Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 30 January 1981 — Page 8

muary 30, 1981 The J«wtah Port and OpWon

By Dr. Jerome H. Blass

The Social Calendar By JEAN HERSCHAFT

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Harry Zvi Hurwitz, Israel Minister of Information, Washington Embassy, delivered a winning talk as the key. not speaker of the BNAI ZION Mid-Winter Conference, held at its magnificent America Israel Friendship House, its main headquarters. Frieda Hurwitz, his wife was among the guests. He reported Israel’s delight with New York Mayor Ed Koch’s visit and the Mayor’s supportive pronouncements of Israel’s West Bank settlements, after having toured the territory. Hurwitz recalled that “prior to Koch’s visit, he had viewed it as a negative to Peace.” He had fond wishes for departing President Jimmy Carter whom Israel will fondly recall “as the driving force behind the Camp David Accords," he said, and warm wishes for the incoming President Ronald Reagan whom he quoted as declaring after his election, as before: “I see no violation of international law in the West Bank settlements of Israel.” Hurwitz, addressing the conference which was dedicated to the theme: “If I Forget Thee O’ Jerusalem,” pledged that Israel was “unified” on the point of always retaining Jerusalem as its capital. He revealed that some of the nations that pulled out from their embassies from Jerusalem had privately shown letters of intimidation sent to them by their Arab oil suppliers to “Move Out or Else. ” Within the theme, conference chairman Rabbi l. Usher Kirahblum, led the assemblage in recitation of the ancient oath of allegiance to Jerusalem. As they all stood in reverent attention at its conclusion Rabbi Kirshblum, who heads the Jewish Center of Kew Gardens Hills, Flushing, N.Y. (Conservative) blew an ancient Shofar borrowed lovingly from his synagogue treasures. Mrs. Helen Kirshblum, his wife, a professor at Kings borough Community College, Brooklyn, and a former national president of Women’s League of Conservative Judaism was seated with Frieda Hurwitz wife of the keynote speaker. Former Congressman Abraham J. Multer of Brooklyn, also a past president of BNAI ZION arrived at noon time. He had attended that morning the funeral services for Congressman Emanuel Celler of Brooklyn who died at age 92, and was a member of BZ. Judge Multer told me that “ex Mayors Abe Beame and John Lindsay were at the services.” Multer was pinchhitting for former Congressman Herbert Tenzer, president of The American Friendship League, who was to introduce the other main speaker, former Congressman Robert Drinan, of Massachusetts, Jesuit Catholic Priest who teaches Law at Georgetown U., and is an active of Tenzer’s nonsectarian League, which is an arm of BZ. Drinan stated that “Christians must always remember the Holocaust.” He defended the new trend of “religion in politics” declaring that it has “an enormous mission” and closing with the fact that Moses in asking G-d to “Let My People Go...” was in his view, making a political statement. Privately, later, Drinan told me in answer to my query about Rev. Jerry Falwell “that he is misguided” on the Moral Majority issue. Drinan was busy autographing copies of his new book, that has a preface written by Eli Wiesel. It’s called: “Out of the Promise, ” with subtitles suggesting American commitments to Israel must be kept. At the luncheon session, pretty Debra Hart, a staff member of The Jewish Week (which her dad, Philip Hochstein is publisher and editor) along with Murray Zuckoff received plaques for excellence in Journalism. Zuckoff noted that he came to the position of editor of The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, in 1969 after being with the Bergen Record of New Jersey. (In the audience was Ernest E. Barbarash who started with the JTA in London in 1921, as a young teen). Zuckoff, a big, burly good hearted and sensitive editor, minced no words in denouncing Public Relations people who manufacture press releases as if on an assembly line which are “not news” or “newsmakers,” declaring that they find their way to the “waste paper basket.” At the same time, he praised those few PR people who will only send a release when “it is a news story.” Murray is the husband of Aviva Cantor the writer, lecturer and feminist. Debra Hart accepted the award for her newspaper with just one sentence. “Thank You.” It should be noted that the “45 plus” members of BZ turned out 15 degree Farenheit weather to make the event so successful it will now become an annual event” Paul Safro, of Lawrence, N.Y. National president said, as he bid “goodbye” on his way to Israel and the World Jewish Congress confab.

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The Innate Urge To Destroy

Wishing to check the latest statistics on vandalism in preparation for the writing of this article, I dropped into our local public library and requested a recent issue of the U.S. News and World ReBlass port which, my research indicated, had the figures I sought. To my dismay, the article was not there. All that remained were the torn edges of what had been an article on vandalism. Ironically, thn article on vandalism had itself been vandalized by a vandal, thereby driving home with even greater impact the extent of the problem I was about to deal with in this column. Fortunately, another periodical was available which had not yet fallen into the hands of the vandals and I was able to locate the figures I sought. The figures paint a horrendous picture of the destructiveness that has become a familiar scene in our society today. According to the latest figures vandalism of school buildings alone cost the American taxpayer $600,000,000 last year. For the money spent repairing the damage left behind by the vandals in the school system, we could pay the salaries of 50,000 extra teachers at no charge to the taxpayer. New York City alone could erect a brand new completely furnished school building every year for what it spends in just repairing the broken windows. WINDOW BREAKING is mild compared to the more vicious forms of vandalism which have reduced classrooms and equipment to rubble or in extreme cases have even burned new multimillion dollar schools (p the ground. Keep in mind that this is the only vandalism against schools. When we turn our attention to vandalism against buildings, public property, subways, telephone booths, machinery, and personal property the cost in dollars is astronomical and the cost in aggravation incalculable. What kind of sickness is this that causes people to derive pleasure and satisfaction from destructiveness? Vandalism in the schools can undoubtedly be traced to a number of factors operating in our society. Destructiveness is an expression of anger and there are without doubt a good number of young people who are in school not because they want to be there but because the law forces them to. The school buildings as representative of the hated system becomes a very inviting target for the resentment they feel. Drugs and the increasing use of alcohol,

both of which are noted for their ability to dissolve any inhibitions must also be involved in the breakdown of whatever little moral restraint some of these youngsters may still possess. Television, with its glorification of violence, is also doing its part in saturating young people with the kind of examples that are sure to turn them on the pleasures of vandalism and destructiveness. PSYCHOLOGICALLY, However, the roots of vandalism may lie much deeper than these commonly accepted factors. We may find it hard to accept, but Freud, the father of psychonanalysis, maintained that we are actually all vandals at heart. Deep within each of us, he said, is an urge to destroy. Thanks to education, the influence of the home, the fear of punishment by society, we learn to hold these impulses in check or to express them in a form that is acceptable to society. Where these restraints have not been taught or the individual loses his fear of society’s strictures, this destructive urge comes to the fore. Freud may not be wrong after all. Somewhere I read that an enterprising businessman has developed a business that capitalizes on this human

Just Between Us

urge toward destructiveness. He buys up junked cars and for an admission fee offers the customer a hammer and an oppurtunity to smash a car to pieces. Headlights and windshields go flying as customers give vent to their destructive urges and abandon themselves to a gleeful orgy of permissible vandalism and the pleasure of reducing a car to rubble. I have read that people actually queue up for this enjoyable treat. AS USUAL, however, Freud is not the first to make this observation. In the early pages of the Bible following the flood the Bible observes, “The inclination of a man’s heart is to do evil from his youth." Vandalism is a source of irritation, annoyance, danger, and very often even tragedy. What is frightening, however, if psychologists are right, is that vandalism may even be an integral component of the human personality. Dr. Jerome H. Blass, the spiritual leader of the Bergenfield Dumont Jewish Center, is also a licensed practicing psychologist and psychotherapist. Readers are invited to submit topics which they would like him to deal with in future columns. Readers may address their letters to: Dr Jerome H. Blass. S7 Blauvelt Avenue, Bergenfield, N.J. 07621.

Happy Big Birthday

By HELEN MINTZ There’s one thing I’ve learned to realize about the constancy of a weekly column. It makes no allowances for vacations, literary droughts or kid^ ney infections. The weeks flow | into months and lonce again anMintz other year has gone by. Another year, another birthday. And this one is a really big one! Forget tender, loving care. I’ll need more than that to get me through. More like, diamonds and pearls! I and the ground hog share the same day. This dubious honor has been the source of constant bad jokes from friends and family. If anyone tells me to go cast my shadow one more time, it’ll be over their body. A woman my age demands respect. Now that I’m in this very special club, that no one will admit to, it’s time to make a few changes. For openers, the wattage on my light bulbs. Do I really need glaring lights to show up the lines that only my dentist knew for sure were there? I may stop going to him also. I know it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature but she

doesn't have to face the day grouchy like ordinary mortals. All she has to worry about is her “butter” while she romps around the forest in that ridiculous get up. Doesn’t she know that look went out with Hansel and Gretel? But then again she doesn’t look in a mirror, and those chipmunks will never tell her the truth. Maybe 1 should replace my children for chipmunks. Taking stock of all my assets I finally realized why the stock market fluctuates. This definitely will have to be the year for seh-improvemenl If I’m ever to believe the commercial that says you’re not getting older, you’re getting oetter, I will have to do more with my life than bury my talents under a mountain of dishes. Forget about the commercials that had me believeing I had bad breath, underarm perspiration, irregularity problems and made rotten coffee. I'm convinced worrying about those things gave me uncalled for wrinkles and stifled my productivity. I’m getting out of the proverbial rut. I will be so “with it” at the next dinner party people will all want to be my age if that's how you get so smart. Don't they (Continued On Next Page)