The Canadian Jewish News, Friday, September 13, 1974- Page 5
Israeli airmen shbk their stuff in a Tecent ahshbw in Tel Aviv. (Jacob El^^ photo)
^ - Part
Nechemia Meyers
anironside (or a
By NECHEMIA MEYERS
As: typical Israeli TV addicts,.my children had one major objective: during our recent' i'trip to the U.S.: to visit Ironside's San Francisco headquarters.
No sooner had we reached the Bay Area than the search be- I gap — only to end in . tearful failure. There is still, to be sure, Raymond Burr if you will). But the headquarters into which-Israeli. TV fans delightedly peer on Saturday nights is, alas, no more. Torn dbwn 10 years ago to make way for a gigantic new hotel, it exists only on.Hollywood celluloid.
Despite that crushing disapp'ointment, my children thoroughly enjoyed the U.S., revelling in Disneyland and. Sea World, ice skating and fishing. 15 varieties of pizza and 31 flavors of ice cream. .Less attractive but hardly to be hidden from their eyes were the public displays of smut: street after street lined with hard-porn "aduH" movie theatres and newsstands dominated by lavishly illustrated ■'adult" magazines: Even ultra-respec-: table newspapers likethe New York Times
and the Washington Post give high visibility to ads for "aduit" entertainirient, without bothering to place them at a suitable distance fl-om their ads for Disney, films.
ReAl adults, however, seem less con^ cerned with entertainment than with in- '.. flation. To a visiting Israeli, the grumbling sounds ridiculous. Why should they . worry when food prices go up "only'■ 10 or l,i% in six months? Why should they cbtnplainaboiit the cost of clothing, when jean? sell for half what they do here?.
Another matter of olivious concern is pollution, particularly in srriog-smothered Southern Califprniji. In Los Angeles. I listened daily and very intently to the smog reports in order to learn whether smog during the next 24 hours would be moderate (which means limited visibility on freeways and smarting eyes) or heavy . .(which means that people with respiratory difficulties should stay indoors).
In New York and ottier Eastern cities I found conversation centring on urban crime ~ discussions about who had been mugged last.. week and which streets , were. relatively safe during the early evening. People, particularly the elderly, tend to affix four locks^ to. their front doors., and sometimes keep ill-tempered dogs onthe premises (which presumal)ly explains why dog bites' in the U.S: have gone up .65%.over the last decade). .
Slanv cities, fortunately, have not only . serious problems, but also the vigorous
young leaders who may be able to solve them., In Minneapolis, for instance, a .29-year-old city council member told me that thi-ee other recently-elected council membei-s are younger than himself. In less than a year the new coiincii has spurred economic and cultural develop-
. ment, banned discrirninatidn against; homosexuals (it was already banned a-gainst women and Blacks) and - of special interest to Israelis — passed a resolution condemning the Russian government's ariti-Jewish policies.-
Tom Bradley, the Black mayor of,predominantly .White Los. Angeles, niakes aii equally' good impression: His low-' kev leadership, has clearlv enabled him to win the admiration of the Wlute popCi-lation without losing the confidence of his fellow Negroes. Indeed the only political issue that seemed to be agitating Angelenos when I was there was w-hether nude bathing should be.permitted at \en- -
■ ice. a local beach. ■ .
Playing- it safe. Bradley had not expressed himself publicly on the question, but another politico had.stepped bravely into the fray. A U.GLA gal running for governor- on a far-left ticket not only supported the right of bathers to remove their clothing, but did so herself when she campaigned on the beaches .of A en-ice. Despite her courageous efforts and excellent figure, she is still not regarded as a threat to fully clothed Democrats : and Republicans.
Memories of Munich^s bloody tragedy are revived by visit to Olympic Village
By JERRY FAIVISH
MUNICH -
The Olympic Village r- the place is alive with people, most of whom are students: Hs architecture is vibrant, new and different. This is a village of the 70's and it was designed and built espec-lallv for the Munich Summer Olympics of 1972. And so. when.the. games were over, the Olympic Village became Munich's newest residential area. Well nearly all of It, for Building 31 did not.
All over you will see.flowers, trees and posters which brighten up the buildings and people, who liven up the area. But not on 31 Connolly Strasse. No one lives here -- for this is where the Israeli sportsmen stayed during the '72 Olympics. It was here, on Sept. 6,1972 lhattwo of the athletes were brutally 'murdered in the early morning hours, and it was here that nine Israelis were held hostage, and consequently left to meet their tragic deaths at the airport.
—Today, outside the smallbuilding, there-stands a simple memorial in German and HebreWj'with a magen david in the centre. It says that this is where the Israeli contingent stayed during the 1972 Olympics; Eleven of them were murdered and their names are listed. The day I visited the site, someone had put a small jar, with handpicked flowers underneath the memorial to honor the dead, and to relieve thev •desparate air of the location. But it did not really help, for how could it?
When you go inside the building, you can picture for yourself that it is much like it was two^years ago — new, relatively, unlived in; with clean, white, plastered walls and spots of white paint splattered on the cement floor. But now, the rooms are locked and the building is barren.
The everpresent, overpowering silence aroused a vivid memory of the whole affair. I climbed the flight of stairs-and
Olympic Games President Avery Brundage speaks at a memorial service for the Israeli athletes murdered during the Munich Games two years ago. Eleven died in the m&ssacre.
strolled onto the balcony. It: is a pleasant view, consisting of the highway in the background,^ the: other* modern Hving quarters, and the greenery of the surroundings. It is the same View the terrorists had.
This is an unnerving-place; for it forces not only lsraelis,or Jews, but Germans as well to rec^l that immediate past.
When I asked passers-by for directions to the memorial, faces suddenly changed and I could actually see them shudder. But they all knew where it was. Despite the architecture, the beauty of the area,: you cannot ignore this bitter reininder of the senseless slaying of the Israelis.
Jerry Faivish is an Osgoode Halt student travelling through Europe this summer.-
ByJ: B. SALSBERG f-i ;
(First of Two Parts)
A year, ago, in my pre-Rosh Hashanah column, 'i^ircumspectiy suggested that. : Israel :had some, pressing .prpt)l^ , that would notlong wait,for.solutions. I predicti^d:: that whicheyer party, or coalition of' :parties,. form the. new. : governmeht after, the .bctot)erElection, \yin be compelled to face up to those challenging problerns. ■ , But. little did I,(or anyone else) know then,/that .ah; unexpected .war-was to. break, out-.on Yom Kippur and that the anticipated; election would be post-. ■poned as a result of it; Far-ffom.resolving those nagging problerns,. the war only hurled them (plus some new. ones), into;..the. area of; critical im-' inediacy.; World events press harder than Usual upon Israel.- ' -
Looking t)a.ck on -the Isrlel scene one ;y(?a.i: later, one must conclude,■first, :that. now.'eVen more than ^yer before' m. our long, history; we are propelled' by exterhal fot'ces oyer which we exeixise but little control and. second, that .wishful thinking never conjures . away :Starfc.andstairing reality. Let us see. V'- '•' ■ :.': ' '■ ''
: The year 5734 of the Jewish calendar commenced with the traumatic Yom Kippur- War. Militarily, Israelwon the wai". but it also shredded many .fondly,, held, comforting illusions. But for. the -steadfast.-and prompt support of world Jewry and the timely military aid df the United States. Israel found itself shockingly isolated ,and bereft ,ol its assumed-: friends on. the world scene --the Netherlands.and Denmiark excepted,. A new, powerful weapon— jnigtitier than most military .weapons, --made its alarming entry .on; the-world stage, and it cast consternation
.;around the globe.. The^ era of the oil
^ l)omb — the. global energy crisis — ; yhad arrived. . ' :■:':';:.
Arab oil diplomacy had, of course; . —: a two-fold objectiyej'ii'st, it was to destroy Israel by instituting an oil, . boycott against all couiitries .who might ; offer help to.l)eleaguered Israel and, second, to launch the long-plotted price; ; aggression against, the whole world. ;., Both objectives were, in a large mea-:.; sure, realized by Israel's enemies and . the world scene changed dramatically -■■;;.■'' as a result. ■,;; :;:,^.■■. :■'.';";..■■'■,;-:'■ :":' The global rivalry between the U.S. and the USSR continues in the Mediterranean and entire Middle East areas , despite detente, but the stakes have risen for both sides. The historic reasons for big power interests in that strategic. region have now been aug-' , mented by the oil crisis and the lure of profits, from doing business with the Arab oil producing states that have suddenly inherited immense wealth. .Indeed; it is the rivalry of the big and super powers that enabled the oil \ .'. producingcountries to get away with . their.hold-up of the.rest of the world;
Now,.each tries .to retain, broaden and secure its hold in the Middle East... The U.S. pursues aggressively a diplo- ; . matic and e;conomic policy to. regain -influence over vital sectors .of that . : area, and the USSR, pours billions in . arms into Syria, and Iraq to prevent a . pacification of the Middle East./Little Israel is in the middle ofthis squeeze-play of the giants. •.■
Since the Yom Kippur War, all the old ills of the world have been greatly .. .. aggravated arid many hew and critical ones - were added. The tottering Portugese ••empire" has collapsed; the ancient Gfeco-Turkey rivalry has flai-- ' ed up with the resiilt that Cyprus is
beirig devastated~and the eastern sector of NATO is in grave danger; Italy is -on" the verge of bankruptcy, Britain is struggling for survival, Indiaand other underdeveloped states are- forced.
mainly because of the new oil price^ to revise downward ail-their developr^ m<int plans: creeping-inflation became rampant inflation throughout the west; the international balance of payment structure has become distorted and a growing economic recession .moves across national bo'uiKlaries and con-
■ tinents.
What a changed and fluid world ;situation the past Jewish caleridar year has bequeathed: Yes; and as I see it, the departing year is also leaving a legacy of disturbing omens for Israel and consequently for .the Jews of the . rest of the world. .
in this aggravating world scenario, . Israel's ;nriahoeuvreability has. rai-ely : been more confined. Relianceonmoral considerations of big powers; or the expectance of fairplay from governments of industrial states that are important
■ players in this new global ball-ganie, would be naive indeed. Israel will be
. hard pressed not only by enemies but, more importantly, by her friends as a result of lastyear'slegacy. FarreaGh'-lng.d.ecisions will shortly, have to be made by the government and.people of Israel. [' - ^ What the young Jewish state sorely needs in the;new;, year is courageous, far-sighted and statesmenlike leader^ ship and less, much less, of the second-rate leader's who excel only in political- haggling but who ar-e blind to the realities of our convulsed global society.
Let: us hope that such leadership will arise to lead Israel and its people to safety, security and peace. ,
We must dedare ourselves
Hashanah challenges all of us
sparks X
from
the 1
torah T
By RABBI MEIR GOTTESMAN Parshat Neetzavim
Atem neetzavim hayom kulchem . . : To-
.-day .vou' are all standing before the-L-rd
Too bad;El Al or some other airline doesn't, have tours: to Heaven.. Imagine ..... you could hop intoaplane in Toronto, •fly around the Garden of Eden for a few-days, and then come back and tell about it
One person came close, though. Rat)bi Joshua ben Levi had a son who became so ill. lo alaynu, that he was half in this world and half m the World to Come. His saintlv father- praved over him and. restored him to health. '"What did you ■see in the: Garden of Eden.'.', his father asked him. The son answered . . . "I saw a crazv; upside down world ;\ ; Elyonim I'matah v'tachtonim I'maalah . . .Someof those who were considered so great in this worlsl were, sitting in the bleachers there . . . while many who. were considered plain, and average Jews here were sitting closest to the Almighty . . (Baba Batra 10b)
Who. knows which Jew's prayers and mitzvas will be most important this Rosh Hashanah. Yom Kippur? It could be the sincere teshuvati. penitence and prayers of oneor two Toronto Jews sitting among the thousands in our synagogues willmake all the difference between war and peace for the whole world .— and the safety of our.people r—this year :.. .
■For example A few days- tiefore he-died, Moses GalledTTTremendous assembly of all the Jews.-SO -that thev should do Teshuvah. a complete return to G-d, he-fore he passed awav; He told them . . . "Atem neetzavim hayom kulchem, lifiiay Hashem Elokaychem'". . . Listen, you Jews. For 40 years I had to teach you books and books of Torah. What did I do? I picked a few men who I thought were the most important, the saintliest and best, and taught them so that, they could pass It on to you . . ; But this assembly; G-d Himself called. Who knows in His eyes, who really is tops? That's why I've: called all of you, from the chief judge, to the hewer of wood ; .. because only G-d knows who's worth more . . . (Alshich Hakodesh)
That's why>we-find an interesting thing. If a person tells yob;— "Eat pork, break the Shabbos, commit this or that sin . . . or .I'll kill you"—' the law is that you should commit the transgression in order
to live. But what happens if the same person says. — '•If you don't kill so and so. I'll kill you"— It IS forbidden, to do it . . . Why? Our Rabbis explain: who says vour blood IS "redder" than the next Jew's . . :. who- says you're worth more, than he is? Consider, now . . . if a man goes to.the world's holiest Jew and says, if . you don't kill, that lowly, ignorant bootblack. I'll kill you -:- it is still forbidden . .Because in G-d's eyes, maybe that bootblack is worthier, in G-d's eves than the; tzadik . . , (Reb Bunim of Parshischa)
Every Jew has a great, job ahead this Rosh Hashanah ; . . The Rabbis;.the cantors, the. choirs, the air.conditioning, the elegant dresses and stylish ties, the question of who sits where, and who gets what honors --these are all unimportant. The Almighty is waiting for each of us to declare that He is Hamelech, the King and Father ofus aU. How? When we come
to him like little children, with sincere hearts, regretmg the transgressions that we performed in the past, and taking upon ourselves- to keep more and more of His . commandments., ^
They tell of a Jewish farm boy who came toshul on the Davs of .A.we. He saw everyone, else davening. but: he couldn't read a letter . . ; .All he; could remember , was the aleph bays that a teacher, had on'ce drilled into him; He started reciting ■the aleph bays from beginning to end and. said. '"Father in Heaven, it's your alpha- : bet- Make vour own pravers out ofthem.' Thev sav that he ..saved the world that year.. ■ .
A Kasivah v'Chasimah-Tovah. Shabbat Shalom.
The "Sparks From The-Torah" television program can be seen, on York Cable, Mondays at 6:30 p.m./ Metro Cable TV, Mondays at 7:30 p.m., Willowdowns Cable, Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. and Keeble Cable. Thursdays at : 8p.m.
Baron de Hirsch had great vision for European Jews
By ROCHELLE CARR
TORONTO -
The scion of one of - Europe's most stately and wealthy families sat in his Victorian-decorated London-jslfice going over final details with his advisors; Finally he put his signature to the docu-ment. The largest philanthropic endeavor by one man, that the world had yet ; ; known, was launched. It was Sept.- 11, 1891. the inception of the Jewish Colonial Association. - «
Baron Maurice de Hirsch, the munificent benefactor, had ruminated over his latest,project for several years. He was unwilling to. accept the. view that handouts were a palliative to the poor. Although he was not a card-carrying Zionist, his views paralleled the Zionist autoTemancipation belief: Jews must be in control of their own fate.
De Hirsch's idea was to put the masses of destitute, harassed East European Jews back on their feet as farmers. He saw the promised land for the 3,500,-000 Russian Jews he~^expected to help in
the next few decades, as Argentina. Hind-. sight, that: appendage of wisdom; would prove him wrong. , - ■>,■;;
-For months, his aides had scoured the globe bringing back detailed reports of the feasibility of manv lands. He sent his most trusted aid, Chevalier -Vene-; ziani. the Italian Jew, to Palestine.
Upon his return, the two men took long walks, around the grounds of deHirsch's Hunganan residence. Veneziani gave dismal reports, of Palestine and its lack of adequate water and drainage. . De Hirsch was already reluctant to deal with the Turks after his nerve^wracking railroad experiences with them. He also feared that eventually theHolv Land would fall into Russian hands. And. using the • same acumen that helped him amass a rrfortune as king of Europe's railroad builders, he preferrecU Argentina be-cause its popr economy made'available yastjracts of land quickly and cheaply. -"-This philanthropic man who had mingled with princes and potentates since„birth, misjudged the course of history and missed the opportunity to have the goal of his beneficience achieve his visions. It would be a few decades aftero-his \death before Jews would become proficient farmers. And then it would not be on homesteads in Argentina but on kibbutzim and moshavim in what would become a Jewish state.
If his experiment, into which he poured untold millions, did not meet with great : success, his philosophy, at least, is to be . lauded. When Baron de Hirsch and bis wife, Clara, lost their only son suddenly In 1887, the grief-stricken father summed ; up his sentiments to a friend, "My son I have lost, but not my heir. Humanity is my heir."