Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 January 1981 — Page 14

inuory 2, 1961 Th*J«wMi Port and Opinion!

The Jewish Community Coming To Its Senses No one will seriously contest the views expressed by the three rabbis (P-O, Dec. 26) that preoccupation with anti-Semitism and with fundraising will spell the doom of the American Jewish Community, although such harsh terms were not employed. It is good that this view is being expressed. But the full picture reveals that the average Jewish leader in whatever community he lives has long ago already acted on what Rabbis Eichhom, Hertzberg and Kreitnian describe as deplorable from the standpoint of the future of the Jewish community. The increases, not substantial though, in allocations to Jewish educational aspects of local Jewish life attest to this, as well as the large number of young people, some by subventions, who have been “sent” to Israel for the sum-

mer, etc.

But even a better indication of the awareness of the paucity in the areas the three rabbis allude to is the fact that our national Jewish organizations also now have full-blown programs that fall so far from their announced goals that it is almost as if the United Jewish Appeal, to use one instance, has overnight become transformed into the American Association for Jewish Education or the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. What we are saying is that all our national Jewish organizations front the Council of Jewish Federations on down are now engaged, not peripherally but directly in Jewish education. These programs involve sessions at their meetings that could fall into no other category than Jewish education. We are not here referring to the fact that when one gives a contribution to the UJA he is practicing the Jewish precept of tzedakah, or that when one joins a Jewish Community Center or the B’nai B’rith he is evidencing his vote for a Jewish community. No. What we mean is when the national organizations take their leadership off for retreats while the business of the organization is not ignored, the principal speakers are not fundraisers and executive directors but top names in religious and educational circles, and the retreats are designated as learning experiences. That the three rabbis though are not wrong in their appraisals also is true. We are very late in coming to the realization that we are killing the goose that laid the golden egg. And not only that, the instances of the change in direction of the Jewish community agencies to emphasize Jewish education are too few and the attention to the needs hardly adequate. So we are on our way to adjust our priorities. Now we need to accelerate the process, and the views expressed by the three rabbis will play a role in recognition of the overriding values of Jewish life. What we are viewing is a sociological phenomenon. While the problem is apparent and seems overwhelming the refuah has already slowly begun to operate. We need to recognize and encourage the process and stimulate the awareness of it.

Israel Perfects Solar Greenhouse

TEL AVIV — A pale grey dye developed by university scientists here and in Jerusalem is the basis of a new approach to solar energy and has proven successful in experimental greenhouses. The dye absorbs the heat of the sun as it filters into greenhouses without affecting the light energy necessary for photosynthesis, and then is

channeled to a storage tank from which it returns to the greenhouse to keep it warm throughout die night. Another approach being investigated would apply the heat in the greenhouse to the roots of the plants instead of the entire greenhouse on the assumption that to root-zone warming will provide greater harvests.

Jewish Post Opinion

101 Hfth Avenue, New Voifc, N.Y. 10003 tM tutorial cornwponirlence ifiould bo wMr—ed to tfw Indiana offiea, 611 North Path Avanua, 46204 Subscriptions 424 par yaar Singla copy S04 Back iaauas 664 GabrM Cohan, Editor & PuMte/iar Charta* Roth, Exacutivm Editor

the EDITOR'S CHAIR

WE DOUBT THAT MANY of our readers are familiar with gematria, and we do not intend to explain it here. But this piece might stir up enough of your interest to want you to repair to your Jewish Encyclopedia or any of a number of other compendiums of the Jewish religion in your library and acquaint yourself with this considerable history of the use of figures, not too much unlike astrology, that pervaded Jewish life among the scholarly echelon who dabbled in mysticism. We’re a little late with this, but it will still titillate baseball fans. It's from our friend, Rabbi Sidney Greenberg, and as you can gather it’s from the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent and we discovered it in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle: Astonishing it is that the normally perceptive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, in his recent article, should have missed the real reason for the Phillies’ magnificent postseason triumphs in the World Series. He attributes their spectacular successes to a prayer offered on their behalf by a respected Philadelphia colleague. I happen to know, however, that an equally respected colleague in Kansas City offered a prayer on behalf of his home team, and I am not prepared to say that God doesn’t listen to the prayers of Jews who live in Kansas City. So the reason for the Phillies’ victories must be sought not in prayers but in the numbers — the residing place of the key to many a secret. As we all know, the 1980 World Series was

40, Zayin 7 and Lamed 30). Mazal means luck. So the 77th World Series was to prove at last the lucky one for the home team. But, you may ask, why should it have been lucky for the Phillies and not for Kansas City? Once again, you have to search for the numbers. When we Jews celebrate a time of joy, we add Hallel to our prayers. Hallel has a numerical value of 65. (Hay 5, Lamed 30, the second Lamed 30). The Phillies were entitled tc say Hallel twice — once for winning the playoffs and the second time for capturing the World Series. Now, wonder of wonders, the numerical value of the name Philly in Hebrew is exactly 130 — twice Hallel, twice 65. (Pay 80, Yud 10, Lamed 30 and Yud 10). I hope we now r.nderstand why the Phillies won. Thanks to the numbers, the Phillies are now number one.

The point made here some months back criticizing the locale for the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Israel gains support we believe from the newest selections, this time

without naming any Americans but limiting die choices to great Jewish athletes of other nations.

Daniel Mendoza, Great Britain, boxing, 1764-1836; considered the father of scientific boxing. Acclaimed throughout the British Isles as the world’s greatest fighter. Irina Kirszenstein-Szewinska, Poland, track and field; 1964,1968 Olympics gold medal win-

ner.

Agnes Keleti, Hungary, gymnastics, 19S2, 1956 Olympics gold medal winner. Angelica Rozenau, Rumania, and Viktor Bama, Hungary, table tennis. Fanny Rosenfeld, Canada, track and field, 1928 Olympics gold medal winner. Elias Katz, Finland, track and field, 1924 Olympics gold medal. He was killed in the 1948-49 conflict against the Arabs. Alfred Fla tow, Germany, gymnastics, 1896 Olympics gold medal. Eva Szekely, Hungary, swimming, 1952 Olympics gold medal. Sir Ludwig Gutmann, Great Britain, handicapped; for work in promoting handicapped sports competition. Zvi Nishri, Israel, Life-Time Achievements; father of physical education movement in Palestine. Harold Abrahams, Great Britain, track and field, 1924 Olympics gold medal. Leon Rotman, Rumania, canoe, 1956 Olympics gold medal. Hugo Meisl, Austria, soccer, one of the foremost European soccer coaches. Alexander Gomelski, USSR, basketball, several times basketball coach of Russian Olympic Team, acknowledged to be the developer of Russian basketball as an entity in international competition. Angela Buxton, Great Britain, tennis, Wimbledon doubles champion with Althea Gibson, USA, ranked 6th internationally during her heyday. Louis Rubenstein, Canada, ice skating, introduced ice skating competition in Canada 100 years ago. Bela Gutmann, Hungary-Austria, soccer, member of famous Vienna Hakoah eleven and for many years top soccer coach in Europe and South America. Viktor Barma, Hungary, table tennis.

Hardly one of the new selectees is known to the American Jew, so the aim of the Hall of Fame is a total loss as far as recognition from the largest Jewish community in the world. Our view is not that the World Jewish Sports Hall of Fame should not be located in Israel. It is that the American Jewish Sports Hall of Fame should be located in North America. Then there could be a British Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and French Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and all coordinated so that national selections would also be included in the World

Jewish Hall of Fame

U.AI. Agenda Overcrowded, Can't Discuss Peace

By RABBI MAURICE DAVIS There was a fascinating article in the New York Times recently rez garding the f United Nations. O^ It dealt with f the U N. decis ‘ on to defer any debate or

discussion

Namibia m ■■ (South-West AfDavis rica.) This “negative achievement” i.e. not holding a discussion, was considered as the U.N.’s greatest contribution to world peace. In this inactivity the U.N. has been eminently successful. It managed never to discuss Poland and the threat of Soviet intervention. IT MANAGED to avoid the Jordanian-Syrian build-up. The Iraqi invasion of Iran

never reached the Assembly Chamber. In the matter of Afghanistan the General Assembly had something to say, namely what it said last year with no likelihood at all that anything will be done. The general impression of the General Assembly has been that the less it says the better for world peace. It has become so biased an organization that meaningful discussion simply cannot happen. In such a setting silence is a definite plus. While seasoned observers of the U.N. praise it for its silence, perhaps they miss the

point.

PERHAPS it was not wisdom that kept the U.N. silent on the issues of world peace. Perhaps it was simply a lack of time and space on the agenda. ’

The U.N. has been so busy condemning Israel; on the Jerusalem Bill, the expelling of two mayors, Israeli policy toward Arabs, demand for a Palestinian State, treatment of prisoners, incursion into Lebanon, even one condemning Israel for even thinking about a bill concerning the Golan Heights. When the U.N. is busy examining every move that Israel makes, or refuses to make, or is thinking about making, how can it possibly have the time to consider such trivialities as Poland and the Soviet Union, Syria and Jordan, Iraq and Iran, Afghanistan, Namibia? I wonder how much peace would be enhanced if the U.N. were to treat Israel as it treats the other areas of concern. Withsilence.