:T
The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, December 16, 1993-Page 5
co-founder
MONTREAL -Saying the Equality party's decision to field candidates in at least 40 ridings in the next provincial election was the last straw, Robert Libman has quit the Quebec provincial party he co-fouhded five years ago.
. Running so many candidates will split the vote and help elect the Parti Quebecois (PQ), Libman told a receni press conference, where he announced his resignation.
Libman said he will continue to sii as an independent member of Quebec's National Assembly and that he intends to run in the 1994 election in the heavily Jewish riding of D'Arcy McGee either as an independent or a Liberal, if he can get the nomination.
At least four other people have made it known they are also interested in the Liberal nomination in D'Arcy McGee.
Libman said he had not made a decision on the choice he faces.
Libman had favored fielding Equality candidates only in ridings where support for the PQ is ver>' weak.
"I refuse to lake part in any movement that would JFacilitate the return to power of the PQ." he said.
This is the major concern of residents of D'Arcy McGee. especially since "a nationalist wave" swept Quebec in the.federal election. Lib-man .said, referring to the Bloc Quebecois' taking 54 of 75 Quebec seats. .
Libman. who stepped down from the leadership of the Equality party last March, .said he also disagreed with the party's support of a federal wing. '■
Robert Libman
''Despite much criticism levelled against it in the past four years, the Equality party did serve a real, useful and important purpose." he said, hinting that purpo.se had been accomplished.
"It sent an extremely important message to the government arid it gave a wounded community an outlet, a pressure valve, and a way to register its protest with a government it felt had let the community down."
Libman, 33. co-founded Equality with Gerald Klein — its first president — during a period when anglophone Quebec was outraged and demoralized by the Bourassa government's passage of Bill 178.
That legislation enabled Quebec to override the Supreme Court-s decision that Bin 101 's prohibition of Ian-,.
guages other than French on commercial signs was a violation of freedom of speech.
Equality party leader Keith i^en-derson said he was shocked by Lib-man's resignation and the speculation diat he wants the Liberal nom ination.
"Robert was always convinced we needed ah independent alternative to the nationalist agenda in Quebec," he said.
Henderson wonders how Libman could run for the Liberals when many of its policies are at odds with what Libman has espoused.
In particular, he cited Libman's op-position to Bill 86, the law passed this summer to replace Bill 178.
Equality's D'Arcy McGee riding Association adopted a motion denouncing the new law as continuing to permit"lhe arbitrary banning of one of Canada's official languages" on public signs, billboards and buses, and asked the federal government to invoke disallowance.
Henderson added; ''Liberals don't believe in freedom of choice in education and want to starve English school-s ... Liberals say Quebecers are free to remake the map of Canada any lime they please ... Liberals think defying the United Nations and banning English from the roadsides of Quebec is acceptable."
As for the dispute over how many candidates Equality should run in the election. Henderson said the number has not yet been settled.
In any event, he said Libman had "never ever threatened to resign before over what we all thought was a significant, but relatively minor, tac-. tical difference." .
ALBANY, N.Y. — Applications are how available for the 1994 Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel. - The fellowships, now in their "eighth year, offer an opportunity for 25 students entering Grade 12 to spend five weeks in Israel this summer. Fellows will be chosen on the basis of character, intellectual interests, special talents and leadership qualities. In the competitive selectionprocess, merit, not finahcialneed, is the standard for selection.
While living in Jerusalem, the Bronfman Fellows participate in seminars and dialogues with a diverse rab-
Witnesses sought
NEW YORK — The Royal Canadian Moiinled Police (RCMP) has requested the assistance of the World Jewish Congress in its investigation of Canadian residents who rnay have been involved in war crimes or crimes against humanity committed during World War II.
Canadian authorities are presently pursuing investigations, regarding crimes committed in Ukraine and Slovakia.
For one series of investigations, they are seeking witnesses who may have direct knowledge of criminal acts which were committed agairist the populatioh of the Turiysk Rayon, Ukraine, during the German occupation from 1941 to 1942. In particular the RCMP is seeking witnesses who have direct knowledge regarding the ghettoization of Jews in Ozeriani and their subsequent murder in Sushibaba in late summer 1942, the beating ofciyilians in Svinarin and Ozeriani in 1941,and 1942 and the murder of two Jewish children in a forest outside Svinarin in the summer of 1942. ' Another' investigation concerns a subject who is alleged tc "^ave comrhitted crimes in Kosice, Slovakia (formerly Kassa, Hungary) during the year 1944. In particular, the crirties being investigated include the forci-. ble. confinement of persons of the Jewish nationality in the ghetto and at the brick factory camp in Kassa/Kosice and their subsequent deportation to Auschwitz and/or camps in the spring of 1944, as well as any other crimes committed against the Kas.sa/Kpsice ghetto and camp populations.
In pursuit of this investigation, th^C MP is searching for witnesses and requesting the co-operation of persons who may have direct knowledge of the brick factory, or the ghettos of Kassa. or can a.ssist in locat-ing^nyone vv^ho could provide such information.
Individuals who can be of assistance in these cases. arc requested to contact Sidney Grubcr at theWorld JewishCongre.ss — 501 Madison Ave.. New York. Telephone: 212-755-5770. : : . ^-
: binic faculty, representing a wide range of Jewish perspective' They explore Jewish text against.the background of Israel's land, culture and customs. In addition. Fellows will meet with someof Israel's prominent political and literary figures to examine contemporary issues in light of Jewish history and tradition.
The Bro-nfman Youth Fellowships in Israel is a program of the SariiuelBronfman Foundation. Inc., which is chaired by Edgar M. Bronfman.
The Bronftnan Youth Fellowships program begins on July 5, 1994 with a two-day seminar in New York City. The students return from Israel on August 11, 1994.; All meals will be kosher, and Shabbat activities will be in the spirit of the day. All expenses are covered by the program.
High school students in the United States and Canada who will be in Grade 12 in the fall of 1994 may obtain application forms and detailed information by writing: TheBronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel, 17 Wilbur St., Albany. N:Y., 12202. or by calling 518.465-6575.
Comple;ted applications must be postmarked no later than Feb: 1, 1994. Finalists will be notified March I and fihalLst interviews wiil be held during the week of March 13. Names of the 1994 FeUowshijj i-ecipients will be arinpunced on March 31.
WE CASH YOUR ISRAEL BONDS
NEW & OLD • BEST QUOTES & RESTRICTED STOCKS (144'S)
WOBURN SECURITIES
28Stormont Avenue. Toronto. Ontario M5N2B9 (416) 787-1566 Fax {416) 785-4584
EVKOl'EAX, \
CRm) BAKERY CAFE |
Come and try our famous \ Health Bread, Chalas and Pastries-1
NoLardorPresc.n'ativcs _l
i I I I
I
r I I
} 9325 ^V)ngeSt,, Richmond HOI (905) 508-9786 i
I 6Vrxf M .Vuptrfw/rr) ArrcKs from HillcTf.tJ Mail j
CHAMUKAH SPCUJU
Chocolate or Ra.spberry Rogduch 5 f<»r-$l.(M) with this coupon
to draw
By AMY SATTIN
TORONTO — The first-ever cross-Canada Zionist youth movement has been jump started by the Canadian Zionist Federation (CZF).
The Zionist Youth council, a, directing body made up of 13 yoiing adults from across the country, was approved at last month's CZF national convention in Toronto. The group has since elected representatives from six regions and penned a draft mission statement.
The idea of a national youth movement was "enthusiastically received" by convention delegates, said Linda Israel, national director of CZF's Youth and Hechalutz department.
The Council grew out of a pre-convention Shabbaton attended by more than 65 students. Participants wanted to create a non-religious, non-political youth movement to promote Zionism.
Natalie Amar was one of those participants. A graduate studient in po-. litical science at McGiirUniversity and seven-time visitor to Israel, Amar will now be One of three representatives of the Council's Eastern region. She said the Council will allow her to wOrk with like-minded people/
"Zionism for me is really important," she said in a phone interview. "You make what's important fit in" to your life.
Amar will be working with Karen Cohen, the representative of Montreal's Sephardic community, to plan. a regional Shabbaton for late January. She said she expects activites like the iShabbaton will "bring people in who
want to be involved, but who are turned off by the 'regular' Jewish community." • .
CZF's Israel said the movement should appieal to both ''unaffiliated" young adults and those who already belong to Zionist organizations like Habonim-Dror and Mizrachi. She said the special appeal lies in the cross-Canada nature of the Council.
"There are many; campuses, like some out West for example, that feel isolated, They want to feel connected." Both regional and national programs are in the works.
Arts
Leslie Satran attended the November Shabbaton on her own. Now the first-year University of Winnipeg arts student is representing Manitoba and Saskatchewan on the Council; She said the Council is a good way for Jewish youth in Canada to understand each other.
"It's a no-lose situation." she said. "It's important fOr those in Toronto to see how a small Jewish community like Winnipeg works."
A graduate of Joseph Wolinski Collegiate, Saitran will now restart the Youth .Organization For Israel (YOFI) with some of her former classmates; YOFI enables students aged 18 to 20 to join in Zionist programs, she said.
MASTERCRAFT SHUHERS
.Manufacturers of high quality custom wood shutters
Professionally installed by bonded Mastercraft staff Lifetime tiuarantee
Qualitx Proilucis and
Workmanship . .
Call for a Fi Sh( H
Service
Colour brochures available
MONTREAL T0R0I4T0 (5141938-1333 1416)748-1333
RESIDENTIAL-COMMERCIAL
WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE WORLD'S TOP BONOS
Diversify your portfolio and seek global fixed income opportunilies with the Hercules World Bond Fund. It targets total return and capital growth by investing mainly in debt securities and derivative instruments of issuers throughout the world.
• No-load international mutual fund
• Advisor To The Fund; Salomon Brothers Asset Management Limited, London
• Free Exchanges Among Hercules Group Of funds up To Six times per Year
• 100% eligible Investment For rrsp/RRIFS
Corrine Spiegel
Your Persorial Financial Consultant ' ^ (416) 730-9455 1-800-387-3992 v
• I 0 I C MIr THIN K IN G»
.-Madison Centre, 4950 Yonge Street, Ste. 2408- North YoTI<'. Ont. '. -
^"Blue Chip Thinking is a IradmarKol Midland Walvvyn Capita) Inc
4449