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FORUM The New MOMENT is Awful A funny thing happened to a magazine I used to like. It used to have intelligent and fairly long articles, a minimum of glitz and a general feeling of liberalism. I...

...Some of the causes are similar to those in Israeli universities There is diminished government support, equipment has become much more expensive and its obsolescence has been speeded up American society, in general, appears more preoccupied with the near term (whether it is business profit or anything else), rather than where we will be in the future...
...is not allowed to enter on refugee status if he has a visa for another country—e g , an Indian fleeing India who has a visa for Pakistan—the only exception is in the case of Soviet Jewry...
...There have, in point of fact, been Arab lists in the past (in the 1973 elections, for example, a United Arab List elected three members of the Knesset), though Arab candidates in Israel generally prefer, for tactical reasons, to align themselves with existing Jewish parties...
...Abourezk, near the top of page 15, where—after Mr...
...We must work to bring people like aliyah activist Elazar Yuzefovitch to Israel, not to work for the creation of a new Russian-Jewish ghetto in New York...
...the days of the pogroms are over...
...But we, in Israel, as a national community, cannot presume to voice the grievances that any Soviet citizen must struggle with...
...People who heard his complaining looked at him patronizingly, amused by his comments...
...Hurt the Cause of Those Left Behind The April MOMENT ("A Time to Rethink...
...First, there are internal political and economic considerations with which the Egyptian government must deal, and second, the threats from other Arab countries are a definite barrier to warming the peace with Israel...
...Carole A. Klein AT&T 800 READYLINE Mornstown, New Jersey We are pleased to print this letter to provide our readers with the valuable information it contains, but we would like it even better if A T& T would include us m their advertising budget...
...The issue here is not saving souls...
...A Soviet Jew who is at odds with the atheistic policies of his government or decries the spiritual vacuum it has created, can join forces with those like Solzhenitsyn, who attack this aspect of Soviet life...
...The misstatement was made by Mr...
...This we found disturbing...
...By the way, other MOMENT readers who are interested in signing up for 800 READYLINE can reach AT&T on 1-800-222-0400...
...James P Rice Chicago, Illinois Overseas Staff of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 1945-1955...
...My brother and I have long known that the guidance systems of the U-2 rockets malfunctioned for ' 'mysterious" reasons, our father had been the one to recommend that those assembling the rockets urinate on the wiring so that it would short out...
...As subscribers to Biblical Archaeology Review, we were already familiar with his work, especially his respect for all points of view and his commitment to academic integrity and excellence...
...Adam Warga Eastchester, New York A brilliant idea...
...3 Many American universities are having to cut back drastically on library services and acquisitions because of the marked increase in the cost of publications, in addition to the other budgetary restrictions...
...As newly observant Jews ourselves, we would be particularly interested in seeing articles about halacha and observance, and about the phenomenon, of which we are a part, of young professional Jews returning to traditional Judaism...
...Suddenly it took on the look and feel of an airline magazine...
...This trend is particularly remarkable in a city like San Francisco (and the entire San Francisco Bay area) whose Jewish population is highly assimilated...
...Ruth Kukiela Somerville, Massachusetts Soviet Jews Who Come to the U.S...
...In light of all this, I think the American Jewish community must seriously reconsider its stand...
...I still do...
...Some equitable arrangement, such as one hour per month per tuition credit or something of that nature could be arranged This would have the added advantage of bringing home to each student his or her personal responsibility toward the university for securing an education...
...under the status of refugees is a strange loophole in American immigration law...
...2 Foreign volunteers, who traditionally have worked in kibbutzim and other facilities, could join in programs where they would make a contribution of time to the universities...
...Richard H Weil Bloomington, Minnesota A Palace Coup at MOMENT It seems as if the MOMENT I loved has been wiped out by a palace coup...
...Those familiar with American education know that we have a frightening decline in students going into engineering, the sciences, mathematics and related fields...
...Soviet Jewish activists are known to support moves that would provide a more direct line to Israel, not because anyone wishes to force Jews to come to Israel, but because it would make clear the distinction between those who have a genuine desire to live up to their declared intention and those who do not...
...Many of us in the United States have books and journals which still have much utility but which we no longer need We could certainly develop a mechanism for getting these to Israeli schools which could use them...
...Keep up the good work1 Mimi Real Mill Valley, California Why Nazi Germany's U-2 Rockets Malfunctioned Many thanks to you and to Linda Hunt for the thorough and well-researched article on Dora Concentration Camp ("Arthur Rudolph of Dora and NASA," April 1987...
...cut the reasons may be a bit deeper than ascribing Egyptian reticence to Israeli provocations only In December of 1986, along with other members of the Executive Committee of the International Center for Peace in the Middle East, I visited Egypt at the invitation of the "high officials " We met with senior government officials, several past prime ministers, members of the Egyptian Camp David team, parliamentary leaders, journalists, etc What we were told— which we must presume is true since it was repeated by almost all with whom we met and was largely confirmed by knowledgeable Western diplomats with whom we also met—was that Egypt is constrained by two major factors...
...Vanished, too, is the old honesty in examining the mistakes of Israel and of American Jewry...
...We must be primarily concerned with those who consider themselves part of our nation, who are, as Ida Nudel put it, hostages in a foreign country...
...Bookbinder had noted that ' 'Arabs within the State of Israel . . do vote, and they vote in very high percentages"—Mr...
...Professor Alpher states that the "treaty with Egypt has worked fitfully, primarily due to Egyptian reticence— an attitude often explained by Egyptians as a reaction to Israeli provocations " I agree with Alpher that the relationship is not a warm one, that FORUM commerce is pitilully weak, etc...
...The fact that a quirk in American law makes it easier and more attractive for disgruntled Soviet citizens to use an Israeli visa for an escape should not be a source of pride for anyone...
...To send a MOMENT subscription to a Soviet refusenik, see the refusenik subscription ad on p. 8.— Ed...
...The real question is whether we should focus our attention on (a) releasing Soviet citizens who happen to be Jewish and happen to want to leave and prefer to assimilate in New York rather than in Moscow, or whether (b) we should change the rules for transport, straighten out the American law and make a real effort to make clear to the Soviets that the Jewish activists are earnest in wanting to return to their homeland and reunite with their families in whatever terms are'most palatable to the Soviet authorities...
...only by ignoring the validity of this visa...
...Moshe Aumann Consul General Embassy of Israel Washington, DC J DC Financed Wallenberg Annette Lantos' compassionate article in the October MOMENT ("My Fight for Raoul Wallenberg") deservedly extols Raoul Wallenberg, the best known Righteous Gentile of the Holo-' caust years The caption under the picture on page 25, however, inaccurately states that the U.S...
...The idea of subscriptions for Soviet Jews is the kind of innovation and creativity one would expect from your publication- It helps those Jews in isolation learn about the dynamism of our community, it helps MOMENT, and it makes me feel good to boot...
...The situation at the advanced level is truly alarming, with a very high proportion of such degrees granted by American universities going to foreign students...
...One of these was the Bookbinder-Abourezk debate ("Through Different Eyes"), moderated by David Shipler...
...There is one misstatement of fact, however, that I think should be corrected...
...While I never doubted my father, as a child I had difficulty understanding why the U.S...
...When it began calling itself something which was "Illuminating the Jewish World," I knew its ability not to take too serious a view of itself was gone...
...Israel needs Soviet immigrants, just as it needs immigrants from all over the world...
...I read and enjoyed it for years...
...Enclosed please find a SI49 check for three (3) subscriptions for Soviet refuseniks...
...Laura B Wharton Kibbutz Kfar Blum Upper Galilee, Israel AT&T: Be a Mentsch and Pay for an Advertisement As product manager for AT&T 800 READYLINEs, AT&T's newest 800 offering for small businesses, I am delighted to find yet another application for having an 800 READYLINE number 1-800-FOR-BRIT is a terrific idea ("Dial-a-Brit," Notes and News, October 1987)—not only for the mohe-hm, but also for Jewish families who do not have access to the Jewish services many of us take for granted...
...Quite frankly, although we enjoyed an occasional article, and of course chuckled at items in the Spice Box, we were put off by the obvious bias of the magazine...
...I want to write him/her...
...Robert J Schreiber Stamford, Connecticut Correcting Abourezk I found the October MOMENT filled with items of interest, large and small, that made for absorbing reading...
...When a Soviet Jew with an Israeli visa goes to New York, this lends justification to the cynicism with which Soviet officials regard repatriation applications...
...While inmates well knew it was only a matter of time before the engineers discovered the reasons for the rockets' failures, they were hoping to buy time and delay the success of the project as much as possible...
...Fresh Suggestions to Help Israel Universities The cover article in the October MOMENT, "Is Hebrew University Going Down the Tubes...
...If we are going to put up a fight, it must be for sound reasons, like bringing Jews to their homeland...
...government would welcome Nazi scientists without question while at the same time thoroughly investigating the backgrounds of Holocaust survivors wishing to emigrate to this country, in order to weed out those with unsavory or questionable backgrounds...
...In his book, American Jewry and the Holocaust— The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee 1939-1945, Professor Yehuda Bauer of Hebrew University points out...
...Newty Observant Jews Pleased with New MOMENT About a year ago my husband and I were given a subscription to MOMENT as a gift...
...HI We must concern ourselves first and foremost with those whose conflict with the Soviet authorities is one of national identity...
...Please let me know who my subscription is going to...
...Egyptian leaders believe—they say, with good reason—that a warmer relationship with Israel would diminish or eliminate those two sources of income...
...A Soviet Jew who dislikes the political and economic track on which his country runs can join forces with dissidents like Sakharov or with external bodies, like Amnesty International, which fight for his cause...
...Normally, a person entering the U.S...
...Jews are allowed to leave the USSR solely on the basis of their Israeli visa, on the one hand, and on the other, are let into the U.S...
...Sorry, but I can not give any subscriptions as gifts At this point, I would like to give mine back...
...Esther B Fmkelstein Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Soviet Refuseniks Receive MOMENT Subscriptions I am more than excited about the "new" MOMENT...
...we have no qualms about saying so...
...How the Financial Crisis is Creating an Academic Crisis," illustrates how parallel the academic woes of Israeli and American educational institutions are today...
...In one way or another, Arabs have been elected to the Knesset (parliament), and each Knesset to date has included between five and seven Arab members...
...Yet the area now supports a traditional day school (ele-' mentary and high school) with almost 300 students...
...War Refugee Board financed much of Wallenberg's work...
...Even if some tuition increases are necessary, this technique might ameliorate the total amount...
...The articles became shorter and fancier, the headlines more like something in the National Enquirer, the graphics looked like they came from People...
...See "Investigating America's Postwar Complicity with Nazi War Criminals,"p 42 —Ed-j Thanks again for sharing this relatively little-known part of Holocaust history...
...What's left is something the Likud might have penned for its definition of a ' 'liberal" audience, and I think it is awful...
...I am sure that there are many other ideas that can be used to help this serious problem and I look forward to hearing what others propose Sheldon B Cohen, M D Atlanta, Georgia Egypt Needs Peace Agreement Between Israel and Other Arab Countries to Survive Re Joseph Alpher's article in the September MOMENT ("Is the De Facto Peace with Jordan a Better Model than the De Jure Peace with Egypt"), most military experts agree that the peace with Egypt is of supreme importance...
...Abourezk is quoted as saying, ' 'They're not allowed to form their own political parties, though " To which (to make matters worse) moderator Shipler adds, "That's correct " Actually, it is incorrect...
...If we are not clear in our goals, we have no hope of winning...
...Bauer stresses that JDC's role was limited to financing, but it was the self-sacrifice of Wallenberg and others working under his indomitable leadership, including Swiss consul Charles Lutz, Portuguese consul Jules Gulden, the Spanish legation, and the Papal Nuncio, all of whom, with Wallenberg, issued the protective papers that helped make possible the historic rescue of 100,000 Hungarian Jews...
...Wallenberg was largely financed from Sweden, where WRB paid him JDC funds...
...My father was an inmate of Dora from the winter of 1944 until the camp's dissolution in April 1945 In his capacity as telephone repairman, he was able to circulate more freely than most inmates among the various parts of the camp, including the missile assembly area...
...because it relieves Israel of most of the concern about an attack on its southern front and because the absence of Egypt and the hard-line coalition makes an attack from Syria and Iraq very unlikely to occur and almost certain to fail should it occur...
...Goodbye when my subscription runs out...
...The U.S War Refugee Board did indeed authorize and vigorously support Wallenberg's heroic actions, and transmitted funds to him, but those funds came not from the War Refugee Board, but almost entirely from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee through its representative in neutral Switzerland, Saly Mayer, whose successor I was in 1948...
...Rabbi Howard Lifshitz Long Grove, Illinois We are mailing you the name and address of the person to whom your subscription is being sent...
...Already we have an unbelievable scenario when a conservative American government has some of its agencies attempting to purchase Soviet satellite photographs, because they are superior to ours1 While there is no simple solution to the economic plight of the Israeli institution, I would like to offer three modest suggestions that may be of some slight help: 1 Israeli universities, in lieu of tuition raises, may require that each student spend a certain amount of time in "university service...
...indicates a serious misunderstanding of Israel's position on Soviet Jewry, and casts the Israeli approach in a most unfair and unfavorable light I What allows the Soviet Jews to enter the U.S...
...To us it appeared to be liberal, left-wing and decidedly anti-Orthodox...
...II The biggest opponents of this special status and those most concerned with "neshira" [emigrants' going to the U.S...
...Egypt is a very, very poor country A few decades ago, Egypt was self-sufficient in agriculture Today, it is dependent upon imports The population of roughly 51 million grows by another million each ten months...
...the resulting flow of population both frustrates the struggle of Zionist activists and complicates the negotiations for the Israeli government...
...The conclusion is that the JDC financed most of the rescue activities in Budapest—the direct feeding, the upkeep of the childrens' homes, the protective papers, and unknowingly, even the Youth movement's underground activities...
...One of Egypt's major sources of income is remittances from Egyptians working in other countries and another major source is direct subsidies received from other Arab governments...
...Indeed, one very senior official told me that he wants a peace between Israel and all the Arab countries because ' 'we cannot survive without it...
...We therefore were intrigued to learn that Leonard Fein was turning over the reins to Hershel Shanks...
...instead of Israel, literally, "falling-away"] are the still-trapped Soviet Jewish activists themselves Their concern is based on the contention that every Jew that leaves the Soviet Union on false pretenses makes it that much less likely that they'll be released, they sharply criticize those fellow-travelers whose emigration to New York provides grist for the Soviet propaganda mill...
...The first issue of the new MOMENT fulfilled our expectations, and we were also greatly heartened to read about the upcoming articles...
...However, if they can't afford it, we'll still give them free advertising in our letters column...
...Ever since I can remember, my father has bitterly complained about Werner von Braun and the other Nazi scientists whom the United States took in with open arms...
...The establishment of political parties in Israel is strictly regulated by law, and there is nothing to stop any group of people—regardless of their religion, ethnic origin or political leanings—from fielding a list of candidates in a national election campaign, provided they fulfill the requirements of the law (concerned with such procedural matters as the number of signatures on a petition, a registration fee, deadlme for submission of list, and the like...
...According to my father, sabotage efforts by inmates were largely uncoordinated because of language differences among the inmates, and the need to avoid being identified as a saboteur by any fellow inmate who would be caught and tortured for information before being hanged...

Vol. 12 • December 1987 • No. 9


 
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