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VOL. LVII, NO. 1 TEVETH7i5750 THURSDAY, JANUARY, 1990
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JEWS
By HUGH ORGEL
TEL AVIV Romania's Je^fHsh community appears to be^u popular uprising that ousted dictator NicolaeCeausescii;
Roinania\National Salvation Front said last week that it had executed Ceaus^ii, his wife and son.
Th(|front also claimed that 60,000 Romanians had been killed in the^iolence in that country. As streetlighting continued in the major cities, local community leaders said no Jews were harmed^ as for as they knew.
Israel Sun
CONFESSED MURDERER of five women and two men in Jaffa, Muliamadliaiaby is transported in liandcuffs in Tei Aviv court. Informer for Shin Bet in his native town of Gaza, he fled to Tel Aviv with legal permit after being exposed. There, he associated with criminals, seven of whom he killed after quarrel about money.
Panama's Jews take herbic stand
By SUSAN BIRNBAUM
NEW YORK.— Chanuka was not a joyous time for the Jews of Panama, but^its very first day was a time for heroics in keeping with the mood of the holiday.
Following the U.S. invasion of Panama on Dec. 21, the Jews, a majority of whom are merchants, found their businesses mercilessly looted, down to the lighting fixtures and toilet facilities. They placed calls of desperation to U.S. Jews.
As dusk approached, when Jews should have been preparing to light menorahs, those living in the swank neighborhood of Punta de Patilla found themselves about to be assaulted in their homes. They
quickly formed their own vigilante brigade.
An armed Jewish brigade of about 30 men keeping watch was successful in turning away assailants and even, in one case, capturing armed thugs attached to ousted military strongman Manuel Noriega, according to accounts pieced together from Jewish sources in New York who have maintained close telephone contact with Jews in Panama.
The two pro-Noriega men, whom the Jews turned over to the U.S. troops, were bodyguards of Noriega's mistress,^ said New York businessman Mitchell Drimmeri Who handles shipping for businesses in Central America, a large number of which are owned by Jews.
Jews, in fact, own a substantial share of major businesses in Panama. Guesses at how large a share range from "a conservative estimate of 70 percent" to "over 90 percenV' accordmg-^ to^
descriptions. The Jews have done well, and now they are wiped out, say those familiar with the community.
Jews living in the highrises of Punta de Patilla knew even before the U.S. inva/ion that their neighborhood wduld be assaulted, said Drimmer.- -
Over radiotelephones that business owners there keep to communicate with each other, they heard specific directions between members of Noriega's "Dignity Battalions" to assault the neighborhood,
PANAMA'S - Page 8
Israelis in Romania are also safe, according to reports last week from the Israeli embassy in Bucharest. They include diplomatic and Jewish Agency personnel, people on business, students, and radio and television technicians covering events for Israeli and foreign news organizations^^—
However, a group of about 50 Soviet Jewish emigres en route to Israel was stranded in ucharest and put up at a hotel by the Israeli embassy. The embassy has been in telephone ^nd telex communication with the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem to help the Isrfieli public get news of relatives in Romania.
In New Yorl^ similar reports about the situation of Jews and Israelis in Romania were received by the World Jewish Congress, which has been in contact with Jewish leaders in both Romania and Yugoslavia.
The WJC learned last Week that, because of the violent situation in the country. Chief Rabbi Moshe Rosen cancelled his annual "Chanu^ kiadah" visit to various towns and villages where Jews live.
He had planned to visit the western city of Timisoara, but that was before troops loyal to Ceausescu massacred an estimated 4,500 men, women and children. More violence has since taken place there.
ROSEN ... trip cancelled
A number of Israelis ^re attending medical and dental school programs at the university thei;e^ But they were reported to b^ safe.
Ladislav Kadelbiirg, presi-. dent of the Yugoslav Jewish community, spoke by tele-
phone with the Jewish community leadership of Timisoara. He told .the WJC that no Jews had been hurt in the uprising there.
Theo Blumenfeld, director of the Romanian Jewish community,' wh6 spoke by telephone to the W JC, also said no Jiarm^had^' befallen the Romanian Jewish community and that there had been no manifestations of anti-Semitism. Blumenfeld asked that Jews participate in medical and humanitarian relief efforts for the country. ~
A team: of Israeli doctors and operating room nurses, all Romanian-speaking, was standing by here last week ready to fly to'Bucharest with several tons of medical supplies as soon as the airport is reopened..
- All internatidnal air flights were suspended. The Israeli daily //a Vire/z reported that the Jewish Agency for Israel had begun' rerouting flights carrying Soviet Jews to Israel by way of Hungary, rather than Romania. It said 175 arrived from Budapest, and another gi^oup was due.
ROMANIAN — Pa^e 11
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Pekarsky
JFGV goal of million
The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver could easily succeed in attaining this year's Combined Jewish Appeal target of $4.4 million. Federation president Daniel Pekarsky predicted at the organization's annual general meeting. Given "an extraordinary 16 percent increase" in pledges on cards completed this year over last, "it is indeed possible for us to reach our goal of $4.4 million," Pekarsky told an audience of 150 at Schara Tzedeck. "We ran the most intensive, the most comprehensive, and yes, the most successful Combined Jewish Appeal program in recent memory." As of Dec. 21, $3,830,985 in pledges had been made for Campaign '89, already representing a 3.6 percent increase over the 1988 total, JFVG staff associate Debby Kqffman told The Bulletin. Campaign-related expenses represented Sl^DO.
L Forgiveness — "through negotiations" — of a $185,854 debt to United L Israel Appeal of Canada turned an_end-of-year surplus of less than ^ $2,000 to one of $187,775. Thedebt, which came up at theend of 1988, arose when the JFGV borrowed money to fund a full campaign and acquire a computer. "That (forgiveness). . .generated what we call a surplus," explained Pekarsky.
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attainable
By ETHAN MINOVITZ
Pekarsky noted that Federation allocated $ 1,080,000 to 24 local beneficiaries for the year ending Aug. 31,1989, a 19.2 increaseover last year. The Hebrew Academy, Maimonides High School, Temple Sholom, Beth Hamidrash and Eitz Chaim were allocated money in 1989 but not 1988, according to the organizarion's financial statement. Overall, the total JFGV administrative cost for 1989 was $237,000, repres-lenting 6.4 percent of total net revenues of nearly $3.7 million, said Federation treasurer Ron Rozen. Revenues increased 4.8 percent in. 1989 over 1988, while expenditures totalled almost $700,000, a 12.1 percent jump. The theme dominating Federation concerns was "the rapidly changing demographic profile of our Jewish community," said Pekarsky. In November, the Federation board approved the report of a task force on suburban Jewish education, headed by Howard Karby, which recommended that Vancouver Talmud Torah be asked to establish a Kindergarten-to-Grade 3 Day School in temporary facilities in Richmond, starting September 1991, Pekarsky said.
PEKARSKY - Page 3
^ HoberiEdel
TOP: JFGV president Dan Pekarsky (left) and Men's Division chairman Peter Greek admire Elaine Charkow Award presented to Peter's wife, Women's Division chairman Carol Greek. Right: "You try to be a service-oriented group that tries to reach out and touch others," says Vancouver mayor Gordon Campbell.
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