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Page 4-THE NEWS-March 1990 WORLD BEAT edited by Marta Garelik Concern Over Anti-Semitism Expressed to Soviet Diplomats NEW YORK (JTA) — Three Jewish leaders with Eastern European roots expressed con cern to Soviet diplomats here over the upsurge of anti-Semit ism in the Soviet Union. Harold Ostroff, president of the Workmen’s Circle and man ager of the Jewish Forward who was spokesman for the group, said they received assurances that the problem was being given high priority by the Soviet authorities. They disclosed that scores of letters have been received from Soviet Jews, whose first choice is to remain in the Soviet Union to participate in perestroika and glasnost. But they are frightened by increased manifestations of anti- Semitism, which are occurring simultaneously with the Soviet Union’s more liberal policies toward freedom of speech. Ostroff said the Soviet diplo mats agreed that the problem of unfettered bigotry must be fought at the highest levels of government. As Freedom Comes to Eastern Europe More 'Righteous Gentiles'Surface JERUSALEM (JTA) — The surge for democratic reform in Eastern Europe has had an unexpected repercussion in Isra el. Applications for the award of certificates to “Righteous Gen tiles” have soared by 45 percent this year. “Righteous Gentiles” are non-Jews who sheltered or otherwise helped Jews survive the Holocaust at great personal risk. Since 1962, 8,200 certificates have been awarded honoring Righteous Gentiles. Only about 40 went to recipients in Eastern Europe, including the Soviet Union, until 1985 when the process of democratization be gan in Poland. Poland, where the worst of the Holocaust occurred, came to account for 40 percent of the certificates. According to Itim, 331 appli cations have been registered with the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial so far this year. Romanian Babies to be United With Adoptive Parents in Israel TEL AVIV (JTA) — The overthrow of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu has had a happy side effect for more than 30 Israeli couples, who adopted babies in Romania in recent years but were forbidden to take them out of the country. Now the ban is lifted, 17 Israeli couples flew to Bucharest and 15 of them returned home with the children, age 3 to 5, whom they had adopted as infants. Many childless Israeli couples look to foreign sources for adoption because they are un able to meet Israel’s strict criteria for adoptive parents, Romania had encouraged adoption by foreigners, and a considerable number of Israelis and Europeans filed adoption papers in recent years. The Israelis paid the Romanian authorities $2,000 each for ba bies. Soon after, Ceausescu’s wife, Elena, ordered a halt to foreign adoptions. It was part of a harsh program of enforced childbear ing among Romanian women, who were expected to make the Romanian population the larg est in the Eastern bloc. Abortion was forbidden, and women were watched in the workplace and given frequent medical examina tions to ensure that they did not abort. Panamanian Leader to Prevent FLO Presence WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Guillermo Endara of Panama pledged to 1,500 Pan amanian Jews that he will not allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to open an office there. For his part, the Panamanian president praised the community for its contributions to Panama, whose estimated 5,000 Jews are said to own more than half of the South American country’s businesses. Also taking part in the meet ing was Vice President Guiller mo Ford, who fondly recalled memories of his Jewish great grandmother. Vice President Ricardo Arias Calderon spoke of Panama’s deliverance from the Noriega dictatorship by referring to the Passover prayer, “Next year in Jerusalem.” “For Panama,” he said, “it is this year in Jerusalem.” With unemployment poten tially reaching as high as 40 percent as the result of recent looting, Panama needs econom ic assistance urgently. In addition, “there is a need for reconciliation among all classes in Panamanian society,” he said. “The Jewish community has received reassurances from the new government and has declared that it feels a respon sibility to help rebuild Panama for the benefit of all citizens.” High School Students from NFTY Act as Ambassadors NEW YORK (JTA) — It may be a lot of responsibility to place on young shoulders, but a group of American teen-agers affiliated with Reform Judaism seem to be enjoying their role as goodwill ambassadors for the U.S. and Israel to Jews in the Soviet Union. Bom and raised in America, and having just spent a month’s preparation in Israel, the 28 high school students active in the North American Federation of Temple Youth visited the Soviet Union last summer. Their assignment was to an swer questions about the U.S. and Israel, in order to help Soviet Jews who are planning to emigrate decide whether to go to America or Israel. “We told them what we knew about jobs, housing and learning the language. We also tried to disabuse them of some of the false notions they had. We really had no idea how isolated and uninformed many of them are. A common impression is that Israel is a military state, con stantly at war, while the U.S. is paved with gold. We tried to explain that both pictures are distorted.” Australians Seeking Witnesses Against Ukranian Police NEW YORK (JTA) — The Australian government, with the cooperation of the World Jewish Congress, is seeking Holocaust survivors for help in a war- crimes investigation. The investigation involves murder allegations against the Ukrainian police in and around the village of Berezovka (Bere- sowka) during World War II. The murders were committed between 1941 and 1943 in Bere zovka, located in the Ustinovsky district, Kirovograd region of the eastern Ukraine. To aid in this investigation, survivors are being sought from the village or any of the sur rounding villages, including Krivoy Rog, Novo Bug, Bo- brinets. Novo Petrovky, Kova- levka and Ustinovka. Survivors or those with rele vant information about Ukrain ian police activities are asked to contact Betty Pupko, World Jewish Congress, 501 Madison Ave., N.Y., N.Y. 10022, or call (212) 755-5770. All information will be kept strictly confidential. Scientific News from Israel JERUSALEM (JTA) — Doc tors from the U.S., Switzerland and Turkey have joined with doctors at Hadassah University Hospital in a cooperative re search project to discover more about diabetes. This cooperative study is seeking to assess the validity of the discovery made by Hadassah researchers, that the capacity of muscle cells to absorb glucose, the chief source of energy in humans, is contingent on the amount of that sugar already present in the bloodstream. The researchers believe that if they can find a way to alter this process, they might be able to help reduce the imbalance in victims of diabetes. At the same time, Dr. Nazif Bagriacik, a professor at the University of Istanbul, is con ducting related tests to see if intensive insulin treatment can stimulate the body’s ability to manufacture this hormone. • TEL AVIV (JTA) — An Aeroflot direct flight from Mos cow landed 51 Soviet children and three adults for medical treatment at Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva on Jan. 15. They are casualties of the 1986 nuclear accident at Chernobyl. The youngsters, age 6 to 16, are the second group of Cher nobyl children brought to Israel for medical treatment. Fifty Soviet teen-agers who complet ed their treatment here were flown back to the Soviet Union on Aeroflot flight Jan. 10. • JERUSALEM (JTA) — Fifty leading cardiac surgeons ga thered at Hadassah University Hospital here to mark the 25th anniversary of open-heart sur gery with a four-day conference. The conference agenda was not restricted to medical issues, but included social matters and ethical questions. For example, the doctors discussed the issue of replacing damaged heart valves in drug addicts whose use of unsterile needles causes infec tion and irreversible damage. The participants included Dr. Wilton C. Lillehel, a pioneer in open-heart surgery, and trans plant innovator Norman E. Shumway, both of the United States, and Hadassah's Dr. Gideon Uretzky, whose work is considered the leading edge of Israeli cardiac surgery. Also present were Dr. Hillel Laks, a congenital heart disease expert, and Dr. Donald Ross, who pioneered the use of tissue- valve replacement. Two Soviet surgeons were on hand representing Moscow’s Bakulev Institute — Drs. Vla dimir Riklin and Alexander Krakowsky. Riklin is a recent immigrant to Israel who expects to work at Hadassah’s Cardiac Surgery Research Center. Krakowsky is exploring joint research with Hadassah specialists. • JERUSALEM (JTA) — A leading seismologist predicts a devastating earthquake for Isra el sometime in the next 50 years that will register a 7 on the Richter scale and will strike mainly in northern Galilee and the Jordan Valley. The quake was forecast by Dr. Avi Shapiro of the Seismolog- ical Department at the Haifa Institute for Oil and Geological Research. He said that the tremor could be forecast up to three months in advance. But if it were up to him, he would keep the date from the public to avoid panic which might take more See WORLD BEAT next page HOW MANY REASONS ARE THERE TO USE A TRAVEL AGENT? 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March 1, 1990, edition 1
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