M-T
.By-,-, ■ J.B.SALSBERG
In Canadiah terms the country's present political merry-go-rpund is turning at a dizzying speed. By the same yardstick~the forthcoming Canadian general election will be a sizzling affair. But by Israeli terms the Canadian political exercise will be biit a muted; regal minuet dance when compared with Israel's passionate election fandango that usually climaxes into a dangerous, limb-breaking kozatskeh finale.
As a Canadian I would welcome a bit of the Israeli election spirit in piir relatively calm election spectacles. But as a Jew, to whom the present Jewish state is the determinant in Jewish national survival, I would go to any length to Canadianize somewhat Israel's stormy' and reckless general elections. Canada can afford a bit of Israel's election fervor. But Israel, in my humble view, can ill afford its present passionate arid, often, physical confrontationist election practices.
In Canada we will be participants in but another general election contest that may affect some secondary aspects of^ the country's evolutionary process. But in Israel the outcome of the July 23 geneiral election will be of transcendental significance for that country. Indeed, as I see it, Israel's July election can be described as a
J.B.Salsberg
rendezvous with destiny;
Let us look at the preseht Israeli picture realistically.
The-iU-starred Lebanon war extracted an enormous price in wealth and human life without resolving any of the problems that that war was meant to resolve. But It resulted in tiie firacturing of Israel's prized internal unity. The country is how more
divided than it ever has been in its 36 years of existence. ,
It is this unh^py division that account for the astounding fact that no less than 27 separate political lists [parties, in Canadiaii terms] will compete for the electors' favcMr. What an alarming picture of tibe country's present social, economic, cultural, religious and political fabric!
The moral level of Israel's present political constellation has undergone a further degeneration. It's reflected not only in the emergence of 27 distinct and competing political forces. It is also revealed in the almost indecent competition between the numerous factions that exist within each of the major political blocs. Because of less than "deserved" priority on a given party's listing of candidates, leaders are prepared to leave and form their own parties.
In one instance "top leaders" of a certain party secretly registered their own, ais yet non party, with the government election agency so as to get under the wire in case they failed to get alj they demianded in their present party. (Fortunately they got all they wanted and they rushed breathlessly to remove the name of their unborn party from the official listing to avoid the embarrassment that would have followed the revela-
tion that they had secretly formed a competing party.) ^
In another case, a venerable leader of an important faction in the given party was brutally attacked by youthful zealots of another faction of that party and, in vengeance, zealots of the attacked leader's faction are suspected of putting the torch to an institution of the suspected first offenders, (Hope you get all this untangled.) ^-:
Israel tieeds a restructuring of its election laws as human beings need air to live. Israel's proportional represehtation system, based on nationwide party slates, has proven to be disastrous. It resulted in the present proliferation of small parties and preveints the emergence of one of the major parties strong enough to form a government and not be. obliged to seek coalition partners from among the numerous splinter groups. It is to be hoped thattheoutcomeof the July 23 election will bring relief and stability to Israel's future governments.
Superceding almost all other issues that stand in the centre of Israel's challenges is, of course, that of peace with its Arab neighbors; there are ifone other.
In my view the peace process [and it wiU be a long one] wUl be blocked so long as the governing Israeli forces will be wedded, for religious or "historical" considerations, to the proposition that every inch of the historic borders of ancient Israel must remafa] non-negotiable. The continuation of this lliie will lead to years of strife, insecurity and warfare with little, if any, Ught at the end of the tunnel.
On the other hand, the Labor Party
orientatioETof willingness to makie territorial concessions for lasting peace does seem to me as being a course that meets realistically Israel's present needs.
In this crucial area, too, the outcome of the July 23 election may prove to be of momentous importance.
Last, but not least, Israel's internal unity and the unity of the Jewish state with the vast majority of world Jewry will be profoundly affected by the outcome of the July election and the nature of the government that will coriie to power as a result of that electoral contest.
Reduced to its essence, it seems to me that the principle of Jewish pluralism — religiously and culturally — is central in the framing of Israel's face and character.
As I see it, the rights and opportunities of every religious, cultural and social grouping must be fought for and must be guaranteed. But, by the same token, the limitations of such rights to only one grouping or orientation is not supportable because of its diyisiveness within the country and its proybcative alienation of the majority of world Jewry from Israel. The cardinal issue of the historic partnership between Israel and the World Jewish society and especially the North American Jewish community, is at stake in the upcoming Israeli elections.
These are not minor, secondary issues that will be dramatically affected by the outcome of the present political contest in Israel. They are basic, they are fundamental, they are far-reaching in their consequences.
May wisdom, tolerance and far-sightedness govern the Israeli electorate when they go to the polls.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters are welcome if they are in English no inore than 250 words, typewritten with lines double spaced, and of interest to our reading public. Readers are cautioned not to make sweeping claims against persons or histitutions Which they cannot verify, as libel laws are very stringent. We r^rve the right to edit letters.
MAKE SORROW A SONG
Re your June 7 airticle on the 5-week lockout at Montreal's three Jewish day schools headed "Montreal teachers return":
The major Jewish day schoofs and the Montreal Jewish community have experienced a most difficult and painful period. There were feelings of anger, frustration and ■ .hurt.
But, mainly, we were witness to an overpowering sense of deep sprrow regarding the length of time it took for a conflict to beresolved.
the great Jewish scholar j Abraham Joshua Heschel,on(De said: "There are tiiree ways in which a man expresses his deep sorrow — on^ one level, he criesf on another, he Is silent; but the man on the highest level knows how to turn hi&Sorrpw into a song."
So long as we find the strength within ourselves to respond to conflict with a creative desire to rebuild our etemality as a people is assured, as. is our strength as an educational institution.
Thus will we achieve the highest level to which Hesehel suggests we aspire, and turn our sorrow into a song.
NachumWnchesky Director of education Jewish People's Schools &Peretz Schools Montreal
SCHOOL SYSTEM DAMAGED
The decisidn'o^the government of Quebec to lower the subsidy to the Jewish Schools by 20% certainly precipitated a crisis in^the Jewish school system.
Apparently the teachers were requested to put in a few hours extra per week to try to offset this drop in funds. That is, on the weeks they wPrk, not in the summer, not on Jewish or Christian holidays.
How did these people of the Covenant react? Very peculiariy.
The teachers were locked out.
Very few knew what was happening -Hbecause everything was so secriet.
The only thing that was obvious was that the schools were shut and the Jewish school system was in jeopardy.
It also became obvious that the only thing that would reopen the schools by this
dedicated flock was a paid vacation. Shavuoth miraculouisly came along and the schools opened. ■
Only September will tell how much damage was done to the Jewish school system. Nathan Gans Montreal
SholomAleichem
SO NU, WE'RE SHLEMIELS
Fie for shame! Your May 31 article on Yiddish wit (*' Mothers remain key characters in Jewish humor") omitted mention in four columns of the greatest of Jewish humorists.
I am referring, of course, to Sholom Alelchem [the pseudonym for Solomon Rabinowitz, 1859-1916], who modeled the fictitious town of Kasrilevke on his faom^ shtetl of Voronka in tibe Ukraine. His stoiy, Tevye's Daughters, became world renowned when it was dramatized into Fiddler on the Roof. ■
So, nu, how could you be such shlemiels as to forget about him?
Sam Cohen Toronto
Editor's note: So nu, we're sometimes absent-minded. To help us all remember, we herewith publish a rare photo of Aleichem-Rabinowitz, may his memory be blessed forever.
SCORNS CELEB NON-WALKERS
It is with shock and sadness that I must
report what appears to be a lack of moral support and participation by Canadian Jewish notables in this year's Israel Walka-thon for the children of Beit Dagan in Israel.
The Walkathon route was changed to more closely correspond to the boundaries of the northern Jewish community.
Notone public iSgure did I see — except for a possible glimpse of Metro Chairman Paul Godfirey fa his car at 1 p.m. at Wilson and Bathurst. [My group — self, daughter and friends — finished at2 p.m.]
This is, indeed, a sad state of affairs!
Perhaps, miracle of miracles, if there is to be an Ontario Place Israel Day this year, the Jewish community Who's Who will come out to show their support, like the thousands of ordinary folks who help make these community efforts successful
Susan Graham Fidler Toronto
A NOVA SCOTIA FIRST
Re Frank Rasky's May 17 report headed "Christian service for Holocaust first ever for Cape Breton Island" :
I recently learned that the Christian Yom Hashba service in which my husband and I participated was not only a first for Cape Breton Island.
I was informed by Brenda Taylor, regional . director for the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, that the Port Hawkesbury service was the first one of its k'md in the province of Nova Scotia.
James Parkes, the Anglican minister to whom I referred fa my talk, was an Englishman whose pioneering work fa the origfas of anti-semltism, Hie Conflict of the Church and the Synagogue, Is recognized as one of the most important reference books fa the field.
Unfortunately, neither Port Hawkesbury nor any of the surroundfag towns fa our area can claim Parkes as a resident.
Anyone interested in learning more about this courageous man should read James Parkes: Christianity without Anti-Semitism by Rose G. Lewis in the January, 1982 issue of Midstream Magazine. _
His book is available in paperback from Negev Importing CorLtd., 3509 Bathurst St., Toronto.
Jo Ann Gardner
Orangedale, N.S. ^
KUDOS TORUCKER
Patricia Rucker's article on the parliamentary hearings into the condition of Jews in the Soviet Union, (CJN May 24), was exceptionally well done.
One was given a well-drawn picture of the
hearings themselves, and the problems facing Soviet Jews, which were liighlighted.
It was a long, intense day. TTiose of us involved in it are greatly appreciative of Patricia's accurate and effective reporting. ■        Barbara Stem
Canadian Committee for -
Soviet Jewry
Montreal
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FATHER NOT ALWAYS RIGHT
In spite of the highest authorities Rabbi Burak brought forward, in his May 31 column, to prove that a son must honor even an irreligious father, he still failed to prove himself right in his ruling — in this case, that the son was guilty of impiety.
When the son told his father he may only come to his seder if he'll leave his car home, the son acted right, because he was following the precepts of our Torah. For here, "chillul hashem'' was involved.
In such a case a son must disregard his father. This is fadlsputable, all authorities are agreed on that.
In Leviticus, in beginning of Sedre, Kashi comments: " Although I warned ypu to fear father, however, when it involves 'chillul Sabbath' you must disregard him.'' And that is also valid in every similar case where chillul hashem is involved;.
Shlomo State Toronto
SHUL A TOWN CENTRE
I disagree with J. B. Salsberg's May 31 article claiming small-town synagogues are places of worship only.
I lived in Samia for 44 years. Our synagogue was also our community centre.
Children not only came to classes and services, but often to plays, parties. Young Judaea.
Adults used the centre for sisteriiood and Hadassah, men's club, B'nal B'rith, community council, fund rsdsing, tea and bake sales, dances, dinners, bar and bat mitzvahs, lectures, movies and adult education.
Our membership was made up of all facets of Judaism, ie. secular. Reform, Conservative and traditional. No heavy emphasis was placed on religion. "If you are Jewish — come and join.'A-
One did not have to be religious to help make a minyan or be active in the organizations.
David Zierier Toronto