Providence, RI, 02906 Overall Growth

Inside: R . I . Jewish Historical From The Editor, page 4 Association 11 Around Town, page 8 130 Sessions Street Providence , RI 02906 THE 0.VL )' E.'VGUSH--JEW/SH WEEKL )" IS R.I. A.VD SO[ THEA5,'T MASS. VOLUME LXXIV, NUMBER 14 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1987 35t PER COPY Should We Build U.S. Rabbi Reports "Openness" Holocaust Museums? Could Benefit Soviet Jews NEW YORK (JTA) - An government to send in 5,000 bibles American rabbi who met last and 5,000 prayer books printed in month with top Soviet officials Russian and Hebrew. The Soviet said recently that he believes government also agreed to allow significant internal changes two young Jewish men to attend underway there will improve the Rabbinical seminary in Jewish emigration and religious Budapest, Hungary, the only such freedom. institute in Eastern Europe. Rabbi Arthur Schneier of New Schneier was asked to deliver York, the president of the Appeal his address to the religious section of Conscience Foundation, was the last Saturday morning. But only Jewish leader invited to because he observes the Sabbath, address the religious portion of Schneier sent a colleague to read Rabbi Schneier Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's his speech. Instead, the rabbi gave itself a major advance. "There February 14-16 international a sermon at the Moscow Choral were days of total denial of the forum "for a nuclear-free world." Synagogue. Jewish problem. Today, you can Schneier told the Jewish He said his forum address talk about refuseniks, you can talk Holocaust memorials, like the one photographed above to be Telegraphic Agency that he touched on the Chernobyl nuclear about emigration," he said. built in Providence, are planned in several cities in the United formulated his views at the reactor accident, the threat of Sees Deep Changes States. Herald editor Robert Israel explores reasons why some conference a.nd from private nuclear Holocaust and his own While skeptics claim the new are protesting the building of Holocaust memorials. (photo by meetings with leading government experience as e Holocaust openness is simply cosmetic, Bruce Weisman) and religious officials. survivor. But it also called on the treating only the most high-profile They included Konstantin Soviet leadership to live up to its cases of dissidents, Schneier said by Robert Israel Kharchev, the chairman of the international obligations on he believes the changes will A reader from Miami, Florida, terialistic, idolatrous builders of Council on Religious Affairs; human rights and encouraged the penetrate deeper in time. (where many Rhode Island readers buildings," Mandelbaum says. Anatoly Dobrynin, Secretary of glasnost. "There is a reaHzation of of this newspaper migrate for the Before we proceed further, let me International Relations of the No Such Speech stagnation, both ideological and winter months), mailed me a clip say that I am one that takes issue Central Committee; Georgi Several Years Ago economical Unless there is a new ping last week that was written by with Mr. Mandelbaum's remarks. I Arbatov of the USA Institute; and "A few years ago, I could never approach, the Soviet Union is just Adon Taft, of the Miami Herald. am aware that there is, under con dissident scientist Andrei have delivered this kind of going to fall far behind as we enter The story is about Holocaust struction in Washington, D.C., a Sakharov, who also attended the address," Schneier said. "I did not the 21st century. His approach is memorials and is headlined, "How National Holocaust Museum, to be forum. Schneier added that he sanitize my speech. A few years much more pragmatic than many Holocaust Memorials Do We located on the Mall near the spoke briefly with Soviet leader ago, I wouldn't have been invited , ideological/' Schneier said. Need?" The piece raises some im Bureau of Engraving, designed by a Mikhail Gorbachev at a reception. to give that talk." T he rabbi's accomplishments portant questions and deserves to forme r Rhode Islander, architect "What is clear is there is . A possible sign that the speech perhaps may be attributed as be explored. Maurice Finegold, with a campaign presently e review of all was well received came in the final much to his relationship with top The first person quoted in Taft's goal of$100 million. I'm aware that refuseniks. This was told to me on communique on the whole Soviet officials as to glasnost. He story is Bernard Mandelbaum, on the grounds of the Jewish Com the highest levels," Schneier said. conference. It included the is one of the few private American president-emeritus of the Jewish munity Center in Providence there The rabbi said officials also told concluding paasage of Schneier's citizens, Jike industrialist Armand Theological Seminary. is, also under construction, a Holo him that the justification for address, quoted from Hillel: "If I Hammer, who have developed 'The irony of it all is that the caust Memorial Garden, also with refusal referred to es "state am not for myself, who is for me? over many years a rapport with greatest tragedy in Jewish history, a high campaign goal, but not quite secrets" would now have to be If I care only for myself, what am the Soviet leadership. He has instead of evoking the profoundest as high as the one in Washing substantiated by the local I? If not now, when?" visited the Soviet Union 19 times spiritual reponse, has converted ton, D.C. I am also aware that authorities. In the pest, The forum ended in the in 21 years. the Jewish community into ma- (Continued on page 4) emigration officials did not have Kremlin with Gorbachev The Appeal of Conscience to prove possession of state addressing the entire plenum. Foundation is an interfaith secrets. "You can't help but sense more organization of business and Schneier said he saw tangible openness," Schneier said. "There religious leaders to promote Brown Students Lobby evidence of the new "glasnost" is an open admission of mistakes." religious freedom throughout the (openness) during the visit. He Scbneier said the open world, understanding and In D.C. received permission from the discussion of human rights is in cooperation between religions. by Susannah E. Challis lives could take to help Soviet On behalf of Jewish refuseniks Jewry. These include adopting the and prisoners of conscience in the case of a refusenik or a prisoner of B.U. Student Elected Head Of WUJS Soviet Union, 730 students from conscience, to work on his or her by Joo Greene · president) to address anti-Semitic Unlike B'nai B'rith Hillel, east coast universities gathered on behalf; entering statements into (JSPS) - The election of quotas in European universities. which provides essential campus Capitol Hill for the eleventh the Congressional Record, which 22-year-old Yosef Abramowitz as In recent decades it has stressed services but whose policies are not annual lobby fo r Soviet Jewry. is monitored by the Soviet Union; chairman of the World Union of outspoken activism and set by students, students elect the They represented a total of 44 writing letters to colleagues; and Jewish Students at their recent international Jewish student boards of the national Jewish states. making a personal visit to the Jerusalem conference marks a new unity. The organization is an student unions which comprise A record number of 40 Brown Soviet Union. stage in the politics of Jewish umbrella for the six continental WUJS. While representations for University students attended the Some students participated in a student activism. Abramowitz, a Jewish student unions in North each national delegation in the lobby this year, according to Jason special lobby, where they went to recent Boston University America, South America, Europe, WUJS election are weighted Loewi th, coordinator of the Brown foreign embassies, such as the graduate, led the fight for Israel, Australia and South Africa. according to Jewish student Committeee for Soviet Jewry. Swedish and British. One 19 year divestment from South Africa on As the representative of Jewish populations in each country, Students who attended the lobby, old freshman from Purdue, Vadim his campus and attracted national students around the world, ceilings limit Israeli and American which was February 25-26, had to ..Kreymerman, was released from attention when he won a court Abramowitz said he will push for representation, giving the miss two days of school as they the Soviet Union ten years ago; he battle permitting him to hang a increased funding for student predominance of power to met with Congressional petitioned the Soviet Embassy on "Divest" banner from his dorm groups and Jewish education. students from the "third Jewish representatives of their home behalf of his father and sister, who window. A member of B'nai B'rith Students Need Urgency world." towns to urge continued efforts for have not yet been released, Hillel's National Student Abramowitz said WUJS will In the United States, Network is Soviet Jewry. although they have applied for Secretariat for three years, he continue its activism for Soviet not organized into chapters. "We believe the lobby carries a permission to emigrate every year. wrote a pamphlet "Jews, Zionism and Ethiopian Jewry, issues Rather, existing student groups, great impact," said Loewith. "We On the second day of the lobby, and South Africa" against the Abramowitz feels can involve including Hillels, Israel Awareness want to keep (the Soviets) aware all 730 students gathered in the anti-Zionist elements in the otherwise apathetic students in Committees, and Zionist groups that we are concerned." The sanctuary of the Temple Adas divestment movement. Despite Jewish causes. People need affiliate with the Network students feel that they educate Israel in Washington, where they these all-American credentials, he urgency to get involved, he said, umbrella.

Load more