J
3N N10DNH IS U OOGT DOS "VOIUOIGIH dQ3N 090IOE06
SERVING NEBRASKA, IOWA Vol. LXI No. 38
Omaha, Neb., Fri., May 20, 1983
The Jews of Tunisia
NEW YORK - There ore 4,600 Jews living in Tunisia today, mostly in the capital city of Tunis and on the island of Djerba. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Ihe overscan relief arm of the American Jewish community, ha» been active in Tunisia since the 1950s when world attention was focuitcd on the million "forgotten Jews" of North Africa. At that time there were 100,000 Jews in Tunisia. JDC today provides for the welfare of the Jewish poor and the old, helps them with medial) service^ and supports Jewish education. The welfare consist* of cash grantt for food and rent and i« given to 350 people, most of them elderly and needy. Medical care is provided to 150 people a month, Almost a third of .IDC's budget is for Jewish tchooli in Tunis, Djerba and Zarzii. with a total enrollment of 500. About 350 of the children also receive hot lunches provided by JDC.
Top — Rabbi Fradjl Maxotiz. on the staff of the Torn V'Chlonch School In Hara Kebira pauses in one of the arched street* of his picturesque Island town. Right — Am old Jew in Tunisia, one of 4B00 remaining tram a population that onco numbered 100,000, Is a beneficiary of the Amorican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
Syria has 'potential' for war with Israel NEW YOHK (JTA) — The Syrian army is RSW stronger than it was lost year, before Israel's invasion of Lebanon and at almost twice its strength compared to what it was at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in which Syria was a participant. It now has more than 3,000 Soviet-made tnnkfl, cornpared with 2,000 at the lime of the Yom Kippur War, and more than COO MIG fighter planes, compared with 300 in 197.1. Furthermore, the new defense budget of Syria has been increased this year to $2.4 billion, 64 percent of its national budget. The number of Soviet ndvisoro in Syria has been rifling steadily, jumping from 2,500 advisor* last year to 4,600 at present. These dctiiils were given to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency during a special interview with Naphtali Lavie, Israel's Consul General in New York. "The Syrians now have the potential to engage in a new war with Israel," ho Mid. "Common sense Bays that they should not get involved in a new war, since they lost oil their worn with Israel BO far. Dut it in hard to judge their motives, mainly because they net not only on behalf of their interests or the Arab world but they clearly served other interests, thorn! of the Soviet Union."
fore the Six-Dny War.", Syria, tho Israeli official pointed out, "has various interests in Lebanon that ore not connected with the current presence of Israeli forces there." He noted that Syria never recognized Lebanon as a state and does not have any diplomatic representation in that country. "The Syrians were occupying Lebanon for the last seven years. It is hard for them to accept tho fact that it's time for them to leave Lebanon," Lovtc said. He wiid Israel in closely watching Syria. "Their threats ore not now, we have been living with them for the lost 35 yean, but we are keeping alert to meet any eventuality/' t^avio stated.
lie said, in response to a question, that farad's image in tho United States, which was tarished as a result of Israel's invasion of Lebanon and further damaged after the massacre of Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shntila camps near Beirut last September by Christian militiamen, is an improvement. The bnsi* for the change in the American public opinion, Lavio claimed, in: the conclusions by the Israeli commission to investigate the masiincre re-established According to Lavie, who nerved for many Israel'* credibility among the American years in the Iflracl's Defense Ministry OH an people and the media. Lavic noted, in this '. aide to Defense Ministers, including the Jate regard, that whllo the commission investiMouhe' Dayan, the Syrians arc trying'to gated the tragedy and recommended action "torpedo" tho accord reached between Is- against top government and Israel Defense rael and Lebanon on the withdrawal of U- Force officials, the Lebanese government .: raeli troops from Lebanon," through threat* has still to investigate and punish the mur• and psychological warfare, at they did be- derers. ' '
Jewish Day School earns high scores By Dr. Michael Katz, Associate Professor of Education, UNO, and vice president, J e w i s h Day School In its first year of operation as a stateapproved private school, the Jewish Day School of Omaha has achieved impressive scores on the nationally normed California Achievement Tests. Taking the firBt grade battery (battery 11 C) of tests, seven out of the 10 kindergarten children scored in the 99th perccntile on the test. What this means is that these seven children scored in the highest percentile compared to the national group of first graders taking the tests. "We have been extremely proud of our oil-day kindergarten," said Day School President Susan Palcy, "and the children's test scores make us even prouder." Commenting on how tho kindergarten children had adapted to the school, Harris Goldstein, director, informed the curriculum committee at its May 4 meeting that the kindergarten children "had acquired e i cellent work habits and remained excited about learning." The overall scores for all of the kindergarten children on the first grade level California Achievement Test are as follows: 1) Reading: 80.80; 2) Language: 81.90; 3) Math: 83.30; 4) Total Battery: 83.20. These children attend kindergarten on an all-day basis and are allowed to proceed at their own intellectual pace through the different 'areas of the academic curriculum. The scores of the nine primary children in grades 1-6 were all far above the national norm — the 50th percentile. The primary children scored as follows on their respective grade level California Achievement Testa: 1) Reading: 78.89; 2) Language: 71.11; 3) Math 69.11; 4) Total Battery: 75.22. "What makes these test scores impressive," said Mr. Goldstein, "in that the curriculum of the school has not been geared to the content of these tests. Many of the truly outstanding features of our curriculum — .creative writing, computer work, art, rnusic, Jewish culture, Hebrew, science, and social studies — are not measured by tho
WASHINGTON (JTA) - The Jewish Advocacy Center, an organization founded last year to take legal action in support of victims of anti-Semitism, filed a $6 million suit in o federal court in Brooklyn against three Kings Point, N.Y., men who have "terrorized" a Jewish family in that Long Island community for the last three years. Irvin Shapell, president of the Washington-based Jewish Advocacy Center, said he filed the suit for compensation and punitive damages for Ynncov and Honnn Rlkon and their two children, aged nix and 11. The suit chargeA that Brad Barry, Robert Lesser and Brian Kolen. went on a three year "rampage of asimU, terror and vandalism" against tho Elkons "for the simplo reason that the Elkonn are Jewish." Shapell noted that although similar nuit& have been filed in the past for Black families, it linn never been done before for Jewish victims of racism. "This law suit marks the beginning of a new and aggressive program to initiate civil Inw suits for monetary damages in addition to relying on criminal prosecution to deter the current high' number oi nnti-Semitic incidents in' the U.S.," Shapell said. He said this prpgram by th(TCenter will ."send a clear and emphatic mesnage that the ''Jewish community will not tolerate anti-
test scores. The best way for people to appreciate the quality of out Bchool in for them to visit the school and experience the creative work of the students and teachers." Qualified educators agree that it is inappropriate to compare schools and school districts with each other on the basis of the results of standardized test scores. Dr. Paul Malcolm, research assistant in charge of testing in the Omaha Public Schools, indicated that achievement test scores are af- * fected' by out-of-school factors such OB parental background, home environment, etc. and that in schools with small numbers of students, a few very high or very low scores can have a dramatic effect on the mean score for that group. Asked if the high scores on the test might simply indicate that Jewish children are bright and would score well in any schooling environment, Mr. Goldstein rejected that argument. "These are normal kids with the opportunity to excel." Mr. Goldstein said there were four factors contributing to the achievement of the students in the first year of the Jewish Day School of Omaha: excellent teachers; the opportunity given to children to learn and grow at their own rote; an enriched, stimulating environment; and very supportive "non-pushy" parents'. Asked to comment on her recent visit to the Jewish Day School, JCC Preschool Director Marlen Frost said, "It was a very exciting environment. It seemed the children were all busy, and all happy, and all doing what they were supposed to be doing. I was really very impressed." The staff of the Jewish Day School of Omaha includes two full-time secular teachers, two part-time Jewish educators, and a full-time director. Presently there arc 24 students enrolled for the coming year. Mrs. Palcy said additional students will be enrolled before tho Fall term. "We are much further along in our goals for the school than wo had anticipated being a year ago at this time. We have an exciting curriculum, a creative teaching staff, and a fine professional board. I believe we are building a truly outstanding school — one that the Jewish community of Omaha takes pride in."
ims
Jewish violence, but will respond — forcefully and responsibly — with the full weight of the law." He said it is hoped that "this Inw suit will help reduce the number of antiJewish acts by making them too costly and risky to consider." The complaint filed in federal court charges that the Elkons' homo was defaced with swastikas and anti-Jewish slogans;' fires were set on their property; windows were shot out and broken; fireworks were thrown into the house; and anti-Semitic statements against Mrs. Elkon were Bproypainted along a public street. Tho suit alleges that the defendants also placed n voodoo doll in the front yard of the Elkons' home with a Stt: of David on the doll's chent and a hypodermic syringe piercing the doll's eye. "As a result of these nctn, the Elkona were compelled to live in fear for their safety for three years," Shapell said. He said the children particularly were affected by the incidents, Barry, 20, who lives across the street from the Elkoim has been convicted in local courts of tho voodoo doll incident and other acts of vandalism against Jews in the area, according to Shapell, He said the two younger men also live near tho Elkons.