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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 11, 1978)
Letters Recently the Rally had it’s Spring term tryouts for next year’s squad. This year’s Rally squad showed a lot of promise and talent during their first performance, but they never improved or even showed signs of being organized. In fact, during the later part of Basketball season they had to bring a five foot giant grinder in to each game to get support from the student body section. Not only did we have a poor Rally squad, but the group that performed during half time at the Basketball games (fondly known as the Kamikaze Klutzes) had only one routine that they could perform with some abil ity. However, they bored us when they tried it a second and third time. After watching these groups perform, I wonder about the two advisers and their ability to handle the job. It’s really unfair to have a Rally squad, and a drill squad, and no qualified people to advise and organize them. Hopefully next year’s Rally squad will be better and with a qualified adviser they probably will be better. I do know that the fans do not need to suffer through another Basketball sea son with an inept drill squad per forming at the games. I think the fans deserve better treatment. After all Drill squads gives this Donald Duck University a Mickey Mouse look. James Aiken Business and History East or west I am writing to you about Peter Gay’s interview with Alexander Yanov which appeared (with photo portrait of Yanov) in the Emerald, 5 May 1978. I felt that the piece was sym pathetic and so did Alex. He was more embarrassed than I thought he ought to be about the headline, “Writer tackles world’s problems.” I explained that it was not the in omnion tention of the Emerald to make him seem a grandiose dreamer, but to snare the reader's attention. I was amused to see “Khrushchev” so badly misspel led in the midst of an article which exaggerated Alex' difficulties with the English language. We both smiled about how the photo and the text went together so well. Both were fair likenesses. I think Alex was really bothered only by the very mistaken asser tion that he “defected’' to the Un ited States. I promised him that I would set that straight with this let ter: After they discovered he had sent a manuscript abroad, the opinion Soviet Committee for State Sec urity (KGB) politely presented Alexander Yanov two choices "Go West or we send you East," they said. Alan Kimball Associate prof., History Two reflections on the 30th anniversary of Israel Submitted by Tom Goldman Junior, Undeclared On this day of Israeli Independence, the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Jewish State, I would like to give my impres sions. These impressions come from an American Jew generally assimilated into his society and culture, but at the same time acutely conscious of his Jewish roots. I am a non-Orthodox Jew, but one who recog nizes with pride the great moral fiber which binds Judaism together. I have never been to Israel, but understand its global impor tance as an example of determination, courage, and survival. In this vein, there fore. should my reflections be taken: I am a From a Jewish student: “Israel represents...a will to attain peace with her Arab neighbors...” Jew who is neither an expert on Jewish faith nor Jewish history. I am however, a person proud of the Jewish faith, and proud of the land whose anniversary we celebrate today: Israel. For a state so short in existence, Israel has weathered times that would age other lands by years. Since its inception of May 16, 1948, Israel has been involved in four “formal” wars: 1) 1948, even before it could begin to function, Israel was attacked by Arab neighbors immediately following its rightful declaration; 2) 1956, In response to continual attacks on its borders, and to gain access to international waters and the Suez Canal (which had been blocked by Arab forces), Israel battled again with the Arabs; 3) 1967, Egypt ordered the UN peace keeping forces (established on Israeli-Arab borders as a result of the 1956 war) out of the Mideast, and at the same time closed the Strait of Tiran, Israel’s only eastern ac cess to the sea. In response to these ac tions plus a general feeling of envelopment by her surrounding neighbors (the Arab countries openly preached for a “war of extermination” against Israel), Israel struck and in six days destroyed the Egyptian air force and the rest of the Arab armies; 4) 1973, On the eve of Vom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement), the Egyptians, in large part due to the humiliation of the 1967 war, attacked Israel. Four wars in 30 years. This is not to men tion smaller, frequent battles, plus the con stant psychological strain of being “under Page 4 Section A the gun," which has existed in Israel since its birth. Yet Israel survives. Israel survives be cause Jews survive. Never has a land been so representative of, or tied up in its people. There is a book by Rabbi Leo Trepp called "A History of the Jewish Experience" — it is subtitled "Eternal Faith, Eternal People". How true this is — the Jews have proven to be the eternal survivors. Late last month, the world on a mass scale was given a lesson on one of the darkest eras of mankind — the Holocaust. Millions of people came away numbed; many confused. How could such animalis tic behavior well up in a man and infect an entire people with such treachery? The answer does not lie in Adolf Hitler’s psyche, but back in the antiquity of the Jewish peo ple; in their very origins. Anti-Semitism was not created by Hitler; it was taken and par layed into a unifying theme as a means to the fanatical dictator’s ends. Hitler seized upon an anti-Semitism that was already present; an anti-Semitism which had grown with the Jews, and manifested itself through barbarousness, purges, and prejudice. Ac curate historical sources relate these age-old injustices towards the Jewish peo ple. Yet, again, they survive, and spitting at this timeless persecution, are guided by the Torah, a remarkable book of religious doc trines and laws dealing with, first and foremost, morality, ethicality, and respect for fellow man. While viewing "Holocaust’’, a friend of mine commented on the “com placency" of the Jews going to slaughter. Listen to the Torah, I told him. Listen to the undaunted faith in man, in good. Optimism prevails — it almost destroyed the Jews, but in the long run, will uplift them. Writes author Trepp, "It (the Jewish faith) is op timism in tears, hope in sorrow, faith in des pair. It has become’ part of the Jewish character and a Jewish message to all who labor for a better world...” So on this day of Israel’s independence, let us be filled with such optimism This anniversary seems particularly momentous — for the first time in 30 yeare, peace seems within reach. Thirty years after its birth, Israel still embodies the Jewish i deals: while the suffering and persecution will never ( and should never) be forgotten, Israel today represents the strength of a people. It is the strength to endure, to over come; similarly, it is a will to ultimately attain a peace with her Arab neighbors as she would only have it — eternal and harmoni ous. Submitted by Monathamat Altalabah Of the Organization fo Arab Students The university administration has de cided to raise the Israeli flag on campus to celebrate Israel’s “independence.” By this action, the administration has taken a politi cal stand in support of Zionism and the state of Israel. Let us briefly examine what Zionism means and what the state of Israel stands for. The Zionist ideology is an outcome of 19th century European anti-semitism. This ideology is based on the premise that anti semitism is inherent in the human nature of non-Jews. Thus, the solution to anti semitism was sought in the creation of an exclusive Jewish state in Palestine which resulted in the expulsion of the Palestinians as witnessed by the massacres of Deir Yassin and Kafr Kassim. Many Jewish voices doubted and con demned Zionism and its concept of an ex clusive Jewish state. For example, Moshe Menuhim, in ‘‘The Decadence of Judaism In Our Time Albert Einstein stated, “I should much rather see reasonable ag reement with the Arabs on the basis of living together in peace than the creation of a Jewish state. Apart from practical consid erations, my awareness of the essential na ture of Judaism resists the idea of a Jewish state, with borders, an army, and a meas ure of temporal power, no matter how mod est. I am afraid of the inner damage Judaism will sustain — especially from the development of a narrow nationalism within our own ranks, against which we have al ready had to fight strongly, even without a Jewish state.” To create the Jewish state, the Zionist Movement followed the European pattern of colonization in Africa. It created a "Colo nial Trust Company ", a “Department of Colonization and called its program the “Colonialization of Palestine.” It depended fundamentally on the ingathering of Jews from all over the world and the expulsion and displacement of as many of the indi genous Palestinians as possible to make room for the Jewish immigrants. Israel’s creation and expansion was and still is a process of terrorism, racial segrega tion, oppression and,, most important, the continued denial of the right of the Palesti nians to self-determination. In addition to the Palestinians living under Israeli occupa tion in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip whose plight and struggle are known to the American people, the 500,000 Palestinians now living in Palestine — now called “Is rael” — are victims of Israeli in stitutionahzed racism which affects all as pects of their daily lives: in work opportun ity, education, civil nghts and in cultural expression. Palestinian workers work in menial jobs and are denied the right to form unions or join existing unions. Palestinians still live under military laws and military courts. The military restricts and regulates their move ments from village to village by the pass system. In education, Palestinians suffer from restrictive opportunities. Zionist ra cism manifests itself by distorting Palesti nian history and by invalidating Palestinain culture. In short, the living conditions and the institutionalized racism that the Palesti nians live under are similar to those condi Arab students: “...Palestinian people are resisting what Israel stands for...”_ tions experienced by the indigenous popu lations of South Africa and Zimbabwe. White supremist South African leader Vorster once said, "We view Israel s posi tion and problems with understanding and sympathy. Like us they have to deal with terrorist infiltration across their border; and like us they have enemies bent on their destruction." What Vorster failed to add was that in both cases, guerilla action has been against their respective regimes by the dispossessed indigenous inhabitants who have been deprived of their national and democratic rights. The common histor ical basis of the two states is concisely de scribed by the New York Times (4-30-71), "South Africa manufactures the Israeli Uzi submachine gun under special license In fact, during the 1967 War a South African military mission flew to Israel to observe tactics and weapons use." The Palestinian people are resisting what Israel stands for. Their struggle will con tinue to eradicate Zionism and racism and build a secular democratic state in Pales tine, for Moslems, Jews and Christians. By raising the Israeli flag, the University administration has, in effect, demonstrated their support and encouragement of this racist regime. This is contrary to the ideals of academic neutrality and truth and justice for which the University supposedly stands We challenge the administration to show neutrality and balance by raising the Pales tinian flag on campus on May 15 to recog nize the just struggle of the Palestinian people and their right for self determination. - Thursday, May 11, 1978
