102

Friday, March 22„ 1905_

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

BACKGROUND

Ethiopian Famine Tied
To Third World Politics

BY REV. FRANKLIN LITTELL

Special to The Jewish News

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In the last several months there stamped on the packages. But the
has been a tremendous outpour-
dictators cannot hide the fact that
ing of relief for starving millions the peoples they hold captive
in Ethiopia. By the end of 1984, leave when they get a chance.
some $40 million had been raised
Probably the food for the starv-
in the United States alone. Israel ing should be sent, even though
and western Europe have also re- the track record of Marxist re-
sponded generously.
gimes and of United Nations re-
Several questions linger, how- lief agencies should leave us
ever. For one thing, starvation without surprise when wide-
seasons have become a perennial spread corruption and misappro-
characteristic in the two dozen priation is late reported.
African countries that have been
The civilized governments
taken over by Muslim and/or rarely know what to do in dealng
Marxist dictatorships. Some of appropriately with illegitimate,
them, before they fell victim to ideologically and morally corrupt
political zealots, used to export governments. We didn't face the
food from their own abundance.
facts in the massive theft of rice
In Ethiopia, ten years of Mar- and other supplies by a corrupt
xist economic mismanagement regime in Vietnam.
has been accompanied by persecu-
tions of religious communities
(especially the Coptic Christians
and Ethiopian Jews) and by a
bloody dictatorship's war to
achieve centralized control and
planning over Eritrea and other
outlying provinces. The political S. Lowenthal
leadership has led to slaughter of
Sigmund Lowenthal, owner of
religious and ethnic minorities in S. Lowenthal Wholesale Meat
Chad, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Upper Co., died March 13 in Palm
Volta, Guinea and several other Springs, Calif. He was 78.
areas newly "emancipated" and
Born in Germany, Mr. Lowent-
also frequently crippled by doc- hal lived 46 years in Detroit. He
trinaire economic experiments.
was a founding member of Cong.
Ethiopia is an especially Gemiluth Chaspdim, past
pointed illustration of the prob- president and instrumental in
lem. Its strategic location has led helping to arrange the merger
the Russians and their satellites with Cong. Beth Abraham Hillel
to flood the Marxist dictatorship Moses. He was a lifetime board
with weapons and munitions. member and honorary president
They also made it possible for the of Cong. Beth Abraham Hillel
junta, with the starvation boom Moses.
lowering, to spend millions of dol-
He was active in the
lars celebrating a decade of Mar- synagogue's activities and de-
xist rule.
velopment. The only member of
The Ethiopian Jews have his family to survive the
preserved fundamentals of Holocaust, he helped finance and
Jewish faith and practice since erect a memorial to the six million
pre-Christian times. Their origin Jews who died in the Holocaust.
has been placed at the time of Mr. Lowenthal organized and
King Solomon's empire. When participated in an annual
first contact was made by Jews Holocaust memorial with other
from the outside, the "Beta- survivors.
Israel" as they are sometimes
Mr. Lowenthal operated his
called, were surprised: they business until his death.
thought they were the only Jews
He is survived by his wife, Sidy;
left in the world. In recent months two daughters, Mrs. Marvin
a major rescue operation has (Dorie) Shwedel and Betty; four
brought thousands to resettle- grandchildren and one great-
ment in Israel.
granddaughter.
When word of the rescue opera-
tion leaked out in the world press,
the reaction of the Ethiopian
junta was what one would expect. Max Kiarin, 74
Like their Soviet masters, they
Max Kiarin, retired executive
charge with "treason" those who
would escpae the prison. The em- vice president of the Federal De-
barrassment of having large partment Stores in Detroit, died
numbers of subjects who just want March 12 at age 74.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Kia-
to get away from them, even if
they escape with nothing but the rin lived in Detroit for 21 years,
rags on their backs, is real. The and retired to Florida 13 years
dictators can stuff the ballot ago. He resided in Gulfport, Fla.,
boxes, but the testimony of those at the time of his death.
He was a member of the board of
who vote with their feet is very
Temple Beth El Brotherhood in
public.
The dictators can re-package or St. Petersburg, Fla., a member of
print over the place of origin of the Academy. of Senior Profes-
food supplies. This has often been sionals at Eckerd College and a
done by Communist governments member of Mosaic Lodge of the
when whole peoples have been fed Masons in Detroit.
He is survived by his wife,
by the West. One of my own un-
forgettable experiences was to see Winifred E.; a son, Ronald David
vast quantities of American of Huntington Woods; a daughter,
supplies that were keeping East Mrs. Arnold (Sherry) Shindler of
.Europeans alive after World War Southfield; two brothers, Sam of
II distributed with the American Palm Harbor, Fla., and Walter of
point of origin blacked out and "a Columbus, Ohio; and three
gift from the Russian people" grandchildren.