20 Friday, March 11, 1983 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Gap Between Ashkenazim, Sephardim Closes in Israel For Appointments Call BILL McDONALD WASHINGTON (JTA) — An Israeli sociologist and educator declared that Is- rael was "heading" toward closing the social gap be- tween Jews of European origin and those who came from Arab and Asian coun- tries. "But we are not there yet," Dr. Chaim Adler told At ROSENMAN FLOWERS 545-1616 PASSOVER. SPECIAL 10% OFF BI-FOLD SUPER SPECIAL Existing Doors 4 ft. openings 5 ft. openings 6 ft. openings $113.99 Installed $118.99 Installed $135.99 Installed NEW MIRRORED BI-FOLD DOORS—FINEST QUALITY Slim Fold© 4 ft.-5 ft. openings $175.00 installed 6 ft. openings $205.00 installed Lowest Prices On All Types of Mirrored Walls, Furniture, Bars, Cubes, Etc. Heavy Glass Table Tops, Shelving, Beveled. O.G. Edges, Etc. Complete Service. Prior sales excluded. 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The four-day convention also marked the beginning of the 90th anniversary of the NCJW, the oldest Jewish women's volunteer organization in the U.S. Barbara Mandel, of Cleveland, was installed to a two-year term as NCJW president, suc- ceeding Shirley Leviton who ended her four- years as president. Adler, who is director of the NCJW's Institute for Innovation and Education at the School of Education of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said indications of the closing of the social gap are that the differences in family size between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews have disappeared and that the disparities in edu- cation are "shrinking." He said he hoped that Is- raeli Ashkenazim • and Sephardim will soon achieve the same situation as Jews from Eastern Europe and Germany have in the U.S. where the gap that once existed between them is no longer there. But Adler said, there is a new "urgency" because the ethnic split in Israel has been introduced into the country's political disput- ers. The institution headed by Adler was established by the NCJW to develop, implement and evaluate programs for the disad- vantaged in Israel. At a dinner last Friday night, Jeane Kirkpatrick, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, said that the UN reso- lution equating Zionism with racism has been used to deny Israel the "legiti- mate rights of self-defense." She said the "obnoxious phrase Zionism is racism" symbolized' the agreement of African countries to sup- port the Arabs against Is- rael in return for Arab sup- port against South Africa. Kirkpatrick said the UN political system protects some countries against cen- sure while subjecting others. "Israel is the princi- pal example," to continuing censure. She charged that there is a "terrible double standard" on human rights in the UN in which nations of the Soviet bloc, Africa, except South Af- rica, and Asia are pro- tected from criticism while Latin American countries and "especially Israel" have no such pro- tection. On the domestic scene, Leviton noted that when President Reagan calls 1983 the. year of the Bible, "can we believe that Ameri- can democracy rests on the principle of separation of church and state?" She also scored the Re- agan Administration's pro- grams on such traditional NCJW concerns as women, children and youth and the elderly. . `Between You . . . and Me' Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, JTA (Copyright 1983, JTA, Inc.) ARAB OIL-YESTERDAY, TODAY: The rift now - developing in the ranks of the rulers of Arab oil-countries — a rift caused by the diminishing importance of Arab oil for the United States and other industrial lands — is being closely watched by leading Jewish organizations in this country. Vivid in the minds of American Jewry is the attempt of the Arab oil countries, led by Saudi Arabia, to put over on the American people the nefarious "explanation" that the 15-fold hike in the price of their oil is a retaliation for the support the U.S. government is giving to Israel. Large masses of unemployed Americans who lost their jobs because of the slackening of American industry would have also fallen into this Arab trap. So could many Ameri- cans affected by the inflation. The danger to American Jewry became even greater when the ugly "explanation" of the Arab rulers found sup- port among some of the American oil companies dealing. with Arab oil. Jewish leaders were jittery. They acted speedily and vigorously and succeeded in nipping the Arab effort in the bud. Of great help in this direction was the common sense displayed by many thinking Americans who recognized the true motives of the Arab rulers — the greed to become billionaires in a short period of time, the ambi- tion to gain political power in the world by using their oil as a powerful weapons, and the intention to utilize this weapon as a tool against countries aiding Israel. Addressing a gathering of the U.S. Foreign Policy Association during a visit to this country, the Saudi oil minister, Sheik Yamani, impertinently declared that Saudi Arabia was doing the United States a "favor" by pumping more oil from its wells to provide the much- needed oil for America's industry and military require- ments. He tied the continuation of this "favor" to a request that the U.S. should, in return, use pressure on Israel and also provide its most advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia. CHANGING CONDITIONS: This was more than 10 years ago. Today the situation is by far not the same. Today the countries depending on importation of oil — especially the United States — do not have to rely primarily on Arab oil. There is strong competition today in the world oil mar- ket. Mexico, Nigeria, Britain, Norway and other oil- producing countries are all selling oil at prices much lower than the Arab countries of the OPEC "cartel," not to speak of the fact that progress has been made during the last years in developing alternatives for oil — natural gas, coal, hydro-and-nuclear power and solar power. The changes that had taken place in the world oil and energy markets during the last five years have been greater and more rapid than originally foreseen. They greatly increased energy efficiency and strengthened the trends toward substituting Arab oil with other "non- conventional" sources of energy for oil. They also stimu- lated a vast increase in exploration for oil and gas outside Arab countries. In effect, non-Arab oil began to displace Arab oil. The world still needs Saudi'oil and will need it for some time, but not to the same extent as in the Arab blackmail years. A point is now being approached at which world economy can look forward to function without Saudi oil. The revenues of Arab oil countries totaled about $200 bil- lion last year; however, in the last 10 weeks the U.S. import of OPEC oil plunged 25 percent. This created a deficit in Saudi's balance of payments. What was unthinkable 10 years ago is not impossible in the very near future. Conser- vation in consuming countries, coupled with the growth of output from new fields, has reduced significantly U.S. and world dependence on Arab oil. THE JEWISH POLICY: American Jewish organiza- tions are still on the alert. They continue very actively to watch developments on the energy scene. This is especially done by the constituent groups of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council. The American Jewish Committee maintains a special de- partment collecting and issuing important tactical and analytical information on Arab oil developments, based on studies by experts. The studies all reveal the diminishing importance of Middle East oil. The NJCRAC has now called on its national con- stituent agencies 'to closely monitor legislative and ad- ministrative developments in the field of alternative energy to replace Arab oil. In its guidelines for 1983 it urges its • affiliated organizations to demand that government authorities take strong measures — through mandating of conservation practices, tax incentives and disincentives, and other means — to raise energy efficiency standards in housing and other buildings, in motor vehicles, industrial machinery, appliances. It also advocates government assis- tance in converting existing machinery and equipment to the use of fuels other than oil.