62 Friday, April 1, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Sosua Jews Proud of Brief History, Many Accomplishments
By GEORGE BERNARD
celebrated in this north
coast area in the province of
(Editor's note: George Puerto Plata. The holiday
Bernard is a noted here, however, commemo-
American journalist and rated a dual Exodus.
author of "Inside the Na-
Of the 100,000 Jews
tional Enquirer — Con- primarily from Germany
fessions of an Under- and Austria who
cover Agent" and "Mo- were offered settlement
_merit bff the Predator," a here by Dominican
modern-day suspense President Rafael Trujillo in
novel forcasting the vio- 1938, only about 600
lent death of Yasir Arafat squeezed through Europe's
by the PLO.)
tangled red tape and closing
SOSUA, Dominican Re- doors as Hitler's Final Solu-
public — Amid sloping, tion foreclosed on asylum
coconut-bearing palm trees and Jewish life.
and_ _sandy - -- beaches,
Judith Kibel is one of the
Passover was once again fortunate ones. When she
(Copyright 1983, JTA, Inc.)
arrived here in 1940, she
chose kitchen work over lat-
rine duty. Today she rents
apartments. In 1947, many
of the original Jewish
settlers departed for the
United States, Canada and
Israel. Judith, however,
elected to remain in this
region of the country which
Christopher Columbus
explored on his first trip to
the New World.
"Someone comes in
and cooks food for
Passover," she said
shortly before the holi-
day was to begin. She
Farmers Use Special Irrigation
Method in Arrid Arava Region
By HUGH ORGEL
traption of girders looking
like the wing structure of a
jumbo jet, mounted on a
central set of wheels carry-
ing a giant drum with a
thick rubber pipe wound on
it. From the girders hang a
series of thin pipes, drag-
ging on the ground between
the furrows.
EILAT (JTA) — Farmers
on kibutzim in the Arava
Rift valley north of Eilat say
the countryside is more
colorful than usual, follow-
ing more than an inch of
rain this winter.
But to the 200 delegates
from the Jewish National
Fund of America, touring
the area during their recent
national assembly, the
countryside looked dry and
forbidding.
However, a close exam-
ination disclosed a carpet of
inch-high brilliant desert
flowers. And then, as the
five-bus convoy rounded a
bend on the road and skirted
a low hill, a remarkable
sight came- into view — a
field of brilliant green, bor-
dered by lines of tall
eucalyptus trees.
These were the fields of
Kibutz Yotvata, estab-
lished in 1951 and the
first of the settlements in
the barren Arava, then
regarded as a crazy ven-
ture in an unfarmable
region.
Today Yotvata, 20 miles
north of Eilat, operates a
dairy marketing its prod-
ucts, especially a wide
variety of yogurts, through-
out the country as well as
growing early-ripening and
out-of-season vegetables for
sale in Israel and Europe.
But in this hot and dry
area, where rainfall is al-
most nil, where flash floods
turn dry riverbeds into rag-
ing torrents for very short
periods, with rainwater
rushing down from car-
away mountains and where
a strong and steady burning
wind blows from north to
south day and night, the
usual forms of irrigation are
virtually useless, and may
even be harmful.
The central computer
receives information
from sensors about the
air and soil temperature,
moisture content, wind
strength and direction.
The correct amount of
water then flows through
the main pipe and into
the individual small
pipes, directly to the root
of the plant.
The JNF work in this
southern region of Israel is
not confined to farming.
Work is underway to pre-
pare some 17,000 acres of
land around the area known
as King Solomon's mines —
the site of ancient 3,000-
year-old Egyptian and mod-
em Israeli copper mines —
as a national park.
Other parks are being
prepared throughout Israel,
with the JNF assisting in
the construction of recrea-
tion areas with picnic and
rest room facilities.
Former IHR Head Seeking
Release of Swedish Convict
BOSTON — David
McCalden, former head of
the Institute for Historical
Review (IHR), is trying to
persuade Swedish officials
to release Ditlieb Felderer,
the 40-yehr-old "re-
visionist" of Nazi history
who was recently convicted
by a Swedish court for dis-
tributing hate mail, accord-
ing to the Boston Jewish
Advocate.
The Advocate reported
that McCalden is lobbying
on Felderer's behalf at the
Swedish embassy and at
least one international
human rights organization.
The IHR, founded in 1979
by Willis Carto, is a
California-based propagan-
da organization dedicated tc.
the proposition that the
Holocaust was a hoax per=
petrated by Zionists to gen:
erate support for Israel.
Among the mailings sent
by Felderer, the court cited
letters which included
wisps of hair and bits of soap
glued to caricatures of Jews,
an apparent reference to
some of the criminal actions
by the Nazis in the concen-
tration camps.
McCalden is presenting
Israeli scientists have de-
veloped what the
kibutzniks call "the mons-
ter," a 200-foot wide con-
Felderer, through postcards
and personal appeals, as a
"prisoner of conscience," the
Advocate reported. McCal-
den claims Felderer's only
crime was to "question the
establishment view of his-
tory" and whose imprison-
ment was the result of "stri-
dent demands by the
Zionists."
New ORT School
in Hatikva Area
NEW YORK — ORT-
Israel has opened a new
school in one of Tel Aviv's
most deprived areas, the
Hatikva quarter.
The school, which is
named after Yehoshua
Rabinovitz, a former mayor
of Tel Aviv, will help
Hatikva youngsters who
have dropped out of the reg-
ular school system.
The program aims at
making students feel at
ease and helps them gain
confidence in themselves. In
this relaxed, constructive
setting, they are able to
learn Hebrew and math as
well as other basic subjects
and go on to the acquisition
of a vocational skill at a
later stage.
noted that Rabbi Harvey
Newman would preside
over the Passover serv-
ices at the synagogue.
"You know," she said,
"the Seder is going to be
at the Oasis," a popular
tourist spot specializing
in seafood and assorted
Dominican dishes. "And,
yes, we're going to have
unleavened bread,"
Judith added.
"But what has happened
to our original colony of
Jewish families?" she
moaned. "Jewish life is not
the same as it was when we
first came here. You know,
there are only 36 Jewish
families left from the 1940
group."
"There's considerably
more," claimed a local mer-
chant, pointing to the
movement of the European
Jewish settlers and their
families to nearby and sur-
rounding areas of the coun-
try.
Judith's neighbors, Pablo
Cohen and Horst Wagner,
also of the original settlers,
were away in Miami Beach
but were expected back for
Passover. "They, too, return
to Sosua, no matter how
many times they leave the
country," Judith said. She
added that the Dominican
Republic is a land of vast
natural resources, religious
freedom and opportunity.
"There's no prejudice here,
none at all," she said.
"Everyone is Dominican, no
matter your skin, color or
religion."
Carol Rubenstein, of
New York, who was visit-
ing Judith, revealed that
there were five Bar
Mitzvas in Sosua last
year.
Judith noted that the
grandchildren of the origi-
nal settlers are of mixed
Dominican-Jewish blood
through intermarriage. The
children of the 600 refugees
were sent abroad for higher
education and most re-
mained in Israel, the United
States, Canada and Europe.
In fact, Judith's two daugh-
ters continue to live in
California.
Today, the legacy of these
European Jews can be found
in the dairy farms they in-
augurated here, which they
still operate, producing
much of the milk, meat and
cheese consumed by this
West Indies nation of 51/2
million.
Tour guide Wolfgang
Oberfeld tells sightseers
that the Jews have made
major contributions to the
growth of this nation. "Be-
cause of the Jews who set-
tled in Sosua, special trade
arrangements exist with
the U.S., Canada and Is-
rael."
Oberfeld, who once
lived in Tel Aviv, noted
Sosuamar's
resident
that Sosua cheese is manager, Chris Broadbent,
characteristically
noted that Sosua is steeped
"white, extremely delici- in Jewish tradition, culture
ous, made under strict and curiosity: "Even before
kosher conditions." He their bags are fully un-
added that Sosua also packed, and before going for
exports a variety of a swim, many of our Jewish
smoked meats to the U.S. guests take off to explore
and Puerto Rico.
various ethnic locations —
Primarily through word like the synagogue. I've
of mouth and a few news- never seen anything like
paper articles, Jews from it."
many countries are arriving
in record numbers in search Bernice Kandel
of heritage and culture.
Bernice Barudin Kandel,
Many are remaining in a public relations prac-
Sosua.
titioner and advertising
At La Union, the nation's woman for more than 30
largest airport, in Puerto years, died March 29 at age
Plata, which is serviced 66.
regularly by Capital Air-
Wife of Alan D. Kandel,
ways, Air Florida and director of social planning of
Dominicana Airlines, the the Jewish Welfare Federa-
Star of David, carved in tion, she headed her own
miniature out of translu- public relations business in
cent yellow-browninsh Cleveland before moving to
amber, is sold for five pesos. • Detroit in 1968.
And over at nearby
Mrs. Kandel visited Is-
Sosuamar, a sprawling, per- rael four times, acquiring a
fectly landscaped resort of special feeling and interest
breathtaking spacious vil- for the work of the Jewish
las and apartments, culi- National Fund, an interest
nary delicacies, well-tended which continued despite a
tennis courts along a long illness.
generous-size swimming
Long before the
pool overlooking Sosua Be- emergence of the civil
ach, the names of Weinberg, rights movement, Mrs.
Bloom and Wolfson are Kandel was active in the
commonplace among cause and was the first
guests.
non-black staff member
of the National Urban'
Joseph Singer
League in New York City.
Joseph Singer, a kosher Her interest in public is-
butcher, died March 29 at sues and politics led to an
age 84.
important role with
Born in Russia, Mr. Eleanor Roosevelt in
Singer lived more than 60 building the New York
years in Detroit. He had City Chapter of Ameri-
been a kosher butcher in cans for Democratic Ac-
Detroit and Oak Park since tion.
1924 and was in Oak Park
The New York-born Mrs.
for 25 years. He retired 15 Kandel was a graduate of
years ago.
the College of New Rochelle
He was a member of and served as president of
Cong. Beth Achim and a its Michigan Alumnae
50-year member of Pisgah Association.
Lodge of Bnai Brith. He also
Besides her husband, she
was affiliated with the De- leaves two sons, Anthony
troit Area Retail Kosher and Jonathan of New York;
Meat Dealers Association.
and two granddaughters.
He leaves two daughters,
Mrs. Seymour (Lillian) Gal- Alex Syner
lant and Mrs. Jack (Phyllis)
Alex Syner, an electrical
Attis of Lauderdale Lakes, contractor, died March 25 at
Fla.; four grandchildren age 74.
and three great-grand-
A former Detroiter, Mr.
children.
Syner resided in Tamarac,
at the time of his
Edward Horowitz Fla.,
death. He was the retired
Edward A. Horowitz, owner of Syner Electric.
owner of the Edward A.
Mr. Syner was a member
Horowitz Construction Co. of Craftsman Lodge of the
in Southfield since 1950, Masons. He was a former
died March 26 at age 79.
electrical inspector for the
Born in Scranton, Pa., city of Oak Park.
Mr. Horowitz was a member
He leaves his wife, Lil-
of Pisgah Lodge of Bnai lian; a son, Marc; two
Brith, Mosaic Lodge of the daughters, Mrs. Martin
Masons and Scottish Rite (Lorraine) Wedgle of West
Bodies.
Bloomfield and Mrs. Mur-
He leaves his wife, ray (Millicent) Hozman of
Thelma; two sisters, Mrs.
Farmington Hills; a
Nash (Fannye) Feldman of brother, Leon of Rochester,
Miami, Fla., and Mrs. Lil- N.Y.; six grandchildren and
lian Sussman; nieces and one great-granddaughter.
nephews.
Interment Detroit.
"Over 65 years of traditional service in the Jewish community with dignity and understanding."
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