Vol. LXVII No. It OiiMlM, Nobr.
a SIMVM, 5761 Friday. Jan. IB, 1901
War erupts in Gulf Israel confident of ability to prevail By Hugh Orgd •ad David Ludaa TEL AVIV (JTA)-The Israel Defense Force, reported^ acting on Intellicence estimatee that war in the Persian Gulf is now inevitabfe, is on the hii^iest level of preparednese short of combat. Civfl defense i»eparations and the general atmoqphace in the major populatioo ceoters could be likened to Britain in 1989-40, in ezpecUtion of theUitz. Israel's possible partidpatioB or invdvement in a war with Iraq remains uncertain. Israel is not part of the U.S.-led coalition committed to force Iraq from Kuwait. But the Jewish state has come under repeated threat from Saddam Hussein, achaed.oiJIylaist mmkby-Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, that it will be the first target of Iraqi missiles if Baghdad is attacked by American forces and their allies. The IDF sajrs it is ready for any eventuality. The air force and air defense systems were put on maximum alert in preparation for H-hour. Wadneaday, 7 a.m., Israel time. New, sophisticated weapona that arrived in Israel recently have been integrated into the armed forces. Tltere seems little likeli-
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hood at the present juncture that Israel will be involved in a land war employing infantry, artillery and armor, unless Iraqi ground forcee decide to plunge across Jordan, whkh separates the Israeli and Iraqi borders by 300 miles. Military sources reported the Jordanian army is making no attempt to cooceal what seems to be defensive measures near the Jordan River border with Israel. The Allenby Bridge, the main crossing between Jordan and Israel, was reported jammed with Palestinians returning to the West Bank and Gaza Strip after being evacuated from Iraq and Kuwait. Many were quoted as Baying IstStl^a^ .tluuad.-.. ministered territories seemed safer tlian Jordan under the present circumstances. While Israel has agreed not to launch a preemptive attack on Lraq, there is no certainty the Iraqis will not strike preemptively at Israel Hospitals and clinics have completed preparations to handle civilian casualtiee and other emei^ gendee. A full-dress drill was conducted Monday at Ichilov Hospital, one of Tel Aviv's largeat medical
facilities. It involved the reception and treatment <A poison gas victims, Including decontamination and Polaroid photography of the victims to facilitate identification by relativee. The Health Ministry assured the public that enia> gency stocks of medicine are on hand. People were urged not to overstock on pharmaceuticals. Schoob have prepared their ah- raid shelters and sealed off about a third of their classrooms to be pnoM against gas attacks. The schoola will remain open until a general emergency is declued. at n^ich time people will be required to carry their gas masks at all times. Public air raid shdters which remain locked to pi'H»ifm tfiajf miauaa- in normal timsa have been opened. Israeli radio and television have iffepared to preempt regular broadcasts to relay a constant flow of instructions and information to the public in case of emergoicy. In Jerusalem, an eetimated 20,000 Orthodox Jews, conviocfld that prayer can avert evil, massed at the Western Wall on Monday redting psalms and alichot prayers of repentance to prevent war. The special prayer aes-
sion was organized by the Chief Rabbinate and the Agudat Yisrael party's Council of Sages. The Ashkraazic chief rabbi of Israel, Avraham Shapira, was present with Yitzhak KoUte and Yisrad Lau, the chief rabbis of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, respective. "Hiqr ware joined by the Hasidk: rebbe of Bak, Yieaachar Dov Rokaach. and Moshe Yehoahua Hager, the Haskik r^be of Viahnitz, who is chairman of the Chief Rabbinate Coundl. Many of the worshippers were fasting. Tears flowed copiously aa the cantor recited psalms traditionally said during timea of tribulation. They ended with the Avinu Malkejmi t^er •aQdl^lastaitandozeniutf ahd^ The only strictly Orthodox, faction to remain aloof was Degel HaTorah. Its newspaper, Yated Ne'eman, urged tighter ritual obaervance. It daimed that only if Jews stopped Watching televiaicn. listening to radio and reading secular newspapers could they invoke divine mercy on Israel. Meanwhile, Lubavitcher Hasidim handed out leaflets proclaiming Israel to be the aafest place in the worid, paitacularty for Jews. The Lubavitcher rebbe,
head of the worldwide Chabad movement, told a group of prominent American Jews who had been considering canceling a scheduled visit to Israel, that "the H(dy Land is the safest place on Earth." The rebbe, Menachem Schnewson, who lives in Brooklyn, urged than not only to continue with their plane but to pubhdze t^ trq>. Also present at the Western Wall were activists of the late Rabbi Mdr Kahaaa'a anti-Anb Kach movement, who handed out flyers denumding that Israel immediately attack Iraq. Israeli Arab leaders petitioned the leaders of Israel, the United States and Iraq on Monday to make eyo^ eff<jrt to avojd yar, fhe petition waa aigniid by moat of the laraeh Arab political organizations. They also demanded an international conference to discuss the Palestinian issue but did not link it to Iraq'a withdrawal from Kuwait. In the administered territoriee Monday, leaflets were circulated urging Palestinians to attack laraeli targeta in the evnt a war breaks out m the Gulf. Security sources were espedally concerned that the Palestine Liberation Organization and the fun-
dainentalist laiamk Jihad would launch terrorist attacks ia Israel proper. Israeli soldiers fatally shot a 12-yearH>ld resident of Ramallah in the West Bank on Monday, when their patrol ran into a bat^ rage of rocks and bottles in the center of town. The soldiers dafaned their livea were endangered. A curfew was impn—«i on the downtown area. Thousands of departing passengara—tourists, foreign reiddents and laraelia —continued to jam BcnGurion Airport, hoping to get on a flight oat. Of the 16 focajgn airlines that aerved Iara«. 13 have suspended service owing to th|,Gulf criqia. El Al, Israd'a aatienal carrier, added 11 «»ra O^tts to cope with the demand. Ilian waa panic in Acre, a mixed Jewish-Arab dty on Haifa Bay, when a faulty air raid siren began to waiL Many residents donned gas masks and were rushing to shelters before police convinced them it was a false slsrm. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir briefed leaders of the opposition Labor Party on the aituation Monday evening. There was no talk of creating a war cabinet or another unity government to ride out the crisis.
Musical salutes American-Jewish patriot Haym Salomon
By MoRia Maline A local effort is under way to bring the patriotism of a Jewish Revolutionary War figure to the attention of America. The life of Haym Salomon—the Jewish businessman who hdped Robert Morris finance the Warhas been given words and muaic by Cantor Harold Firestone and Doudd RaySchwartz. They have written and compoaed a one-act muaical play entitled, Haym "SalomoK Patriot... "The Story of a Jewiah-Americaa Hero. I Now, they hope to hold • the world premiisre of the production on the atage of the Omaha Jewish Community Center and they b are sisktng a producer. I "WebaUmratbeJCCto I bo the perftKt sotting for
thia play, and once per formed in Omaha it will be ready for showings in community centers and synagogues all across the country," Cantor Firestone said. In addition to the part of Haym Salomon, other characters in the production are Rechael Frank Salomon, his wife; finander Robert Morria; taerchant Bernard Gratz and a chorus of four men and four women. Cantor Fireatone traces the origin of the play back to June 1976, when he at- Don Schwarta, left, aad Caator Harold Fireatone bold tended the 23rd annual the Ubretto for their Joint venture, a oa»«ct maaioal play convention of the Ameri- baaed on the life of Haym Salomon. can Conference of Cantors was a reference to Mikveh Fh«stone said, explainhig in PhiladelpUa. Israel Gemotary. thit this inddent aroused "The MaJn Line Reform "I proceeded to viait the his curiosity about the Temple gave each of us a camaieiy and while there I Jewish patriot. copy of Pathways to Inde- saw a plaoue dedicated to Upon his return to his , and in the book Haym SaumaB.". Caator Ttenple work in Long Is-
land, New York, Cantor Firestone wrote a play with the children of his congregation about Salomon and also dedicated a synagogue service to him. The Shabbat service induded a choir narrative and mudc. He pointed out that the concept of a musicd play about Salomon stuck with him over the yearft and from time to tinw he would compoae melodies with the idea of one day faicorporating thoae malodiae into an integrated production.
Now, the muaical is rsaity for the stafs and the final hurdle to ovoroome is getting someone to come up with a few thouaand dollars to actually atage the production, Cantor Firestone said. He auggeetad that the role of Haym Salomon in America's War of Independence has been underplayed hi history and that the production of the nasical play ia an oppertonity to apark interest "in thie great AmericanJewiah hero."
"For me, this play is a Before his recent retirement from Temple Israel, labor of love, and I hope Cantor Fireatone dis- we can have the pramiare cusaed.the concept with here in Omaha ao that the Mr. Schwartz, who has a entire conuowaity can faal background in writing for good about Haym Sak>the uaater, and the two mon—a Jaw who waa ana dadded to eoOaborate and of the otigfaud Amarlean .patriota.'.'. complete the work,
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