Thursday, June 14,1990 — THE BULLETIN — 5
s news in Israel? Ask CBC Radio's Jerusalem rep
JWBStBSt
Aftei^ reporting details of the daily spate of deaths, injuries and arrests associated with the intifada, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation correspondent Mark Lavie faces his most daunting task: dodging high-spirited Israeli motorists while returning from the Territories to his Jerusalem office.
**What scares me the most a^out my job is getting away from those crazy drivers,** Lavie, CBC Radio*s sole representative in lisrael, admitted in a Bulletin interview. He was in Vancouver to join the Cross-Country Caravan of Canadian Jewish students bound for Montreal, organized by Network Canada.
At 42, Lavie has become a one-man band: he doesn't often meet Jean-Francois Lepine, correspondent for
CBC Television and its French-language counterpart, Radio-Canada. But his own coverage of Israeli events has helped him earn balanced condemnation —.. from ex-treniists on both sides.
"there's a stack of letters to the CBC, charging that Fm on the PLO payroll. Another stack charges that Fni paid by the Zionist organization. But I find, mostly, that people who have heard me on radio have real questions.**
Eighteen years ago, so did Layie. The son of Holocaust Survivors from Germany who had changed their name from Loewenstein to Lowens, the Fort Wayne, Indiana native held down a secure job as anchorman for WSBT in nearby South Bend. But he was dissatisfied.
**I was disgusted with the
scene in North America,** he said, "^bhe night Israel popped into my mindr^lter going on an ostensible visit, 'Tm still on my first trip,** said Lavie, who changed his name.__
From 1972 to^l986, he served as a reporter and announcer for the Israel
invited him to join their Caravan after they took part in.^ 500-student mission in Israel.
During his years with Israel Radio, he helped cover the Yom Kippur War with a ske-"ieton staff while other reporters were on the battlefields. And oh March 22,1979, when
Broadcasting Authority*s the Egyptian-Israeli peace English-language shortwave treaty was signed in Washing-service before working on an ton, Lavie broadcast from an assignment basis for CBC. He odd vantage point, also gives stories to Britain*s *'I was anchoring a world-Independent Radio Network, wide broadcast in Israel, and which distributes them was supposed to do a little through much of the Com- newsreel first,** he remembers, monwealth. Though Ameri- 'i was then supposed to say, can by birth, LaVie chose CBC *Now wego over live from our because **I think they*re the reporter in Washington.* number one news outlet in the ,*The guys in the control English field.** ^ room said, 'No live!* So in the Lavie fmds that the seven- end, I broadcast the sighing
hour time difference between Israel and Central Canada works well: "At noon in Canada, things will have happened in Israel,** he said.
ceremony live — while watching a black-and-white T.V. screen in Jerusalem!**
His Hebrew, learned during a five-month ulpan course in
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LAVIE: "Often, I can fill a'hole' in the news that needs explaining."
*Often, I can fill a *hole* in the Israel, is now better than his news that needs explaining.** English. Lavie also knows His boss frequently asks some Arabic, a smattering of him to report on specific sto- French, and sign language — ri6s;~siich as the establishment a link with his deaf seven-of the Gaza Strip settlement of year-old stepdaughter. Dugit. Other times, he He met his second wife initiates sometimes startling Ruth, a former Washington-investigations, born singer, while he covered "I did one on Palestinian a speech at the King David underground music. I got in hotel 11 years ago. "She*s very on a secret jam session; they*d unpolitical and doesn*t ask be arrested if they played in about my work,** he stated, public,*' he recalled. "I The La vies and their four recorded some segments of children live in Jerusalem*s the rehearsal for my story.*' East Talpiyot neighborhood, Few of his stories are cen- "across the street" from an sored by the Israeli govern- Arab village. "One of the few ment, and then only for mil- religious reporters in the itaryreasons, said Lavie. CBC country,""Mark Lavie dodsn*t Radio uses 90 to 95 percent of report during the Sabbath,' the stories he files. He carries a leaving the work to a less CBC identification card for observant assistant. On one regular purposes, and a Pales- Friday night, he had to sign tine Press Association pass for off in mid-broadcast, use when interviewing Arabs Lavie doesn't regret his in the Territories. move to Israel, nor to radio.
"I'm very happy here," he declared. "I'm not in the scoop business. My type of journalism is more concerned with gelting it right."
AMICHAI
Yehuda Amichai writes and reads from the heart
By J ANNETTE EDMONDS
Though the **Canadian angle" isn't his top priority, the correspondent will offer it when the occasion arises, Network Canada leaders
"1 use my poetry to try to document my own life. It's like a private archive," Israeli poet laureate Yehuda Amichai told his Vancouver ajudience at a recent reading of his poetry.
Amichai turned 66 the day he spoke at Beth Israel to a group of over 100 who came to hear this highly-lauded poet. At 66 he has seen much Of life and thankfully has captured much of it in his poetry, which spans a 40-year period.
"Each poem hides in it something very personal, even if it's not seen on the surface. I write for myself, the highlights, both good and bad," he said.
Those highlights, captured in words both piercing and thought-provoking, were
JWBSUift
The recent influx of Soviet Jews to Israel is a "blessing to the Jewish people," affirmed Shimon Arbel in an interview v/ith The Bulletin.
Executive vice-president of Canadian Friends of Hebrew university, Arbel visited Vancouver from his base in Toronto todiscuss the role of Hebrew U. in the absorption and education of these newly arriving immigrants.
He offered three reasons for encouraging Soviet immigration to Israel."First of all,the mandate^ the raison d'etre of Israel is to provide a haven for Jews — and these Jews are escaping persecutioiraiid fmd-ing refuge in Isia^.
"Second, there are 4.5 million Israelis surrounded by 220 million Arabs in 22 Arab states. Each and every Jew that settles in Israel streng-thensthe state and ensures our continued survival.
"Finally, looking at Israel's economy over 40 years shows that waves of immigration actually strengthen the economy."
Having recently returned i'rbm Israel, Arbel observed
that Israelis are making every effort to make the Soviets feel welcome, because thfey believe that their home is in Israel, not Canada or the-U.S.
"If the doors remain open, and we have every indication that they will, as many as one-half of Russia's two million Jevvs will leave the USSR — especially in light of the rise of anti-Semitism by groups like-Pamyat."
Reports indicate that ^t present^ approximately 6,000 Jews apply to emigrate, from Russia every day.
This wave of immigration,. the largest since the 1950s, poses two major challenges to Israel, ^aid Arbel: housing and empioymentv
"On top of that, Israel how faces an unemployment rate of nine percent/* he added. With an increased presence of Russians, niost of whom are professionals, two things must happen: "Many need to be retrained and many will have to take jobs not relaited to their field of knowledge.*' - As M^ell, eight percent of all newcomers are of college age.
These factors, retraining adultsand educating students, mean that Hebrew U. will be expected to play a vital role in
students will probably enter Hebrew U."
These ' tr^^nds will pose major budgetary problems for
educating and integrating all the university, such as provid-
newcomers, especially college ing additional housing and
students, Arbel coinmented. deyeloping special programs
"In fact, half of all incoming to meet the needs of the new
ARBEL ... Soviet Immigration to Israel Is a blessing to the Jewish people.
students, including Hebrew language development, he said. "Needless to say, staffing these programs will also involve significant costs to the university."
Although these students receive help from the government and the Jewish Agency (in the form of tuition scholarships, accommodation allowance and a cash grant of $30 a month), . Hebrew U. estimates that aid Will cover only about one-third of the $5,000-$6,000 dollar price tag for each student in one school year. Therefore, the university wiiFhave to supplement these grants.
To absorb 1,000 immigrant students from the Soviet Union, Hebrew U. requires$3_ million a year toward cpver-ihg academic expenses and providing student aid. This does not include expanding and upgrading current facilities, which will add $9 million more to the cost of education.
Concluding the interview, Arbel commented that two things are needed from the Diaspora immediately: philanthropy and foreign investment.
stunning in their depth and clarity. War, love, loss and longing, all came alive through the words he spoke with such quiet, measured power, as if he were sharing some hidden intimacy with his listeners.
In the words of Rabbi Wilfred Solomon, ^yho introduced Amichai, "The poet and his poetry are indivisible"
Amichai's very personal way of delivery reflected the personal way in which he writes. His experiences seem to reflect the experience of Israel and the Jewish people.
His poetry seemed far from controversial, but rather, written from the heart and one sensed the same sincerity and often humility in the reading of his poems.
Amichai has lectured extensively in both Canada and the U.S. and his work has been translated into over 20 languages. A recipient of all the major literary awards in Israel, he writes about life there, where he emigrated from Germany with his parents in 1935. He has been called a modern psalmist because of the Biblical imagery in his poetry, yet he is totally modern in his poetic/ social commentary on war, politics, history, loye and hate.
"I use the Bible as a natural resource," said Amichai. "It is so much a part of our culture."
Religious imagery abounds in his poetry. *For My Birthday' reads — ". . . my good deeds grow smaller/ and smaller. But/ the interpretations arou^ad^ them ha^e grown huge, as in/ an obscure passage of the Talmud/ Where the text takes up less and less of the page/ and Rashi and the other com^ mentators/ close in on it from every side."
Amichai delighted his audience and one hop^s he will return again soon.
The event was sponsored by the Beth Israel Adult Educa-tion committee, and hosted by Cheri and Bud Smith in memory of Harry Smith, Laura and Iser Steimah and Norman Rothstein.