THE JEWISH NEWS (USPS 275-520) Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issue of July 20, 1951 Copyright © The Jewish News Publishing Co. - 3.'''' emer of American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, National Editorial Association and . ,.. Member National Newspaper Association and its Capital Club. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Postmaster: Send address changes to The Jewish News, 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offices. Subscription $18 a year. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher ALAN HITSKY News Editor CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager HEIDI PRESS Associate News Editor DREW LIEBERWITZ Advertising Manager Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the 27th day of Tammuz, 5743, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues- Pentateuchal portion, Numbers 30:2-36:13. Prophetical portion, Jeremiah 2:4-28, 3:4. Monday, Rosh Hodesh Av, Numbers 28:1-15 Candlelighting, Friday, July 8, 8:51 p.m. VOL. LXXXIII, No. 19 Page Four Friday, July 8, 1983 USSR vs • HUMAN RIGHTS Virtual shutting of the Russian doors to t he "(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of hundreds • of thousands desiring to leave t he his nationality nor denied the right to change country they view as their persecutor h as his nationality." aroused renewed protests in liberal world ci r- The continuing persecutions, the shutting Iles. Protesting actions are planned in bo th of Russian doors to those seeking asylum in houses of the U.S. Congress, and the flaunti ng environments of freedom and humanism, com- of human rights principles has again call ed pel widest distribution of the UN document and forth wide condemnations. a call to the civilized world to demand fulle It is the abuses of ideals formulated with adherence to the ideals formulated by the world the consenting participation of the Soviet Union organization 35 years ago. that has induced much of the protesting: The Adoption by the U.S. Senate of a resolutio n Soviet Union had something to do with the introduced by Senator Carl Levin, urging th at framing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the United Na- Ida Nudel, who has reached her 50th birthda y, be permitted to leave for Israel and to rejoin he r tions Dec. 10, 1948. In that historic statement there is emphasis on people's rights to seek citi- sister there is one indication of widenin g zenship outside their native lands, to emigrate concern over the Russian restrictions. Id a Nudel has suffered imprisonment in Siberia fo r if and when they choose, everyone having the 12 years and since her_exile had continuall right to seek asylum wherever chosen. The por- tion of the Declaration of Human Rights relat- been denied requests for visas to leave the coun - try she views as her persecutor. Her experience s ing to such rights states: apply to the tens of thousands who request per "Article 13. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the mission to leave the Soviet Union, contrary to denials, and are major among the oppressions borders of each state. "(2) Everyone has the right to leave any recorded in current history. country, including his own, and to return to his Thus the demands for restoration of an country. open-door policy is a call to action for adherence "Article 14 (1) Everyone has the right to to a universal principle. The restrictive forces seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum merit widest condemnation and it is evident from persecution. that the USSR defiance of the very ideas calling "(2) This right may not be invoked in the for freedom of movements by people desiring to case of prosecutions genuinely arising from emigrate are encountering the human protests non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the which are gaining widespreading echoes. The purposes and principles of the United Nations. protests must continue in the hope that relief "Article 15. (1) Everyone has the right to a will come soon for those who remain in a state of nationality. persecution. [..... st Israel's Multiple Problems Diagnosed by 9 Authors BREEDING SICK MINDS Vandalism, besmirching of synagogues and private homes, has assumed such wide propor- tions in many communities that the urgent need to re-educate people to human behavior becomes apparent. The sick minds that caused swastika daub- ings on synagogues, the damage done to private homes and adjacent properties, must be viewed as much more threatening than simple malici- ousness. They must be traced to the homes whence the scandals stem. Through the centuries blame was placed on the churches. This was especially true in back- ward East European countries where drunken mobs would, upon leaving their churches after listening to hate-inspiring sermons accom- panied in their ignorance by misapplication of Hebrew Psalms, resort to murderous attacks on Jews, home burnings, torturing of men, women and children. Such blame is no longer justified in an age when religious leaders are advocating and practicing ecumenism. Yet there is an in- heritance of the ancient hatreds which finds' havens in homes, and it is not unreasonable to believe that the vandalism and violence is in- spired in ignorant homes. How else is it possible to view the misdemeanors that develop into vio- lence and destruction of property? Therefore, the renewal of the urgent need that the church restore its influence upon the home, that sick minds be healed and the minor- ity element that is so shamefully destructive be guided away from inhumanism. TALK SHOW VALUES Radio talk shows have immense value and they must be geared toward emphasizing truth with an avoidance of incitement to hatreds and indecencies. The June 10 Jewish News editorial, "Talk Show Anti-Semitism," defined Jewish respon- sibility to refute anti-Jewish statements, and it also declared: "A moderator should have some informa- tion about Israel and Zionism, about the events in the Middle East, about the struggles and the American-Israel traditional friendship. It does not mean that a news medium moderator be- comes a propagandist for Jews and for Israel." Criticism of some sad experiences provided in talk shows was not treated with respect by one of the stations involved, and one moderator instead fanned into venom against. The Jewish News. Israel's needs, the multiple problems, the differing attitudes on war and the craving for peace, all have a special bearing on the nation's literature. The Israeli intellectuals and the prominent in the publishing ranks are outspoken, unhesitant to criticize, their views often serving as guidelines for the media and for the universities — all gaining responsive evidences on a population that is marked by multi- national backgrounds. Nine Israeli authors expressed their views on the many issues in their country in interviews conducted by a prominent educator. In "Encounters with Israeli Authors" (Micah Publications), Dr. Esther Fuchs gathered the views of nine of the best-known Israeli authors. One of them, Yehuda Amichai, was interviewed in Texas. The others presented their views in Israel. They are: Gershon Shaked, Amalia Kahana-Charmon, S. Yizhar, Ittamar Yaoz-Kest, A.B. Yehoshua, Aharon Appelfeld, Aharon Megged and Yoram Kanruk. All of the interviews were in Hebrew and the interviewer was, of course, their translator into this important English text. Dr. Fuchs, an Israeli who came to the U.S. in 1976, earned her PhD degree in Hebrew literature at Brandeis University. She is presently on the faculty of the University of Texas in Austin, in the department of Oriental languages and literature. Each of the interviews is accompanied by biographical data in brief essays by Dr. Fuchs. The views expressed deal with the status of Israel, the conflicting attitudes that reflect politics and the social positions of the people of Israel. The traditional influences are evidenced in many of the view- points expressed here. Thus, Amichai, in reply to the question "how does the language of the Bible, the holy language, work in your inconoclastic poems?" replied: 'The language does most of my work for me. Every word we use carries in and of itself connotations from the Bible, the Siddur, the Midrash, the Talmud. Every word reverberates through the halls of Jewish history. Coming from a religious background, the spoken language I use still retains for, me' the original traditional flavor. "In my poems I work with both levels, the new and the old, simultaneously. In my poems, I try to recreate and re-interpret. In this sense my writing is genuinely Jewish. "In my opinion, Jewish literature consists of the endless interpre- tations of the source. This is what Rashi did, and this is what modern. Zionism did. In this sense, modern Hebrew is really a metaphor for the Zionist endeavor — a reawakening, a revival, which means both change and continuity. What is Zionism if not a reinterpretation of the Biblical verse, 'David, King of Jerusalem continues to life?' Megged was asked about his increasing alienation from the Zionist or Israeli d'etre, and he replied: "Now that you mention it, I think you're right. There is a growing alienation, a growing distance from the collective. I guess the cracks are becoming more and more visible. The problems are getting closer to the roots. of Zionism. At that time, the conviction was stronger, purer and more innocent. The situation is much more complex now. What we took for granted became rather questionable, and increas- ingly problematic." This is like a summation of the state of affairs in Israeli literature and the role of the writers who have evidenced great influence in their country. The total aspect of this fascinating work is the revealing character of authorship. The entire collection evidences the progress of the printed word, the poem and the novel, in Israel.