Y E A R

IN

R E V I E W

THE
MAJOR
EVENTS
OF THE
PAST
YEAR

he Jewish calendar
year 5751 had
everything: the reality
of war (in the Persian
Gulf) and prospects for peace
(between the Arab world and
Israel); tragic violence in
Jerusalem and Brooklyn, and a
heroic rescue of thousands of
Jews from Ethiopia; verbal
sniping between government
leaders in Washington and
Jerusalem, and symbolic
solidarity as American soldiers
protected Israeli citizens from
missile attacks. American Jews
agonized over the Jewish state's
vulnerability during the war
but were criticized by their
brethren for canceling trips to
Israel. And a major study found
that intermarriage and
assimilation were even more
widespread in the American
Jewish community than had
been believed.
Soviet Jews streamed into

T

30 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1991

Israel by the tens of thousands,
while Jerusalem struggled
mightily to provide employment
and housing for the newcomers.
At year's end, with the failed
coup and the collapse of
Communism in the USSR, there
was debate as to whether Jews
would flee in record numbers or

choose to stay and build a new
form of government.
Following is a summary of the
most important Jewish news
stories of the past tumultuous
12 months:

GARY ROSENBLATT

Editor

(Above) The ravages of war
were felt by Israelis in Tel
Aviv and its suburbs. But
miraculously, only one death
was a direct result of some 40
Scud missile attacks.