Page 4 - The Canadian Jewish News, Friday, Februan,' 24. 1 ^7S
M-T
Editorial
TheGai;iadian news
An inJoiH-nJi-Ml (..•inmiimlN \^•w^pJ|ler MTMHi; .is .1 lorumMiir .lui-rsi' Mi-wpmnls. Directors: Cnjrles Broiifman, Doiialo CJn.CJ.C. George A. CoMon. Jjck Gummings, Murray B.. Kof'le.r, Albert J. Latner. Ray p. Wolte, Rubin Ziminermjn
Editor,. Rjipn Hyr-pj" Absolute Editoi .. Lewis Lcvonaei PioOuction M.iiTjqei. G.ii\ L.i'.i'et Aaveitismg M,)n.igeK Vera Giiim.in C.,.'Ot niHi'f, ^^lu^'ce Bio.'i'ier
■ VOL, XVIV,, NO, 3 (991) , ruhlisheil n\ 1 Ik- CanaJian Jewish News
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The danger of neo-Nazism
Germany's gravediggers
Nco-Na/iMi! is siill not a throat to West CJeniuiii dL'tiiocrai., Mich as it is. but the spectre oi a l.iscisi revival in the successor state oi the ili-lated Weimar Republic haunts ;he countrN uiih a fierce intensity thai hardh improves its image abroad.
The phenomenon is not new . For the last , lew \ears. prominent West German leaders have spoken in sombre terms about the incipient fascism in iheir midst. Wiliv Brandt, Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's predecessor, underlined the danger when he u.irned that neo-Na/i groups were be-comir.t; incrcasiiii^lv aciise in West Gef-m.inv
.Mr. Brandt, a longiimc social democrat, had good reason to voice his concern. Like . others in his pariv. he.realizes that West German democracv is .i fragile thing and that the tradition of authoritarianism is far trom dead m ilic nation ihat spawned,obsessive obedience to the state. Prussian militarism and National Socialism. , It comes as no surprise, therefore, to hear that justice minister, Hans-.lochem Vogel. is also concerned about the current situation. In a letter to pnnineial justice ministers. Mr, \ ogel complained of the sharp increase in neo-Na/i propaganda, and called for effective counter-measures b> local authorities.
He cited the Hood of books. Na/i insignia and phonographic records w ith speeches by Hitler and other Na/j leaders which are on the market. Mr. Vogel urged police and justice officials to keep a cKise watch on the problem and take legal action if necessary. - Mr. Vogel confined himself to propaganda, a serious enough phenomenon, but he did not touch on the results flowing from it. For example, the minister did not address himself to the spate of violent and near-violent incidents which remind even the most insensitive of the excesses committed diiring the Third Reich.
Neo-Nazis, many.of them born after the war. have translated theory into action. In the northern city of Hanover recently, they desecrated hundreds of Jewi.sh graves, threatened a Jewish shopkeeper and
daubed swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans on w alls and buses;
Roetger Gross, Lower Sa.xony's interior minister, described those acts as the work of a small group of "young idiots" who eould just as easily have joined the e.xtreme left. His analvsis goes a lorig way in explaining why the authorities have not cracked down on these lunatics, and failed to carry out the orders of high-ranking federal government officials who genuinely seek to stamp out the neo-Nazi scourge.
The problem is that there is an acute' awareness of the neo-Nazi menace in the upper reaches of government that is not matched on the lower levels. The minor bureaucrats in the provinces — and indeed in Bonn, the capital -H- contend that the neo-Na/i threat is exaggerated. And they buttress their ease by'pointing to the minimal support ultra right-wing organizations garncJL,at the polls.
Technically, ihey are right. Neo-fascist parties have fared badly in elections and the consensus of West German public opinion probably lies somewhere between middle-of-the-road democracy and dyed-in-the-vv Oof conservatism.
As long as the West German economy performs the'miracles of the past, present-day neo-Nazism may be nothing more than a thorn on the side of West Germany's liberalism, anc^ thus the arguments of the minor bureaucrats may be seemingly irrefutable. However, what will happen when the economy is on the brink of a deep crisis'.' Will West German democracy weather the storm, or will it succumb to the forces of fascism'.' These are not academic quei.tions. considering the course of German history in the last 40 years.
The seeds of fascism are tlrnily implanted in West Geriiiany's soil, and the Nazi memorabilia wave sweeping over the country cannot be dismissed as a mere fad. The minor officials who turn a blind eye lo it. who argue against the validity of teaching the younger generation more about the Nazi era, are the gravediggers of West German democracv.
Investment in Israel
For its size and relativtily modest natural resources, Israel has a rather good economic profile. Israeli technology and know-how has made up for what the nation lacks in natural re.sources. The Israeli export figures, although far outbalanced by imports, are nevertheless quite imprtjssive. Aside from its dpUar-earning citrus expoirts, the economy is also profiting ft^bm international sales in- fashion apparel and electronic hardware.
, In anticipation of its -JOth anniversary year, Israel is planning.its biggest ever technological exposition., called .JsraTech '■78. The-ambitious exhibits and ,displays will highlight the rapid growth of high technology industries in Israel. One of the purposes of the e.xpositicin wjUbe to attract businessmen, from Europe and North Aiiieric'a and to stimulate their interest in ihvestitig in the economy. Opportunities for building factories in Israel and in develop'-ing. joint' 'commercial Ventures will be cxpiamed to interested parties. . Although this e.xposition is not slated.to open until Jijne, indications. are that interest is beginning to quicken in the project; That interest, moreover, has been accelerated.by the recijnt dialogue between : Israel and Egypt on a solution to the .Mideast crisis. Businessmen tend to shy away from arcaswhere instability is a fact of life. The exodus of finailcial interests from Lebanon in'the wake of the murderouseivil .war.tendstovalidate this view.
"According to a recent piece iii the New .York Post, two American think tanks have decided to focus future conferences on . investirient pbssfbllities in. Israel, 'The
Washington-based Middle East Institute and Probe Interiiational of Stamford, Connecticut will be holding private meet-• ings in Washington on the theme "Israel .As .A Ft:ee Market Economy: New Opportunities for U.S. Business." It is interesting to note that these institutes have directed their, conferences in the past to the oil-producing nations. This is.the first time that they have focused their deliberations on Israel itself.
According to Benjamin Weiner, a foriiier U.S. service officer, " the elimihation of, biircaucratic restrictions and. econbiriic restraints on the private sector make "operatiotis in Israel a lot easier and more . palatabletothe foreign investor." He sees a an Israeli-Egyptian rapprochement as an; vimportant factor in the future economic development of the entire area. \
Aside from the general benefits which would accrue.tp the i^cgion from an.Israeli-; Egyptian settlement; Israel has much to offer the internationail investor. What it Jacks in the labor force it more than makes up in its highly-developed sense of entre-preneurship. . At the- IsraTech . '78 exposition .potential partners with Israel will have an opportunity to see metaf processing machinery, equipiment manufactiiring, electrical systems and parts, computers, instrumentation, aerospace and military . applications;. ' •
The corrrbinatjon of this technology with a highly trained and skilled work force- have . always made Israel an attractive, investment market. We are glad to note that outside investment circles are beginning to realize . this as well.- • • ;
in Horn of Africa
mideast
analysis
By SHELDON KIRSHNER
Strange bedfellows are not uncommon in internaiKinal politics, and the latest example of this recu'rrcni phenomenon is provided by Israel's involvement in the war now- being waged in the Horn of Africa between Ethiopia and Somalia.
Defence MinistcrMoshc Dayan admitted this month that Israel has sold arms to embattled Ethiopia, which is fighting a two-front war in the Ogaden region against Sftmali invaders and in Eritrea against Moslem secessionists. Ethiopia, a Christian stale, is supported by China. Cuba. Vietnam, the Soviet Union and Libya. Moslem Somalia is backed by some of the Arab countries.
In cxplainiirg Israel's policy. Dayan said: "...We want lo retain the good relationship with Ethiopia. The fact that we are on the same side as the Soviets in this matter, well, that's a different question."
Indeed it is. .As Dayan pointed out, Israel has an uncquiv ocablc interest in Ethiopia's well-being and territorial integrity because ■ of the hitter's strategic position along the Red Sea. The Red Sea is Israel's gateway to .Asia and Africa, its economic lifeline to the Third World. Whoever controls the mouth and approaches of this biblical waterway, at Bab el Mandcb, has a hand in controlling Israel's geo-political destiny.
In the last 22 years. Egypt has on several occasions attempted to blockade the Gulf of Aqaba leading to the Red Sea. Each attempt has sparked a war, underscoring Jeru-salcni's crucial interest in keeping its sea lanes-open to commercial traffic.
•• . IIPPA photo)
1 alashas — the so-called black Jews of Ethiopia — rela.x on a kibbutz somewhere in Israel. A number of Falashas have emigrated to Israel fnim (heir homeland, which is currentK embroiled in a Iwo-front war against Somalia and Moslem rebels, in Eritrea.
0 mmt 206
Mogadishu
The New York Times
The Arabs — who have pledged to turn the Red Sea into "an .Arab lake" — gcncially support Somalia, seeing that . coujitry as a bulwark against conimiinism. Ironicallv. Somalia is still a Marxist state, spurned by the Soviet Union last autuinn.. But this fact does not deter Anwar Sadat or King Khaled of Saudia Arabia. (Libya supports Ethiopia — which has declared it would resist Arab moves in the Red.Sea — because Egypt, its rival, backs Somalia).
Complicating the muddled picture is the fact that Israel and Ethiopia no longer maintain diplomatic relations. Addis Ababa broke off ties with Israel during the Yom Kippur War. but Israeli trade officials never left the country. It was, therefore, not all that difficult for Israel to begin supplying arms to its former friend.
Until the- 1973 Middle East conflict, Israeli-Ethiopian relations were extremely cordial, and Falasha Jews — the so-called black Jews of Ethiopia — trickled iiito Israel as immigrants.
Some historians argue that the Ethiopians — particularly the Falashas — are descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheeba. All conjecture aside, direct contacts between Ethiopia and the Jewish community in Palestine started in 1936. when Emperor Haile Selassie and his
family found refiigc in Jerusalem in the wake of the Italian conquest.
Addis Ababa abstained on the 1947 UN partition plan, bii'the following year the gtnernment extended de facto recognition of Israel and decided to keep its consulate in West ,lerusa1em. Israel established a consulate-general in the Ethiopian capital in 1955.andin 1961 Ethiopia extended dejurc recognition and diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level commenced.
On the international front, Ethiopia hewed to neutrality on Arab-Israeli questions and used its good offices to try to forge an accommodation between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Bilaterally, Israeli-Ethiopian ties improved, especially in the realm of economic and technicalcp-operation.
Israeli advisors participated inroad con- . struction, traffic engineering, port maintenance, geological surveys and the training of police officers. Hundreds of academics visited Ethiopia, and as early as 1959 a Technion professor became deati of the Imperial College of Engineering at Haile Selassie University.
Israeli doctors and nurses worked in the cities and in the countryside and were instruipental In creating the nation's first blood bank. Koor, the Industrial investment'
and construction firm, built a vast cotton farm which was a modbl of efficiency, as well as helping the Ethiopians lay the groundwork for a profitable handicrafts industry.
In 1970, El Al inaugurated a_ regular air link between Lod and .Addis .Ababa, and increasing numbers of Israeli tourists visited Ethiopia.
The Yom. Kippur War interrupted this pattern of amicability and co-operation, with Ethiopia severing ties as a gesture of .African solidarity. Relations were further strained in 1974 when Haile Selassie was deposed by a leftist military clique, which summarily expelled U.S. forces in the country and drew closer to the Soviet Union as Moscow's Somalia connection withered.
In going to the aid of Ethiopia in its darkest hour since the Italian invasion, Israel finds itself in the odd situation of aiding a nation with which it has no.formal political ties, and which is assisted by countries more of less antagonistic to its policies and/or existence.
But such clashing, strange alliances are hardly new in history, and Israel hopes that the Ethiopian rulers will remember its giVodwill when the war in the Ogaden and ' Eritrea eiids.
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mxiy worsen after
ism
' : Vanessa Redgrave- the British actress who may yet win an Oscar this year for her role in, Julia, happens to be a politically conscious person. Like her American counterpart. Jane Fonda, lyls. Redgi-ave speaks hermind featlessly. j .
Ms. Redgrave makes no secret of the fact thatshe is a Trotskyist. and her political beliefs have in no wiy hindered her ani^mgT:areer. Her talent assures her of stiecessin the jungle^that is Hollywood, and (that is how it should^be. ^ . /Now comes word tha^i the Jewish Defence Lfeague. intends to launch a campaign against the versatile actress because she helped finance a documentary on the pliglit of the Palestiniain refugees called Tlie PalesUnians. The JDL has called upon the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and ,^ciences to vote against her nominatidnfor best actrisss in the film Julia
because her sympathies lie with the Arabs.
The JDL's appeal will Jail, on deaf ears, and rightly so, because it smacks of another era — the McCarthyist years— when actors arid actresses were barred from the studios . because their, politics were in disfavor. ■ No one wants a repetition of McCarthy-ism, a scourge which blighted the industry and needlessly ruined many-careers. The days of political rejpressibn ai-e long past in Hollywood and to blacklist an actre^T^st because her views on the Ai4b-Israeli ^conflict are not agreeable Avptild be scan-dalous and stupid, / . '
If the high-mindedmernfeers of the JDL find her opinions distastefiil, let them — and them alone — boycott\her films and activities. As for the rest of u^, we can make up our own minds. Politics and art should not be confused, something the JDL presumably fails to understand.
By jacques maleh
■ -taris,ijcn's[ -r
General elections will, take place in
■ France on March 12 and 19. Political -observers see a turning point in France's history: if the opposition left is successful. All opinion polls for the past months and weeks have given the opposition, made up of theSocialist Party, the Communist Party,, and the, Mpvemenf for the Radical Left.,a 61 % majority, as against the present 45'^o, and.4% tothe Ecologists, This wiU give the'
, opposhion left a majority of about 27 seats
' in the new General Assembly.
Despite the bickering and wrangling be-: tween Socialists and Radicals, on the one hatid, and the Coriimunistson the other, in. regai-d to a common platform for a future government, and over the number of nationalization programs and reforms, the general, pubhc is more bent on giving its . backing and -confidence, to the socialist Socialist Party, which is credited with 28% in a public opinion poll. However.with such a margin, the Socialists alone'will not be able to govern, and they will need the help of the Communists, hence the present confusion. : \^
The majority.'made upof theRepublican ■ Party ,qf ■Giscard d'Estainjg, the Central Dernodratic Party of Jean Lecanuet. and the; Gaullist Party of Jaicquiss Chirac, and the , opposition parties, have a iiegative record , ,in regard to Iisra:er; Both are largely, pro-Arab and pro-Palestiriian, so that both cannot satisfy the French-Jewish voter who
is totally committed to the,help arid safe-■ guard of Israel.
, : Th'e question is: Can the Jewish voter change this piolicy by his pressure-vote? i There are now in.France some 550.000 Jew-s (about 700,000, according to an unofficial^
' Gallup poll made^last year). Of these some 380,000 Jews live in>Paris, and of the grand
• total, some 390.,p00 are valid voters— the .very large.majority in the Paris area. They' \ ■ can: influence th^^results one way or the
\ other only in a few Paris constituencies —-
) for instance in the second, third, eighth
10th, and 12th arrondissements, arid in the immediate Paris suburbs of Creteii, as well as in the second constituency of Toulouse, the second and third constituency of Nice and in Villeiirbanrie, a siiburb of Lyon, which has a large numberof jews originally'^
from North Africa. '
Leaders of the coriimitnity have said'that .they will give,no advice on how to vote. However, Crif has just issued a three-page "letter which has been sent to all : communities,: organizations, and associ-atibns all over France in which have been listed, some samples of dear-cut questions to be put individually to candidates in the
; elections, cpncerning their' future program .and their stand in regard to Israel, the Arabs, the offices of the PLO in France, the .
■ Arab boycott of Israel, etc./
The Jewish voter is left.free to decide, on the face of the'replies, how to Vote, or whether to abstain.
Jewish students, in a commynique, have appealed to all Jews of France tia abstain solidly and massively . in the March elections."since there exists an 'anti-Israeli coiisensiis'among almost all French political leaders," The attitude . of the French government in the Abu Daoud Affaiir. and the complicity shown by the ■ . opposition parties by-their silence'; the Virulent anti-Zionism of the Communist Party, and of a large fringe of the Socialist Party itself, are some of the examples given by the students. ;
J[ewish voters have' been hesitating. A -large number may still vote for the Socialists, but almost rione, for the Com-ntunists (only l%i according to.;a recent
, opinion poll). It is thought that about 5.6% of the Jews will vole Sociahst, and only 33% for the present majority (of whom 5% will vptefor the Democratic Centre, 17% for the Republican Party of Giscard, 11% for Chirac's Gaullist Party, and 11% for the
' Ecologists. " \
The danger, ./however], is that given a victory of th^/left. the Communists will insist on joining the Socialists and Radicals
: in a new governitierit, andjsuch a govern-! ment may well be more anti-Israel than the present one.
'The Jews, it Should be said, can do nothing. They can only influence the yotein some Paris constituencies, but this will be insignificant in regard to the election in general. It can only be a sort of "protest-vote." They can also abstain -— the results will be the same. But in doing So, they wiU, ' show all the parties, whoever wins the >^^election, that the Jews of France are . standing solidly behind Israel.
A MIRACLE!
^ . (IPPA photos).
= Jcanettc Shoshan of Ashkelon |top] admires herself in the mirror. Having regained lier I eyesight after three years, slie rejoices as she sees herself. Doctors had said' I she would be blind for life after losing her siglit at 23. Rabbi Moslie BasbH^f = RishonLezion, Israel, iieard of tier cphdition from her sister and said he^anted I to see her. the rabbi forbade Jeanette to visit doctors. He then told her ito crash = four burnt scorpions in a pestle ahd^bring the ashes to him. He mixfed the ashes S with a certain black stone, made a salve of the mlxtn^ and told hek to paste It 1 on her eyelids every evenhig. Last week, after nsbig the mixture for several weeks, = Jeanette v^nt to bathroom, and saw her face in thiemirror. Hana Peer [Irattom right], i who taught her how to walk with a stick, express^ amazement over this "miracle".
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