Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1983-01-06

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LIBRARY, OHIO HISTORICAL SOO^M*^
1 90S VELMa AVE.
COLS. Or' 43211 EXGH
Serving Columbus and Central Ohio Jewish Community lor Over 60 Years
VOL.61   NO.l
JANUARY 6,1983-TEVET21
Oavoled to American
and Jewish ideals
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Leo Yassenoff
Jewish Center
Opens DOOrS        Germany To Lend Israel 140 Million Marks
To Community
President William A. Goldman announces that the Leo
Yassenoff Jewish Center of
Columbus will open Monday,
Jan. 10,'at 1125 College Ave.
"After years of planning and
hard work, the community
has a beautiful, new, facility
of which we can be truly
proud," Goldman stated.
Everyone is encouraged to
stop by the Center and look
around, beginning Monday,
when formal tours of the
building will be available.
While visiting, members can
sign up for winter classes,
which begin Jan. 17.
A community celebration
to commemorate the opening of the Leo Yassenoff
Jewish Center will be held on
Sunday, Jan. 16. Tours of the
building will be a highlight of
the day. Details of this event
are forthcoming.
For more, information
about the opening, tours,
classes or the Jan. 16 event,
call the Center at 231-2731.
BONN (JTA)—The West German government has signed
an agreement to lend Israel 140 million Marks in fiscal year
1982-83 for infrastructure projects agreed on by the two governments. Although the same Ipan has been granted yearly to
Israel since diplomatic relations were established between
Bonn and Jerusalem in 1965, the agreement this year was
signed without ceremony and without any official announcement, a clear deviation from the practice of the past 15 years.
This reflected intense pressure applied by the pro-Arab lobby
in Bonn and by powerful elements within Chancellor Helmut
Kohl's coalition government to deny financial aid to Israel.
Jewish Businessman Explores
Present Plight Of Soviet Jewry
'Zomo' Spreads Propaganda
GENEVA (JTA)-An organization called "Zomo," set up
in Poland to fight the Solidarity movement, told its recruits
that Solidarity was created and manipulated by Jews, according to Vino Grodski, a Polish political refugee living in
Germany. Grodski said in an interview in a Swiss newspaper
that he had been a member of "Zomo" and heard of the alleged Jewish connection with Solidarity during his training
period.
French Post Office Issues Stamp
PARIS (JTA)—The French post office has issued a stamp
carrying a picture of former Premier Leon Blum. The 1.80
Franc stamp will be used for all regular mail within France
and the ten-nation European Economic Community. President Francois Mitterrand and Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy
attended a special ceremony at the main post office museum
to mark the issuance of the new stamp. Blum, who was Jewish, served as a Prime Minister twice.
Israeli Consul, Trade Commissioner To U.S.
To Be Guest Of Columbus Jewish Federation
Shmuel Ben-Tovim, Consul and Trade Commissioner
to the United States, who
serves as the director of the ,
government of Israel Trade
Center, is going to be the
guest of the Columbus Jewish Federation on Monday
and Tuesday, Jan. 10 and 11.
Shmuel Ben-Tovim
Ben-Tovim will be hosted
by the Chamber of Commerce at a reception and will
also be speaking before the
Community Relations Committee and the Israel Committee of the Columbus Jewish Federation. He will also
meet with private businessmen who are Interested in
investments in Israel.
Ben-Tovim assumed the
position, of Consul and Trade
Commissioner to the United
States and director of the
Government of Israel Trade
Center' in 1979. He oversees
export and trade actiyities
from the GITC headquarters
rurNew Yorkjmd also coor'di-
nates commercial activities
of the GITC regional offices
in Chicago, Los-Angeles,
Boston, Houston, Philadelphia and Miami.
Prior to his arrival in New
York, Ben-Tovim served for
two and a' half years as
Economic Advisor to Ministers of Industry, Trade and
Tourism, Yigal Hurvitz
(later the Minister of
Finance) and Gideon Patt.
He was member of the Board
of Directors of Israel Chemicals Ltd., the largest chemical group in the country,
and of the Jerusalem
Development Corporation.
From-1974 to 1976, he was
assistant to the director of
Foreign Trade and advisor
to the. Department of International Relations in the
same ministry.
Ben-Tovim received his
B.A. in Economics and International Relations and his
MBA in Marketing from the
Hebrew University of Jeru-.
salem. He is an honors graduate of the Governmental
Academy for Commercial
Attaches.
Ben-Tovim is a key
spokesman on Israel's economic policies and is frequently invited to address
both general'and business-
related audiences.
A fourth generation
Israeli, Ben-Tovim was born
in Tel Aviv in 1950. He served
in the, Israel Defense Forces
from 197M975, and is currently a Captain in the
reserves.
Anyone desiring a private
appointment with Ben-
Tovim should call Ya'acov
Fried, Israeli Shaliach, at
the Columbus Jewish Federation, 237-7686.
NEW YORK (JTA)~
A Westchester Jewish businessman and activist has
returned from a brief visit to
the Soviet Union, during
which he managed to meet
personally with some 20 Jewish refuseniks, with the conviction that their situation
was hopeless, a conviction
he said would spur him to
even greater efforts to try to
help get them out of the
USSR.
Leonard Kesten of Bedford, N.Y. described his visit
and his concern for the
future of the Jewish refuseniks in an interview with the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency,
expressing the fear that they
could be in physical danger.
He said he went to the Soviet
Union as a member of a
group of seven tourists,
which included his wife,
another couple, a single
woman and two young
American Jews.
Kesten, 49, who was on a
commercially organized
tour, was not simply a visitor
in ' search of "new tourist
experiences. He is well-
informed and has. a solid
background on the status
and problems of, Soviet
Jewry through his work in
HIAS, of which he is a board
member; the United Jewish
Appeal, in which he is very
active, and through other
American Jewish organizations.
Israel Bond Organization Passes
$6 Billion Dollars In Cash Receipts
Cash receipts of the Israel
Bond Organization, since its
inception in 1951, passed the
$6 billion mark following a
nationwide cash collection
effort in honor of Sam Roth-
berg, its general chairman,
for his 40 years of service to
Israel.
The special campaign,
which began on Nov. l, produced more than $91,289,000
in cash. The $6 billion cash
figure was reached on Tuesday, Dec. 21.
Cash recipts of the Bond
organization for the 1982
campaign, which was completed on Dec. 31, are
expected to exceed $500
million.-*
In making the announcement, Rabbi Leon Kronish,
national campaign chairman, declared: "This accelerated cash campaign,
which achieved our $6 billion
milestone, was the most
meaningful possible expression of our deep appreciation
to Sam Romberg for his
leadership of our organization and his lifetime of ser
vice to Israel."
He continued: "There is
not a single Jewish community in the United States,
Canada, Europe and Latin
America which has not been
touched by his dynamic leadership and his forcefulness
in behalf of Israel.
"In every activity he has
led during the past 40 years,
he has created new patterns
and new concepts of Jewish
commitment. In peace and
in war, in every problem
that Israel has faced since
its birth, he has epitomized
the solidarity and firm commitment of world Jewry to
Israel."
Of the $6 billion in Israel
Bonds which have been sold
since 1951, a little over $3
billion has been repaid by
the State of Israel. Every
Israel Bond which has
matured has been redeemed
fully and on time, and all
interest payments have been
.made promptly, -,
■ It took Wk years for the
Bond Organization to raise
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)
But he stressed to the JTA
that he had not made his
visit to the Soviet Union as a
representative of any American Jewish organization,
though he and other members of his group brought
with them, names and
addresses of refuseniks
because they wanted to talk
'' to some.	
Kesten called such
young Russian Jews
"heroes of the Jewish
people who, for whatever
reasons, are standing up
to be counted with the
Jews of the world."
Kesten said he was convinced that he and the other
American Jewish visitors
were under constant surveillance by the KGB. He said
that while the refuseniks he
and the other American Jewish visitors met and talked to
showed no signs of fear
about such meetings, both
the refuseniks and Soviet
Jews he saw, but did not
meet directly, occasionally
showed signs of paranoia,
which he came to feel was
amply justified.
He, said he and other Jews
in his group met with about
20 refuseniks in Leningrad
.and about 30 in Moscow. He
said it was a typical experience to meet Russian Jews,
both young and old, who had
immediately lost their jobs
when they applied for emigration to Israel. In a society
in which government is the
sole employer, a substitute
source of income is a severe
problem, he observed.
Kesten said that, after two
days in Leningrad, the
Americans proceeded to
Moscow where they re-,
mained until they left the
Soviet Union on Oct. 10.
Kesten said the refuseniks
repeatedly asked the American visitors what help
American Jewry could provide them to enable them to
live as Jews in the USSR. He
said that the frequency of
that appeal left him with the
impression that the refuseniks had reluctantly accepted the conclusion they
would probably never be
allowed to emigrate.
Kesten  related  that
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 15)
Mrs. Pearl Polster is shown above standing at the entrance to the Harry A. Polster Dental Clinic at Heritage House. She will celebrate her 85th birthday this
Sunday, Jan. 9.
Pearl Polster Day Proclaimed
January 9 At Heritage Village
"This Sunday, Jan. 9, has
officially been proclaimed
Pearl Polster Day at Heritage Village," announced
Morris Skilken, president of
Heritage Village.
"Pearl's love for the residents of Heritage Village can
again be seen by her desire
to celebrate her 85th birthday with her family, friends
and the residents at Heritage
House," stated Skilken.
Mrs. Polster currently
serves as secretary of the
Heritage Village Board of
Trustees and is the benefactor of the Harry A.
Polster Dental Clinic at
Heritage House
The Dental Clinic, named
in memory of Mrs. Polster's
late husband, provides complete dental and oral hygiene
services to all residents of
Heritage House,
"We are pleased to recognize Pearl for her love, generosity and great enthusiasm for life. She sets a marvelous example for us all to
follow," stated Gerald N.
Cohn, executive vice president of Heritage Village.
The community is invited
to Mrs, Polster's birthday
party this Sunday at Heritage House from 2 to 4 p.m.
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