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When a general strike is in effect, the number of stores open for business is us- ed as a visual barometer of the effectiveness of the Na- tional Civic Crusade's latest effort to oust General Manuel Noriega. But there are two untold stories here. One has to do with the pressure being ex- erted on the merchants of Central Avenue by both sides in the political crisis because of television coverage. The other is the fact that the ma- jority of those merchants are Jews. lb ensure that television broadcasts in the United States and Panama show that the strike is a failure, the government has taken unusual measures to have the stores remain open during general strikes. The opposi- tion, united in the National Civic Crusade, a broad-based coalition of about 200 business and civic organiza- tions seeking to oust General Manuel Noriega, also has pressured the merchants — to keep their stores shut in sup- port of the strikes. Another Jewish dimension to the political drama in Panama is that President Eric Delvalle is a Jew, a member of one of Panama's oldest Jewish families. On March 6 he sent a three-page letter to Panamanian Jews urging them to "join the na- tional movement" to oust General Noriega. Thus, the merchants of Central Avenue, along with all other Panama- nian Jews, inadvertently find themselves in the eye of the political storm. During the second week of March, Barry Mehler, chair- man of the Latin American Affairs Committee of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, and I went to Panama and met leaders of the Civic Crusade. They ex- pressed frustration with members of the Jewish com- munity who did not close their stores in support of the general strikes called by the Crusade last June and in February. This frustration was vented T in more than a dozen dif- ferent flyers which were wide- ly distributed in both the commercial and residential sections of Panama City. One flyer said, "Jews of Panama, today Klaus Barbie is being judged for crimes against a people; don't let this happen in Panama, support us." The headline on another was, "Jews vs. Country." Still another charged that the "Turcos (Turks — their name for Jews from Arab lands) have never integrated, nor have they identified with this country where they amassed their fortunes?' In addition, some members of the Jewish community received threatening anti-Semitic phone calls. What caused particular consternation was the fact that the flyers were distributed from the National Civic Crusade headquarters office. We told the head of the National Civic Crusade, Aurelio Barria, and four other_ Crusade leaders with whom we met at the Marriott Hotel in Panama, that anti- Semitism was morally wrong and politically harmful to their cause. In response to our expression of concern that in the wake of General Noriega's departure anti-Semitism might erupt once again, Bar- ria said, "We don't accept anti-Semitism; we are against it . . . We will take necessary steps to prevent anti- Semitism happening again!' Subsequently, we met with a group of merchants who own stores on Central Avenue. They spoke of the pressures which government emissaries — sometimes of cabinet rank — exerted on them during personal visits to their stores. General Noriega is perceived by many as ruthless and shrewd. We found that the merchants fear retaliation by the Noriega government, which could be immediate, more than they fear the vengeance which the Civic Crusade might exact. They said that they opened their stores out of fear, primarily for the safety of their families, but also mind- ful of General Noriega's abili- ty to destroy their businesses overnight. Indeed, on the night of March 17 one of the stores on Central Avenue was pillaged and burned. The fire department's failure to res- pond to the alarm until after the store was gutted by fire was interpreted by some as a message.