Thursday, February 25,1993 — THE BUUEtiN —
Op-Ed-^ Paige Five
By SAMUEL SCHACHTER
SAMUEL SCHACHTER
mans
--^JERUSALEM — The decision by Israeli grant ha ven~to more than 100 Bosnian Moslems is corisistent \yith the Labor.Party'stradition of^ivingaid to countries arid communities^ that are at best indifferent or at worst openly hostile to the Jewish State. But is such a policy consistent with logic, common sense and Israeli survival?
That Israel is the only country in the Middle East to take in "^Bosnian Moslem refugees speaks volumes about the ■ : ' "r"'': lengths to which the Labor Party leaders are willing to go in order to demonstrate Israel's generosity-Even if there was some kind of international pressure on Israel to take in the Bos-which there isn't (with the exception of one foolish op-ed piece in the New York Times by Flora Lewis) — Israel could justifiably reply that the two dozen Moslem countries have a much larger responsibility tO Moslem refugees than does the Jewish State.
Beyond that, the Rabin government might want to briefly review the kiiid of responses other Labor governments received when they jgaye Israeli aid to assorted beleaguered countries over the years. ,
During the 1950s and 1960s, for example. Labor's favorite charity was Africa. Israel poured countless millions of dollars worth of economic and agricultural assistance into numerous African countries.,
But the minute that the Africans faced the slightest Arab pressure — during the 1973 war —they spit in Israel's face by immediately breaking off all diplomatic relations.
Not that being spit in the face is always sufficient to conyirice a generous Israeli dove that his generosity is nOt appreciated. In 1987, Shlomo Avineri, the historian and longtime Labor Party activist, publicly proposed that Israel drop bundles Of food and medicine to Palestinian Arabs whose, refugee camps near Beirut were under siege by Shi'ite rivals. ' ' „.■.'
"What will the camp inhabitants do?," Avineri wrote. "Reject the supplies and go on starving?" Actually, no —. they >yould surely accept the supplies, and then go on hating Israel.
The Rabin government should not expect that the Bosnia Moslems whoni it is admitting will hate Israel aiiy less than anyother Moslems. After all, consider their behavior during the Holocaust. ,'       ■ .
When the Nazis asked Haj Aminel Husseini, the Palestinian Arabs' Grand Mufti, to find Moslem volunteers, the Mufti knew just where to go,
In Septemiber 1943, he began crisscrossing the Moslem regions of Yugoslavia-Croatia in search of Nazi collaborators. It didn't take long. By October, he had put together the 13th Division of the Waffen SS, known as the Handschar unit, manned by 20,000 Bosnia Moslehis (called Mujos),
The Hiandschar Moslems were initially assigned to help wipe out Yugoslavian anti-Nazi partisans; they were so brutal in their tactics that 38 of their officers were later tried as war criminals: The Bosnians were then sent to Hungary in March 1944, to help in the mass deportation of the Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz.
Of course, the Jews in Israel have some first-hand experience with Bosnian Moslems, too. During the late 1800s, the Turkish authorities (who then ruled £re/z Kwrfl^/as well as Bosnia) solved the Bosnian refugee problem of their time by resettling large numbers of Bosnian Moslems in the Abu Ghosh region, near Jerusalem, as well as in the Golan Heights. • :■   :'" ; '■ / •-."''■ ■[ ■"'.■.'/..  " ■■ .'        ■ •,i
Samuel Schachter is chairman of the Florida region of American Friends of Likud. 'V-V-y^ ' '
These Boshnakim^SLS they are known in Hebrew, became an integral part of the local Moslem community and participated iii Arab terrorism against the Jews during the 1920s arid 1930s, as well as in the 1948 war against the newborn Jewish State.
History has vital lessons for Israel, but current events are no le^s revealing. If Mr. Rabin wants to know what Moslems think of Israel, he Only needs to read the latest news from Turkey.
Recently, thousands of local Moslems held a rally in downtown Istanbul to protest the suffering of their fellow Moslems in Bosnia. Near the site of the rally, some of the demonstrators noticed some Hebrew writing on a storefront ~— it was the formex office of Israel's El Al^airlines.
Former office? Present office? What's the difference to a
By ELIYAHU SHIFFMAN
JERUSALEM — When Dahi Medarwas 12,hecouldn't read, write or add. Home was the streets and his heroeis were local delinquents. Both his parents were chronically ill Tunisian immigrants with three older children.
Today, at 33, Medar looks back with little or no rancor. He says, "iyiy parents were sick. It wasn't their fault."
Medar was the kind of youngster who could have fallen through the cracks. But the system succeeded when Medar was placed in a Youth Aliyah Village.
Excerpts ftoih the pre^
Hypochtlcal nefdom propped up by oil
MIAMI — Saudi Arabia's King Fahd certainly presents us with a bewildering puzzle. In remarks made pulic, he denounced Muslim fundamentalists who threaten his fief-dom, i m plying that outside forces. Ira n^ I raq, etc, — we re threateniiig to interrupt his good relationship with the West. :
Much of what the Saudis do is based On fundamental Islamic law, including mutilation and beheading of criminals — the latter enforced just recently. Saiidi fundamentalism, it then woiild appear, is ever-present and measured in degrees.
The world stands in harsh judgment of human rights practices in South Africa, Haiti; the former Yugoslavia, Cuba arid elsewhere — seemingly everywhere but Saudi Arabia where, if you looked closely, you would not find an iota of human rights.
What the king is telling the outside world with his attack on fundamentalism is that if you think his country is bad now, you can imagine how bad.it >yould be if the zealots took over. Also, and not incidentally, he wants to keep the oil money in the family.
One only need go back to the Gulf War to recall the many fundamentalist restrictions placed on U.S. troops coming to save Fahd's country from the threat of Saddam Husseiri. ...
The United States caved into a Saudi demand that religious symbols riot be worn openly by our troops. The Saudis
did allow; ever so quietly, religious services to be conducted among the troops about to go into battle — as long as the Saudis didn't see or hear them.
While the Saudis are friendly to the West, theirs is a nori-Western civilization. Saudi Arabia's practices are medieval, their laws strict and adhering to the same jslaniic law the archfundamentalists covet.
Saudi and other women livirig in the country are iiot permitted to travel withoiit their husband's written permis-
HOWARD KtEINBERC
Commentary
Youth Aliyah provides a home and education for immigrant and Israeli children in need. Youth Aliyah is funded by the Jewish Agency, which is supported by North American Jewis through the U J A/Federation annual campaign.
Medar recalls that initially he found the Kiiryat Yearim Yputh Aliyah Village, which is near Jerusalem, unbearable. " I was expected to get up in the morning, make my bed, and arrive in the dining room on time. Until then I had never had a schedule or any responsibility."
Within two years, Medar was barely recognizable. He became both an industrious student and a budding artist.
Explaining the transformation, he says: "They cared about nie and that made all the difference. The director of Kiryat Yearim treated me and every other boy there as if we were his own children. He gave me what I never had — someone who cared about me and was able to show it."
After technical training, army service and a stint in industry, Medar decided to give to others what he had received.
For five years he worked at Kiryat Yearim as a counsellor. He says, "My own experience gave me a lot of credibility with the kids there. It wasn't hard to build rapport."
Medar, who studied art at the Israel M useum and Jerusalem's prestigious Machon Avnei, has continued to develop as a sculptor. He has had several prominent exhibitions and has been able to merge his commitment to art with his commitment to children. ^
Since counselling at Kiryat Yearim, Medar has taught art to Ethiopian children and to "gifted children" at the Hebrew University. He is now taking a position as art instructor and counsellor at the high school he attended.
Eventuallyi Medar plans on devoting himself entirely to art. But in the meantime, he'feels compelled to rescue childr ren at risk. He says, "I know that if I hadn't gone to Kiryat Yearim when I did, I would have ended up ori the streets — or worse." ::7'..:..;
Canadian Hadassah-WIZO supports six Youth Aliyah projects: Hofim Absorption Centre for Ethiopian youth; Magdiel Youth Village and Vocational School; Natanya Vocational; School; a Jerusalem Child Guidance Clinic under direction of Dr. Reuven Feuerstein; Nehalim; and a special scholarship program.        ^^^^.
Locally, the Youth Aliyah campaign runsuntil March 15. A luncheon/ fashion show will be held Feb. 28 at Hotel Vancouver.
For more infprrnation, call Hadassah-WIZO at 263-2778 .•
•■■■S}- UJA Press Service
Moslem fanatic? Bosnia? Israel? What's the difference to those whp-see every international conflict as part of the global struggle .OfT^Islam against Jewish and Christian infidels? .■;.    r        ■v:^ :y'. ■ _ -'■ i■
Chanting "Israel is the enemy of Islam!," "Death to Israel!" and "Death to the Jews!," the mob ripped apart the old El Al office from top to bottom.
How long will it be before the Bosnia Moslem refugees in Israel join their fellow Moslems in the m/^^^^ the same slogans and throw rocks and firebombs at Jewish civilians?
And when the first young Bosnian Moslem militant is caught with a bloody knif^ in his hand, who will bear the moral responsibility for the bloodshed? ;
sion. In Saudi Arabia, no forrii of political expression except to praise the monarchy — is permitted. Freedom of the press doesn't exist. Freedom of religion is prohibited. The most recent U. S. State Department report on human rights says Saudi Arabia began a crackdown on clandestine practice of other religions as recently as last year.  , .
Inside Saudi Arabia, you could get your head lopped off for getting pie-eyed and havingjyour way with a bevy of -^men. Doit Onjcvisit to the United States and nothing is noticed back in Riyadh.. ; V [ .
Howard Kleinberg is a columnist for Cox News Service. Tlils exceit>twas reprinted across tiieU.S. - v^^-,,
What props trp this hypocritical and feudal monarchy is oil. Without it, Saudi Arabia is nothing but a sandy pimple on the map of the world. With it, the Saudis force the most powerful nations to genuflect and accept a wanton abuse of human rights.
And what worries us most is that the feudal king, for all his warts, might some day be Overwhelmed by the zealots who then Nyould use the oil more for political purposes than King Fahd now is doing. The king's hypocrisy, therefore, is our own as well.
THE GROWING WEEKS OF DARKNESS FOR JONATHAN POLLARD
The weeks go by slowly for Jonathan Pollard, sentenced to life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole, for passing American defence infonnatlon to Israel.
Pollard, who suffers the Ofdeal of solitary confinement la Mattoh Penitentiary in Illinois, has been Incarcerated fori
378
WEEKS
What Can You Do??
Organizations woridwiide recognize thafPoUard^ punishment in no way 0ts his crime. A collective voice of outrage athls excessive sentence - letters, telegrams, faxes and.phone calls - can make a difference.
Voice your protest by writing tor President BlU Clinton The White House Washington, D.C 20500
Oi phone:
the President's Comment Line 1402456-1111