Metro

Honoring The IDF

Israeli war hero will stand for all soldiers at FIDF dinner.

U-M Press

Panel ponders
Pluto issue.

Ann Arbor

in protest of Labor's willingness to cede
the Heights to Syria. In 1996, the party
joined a Likud coalition led by Benjamin
Netanyahu; but Kahalani left politics after
ne way to honor heroes is to
the 1999 elections when his party failed to
bring in a hero to represent
win any seats in the elections.
them. And that is exactly what
Reached in Israel last week, Kahalani
the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
had just returned form taking a group
(FIDF) is doing.
of Israeli youth to the
It doesn't hurt when the
Golan Heights. "I teach
hero is the incoming chair-
them what happened
man of your organization.
there over the years:' he
Brig. Gen. (Res.)
says. He estimates he has
Avigdor Kahalani, twice
taken more than 45,000
an Israeli war hero, will
young Israelis to the
be the guest of honor
Golan Heights to moti-
at the 11th Annual Gala
vate them to serve their
Dinner of the Michigan
country.
FIDF Thursday, Nov. 8,
He is impressed with
at Congregation Shaarey
the kids he sees and says
Zedek in Southfield.
a recent spate of stories
Kahalani becomes chair-
about Israeli youth
man of Aguda Lema'an
abandoning Zionism
Hachayal (the Association
and avoiding army ser-
for the Wellbeing of Israel's Brig. Gen. (R es.) Kahalani
vice has been overblown.
Soldiers), which is sup-
"There is not a big dif-
ported by the U.S.-based
ference in the numbers" avoiding military
FIDF, on Nov. 1.
service over the years, he says, "and we are
Kahalani will represent all IDF soldiers,
trying to deal with it. We need all of them.
who are this year's honorees rather than
We have a new generation and they are
a local FIDF supporter. The FIDF initiates
very good people. We have to be a good
and helps support social, educational,
cultural and recreational programs and
example to them"
facilities for the young men and women
War And Peace
soldiers of Israel who defend the Jewish
Though no longer a politician, like most
homeland. The FIDF also provides sup-
Israelis he has strong opinions on issues
port for widows and orphans of fallen
of war and peace.
soldiers.
"We cannot move from the Golan
Kahalani, 63, was born in Israel in 1944
to a family from Yemen. A career officer
Heights:' Kahalani says with conviction.
"We must stay until we see what will hap-
in the IDF, he served as commander of an
pen with Syria. If there will be a democ-
armored battalion on the Golan Heights
during the 1967 Six-Day War, receiving the racy in the future, and there can be peace
with Syria, maybe in those days, we don't
Distinguished Service Medal. He received
need the Golan Heights; but I don't see it
the Medal of Valor for service during the
1973 Yom Kippur War.
even 50 years in the future."
He is critical of the cold peace with
During the 1973 war, he commanded
Egypt, saying such a peace with Syria
hastily called-up soldiers who fought off
numerically superior Syrian forces in what would not be sufficient to relinquish the
became a turning point on the Northern
Golan.
Front. After the war, the valley where the
"It can't be like the Egyptians:' he said.
battles took place was littered with dozens "We need buses with tourists from Egypt,
of burned Syrian tanks and was renamed
and we would need them from Syria.
Things are very sensitive now. I'm listen-
Emek HaBacha (Valley of Tears).
ing to Syrian President Basher al-Assad.
The Golan has played a big role in
We have to take them seriously, but they
Kahalani's life, leading him to quit Israel's
have to think of us seriously, too."
Labor Party during his first Knesset term
Proud of his Yemenite heritage, he has
in 1992 to lead the breakaway Third Way

Don Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

0

been active with the Committee for the
Rescue of Jews from Yemen. He says those
who have wanted to come to Israel have
been permitted to do so.
"There was 1,000 Jews left in Yemen and
most, 750, moved to Israel," Kahalani says
with a sense of achievement. "There are
250 still there, but they've decided not to
come. We can be satisfied with what we
have done."
Deflecting questions about Iran, say-
ing it is "a world problem;' Kahalani says
Israel must learn from its history. "We
have to have a peace treaty between us
and the Palestinians and all of our neigh-
bors; but I'm not naive, and I don't think
it will happen very soon. We've had too
much experience over the past 10 years!'
He is excited to be leading the Aguda
Lema'an Hachayal.
"We have many plans and it will be a
challenge he said. "I love the soldiers
and I'll spend most of my time for them.
I've received warm hospitality from
[American] Jewish community and I hope
I can convince them about how to support
the soldiers. I'm proud the Jewish commu-
nity feels this way."
Tamir Oppenheim, director of the
Walled Lake-based Michigan FIDF, says
the dinner also will feature a special salute
to the soldiers that fought in last year's
Lebanon War, featuring a family that lost
one son in the war. Their other son was
the object of an extensive search in the
war zone to ensure his family would not
lose both sons in the battle.
"It is the right time to do this; the
IDF has been going through an amazing
period;' he said of the past 15 months that
has included the Lebanon War, a new IDF
Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense, an
ongoing war in Gaza and parts of the West
Bank and tension with Syria, Iran and
Hezbollah.

The Michigan Friends of the Israel
Defense Forces will hold its 11th
Annual Gala Dinnaer at 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 8, at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek, Southfield. The
program begins at 7 p.m. Event co-
chairs are Shari and Alon Kaufman,
Rhonda and Gary Ran, and Lisa and
Gary Shiffman. For more informa-
tion, (248) 926-4110 or 926-4111.

T

he executive committee of the
University of Michigan Press
(UMP) met on Oct. 17 and dis-
cussed its relationship with the British
publishing house Pluto Press. Pluto's
publication of Overcoming Zionism by
Joel Kovel and its distribution by UMP
— which has exclusive agreement to
distribute Pluto's books in the U.S. with-
out any editorial review — has raised
concerns from StandWithUs-Michigan
and other local and national organiza-
tions.
In addition to Kovel's book, Pluto has
a wide array of books strongly critical
of Israel, Zionism and Judaism. A Pluto-
published book, Jewish History, Jewish
Religion by Israel Shahak appears on
numerous neo-Nazi Web sites.
According to a press release last month
issued by UMP, it will review its contrac-
tual relationship with Pluto Press, which
requires that Pluto be informed by Nov.
30 if UMP wants to end the contract
next May 31. Pluto is the only publishing
house for which UMP distributes materi-
als outside of its own publications.
University spokesperson Kelly
Cunningham said U-M was not prepared
to release any information on the meet-
ing as of the IN press time. An update on
this issue will be available on the Jewish
News Web site, JNonline.us . I

Learn With The Rabbi
Adat Shalom Synagogue in Farmington
Hills will hold a lunch and learn series
"Trials & Errors" noon Thursdays, Nov.
1 and 8, and Tuesday, Nov. 13. Rabbi
Herbert Yoskowitz will
examine the trials of
Alfred Dreyfus, Mendel
Bailis and Leo Frank.
Classes run to 1:15 p.m.
There is a $10 per ses-
sion fee, which includes
lunch.
The community is
Rabbi
welcome.
Yoskowitz
Lunch and learn is
sponsored by the Adat
Shalom Adult Study Commission. RSVP
to Charlotte Fiszbein, (248) 851-5100, by
the Thursday prior to each program.

October 25 • 2007

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