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| Title: | BAGELS and other things of Jewish interest |
| Notice: | 1.0 policy, 280.0 directory, 32.0 registration |
| Moderator: | SMURF::FENSTER |
|
| Created: | Mon Feb 03 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Thu Jun 05 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1524 |
| Total number of notes: | 18709 |
1209.0. "Jewish Action Initiative Newsletter" by SUBWAY::STEINBERG (Complacency is tantamount to complicity) Wed Apr 15 1992 18:09
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The Newsletter of The Jewish Action Initiative
11 Nissan 5742 14 April 1992
*****************************************************************
Justice?
By Yehoshua (Jem) Steinberg
*****************************************************************
Brooklyn - While other Jews were busy preparing for Passover,
a holiday celebrating Jewish emancipation from the rule of
heartless leader who allowed the Jews in his country to be
beaten and killed without lifting a finger to save them,
other Jews were at City Hall in New York to demand that the op-
pression of Jews in this country cease forthwith.
The battle is far from over. Dinkins was of course not at the
rally - he has so far succeeded in flouting the issue of the
nearly-twenty murderers-at-large with impunity. Why should he
suddenly do an about-face seven months later?
The fact is, the Jews of America are on trial now - how they
react to this insult on top of injury (read: murder) will set a
precedent and I believe may effect the standing of Jews in this
country for decades to come. If Jews allow one of their finest to
be stabbed to death by a bloodthirsty mob chanting "KILL THE
JEW!" without outcry, if they allow themselves to continue to be
spat upon by the subsequent inaction of the mayor and his hench-
men, they will be inviting further disdain and abuse.
Jewish history is filled with triumph and tragedy. It's also
full of heros and ...villains. The heros are those who care
first and foremost about bettering the lot of their brethren and
humanity. The latter are concerned with betterment of their own
stations... and may the others be damned.
Thankfully, the great masses of Jews have always been of the hero
variety, _rachamanim benei rachamanim_ -- merciful ones of merci-
ful stock -- is the Talmud's loving portrayal of this gentle peo-
ple. But there have also been the others.
In this country, we are blessed with organization upon Jewish or-
ganization. So much so, that there's a separate organization for
the presidents of all the other organizations! What do all the
organizations do? Well, they organize! Organizations can become
fairly disorganized from time to time you know!
They're very busy, these organizations. As a matter of fact, they
are much more than organizations. There are some committees, some
leagues - even congresses! Imagine - a Jewish congress. It's so
touching and patriotic.
Aside from intra-organizational organization, these groups are
also chartered with some other tasks (where *do* they find the
time!) Among these tasks are combatting anti-Semitism.
Now, it's true that Jews love to dissect and define, define and
dissect. Why should "what is anti-Semitism" be any less subject
to controversy than "who is a Jew?" There are legitimate shades
of gray, and there are times when it may be better not to be ac-
cused of crying "wolf!"
One may argue for hours over whether this or that comment is
*really* anti-Semitic, given one or another context or backdrop.
But nobody argues about dead Jews. Especially not if they were
killed to the war cry, "KILL THE JEW!" Right?
But our wise Jewish leaders needed time to consider the matter,
time to decide whether the pogrom really should be stopped, to
decide whether the the lynched Jew was worth the trouble, whether
the besieged, black-garbed, anachronistic Jews of inner-city
Crown Heights were really worthy of their attention.
They made their decision, and the "anachronisms" heard the
deafening silence loudly and clearly, above even the soul-
piercing howls of "Heil Hitler!" on Eastern Parkway.
We Jews are no longer naive enough ever to expect outrage or ac-
tion from non-Jews, save for rare (and most valiant) exceptions.
But *we* can never again ignore the plight of other Jews, wher-
ever they may be, however they may dress, whatever they may be-
lieve or what language they speak. If we learn no other permanent
lesson from the Holocaust it is that split hairs are useless. Di-
vided Jews, like everyone else, fall.
One of the few bright spots to peak through the murk of those
fateful days in August was this very realization by the long-time
rivals of the Lubavitchers, the Satmars. The latter wasted no
time. They convened no conventions, commissioned no studies,
formed no special subcommittees to deal with "the matters" of
their terrorized fellow Jews in Crown Heights. They immediately
piled into their anachronistic Hebrew-covered school buses, each
with a baseball bat for good measure. Their heroism was a model
for every person of conscience.
There were other heros, quite a few. But the job remains unfin-
ished, and it is ours to accomplish. There are still murderers
at large, and Sharpton, Butts, Carson and their minions are busy
preparing an encore for this summer. We must ourselves be
prepared, but above all, we must never, ever sit by idly while
Jews are butchered to cries of "Hitler didn't finish his job!"
*****************************************************************
Where are we Headed?
By Yoshe Kalb
*****************************************************************
New York - Where are we in America? What are the paths by which
Jews have found success here? Are they viable for the future?
I contend that we, in fact, face much more substantial problems
than our community has been willing to admit.
Jews have never had an accross-the-board success in America. For
one thing, we have chosen to pursue some paths in marked prefer-
ence others. Part of this is undoubtedly based on preferences
built into our culture. But it's also likely that Jews have
avoided pockets of prejudice and discrimination in favor of occu-
pations that were known to be relatively open to Jews.
So there have always been concentrations of Jews in entrepreneu-
rial enterprises, advertising, Wall Street, and other enterprises
involving personal risk and sales expertise. You don't have to
have the right pedigree or belong to the right clubs to be able
to show people that you're offering them a competitive deal. And
that's what counts in these sorts of businesses.
But the board rooms of Fortune 500 companies have been largely
closed to Jews, as have the big commercial banks and S&L's. These
are places where hauteur has traditionally been more important
than skill or results, to the detriment of society as a whole.
Instead of competence, we get golden parachutes and Neil Bush.
And very few Jews.
Basically, if you can't get ahead on competence in a given field,
you're not going to find many Jews there.
So where have the Jews gone? Many found success in academia. Oth-
ers went into the service professions: doctors, lawyers, accoun-
tants, etc. Many have gone into high tech fields.
All of these are places where hard work and talent can pay off.
But the lack of success in the standard corporate setting may
prove telling. What's holding us back there?
And what are the trends for the future?
The entrepreneurial businesses are not making it the way they
used to. In the age of McDonalds and Waldenbooks, there's less
room for mavericks with a good product.
And the percentage of Jews on Wall Street has been in decline,
perhaps simply because more non-Jews have chosen to enter that
trade.
The doctors, lawyers and accountants are doing fine, and may not
notice any problems. And those high tech people who are in robust
firms may think the situation is fine.
But many high tech firms have been laying off. And quotas have
returned, both for admission to the graduate programs that turn
out doctors, lawyers, accountants and academics and for employ-
ment in firms and academic establishments of all sorts every-
where.
And when your people are not evenly distributed through the econ-
omy as a whole and are not evenly distributed geographically,
then notions like proportional representation, which underlie the
quota systems we have here, can cause a disproportionate amount
of damage to your group.
And that's what we're seeing.
I intend to explore this in greater detail in further articles.
But let me close with this. What will your children do with their
careers? How will they make their way and obtain the
wherewithall to send _their_ kids to a decent school? Are you
_sure_ that they'll beat the quotas? Are you sure that they'll be
accepted by the arbiters of the professions of their choice? Or
will they face odds that may put them out of the running unfair-
ly.
And what are you going to do about it? Go along until it's too
late to help them?
*****************************************************************
The Russian Immigrants
By Zvi Lando
*****************************************************************
Tekoa, Israel - Today, Politics is big biz. Not only here in Is-
rael are there general elections coming up, but also in the
United States and Britain. France just went through municipal
elections that turned her to the far right. South Africa
seems soon to enter "colorblind" elections, and of, course, the
latest changes in Eastern Europe.
"Davka" (a strange word in Hebrew meaning something like ...uh...
"in spite of this...." ) I am not going to talk about politics.
I am going to talk about the influx of Russian and other East-
European Jews into Israel.
I know that it all sounds quite terrible. The government
this...., the Likud that.... old people don't have houses...
searching through the garbage cans .... the politicians aren't
helping us ..... and so on.
In fact, the Likud may lose the upcoming elections because of an-
gry Russian immigrants who will (literally) be voting for the
first time.
Let me tell you a story. A Woman and her son came from Lenin---
uh, St. Petersburg. She happens to be quite a strange woman, I'd
say 54 or so, who dyed her hair bright red and went around
dressed in feathers. Somehow, she came to me and asked for help.
This woman also happens to be a very well known physicist. She
should me articles that she had written and published. What she
needed was - a job. To get a job, she needed recommendations. To
get recommendations, she needed a fax. I had a fax. No problem, I
told her, and our friendship began. I wrote up many letters which
I sent to The U.S. and Britain. I called the nuclear research
center for her, this university, that one...
I listened to her speech that she was to give at Hebrew U. in En-
glish because she was worried about her accent. Her accent was
fine, just don't ask me what she said, I didn't understand one
word of it. I also had to listen to her. She complained a lot
and I tried to comfort her. I also felt bad that she, as a well
known physicist couldn't get a job in Israel.
I also, by the way, listened to her "secret". She contends that
she has found a way to make herself younger. "Can't you see the
difference?" she asks me each time we meet, pushing her face
close to my eyes so I can see better.
I told her that she could become rich with this secret of hers,
but she won't budge, I'm happy to say. "If everyone lived forev-
er," she explained, "There would be overpopulation." Don't worry,
even though she didn't have money after a while to dye her hair,
she still wouldn't give in and sell her secret.
But all of this has nothing to do with this woman and her en-
deavor to get a job. And I don't even think it unusual, I know a
lot of academics, and they all seem to be a bit strange.
After a year or so, she came in and said: "Guess what?" "You're
having a bat-mitzvah?" I joked. (By the way, she loves my jokes,
which is probably why I helped her all this time.) "No," she said,
smiling. "You got a job?" I ventured. She: "No!" I: "Well then,
I don't know!" She: "I got three jobs!"
Yes, Dr. Asa Skal was taken on by Ben-Gurion University, The
Technion (which offered her a home and a three year grant) and
The college in Ariel. Now she had a new problem - which job to
take, or should she take all three?
Asa has since left Tekoa for Ariel, and when leaving, I made her
promise that when she gets to Sweden to receive her Nobel prize,
she would mention that I had helped her. She promised me money,
"lots of money". No, I told her, mentioning me in Sweden will be
more than enough.
This was not told to tell you what a good man I am, I just did
what probably tens of thousands of Israelis did and continue to
do. Everywhere I go, everyone I talk to is in some way helping
the new immigrants, be they Russian, Hungarian, Ethiopian ...
etc. And though the settlements have taken on a large number of
olim, so has everybody. You hear Russian everywhere. Even in the
Kibbutzim, the last place you would expect to see Russians, the
doors have been pushed open and arms outstretched.
And this comes during one of Israel's deepest recessions.
In the long run, Israel may indeed greatly profit from these
masses; but the individual Israeli won't. It could be said that
unemployment is high enough, it could be said that the budget is
pinched enough. It isn't. The average Israeli's reaction is noth-
ing less than awe-inspiring.
The Russian masses will change all of our lives, for better or
worse. But each and every Israeli is committed to keeping those
doors open, come what may.
One last story. This was a few years ago, BEFORE anybody dreamed
that Russia would become Russia, and that they would let the Jews
out. We still didn't know. There were hints, but nothing con-
crete.
Tekoa was given the chance to build another 40 houses. The
members of Tekoa would have to take on a financial risk, i.e.
they would have to put up money for the building. (not all of it,
but where would you find in T.A. or Jerusalem, people willing to
put money on the line because they wanted more Jews to come to
their village?) There was a big debate. People argued this way
and that. And then, Jack Simcovich, originally from Detroit Mi.
got up and said:
"We are arguing about one sum of money or another. I be-
lieve we are reliving the 1930s, and that soon we will be able to
save many, many Jews, if we move quickly and are ready."
Jack sat down, and we all looked at each other for a silent
minute and the vote was taken. It was unanimous and the houses
were built.
It's going to be hard. Every immigrant has it hard, no matter who
he is, where he came from, or what money or job he has. But it's
been done before, and probably no group succeeded as did the Rus-
sians from the 1970's. They'll make it. We'll all help, we'll all
suffer a bit, we'll all laugh just as we were laughed at (because
it's funny!) and in five, six years, we won't know who is an immi-
grant and who isn't.
*****************************************************************
Recognizing Yom Hashoah
By: Yehuda Poch
*****************************************************************
Toronto - Thursday, April 30, 1992 is Yom Hashoah. Holocaust
Remembrance Day was instituted to commemorate those of
our people who fell at the hands of the Nazis during and prior to
World War Two. Over six million Jews perished during the
12 years of Nazi domination in Germany, Poland, Czechoslo-
vakia, Hungary, the Soviet Union, France, and elsewhere
in Europe. That amounts to roughly 37% of the world Jewish
population of today, and over 50% of what it was in 1930.
Yom Hashoah is meant to be a day of remembrance, of mourning, of
soul-searching, and of reminding ourselves that in a seemingly
comfortable society, Jews are still potential victims of mass
discrimination, violence, and murder.
Over the last 45 years, the Orthodox Jewish community, with ex-
ceptions, has failed to recognize this date, and accord it status
in the Jewish calendar as an official day of mourning. At the
same time, we observe 33 days of mourning over the deaths of
24,000 sages, students of Rabbi Akiva, which took place over 2000
years ago. The Holocaust is a relevant issue. It's horror is
relevant to those of us alive today. In small communities, and
lately, even in some large ones, there is a rise in incidents of
denial and/or revision of the Holocaust. They have been getting
international coverage by the media -- both Jewish and general.
The longer the Holocaust is not accorded special status in our
calendar, the longer Jewish people will remain out of touch with
the issue. The longer we wait, the fewer survivors will be
around to tell us firsthand what actually happened.
Recently, the Canadian government dropped its charges against a
man who was accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity as
a German officer in the Second World War. This was due to lack
of evidence. They couldn't get enough survivors to come and tes-
tify against him.
As a direct result of the Holocaust, Jews now have a place to go
in the event of its recurrence. This is an arguable point, but
the process leading to Israel's statehood, and the international
recognition of this necessity, was sped up considerably by the
realization of what happened in Nazi camps. There was probably
also a healthy amount of guilt thrown in.
But the Holocaust must be remembered. Hitler can still succeed,
if Holocaust deniers and revisionists have their way. In a lit-
tle while, they may, due to lack of response from the Jewish com-
munity. Hitler had two targets in his drive to kill the Jews off
the face of the Earth. Those Jews alive at the time and those
Jews yet to be born. I am part of the latter. I do not want to
become one of the victims. Zachor Ve'Al Tishkach is a double
plea on purpose. Zachor -- Remember what was done to our ances-
tors. Ve'al Tishkach -- Do not forget that you were almost among
them.
The best way not to forget is to observe, to remember. Yom
Hashoah is there for just that reason. It is there so that the
generations following the survivors, and those following us, can
still be able to remember, through the Jewish calendar, what was
done to us. It is a mitzva in the torah: "Zachor et asher asah
lecha Amalek, baderech betzetchem mimitzrayim." We must remember
what our enemy did to us as we returned from bondage.
Yom Hashoah must be recognized by ALL of Jewry as a day of spe-
cial mourning for the millions of Jews who died because they were
Jewish. By remembering, and by not forgetting, it will not hap-
pen again.
*****************************************************************
What's a Jewish Action Initiative?
*****************************************************************
Funny you should ask. Here's who we are and what we stand for:
1. Policy Statement
WHEREAS there is a perceived over-politicization among Jewish In-
terest Groups in North America, Israel, and other parts of the
world which endangers strong Jewish political action:
The Jewish Action Initiative [JAI] is concerned, first and
foremost, unapologetically, and single-mindedly, with Jews and
Jewish interests wherever they may be. JAI believes in speaking
out loudly on behalf of Jews and Jewish concerns, and in instil-
ling in Jews a sense of Jewish identity and pride. JAI is a
grass roots organization of volunteers who want to see a differ-
ence in the Jewish world and who want action.
2. Policy Recognitions
JAI recognizes the following rights as axiomatic:
a) The inalienable right of every Jew to live in security, free
from discriminatory or biased actions or remarks made against
them, whether such discrimination is based on their Jewishness or
on any other factor regarding their birth or nature, faith or
circumstances. In particular, we object to policies which discri-
minate against Jews in favor of other groups, regardless of the
ostensible purpose of such policies.
b) The inalienable right of the State of Israel and its citizens
to live in peace, safety, and security.
c) The inalienable right of the State of Israel and its citizens
to defend itself against infringements of its peace, safety, and
security, on military, diplomatic, and economic fronts.
d) The inalienable right of the Government of the State of Israel
to determine its own foreign and domestic policy without undue
pressure or harrassment.
e) The inalienable right of every Jew to immigrate to the State
of Israel without prevention or harrassment by anyone.
3. Purpose
The purpose of JAI is:
a) To keep others aware of issues and activities through telecom-
munication facilities at our disposal, and through community
channels.
b) To act upon these issues in accordance with JAI policy in the
local community.
c) To assist non-users in obtaining information on issues dealt
with by JAI.
d) To integrate the quick information and response capability of
computer telecommunication with political clout acquired through
community membership, and interaction with existing community or-
ganizations.
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Jewish advocacy - when it's needed, where it's needed.
For more information contact us at:
Jewish Action Initiative
482 Brook Ave.
Passaic, NJ 07055
Phone: (212)856-2167
email: [email protected]
| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 1209.1 | | POWDML::JULIUS | | Wed Apr 15 1992 19:23 | 6 |
| Jem, thank you for this important newsletter and your eloquence.
Do I have your permission to copy and disseminate and may I
encourage others to do the same?
Regards,
Bernice
|
| 1209.2 | Distribute and redistribute! | SUBWAY::STEINBERG | Complacency is tantamount to complicity | Wed Apr 15 1992 21:10 | 12 |
|
Re: .1
Thank you for reminding me, Bernice. Yes, this newsletter
is meant for redistribution at synagogues, Hillels, JCCs,
kosher markets or wherever else Jews congregate.
There are times when more is required than talk. Now is
such a time for Jews in this country.
Jem
|
| 1209.3 | Newsletter 5/19/92 | SUBWAY::STEINBERG | Complacency is tantamount to complicity | Thu May 21 1992 13:41 | 417 |
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The Newsletter of The Jewish Action Initiative
16 Iyar 5742 19 May 1992
*****************************************************************
Crown Heights Update
Yehoshua Steinberg
*****************************************************************
New York -- Between 400 and 500 members of "The May 19th Coali-
tion," composed apparently mainly of supporters of Louis Farra-
khan marched down Lexington Ave. at approximately 5 P.M. on
Tues., May 19. Some of the slogans heard today included, "We
remember Crown Heights," "No justice, no peace!" and "White Amer-
ica, it's time to pay!" The crowd got violent as they proceeded,
and at last report there had been 65 arrests. Sonny Carson is re-
ported to have been one of the leaders.
On May 18, Police Commissioner Lee Brown appeared at a Commun-
ity Board meeting of the 20th Precinct on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan. After his presentation, he took questions. To his
surprise and chagrin, question after question dealt with his
handling of the Crown Heights pogrom of August, 1991. Present
were members of JAI and New Yorkers United Against Racism and
Anti-Semitism.
After the meeting, the author of this article was confronted by
an individual who loudly proclaimed that "only blacks can be Jew-
ish," and that "this is why you were killed by Hitler." The indi-
vidual did not present his academic credentials.
On Friday night, May 15, an automobile driven by a black driver
slammed into some barricades set up on Kingston Ave., near 770
Eastern Parkway, the headquarters of the Lubavitch movement in
Crown Heights. The driver reportedly emerged from his car, shout-
ed anti-Jewish remarks and backed up his vehicle into a group of
Jewish onlookers. There were no injuries, and no arrests.
For several weeks, there have been groups of African American
youths marching down Utica Ave. in the same neighborhood, shout-
ing, "Get off our streets Jew, we're at war with you!" There have
been fires lit in trash cans, but no injuries.
Al Sharpton has officially taken up residence in Crown Heights,
having relocated from Teaneck, NJ. His specific plans for this
summer have as yet not been revealed.
*****************************************************************
A Letter To George
Yitz Gabay
*****************************************************************
Dear George,
I was shocked and surprised to see you so excited over events in
Los Angeles recently. You used to be a lot more tolerant of
that sort of thing. After all, the protestors were merely ex-
ercising their right to self-determination!
The demonstrators have a just cause and they are entitled under
international law and U.S. law to exercise their rights of free-
dom of expression and freedom of assembly, aren't they Mr. Bush?
Why do you now promise to "use whatever force is necessary to re-
store order"? The last time I read your lips, "restraint" was
the New World Order of the day. Why have you sent in thousands
of soldiers to the occupied Mexican territory of California?
Don't you realize that the soldiers themselves are the problem?
Their presence is a provocation to the moderate demonstrators.
Besides, these soldiers carry guns! With bullets! They
might hurt somebody. My G-d, it's already too late. The bru-
tal occupation forces shot and killed a protestor yesterday
whose only crime was that he tried to kill the soldiers.
Since when does such a paltry excuse as self-defense justify this
state-sponsored murder? This act demands global outrage!
Worldwide condemnation! A U.N. investigation!
Curfews, Mr. Bush? Arrests of thousands of political prisoners
of conscience? For shame. Call the U.N. Security Council; call
Amnesty International; call Peter Jennings! The continued Ameri-
can aggression against the people of Occupied California must
stop. The only way for peace to be restored is the immediate
withdrawal of the brutal occupation forces and the immediate ces-
sation of building of all Caucasian settlements in Occupied
California.
In conclusion, Mr. Bush, it would seem that rioting, vandalism,
arson, mob violence, beatings, assaults with axes, rocks, bricks,
and firearms, and the murder of innocent people suddenly upset
you. The deaths of 50 innocent Americans by rioters draws con-
demnation from you but the deaths of twice that number of inno-
cent Israelis and twelve times that number of innocent Arabs by
rioters fail to draw one word of protest from you. You're not
enjoying your intifada, are you George? Perhaps those who live
in White Houses shouldn't throw stones.
Yitz Gabay, Jewish Activist Coalition, University of Toronto
*****************************************************************
Opportunities
By Yoshe Kalb
*****************************************************************
New York - The Supreme Court recently refused to consider a chal-
lenge to the affirmative action plan in use for the Boston public
schools.
This refusal is particularly interesting, as the plan entails a
hard quota: 25% of the positions are reserved for African Ameri-
cans and 10% for other approved minorities.
Such quotas are in use in many other educational settings, in-
cluding many of our universities. Indeed, quotas of this sort are
forced on many schools by the accrediting bodies, which have
quasi-governmental status. And most universities do have quotas
for faculty, staff and students. But in most settings, the actual
quotas are not public information. So the Boston public school
case is notable for the explicitness with which it defines the
issue.
And our Supreme Court, which so many people think is conserva-
tive, refused to interfere in this imposition on individual
rights and freedoms.
So what is the relevance to Jews? This should be clear to every-
one.
Jews have invested very heavily in careers involving education.
For instance, many Jews have gone into academic or teaching
careers, investing years of their lives in education and scholar-
ship, for careers that pay less than almost any other career re-
quiring comparable credentials. And support for education at all
levels has been dwindling, due to bad economic conditions and the
priorities in our political system. So the actual number of jobs
in education has been in decline.
What do you think is the effect on employment of these quotas?
One of their functions is to severely limit the number of posi-
tions available to those who are not quota beneficiaries. In par-
ticular, a number of people will have invested years of their
lives training for jobs that just aren't there. And the reason
they're not there is artificial: they're not the right sex or
color.
Now Jews have been subject to quotas from time immemorial. But
one of the reasons that so many of us went into academics was
that we could beat the system there and win a place for our-
selves. But it is a place that we may be losing.
As an analogy, think about what would happen if a quota were in-
stituted to bring the racial composition of the professional
basketball teams into line with the population at large. I
suspect that most people would agree that the composition of the
basketball teams is heavily influenced by the cultural values of
various subgroups of our society. Just as Jews have had a long
time cultural predisposition for educational careers, African
Americans have had a long time cultural emphasis on athletics.
Top quality basketball takes many years of dedication and train-
ing to attain, just as top quality academic accomplishments do.
Suppose that the social engineers decided they wanted a balance
in the composition of the teams. The result would be that players
who had spent years of their lives perfecting their skills would
be out of work for numerical reasons which had no basis in jus-
tice. And the quality of basketball in America would seriously
decline.
Can America tolerate an analogous decline in our educational sys-
tem?
There's a secondary influence of quotas on the quality of life of
people who do get jobs. People who fulfill quotas are in higher
demand for competing offers. Every time a job comes open, the
person who does the hiring has to make extra justifications for
hiring someone who doesn't fill a quota. The result is that the
disenfranchised workers have greatly decreased mobility, and
hence a greatly decreased earning potential. The result is that
careers where quotas are prevalent become vastly less appealing.
And the end result of this for us is that we may well lose our
cultural interest in educational pursuits, to the detriment of
our culture, and of education as well. And we will also have to
scramble for new niches in a society with declining resources.
Can we continue to tolerate these policies?
At what point will we stand up and say that policies which cause
us disproportional pain are no more tolerable than policies which
have adverse effects on other groups?
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The Acid Test
By Zvi Lando
*****************************************************************
Tekoa, Israel -- Arab political stances appear to be based prim-
arily on two rules (which in turn are based on P. T. Barnum's im-
mortal quote, "A sucker is born every minute!"):
1) When your adversary accuses you of something damaging to you;
DENY IT. Should they persist, DENY IT AGAIN, etc. until they be-
lieve you.
2) If your adversary persists, don't just deny it, ACCUSE HIM of
the same thing (even if you have to "bend the truth" to do so).
Israel has always called the Arabs aggressors. Now Israel is be-
ing called the aggressor. You can add to "aggressor" "racist,"
"imperialist," etc.
I have thought of a way to test the truth of these accusations.
There seems to be a relatively easy way to find out who is the
aggressor or imperialists in the Mid-East.
1) Go to the borders. Look on both sides. Who is doing the 24
hour around the clock patrolling. Who gets it's citizens drilled
and kept in alert whenever anything moves on the border?
Why are the Jordan, Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese border left all
but unguarded on the Arab side of the border? Why aren't they
worried that the "Israeli Aggressor" will appear at any moment to
continue her imperialism?
Next time someone calls Israel the Aggressor or the Imperialist
in the Mid-East, tell him to take the test...
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Protesting Bias: To What End?
Yehoshua Steinberg
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New York -- Where the Jewish establishment has erred seriously in
its "battle against anti-Semitism" is in its unspoken plea to
the gentile: "Please like me."
We don't need to make anti-Semites into philo-Semites; it's never
going to work. Good people will always seek truth and will ignore
stereotypes and caricatures. Evil people will always be drawn to
evil. The vast majority are likely to remain indifferent in any
case.
The verse in the _Tochacha_ spells it out:
You shall call forth amazement, reproach and barbed
scorn from all the nations to which the Lord will
lead you (Deut. 28:37).
A member of my shul is fond of claiming that Columbus was actual-
ly a crypto-Jew fleeing the Inquisition. Being a pseudo-
historian, he periodically delivers lectures on the subject to
Jewish and non-Jewish audiences. The unspoken hope is that this
will serve to engender respect for the American Jew, who arrived
on these shores long before even the Mayflower.
Do you think it works? How long would someone at the (mainly
Italian-American) Columbus Day parade survive should he be
foolhardy enough to hold up a placard proclaiming Christopher's
(Chaim's?) Jewishness? And how do you think such a message goes
over in the "multi-cultural" world? They're declaring ol' Chris
to be an oppressive racist, blotting out his name from our kids'
textbooks!
Jews are damned when they do and damned when they don't. There
are a thousand reasons for hating Jews (now "Zionists"), but in-
terestingly, when one "crime" of the Jew is "corrected," there
emerge five others to take its place. We are hated by Fascists
for being Communists. The Communists purged Jews as bourgeoisies.
The church hated us for killing Jesus; the Muslims claimed that
the Jews were responsible for Muhammad's death. The Jewish
Enlighteners were convinced that Jews would be loved and em-
braced by the Germans if they would but shed their primitive and
silly observances. The Zionists felt that anti-Jewish activity
and proclamations would disappear once they had their own
state.
On the other hand, this doesn't mean that we stand by passively
as Jews are attacked and abused - G-d forbid! We must never allow
one drop of Jewish blood to be spilled without outcry, without
making life difficult for the perpetrators. We must defend Jews
with every means at our disposal, we must unequivocally demon-
strate our solidarity and resolve to friend, foe and fence-sitter
alike.
For those who sincerely seek facts and truth, we should be will-
ing and ready to enlighten and edify, by all means. But for
those who would harm Jews, we must be ready to respond forceful-
ly.
*****************************************************************
What's a Jewish Action Initiative?
*****************************************************************
Funny you should ask. Here's who we are and what we stand for:
1. Policy Statement
WHEREAS there is a perceived over-politicization among Jewish In-
terest Groups in North America, Israel, and other parts of the
world which endangers strong Jewish political action:
The Jewish Action Initiative [JAI] is concerned, first and
foremost, unapologetically, and single-mindedly, with Jews and
Jewish interests wherever they may be. JAI believes in speaking
out loudly on behalf of Jews and Jewish concerns, and in instil-
ling in Jews a sense of Jewish identity and pride. JAI is a
grass roots organization of volunteers who want to see a differ-
ence in the Jewish world and who want action.
2. Policy Recognitions
JAI recognizes the following rights as axiomatic:
a) The inalienable right of every Jew to live in security, free
from discriminatory or biased actions or remarks made against
them, whether such discrimination is based on their Jewishness or
on any other factor regarding their birth or nature, faith or
circumstances. In particular, we object to policies which discri-
minate against Jews in favor of other groups, regardless of the
ostensible purpose of such policies.
b) The inalienable right of the State of Israel and its citizens
to live in peace, safety, and security.
c) The inalienable right of the State of Israel and its citizens
to defend itself against infringements of its peace, safety, and
security, on military, diplomatic, and economic fronts.
d) The inalienable right of the Government of the State of Israel
to determine its own foreign and domestic policy without undue
pressure or harassment.
e) The inalienable right of every Jew to immigrate to the State
of Israel without prevention or harrassment by anyone.
3. Purpose
The purpose of JAI is:
a) To keep others aware of issues and activities through telecom-
munication facilities at our disposal, and through community
channels.
b) To act upon these issues in accordance with JAI policy in the
local community.
c) To assist non-users in obtaining information on issues dealt
with by JAI.
d) To integrate the quick information and response capability of
computer telecommunication with political clout acquired through
community membership, and interaction with existing community or-
ganizations.
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Jewish advocacy - when it's needed, where it's needed.
For more information contact us at:
Jewish Action Initiative
482 Brook Avenue
Passaic, NJ 07055
Phone: (212)856-2167
Fax: (201)471-4231
E-Mail: [email protected]
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