44 April` 13, 1041 THE DETROIT JEWISt-I 'NEWS' Israel becomes accessible for the handicapped tourist HOWARD, GAIL, JOEY & SCOTT NISKAR Wish All Their Friends & Relatives A HAPPY PASSOVER •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • PHOTOGRAPHY FOR YOUR SPECIAL OCCASION .. . • Sensitive • Unique • Imaginative Have Buz and his Staff give you beautiful portraits, family groups, special effects, and exciting candids .. . To Make Your Day Memorable. • 7 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • S. I VIDEO • Professional . . . • Edited, titled • productions by our • own staff. Evergreen Plaza, 19919 W. 12 Mile Road Southfield , 557-4848 Tues.-Sat. 9:30-5:30 Thurs. to 9, Sat. to 5 -• * • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • -11 • • BY PAUL HIRSCHHORN Haifa — In the past it was difficult, and sometimes impossible, for the handi- capped to fulfill the dream of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. For those who wanted to be baptized in the River Jordan, there was no ap- proach for wheelchairs. For the Jew longing to place a note in the cracks of the Wailing Wall, a long, wind- ing stairway was the deter- rent. But today, due in part to the work of a dedicated Is- raeli sociologist and in- creased awareness of the Is- raeli public, these dreams are within reach. A special access ramp now makes it possible for the disabled to enter the Jordan River and a new access road enables the handicapped to be dri- ven to within easy reach of the Western Wall. Egged, Israel's transpor- tation cooperative, has out- fitted a special bus to carry wheelchairs. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem has installed lifts on its stair- ways. Hotels around the country have enlarged doorways, installed special rest-rooms and remodeled guest rooms. Palex, an Is- raeli travel company, now arranges special planned tours for the disabled and elderly, with medical per- sonnel available on a stand-by basis. These improvements have come about, partly, be- cause of increased public awareness in Israel of the problems of the handi- capped. It is estimated that there are more than 250,000 French Jews mark CRIF anniversary Moses slaying the Egyptian taskmaster. From the Metz Haggadah. A Joyous To The Entire Jewish Community. Cadillac Asphalt & Paving Co. & Clawson Concrete Co. Paris (JTA) — French Jewry celebrated the 40th anniversary this week of the founding of the Repre- sentative Council of French Jewish Organizations (CRIF) by members of the Jewish underground in German-occupied France during World War II. The principal ceremonies were held Sunday in Lyon where Klaus Barbie, the wartime Gestapo chief there, is now in prison awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. In attendance were the Ar- chbishop of Lyon, Cardinal Albert Decourtray, who stressed his solidarity with the Jewish people, and De- fense Minister Charles Hernu who noted that Bar- bie, known as the "butcher of Lyon," is finally being brought to justice. There were also ceremonies in the village of Izieu. CRIF was founded in Lyon by a Jewish judge, Leon Meiss, who was in hid- ing from the Nazis at the time. Today it is the repre- sentative body of 50 major Jewish organizations in France. subsidiaries of a 4 4 ft A disabled persons in the country, represented by some 17 separate organiza- tions. A recently passed law requires that all public buildings be accessible to the handicapped. In addition, New York- born Alan Kirschenbaum, who found himself facing difficulties when he tried to tour Israel with his handi- capped 12-year-old son, has launched an all-out effort on behalf of the disabled in Is- rael. Kirschenbaum compiled a list of all Israeli tourist sites and restaurants acces- sible to the disabled. Based on this information, he ran test tours for the Israeli handicapped, which proved extremely successful. In order to expand travel services to the handicapped — and to the elderly who find normal tours difficult — Kirschenbaum chose Palex Tours. A series of tours was planned, and an English language brochure outlining available trips was published in English. (The booklet is available from Palex Tours, P.O. Box 33015, Haifa 31033, Israel.) The tours cover the entire country, including a stay on a kibbutz. They are tailored both to those in Israel for a long holiday, and those who wish a shorter tour. Medical personnel and stand-by facilities are also listed. Israel Tourism Ministry Presidents dispute German arms for Saudis New York (JTA) — West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, in a letter to the Con- ference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has ac- knowledged that "we Ger- mans bear a special respon- sibility for Israel's security" but said it was "essential" for West Germany "to pur- sue an even-handed policy toward all states in the region" the Presidents Con- ference reported. In reply, Julius Berman, chairman of the Presidents Conference, said that the impending massive sale of military weapons and supplies by West Germany to Saudi Arabia could "im- peril the very survival of the Jewish state." Berman de- clared that this danger was underscored "by the threat of jihad -4 holy war — against Israel by King Fand." The letter from Kohl was in repry to an earlier cable sent by the Conference of Presidents urging cancel- lation of the proposed arms sale. In his reply, Kohl said no decision on selling arms to the Saudi regime had yet been taken, but defended the sale on the ground that Saudi Arabia was a "mod- erate" Arab state, that any sale would be limited to de- fensive arms, that no Leopard tanks would be in- cluded and that "none of the weapons systems that may be supplied to Saudi Arabia would ever be used to attack Israel." Berman responded to- Kohl with a letter em- phasizing, "Given the fun- damental fact that all of Is- rael's Arab neighbors ex- cept Egypt are in a state of active or suspended war with the Jewish state, it is a contradiction to acknowl- edge 'special responsibility for Israel's security' while pursuing an even-hdded policy toward Israel and its enemies." "In our view," Berman continued "Germany's fixed and permanent moral re- sponsibility to the country that is now the homeland of Julius Berman so many victims of Nazi per- secution far outweighs any need for 'even-handedness' — and is surely superior to the desire for profits that Germany might gain from selling arms to the Saudi regime." The Presidents Confer- ence chairman said he could not accept Kohl's view that the Saudi threat of jihad was not based on "reality." Berman recalled that "more than half-a-century ago, when Hitler's infamous Mein Kampf was published in Germany, Jews were urged to disregard the blueprint for destruction it contained. Those who re- fused to take Hitler seri- ously learned . . . that his words were not an idle threat but a warning of the horror to come. "In 1984, the Jewish people cannot dismiss King Fand's warning of jihad and cannot accept any promise that weapons in his hands would never be used to at- tack Israel. No government that claims to carry a spe- cial responsibility for Is- rael's security should place its trust in such a prince." Berman rejected Kohl's assertions that any weapons sold to Saudi Arabia would be "defensive in nature" and that the Saudi regime was a "mod- erate" one. The wide range of weaponry to be sold to Saudi Arabia, Berman said, "can readily be turned to of- fensive use against Israel."