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Call 354-6060 36 FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1992 My own fascination with Yiddish freely used in politics commenced as early as 1912 as an immigrant who came to Bayonne, N.J. 1...ri...4....w.,......., W111111111 _ .-- -- -- millifint / do 4EP I (, ' S erious considerations of issues confronting the nation may lead us to resort to lighter vein comments. Even under difficult conditions, a good joke always merits apprecia- tion. If we are denied an oc- casional pun, we would be sinking into despair when we need to be encouraged. In the earliest decades of this century, and continuing for at least four decades, Yiddish speakers had radio and debating halls; in their ranks political and social issues invited advocacies and disputes. One such instrument in- vites enthusiastic recollec- tion. It was the Hyman Altman Jewish Radio Hour on WJLB for at least 20 years. The Altman hour was conducted by Hyman with the assistance of his wife Sarah. The program was a community factor that con- sidered all major American and Jewish social, religious and educational needs, demands and obligations, from Zionist duties to the urging of strengthening ed- ucational and cultural aims. In light of the present pres- idential campaign, we can be treated to a recollection about Hyman Altman. Polit- ical advertising was ac- cepted in his broadcasts as English language appeals to voters. It was in the 1937 presidential campaign that the Altmans accepted a Republican appeal in behalf of Alf Landon, who opposed Frankiln Roosevelt's can- didacy. Hyman Altman read the Republican appeal with the enthusiasm and elo- quence due a paying adver- tiser. Having fulfilled his duty in English, Mr. Altman then returned to Yiddish and said to his loyal au- dience: Doss is gevenn ah bat- zolen advertaizment. Ich shtimm far Ruzzvelt. (This was a paid advertisement. I am voting for Roosevelt.)This is one of many anecdotes of the Yiddish political years. Israel Sobeloff, the executive director of the Jewish Wel- fare Federation of those years, shared with me scores of similar stories. The memories of them will re- main and they point to others about Yiddish polit- ical roles in the first half of the century. I began taking a deep in- terest in American politics and was blessed with receiv- ing the Congressional Record for perhaps 40 years. I started attending political rallies, thanks to Uncle Gedaliah, George Epstein. Uncle George and his brothers, Louis and Henry, became Democratic leaders in Hudson County, N.J., which included Bayonne. In those early years, nearly all political rallies were con ducted in Yiddish and End= lish. One is especially worth noting. Louis Epstein and Uncle George were presiding at Democratic rally in the Labor Institute in Bayonne.. Louis Epstein opened meeting by asking the assmebly, "What should it be, Ehddish tzu Engulsh?" Half of the gatherinjh shouted for the one; half for the other. Thereupon, Loui:1 said, "Then we will make gemixt." That gemixj became a reality in tL Americanization process. :- Such anecdotal fasciit- tions can never be erase . from memories of pop- ularized politics. El . I NEWS I ADL Protests Hiring Of Farrakhan Firm Los Angeles (JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League is protesting the hiring of a security service affiliated with the Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan to patrol a federally subsidized housing project in the Venice area of western Los Angeles. A contract between the Al- liance Housing project and Farrakhan's Nation of Islam security branch, not yet signed but described as a "done deal," was negotiated under guidelines monitored and approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In a letter to HUD Secre- tary Jack Kemp, ADL's na- tional director, Abraham Foxman, said, "The Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan, have a record of racism, anti-Semitism and hate matched by few groups." "It would be as inap- propriate for the Ku Klux Klan or any other racist group to be providing securi- ty under government con- tract as it would be for the Nation of Islam," he said. Mr. Foxman said there would likely be heightened tensions between the guards and non-minority people in the racially mixed project and neighborhood, if sub- V.T jected to the Nation C7 Islam's authority. David Lehrer, the Ari T; Western states director, se': that Mr. Farrakhan's secuitE ty service "does not have • stellar record, and it employment would be like asking the fox to guard the 1 chicken coop." Iry Rubin, national leader (z) of the militant Jewish Defense League, said 11 4 group would demonstrate front of HUD offices. Under terms of the $54,000-a-month contract with Nation of Islam Securi- ty, seven pairs of guards would patrol the project's 15 , subsidized apartment',',_ buildings overnight from Wednesday through Sunday. The apartment buildings, infested with drug dealing and sporadic gang violence, are in a once predominantly black neighborhood nov undergoing a process of gen trification. During the re- cent Los Angeles riots, several new condominiums in the area were vandalized and one was torched. According to the Times, a HUD spokesman in Wash- ington said he had not yet seen the ADL letter, but that any reports of anti- Semitism or racism would be "investigated and dealt with."