Jewish Historical R. I. Association 11 Inside: 130 sessions street From The Editor, page 4 Providence , pT 02906 Around Town, page s Education, page g .!===--- THE ONLY ENGLISH-JEW/SH WEEKLY IN R./, AND SOUTHEAST MASS. VOLUME LXXI, NUMBER 40 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1984 aoc PER COPY Jewish Editor Timerman Back To School At URI & Hillel Back At Work In Argentina by Jackson Diehl Washington Post BUENOS AIRES, Argentina The large varnished desk is stationed on the bare newsroom floor with the authority of a tractor-trailer barricading an intersection. Every typewriter in the place is commanded by it; from the look of the clutter, every piece of paper seems to pass across it. Behind the desk, his tie askew, the sleeves of his monogrammed shirt rolled up and his broad face beaming, is the new managing editor of Buenos Aires' biggest afternoon daily, La Razon. Jacobo Timerman is jubilant. At URI-Hillel: (left to right) back row: Mitchel Rosen, David Fischer and "I'm in the middle of the craziness and I Steven Shatz. Front row: Lori Solomon and Ellen Polansky. love it," he roars. "This is the intoxication Jacobo Timerman of coming back to handle the news again." by Robert Israel expand the campaign this year so that Only the madness of Argentine politics English-language Buenos Aires Herald. KINGSTON - It happens every year, more students are involved. I hope to go to could explain such a reversal of fortune. "He could have a tremendous influence." right after Labor Day. The streets in and the dormitories to meet new students and Five years ago, Timerman was a prisoner Rich In Newpapers around this picturesque New England do more outreach so that this year we have of the military government, about to be Many journalists here believe such a college town become of the scene of a successful campaign." stripped of his citizenship and expelled to stimulus is overdue in the Argentine press. bustling activity as students return to t he Another returning student is Lori Israel. Three years ago, La Razon helped Although Buenos Aires is rich in University of Rhode Island to begin the Solomon, originally a native of Providence lead a poisonous national media campaign newspapers, with more than a dozen new academic year. The quiet charm that who now hails from E. Brunswick, N .J. against him after his account of the published daily, most are money-losing, has settled on Kingston village is gone. Lori, who is President of Hillel Student torture, anti-Semitism and clandestine shoestring operations supported by Traffic jams can be seen on the lower Board, is a senior pharmacy major at URI. prisons of the military created an traditional publishing families or political roads that lead to the dormitories. In front "This is my fifth year at URI," Lori international sensation. interest groups. of the fraternities and sororities, groups of says, "and I'm looking forward to finishing Now, the author of Prisoner Without a With the return of democracy and full students help new arrivals. Orange U-Haul up my program of study. I'm also looking Name, Cell Without a Number appears freedom of the press, many of the papers vans are parked every which way and forward to expanding Hillel so that it well on his way to becoming Argentina's have altered their coverage and political students can be seen lugging cardboard becomes a very prominent and very most influential journalist. His chief lines. But most have varied little from a cartons and suitcases. powerful voice on campus." · captor, Gen. Ramon Camps, is under journalistic style that stresses long A port in this storm of activity is Hillel The barbecue smoke billows and Rabbi arrest in a military barracks while on trial accounts of formal statements by House, located on Lower College Rd. on Casper, who is acting as chef fo r the for torture and murder. La Razon, government officials and politicians and campus. On T uesday night this week, the get -together, brings in new plates of food meanwhile, has switched virtually eschews analysis, background reporting or campus Jewish center hosted its first fo r the hungry crew. T he atmosphere at overnight froni a staid bastion of far-right independent investigation. informal get-together for students. Rabbi Hillel's dining room is one of excitement. thinking to a lively defender of Following a long Argentine tradition, Casper, Hillel Director, and Robin Chase, Students describe their summer Argentina's eight-month-old democratic many publications have also fluidly Director of Student Activities, spent part adventures and share their apprehensions government. Its circulation has increased shifted from support of military rule to of the Labor Day holiday preparing signs of the coming year. Lori Solomon and by 20 percent, to about 230,000 copies, sympathy for reformist President Raul announcing the barbecue at Hillel House. David Fischer tell me they are members of since Timerman took over Aug. 16. Alfonsin. Judging from the turn-out on Tuesday Jewish-affiliated campus fraternity and "They are like spies in enemy territory night, their efforts were rewarded with sorority houses and that in addition to Time For A New Era trying to take on the same color as their good attendance, both by returning working to expand Hillel's activities, they "Times have changed, and the publisher enemy and not doing very well," said students familiar with Hillel and those hope to see their fraternity and sorority decided it-was time to move to a new era," Neilson. "They've become very intolerant students who are new arrivals to URI. houses expand in numbers, too. And was Timerman's shrugging, sardonic , of people who were once their- friends." One of the returning students is Steve Robin Chase tells me of plans to summary of the transformation. As for his An Innovative Editor Shatz from Warwick, a junior who is inaugurate a Jewish radio show on campus erstwhile adversaries in the press, he As editor of La Opinion and earlier of majoring in finance, marketing and station ·wRIU-FM as well as starting a added with a proud grin. "They're looking two weekly magazines, Timerman was management information systems. new women's discussion group. at me as the nervy guy wlio came back." long the most innovative of Argentine "I'll be manager of the Hillel Soon the students finish their dinner Timerman, 60, has indeed wasted no editors. He is generally credited with coffeehouse this year," Steve tells me. and head back to their dormitories or time in re-establishing himself as Buenos introducing by-lines, political analysis and "We'll be running it every Tuesday night fraternity or sorority rooms to begin the Aires most aggressive newspaper editor. sophisticated cultural coverage to the and we hope to bring different types of process of settling in for another year at Within a week of his appointment at La Argentine press. La Opinion modeled after music to campus - blues, folk, jazz - to URI. With this first get -together Razon as subdirector, a post that gives the French newspaper Le Monde, was create a comfo rtable atmosphere that will providing them with the necessary him complete editorial control, he had often described as the best newspaper in be open to the entire college community. I opportunity to interact in a comfortable reshaped the 80-year-old daily's Latin America. will also be chairperson of the United setting, it seems like this year will be a antiquated format, injecting pictures, Nevertheless, Timerman was much like Jewish Appeal campaign and I hope to fruitful one. by-lines, columns and broad international other Argentine journalists in adeptly coverage. shifting with the country's volatile Renowned for his recruitment and political winds, whether or not they were training of talented journalists in the past, democratic. His news magazine Timerman has already drawn a host of campaigned for the coup against Radical Harold L. Adler, Anti-Defamation reporters away from other Buenos Aires president Arturo Illia in 1966. Later', League of B'nai B'rith's National Director papers, including 10 writers and editors Timerman supported the populist of Administration, will be the guest from a leading financial daily whom he Peronist movement only to switch again speaker at the AOL's Humanitarian Ser­ signed on in one day. in the mid; l970s, calling for the coup vice Award Dinner honoring Samuel Foreign correspondents, a rarity in the against president Isabel Peron in 1976. Shlevin, Wednesday, September 12th at Argentine press, began sending dispatches Now, Timerman says he has changed, Temple Emanuel. last week from Uruguay and Chile. On thanks in large part to the shock of his Mr. Adler joined the AOL in 1965 as an another morning, a leading human rights imprisonment. Assistant Director of the Pacific South­ lawyer dropped by to visit the new editor; "I participated in two coups, against . west Regional Office in Los Angeles. Two hours later La Razon began publishing a Illia and Peron," he said, "and I am years later he became the Plains State Re­ column he had al(reed to write. terribly sorry for that. This is one of the gional Director in Omaha and then the That is only the beginning of Timer­ contradictions of Argentina, the way in New Jersey Regional Director in 1972. man's plans. While continuing to edit each which every Argentine is a little bit During his career, his expertise has been edition of La Razon, he is making totalitarian. recognized in the area of intergroup rela­ Harold Adler preparations to reopen La Opinion, the "But I swear on my heart," he shouted, tions, prejudice reduction and discrimina­ morning newspaper he founded and edited thumping his big desk, "never again will I tion, and has participated in programs at .member of the administrative leadership until his arrest by the military in April, support a coup." major universities, local and state govern­ team of the organization.