Embassy move could arouse Arab anger
Rerigan fea^
WOLFBUTZER
WASHINGTON —
Reagan administration officials are deeply frightened by the prospects of pending congressional actions designed to mandate the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
New York's Democratic senator, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has made clear that he intends to take such a step. He can be expected to win considerable bipartisan support in the Senate and House of R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s, a I -though legal scholars are divided on the con-
^stitutional ability of the legislative branch of the U.S. government to force the executivie bLanch to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
What is so upsetting to the administration right now is even the prospect of such congressional legislation being debated. The publicity alone is bound, U.S. officials isaid, to arouse the passions of the Arab and Islamic world.
They believe that Democratic presidential frontrunner Walter Mondale is being totally irresponsible in eveii promising to move the embassy to Jerusalem if he were elected next
November. Mondaleiris already on record as voicing such a pledge.
"You better believe he would pull a Joe Qark," said one White House official, referring to the former Canadian Prime Minister who also had promised during his campaign to move Canada's embassy to Jerusalem but later had to back away from that commitment in the face of strong Arab petrodollar pressures. Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries warned they would back out of several lucrative contracts with Canadian firms if the embassy were moved.
In the end, the Cana-
dian embassy remained in Tel Aviv.
Even aO the pabUclty of a highly-chained debate in the Senate and House daring this election year wonid irritate theWhite Hoose and the state department. OfiB-cials there are tiyhig to revive the Arab-Israeli peace process, hoping to win the support of "moderate*' Arabs, es-epcially Jordan's King Hassefai.
Given the emotional impact of the Issne in the Arab world, siich a debate on Capitol Hill would supposedly setback any prospects for getting fresh peace talks off the ground.
"Raising the inatter of
Jerusalem now would cripple our efforts,'' said one administration specialist on the Middle East. "Under such circumstances, there would be no way for Hussein to, get involved."
That official, in fact, werit one step further. He warned of almost total doom and gloom resulting in such a move; • * We would be returning to the pre-1967 war era,'' he said. "No Arabs would be willing to deal with Israel."
According to this official, even those moderate Arabs who have come to accept Israel as a permanent fact of life in the Middle East probably would revert.to the
pre-1967 attitude that there should be no Israel in the region.
"TheArabs,"hesaid, '>ould again become polarized in their notions of Israel." :
Thus, the Reagan administration is moving decisively to try to take steps to avert any Jerus-alem'debate right now.
this is not the first time that a 'member of Congress has sought to take the initiative in having the U.S. recognize Jerusalem as Israel's
Republican Congressman Philip Crane of Dli-nois introduced a similar proposal in 1980. He was clearly anxious to embarrass the Carter ad-
ministration and several pro-Israel Democrats on Capitol Hill who, in the end, actually voted against / the Crane amendment.
Given this opposition, the amendment died. Crane did not try to revive it following the election of the Republican administration.
Reagan, for his part, was very careful daring the 1980 campaign. He spoke of keeping Jerusalem undivided with free access to th^ holy places. He also suggested that Israel should retain sovereignty over the entire city, although he never promised to move the embassy there. ^
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters are welcome If they are in English, no more than 250 words, typewritten with lines doable spacinl, and of interest to Oar reading pubiic. Headers are cautioned not to make sweeping claims against persons or faistitutions whidi they cannot verify, as libel kws are very stringent. We reserve the right to edit letters.
CLAIMS BURAK SLANDEROUS
For the most part, I have enjoyed Rabbi Moses J. Burak's column. Living Halacha. It generally addresses interesting questions and responds to them with a combination of scholarliness/charm, style, and good humor.
It was, therefore, an unpleasant surprise to read his column of Feb. 9, in which he uses the question of the ordination of women to criticize the Conservative movement.
Taldng Isolated instances as representJng the whole — instances which cm be found even in his own movement ■— and quoting a sfaigle phrase from an as yet ahpaBUsI^ document of the Semftnary facolty out of context, thus knowingly distorting Its meaning, RaJbbl Buridi attempts to portray the Conservative movement as one which seeks to betray Judaism.
Rabbi Burak, of course, has a right to his opinion.but a Jewish community newspaper hasaresponsibility to edit out what can only be characterized as "rechilut" (slander).
Rabbi Robert Marcus
Acting president
Ontario Region Rabbfadcal
Assembly
Toronto
BURP«;D BY BURAK'S FIRE
Rabbi Moses Burak's column on the question, "Can women be ordained as rabbis?'', serveis as a fine showpiece for the rabbi's unquestioned talent for intemperate invective ("a bunch of spiritual illiterates,'* e.g.).
I have no intention to engage in a mudslihging match with my learned colleague. But since he uses anecdotes to discredit Conservative Judaism (the story of the New Jersey temple where lights are burning to fool people into thinking services are taking place), I may be permitted to just quote an instructive anecdote which depicts Orthodox Judaism with the same degree of accuracy. ^
The service at the Reform temple was finished and the worshippers were milling around in the lobby at the congregational kiddush. One gentleman was standing In the comer, his back to the people, while fortively smoking a cigaret. The rabbi went over to ■him..' ■
"Good Shabbes, my friend," he said. "You need not hide; you can smoke openly —this is a Reform temple!"
The visitor was aghast. "i)h, no," he replied.^'! could not do that. I'm Orthodox!"
Rabbi Erwhi Schlld Adath Israel Congregation Toronto
BURAK ♦*FUNNY YETSAD"
Rabbi Burak's column would be funny if it were not so sad.
Burak states that Deborah's qualification as a judge was that she was a prophetess.
Surely, if there is to be no sexual discrimination, male rabbis should also be prophets. Does the rabbi believe that he is a prophet? Or is this merely a restatement of Charlotte Whitten's comment that a woman must be twice as good as a man to be thought half as good?
My suggestion to women who have embraced Orthodox Jewry Is simple. Forget becoming a rabbi, as I had to, many years ago. Become a doctor. Yon can have both sphritual satlsfiu^pnandadecent standard of living. If those rabbis who are not willing to partake of the educatkmal process with yoa to a satisfactoxy level lose ^ privilege ol knowing yomr brain, that Is thebr probtem.
As for the rabbi's comment on Conservative Judaism, may I suggest that he read Pirkei Avot before undertaking another such attack.
Dr. H. Roslyn DevUn Assistant professor Departanent of Microbiology University of Toronto
Judith Susanne Bricks
A LOVELY JEWISH JEZEBEL
Just a noteto say that Frank Rasky's Feb. 9 article ("Navel training aids shaky business") was written with more than his customary charm. And I can't blame him, because his subject, Judith Susanne Bricks,
the belly dancer, must have charmed him as her photo charmed me.
Wpuldyou please run her picture again for my scrapbook, because this lovely enchantress has succeeded in becoming my pinup Jewish Jezebel.
Morris Stebi
Toronto
* *
YIDDISHUKEYINGLISH?
Re Prof. Klaus J. Hermann's Feb. 9 letter headed "Yiddish or Germish?":
The professor's statement that Yiddish "is really Judaeo-German" seems to suggest it is "really" not a language. This is nonsense.
Modem Yiddish is at least different from modem Germah as Ukrainian Is from Russian. Nobmfy suggests thitt Ukrainian "Is jreaOy" a lesser fonn of RnSshm. Nor does anyone say that FreiMih and Italian are **6nly" vulgar forms of Latin.
One can, from a **scliolariy" point of view. Just as **reasonably" caO modem German modern High Teatonlc.
English is also a form of Teutonic. Neither Shakespeare nor Shalom Aleichem wrote in some bastardized form of German. They wrote respectively in English and in Yiddish. AbeMargel Toronto
YIDDISH OR INTERLINGUISH?
One is tempted to let pass Klaus Herrmann's grossly misinformed comments regarding the history of the Yiddish language. Nevertheless, when patently ridiculous statements are palmed off as scientifically verified truth, it is regretfully necessary for someone to set the record straight.
In reality, both Yiddish and English are what linguistics characterize as "fusion languages."
Yiddish, as documented amply by Max Weinreich in his magisterial, 4-v61ume History of the Yiddish Language, is a rich and variegated linguistic commodity. The fusion character of the language was evident as early as the Middle Ages, when Yiddish already possessed three of the four com-, ponents that have determined its presentday makeup.
These four linguistic determinants are: [1] Loslm-koydesh Ithe Hebrew/Arabic element that derived from the Jews' deeply rellgktus culture — a style of life that Weinreich labels the "Way of the Shas [or Tahnud]"]; [2] Loez [the Romance langnage spoken by Jewish settlers hi the RiUneland who Immigrated from eariy medieval France and Italy]; [3] German [the numericaOy preponderant detemdnant, with both High and Low German Influences on modem Yiddish); and [4] Slavic.
The mixture of these various determfaiants has resulted In a language that Is sul generis, and that deserves to be caOed by Its proper and accepted name: Yiddish.
Prof. Herrmann would be well advised to foregohis unfortunate and erratic forays into the complicated domain of Jewish inter-linguistics. - r
Zachaxy M. Baker
Montreal
HE REMEMBERS PERSONALLY
I wish to comment on two items in your Feb. 2 Montreal edition.
In a letter to the editor, Marvin MaHn mentioned that his father became a stockbroker hi 1962. As a child, before 1920, my famOy dealt with a stock-brokerage firm of Tousaw, Hart and Anderson. Mr. Hart was a descendant of the orlgfaial Hart fiunfly of Three Rivers, and he Is burled here in the Spanish and Portuguese Cemeteiy.
TTie other item is the article about Isaac de La Penha, which is much more complete and accurate than information which you published about him some time ago. He was my first Hebrew teacher, and I remember him and his son, Philip, well. In fact, I still have a certificate, dated May 25, 1913, signed by Isaac de La Penha.
Donald A. Goltman Montreal
THE Y WERE ALL FIRST
Re Marvin Malin's Feb. 2 letter headed "His father was first":
The confusion about who was the first Jewish member of a Canadian stock exchange is a result of contraditions in terminology.
Ben Malin may have been the first Jewish partner of a Canadian member stock brokerage firm on both the Montreal and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Tod Sterling in Toronto became a partner of a member firm at roughly the same time.
Harry Shapiro was the first Jewish member of the Montreal Stock Exchange, while Nat Sandler was the first Jewish member of the Toronto Stock Exchange. Both represented their own firms and their elections took place in the niid-60s.
Morton Cohen was the first Jewish governor of a Canadian stock exchange [Montreal, 1972], while Paul Wartzer was the first Jewish govemor of the Toronto Stock Exchange [1975].
Who was first? They all were in their respective ways.
Morton Cohen -. Toronto ,"
THANKSTHEMALL
Re your Nov. 24 article headed New firm's specialty: energy conservation:
We would like to express our sincere thanks to writer Patricia Rucker, the Jewish Vocational Service, and that whole bunch of government officials from North York Mayor Mel Lastman to Solicitor-Geneiral Bob Kaplan who gave their kind attention to our .endeavors.
. The plan of getting together to obtain employment was one of the best ideas we had. A part of our group is successfully employed. Thanks.
DJordJe Popadic
[and six others]
Toronto
ABAWASN'TFIRST
The cutiine on a recent photo you ran describes Aba Gefen as Toronto's first Israeli Consul. Not so. There were several before him. ■ .-■■'^ :
I can recall the names of two and there were others I'm sure. There was Eliezer Dembitz, the first one, and another named Lurie. HanyMareus Toronto