64 Friday, November 23, 1979
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
CJF General Assembly Generates Falasha Rescue
Campaign; Emphasis on Israel for USSR Immigrants
(Continued from Page 1)
remaining in Russia, to
pursue their cultural aspi-
rations and benefit from
their historical legacies.
Michigan's delegation
had active participation in
the major sessions of the u.s-
sembly.
As a preliminary to the
plenary sessions, a tes-
timonial luncheon was
tendered in recognition
of George M. Zeltzer,
marking his completion
of three years as chair-
man of the Large Cities
Budgeting Conference.
He is succeeded as LCBC
chairman by Joseph B.
Manello of Boston.
Zeltzer was presented
with a silver Havdala spice
box as a mark of recognition
for his dedicated labors in
the CJF and the LCBC.
In addition to the tribute
to him by CJF President
Morton Mandell, there were
encomia by Joel and Shelby
Tauber of Detroit.
Rabbi David Nelson of
Cong. Beth Shalom, Oak'
Park, represented the Rab-
binical Council of Detroit at
the conference, He was the
principal speaker at the
oneg Shabat cultural pro-
gram, on the topic of
tzedaka.
Rabbi Nelson, who re-
ceived a Community Rab-
binical Award' from the
Jewish Welfare Federation
of Detroit, led two teaching
sessions on tzedaka at the
CJF meeting. Meanwhile, a
source pamphlet, provided
by Federation and prepared
by Leonard N. Simons, was
distributed at the sessions.
Recognition was given
to Lawrence S. Jackier
and Stanley D. Frankel as
members of the executive
committee of the- CJF
Young Leadership
Cabinet committee on
leadership development.
Leadership awards were
given to Judy Frankel, who
received the Sylvia Simon
Greenberg Award and
Robert Citrin . who was
awarded the Frank A.
Wetsman Award.
Emily Bank of Flint re-
ceived the Betty Pelavin
Memorial Award.
Recognition was accorded
Charlotte Dubin, director of
public relations for the
Jewish Welfare Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit.
The large cities public rela-
tions directors cited Detroit
for most impressive publi-
cations.
Michigan delegates are
among the elected officers
and members of the na-
tional CJF board. Mandell
of Cleveland was re-elect-
ed CJF president. Martin
Citrin, former Detroit Jew- and preserving the Jewish
ish Welfare Federation people."
president, was re-elected a
A move to introduce an
national vice president. De- 'amendment to the resolu-
troiters who are the chosen tion dealing with "nos-
members of the board of di- hrim," Soviet Jews who,
rectors are Zeltzer, Mandel upon arriving in Vienna,
Berman, Alan E. Schwartz decide to get to countries
and Maxwell Jospey, as well other than Israel — was
as Michael A. Pelavin of narrowly defeated after a
Flint.
spirited discussion
University of Michigan among the delegates. The
Prof. Raymond Tanter amendment had earlier
was an active participant been defeated in the reso-
in the program on lutions committee.
"Inter-Arab Relations
The amendment, in-
and Tensions — A Con- itiated by the United
tinuity of History."
Jewish Community of Be-
Detroit will host the 1980 rgen County (N.J.) urged
CJF General Asse\mbly. the appropriate organiza-
Holding the GA in Detroit tions involved in the reset-
was postponed for six years tlement of Soviet Jews to
until the Plaza Hotel was notify all Soviet Jewish
available in the Renais- immigrants who arrive in
sance Center. Preparations Vienna that they will re-
will begin in the coming ceive support from those
weeks for the 1980 sessions. agencies for resettlement in
It is anticipated that a Israel. - However, the
committee of 500 volunteers amendment added, those
will be needed to service the Soviet Jews seeking to re-
multiple functions for the settle in the U.S. would
more than 3,000 delegates have to rely on personal or
from hundreds of American family funds to do so, unless
and Canadian com- they have immediate family
munities.
in the United States. Under
* * *
that circumstance, the
amendment stated, -they
Soviet Noshrim
should receive special con-
Major Topic
sideration.
By MURRAY ZUCHOFF
The supporters of the
Editor, Jewish
amendment
argued that the
Telegraphic Agency
MONTREAL (JTA) — A entire Soviet Jewry move-
resolution on Soviet Jewry, ment had been inspired by
stressing agreement that the state of Israel, that leav-
American Jews should pro- ing the Soviet Union was a
vide help to Jews who leave form of aliya since the emi-
the Soviet Union and should grants had obtained visas
undertake a commitment to by stating that they wanted
see to it that as many Soviet to go to Israel and that,
Jews as possible go to Israel therefore, Israel should be
was adopted Friday by the their destination. The
48th General Assembly of movement of Soviet Jews to
the Council of Jewish Fed- countries other than Israel
erations, meeting at the was contrary to the declared
and accepted role of Israel
Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
The resolution noted that as being central in Jewish
leaders of the 24 largest life, the amendment's sup-
communities which settle porters claimed.
more than 85 percent of
Dr. Andrew Sklover of
Soviet Jews in the United Teaneck, N.J., a leader in
States met in Chicago on the campaign for the
Oct. 21. under the auspices amendment, told the dele-
of the CJF and agreed on gates: "We never told
these two basic principles.
Moroccan or Iraqi Jews to
The resolution also noted settle either in Israel or the
that American Jewish United States. We never
communities have "a spe- told South African Jews to
cial challenge" to assure settle either in Israel or the
that Soviet Jews settling in United States. Suddenly we
the U.S. and Canada "are give Soviet Jews the choice
fully integrated into Jewish of settling either in Israel or
life, that their sense of the United States and add
Jewishness is enhanced and that we will use Jewish
that they are encouraged to funds to do this. We look
be actively involved in the upon yordim (Israelis who
Jewish community." North leave Israel) as pariahs and
American Jewish com- tell them to return to Israel.
munities were also called Why not Soviet Jews:"
upon to commit their best
Opponents of the
efforts "to quality resettle- amendment argued that
ment at the lowest possible
the principle involved
cost and in the process to was to have Jews leave
meet this most important the Soviet Union where
challenge: strengthening they are subjected to vit-
riolic anti-Semitic cam-
paigns.
They argued that the
main task was not to dissi-
pate energy by focusing on
the issue of the point of des-
tination but on the impera-
tive need for departure.
Despite the defeat of the
amendment, many suppor-
ters termed it a victory in-
asmuch as 40 percent of the
delegates voted for it and it
was thoroughly debated.
Many delegates on both
sides of the noshrim issue
indicated privately that the
economics of providing for
resettlement and absorp-
tion by American Jewish
communities was having an
adverse affect on their
budgets. Leon Dulzin, noted
this publicly in his address
to the assembly Thursday
night.
* * *
Dulzin Delivers
Frank Speech
In an impaSsioned speech,
remarkable for its frank-
ness on a number of sensi-
tive issues, Dulzin observed
that the agenda of common
concerns "is dominated by
fund-raising and I find this
most unfortunate from two
points of view." One was
"the reality of the need for
funds," he said. "We are
constantly oppressed by this
need both in Israel and in
your local communities.
That reality makes neces-
sary an enormous drain on
our time and thought, on
our energies, on our leader-
ship resources."
The second, Dulzin said,
"is the fact that the neces-
sary pre-occupation with
fund-raising distracts us
from the other items on our
common agenda" which he
said "can be summed up as
the survival of the Jewish
people."
Dulzin called upon the
assembled leaders "to
mount today" a "mas-
sive" campaign to pr6-
duce $100 million in cash
in the next few months.
"We will have a difficult
enough situation with
our budget for the com-
ing year. Let us not add to
it for the coming fiscal
year an enormous deficit
in meeting human
needs." He said the
Jewish Agency is con-
fronted with the need to
make drastic cuts in ab-
sorption services be-
cause of a massive de-
crease in our cash flow."
Dulzin outlined the
specifics of "our common
agenda" as immigration,
settlement and social needs.
Dealing with immigration,
he declared that aliya "is
the indispensable guaran-
tee of Israel's security, of Is-
rael's future."
"
* * *
Southeast Asians
Are Discussed
Earlier, a member of
President Carter's Cabinet
declared that events now
taking place in Southeast
Asia are a new holocaust
and urged that the same
strength be shown to end
the massive slaughter in
that part of the world "that
the martyrs at Treblinka,
Dachau and Auschwitz
showed."
In a speech devoted
entirely to- the tragedy of
the Laotian, Cambodian
and Vietnamese people,
Patricia Harris said, "We
must bear witness so that
there will be no holocausts
in the 1980s."
The needs of the Jewish
Agency were reviewed by
Akiva Lewinsky, the Agen-
cy's treasurer. Focussing on
the needs and opportunities
confronting the Agency in
the aftermath of the
Israeli-Egyptian peace
treaty, he said the price of
peace places a heavy burden
on Israel.
While critical decisions
on Israel's security must be
taken by those who risk
their lives, the decisions on
the well-being of Israel, the
creation of a new and just
Israeli society, must be
taken jointly by a partner-
ship between Israel and
Diaspora Jewry, Lewinsky
said.
He said that satisfying
the Agency's budget in the
_next year will present a
supreme test of Jewish sol-
idarity. "Our appeals have
not kept pace with inflation
— in other words, they have
lost insreal value," he said
He warned that if funding is
not available "there will be
less settlements and less
facilities for newcomers. I
cannot imagine that in this
case Jewish life will con-
tinue as usual and Jewish
budgeting go on as usual in
our communities, and local
needs and allocations re-
main sacrosanct."
Lewinsky reported that
the interest Israel will pay
on U.S. loans granted to im-
plement the withdrawal
from Sinai "equals all of our
today's income from the
United Jewish Appeal of
America."
The quality of lay and
professional leadership
of the North American
Jewish communities and
the extent of their in-
volvement in decision-
making processes will
determine how effec-
tively the urgent tasks of
the next decade will be
dealt with.
This was the message and
focus of the keynote address
by Mandell.
* * *
Falasha, Sephardi
Problems Highlighted
Of the dozens of issues
discussed at the five-day
General Assembly, the
plight of the Jews of
Ethiopia (Falashas) and the
problems of Sephardic Jews
in Israel and in the Dias-
pora created the most fer-
ment and passion among
the 2,600 delegates.
The plight of the Falashas
was presented with eloqu-
ence by Yona Bogale, the
leader of the Ethiopian
Jewish community for the
last 50 years, who was
allowed to leave his native
land less than three weeks
ago.
He urgently appealed to
the assembled leadership
and to the Jewish commu-
nity at large to increase ef-
forts being made in Israel
and elsewhere to rescue the
25,000 Jews who rem 'n
trapped in Ethiopia.
72-year-old Falasha le
related how current events
in Ethiopia make massive
emigration of the Falashas
to Israel a matter of highest
priority.
"We have been killed,
sold into slavery, forced
to convert to other reli-
gions and physically
threatened even unto this
day amongst unspeaka-
ble conditions in a coun-
try which is caught be-
tween war, revolution
and terrible changing
conditions," Bogale said.
At a workshop earlier,
Dan Shapiro, chairman of
the Ethiopian Jewry Task
Force for the National
Jewish Community Rela-
tions Advisory Council, an-
nounced plans for a massive. -
educational campaign
among American Jews on
the desperate situation fac-
ing the Falasha community.
Leon Dulzin, who addressed
the same session as Bogale,
also stressed the need for a
stepped-up campaign to
bring Ethiopian Jews to Is-
rael.
The assembly adopted a
resolution, notable for its
brevity, some 70 words,
compared to a 400-word
resolution on the In-
dochinese refugees noting
that the Falashas "are cur-
rently in danger of physical
and spiritual disintegra-
tion. We recognize the
urgency of this issue and
reaffirm our commitment to
seek to ameliorate their
plight and to the rescue and
aliya of Ethiopian Jewry.
We give our full support to
the efforts being made by
the state of Israel and others
on behalf of Ethiopian
Jewry."
The situation of the
Sephardic Jews was also -
brought forcefully to the at-
tention of the assembly in a
series of printed state-
ments, in a resolution, and
in an angry confrontation
with Dulzin at an un-
scheduled meeting he
agreed to attend
spokesmen for the
dian Sephardic Federation
complained bitterly that no
room had been made on the
assembly's agenda for them
to discuss their grievances.
In a leaflet widely dis-
tributed to the delegates,
the federation stated
"that since the creation of
the Israeli state, Sephar-
dic Oriental Jews have
been condemned to a
second class citizen
status." It noted that all
Israeli institutions "are
and have always been
dominated by the
Ashkenazic Jews.
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