Thursday, March 17,1994 — THE BULLETIN — 3
Dr. Bernardo Berdi-chewsky, chair of the multicultural and ethnic relations committee of Canadian Jewish Congress (Pacific Region), is speaking on racism, anti-Semitism and the Jewish experience at an upcoming conference.
BERDICHEWSKY
Entitled "Racism and its Socio-Economic Impact on Minority Groups", the two-day conference. takes place March ; 25-26 at Robson Square Conference Centre.
The event, which is being organized by Africa-Canada
Development and Information Services Association, is in commemoration of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, March 21.
According to a news release, the event \yill bring together "a diverse,; collaborative group of human rights advocates in an effort to form partnerships in the struggle to end racism and racial discrimination."
CJC will also be one of over 60 organizatioins attending a function sponsored by the Committee for Racial Justice, to be held March 21 at Holy Rosary Cathedral.
Local ethnic and community groups are also planning to gather at Trout Lake Community Centre, Victoria Drive at East 15th Avenue, on Sunday, March 20 to mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Dancing, crafts and international foods will be part of the festivities, beginning at 2 p.in. .
: For nipre.information on Berdichewsky's talk,' call 431-9274. For details on the Trout Lake rally, call 876-9285.
By PETER CAULFIELD
An extended Jewish family from the former Soviet Union was reunited recently in Vancouver.
Six adults and one child, representing four generations, disembarked Dec. 4 at Vancouver International Airport after a 17-hdur overseas flight.
They were met by four family members who had earlier left their former home of Tashkent, capital of the independent state of Uzbekistan, and settled here.
Now ensconced together
in a Richmond townhouse, the new arrivals are dedicating themselves to learning the ropes in their adopted country.
Family spokesman Robert Tabakman, 27, talked to The Bulletin about their move from central Asia to the west coast of North America.
Their story begins in 1980, when relatives of Tabak-man's twin brother's mother-in-law emigrated from the then-Soviet Union to Vancouver.
After establishing themselves here, the "Tashkent REUNITED — Page 14
Death Letter mailed to Syrian Jews
TORONTO — A vituperative letter sent March 2 all Jewish homes and businesses in Damascus promised revenge against Syrian Jews for the Hebron mosque shootings (See "Hebron Aftermath," JIVB March
The letter, which was signed by the Syrian Muslim Party of Justice, threatened "that the blood of all Jews living in Syria will be spilled starting on Sunday the 13 of March, 1994 . . ."
The date coincides with the last day of the Islamic religious holiday of Ramadan.
The rambling letter begins with the invocation, "By the name of G-d the fbrgiver, in G-d we depend," and then goes on to state that "our blood is boiling, our tears are burning our eyes" in reaction to Hebron.
"You criminals, for many years you are committing crimes not only, against Arab, Muslim people but against all human beings you are cowards, you don't face up to your enemies you only shoot your enemies when they're praying, you believe by doing these criminal acts, you're taking revenge from us." •
The missive goes on to promise revenge by the Syrian Muslim Party of Justice.
"We are going to take revenge from you continuously and in the near future you will see that Hitler was weak in comparison what we will do you."
Judy Feld Carr, chair of
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LETTER IN ARABIC, coi^talnlng death Jhreats.agalnst the Syrian Jewish communHy, was signed by Syrian Muslim Party of Justice and sent to aINewlsh homes March 2.
the National Task Force for Syrian Jews of Canadian Jewish Congress, has asked Andre Ouellet, minister of external affairs, to demand that Syrian President Assad provide full protection for the Syrian Jewish community.
Several days after the
TORONTO
Right
g^ATALIA, three-year-old daughter of Robert and Alexandra Tabakman, on family's arrival In Vancouver airport.
wing extremism and hate group activity among young people in Canada and Germany were the subjects of a panel discussion during a recent three-day conference at York University.
The March 9-11 conference, which dealt with Canadian and German perspectives on intercultural, inter-ethnic and interracial relations, was co-sponsored by York University and the Goethe-Institut.
Other panels explored the topics of asylum seekers and refugees, and ethnic, racial and cultural immigrants.
York University anthropology professor Dr. Frances Henry described the conference in advance as "an opportunity to get a firsthand view of right wing extremism in Germany and to compare that with smaller, but similar, activity in Canada."
Wilfried Scheffler, director of the Goethe-Institut in Toronto, said, "We have to make the effort to discover the similarity in our differences, to find the things we share, otherwise we won't be able to master our tasks of
the future. By accepting each other, we open our eyes to the riches of the world."
offensive letter had been sent, a meeting was held between the Canadian ambassador to Syria and an official of the Syrian foreign ministry.
Feld Carr has requested that another meeting be set up to demand that Syria issue exit permits "to every Jewish person who had not yet received one."
She also reported that people who have exit permits are trying to get seats on regularly scheduled flights leaving Damascus.
Feld Carr also requested the Canadian government to press Syria to expedite exit visas for those Jews who do not yet have them.
The Coalition of Concerned Jewish Students similarly called upon Parliament and Ouellet to intervene. It urged individuals to contact the minister and impress upon him the need for government action.
The student group also planned a rally in support of Syrian Jewry March 8 at Queen's Park in Toronto.
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