63 Yean I Serving Pacific N^tlhiuetl •: Jewty j.
Publisher and Editor-in-Cliief SAMUEL KAPLAN
Our 63rd Y(ear
Sir»ce 1930 Ihe only weekly, publicaiion. serving Jewry of ihie Pacific Northwest
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Assistaint Editor: ARIELA FRIEDMANN
NIews Desk ' ETHAN MINQVITZ
Thursday^ March 4^ 199a^
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Purim marlathe^^d^^ b}^ems^pfay(er^andforc€^Q^ qfihefirstrecqrdedaltem^ Final Solution 2^500 years ago^
: The Joys of Hebrew Oxford iniversit> Press By Lewis GHn^
The Book of Esther records the near-tragedy which almost befell the Jewish nation when Haman, the prototypic anti-Semite, almost succeeded in his diabolical plans to destroy the Jews. Through the mediating agency of Esther, however, his plans went awry and instead of the Jews being massacred, Haman and his supporters were brought to justice.
In commemoration of this event. Jews celebrate annually (this year on March 6 and 7) by reading Megillat Esther m the synagogue (accompanied by a raucous chorus of children who make noise every time Haman's name is mieritioned), creating written and oral spoofs of Jewish life, toasting each other at costume parties, sending food gifts to friends and neighbors, and by giving charity to the poor;
It and SimchatTorah are the only holidays on the Jewish calendar when drinking intoxicating beverages is part of the celebration.
The merriment found during Purim is consistent
with the dictum that sonie things inlife are so serious that one can only laiigh at them. At this holiday we laugh at a near tragedy from which our ancestors escaped. .
In the mid St of the j oyous celebration of Purini, ho we ver. the re is a 1 ways ho vering beneath the surface., a painful awareness that the forces of evil whichare active in ancient Persia can be resurrected anywhere at any time. This is one of the reasons, . perhaps, why Hallel is not recited on Purim.
The victory against Hanian was only a temporary achievement since his successors have reappeared on earth in various embodiments throughout history — and are incarnated among us today.
This sober thought must not, however, impede our celebration arid enjoyment of the holiday, For on Purim we remember that Amalek, Haman and Hitler are history but the Jews have survived their heinous machinations. Chag Samayach!
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: By AVI WEISS ;
Jonathan Pollard was not prepared for the news I brought him recently during an impromptu and unscheduled visit to Marion Penitentiary.
This was the most difficult meeting since I began visiting him in August 1988. I had to bring him the news that the National Jewish Community Relations Council (NJCR AC) had voted /lo/ to send a letter to President Clinton asking for a review of Pollard's case with an eye toward coninriutation (see Page 2). I knew Jonathan would be deeply d isappointed; and I d id n't want him to suffer alone.
We embraced arid sat opposite each other. I reached out to hold his hand as I always dp throughout niy visits, in order to provide the simple human connection that Jonathan's solitary confinement denies him, as it is intended to do.
Within minutes 1 told him: "Jonathan, we were turned down by NJCRAC;"
His head dropped; his eyes glistened; we sat in silence^^ thoughts wandered to the delegate from Miami who had risen in the NJCRAC debate to declare about Jonathan: "I feel absolutely no moral or legal obligation to help a common criminal." Sitting insilence near Jonathan i I thought of the callousness of that remarkand the absence of any mercy
WEISS
THE GROWING WEEKS OF OARKMESS
POLtARD
The weeks go by slowly for Jonathan Pollard, sentenced to life imprisonment, without the X)ssibility of parole, for passing American defence nfotmation to Israel.
PoUard, who j^iUfieis ^e onteal of solitary confinement ia Uttkm Penltentf arf in Illinois, his been incarcersi^ftw:
379
WEEKS
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toward a fellow Jew that it shamelessly revealed.
Gradually he began to share his pain. "I feel punch drunk. I've been in battle for eight years, every day is a battle. Every day I rise is a victory: Sometimes the depression is so deep 1 can't get up, 1 don't feel like going on. I make it only because of determination; I know the consequences of surrender."
"I've survived by not personalizing the case. If I took this personally I would have^round up a long time ago," Jonathan declared. "This is riot just a case of Jonathan Pollard but one of Jewish empowerment."
Soon Jonathan's words began to flow. His immediate reactiori, one of emotionaldespondency. gave way to fury at NJCR AC'S action. The theme he returned to over arid over was that of empowerment, specifically — who speaks for the Jewish community^.
"I'm proud and deeply thankful for all the support I did receive from various NJCRAC delegates, 1 know it's difficult to stand up and speak truth to power. The vote established the fact that even in an organization whose leadership has been so evil toward me the membership is making its views felt. This can only be for the good as far as the Jewish community is concerned."
"What should be kept in mind is that the grass-roots Jewish community is riot divided on this issue," Jonathan explained. "The vote, which revealed a badly divided NJCRAC, clearly suggests that the organization does not reflect the Jewish community's consensus toward me. The propriety of my low opinion of many iri NJCRAC leadership has . been reconfirmed."
"In the final analysis this vote did more to discredit NJCRAC than it did to hurt nie. It's time for representative government in the Jewish community. The vote is a slap in the face of the ordinary Jew; the rabbinate and over 100 other secular organizations which have come to my defense; I think it's ; POLLARD ; time for the Jewish community to draw some lessons from NJCR AC'S disdain for it." ^/'■■■y'. ■
And then Jonathan laughed. There he was in the hell-hole of Marion, having just heard the devastating news that NJCRAC had abandoned him, and he laughed. Besides, Jonathan declared, "1 don't warit to be confused with anyone who actually takes them seriously. True, I'm concerned about what message this sends to the President. If NJCRAC doesn't want to deal with this issiie why should the President?" He paused arid then said forcefully, "We'll jiist have, to rededicate our efforts to show the President what the grass-roots comiiriunity thinks about this case." •
I showed Jonathan the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) (a New York-based news agency) story on the vote. He became livid: "JTA has been writing pieces as if it is a spokesman, not a news agency. I'm not asking for panegyrics but JTA has an obligation to the Jewish community to share the hard news of this case. They made little and mOst often no mention of resolutions drafted on my behalf by the Canadian Jewish Congress, the British Board of Deputies, Hadassah, the International Association Of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists. They've spiked all that information. I've sent these resolutions and other information to Jewish editors
POLLARD - Page 12 J
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BONN (JTA) — German police have confiscated thousands of neo-Nazi records and tapes in more than 10 major localities as part of a riationwide crackdown on right-wing music.
Police raided homes and offices of musicians and producers in the^ right-wing rock riiusic ihdustry, which has popularized songs calling for the expulsion of foreigners from Germany and praised the country's Nazi past. The music is seen by some as contributing to a wave of anti-foreigner violence, racism and anti-
Semitism in Germany.
Federal authorities said they would continue searches in stores suspected of selling tapes blamed for inciting youths against foreigners. Police crackdowns will occur whenever needed on the basis of information provided by the internal security service, a spokesman for the interior ministry said. ■■
The Anti-Defamatiori League of B'riai B'rith has been pressing Chancellor Helmut kohl's government to take action against neo-Nazi rock groups.
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