Leonard Davis to Give Mid-East Briefing Day School Brunch March
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A PUBLICATION OF THE CHATTANOOGA JEWISH FEDERATION The SHOFAR Volume 6 Number 7 Adar I - Adar II March, 1992 Leonard Davis to Give Dr. Deshen to Speak on Mid-East Briefing Sephardic Heritage March 8th The Community Relations Committee ofthe Chattanooga Jewish Federation and the Southeast Office of AIPAC are co-sponsoring a In recognition ofthe 500th Anniver Middle East Briefing on Sunday evening, March 29 at 7:30 pjn. at the sary of the Expulsion of the Jewish jjMfck, Jewish Community Center. Guest speaker for the event will be People from Spain in 1492, marking the Leonard J. Davis, Director ofthe Jerusalem office of the American end ofthe Golden Age of Spanish Jewry, Israel Public Affairs Committee. He has served in that capacity since the Jewish Community Center and the Chair of Excellence in Judaic Studies at making aliyah five years ago. ISP the University of Tennessee at Chat Prior to moving to Israel, Mr. Davis was the Director of Informa ill tanooga are co-sponsoring two lectures tion and Research in AIPAC's Washington headquarters. He also on the culture of Sephardic Jewry by m ^h served as the editor of "Near East Report" and "Myths and Facts." Professor Shlomo Deshen of Tel-Aviv. Mr. Davis began working at AIPAC as a student intern, working for "Varieties of Sephardic Cultures" AIPAC founder, Sy Kennen. He has been associated with AIPAC for Dr. Shlomo Deshen 16 years. Mr. Davis is a cum laude graduate of Yeshiva University in will be presented at 7:30 pan. on Sunday, New York. He holds a Masters degree in political science from The March 8, at the Jewish Community Center. "Religion and Politics American University in Washington, DC. While at American Univer Among Sephardim in Israel" will be presented at the University of sity, he was a teaching fellow in the Department of Jewish Studies. Tennessee at Chattanooga at 4:00 pjn. on Monday, March 9th, in the University Center's Raccoon Mountain Room. Mr. Davis is a medic in the Israeli Defense Forces. He and his wife reside in Jerusalem with their five children. Professor Deshen is Professor of Social Anthropology at Tel Aviv University in Israel. This semester he is Senior Fulbright Professor of r Judaics and Anthropology at the University of Florida. Professor Day School Brunch March 22 Deshen is the author of numerous books and articles on the role of The Chattanooga Jewish Day School annual fundraising Brunch & Raffle Sephardic Jews in Israeli life and culture. Both lectures are free and will lake place this year on Sunday, March 22 at 1030 a.m. at the Jewish open to the public. Community Center Auditorium. This activity provides almost 20% of the (For further information about Dr. Deshen and his topic, see Dr. school's operating budget Resnick's column on page 14.) Day School parents and alumni contact community members to purchase 250 raffle tickets sold at $100 each. AU ofthe tickets are then drawn, with the last three tickets being our prize winners. Third Place receives $500, Second Local Federation Establishes Job Bank Plaw gets $1000and the Grand Prize Winner receives $2000. Throughout the drawing many door prizes are given to those ticket buyers present Last year's for Unemployed Jews See Page 21. winners were, 1st Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Berke; 2nd: Mr.CarlZaglin of Atlanta, and 3rd: Mrs. Amelia Lebovitz. In addition to participating in the Raffle and Door Prizes, ticket purchas Inside This issue ers are invited to enjoy a delicious kosher brunch guaranteed by Brunch Chair Mary Susman. JTA Reports p. 2 SetuWFocusp.15 Over 250 people attend this gala affair each year and it's always nice to Community Relations News p. 3 Congregational News p. 16»18 see our community get together in the Auditorium ofthe JCC to support such a worthwhile cause. Please help us provide a quality Jewish education to our The Galveston Connection p. 4 Lifecyclesp. 20 children by being generous when called upon and, of course, we'll see ya'ii *TwimmCol^ Organizational News p, 22 there! PointofViewp.7 JCCJmsp, 24-27 Federation Annual Report p. £-13 SHaftanooga Jewish Federation P.O. BOM 8847 Campaign Update Chattanooga,™ 87411 (Address correction requested) February 21,1992 Betwn postage guaranteed 1992 Regular Campaign $684,185 (up 7.54%) Urns Value 1991 Same Cards Page 2 The SHOFAR, March, 1992« c National & international News Why Build Settlements? Amnesty Int'l Shamir Upbeat as As the United States was preparing a response to Israels request for $10 billion in housing loan guarantees and Israel began preparing for parliamentaryInvestigate s Plight Coalition elections this spring, U.S. News editor-in-chief Mortimer B. Zuckerman met with of Syrian Jews Crumbles Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in Jerusalem. Excerpts from Shamir's remarks: The National Task Force on Syrian Israel's political crisis will not af Jewry of the Conference of Presidents fect its determination to continue the It is only 20 to 30 minutes from of Major American Jewish Organiza peace process, Prime Minister Yitzhak anywhere in the West Bank, where the tions today called on Amnesty Inter Shamir declared. He insisted there settlements are, to Tel Aviv or Jerusa national to investigate the case of two was no truth to Arab allegations that lem. To fly from the Jordan River to Syrian Jewish brothers, now serving Israel was using its domestic political the Mediterranean can take under five prison terms of 61/2 years each after a disarray as a pretext for foot-dragging minutes. From the West Bank, a ter brief, secret trial, who have been de in the bilateral talks with the Palestini rorist could fire mortar shells into our nied clemency. ans. one international airport, and artillery Seymour D. Reich, Task Force Shamir made that point at his first on the West Bank could destroy our chairman, said in a letter to the presi meeting with the new U.S. ambassa three major power centers and most of dent of Amnesty Int'l at its world head dor, William Harrop. His Likud-led our industrial infrastructure. quarters in London, John Healy: "Eli coalition government lost its parlia It is not a random decision just to Swed, now 31, disappeared from his mentary majority when its two most locate settlements anywhere in the home in the Damascus Jewish ghetto extreme right-wing members resigned West Bank. The first group of setrtle- in November 1987. His brother Selim, recently. Science and Energy Minister ments is intended to give some depth Itzhak Shamir now 50, was arrested a month later. Yuval Ne'eman, leader of the Tehiya to the coastal plains, where two thirds of our population and 75 percent of our in Only after repeated inquiries did Syr party, and Rehavam Ze'evi, a minister frastructure are located. Before 1967, the entire depth of the country was ian officials acknowledge that they had without portfolio who heads Moledet, between 10 and 15 miles. We have added maybe another 5 to 10 miles to this by been jailed. "The treatment of these quit in protest against an alleged offer locating settlements and new towns. Most of them are located on the mountain- two men has been cruel and pitiless. of limited self-rule to Palestinians in tops, not in the valleys where the Arabs farm. This gives us command of the high "After being held incommunicado for the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Their ground so that we cannot be attacked as we were before 1967. more than three years, during which resignations reduced the govern The second area where we have located settlements is on the high ground they were repeatedly tortured, the ment's 64-vote edge in the 120-mem- overiookiing the roadways that go from the coastal plains to the Jordan River. Swed brothers were put on trial. The ber Knesset to 59. The third area for settlements is along the Jordan River. These settlements charges against them were never Shamir will eventually have to re are armed with pre-posittoned military supplies so they can help hold back an stated. Their lawyer was not permitted sign, since he cannot govern as a mi attack from the east, which is our greatest military danger. This would give us to be present in the courtroom. He was nority regime without the support of enough time to mobilize our forces. not allowed to present a defense. the far right, which opposes peace talks The fourth area where we have located settlements is around Jerusalem, "The court found them guilty-of in principle. But Likud apparently will where we have tried to thicken the city. what, we do not know. They were then be spared the ignominy of being As a leader of a country, I can tell you that [the settlements policy] is what any sentenced to terms of 61/2 years each toppled by a Labor-sponsored no- leader would do if he were faced with our geography and our enemies. in the notorious Adra prison in confidence motion. The right-wing Damascus, where torture is common Tsomet party, which bolted the coali place." tion in December, decided that it JTA Reports Mr. Reich said appeals by the would not support Labor's bid, which c ) American and Canadian governments focuses on economic issues'. That Canada's appointment of a Jew as its new ambassador to Israel has brought to free the Swed brothers have been means the government could muster praise from Jewish groups and mixed reviews from Canadian Arabs. Norman denied. The Swed brothers, he noted, 61 votes, just enough for survival.