AjR Information•nMawviiW nirtfa-w.<»>iBawaaWii,^fMM>Wi>evwsM-.- " Volume XLVI No. 6 ;M«e 1991 £3 (to non-members) Don't miss . Politics - the art of the possible One way channel crossing p4 Once famous A new world order now forgotten pl2 Human singer, loyd George, in a phrase that came to haunt him, boosted dictators of the ilk of Egypt's Nasser, godlike song pi3 called the 1914-18 conflict the 'war to end all Indonesia's Sukarno and Iraq's Saddam Hussein. Lwars'. In fact the only - theoretically - good Developments over the past few years, such as the thing to come out of the Great War was the League of demise of Communism in Eastern Europe, the Nations. That the League achieved so little was emergence of America as the only real superpower Our primarily due to American non-involvement, though and, most recently, the humbling of Saddam, have Celebration the equal standing accorded to great and small powers now allowed the world, as it were, to turn over a new Dinner at Geneva also played a part. leaf; President Bush has even grandiloquently pro­ The architects of the United Nations in 1945 had jected a 'new world order'. ome of the most learnt their lesson. America was prominently involved However, there's many a slip twixt cup and lip. significant from the start and the world's five most powerful The unfolding Kurdish tragedy demonstrates just Soccasions in the countries were invested with the right of veto at how difficult it is - especially in the Middle East, the history of any Security Council deliberations. Despite such improve­ world's worst trouble spot - to bring what is desirable organised community, ments over the old League the U.N. failed to fulfil the into accord with what is possible. The President's from ancient Athens to modern Britain, high hopes it had given rise to. The two chief reasons initial indifference to the plight of the Kurds shows have involved for this were the Cold War-induced superpower how strong isolationist reflexes are in the American individual members rivalry and the rise of a Third World bloc which national psyche. sitting down to break Since then there has been some change in bread and drink Washington's stance but one should never underesti­ together. It is a mate the strength of the 'bring-the-boys-home' lobby tradition evoked in in America. Should the U.S.A. ever relapse into Plato's Symposium, isolationism hopes for Middle East peace - or indeed and recnacted annually at London's ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING world stability - would be set at nought. In the final Mansion House. analysis America, however black it is painted, is the Half a century on only power capable of discharging the role of world from the founding of will be held on umpire-cum-policeman. AJR we feel entitled To project the U.N. as a potentially effective to claim that we have THURSDAY 6 JUNE 1991, 7.30 p.m. supreme world authority is either unrealistic 'glo- established a tradition baloney' or an all-purpose catchphrase mouthed by of our own. To at celebrate that fact we inveterate anti-Americans. are holding a Golden Nor do the arguments bandied about before the Anniversary Dinner 15 CLEVE ROAD, LONDON NW6 Gulf War - that the Arabs, or the Muslims, are the which promises to be best people to settle Mid-Eastern conflicts among a memorable themselves - possess a shred of validity. The chimera occasion. Eschewing AGENDA of Arab solidarity has been exposed by the mayhem hyperbole we can the Iraqis first visited upon Kuwaitis, and Kuwaitis guarantee all Annual Report 1990 participants a Hon. Treasurer's Report then visited upon Palestinians. As for Islam, faith of congenial mixture of Discussion Allah the Merciful, one need only look at the Sudan, good cuisine, Election of Executive Committee where a fundamentalist government will not let food conviviality and - Amendment to AJR rules aid reach the starving to maintain the fiction that the with Sir Claus Moser Followed by a talk by Rabbi Hugo Gryn entitled country is free of famine. as guest speaker - 'Revisiting the past' The achievement of a new world order, particu­ culture. Please see larly in the Middle East, has to start from the premise announcement on Refreshments will be served after the meeting. pige 3. that few countries in the region have evolved beyond the political equivalent of the Stone Age. •ntttmis'mmwviwi •o^wa**— AjR INFORMATION JUNE 1991 T 'wm' Surreal estate Profile A Dublin road building scheme threatens the demolition of the last remaining 19th- century buildings in Clanbrassil Street. Here, at number 52, James Joyce's hero Man of parts Leopold Bloom would have lived, had he Leipzig to Moscow, and Poznan to Plovdiv. existed. The tourist authorities put up a At the Leipzig Fair he sold a red Triumph plaque to him in what was formerly the sports car to Frau Grotewohl, wife of the centre of Dublin's Jewish community, a East German prime minister, which got her slum area boasting 17 kosher butchers and into some trouble. At Poznan he got into bakers settled by refugees from East trouble himself when riots erupted. The European pogroms. D return of the British sales force from riot- torn Poland to the DDR took place in United nations exhibition several vehicles, one of which needed tow­ To celebrate its 40th anniversary the United ing. The tow rope snapped outside Nations High Commission for Refugees is Frankfurt on Oder. David asked a passing holding an art exhibition and auction in farmer with a horse and cart for help. The July. This will take place in the exhibition other ruminated 'wie konnen wir den halls at Selfridges in Oxford Street. Genossen helfen?' - a question, David The UNHCR is looking for artists, realised, addressed to the horse - before especially those from the refugee communi­ proffering a chain for which he would take ties, who may be willing to contribute to no payment. this event. Anyone interested in supporting From selling David went back to produc­ it should contact: Catriona Pike, United tion, as manager of a factory manufacturing Nations Association, 22 New Quebec power units for refrigerated lorries. In his Street, London WIH SDH. Telephone: David Mdur I'bulu: Newman. mid-fifties, having much earlier become a 071-402 9029/9020 D Chartered Engineer through evening study, aster of many trades and Jack of he took a Law degree by the same means. Justice delayed none would be an apt description His original intention to practise at the Bar of this month's profilee, David Austria has held no war crimes trial since M was set aside when he became director of Maier. Interviewing him another catch- 1975, when a jury aquitted two men the Youth Enterprise Scheme (for acquaint­ phrase - about writers being 'engineers of accused of building the gas chambers at ing young people with industry and busi­ the soul' — vaguely came to mind, though Auschwitz. Now the authorities are con­ ness). In January 1987 he published an only in a very special sense: as a young man templating action against Innsbruck- article about the scheme in AJR David wanted to exercise the cure of souls, resident Mikulas Polhora who, Simon Information — and the rest is history! i.e. become a rabbi, before switching to the Wiesenthal alleges, was commander of the Of the 50-odd issues of the journal that study of engineering. largest wartime Slovak concentration camp have appeared since there has hardly been Born in Freiburg, S.W. Germany, in and responsible for the deportation of one without a contribution by D.L.M. In 1921, he grew up in an acculturated, and at 8,000 Jews. D addition David is involved in the B'nai the same time traditionally Jewish, house­ B'rith business start-up scheme, and takes hold - his science teacher father served as an active part in the affairs of Belsize Square community chairman - and came to Synagogue, whose monthly bulletin he Let your body England at sixteen. Living in a hostel close edits. Truly a man of parts! to Sigmund Freud's last abode, he took D K.G. take a holiday matriculation and enrolled at Jews' College. He thus escaped Kristallnacht, when his Whilst enjoying good quality hotels and father was sent to Dachau in a cattle truck. excellent cuisine, why not ease your aches AJR CLUB and pains with the famous Fango mud Permission to come to England secured a 15 Cleve Road, London NW6 treatments as well as Health, Beauty and life-saving release in spring 19.39; when the Fitness therapy. family were reunited I^avid had already SUNDAY 23rd June at 3 p.m. ABANO SPA, ITALY foresworn rabbinics for engineering (which AN ENTERTAINING AFTERNOON WITH Abano is situated in beautiful countryside he studied at Regent Street Polytechnic). The International t^ystery Man just 45 minutes from Venice. A year later, David was interned, and his DAVID BIRQLAS President of ttie Magic Circle Schedule flights from Heathrow and father - exempt by some bureaucratic regional airports - Prices with or without Admission incl. tea, members 50p, guests £1 treatments - Private car transfers included. oversight - went along with him rather than FOR COLOUR BROCHURE endure another separation. We welcome you and your friends on WRITE OR TELEPHONE Released, David worked in a press-tool TUESDAYS - THURSDAYS - SUNDAYS factory that produced seamless copper 2 p.m.-6 p.m. You will enjoy tfie friendly atmosphere ctwards tubing for Spitfire engines. After that he did you can talk - play cards - play games.