18 Friday, February 25, 1977
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
.
Anti-Semitism in Argentina and Effects on Aliya
By ILAN CHAIM
larly milked cows in the
world Zionist Organization
Israeli propaganda stable
One of the most regu- is the issue of anti-
coming soon
Semitism in the Diaspora,
especially as such a
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ask, when 'reading a
about the rise of various
neo-Nazi movements in
the world, or even a
specific act of hatred —
arson at a Jewish home
for the aged in Germany
or the bombing of a
Jewish school in Argen-
tina — is "Why would the
Jews live in such a place?"
It is true that Israelhas a
not immodest security
problem of its own; but
while Israelis do have to
defend themselves
against a number of
dangerously armed anti-
Zionists, they do so as a
collective body within the
unified structure of a
state.
While hatred for Jews is
an unfortunate reality —
whether termed by the
historic code words
"anti-Semitism" or the
more currently popular
"anti-Zionism" — the
Jews of Israel have man-
aged to keep such hatred
beyond their borders.
An interesting place to
observe the Various exter-
nal and internal manifes-
tations of anti-Semitism
today is Argentina. There
is widespread anti-
Semitism in Argentina —
from the ubiquitous, if
low-keyed, traditional
Jew-hatred of the Catholic
Church to the flourishing
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and increasingly violent
neo-Nazi organizations.
But the Jewish re-
sponse to such an atmos-
phere of hatred is no more
enlightened or imagina-
tive than that of the Jews
of Poland, 40 years ago, or
the Jews of Iraq, in re-
cent times. Some point
out that the present rate -
of intermarriage in
Argentina — reportedly
60 percent — will elimi-
nate the Jewish problem
within a generation.
Geno-suicide?
Israel certainly has a
direct interest in en-
couraging aliya from
communities like Argen-
tina; and one would sup-
pose that Argentinian
Jews would have a desire
to immigrate — if not to
Israel, then at least to a
more hospitable envi-
ronment. But even
though Argentinian Jews
are aware of anti-
Semitism, they do not
equate its manifestations
with a pro-holocaust
warm-up. Most are con-
tent to ignore it as much
as they can and lead their
generally prosperous
lives.
When the Argentina
Nationalist _ Socialist
Front, a neo-Nazi group,
publicly claimed respon-
sibility for bombing and
machine gun attacks
against Jewish busines-
ses and synagogues in
Buenos Aires and Cor-
doba recently, the police
explained that this was
"part of a continuing
anti-Semitic campaign in
Argentina". The conclu-
sion one must. draw from
such a situation is that
anti-Semitism in itself
.
Rabbi's Book Deals
With Jewish Law
NEW YORK — "Con-
servative Judaism and
Jewish. Law," the first
book devoted entirely to
the attitude-of Conserva-
tive Judaism to - Jewish
law will be published this
spring by the Rabbinical
Assembly, it was an-
nounced by Rabbi Stan-
ley Rabinowitz, presi-
dent.
Edited by Rabbi
Seymour Siegel, chair-
man of the Rabbinical
Assembly's Committee on
Jewish Law and Stan-
dards and professor of
theology and ethics at the
Jewish Theological Semi-
nary, it contains essays
by 18 leading Conserva-
tive scholars.
- With an introduction by
Rabbi Siegel on "The
Meaning ofJewish Law in
Conservative Judaism;
An Overview and Suin-
mary," the present vol-
ume which Rabbi Siegel
compiled, with the assis-
tance of Elliott Giertel,
contains essays .by: Jacob
Agus, Aaron Blumenthal,
Boaz Cohen, David
Feldman, Louis Finkels-
tein, Louis Ginzberg,
Robert Gordis, Simon
Greenberg, Will Herberg,
Abraham J. Heschel,
Louis Jacobs, Max
Kadushin, Mordecai 'M.
Kaplan, Isaac -Klein,
Philip Sigal, Israel Sil-
verman and -Ernest Si-
mon.
will not intimidate the
Jews of Argentina And
induce them to. go on
aliya.
Unfortunately, the lack
ofJewish consciousness —
education and culture --
which is the leading cause
of a self-defeating
paralysis in the Argenti-
nian Jewish community, is
as yet not being remedied
by the Israeli informa-
tional apparatus in the
country.
A common criticism of
the emissaries Israel
sends (and not just in
Argentina) .is that they
have not been idealistic
enough themselves to at-
tract those mose inclined
to accept the challenges
of 'aliya — the youth.
-Young Argentinians
complain of Israel being
"sold" the same way as in
1948, without regard for
the needs of the modern
generation.
There is the further
contradiction presented
by the Israeli who re-
quests funds, on the pre-
text that Israel is a small
Country in constant
danger, with the Israeli
who comes to "save" the
Argentinians from their
anti-Semitic neighbors. A
number of Israeli emigres
— the yordirh
do not
create a good impression
for Israel, either.
What Argentinian Jews
need, if they are going to
be able to save them-
selves or eventually con-
tribute to developing Is-
rael, is to be made aware
of the vast array of social
.challenges in Israel
which could serve to
channel their idealism.
—
Argentinian Jewish
youth must be lead to fight
Jewish social battles as
their first priority. The
fight for universal social
justice is a worthy battle
itself, but one whos
heroes are seldom the
Jewish people.
Just as the civil rights
movement in the United
States was largely Jewish
led, before the Jews were
eventually kicked out, so
will Argentinian Jewish
activists ultimately learn
the hard truth of ethnic
self-assertion. It is up to
Israel to make sure they
do not learn this lesson
the hard way. _
—41
Israel Banking Head Sees
Economic Improvement Ahead
NEW YORK — Arnon
Gafni, new Cen-
tral Bank governor is
currently on a visit to the
U.S. introducing himself
to the New York banking
community and members
of the Carter Administra-
tion, while putting the
best face he can on Is-
rael's 'current economic
difficulties.
"There has been an im-
provement and we will
see -more," he said in a
New York Times inter-
view. However, Gafni
says, this year Israel's
top priority must be to re-
duce its inflation rate. It
reached 3'8 percent in
1976 and Gafni wants to
see it in "the upper 20s"
by the end of 1977.
Gafni's main concern is
with ,financing Israel's
large balance of pay-
ments deficit and manag-
11
1
4
.
ARNON GAFNI
ing its substantial foreign
debts. Gafni is aware of
the general concern over
Israel's accumulated
foreign debt, which now
totals $8.8 billion for a
country of only 3.3 million
people.
-90
However, Gafni is confi-
dent of being able to find
from Israel's own re-
sources the roughly $3 bil-
HAIFA — The Techn- lion he will need to finance
ion — Israel Institute of the current annual deficit,
Technology honored the though he is-relying heav-
late Ascher Mallah, who ily on the support of the
in December, 1911 se- Carter Administration
cured an Ottomon gov- and the American Jewish
ernment decree permit- - community.
Technion Pioneer
Memory _Honored
ting construction of
Technion's first building
in Haifa.
To mark the occasion,
the main catalogue hall in
Technion's Elyachar Li-
brary was named in
memory of both Mallah
and his late wife Eva, in
tribute to his. efforts to
make the idea of Techn-
ion a reality.
Mrs. Gerald Biesel, his
daughter, on behalf of
herself and her brother,
Alexander Mallat, both of
Paris, presented Techn-
ion President, General
(Res.) Amos Horev, with
the original documents
relating to their father's
efforts. •
Nevertheless, Gafni
conceeds that no country
can go on accumulating
debts at Israel's _rates
forever. Eventually fi-
nancial considerations.
may also encourage the —
search for a Middle East
settlement, putting Is-
rael's economy on a soun-
der footing.
Issac Aboab I, wh-O
lived in late-14th Century
Spain, was the author of
"Menorat ha-Maor"
(Lamp of Light), one of
the most popular works of
religious edification
among the Jews of the
Middle Ages.