Page 2-The Canadian Jewish News, Friday, September 2, 1977
World News
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Jews plan to monitor U.So Anns on boycott
NEW YORK [JCNS] —
Three American Jewish organizarions plan to monitor American companies to see if they comply with the Arab boycott of Israel.
The American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee and the Anli-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith will use the result of their work to make recommendations for tighter enforcement of the recently signed Export Administration Act..
The act extends stricter controls over restrictive trade practices. Beginning in late September, the public will be allowed to suggest chaftgetf *iir-the law. It is af that time that the three groups plan to give their flridings.
.At the same time, the American Jewish Commit-
Change
tee released an analysis of U.S. Commerce Department reports on boycott demands made by Arab countries of U.S. concerns.
The analysis indicated that from October to December. 1976. 921 requests for compliance with the boycott were received and 70% of the American companies indicated that
they complied or intend to comply. In the other cases, no decision has been made.
A study of similar requests made last Januarj-indicated that in 87% of the cases companies intended to. or actually did, comply with boycott requests. At that time, only 4% of boycott requests were turned down.
Israeli police tvant information
NEW YORK [JCNS] —
An influential Nigerian commentator has suggested that his government reconsider the break in diplomatic relations it made with Israel after the Yom Kippur War.
Edem E.Ekwo. writing in The Nigerian Times, accused the present Nigerian administration of conducting a ''cowardly and irresponsible policy in the Middle East ^
' To talk of 'Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination' shows a lack of understanding of what that movement stands for. Put simply, it aim^ at creating a state for the Jewish people so that the Jew, wherever he iriay be. should be accorded respect as a human being." Ekwo wrote.
He accused several Arab regimes of racial discrimination, against both Jews and blacks. He wrote that "it is disgusting to see that we are prepared to go to any length with the Arabs even when they supply oil to South Africa —or do we pretend not to know that the Arabs still sell oil to the apartheid administration."
He warned, in his cob-clasion. that Nigeria's "unflinching support for the Arabs may help them achieve what their Nazi friends could not — an external solution to *the Jewish problem'."
Later. Chief J.E. Ade-toro, former federal commissionerfor health, agri-cuhare and Bational te-Muii^a. wrote s letter tn The Times to agree wfth Ekwo.
"Nigeria's diplomatic rdatknship is long overdue for review, h has never been in our 'esB^it* ened self-interest'to mar-rel with Israel," . Chief Adetoro vm>te.'
JERUSALEM [JTA] —
Israeli police have recently contacted several foreign police services for information on Israeli underworld figures sentenced in those countries during the last seven years.
The Israeli information request came at the initiative of the special commission appointed earlier this month by Police Inspector General Haim Tavori to investigate organized crime in Israel.
The request was forwarded through Interpol to several police services both in Europe and the U.S. It was apparently made as part of the com: mission's effort to draw a profile of the scope of organized crime in Israel and its overseas connections.
A separate investigation, conducted by, a senior
police officer, is looking into allegations that a senior police officer served as a double agent, supplying organized crime in Israel with highly secret information from police headquarters.
The allegations were made in one of the articles cartied almost daily by Haaretz on organized crime in Israel.
In another development connected with organized crime, building contractor Bezalel Mizrahi filed a libel suit for $1 million in a Tel Aviv court against Haaretz, its editor Ger-shom Schockeh and reporter Avi Valentin, for allegedly slandering him by publishing articles claiming that he was one of the leaders of organized crime in Israel.
This is the largest libel suit ever filed in Israel.
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Little apparent change over Halaeha dispute
JERUSALEM [JCNS]—
A delegation of American Conservative and Reform rabbis, opposed to a change in the Law of Return, has left for home without receiving any commitment from Prime Minister Begin other than a request to reach a compromise over Halachic conversions with American Orthodox rabbis.
However, it is reported that American Orthodox
rabbis will not compromise and refuse to take part in any top rabbTmic organization formed to prepare candidates for conversion to Judaism if it includes Conservative or, Reform rabbis.
Begin has promised the religious parties, in return for their support, that he will try to obtain a Knesset majority-for amending the Law of Return to recognize only conversions
UN conference bars Jewish body but accepts PLO
UNITED NATIONSUTA]
Israel did not participate in the United Nations-sponsored World Conference for Action A-gainst Apartheid in Lagos, Nigeria Aug. 22-26 because the World Jewish Congress was excluded from the conference while the Palestine Liberation Organization and a pro-PLO UN committee were invited.
Israel's decision was officially announced in a letter from its UN Ambassador. Chaim Herzog. to UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. Herzog noted that the WJC. which has had consultative status since 1947 with the UN Economic and Social Council, as well as the International Labour Organization, the Organization of American States and the Council of Europe, was not told of the selection process or why it was rejected and others approved.
He pointed out that the WJC has "a commitment to work for human rights generally."
At the same time. Herzog said, the PLO was invited despite its "anti-Semitism" and at its request the Committee for the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People has also received an invitation "even though its mandate is in no way connected with the conference and it was originally not invited for precisely that reason."
Herzog stressed that the Israeli decision to withdraw was done with "reluctance" since it was opposed to apartheid and" any form of racism or racial discrimination. He also stressed that Nigeria had been cooperative in providing facilities for Israeli participation at the conference.
"Once again a conference of great importance not only to Africa, but to all states, is under threat of emasculation by Arab extremists for their own partisan purposes," Herzog declared. "The gpyem-ment of Israel can neither .ignore such behavior, nor let it be ignored."
performed in strict accordance with the Halaeha.
This would exclude Reform and many Conservative conversions which, in any case, are not recognized by Israel's Orthodox rabbinate.
"The 'Who is a Jew' issue should not be resolved by legislation in the Knesset, a body which includes atheists, Moslems and Christians, nor can it be resolved on the basis of coalition politics," Rabbi Wolfe Kelman, the executive vice-president of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly, said.
Instead, he added, the "status quo should continue whereby conversions by non-Orthodox rabbis abroad are rtcognized by the state (Israel) for purposes of aliyah, but not for marriages, while the three movements reach an accommodation on conversion and preserve Jewish unity."
With Rabbi Kelman were Rabbi Stanley Rabin-owitz. president of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly, and Rabbi Eli Pilchik and Rabbi Joseph Glaser, the president and executive vice-president of the Reform Central Conference' of American Rabbis.
In spite dl the absence of an agreement, the visit of the four American Con-ser\'ative and Reform rab: bis should not be regarded as a failure. It is the first time that the Ash-kenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis of Israel have agreed to receive an official delegation of Conservative and Reform rabbis, albeit at Begin's request.
The four visiting rabbis, who met Begin in New-York last month, had two further discussions with him in Jerusalem and they were also received by Aharon Abuhatzeira, the minister for religious affairs, and Yosef Burg, the interior minister.
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Members of the Orthodox Habad movement recently went up to the "Good Fence" between Israel and Lebanon to persuade the soldiers on duty to put on the phylacteries and join in the daily prayers.
Election of chief rabbis delayed
JERUSALEM (JCNS] — The election of Israel's two chief rabbis, due to take place in October, has been postponed. Minister of Religious Affairs Aharon Abuhatzeira said that he did not know how long the delay would be.
"It may take another year to set up a committee and an electoral col-
lege to select the chief rabbis," he said. Abuhatzeira is taking personal responsibility for organiz-" irtg the arrangements.
Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said the "situation in the chief rabbinate is now intolerable; it is not operating as it should."
In the last election in
October, 1972, Rabbi Shiomo Goren defeated the Ashkenazi Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman and Rabbi Yosef defeated the Sephardi chief rabbi, Yitzhak Nissim. It is common knowledge that the present chief rabbis frequently refuse to co-operate with each other. Chief Rabbi Goren is
reported to favor a division of responsibility of the Supreme Rabbinical Court. At present both chief rabbis share responsibility for the two posts.
Chief Rabbi Yosef supports the status quo of two chief rabbis as well as Sephardi and Ashkenazi rabbis in the towns.
A new home for an old
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