SHOFAR THE Inside Israel: A 1979 ROUNDUP OF B'nai B'rith Youth Organization ALEPH ZADIK ALEPH (AZA) UNUSUAL STORIES B'NAI B'RITH GIRLS (BBG) Boat People Find Refuge in Israel June-July, 1979 by Wendy Elliman In June 1977 the Israeli-owned freighter, "We Jewish people were also once refu- Yuvali, was sailing through the South China gees," he said. Prime Minister Menachem Programs That Work Sea on her way to Hong Kong when she Begin, in one of his first official acts as sighted a small fishing boat. The frail wood- premier, gave authorization for the refugees en craft, 38 feet long by 10 feet wide, held to be brought to Israel. You first- Guaranteed 66 exhausted Vietnamese who, for five days, had vainly sought help from passing vote ships. In answering the appeal of these refu- It was with mixed feelings that the 66 refu- much gees, Israel became one of the few nations gees learned where they were bound. "I office Looking for a program which can't fail? THE SHOFAR has in the world to respond to the boat people's knew about Israel from the Bible," says been featuring in-depth reports on winning programs from the cry for help. Hong Nauyen Thi who is Catholic, "but I an all 1977-78 AZA and BBG Program of the Year competition. During the past months, the South China had no idea of how it would be." erg at These are all proven programs which were successful enough Sea has become strewn with refugees seek- is the to win top honors for the Chapter or Regional group which ing safe harbor. Time magazine correspond- sponsored it. Jewish Awareness $102.61 were flashed onto the sheets. One of the Multi-Media movie projectors showed film of the inter- $100.00 views while the other projectors showed a $220.00 Presentation film of the Six Day War. Approximately $100.00 every 7 interviews a live insert was read 1st P1. AZA Regional: aloud dealing with the upcoming interviews. $101.00 Atlanta Council The conclusion was that because of SO many prejudices in the World, Jews must unite $100.00 now more than ever. $100.00 $100.75 "Just Like Everyone Else" was the title of a multi-media presentation sponsored by Atlanta Council BBYO at the "Passport to The Holocaust $100.00 $350.00 Israel" at the Atlanta Jewish Community $200.00 Center on Israeli Independence Day. The 1st P1. AZA Chapter: $100.00 multi-media presentation focused on preju- Dreyfus AZA, Phila. Region $100.00 dices in the world today, prejudices against $100.00 Jews, and the right of Israel to exist as a state. The preparation for the program began $100.00 two months before the actual presentation. The two steering members, assisted by a Alfred Dreyfus AZA, Philadelphia Region, $294.27 local program advisor, travelled to two differ- ent Richard Bernstein reports, "The flow is ran a well publicized program on the Holo- Huynh Chan Van remembers that "when ent shopping centers, two different parks, caust. The program started with a Havdallah SO great that countries in the area are be- the captain of the Yuvali told us that we were and the Jewish Home, interviewing people service, after which the movie Night and Fog coming increasingly reluctant to accept any going to Israel and that no other country on the streets. We asked various people on which deals with the Holocaust was pre- new arrivals, even temporarily." would give us asylum, we were very afraid. 100.00 the streets, policemen, drunks, old men, old sented. The highlight of the evening was the The number of "illegal immigrants" into Many of us had never even heard of the women, little kids, blacks, and whites, Span- guest speaker, an Auschwitz survivor, who Malaysia increased from five to forty thou- country, and those who knew anything ish, preachers, young women, Jewish grand- sand in less than a year, and reached a level 100.00 had written a book about his experience. about it envisaged fleeing from one war only parents, etc. different questions on how they which Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs, to land in the midst of another." The program took place on the night before 164.64 felt about Jews, prejudices, and Israelis, re- the presentation of the TV production "The Ghazali Shafie, describes as dangerous. Initially the refugees looked on Israel as cording their answers on four different cas- Holocaust.' Boats were turned away from Malaysia's simply a way-station while they waited for $100.00 sette tapes. While each interview was in shores, often to capsize and drown their visas to the United States. progress, the other two people were busy passengers. "They thought that they wouldn't be taking slides of the interviewees as well as Malaysia was not alone in its unwilling- 100.00 here long," commented one government motion pictures, and 1 1/2 hours of cassettes. Dial-a-Ritual ness to receive Vietnam's refugees. Japan official, "SO they didn't study Hebrew seri- refused almost all those who sought refuge ously. When they realized that they wouldn't $106.00 The responses were then grouped accord- ing to the remarks, i.e., the ones who didn't 1st PI. BBG Chapter: there. Quotas for Canada and France are be going to America, they went through a respond came before those with answers. both full (although Canada may increase period of depression.' BBG #63. Texoma Region All of the interviews were then put on one its quota). Visas to the US are restricted even Two of the refugees eventually managed reel-to-reel tape, along with music inserted though the US Attorney General recently to obtain visas and left for the United States, in various places for the climatic effect. approved an increase of 21,875 until April and two babies have been born to members The production consisted of the simulta- BBG #63 in Houston, Texas held a pro- 1979 (a figure which can again be increased of the group. Another 100 refugees have neous operation of three slide projectors, gram geared to explain Jewish rituals to its at a later date). recently arrived in the country, raising the two movie projectors, reel-to-reel tape of With no country willing to give refuge to number of Vietnamese in Israel to 166. members. For this purpose, a homemade interviews, and live inserts. The equipment "TV set" was built, through which a freezer the boat people, the captain of the Yuvali Most of the original Vietnamese group are was arranged behind stage in front of the paper roll with artwork illustrating the rituals radioed his employers in Israel for permis- reconciled to living in Israel and are building audience. In between the audience and the was run, with an accompanying tape re- sion to pick up the survivors. Yehuda Ofer, their lives here. equipment were two large sheets. Three dif- corded narration. The rituals were related to general manager of the shipping company, "Jerusalem is very different from Saigon," ferent slides of each interviewee (or more) (continued on page 5) told the captain to take the refugees aboard. (continued on page 2)