w^jEWISH
BULLEHN
Serving Greater Vaiicoutvr since 1930
$1.00 includes GST FEBRUARY 19,1999/3 ADAR 5759
Wedded BRss
Make long-range plans with the Me//n's wedding section /19
Shalom Yerushatem
Vancouverites say goodbye to a retail institution fl
Victorians Secrets
Island events keep community busy/9
In one of the largest gatherings ever seen in Israel, an estimated 250,000 charedim gathered in Jerusalem Feb. 14 to protest interference of the Supreme Court in matters relating to halachah {Jewish religious law). The protestors feel that the Supreme Court is usurping the power of the Israeli rabbinate and would Wke to see all religious matters, such as conversion, dealt with only by Orthodox rabbis. More stories on pages 26 and 27.
Survivors to share Swiss fund
ROBERTA STALEY STAFF REPORTER .
Canadians can expect to split $2.5 million that is part of the Swiss hank humanitarian fund for Holocaust survivors, says Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) president Moshe Roncn.
. "We hope the distribution of funds will take no more than three or four months after applications arc received and processed," said Ilonen.
^The Swiss Humanitarian Fund for Needy Holocaust Su-vivors is worth $190 million and was set up by Swiss banking institutions. Canada's share is $2.5 million, said Ronen, who was in Vancouver last week to attend a CJC, Pacific Region, conference on hate.
Congress has compiled the
names of Holocaust suivivors and will be sending out application forms at the end of the month. Tlie fonns must still be approved by Swiss banking authorities, Ronen said. "We are making the process as swifl as we can," said the Congress president.
"There will be very little red tape. Any.Holoaiust survivor \v\\\ be able to apply."
Holocaust survivors are being defined as those who were in labor or concentration camps, in ghettos or who suffered persecution. "We're not going to adjudicate over the question of who is a survivor," said Roncn. If there is any question, a committee of Holocaust survivors headed by Toronto's Rabbi Gunthcr Plaut will decide.
There is enough money in the pot to give all of Canada's 16,000 Holocaust survivors a few hundred dollars. But Roncn hopes that applications will be made on the basis of need so that the poor will receive more money.
"The amount of each cheque will be equal," said Roncn. "We believe that survivors should regulate themselves." ,
'The humanitarian fund is im-relatcd to the $42-million US worth of dormtmt Swiss bank accounts belonging to nearly 2,000 owners whose names were publicized in newspapers around the world in July, 1997. The names were released by the Swiss Bankers Association in an effort to identify the account holders or their heirs. □
Hate forum calls for added national support
Spea!<ers ask Canadians to report hate-related crimes
KYLEBERGER STAFF REPORTER
Delegates at the second of t\vo hate conferences sponsored by the Canadian Jewish Congress called on Canadians to get involved.
Det. Rick McKenna of the provincial hate crime team, one of four panelists at the "Marches to Modems" forum held Feb. 10 at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, told tJie crowd of more tlian 200 about tlie important role Canadians play in fighting hate.
McKenna said tliat, as a result of people making the effort to report hate crimes, there were twice as many hate crime-related arrests in 1998 as there were in 1997.
The detective explained that if local communities do their part in reporting and responding to hate crimes, the hate crime unit can become more effective in shutting out racist groups and hatemongers.
He used last year's battle between the citizens of Oliver, B.C., and Bernard Klatt as an example of a group of Canadians doing tlieir part Ivlatt is tlie owner of Fairview Technology, an Internet sen'ice provider who allowed white supremacist organizations to use his service.
Watt had rented a public facility to hold a seminar for free speech advocates. Invited speakers included North Shore News columnist Doug Collins and Victoria lawyer Doug Christie, whose clients include Holocaust deniers Ernst Zundel and James Keegstra.
Oliver mayor Linda Larson learned of Matt's intentions but
believed that tliere were no legal grounds to refuse Matt's rental.
With only a few hours remaining before the event, local RCMP had gathered enough information to convince tliein that the seminar had the potential for violence, thus providing the city the right to refuse the use of the facility.
Rather than attempting to make use of an alternate facility, raatt held his seminar on the front steps of the Oliver town hall.
McKenna had suggested that townspeople try to convey their feelings about the meeting without getting into a face-to-face confrontation. Taking McKenna's advice, more than 100 citizens of Oliver held a silent vigil with signs showing their disgust toward Klatt's activities.
"I thought it was a very elegant statement," he said at tlie forum. Tou had one group using a microphone and being very loud. Then you had a five-to-one ratio of people demonstrating tliat tliey believe their community wasn't about racism and wasn't about bigotry and I thought it sent a very clear message."
Wlien Larson spoke about Uie incident, she expressed disappointment in tlie lack of legal control she had to prevent Klatt's use of a public facility. "Cancelling the room was not a heroic act on die part of the town of Oliver," she explained. "Legally and morally, we should have had the right to refuse the use of one of our public facilities if it is to be
Please see HATE on page 2
I
m m 09 mmwh
■3,\V iSIt iS3H 0S6-90ZI AiaiDOS IVDIUOISIH HSIMBf