`Crisis in
Confidence'
as Challenge,
to the Nation
•
Romanian Jewry ,
and the Decline -
of Communities
Commentary, Page 2
Critics and
Defenders
in Middle East
Crises, and
Resistance to
Pressure
THE JEWISH NEWS
A Weekly Review
of Jewish Events
Editorials, Page 4
VOL. LXXV No. 20 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833 $12.00 Per Year: This Issue 30c
July 20, 1979 _
U.S. Energy Plan Applauded;
Oil Crisis -Escalating.
.
NEW YORK (JTA) — President Carter's energy program calling for an immediate sharp
reduction of oil imports and the eventual elimination of American dependence on foreign oil has been _
lauded by American Jewish organizations. They pledged their cooperation. In Israel, Minister for
Energy and Infrastructure Yitzhak Modai lashed the government and the Knesset for not adopting
an urgency similar to President Carter's in an effort to reduce energy consumption. Modai was upset
that several energy measures have been stalled.
LONDON (JTA) — The United States was again asked this
American Jewish leaders applauded Carter's program. In a telegram to the President, Theodore
week to tackle the Russians over the case of Raoul Wallenberg,
Mann, chairman of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC), said:
the Swedish diplomat, whom the Swedish government has been
"We join with you in the faith that the American people will respond to the need for equitable
trying to trace for more than 30 years.
sacrifice
by all segments in the common effort to achieve the national goal of reducing our dependence
Wallenberg's
half-sister,
met
politi-
Mrs. Nina Lagergren,
on foreign oil. The Jewish community relations field, as represented by the NJCRAC, is committed to
cians in Washington and asked them to check reports that her
a policy, and has embarked in programs, making energy one of our major priorities. We can assure
brother, who would be 67 in August, became a forgotten political
prisoner in the labor camps or mental hospitals of the "Gulag
you of the support to these ends of the 11 national organizations and 107 local community agencies
Archipelago" aft4 saving thousands of Hungarian Jews from the
which have always worked for a free, just and strong America."
Nazis in 1944.
A similar statement was issued by Harris L. Kempner Jr., chairman of
Wallenberg was arrested by the Russians in Budapest
the American Jewish Committee's energy committee, who noted that the
in JanUary 1945, and despite a sketchy Soviet claim that he
President's proposals were consistent with recommendations made last
died in the Lubyanka Prison in 1947, streams of prisoners
week by the AJCommittee and 11 other major national Jewish organiza-
have testified to seeing or hearing of him years later. Last
tions.
These include: mandatory conservation measures; institution of oil
December, a Moscow Jew, Jan Kaplan, was re-arrested.
import quotas; incentives for speedy development of synthetic fuels and
after claiming he met a long-term Swedish prisoner in the
solar power; and the removal of red tape that has hampered domestic
MODAL
Butyrka Prison four years ago who could conceivably be
Wallenberg.
energy development.
Although some Swedish students of the case accept the Rus-;
Ivan J. Novick, president of the Zionist Organization of America, said, "President Carter has
sian version, neither Wallenberg's close relatives nor the present
correctly singled out the energy problem as the 'immediate test' so that our nation can 'seize control
Swedish government are prepared to do so. Following the latest
_again of our common destiny.' I believe the American people-will now understand fully that our great
Soviet rebuff, Swedish Foreign Minister Hans Blix promised to
nation has been victimized by the oil producing Arab countries dominating OPEO, including some
investigate every new clue to Wallenberg's fate.
who claim to be America's friends . . .
Mrs. Lagergren is appealing to the United States not only_ _
- We welcome his (Carter's) call for a free America and we agree that our nation must regain its
because it is a world power but because Wallenberg's war-time
traditional precepts of morality and confidence in its ability to meet all challenges."
mission to rescue Jews in Hungary was undertaken, she says, at
In Israel, Yitzhak Modal called for similar measures: "While the President of the U.S. lays his
the request of President Roosevelt.
entire political future on an energy, sav-
The main support in the campaign for Wallenberg has come
ings plan, Israel deals with the ,energy
from individuals. In Washington, a former Hungarian Jewish
crisis as if she has all the time in the
couple, Dr. Thomas Lantos and his wife Annette, have lobbied
world." Speaking Monday before the
Congressmen and the press for nearly two years. In London,
Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs
support has been offered by MP Greville Janner and MP Winston
-TEL AVIV (JTA) — Concern has grown in Israeli sport
Churchill who have launched a parliamentary committee. In
Committee, Modal said that as far as oil is
circles
that
the
Soviet
Union
may
resort
to
the
denial
of
Vienna, Simon Wiesenthal hosted a press conference last month
concerned,
time is running out fast. He
entry visas or other administrative measures to prevent
for Wallenberg's half-brother, Prof. Guy von Dardel, a nuclear
spoke in reference to the Cabinet's failure
Israel
from
participating
in
the
Olympic
Games
in
Moscow
physicist. While fully aware that Wallenberg may no longer be
to decide on new hikes in the price of oil,
next summer despite its promise that every nation will be
alive, hig family insists that the onus is on the Soviet Union to
and the Cabinet's failure to adopt a for-
welcome
to
compete.
The
possibility
of
such
action
by
the
reveal the truth about his fate.
mula for energy conservation.
Soviet authorities seemed likely after Alex Giladi, a senior
Wallenberg is the son of a prominent Swedish banking fam-
Israeli television official, received word this week that his
He said the Ministerial- Energy
ily. He graduated from the University of Michigan's school of
application for a visa to enter the USSR was rejected.
Commission is discussing an energy
architecture, where an annual lecture is dedicated to him to keep
Giladi, who had covered the Olympic Games in Munich
savings plan, which should be adopted
his case in the public eye. A number of Detroit area survivors of
and Montreal for Israeli television, is slated to head the
immediately.
Otherwise, he warned,
the Holocaust are among the thousands who credit Wallenberg
Israeli TV crew at the 1980 games in the Soviet capital. He
with saving their lives when he issued them Swedish "docu-
Israel
would
have
to adopt even more
was scheduled to go to Moscow on Sunday along with 39
Sister of Wallenberg
- Seeks U.S. Intervention
Denial of Visa Application
Clouds '80 Olympic Picture
ments" of his own design during 1944 to save them for the Nazis.
(Continued on Page 5)
Israeli National Team Surprises Europe
-
By SHOLOM MORGAN
World Zionist Organization
JERUSALEM — Israel's national basketball team surprised the European experts in June by advancing
the European Cup championship game against Russia in Turin, Italy. The Israelis were at a tremendous
disadvantage in height — their tallest player was 6'8" compared to Russia's 7'4" center and two other players
taller than sev.en feet. Although Israel lost the game 98-76, the team gave an excellent performance.
The team's startling success did not occur by accident. Beginning in mid-May, the players underwent
three weeks of exhaustive physical and mental training — "so we wouldn't get on the floor with an inferiority
complex," according to one player.
This- conditioning process wrought miracles to a team for which the media had already written
an obituary. Israel had never finished higher than fifth place. On June 9, fate began to smile when
Israel defeated Poland — the first time Israel had won its initial game in European Cup play.
Then Israel went on to defeat Yugoslavia, Spain, and the world-champion Czechoslovakians. After these
successes, Israel was guaranteed not only second place in the European standings, but front-page headlines on
the sports pages of the European press.
The stage was set for the final showdown with Russia on June 20. Israel while playing hard, still
succumbed to the mighty Russians. We played excellent defense for like 20 seconds at -a time," reminisced
- Eric Minkin, one of the stars of the game. But the more we pressed, the more they got the easy baskets. It
(Continued on Page 8)
(Continued on Page 6)