Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 30 December 1987 — Page 20

CPORTS SCENE

RABBI’S VIEW

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Neal Walk’s fight to regain health

By SHEL WALLMAN Neal Walk, 39, who chosen second in the 1969 NBA draft after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, is in a wheelchair, an incomplete para-

plegic, after two operations to remove a large tumor from his spine. The tumor was not malignant. Neal still has some feeling in his legs, but mostly in the context of uncontrolled muscle spasms. Since the second operation which took place in August, Neal has been undergoing therapy daily in Phoenix, where he makes his home. Neal can walk short distance now with the aid of braces that stabilize his ankles, but doctors aren't sure if he will ever regain the use of his legs. "He's in the borderline stage where you can't tell what's going to happen,” said Deborah Wagnon-Tay-

lor. Walk's therapist. While at the University

of Florida, Neal captured 19.8 rebounds per game during his senior year, an NCAA record that still stands, tossed in 20.7 ppg and had his jersey, #31, retired by the Gators, a tribute accorded to no other Florida eager. Walk's best year with the Phoenix Suns was in 1972-73, when he averaged 20.2 ppg with 12.4 caroms. "He was an intelligent player, a good shooter and passer who knew his limitations," said Dick Van Ardsdale, Walk's roommate on the Suns. "He was good at positioning himself at the right spots for the

sionally in Israel and Italy. Now Neal’s primary concern is to regain his ability to walk. "Usually, they say after surgery that what you’ve got is what you're going to keep," said Walk. "Well, I don't have to listen to any of that stuff. At some point you have to be realistic. But it can come back any time. Optimism is free, so why not be optimistic?" In football Sean Leibowitz, a safety, and Yaron Gohar, a place kicker, both seniors at Brooklyn's Midwood High School, have been named allCity, Ist-team, by New York Newsday. Sean had 79 tackles and is leaning towards Cornell University. He maintains a 90+ average in Midwood's Medical Science program. Yaron was raised in Israel and this was his first year in football. He booted 26 PATs and 7 FGs, the longest traveling 45 yards. Mark Goldstein, a senior tailback for Toll Gate High School in Warwick, R.I., has been named allstate, Ist-team, for the second year. Mark scrambled for 1,053 yards while notching 9 TDs and expects to attend either Harvard or Pennsylvania next fall. Harry Feinberg, a senior at Lower Merion High school in Ardmore, Pa., was named all-Central League as a punter. Harry averaged 35.0 yards per boot and hopes to attend Tulane, Lehigh or Maryland in the autumn. Mark Senall, playing for his father, Marty Senall, at South Shore High School in Brooklyn, was named all-city by New York Newsday as a wide receiver. Mark grabbed 22 passes, good for 424 yards and 4 TDs. He will play his college ball at

SUNY-Cortland. QB Perry Klein led Palisades High School to a 34-27 play-off victory over Woodland Hills Taft High School. Perry completed 25/39 passes (an off-day for him) for 305 yards and 3 TDs. In 11 games. Perry has passed for a new state (California) record 3,702 yards and is closing in on the national mark. Palisades has one more play-off game to go. Football News reports that Harris Barton has surpassed even the loftiest of expectations. Harris is grading out as high as any 49'er lineman. Andy Yaffa, a 6:1, 205 senior from Miami, Fla., joined his brother, FB Sam Yaffa, on the University of Richmond football team at mid-season. The Spiders were having punts blocked because of poor snaps. Andy, who had snapped for punts back in high school, volunteered to do the snapping and the rest is history. Andy and Sam are the sons of Dr. Jack Yaffa, captain of the 1962 Richmond football team. *** Shorts Corey Pavin took home $498,406, placing him #15 in this year's final PGA earnings. Andy Gabel of Northbrook, 111., finished a disappointing 10th in the 500 M. race at the U.S. Olympic speed-skating team trials. In late arriving news, Stacy Engel, a junior catcher for the 5th ranked University of Arizona Wildcats from Tucson, Az., was named all-PAC 10, Ist-team. Help write the Sports Scene. Contact Shel Wallman at 70 W. 95th St., Apt. 27G, New York, NY 10025,or call (212) 666-0352.

ball."

Prior to the start of the 1974 season, Neal was traded to New Orleans where he spent one-and-a-half years before moving on to the New York Knicks. Those were down years for Neal, who had begun a vegetarian regimen that caused him to lose 25 pounds and seemed to sap him of his strength. After the Knicks released him in 1976, Neal played profes-

Case of spitting on Nazi flag

Continued from prev. page trained or lay person, who

this flag on our streets. A lit-

tle grain of sand in your eye can be as irritating as a stab wound and I intend to be this little grain of sand! Sadly, there are always lawyers, all too often Jews, who come forward to defend the Nazis and the likes of them. If there be anybody in our Jewish community, legally

wants to come to my side, let him or her be heard. According to the Tribune, a decision of the Supreme Court is not likely to be heard until spring or summer of this coming year. I am anxious to hear

it.

Hans N. Spear Chicago, 1L 60613

December 30,1987 Page National 16

The riots in Israel

By RABBI MAURICE DAVIS

Who can read, or hear, or in order to prove how needed

watch the news from Israel without feeling the very real pain that almost seems to belong to that tortured land?

The riots in Gaza and the West Bank, the spill-over into East Jerusalem, and the pictures, the pictures, the pictures! The Sunday New York Times, with its photo of an Israeli soldier kicking an Arab youth. The Jerusalem Post with its picture of Arabs attacking by hurling rocks. And everywhere you turn, someone waiting to explain it all. The Arabs are defenseless victims of Israeli aggression. The Arabs are the murderers of innocent women and children. And the comparisons! Israel is another South Africa, insisting on apartheid. Israel is early America, struggling with the Indians. Israel is Civil War America enslaving its blacks. Comparisons are worse than odious. They are almost always false. What is not false is that there are three major players in a very painful game. First there is the PLO struggling with its rapidly diminishing role. It still insists that it is the one and only leader of the Palestinians, but for the PLO to celebrate its 20 years of existence is to bring up some painful facts and factors. Consider for a moment. In Amman, Arafat and his PLO were virtually ignored. The Egypt that was expelled for making peace with Israel is once again an honored member of the Arab Brotherhood. When Reagan and Gorbachev met there was no discussion of the Middle East. The annual Arab attempt to have the UN expel Israel has fizzled. The "Zionism is Racism" exercise is rapidly disappearing. The PLO simply has to stir things up, or be forgotten in the international scheme of things. It foments trouble

it is, how necessary. Why? Because it is in danger of fading away like some enormous, ungainly anachronism. And that is what scares, and motivates, the PLO. Next, the Arabs. They recognize that time is no longer on their side, and they are on their way to defeat. They may be able to outbirth Israel, but Israel is not going to disappear. And an Israel that does not disappear can seal their fate. An Israel that does not disappear may do to the Arabs, what the Arabs have done to Jews through so much of their joint history. And they see what they think is the handwriting on the wall. Within Israel proper they are treated as second class citizens, and in the occupied territories they are treated as suspect terrorists. Perhaps their days are really numbered. Therefore, they cling

to the PLO.

And finally, there is Israel itself. A Government faced with an intolerable situation is trying to contain that situation. Hoping that it will go away? But it can never go away. Not by itself. It must be confronted. It must be solved. But first it must be recognized for what it is. The Arabs of Israel. What ■can they look forward to? Where can they find within Israel their own raison d’etre? They have to be weaned away from the PLO by having a life of their own. I don't know how that is to be accomplished, but I know how it is not to be accomplished. It is not to be accomplished by having Ariel Sharon move into the Moslem Quarter of the Old City, and signal the Arabs that their continued existence there is now threatened. Which exacerbates their fears, and makes them call upon the PLO, which finds in this a proof they are still important. And the whole thing goes back to square one. What Israel needs vis a vis the Arabs is neither conquest nor capitulation. What Israel needs is to separate the Arabs of Israel who fear for their future, from the PLO that feeds on those fears. And after that? Who knows? But, at least w e would be moving in the right

direction.