THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Boris Smolar's
`Between You
. . and Me'
Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1981, JTA, Inc.)
Friday, March 13, 1981 25
Knesset Seeks World Aid on Behalf of Syrian Jewry
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
The Knesset has renewed
its appeal to world public
opinion to help rescue Sy-
rian Jews after the govern-
ment conceded that repre-
sentations made so far to
statesmen, parliaments and
world figures have been to
no avail.
The government is doing
"everything openly and
quietly," on behalf of Syrian
Jews, Justice Minister
Moshe Nissim said Sunday
in Reply to an agenda mo-
tion. He said that the 4,500
Jews living in Syria were
deprived of their spiritual
freedom and their freedom
of movement, including the
right to emigrate and faced
physical danger because of
the deteriorating internal
situation in Syria.
But while their plight has
been brought to the atten-
tion of many governments
and parliaments, the situa-
tion remains unchanged, he
said.
The matter was raised
by Likud MK Yitzhak
Yitzhaki who cited recent
reports that hundreds of
Jewish young women in
Syria were unable to find
husbands because of the
shortage of Jewish men
of marriageable age in
that country and, in
many cases, converted to
Islam' and married Mos-
lem men in order to raise
INSIDE UJA: The campaign of the United Jewish
Appeal and the Jewish federations raised more than $500
million last year. This is the largest amount ever raised
except for the Yom Kippur War campaign. UJA leaders
expect that the campaign this year will surpass that
amount.
Not all communities are doing well. The economic un-
.:ertainty in the country — plus Jews moving from one area
of the country to another — has affected their income, while
inflation has increased the financial needs of the local
agencies which they support. However, the unity between
the Jewish federations and the USA — which was created
The savior of the Jews is
last year by including the Council of Jewish Federations
into partnershiP of the national UJA top leadership — is the Sabbath
—Falasha saying
giving stronger impetus to the campaign. The 9181 USA-
federation drive is now running 18 percent ahead of last
year's. Very substantial new contributions have especially
been made this year in Miami.
There is much reorganization going on now in the UJA
with a view to give increased service to local communities.
Its staff is being expanded with specialists able to help the
communities raise more funds. There is also planning
being done to. give new meaning to the Missions to Israel
which communities are sending every year by arrange-
ment with the UJA. Members of these misssions will now
be trained for leadership in their communities instead of
being just contributors.
The success of the 1981 campaign is to no small extend
due to the dedication and personality of Herschel Blum-
berg, the UJA National Chairman — a charming and mod-
est man of deep spiritual Jewish commitment. His activi-
ties in a national leadership capacity began in 1963 as a
founding member of the UJA Young Leadership Cabinet.
THE NEW STRATEGY: There are today about 7,000
contributors in this country whose gifts to UJA and federa-
tions are $10,000 and over. They include about 600 gifts of
between $50,000 and $100,000; about 500 from $100,000 to
$500,000; and more than20 in the category of $500,000 and
over. These contributions amount to about 45 percent of the
total. The remainder comes from contributors who give
under $10,000. -
It is a well-established fact that among Jews in this
country there are quite a substantial number of mil-
lionaires who give nothing to their local federations or to
the UJA. In fact, they stay away altogether from Jewish
communal life. The UJA and the Jewish federations have
so far not been able to reach even a small percentage of
them.
The new strategy upon which the UJA embarks now,
together with the federations and separately, is to discover
these elements and to influence them to give for Jewish
needs. UJA and federation leaders believe that the raising
now of $500 million a year can be doubled. They are hopeful
that by 1985 a billion dollars a year will be raised for the
24901
federations and UJA. The Council of Jewish Federations —
the central body of the organized Jewish communities — is
already working actively in this direction.
families.
Yitzhaki Sheli faction, to try to get
suggested that Pope influential Israeli Arabs to
John Paul II head an in- persuade the Syrian regime
ternational council to to allow Jews to emigrate.
work for the release of Yehuda Ben-Meir, of the
Syrian Jews. National Religious Party,
He asked a Moslem MK, made a similar suggestion
Walid Haj Yihya of the in the form of a motion.
PROFESSIONAL CALLIGRAPHY.
Various STyles—All Occasions
Immediate Service, Call Naureen
661-9082
And Leave Message
GOLD PRICES DOWN/
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY!
Klan Plots N.C. Destruction
NEW YORK (JTA) —
Federal authorities ar-
rested six American Nazis
and supporters last week on
charges of conspiring to
blow up buildings in
Greensboro, N.C. if a group
of Ku Klux Klansman and
Nazis were found guilty of
murdering five leftist
demonstrators.
The indictment, which
resulted from an investiga-
tion by the Bureau of Al-
cohol, Tobacco and
Firearms, charged the six
with conspiring to blow up a
petroleum storage facility, a
chemical fertilizer plant, a
shopping mall and part of
downtown Greensboro.
Among the targets
were the Guilford County
Courthouse where the
trial was held which re-
sulted in the acquittal of
six Klansmen and Nazis
for first degree murder in
the deaths of five Com-
munist Workers Party
members who were shot
to death while staging an
anti-Klan rally in
Greensboro, Nov. 3, 1979.
The indictment, returned
last week by a federal
grand jury in Asheville,
N.C. accused the six of
planning to put explosives
in 55-gallon barrels in
crowded areas of the city
and detonate them "in retal-
iation for an anticipated
guilty verdict in the
Greensboro murder trial."
PLO-IRA Links
LONDON — The director
of the Palestine Liberation
Organization office in Lon-
don, who - is seeking to open
a similar office in Dublin,
Ireland, has denied reports
linking the PLO to the Irish
Republican Army.
He called the report
"Zionist lies," but could not
comment on whether the
PLO had trained IRA mem-
bers.
ypi
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