Charles Zusman
Club hears about Venezuela’s Jews
A sense of urgency and fear was evident at a meeting in Teaneck Feb. 19 as a representative of the Anti-Defamation League detailed anti-Semitic statements and actions on the part of the regime of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
Liat Altman, Latino/Hispanic Relations Coordinator for the Anti-Defamation League, said the formerly fertile ground for Jewish life in Venezuela has been threatened by the policies of Chavez, a military man who was elected in 1998 under the banner of socialism and has combined relentless criticism of Israel with rhetoric against the United States.
‘Safe space’ in Maywood for Mideast dialogue
To open communication between those with differing views, the Reconstructionist Temple Beth Israel in Maywood has scheduled three “dialogue” sessions on the Israel-Gaza situation under the leadership of student Rabbi Jarah Greenfield, the congregation’s religious director.
“A dialogue is a conversation in which participants take as their primary goal [the pursuit of] mutual understanding,” said Greenfield. “There is a lot of fear in expressing views outside of the mainstream,” she said. “My responsibility is to encourage people to speak their truths and increase their ability to hear, listen, and communicate.”
Locals target Israeli election
As the Feb. 10 Israel election draws near, it is no surprise that many Jews in our area are watching closely. For one group — Jews from the former Soviet Union — the election has become something of a mission, spurring the formation of a coalition engaged in long-distance politicking.
Having grown up under Soviet power, their fear is visceral, said Julian Rapaport of Passaic, the spokesman for a group that recently circulated an open letter urging fellow Soviet Jews in the U.S. to call on friends and relatives in Israel to vote a certain way.
