I^iday, September 25, 1970
5 _I_:_
JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
Page Twenty-seven
ULP.AN: microcosm of Israel
(Continued from Page 26)
t.
|: Twice in his life, Itzhak broke ffaway from a life of wealth and '■. fbusiness activity in Arab coun-;;tries, breaks that may have saved I f^his life and certainly saved his peace of mind. At 23, he left his family of eight brothers and a sister, a big wholesale drug business, all his possessions, and walked by foot out of Syria to Lebanon.
"I thought Lebanon was the lesser of the two evils. I wanted to come to Israel but it was impossible. All my life, 1 wanted Israel. I went to Lebanon because it was better than Syria and the only place I could go. I worked there and built up a wholesale drug business like the one I had
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in. Damascus."
"We had everything we needed -in Beirut ... a home, servants, furniture, car. My business was very good. But I don't like living in Arab countries. They don't like Jews so why stay where you are not liked?"
With a lot of effort, he finally received special permission to take his things and leave Lebanon. One warehouse full of drugs and medical supplies he locked up, hoping to bring it to Israel some day and so began anew the drug business he had had in Damascus and Beirut. This time he thinks it will be for good.
In any case, he's not worried about Ccirning a living. He has found in life that 'if you work, you can earn your bread even if it's difficult at first."
His family in Damascus is a constant source of worry. "My broth'ers. work but they are almost prisoners. They cannot go more than 5 kilometres from their homes." To them, Itzhak is the brother who got away. ...
ALEXANDER, 23, a handsome,
easy-going fellow who keeps the class laughing, came to Israel three months ago. He found a job v/ith El Al as a clerk, studies Hebrew evenings and lives in Ramat Chen with another Dutch friend.
Alex had a comfortable life in Amsterdam. He lived with his parents in a nice middle class home and was a partner with his father in a porcelain and fine-china business. He travelled and saw life in many countries.
"Why did I come to Israel? I v/anted to pool my future with Israel's. ..."
"I visited Israel twice before coming to settle and was attracted to the freedom of young people here, Living in my parents' home, I wasn't exactly independent. Also I wanted to marry a Jewish girl. In Holland, there isn't such a big choice. Here, in Israel, it's something else," he said breaking out in a wide grin, his eyes twinkling.
"There's more: If I had only wanted independence, I could have gone to England or France.
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RUTHIE, THE TEACHER, enters each day with a bright "Erev Tov", a smile and she turns the Ulpan class on. Backs straighten, minds click on and the learning process begins. First it's spoken, then it's written, then practiced so that by the end of a class, the 16 different accents from 16 different countries begin to ^ound like — Hebrew.
I came to Israel because I'm a Jew. I'm not religious but I'm Jewish. In Holland, once you leave your Jewish friends it's like crossing the line. There's no outward anti-Semitism but there's something you know is there, imder the surface. It comes out in times of trouble. If something goes wrong and a Jew is involved, it's worse because he's a Jew. If things go well and Jews are wealthy there's envy because Jews have money and success."
"In Israel, there are no lines to cross."
Alex thinks he's in love . . . with an Israeli girl he met here. She may help him decide about his future. He may go to the University to study marketing or
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