Archaeological work is be-
ing carried out jointly by the
Hebrew University's depart-
ment of archaeology and the
Israeli government's Depart-
ment of Antiquities, with the
National Parks Authority, the
Beit She'an Municipal Coun-
cil, the Ministry of Tourism
and the Jewish National
Fund taking part in the
overall renewal and develop-
ment project.
According to the experts,
the Beit She'an theater is far
superior in beauty and ar-
chaeological interest to the
ANTIQUE S110V
AND SALE
Caesarea
better-known
Roman theater, which was
marred by its hasty recon-
struction with a layer of
white marble, giving it a too
modern and less authentic
look.
At the Beit She'an theater,
the original stonework is be-
ing maintained, with any
cracks in the tiered seats
carefully filled with stone
chips. Sound experts say the
acoustics from the stage of
the Beit She'an theater are
"near perfect."
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
NOV 11-111:0 AUGUST
Over 45 antique dealers from
across theirwares
Michigan. and
and
will all exhibit
est
11-day show.
he
throughout the Midw
offer their services at t
Thousands of items will be, available, including oak
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Services
and walnut furniture, quilts, slot machines
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thru
e
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r eferenc
Sunday
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30) and
an.tique
include
grinding
and repairs, lamp re raising.
`Swinging' In Israel
Is Not Very Common
NECHEMIA MEYERS
L
Special to The Jewish News
S
ince sex interests
Israelis as it does
everyone else, the local
press
has
published
numerous reports on police
psychologist Mordechai
Neuman's recent M.A. thesis
on "swinging."
In his thesis, the first
academic study of the subject
in Israel, Neuman makes no
attempt to determine just
how many married couples
exchange sexual partners
with one another. However, he
does point out that the
phenomenon was never very
common here, and has
become even less so since the
AIDS epidemic began.
Like so many other Israeli
fads and fashions, this one
was imported from the United
States. But in Israel, unlike
the U.S., there have never
been any special clubs or
publications for "swingers." If
they advertise at all, it is
through discrete little ads in
either Hadashot, a popular
evening newspaper, or La
Isha, the country's most wide-
ly circulated women's
magazine.
Neuman reports that
husbands generally initiate
the sexual exchange ar-
rangements but, according to
the interviewees, wives grow
to enjoy them. The get-
togethers typically take place
on Friday nights at private
homes (after children have
been sent off to stay with
their grandparents) or in
hotels.
All 25 couples interviewed
by Neuman claimed that "no
harm was done" by this
departure from accepted
norms, a view that is not
shared by a prominent
psychologist to whom I spoke.
She said that "swinging" was
bound to cause stress, and
cited several cases of couples
who had required prolonged
psychological counseling
after deciding to stop the
practice.
It was usually the woman,
according to this psychologist,
who sought help first because
she "couldn't take it
anymore." Often she also
wanted an additional child
but was loathe to become
pregnant when she couldn't
be sure who would be the
father.
The psychologist was struck
by the fact that the couples
she treated were "so seeming-
ly square." Her observation
accords with the findings of
Mordechai Neuman, whose
interviewees all came from a
very specific sector of Israeli
society: the well-educated,
Ashkenazi upper middle
class. Most were also
educators, who, Neuman
speculates, are apt to seek
outside stimulation because
their profession offers scant
opportunity for advancement
and few challenges.
The educators I know, in
any case, tnd to agree with his
gloomy evaluation of their oc-
cupation, but don't regard
"swinging" as a satisfactory
way of dealing with its
frustrations.
Needless to say, the rab-
binical authorities take a still
dimmer view of the practice.
According to a reprsentative
of the Haifa Rabbinical
Court, which handled divorce
proceedings following the
breakup of a "swingers"
group in that city some years
ago, "the rabbis look at
`swinging' as just another
case of unfaithfulness. The
women involved must divorce
their husbands and are for-
bidden to marry any of the
men with whom they have
had sexual relations. If, in ad-
dition, a participating woman
has also fallen in love with
one of them, the resultant
tragedy is even greater."
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
37