THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, February 11, 1977 53

Alma: The Sad State of a Decaying Upper Galilee Moshav

BY UZI BENZIMAN
(Copyright 1977, JTA, Inc.)

The sheep wander
along the single cracking
street of Moshav Alma,
walking right into the
paint-peeled houses in
their perpetual search for
food. Boys and girls play-
ing hooky from school,
vociferously chase the
sheep.
Uniformly overweight
women chatter noisily in
Arabic while spreading
red peppers in their cour-
tyards in order to pickle
them in the last of the au-
mn sun.
/ilma, a 100-family (750
p-erson) agricultural set-
tlement ,populated by
immigrants who came to
Israel from Libya in the
early 1950s, goes about its
humdrum daily routine.
Everything that hap-
pens — and doesn't hap-

pen — in Alma must be
seen against the backdrop
of a continuous and ongo-
ing feud between the two
clans which comprise the
bulk of the population in
the settlement.
Ever since its estab-
lishment, 25 years ago,
Alma has been the scene
of a bitter, emotional and
sometimes violent dis-
pute spiritedly conducted
by the two clan heads.
The dispute is, in fact,
the key to comprehending-
the miserable situation of
this Upper-Galilee set-
tlement.
Local politicians run-
ning each year for a seat
on the village council use
almost any means in
order to achieve power.
They resort to. pressure,
terror, blandishments
and promises in order to
win votes.

The politicians who win
office improve the stan-
dard of living of their own
clan while deliberately
discriminating against
the rival family.
The perpetual conflict
between the two clans has
been dominant in Alma's
brief history. The poor
conditions of the village
are reflected in almost
every aspect of its life.
Physically, Alma re-
sembles a refugee camp
rather than an agricul-
tural village.
Its houses are cracked,'
and chipped, and their
courtyards littered with
garbage. There are
neither gardens nor
lawns in Alma; any open
spaces are unkept and
overgrown with thistles.
Most of Alma's families
have many children, but

`Dry Bones': A Best-Seller

- r1.16. CHAIR 44AS

U 1?(A) ADVISED

- NAT

Toe

DisiitAuISRED

Re??€S60-1\11U6.1.

By MEYER LEVIN

(Copyright 1977, JTA, Inc.)

A surprise best-seller in
Israel, now catching on
here, is "Dry Bones," a
compilation of cartoon
strips from the Jerusalem
Post, published by
Cheeryfield Associates,
Tel Aviv. Ya'akov
Kirschen has a drawing-
style and satire-slant en-
tirely his own; perhaps
the nearest model would
be Jules Feiffer, but
rschen's mockery is
involuted. And he's
warmer:
•
The cartoons, while ex-
cellently drawn, with an
amazing economy of line,
are basically verbal.
Kirschen's pet themes,
spiced with the flavor of
life in Israel, have univ-
ersal frustrations,
ironies, contradictions as
the stuff for mockery.
Thus, bureaucracy is a
No. 1 target, as in the
strip showing a series of
pictures of a dejected an-
cient. The balloons read 1.
Methusalah, you're 969
years old!! 2. What keeps

you going?? What secret of characters.
inner drive pushes you
Other favorite charac-
on?? 4. How have you ters are Arafat and Kis-
"hung on" this long?? singer, both deftly carica-
(Methusaleh speaks) — tured. And then there is
I'm still waiting for them Kirschen's own creation,
to install my telephone. 6. Shuldig, a bald-headed
(He slyly holds up two goo-goo eyed little man
fingers in the V for vic- with a few side-hairs and
tory sign.)
a potato nose: Israel's av-
The combination of a Bi- erage citizen, long-
blical figure with a suffering, ever hopeful,
present-day subject, while warm hearted; and a disil-
a favorite use of anac- lusioned observer of in-
hronism in the cartoon ternational politics, with
world, is particularly apt wry comments on Kis-
for Israel, of course, and singer, the United Na-
Solomon is a recurring fi- tions, inflation, and gov-
gure in the Kirschen cast ernmentalism.

only a few of the parents
are able to help educate
their children. Only 20
percent of Alma's young
pupils reach an accepta-
ble academic standard.
There is effectively no
cultural activity whatever
in Alma. Most of the villa-
gei-s rarely leave the vil-
lage.
Most do not read either
books or newspapers.
Television is the single
line of communication be-
tween Alma and the
world outside.
Apart fromtheir formal

participation in the
yearly elections, the vil-
lagers are indifferent to
the political or practical
situation prevailing in
their village.
The people of Alma con-
sider themselves aban-

Cantors Will
Hold Parley

doned and backward.
They say that they are
not competent to educate
their own children, nor do
they have a real chance to
improve their lives.
In purely economic
terms, it must be stressed,
Alma is not dificient. The
villagers have quite high
incomes and the au-
thorities have over the
years allocated considera-
ble funds for individual
and communal help when
required.
Nevertheless, it seems
clear that without a basic
effort to assist with the
mental and psychological
difficulties of Alma resi-
dents, the village will
continue to reflect a sub-
standard pattern of civic
life in comparison with
mainstream Israel.

NEW YORK — The
first annual mid-winter
conference of the Canto-
rial Council of America
will be held Sunday, at
Yeshiva University's
Midtown Campus in
Manhattan. Music for
Rabbis Hit Bingo,
Passover will be featured.
Millionaire Parties
The third session will
feature "Hazanut for
BY BEN GALLOB
Pesakh" with Cantor
(Copyright 1977, JTA, Inc.)
Hyman J. Adler, Cong.
The use by synagogues Bnai David, Detroit.
of such gambling
methods as Las Vegas p
nights and bingo to raise
funds to help meet their
budgets is strongly op-
A quiz testing your knowledge about
posed by the central or-
Jerusalem has been prepared by Tamar
ganizations of Reform,
Grand and Dr. A.P. Gannes in obser-
Conservative and Or-
vance of the 10th anniversary of the
thodox congregations
reunification of Jerusalem. This fea-
and does not appear to be
ture has been prepared for the member
a significant problem for
papers of the American Jewish Press
any category of syna-
Association by the Department of Edu-
gogues.
cation and Hebrew Culture of the
That
conclusion
American Section of the World Zionist
emerged from the results
Organization.
of a telephone survey by
1. Wha.1 is Hakirya?
the Jewish Telegraphic
2. How many members are there in the Knesset?
Agency of the views of of-
3. How many houses are there in the Knesset?
ficials of the (Reform)
4. Are there any Arab members in the Knesset?
Union of American He-
5. What law was passed by the Knesset to protect
brew Congregations, the
free access and religious practice of all faiths?
(Conservative) United
6. Who is the mayor of Jerusalem?
Synagogue of America,
7. What made it necessary in 1948 to abandon the
the Union of Orthodox
University activities on Mt. Scopus?
Jewish Congregations of
8. Who was the first president of the Hebrew Univer-
America and the (Or-
sity?
thodox) Young Israel or-
9. Who is the current president of the Hebrew Uni-
ganization.
versity?
The survey was made
10. Where are the two campuses of the Hebrew Uni-
after an official of the
versity located?
Rabbinical Council of
11. What boulevard in Jerusalem was named for the
America, an association
first president of Israel?
of Orthodox rabbis, de-
clared that leaders of the 12. A street in Jerusalem was named for Ibn Gabirol.
Who was he?
major American faiths
should band together "to 13. What street in Jerusalem is named for a leader of
the World Mizrachi organization? There is also a
combat the proliferation
university in Tel Aviv which bears his name.
of Las Vegas nights and
other forms of blatant 14. What is the oldest Jewish hospital in Jerusalem?
gambling in synagogues, 15. There is a color often used to describe Jerusalem
and it is contained in a popular song title. What is
churches and religious
it?
institutions" which he
said "undermine the reli- 16. What kind of stone is traditionally used for build-
ing in Jerusalem?
gious character of these
17. What is Gan HaAtzmaut?
institutions."
18. What famous hotel in Jerusalem bears the name of
a biblical king?
Greece•Uses Solar
19. The city of Philadelphia presented Jerusalem with
Plates from Israel
a replica of a famous American symbol. Whatis it?
TEL AVIV (JTA) — An 20. What is the inscription on this symbol?
Israeli company that
Quiz Answers
manufactures solar
(snoiliAarn
energy collector -plates „•puer-
i.notprioatii
uwelooad„ 'Og
aqT
i
has licensed a Greek firm
• eIuualuaolg u -eopaury aqT jo uopeaciaiaD
to produce the devices to ut paTuasead sum Hag S.;iaqvi am. jo uatjda.z ata
'61
provide hot water for
pIneci
.8T
hotels and other public tuaiesnaar jo &41D maN aqT IaToH
ill )1.1ed aouapuadapui 'LT
buildings.
auo;sauzii )luid-uapion 9T
Two Greek hotels, one
pion Jo maiesniar netrez tails uziSeietisrmaA ' ST
on Crete and the other on
3 1431 eZ arouLls 17T
the island of Myconos, are
ueii-aeg nark poiqu'a *ST
now deriving their
-uieds SanivaD I T T jo aatidooutid pun
energy from solar plates laod ma.maH
2uipeai e sum iodigen uca uotuoios gT
patented by the Miromit
prenainog uuutuzIam 'TT
Co. of Israel. The Israeli
uez{ 4eAlD pun sndoas •I.AT up OT
firm has also supplied
tie Luxe H illetreaAv
'6
plates for one of the
sau2evi ri crepnf zQ '8
largest hotels on Corsica
•uoii.e.zacin
jo
aum
aqT
2utarip
and for Israeli hotels at squid; aqT Sci jjo Trio sum sndtueo am 64 .4 ssaoov
Eilat on the Red Sea.
)1aII0 31 SPPai *9
The rise in fuel prices
L961 `2,3
has caused two kibutzim aunf uo passed Akw-i saDuid SioH jo uop5aToad
aqy
to shift to solar energy.
.g aau °Jam luas
Beit Hashita in the Jez-
a.id TV •alup o; awl; tuoaj salaun aaquinu aq; `saA t
reel Valley and Maagan
auo :quo .o
Michael, on the Mediter-
OgT
ranean coast, have instal-
•paifeD st mapsruar
led solar energy systems
Jo luautuaano2 aq; levitik st 4ut.n. pu?
based on the patents of ut lau.zsi
alum 2u1u.eatu !mom ma-a-ciaH ati; st uSapjuH
Prof. Harry Tabor.

Jerusalem Quiz

trI7rm,

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Pittsburgh Elderly Get Federal Aid

PITTSBURGH (JTA) —
A one-year federal grant
to the United Jewish
Federation of- Greater
Pittsburgh will be used to
develop a program of new
services to the Jewish
aged in the Squirrel Hill
section of Pittsburgh, ac-
cording to Dr. Sidney N.
Busis, Federation presi-
dent.

Busis said that the

$78,809 grant will make
possible "a bold new
program of socialization,
recreation, outreach, in-
formation and referral"
for some 2,500 persons
over 60. The activities will
be offered at the National
Council of Jewish Wo-
men's Anathan House
and at the Jewish com-
munity center's Irene
Kaufmann center in
Squirrel Hill.

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