A New Challenge

New Year...

Creating Housing Sites for
SoViet
Jews 41
•
is NOT
Child's

Continued from preceding page

yr

With your help this year
WE WILL

MOVE
MOUNTAINS

Switzerland

,

JNF is accelerating its land reclamation activities preparing
housing sites in Israel's Galilee, Jerusalem and Negev regions
to accommodate thousands of Russian Jewish immigrants.
Help us develop the land at this crucial time.
Support the Jewish National Fund's
OPERATION PROMISED LAND campaign.

Jewish National Fund is the land.
Help us fulfill the promise!

PROMISED
LAND

Enclosed is my contribution to

OPERATION PROMISED LAND

THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND

Name

Address

City

State

Zip

Please make check payable to JEWISH NATIONAL FUND and mail to: 18877 W Ten Mile Rd., Suite 100,
Southfielod, Ml 48075. Your contribution is tax deductible. Thank you for your support.

DON'T LET HOUSEHOLD PESTS
HOLD YOU HOSTAGE!

Ruth & Marlene
Invite you to . . .

CALL THE ERADICO PROFESSIONALS!

Eradico's safe and proven methods keep your
home free of insects, rodents and other pests.
Trust Eradico for an honest assessment of your
needs and dependable, affordable service.
Cockroaches • Ants • Fleas • Bees • Hornets
• Wasps • Rats • Mice and any other pests.
For a FREE inspection and estimate,
Call Today!

knit separates

29107 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield
Mon.-Fri. 10-4. Sat. 10-3 358-4085

MI6 Mb. MI MM. MO 41IP 41• ■

111111... MIN
MIMI NM WU" WWI
="111 M.M
BPU. MAIN

11 ■ /11MMIV

ss ■1110 Nior

CONTROL

Eradicate

;nth

Eradico

Michigan's Largest Independent Pest Control Company
For Service Throughout Southeastern Michigan Call: (313) 546 6200

-

ANIERICAN
SOCIETY'
CANCER

Help us keep winning.

64

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1991

The sums collected are sev-
eral times higher than the
aggregate budgets of all the
Jewish communities com-
bined.
SIG unites mainstream
Jewry in Switzerland, which
is both its strength and
weakness. It is strong, be-
cause it is the officially rec-
ognized representative of
Swiss Jewry and its
spokesman in all matters
concerning Jews.
Its biggest limitation is
that SIG must strictly re-
spect the autonomy of its
member communities, their
private interests and the
various religious trends.
There is, nevertheless, a
common denominator in the
realm of "foreign policy."
That includes relations
with the Israeli diplomatic
representatives in Bern and
Geneva, with international
Jewish organizations, such
as the World Jewish Con-
gress, of which SIG is a
member, and with the Euro-
pean Council of Jewish
Community Services.
SIG also has close con-
tacts with the major church
organizations in Switzer-
land.
The Jews of Switzerland
are fairly well integrated in
Swiss social and political
life. But since only 10,000
are Swiss nationals, it is
surprising to find a fair
number of Jewish members
in local parliaments. The
same goes for the military,
which is not surprising, be-
cause Switzerland has a con-
script army.
Anti-Semitism exists on
an individual social level and
in certain clubs. But no
animosity toward Jews is
evident, even in xenophobic
political groups that fight
immigration and "foreign
penetration."
The federation monitors
anti-Semitic attitudes
through professional public
opinion polls.
Between 4 and 8 percent
of the population shows a
strong prejudice against
Jews. About 14 percent
could be considered preju-
diced and 55 percent is en-
tirely without prejudice.
The remaining third is
composed of "don't knows"
and "not interested."
In recent years, however,
the post-Auschwitz "taboo"
has been lifted and the
younger generation is not
inhibited against speaking
critically about Jews.
In marked contrast to
other European countries
after the Arab oil embargo,
Swiss policy remained
levelheaded and friendly to-
ward Israel.

But among the Socialists,
there is a generation gap.
The older members are still
pro-Israel. The younger, who
are generally more radical on
most issues, are pro-
Palestinian, but uphold Is-
rael's right to exist in
"secure and recognized bor-
ders."
The ultra-left groups and
parties, the so-called
"progressive" organiza-
tions, are clearly anti-Israel
and anti- Jewish.
Switzerland is not a mem-
ber of the United Nations,
although Geneva serves as
its European headquarters.
The Swiss political estab-
lishment would like the
country to join the world
body, but it would require a
referendum.
"Swiss Jewry could be
quite happy and content
were it not for the negative
demographic development,
mixed marriages and grow-
ing internal polarization,"
Guggenheim says.
The central issue concerns
the so-called identity crisis,
the question of what Juda-
ism means to the modern,
non-Orthodox Jew in the
Diaspora. Thus, like most
other Diaspora communi-
ties, the problems of Swiss
Jewry are internal ones. El

i'mmi NEWS

Rising Need
For Land Funds

Jerusalem (JTA) — The
Jewish National Fund will
need more money to prepare
land for immigrant housing
and has only Diaspora Jewry
to turn to, JNF World
Chairman Moshe Rivlin told
members of the South
African Zionist Federation
on a recent solidarity visit.
He said JNF is doubling its
land development work in
Galilee and the Negev at the
request of Israel's Housing
Ministry and will require
$30 million to $40 million
above the regular budget.
JNF is currently develop-
ing land at 55 sites in
Galilee and the Negev, in
preparation for building
some 70,000 housing units
for immigrants.
Mr. Rivlin explained that
the land reclamation agency
is forgoing its revenue from
leasing land to the public be-
cause the government has
decided to provide land free
of charge for new immi-
grants.
Diaspora Jewry must be
partners, he said, inasmuch
as the JNF holds the land in
trust for the entire Jewish
people.

