the Other Press March 17, 1992 When you wish upon a star-of David To all outward appearances andactionsI’ma white, heterosexual male. Therefore, I have no reason to claim any kind of oppression at all. Inwardly, however, lam part of an invisible minority. Iam a Jew. And I am invisible because unless I make an effort to wear the accoutre- ments of my culture, or present my- self as a member of this minority, I can hide. And Jews have been taught to hide. We've been conditioned by history to keep our identity and cus- toms to ourselves, because to do oth- erwise has been dangerous. And, believe it or not, still is. My culture is one that many people do not recognize as a culture. I belong to a people that, even by members of the Jewish community, are not recognized as a people. A widespread opinion is that Jews sim- ply have their own unique religious beliefs, but as far as a cultural iden- tity, we are recognized by where we come from. Yet this is modern phenom- enon, and itis wrong. Thereisa label for discrimination against Jews— anti-Semitism. For some reason, by giving this a name it becomes sanc- tioned, or forgivable, or something. I dunno, to tell you my bias, I am sick and tired of Christians, and Christianity. Living on the Westcoast, laminaserious minority.lam letout of classes for all Christian holidays, thereis Christmasbreak, Easterbreak, etc... I’can attend religious studies courses—mosttaughteither by Chris- tians, or with a comparison against Christianity angle. I can participate in school plays like Godspell or the like, and if any Christian reference is made, I can assume thatit will not be explained to the class, everyone knowsand believesin the Bible,right? You know, modern society can be very anti-Semetic, and most Diaspora Jews have gotten used toit. I know I am used to it. I don’t wear the traditional Jewish garb because I don’t want tobeconsidered different or strange. I don’t wear any buttons or march in any pro-Jewish rallies because I’m afraid of being labeled. Unless someone tells me, I can’t eas- ily identify my Jewish brothers and sisters. Most Jews in North America came here in this century to flee per- secution and extermination in Eu- rope. When we talk about this we are told thatbasically that sallin the past and we should stop talking about it, and that Jews in Israel are just as bad as the Nazis, and therefore all Jews nowadays hate Arabs and therefore we've given up any right to em- power ourselves. There seems to be a resur- gencein Zionism bashing, and equat- ing Judaism with Zionism and Israel with Zionism. The argument goes like this—Zionism is really Arab- hated, and racism, and that’s all itis, and it is wrong for a socially aware person to think otherwise, and even though the U.N. decided that Zion- ism is not racism that’s just the pow- erful trying to pull the wool over our eyes. This viewpoint is especially being taken up by those who con- ivi Revenue Canada Taxation To make things easier, we’ve designed two simpler tax returns that don’t have any calculations. These optional returns are great for people with straightforward tax situations. If you’re under 65, you can use the “Short.” If you’re 65 or over, the “65 Plus” is for you. Whatever return you use, you should fill out only one. Revenu Canada Impét No-calculation returns We’re making it easter. To help you fill out your income tax return From February 24 to April 30, we offer an “after hours” phone service from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday. You can also call T.I-P.S. Info-Tax, our automated phone service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for recorded information on selected topics. . . Lots of people fill out their tax return with great care, only to miss details that can make all the difference. For example, if your address is incomplete or incorrect, your refund could be delayed or sent to the wrong place. If you will be moving, write the new address on your return, or if you don’t know it yet, please call us to let us know as soon as you can so we can update your file. Another important detail is attaching all the slips and receipts that support your claims for credits and deductions. If any are missing, your return may get held up while we contact you for the information. . Canada sider it hip to support the Intifadah. I support the Intifadah, Israel is not doing right by the Palestinians, andI can not condone its actions against the Palestinian people. However, I support the Intifadah on the basis that the Palestinians havea right to be treated as human beings, not on the opinion that the Jews are evil. I will agree with anyone that supports the Intifadah from an educated base fo- cusing on human rights issues. I will fight and disagree with anyone who attacks Israel from an uneducated or anti-Jewish perspectiveand will de- fend Israel to my dying day as being the only safe place in the world for Jews. I believe Israel is a Jewish state, and that blanketly condemning Is- rael without looking at theother play- ers in the screwing over of the Palestinians Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The U.S., hell even Canada, among others) is anti-Semitic. Another scary thing is thatall the age-old and traditional anti- Semetic beliefs are alive and well in the world today, and are even jok- ingly perpetuated by Jews them- selves. I’ve been told by a Jewish friend of mine that really Jews have no right to complain about anything because we're all wealthy. Ok, that’s an example of the Shylock image of the middle ages when “all Jews were penny-pinching moneylenders”. Then there’s the wonderful belief that still exists, and I am not making this up, that Jews killed Christ, and there- forelasa Jew, am personally respon- sible for his agony. All Jews are not in the upper echelons of the power structure. Or out to take over the world. Or rich money grubbers. There are countries that I can not work in or travel in because iam a Jew. There are groups of people in Canada that actively want me exter- minated because I am a Jew. We have faced the Spanish Inquisition of 1492, we have faced the Romans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Byzantines, Crusades, Pogroms, Holocaust,and thousands of years of people trying to kill us off. Some- how, some way, Judaism has man- aged to survive. You know, I'd just be happy if it wasn’t assumed that everybody loves Christ, and that I’m going to hell because I think Jesus was just his guy, you know? I'd like it if people dealt with the issue of human rights in Israel rather than those evil Jews. And I'd like to have some way to identify other Jews. Maybe I shouldn’t be so afraid of wearing a Jewish symbol or clothing in public, I don’t know. When the major his- tory of your people is one of hiding and persecution, the habitcan bea bit hard to break. -Matthew Johnson since WD seen GENERAL MOTORS GRADUATE PROGRAM e730 REBATE WESTMI 131 - 12th Street New Westminister 921-7731