Page 2 - The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, August 13, 198J
M—T
By RABBI W. GUNTHER PLAUT
Rabbi PUat
1 heard JacobpTittierman when I was in Jerusalem, where-he now lives. I had jread his unforgettable story before "Prisoner Without a Name. Ceil Without a Number.' 'But seeing and hearing this survivor of Argentine police brutality gave my perceptions of him a different dimension. . Russian-born Timerman immigrated to Argentina in 1928. as a child. In Buenos Aires, he came to edit La Opinion,, the last voice of independence in a land that does not tolerate dissent.
There are many tales of prisoners tortured, of solitary confinement, of hope and agony. But Timer-man's is different. Not only is he a consummate journalist who reports what he sees, but he is also gifted with poetic insight, especially into his own soul.
"Tonight, a guard, not following rules, leaves the peep hole ajar. I wait awhile to see what will happen, but it remains open. Standingon tiptoe. I peer out. The light outside is strong. Momentarily blinded, I step back but then hungrily return. I try to fill myself with a visible space. There is a narrow corridor, and across from my cell I can see at least two other doors. Indeed. 1 have a full view of two doors. What a sensation of freedom! An entire universe has been added! 1 have been deprived of a sense of distance and proportion for so long that I feel suddenly unleashed ..."
Ordinarily, a man of Timerman's stature, whose arrest and detiention caused a worldwide furor, would have been hailed with satisfaction and his appearances across the globe greeted with happy applause. His writing would be acclaimed wherever literate men and women live — and especially would one expect this to be so in the United States, where a good deal of agitation had been under way to free him.
Bat, now that be is apeaklng oat, he has developed serioas detractors and critics, and partlcttlariy within the Jewtoh conunanlty. He has stepped hito a caoMroo of controversy for he has antagonized powerfal fofces and their representatives.
What does he say? •
To begin with, he disagrees with DAIA, the official community organization of Argentine Jewry, and disagrees bitterly. The military government, he says, is using anti-semitism and the disease is widespread-in the land. He may
have been arrested, he says, as. the editor of La Opinion, but he was maltreateTl~and tortured as a . • Jew. Many people have .disappeared~primarily because they belong to our people.= he avers. To him, anti-semitismis the greaiesl crime against human right's, and it^ourishes when Jews themselves are silent in the face of aggression against them.
DALA does not deny that there is anti-semitism in the countr>-, but it denies that it |s officially inspired. Jews in Argentina, it says, have made it . and will continue to maJ(e it. There is no reason for serious concern, and every reason for objecting to exaggerated accounts such as Timerman's-
Timerman does not only accuse DAIA of pussy- >^ footing, he also accuses U.S. Jewish leaders for doing the same, adding harsh words for the Reagan administration. The latter has made an official distinction between "authoritarian" and' "totalitarian" regimes in the world. The United States will co-operate' with and even support the former, but combat and oppose the latter. In the Reagan-Haig book of analysis. Argentina is authoritarian but not totalitarian and hence can receive U.S. support — despite its suppression of human rights and its dangerous forays into the wilderness of anti-semitism.
Timerman {and he is not alone) claims that this distinction is a copout and cover-up. What it •means is that right-wing Regimes are supported (and for convenience's sake, dubbed authoritarian) while the left-wing governments are called totalitarian and must be opposed. He thinks the distinction is phoney and needs to be exposed.
This has brought on him the wrath of.certain members of the Jewish establishment in the United States, especially Jewish conservative intellectuals such as Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz, editor of Comtnentary. But instead of attacking Timerman on the facts, they have tried to destroy his reputation. They have claimed that his arrest in Buenos Aires was due hot to his. political opinions, but his dealings with a certain financier who allegedly was involved in shady manipulations ^something, incidentally, that Timerman vigorously denies).
This is where it standis today:' A man who ordinarily would be accorded our accolades has now drawn widespread condemnation, and every attempt is being made to discredit him,
Obviously, 1 cannot and. do not know every- fact connected with his stor>, but 1 choose to believe him and take his point of view, I believe that our silence with regaird to Argentine anti-semitism must come to an end. If DAIA, for obvious reasons, cannot cry out then we at least ought to do it for them. And I, like Timerman, consider the distinction lietween authoritarianism and totalitarianism intellectually untenable. I believe Timerman deserves honor, not defamation, and his book deser>'es to be read by everyone.
Gabriel Ben-^Dor looks at new Israeli govCTiUnent
ore
By BEVERLEY STERN
'\- . ■ ■ ,
OTTAWA-A close observer of the
: Israeli political scene counsels a '*wait-and-see" attitude before'jvdg-ing^thenew Israeli government as "hawkish" and "hajtl line" as most media
'. in the West have already done.
"The underlying facts of life for Israel are more important than any momentary political con-steUation," said CJN columnist Gabriel Ben-Dor, an Israeli political scientist from Haifa University, now a visiting professor at Carleton University in Ottawa.
Ben-Dor told The CJN in an interview that Israel's course will be determined not only by the. religious and political
ideologies of its cabiniet members, but also by . doniestic events and international obligations.
Ben-Dor pointed to the massive economic prob»-lenis of the country, the ongoing relations with the, United States, and the dynamics of the peace process with Egypt, as realities the present government can not ignore..
He was skeptical about the viability of the coalition pledges made by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the three religious parties — the National Religious Party, Tami and especially, Agudat Israel, the ultra-Orthodox and anti-Zionist party.
He said the "unpreccr dented" changes or con- . cessions mark a departure from the religious-secolar
status quo hammered out at the^time the state of Israel was formed—'^n-cessions which coiild arouse "considerable resistance," he said.
"After all, two-thirds of Israelis are not religiously Orthodox, and I doubt very much If the government will be able to effect such fundamental chianges In the dally lives of IsraeUs."
Internal splits within the Likud coalition, which embraces secular elements within the Herut and Liberal parties, are also likely to moderate pressure from the more Orthodox parties, he said..
Despite the fact most media commientators haye lamented the loss of the "moderate, centrist" elements that were present in
the former Likud coalition with the^ likes of Eizer Weizmah . and Moshe Dayan. Ben-Dor maintains the jpresient Likiid coalition is .far from ideologically unified.
Nevertheless; he emphasized, despite the fact a majority of Israelis are not Orthodox, the State of Israel has never been considereda secular state — that is. one based on a separation between religion and state.
"Secularism is alien to both Judaism and Islam," he said. ^'Israel has struggled with what It means to be a Jewish state since the state was formed. The present controversy between the religious and secular elementa is no-thhig new."
The religious minority in Israel has always exert-
ed a political Influence out of proportion-to Its numbers, and the religious parties have always Johied In coalition- with the
Labor and Likud are not ' terribly far apart on many issues in the West Bankv^ Settlementis in that area began under the Labor
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Prof. Igal Talmi [left] with Prof. Erich Vogt.
US.
to
mnia on^irms
sale Inumyberi^i^
ByWOLFBLHTXR
WASHINGTON-
In separatie letters to the Hotise and Senate leader-: ship. President Ronald Reagan has asked members of Congress to maintain an open mind on the proposed sale of AW ACS radar planes and other sophisticated weaponry to Saudi Arabia.
VI am aWare that infor-nalkm from a variety of sdarces has been circobU-log eh Capitol Hill regatd-Ing; this salcv aind: that: mafly memben have been BOiilcr sonw presaarc ;tp take an early poaltlon agahitt It," Reagan saU. "I hope that no one wffl ptc-Jiidge onr proposal before lt> presented."
Reagan's ■ strongly worded letter was the first concrete indication that the President is going to use all his perspnar power and prestige to try to win; congressional support for the controversial AW ACS packagewhich: has beein strongly opposed by Israel and jts siipportersiin Con-gress;,^^:- ■ ^
Reagan said that the sale will be formally submitted toCongiress '.'in the near future." Other administration officials said ^ the official notification will foliow ReagansSept. 9-10 summitiwith Prime Minister Menachem Begin just as Congress reconvenes from, its- August recess.. Congress will then havis 50 days,jb veto the sale by passing resolutions ofjjis-approyai in both Houses.
In an interview on Aug. S with the Washington Star. Reagan praised Saiidi efforts to ease the recent tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border. •' I have to tell you that they (the Saudii)/ have been just an inestimable help in this. They moved in wiHIngly. they participated, they were a great factor in bringing about the cessation of violence ihat we have;" Reagan 'said.'..'.^'
In the Aug.'4 letters to
Congress. Reagan said the AWACS jjackage was "one of the essential elements of the administration's Southwest Asia strategies." He said it was designed "to provide Saudi Arabia with a package of equipment and training to irhprove" its air defence capabilities."
The President said the sale will include five AWACS aircraft as weU as "enhancements of the F-15 ahcraft which we . have agreed to provide." HeTdid not eUborate, but other administration officials have, said the en-hancemenU indade aerial refueling tankers, side-whider air-to-air missiles, extra fuel tanks for the
.ip-15s and other equipment Intended to improve the offensive punch of the afarraft.
"I am convinced that providing Saudi Arabia with this equipment will improve the security of our friends, strengthen our own posture in the region, and make it clear both to local governments, and to the Soviet leadership that tile U.S. is determined to assist in preserving security and stability in southwest Asia," he said.
■Reagan noted that jjie administration had "not previously submitted this piackage to~Congress, although it was decided yxpon in- principle some time ago." He explained the delay as resulting hom "the priority we needed to place on securing passage of our economic program, and the necessity of work:
, ing out a set of understandings with the Saudi leadersliip which will insure that the equipment provided will l>e employed to pur mutual benefit and vthle U.S. technology sys-
(terns involved will be fully protected."
.He did not disclose what limitations on the use of equipmentthe Saudis may have accepted but White ■ House sources said details..^ will be released during the course of the congres-
sional review. • The administration is hoping to ease Israeli concern during the Biegin visit • to, Washington. U.S. officials, recognize that an easing of Israel's opposition- wiU automatically . help theVsale. to win congressional support.
Israeli officials fear that . prolonged confrontation between Washington and Jerusalem over the sale could severely strain U.S.Israeli relations during the course of the Reagan ad-. . ministration.
Reagan, in the letters, left no doubt that he will fight hard personally to
see the sale through^ "We will make a strong case to the Congress that It is In the Interest of our country, the Western alliance, and stability In the Middle East," he said. There was no mention of Israel in the letter.
G o n g r e s s i o n a 1 o p-poncnts of the sale maintained that they are deter-mmcd to defeat the package, although they acknowledged that with the introduction of the President's personal prestige and influence into the battle, their efforts have become.increasingly difficult. ■
50 clauses of agreement deal with bloc
[Cont'd, from Page 1]
. Settlements in these areas are considered a matter of right, both for historic reasons and for reasons of security. But no Arab will be. forced to change his status^nor will anyone "need to leavTTiis home. -
: This^^oes along with a strong- reiteration of total equality for all citizens — of free speech, human rights, private enterprise and. the advancement of the individual.
The guidelines deal further with education, yerida (emigration), and with Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel.
Built. into the cabinet area number of personality conflicts/especially those revolving around Arik Sharon. His volatility has earned him both fervent admirers and enemies. Not too long ago Mordechai Tsipori, now the minister of communications, called him a "national disaster" — and
now the two men will sit . together in the same cabi-net. . .
On the whole, neither the: guidelines nor the coalition clauses contain great surprises. The government will more or less keep on doing what it has been doing during the last four years: it is clearly highly conservative and is now, more strongly than before, committed to an Orthodox . orientation in apolitical and social life. There is little doubt that only Mr. Begin can bring off the evacuation of the Sinai, iticiudbigOphira and Yamit; But while In those areas no deep religious sentiments are-in volved, matters are^iffer-ent when it comes to Judea and Shomrofn [the West Bank]. These were the heart of anicient Israel and they con tirlue to be so considered \ by the coalition. It is here that strength, iu will, and perhaps its future will be tested.
REHOVOT, Israel —
"I'm a theoretical physicist so I ; work wherever I go,'' said Prof. Erich Vogt, vice-president of the University of British Columbia, duririg a recent, visit to the 'Weizmann Institute here.
Interviewed in a physics laboratory at the foot of . the towering Koffier accelerator — a symbol of the Rehovot Science centre's Canadian links — Vogt :w.as here as a visiting physicist under the Weizmann Institute-.TRIUMF exchange program, which he was instrumental in establishing three years ago. The Canadian professor will be the next direc-. tor in Vancouver of TRIUMF: - the Tri^Uni-versities. Meson Facility.
During his. fortnight's stay*. Vogt delivered a special lecture and conferred with old friends, one of whom, physics dean Igal Talmi, he first met when both were at Princeton 30 years ago. The main subject of their discus- ■ sions centred on Vogt's research on the sub-nuclear panicles'known as mesons.
"We benefit greatly from the exchange," said Vogt. pointing- out that .T e s e a r c..lj.„„c 0 n d u e t e d a t--TRIUMF — one of three meson facilities in.^tfie worid —. is complement-, any to that, undertaken at the Institute.'A-number of Institute physicists, in-.duding . Avraham . Rinat and nuclear physics de--partment head Zeev Fra-enkel, have worked at TRIUMF."Israeli sclent- ■■ ists are extremely competent and among our most welcome visitors," Vogt stated.
"Although Vancouver and Rehovot are thousands of miles away from one another; we feel that these collaborative efforts are very important, particularly," he added, ! "since :we regard the Weizmann Institute as, a
unique institution---
Vogt; attributed his In.
stitute links both to Rehovot friends and to a 1976 visit,-, when he accompanied Canadian Weizmann Society board chair-maxi Murray Koffler to the. dedication of the accelera-
tor, and was impressed with what h? saw.
Today, a member of the Canadian Society's national board, arid a member of the Vancoilver chapter. Vogt proudly claims
that it is Canada's most active one. "Three-.
. quarters of a million dollars was recently rais;ed in a city with a Jewish popu-
. lation of only about 12,000." he pointed out.
[Cont'd, from Page 1]
At the departure ceremony, both Sadat and Reagan continued to heap enormous praise on" each other: Reagan said he had been optimistic in advance of the talks that he and Sadat would establish a good rapport. "My optimism was justified," he said.
The U.S. President said he had learned much about the "complexities" of the Middle East from
Sadat. "Candidly," Reagan said, "I was a willing listener."
The decisions he continued, focused on three areas:
1. The peace process "stemming from Camp David." Both leaders promised to see the negotia-,. tions resume and succeed.
2. The strategic situation in the region,- especially the growing Soviet threat through surrogates.
3. The growing .U.S.-
Egyptian bilateral, economic and military relationship.
Reagan called Wash-, ingtoti and'Cairo "full partners" in all these areas.
In reply, Sadat said he. was in "full agreement'' with Reagan. "I shall never let you down." Sadat told Reagan.
Perhaps Reagan's most moving statement came Wednesday evening during his toast."The ancient
Canada hasn't been asked to be part of peace force being set up to patrd Sinai
OTTAWA —
A press spokesman for the department of externa] affairs, Gllllahe Lapolnte, last week squelched rumors that Canada will' 'participate In the International peacekeeping force that is behig set up In the Shial to police tiie 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.
The U.S., Israel and Egypt put their initials on ■ an agreement on Aug. 3 to . set up the force, which is to be in place^by'April'25x 1982 — the^ date when Israel is Scheduled :to r complete its .withdrawal i from the Sinai.
The Canadian spokesman said in an interview that contrary to press reports, Canada has not. been formally asked by the U.S. government to parti-
cipate in the multinational 2,500-man force. "While fRe matter has been discussed at var'mus levels," she said, "we still can't say even if we expect to be asked."
Nearly half the force will be U.S. combat troops and_ civilian observers. The U.S. force will include an infantry battalion and a logistics support unit.
Besides the U.S;. only Fiji has publicly agreed to participate in the force, although U.S. officials said that one Latin American country, which they did n^tv identify, has agreed to supply troops. .
The annual operating cost of the force is estimated at $105 million, with Jhe.; United States, Egypf and Israel sharing those costs equally.
The United States, how-: ever, has agreed to pay 60% of the starting-up costs'of ihfi force, and the U.S. Congress has already been asked to approve appropriations of $125 million, in addition to re-_ programming $10 million in other funds.
Egypt and Israel will split theremaining 40% of the initial costs of the force.
At present there are-220 regulars and reserve'^force members in the Canadian contingent of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Middle East.
'Canadian participation has been declining since Canada first entered the Middle East in 1954. In 1975.,, for example, there
-^ere ^50 Canadians in the Sinai alone.
larger, non-religious bloer— regime, and between 1967
to 1977. Labor established 24 settlements in the area.
Since the beginning of Likud's rule in 1977, about 58 new settlements have been built, and the population of Jewish West Bank settlements, which was 3.200 under Labor, has now grown to about 20,000.
In the mountainous areas of Samaria, many have set up small industries.some based on textiles, furniture, shoes and toys. Farming is done in the fertile valleys of the Jordan River. Some are purely military settlements. Most settlements, how^ever, are organized into reserve military units and possess small arths. Some have heavier weapons.
Ben-Dor said that no one is better qualified for the post of minister of defence than Sharon,' a major-general known for his daring offensive against the Egyptians in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. He said Sharon is likely to take a "more active program of combatting terrorism."
he said. _
Nevertheless,' Ben-Dor indicated, the present concessions, which enforce; unprecedented Sabbath restrictions and which would grant military exemptions to rriany engaged in Orthodox religious studies, are but of line with the old status quo understanding between the religious arid secular groups in Israel — a fact which does not augur well for the health of the already fragile coalitiori.
In the June 30 election, Likud won 48 seats to Labor's 47. Together with 13 seats from the three small religious parties, incurred major in the election, now has a bare majority in the
which losses Likud 61-seat
120-member Knesset.
As for the defence ministry appointment of Ariel Sharon, the former hard-driving minister of agriculture who led the push to increase settlements in the West Bank — Ben-Dor said this does not necessarily mean a "harder line" on settlements.
"If anything," said Ben-Dor, "Sharon's appointment as defence minister removes him from the very portfolio which is responsible for the establishment of settlements — the ministry of agriculture."
(Although not mentioii-ed in the interview, it is worth noting that the current minister of agriculture, Simcha Eriich, from the Liberal Party, used to battle regularly over Sharon's gung-ho approach to settlements. Eriich, often siding with former Defence Minister Ezer Weizman, pleaded for a more moderate approach.)
Ben-Dor would not predict whether the pace of settleinents, which accelerated' rapidly in the last Likud-led coalition, would contiiiue at the same rate. He said, however, that Begin's statement that Jews have aright to settle anywhere in Eretz Israel . shows at the very least the Israeli leader's commit- . ments to the settlements already there. ^
As Ben-Dor has stated on previous occasions.
Not yet
Tax deductibility for Jewish nursery schools Is as yet unresolved and still subject to discussion, says-Sam Flier, natidi^d'chair-mail of Gaihadlah' Jiewlsh Congress. A story In The CJN, Aug. 6, said Revenue Canada "tadicat-ed" h accepted the argument of Canadian Jewish Congress that Jewish'religious Instruction at the nursery, school stage Is part of the wliole Jewish education system. The Income tax Information ch-cular pertaining to the .tax deductibility for religious school fees is actually silent' on the matter of deductibility for Jewish nursery schools, says Filer.
pharaohs;" Reagan said, "built pyramids to their glory. Your monuments are strong and healthy ' young men who are alive today because you pursued peace — symbols to all mankind that there is a better way."
There were also some lighter moments at the dinner; At one point for instance, the U.S. President, a former Hollywood ■ actor,' pointed out that Sadat as. a young army officer, had played an important role in organizing the Egyptian revolution during the early' 1950s.
"But then," Reagan said, ''on the night of the revolution, when it actually began, you were in a movie theatre, watching a picture with your family. Now you wouldn't by chance remember who happened to be| in that movie, would you?
After the laughter-died down, the U.S. President added: "I never won an Oscar . . .but a revolution . would do."
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