its ideology, has deliberately excluded Tehiya Canada on political, rather than -legal, ground.s.
Tehiya, or the Zionist RevivalL<;t Party, is a
right of centre Israeli party headed by Yuyal Ne'eman, formier minister of science and development in the Likud government, and currently holds five seats in the Knesset. The main plank in its platform is that Judea, Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza should be an integral part of the State of Israel.
There is a Tehiya U.S:A.. led by scientist Edward Teller who is known a.< "thefather of the H-bomb." Grief said he did not know if Tehiya wa.s a con.stituent of the American Zionist Federation.
Tehiya. a relatively new pciliti>ral niovement, has not had Diaspora representation thus far at a World Zionist Congress in Jeru.salcm. The last Congress was held in December. 1982. and the next one is expected to be called at the end of this ■ year.
Although the organizations committee meeting was Dec. 12. Grief had not, at least at the time of writing Jan. 8. been officially informed of the result of the vote.
Assuming new top national posts at the Canadian Society for the Weizmaiin Institute of Science are Tom Beck, president, (left), Murray Koffler, chairman emeritus, and Jimmy Kay, chairman.
have brought a new world David Freeman, presi-to an old land. and who dent of the .Vancouver every day push man's fron- chapter, reported that Van-
tion, and the participants included Bertha Dermer, Sydney Katz, Dr. Allan Gordon. Dr. Charles Hollenberg, and~Dr. Aser Rothstein.
To fill vacancies on the society's 72-member board of directors, the meeting elected Marvin Corber, Robert Benson and Paul Ivanier of Montreal, as well as Joseph Cohen and Jack Diamond of Vancouver.
Re-elected to the board were Torontoriians Douglas Bassett. David Buck, Lewis Field, Irving Frisch, Bill Glied, Morris Kaufman, Hart MacDougall. Dr. Louis Siminovitch and: Harry Solomon.
Also re-elected to the .board were: Ted Cohen and Abe Gray. Vancbuver;.Dr.
tiers forward,"
Kay urged members to supp<.)rt the s(Kiet>''s newest project in Rehovot. to be called the Canadian Institute for the Energies and Applied Research.
When completed at the end of this year, it w ill consist of a $13 million, 8-acrc complex of two research huildings and a giant 15-storey, 50-metre-high "Spire of Light": solar tower .soaring from a field of mirrors-V- all geared to harness electric energy . t'rom the sun.
Beck, 59, the Budapest-born, electrical engineering graduate of Cambridge University in England, who is board chairman of the Toronto-based Noma Industries Limited, was lauded by Kay as "a dynamo given to quiet understatement.''
Beck pledged to expand further the scKiety, which .':was planted'as a small . kernel 20 yeans ago by the founding fathers." and do all in his power to help it burgeon into a flourishing national organization.
Reports submitted by various chapter representatives revealed a lively prcv gram of events scheduled for this year.
Marvin Tanner, president of the Montreal chapter, reported that a dinner would be held at the Ritz Ciarlton May 13 honoring the Helen and Sam Steinberg family. He said the Steinbergs were providing $500,000 for the establishment of the Steinberg Family Plaza at the new solar energies project in Rehovot.
couverites were funding the Morris J. and Dcna Wosk Solar Energy Wing being built as part of the new Canadian complex.
. Gordon Strauss, president of < the Kitchertcr-Waterlix) chapter, reported that proceeds from an aiic-tion of 2(X) paintings by Canadian and international artists would provide a substantial contribution to the $2 million Max and Rae Perkell Building in Rehovot. : ■
Collin Craig, president of
League, announced that a fund raising auction would : Cyril Kay and Mark Uram be held April 12 atToroh- of Edmonton; Martin
to s L'Hotel. He said the league also hoped to publish a limited edition scries portrait of Dr. Chaim Weiz-. mann hy U.S. ptVp artist Andy Warhol. "
Brenda Kane, rep<irting on behalf of the Toronto chapter's medical committee, .said a fund raising dinner would be held May 12. at Beth Tzedec Synagogue with the intent of establishing a chair in genetic diseases, particularly those affecting Jewish children. The project is a joint one. with theToronto chapter of
Levene, Waterloo, Ont;; and Jeremy Reitnian aiid, Isadore Pollack of Montreal.
Other/officers of the society include Donald . Li>ch 0 f TororitcV. ,t reasu rer: Jules James of Toronto, secretar\ ■, anil vice-presi-cleiits Levi Perkell, Bar-rie Rose. Hy Isenbauniand Joel. Greisman, all of Toronto, Morris Belkin of ^ Vancouver and Mel Dobrin of Mohtreal.
David Dennis was welcomed as new board , member and president of
the Canadian Weizmann the Dysautonomia Founda- the Toronto chapter.
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