From: jem@datum.nyo.dec.com (Jeremy Steinberg)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Subject: JAI Newsletter
Date: 15 Apr 92 10:57:30 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation, NYC


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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: initiative@gaon.enet.dec.com
-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yehoshua (Jem) Steinberg | Complacency is  tantamount 
jem@gaon.enet.dec.com    |      to  complicity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish