6 Friday, February 1, 1390 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS BURGLAR ALARMS ALLSTATE ALARM SYSTEMS INC NEW COMPUTERIZED SECURITY EQUIPMENT . Thousands of satisfied customers CALL THE ROTT BROS MARTY CY SHEL 255-1540 17534 W. 7 MILE, DETROIT LICENSED BY MICH. DEPT. OF STATE POLICE Save 5%-40% FEB. 1-MARCH 4, 1980 Choose from over 5,000 beautiful patterns, textures, and designs — one perfect for every room in your home — Wall-Tex, Imperial, United, Astor, Josephson, Vicoa — all first quality wallcovering from America's leading manufacturers. EVERYTHING'S ON SALE! & WALLPAPER 23061 COOLIDGE HW Y., OAK PARK, AT 9 MI. Experience of Noshrim Seen as Negative Consequence for Israel By ALON BEN-MEIR ST. LOUIS — The issue of the Jewish drop-outs (nos- hrim) is one of those painful and perhaps fateful dilem- mas that has been debated for the last several years without anyone reaching a practical solution. It is tragic that more than 70 percent of Russian Jewry emigrating on an Israeli visa do not settle in Israel, but instead, opt to reside in other countries, primarily the U.S. This is without doubt one of the most alarming de- velopments of modern Jewish history, and it has serious implications for the well-being of both Israel and World Jewry. The problem of the nos- hrim did not evolve over- night. In the early 1970s, more than 95 percent of the Russian Jews who were allowed to leave the Soviet Union emigrated to Israel. What transpired during the last seven-nine years is not difficult to fathom. It was brought about by the lack of a coherent Israeli national policy; by the absence of proper coordination be- tween the various Jewish organizations involved; by an inflated bureaucarcy in Israel; and finally, by jealousy, blind competition, and self-righteousness. All of these shortcom- ings came into play, leav- ing an issue of extraordi- nary magnitude and ra- mifications up to the whims of self-appointed, misguided individuals in both the Hebrew Immig- rant Aid Society (HIAS) and the Joint Distribu- tion Committee. We are told that the drop-outs are simply misin- formed. Having been con- stantly subjected to anti- Israel propaganda, their only antidote became the Voice of America. Thus, seduced, the U.S., not Is- rael, became their preferred destination. Visit Our EW INDEPENDENCE WIN Senior Luxury Living 353-2810 An Adult Community Located at 28301 Franklin Road, Southfield Meals and other services optional Yet, statistics verify that more than 90 percent of these earlier immigrants opted for Israel. Although the possibility of a "difficult life" is certainly cited as one discouraging factor, in reality, Israel's immigra- tion procedures and bureaucratic red tape can be blamed for the considerable disenchantment that many Russian emigres expressed. In this area, Israel can, and indeed must, correct its inefficient bureaucracy and make absorption into Is- raeli society a positive rather than an anxious ex- perience. The psychological and emotional conditions of the immigrant Jews is cited as a contributing factor. Having been per- secuted because of their Jewishness, many seize the first opportunity to relieve themselves of their Jewish identity once they reach the "promised land" of the U.S. Unlike Israel, the U.S. offers them a more conducive environment to achieve just that. Israel is the only country where a Jew can maintain his identity without observ- ing the rituals and main- taining the facade to which many Diaspora Jews have grown accustomed as a way of asserting their Jewish- ness. Some officials of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organiza- tion, including its world chairman, Arye Dulzin, have repeatedly stated that the Majority of Russian emigres would have immig- rated to Israel if HIAS had not been ready and willing to assist any Jew who wanted to settle in other countries. The fact that Is- rael must compete with the U.S. definitely puts the former at a serious disad- vantage. Whether or not any other agency is to blame is hardly relevant. It is ironic that we Jews continue to create one agency after another, and yet hopelessly fail to cope with our creations. HIAS was formed to help dis- placed Jews and refugees after World War II, but now for "humanitarian" rea- sons, it creates a totally un- justified competition be- tween Jewish "homelands." For the more than two million Jews who immig- rated to Israel during the 1940s and 1950s, there was no freedom of choice; only Israel could fulfill their highest aspiration. The ab- sence of "freedom of choice" solidified the creation of the state of Israel. Israel's very future may well depend on the continuation of the same premise. It is argued that if the Is- raeli government had in- sisted on a policy change, the whole picture would have been different today. The reason behind the Is- raeli government's lack of resolve is its concern over the position of the U.S. Jewish leadership. It is known that the majority of these leaders do not support any change in the current policy, be it out of misplaced guilt, poor coordination, or mistaken assessment of the situation, and they continue to advocate the over-used cliche of "freedom of choice." In this respect, I believe that the Israeli government should assume the greater part of the blame. The preoccupation of Israeli leaders with matters of war and peace has often camouf- laged the critical issue of Jewish immigration. . Both Menahem Begin and his predecesor, Yit- zhak Rabin, refused to take a firm position on the drop-out problem. Both leaders have not lived up to the call and the responsibility of Is- rael's demographic di- lemma, a problem that has a direct bearing on the attitudes of the Arab states toward Israel and to which the drop-outs contribute considerably. Russian Jews should im- migrate to Israel, and Israel must be given first priority. No Russian Jews should be allowed to immigrate any- where else before given the opportunity to visit Israel. No Jewish organizations should be allowed to per- petuate itself at the expense of Israel's ultimate future. No agency, Jewish or otherwise, should be in- volved in the drop-outs' re- habilitation without thorough consideration of all other aspects, and fi- nally, no vague com- promises should be worked out to please or apease this or other agencies. The Jewish national character and aspirations are at stake. The whole raison d'etre behind the creation of Israel is at stake. The credibility.of Israel and world Jewry is at stake. In conclusion, we must mobilize all of our human resources and enact a coherent policy — a pol- icy geared to bringing every single Russian Jew with an Israeli visa to the real promised land. Even if the Russian Jews decide to emigrate from Is- rael after a reasonable stay (6-12 months) and exercise their "freedom of choice," they have at least enriched themselves with Jewish values and contributed in a small way to Israel's strength. Those who elect to emi- grate from Israel should be able to do so totally and completely at their expense. In a Jerusalem Post arti- cle, Yosef Godell states: "However, there is every reason why Israel should press for an arrangement whereby Soviet Jewish ar- rivals in Vienna are taken directly to a waiting El Al airliner rather than to the Vienna transit camp. Soviet Jewish emigrants should be permitted to preserve what- ever realistic option they have of going to the U.S. for sometime . . . after coming to Israel. But their process- ing and initial absorption should be and can be done in Israel." The U.S. and Israel can workout an arrangement whereby U.S. immigra- tion laws defining dis- placed persons would remain applicable, and thus, I.S. displaced per- sons' visas and U.S. gov- ernment matching funds would still be available. To accomplish this, every responsible Jew must act. Moreover, it is incumbent on the Israeli government, especially the Prime Minis- ter, to take a firm, definitive position. There is no room for am- bivalence, no time for equivocation, and no reason for lack of resolve and half-measures. The Soviet Union must not be handed any cause to slow or stop Jewish emigration. If we Jews do not solve this problem, we will be held accountable not only to our generation but to future generations for one of the biggest blunders in our his- tory—a blunder which may undermine the very exist- ence of Israel and Diaspora Jewry. L.A. Physicist Descendent of Maimonides? TEL AVIV (JTA1 — Theodore Maiman, the Los Angeles physicist who built and operated the world's first laser machine in 1960, believes that he is a descen- dent of the Rambam, the 12th Century Jewish sage Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides. He confided this to the town clerk in Tiberias who escorted him on a tour of the town, site of the Rambam's tomb. A parent is a person who believes the words "pro- geny" and "prodigy" are in- terchangeable. —Marcelene Cox JEWISH NATIONAL FUND 27308 SOUTHFIELD SOUTHFIELD. MI 48076 Monday Um Thursday 9 AM to 5 PM — Friday Phone: 557-6644 9 AM to 4 PM — Sunday 10 AM to 1 PM