Colombian Jewry Sees 1 Progress Where Spanish Inquisition Once Thrived By EDNA AIZENBERG BOGOTA (JTA) — Just several weeks ago, the front pages of Bogota's dailies carried a photo of three Co- 1 o m b i a n chiefs-of-state — President Misael Paitrana Borrero, President-elect Al- fonso Lopez Michelsen (due to take office in August), and ex-President Carlos Llersa Restrepo—at the inauguration of the Menorah Technical High School, a building totally financed and equip- ped through the effori.„ of Colombia's Bnai Brith Wom- en in one of the city's lower- class neighborhoods. President Pastrana called the donation "an act of gen- erous solidarity" and refer- red to the 10,000 member Jewish community as "a splendid -group" worthy of "ever greater admiration and affection." Pastr an a's words would have turned an inquisitor's stomach; and indeed, the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias had been one of the principal seats of the Spanish Inquisition in America dur- ing the Colonial period. History books speak of a crypto-Jewish presence in the vice-royalty of New Granada, as the area was then called. Some further argue that the Colombian state of An- tioquia (Antioch) had a large proportion of crypto-Jews as evidenced not only by its name, but also by the sup- posedly Judaic traits and practices of the inhabitants —good business sense, a pen- chant for hard work, light- ing candles in the cellar on Friday night—which are still cited by Colombians as char- acteristics of the present-day antiquenos. One is on firmer historical ground in saying that the first Jew,s to openly settle in Colombia were Caribbean Sephardim who came from JamaiCa, Curacao, and other islands at the turn of the 19th Century when New Granada became independent of Span- ish rule and the anti-Jewish legislation was abolished. One such immigrant was George Henry Isaacs, a resi- dent of Kingston, who arriv- ed on Colombian soil in search of fortune and married the daughter of a Spanish ship captain after converting to Catholicism. Their -son, Jorge (1837- 95,) became a leading writer whose romantic novel, Maria, put , Colombia on the literary map of the Spanish-speaking world. The heroine, Maria (nee Esther), was modeled on the author's orphaned cousin, also a Jewish native of Jamaica. Her star-crossed lover, supposedly Isaacs him- self, was significantly named Efrain. While Isaacs was penning his love story, Curacaoan Jews were settling in - the costal towns of Santa Marta, Rio Ilacha, Cartagena and Barranquilla. Visitors to Bar- ranquilla land at the Cortis- soz Airport, named after a Yew from Curacao. The Bank of Barranquilla . 56—Friday, July 26, 1974 and the city's municipal water works were also start- ed by Jews. The founders of the mod- ern Colombian Jewish yishuv were Sephardim, but these were from North Africa and Turkey and came about the time of World War I. They were followed by their Polish and Bessaarabian brethren who in 1929 found- ed the Centro Israelita de Bogota, the country's first Jewish institution. Hitler's persecutions brought other Eastern European and Ger- man Jews to Colombia. Starting out as itinerant salesmen offering dry goods from door to door,these Jew- ish immigrants—writes pro- minent Colombian journalist Alberto Lleras in an article, "A Humble Jewish Revolu- tion"—"didn't know that they were making a small econo- mic revolution, but they were." According to Lleras, until the advent of the Jews only the upper classes could afford the expensive imported items sold in Colombia. With skill and dedication the immigrants worked their way up to ownership and management of textile and footwear plants. Their chil- dren went on to college and are today- professionals — lawyers, doctors, engineers. The are likely to live in one of Colombia's four ma- jor cities: Bogota, with half the Jewish population, Cali, with 3,000 Jews, and Bar- ranquilla and Medellin with about 1,000 each. Every one of the communities has a Jewish day school, at least one synagogue and often more, and—with the excep- tion of Medellin — a Jewish country club. . Bogota is also the seat of the Bnai Brith Hillel House which provides accommoda- tions for -students away from home along with usual Hillel activities. Its director, Rab- bi Gunther Friedlander, was trained in Germany and lived in Chile for many years. There are five other rabbis serving the various Colombo- Jewish institutions, all edu- cated abroad, either in Europe, North Africa or Tur- key and Argentina. Elderly to Be Serviced in JVS Program (Continued from Page 1) being, it was decided to ex- tend the program to serve ' additional aged clients. The new program also will coordinate other professional services in cooperation with United Community Services and Jewish Welfare Federa- tion agencies to enable the clients to benefit from a full range of social, medical and recreational services in ',the community. JVS-CW is a member agency of the Jewish Welfare Federation and United Coin- munity Services, and is a beneficiary of the United Fund. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS A FEATURE SUPPLEMENT sponsored by TARBUTH FOUNDATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF HEBREW CULTURE The Temper of the Time What could be more expressive of Israel's mood at this junc- ture than the following poem—"OH, GOD OF COMPASSION" by Yehuda Amichai, truly a representative poet of this gen- eration? Yehuda Amichai, born in Germany, came to Israel in 1936 and -lives now in Jerusalem. The Poem and its translation is reprinted with permission from OROT, Journal of Hebrew Literature, published by the Department of Edutation and Culture in the Diaspora, World Zionist Organization. m513 5X nmrn 0 God of Compassion 0 God of Compassion— If God weren't so full of compassion the world could have some of it too. I who gathered flowers at the foot of the mountain, who gazed steadfastly at all the valleys, who brought fallen bodies down from the hills, can swear that the world is devoid of compassion. I who was salt-king on the seashore, who stood irresolutely at my window, who counted .the footsteps of angels, whose heart lifted heavy-weights of pain in those fearful contests, I who'employ but a fractional part of the words in the dictionary, 71 1?- '71,7; I who solve riddles whether I like it or not, know that if God weren't so full of compassion the world could have some of it too. ri`P7 4 x'77: 1 7Nri xLmt7e ti n'71v3 trnrrim T T • T T rzin No "LOVE STORY" but... An Announcement of Tel Aviv University Faculty of the Humanities — Faculty of the Arts on Guest Lectures by ri.v.r7sr; 1777.1,/r,tr.T;szn •711t:1 r., Prof. Erich Segal of Yale University (author of "Love Story") 71.S ri`SX.r) t'” : 1 2K- 11:1 in Fasslicht Hall, Mexico House. University City at Ramat Gan, P 4'714 /D1nD tIV cfnzns :1, 17 ,r,wcn ron 1:1"!St r"Sti, 14.00 .AthIetics and Greek Mentality t.:. !,11t1 20.00 nr:a 29.4.74 '.1V The Business of Roman Comedy ; -,n niN r) rItr1.'2 ;1•r.r,pnri • ■■•■•■•■, INIONitt.••• I la* 1111 Sunday, April' 28 at 2'.00 P.M. "ATHLETICS & 28.4:74 i17.7N1 ' GREEK MENTALITY" (with accompanying film) Monday, April 29 at 8:00 P.M. "THE BUSINESS OF ROMAN COMEDY" The lectures will be given in English. The Public is Invited.