.1,,, a4effilage..4446
■ 11.41,
04,peetee,.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, April 17, 1981
Decision Looms for French Jews
By EDWIN EYTAN
PARIS (JTA) — France is
preparing for a hotly con-
tested Presidential election
campaign, and, as usual,
one of the questions posed is
how the Jewish electorate
will vote.
The question, in its
broadest terms, is of vital
interest not oily to the can-
didates who are wooing
Jewish voters, but also to
the Jewish community. The
major issue this year for the
ash community is
ante's current policy irk
the Middle East.
Some 400,000 Jews, close
to 1.5 percent of the electo-
rate, are expected to cast
their ballots in the two-
round Presidential election
scheduled for April 24 and
May 10. There are four
major candidates running
in the first round: President
Valery Giscard d'Estaing,
Socialist Francois Mit-
terand, Gaullist Jacques
Chirac, and Communist
Georges Marchais.
Giscard and Miterrand
are running neck to neck
in public opinion polls. In
1974, Giscard won - by
only 340,000 votes and
this year the margin
could be even slimmer,
according to most politi-
cal analysts. Public opin-
ion polls show that a
majority of the Jewish
voters, 53 percent, will
support Mitterrand,
compared to 23 percent
who favor Giscard.
In 1974, a majority of the
Jewish electorate voted for
Giscard who ran on a plat-
form pledging French sol-
idarity with Israel and a
change in the pro-Arab
policies that had been pur-
sued by former Presidents
Charles de Gaulle and
Georges Pompidou. An
overwhelming majority of
France's 70t,000 Jews be-
long to the middle class and
in 1974 were opposed to rad-
ical social and economic
changes advocated by the
Socialist-Communist coali-
tion.
Regarding the direction
of the Jewish electorate in
the current election, Baron
Alain
de
Rothschild,
president of the Represen-
tative Council of Jewish
Organizations in France
tCRIF), told a press confer-
ence recently that each
Jewish voter will have to
decide for whom to vote "ac-
cording to the dictates of his
own conscience." As far as
CRIF's role is concerned, he
said it will adhere to its tra-
ditional role and refrain
from playing an active role
in the electoral campaign
despite French Jewry's
"anxiety" over France's cur-
rent policy in the Mideast.
Giscard rolled to victory
with the help of a large per-
centage of the Jewish vote
in 1974; but several months
after. his election he sent
Foreign Minister Jean
Sauvargnargues to Beirut
to meet Palestine Libera-
tion O'ganization chief
Yasir Arafat, authorized
the opening of a PLO
bureau in Paris, freed
Palestinian terrorist leader-
Abu Daoud, adopted a
lukewarm attitude toward
the Camp David agree-
ments and grossly mishan-
dled popular reactions to
the bombing of the Rue
Copernic synagogue last
October.
Chirac was the main in-
itiator of the Franco-
Iraqi nuclear agreement
when he served as Prime
WEINTRAUB FAMILY
Wishes All Their Customers & Friends
WALTHAM, Mass. —
Former U.S. Senator Jacob
K. Javits and Herbert M.
Singer, a New York attor-
ney, will be honored by
Brandeis University May 4
at the Plaza Hotel in New
York.
Javits,' currently 1 a
member of the law firm of
Trubin, Sillcocks, Edelman
and Knapp, will receive the
Louis Dembitz Brandeis
Medal for Distinguished
Legal Service and Singer
will accept the Brandeis
Distinguished Community
Service Award for his lead-
ership in the areas of Jewish
philanthropy, education
and human rights.
By CHARLES LUKACS
When the Israelites lifted their sight
the host of Egyptians was behind
them. Eastern wind blew with rage
raising the sea in their ways.
WEINTRAQ
"Where the customer comes first"
Quality jewelers for 3 generations
All bankards honored Wm.-Fri. 9 to 5 Sat. 9-3 "
23077 Greenfield Advance Bldg. suite 354 Sfld.
. Danny
O
announcing
JNF blue
box clearance
starting tuesday, april 21
THE BLUE-WHITE BOX IS A SYMBOL
OF A STATE'S REBUILDING ...Give
it a place of honor in your home. If you
do not have one in your home, ask for
it by calling the Jewish National Fund
office.
JNF VOLUNTEERS WILL CLEAR YOUR
BLUE-WHITE BOX. Please have yours
ready. If your Box is not cleared by
May 24, please call the JNF office.
MemberS of Youth Organizations will
also participate. Remember, all con-
trib4tions to JNF are tax deductible.
Their lines waver'd, their heart faint
----itheir spirit broke, from a long bondage .. .
The voice from the storm thunder'd with awe: ,
Move stubborn slave!
•
RUBEN H. ISAACS MRS. FRANK 'SILVERMAN
MRS. I. WALTER SILVER
President
Co-Chairmen. Blue Box Committee
Jewish
National Fund
GREETS THE ENTIRE JEWISH COMMUNITY
WITH BEST WISHES FOR A
PERCY KAPLAN
In your backs, chains!
you wear for hundred years,
but•beyond the angry waves
are, The gates, of your deliverance
The sun always shines
on the free desert sand
Executive Director
MRS. JULES KRAFT
Pres Women of JNF
The mountains high, reach the sky
The LORD speaks, from the soaring peaks
and where the horizon ends
-
your eyes can reach the Promised Land!
And when Moses raised his hand,
they followed — to lead them
to the shores, where slaves
became Free Men.
•
t:14
A HAPPY PASSOVER
Javits, Attorney
Cited by Brandeis
Exodus
1110
The
Minister and advocated,
at the time, a rapproach-
ment between France
and the Arab states.
Mitterrand has a "clean
slate," but many fear that
he will have to coexist with
the Communist Party if
elected and will also have to
take into consideration the
pro-Palestinian elements
within his own party's left
wing.
Marchais is Europe's
most pro-Moscow Com-
munist. Party leader and
has generally adhered to
the line as laid down by the
Kremlin.
For France's Jews, many
of whom are now playing an
ever greater role in the na-
tion's socio-economic
policies, the electoral choice
will be difficult and may, in
some cases, prove excruciat-
ing.
MRS. EDWARD MENCZER
Pres Young Women of JNF
KEREN MAYEMETH LEISRAIEL
4111.1 JEWISH NATIONAL FUND
27308 SoOthfield Rd. • Southfield, MI 48076
.
557-6644
• .
4
II
I
t
.4
,..zt
e
la*
. 444
t
t
1
• .
13