Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
The Voice of Atlanta's Jewish Community Since 1925
H
co
Vol. LXII
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, October 31, 1986
No. i
From Russia and back
H
<
Portrait of a troubled journey
by Richard Bono
and Diane Wolkow
The decision by 27-year-old
Yuri Chapovsky of Atlanta to
return to his native Soviet Union
has been characterized by those
familiar with the Soviet Jewish
emigre as a “psychological,”
rather than a political, move.
Chapovsky, who immigrated
to the United States with his par
ents and younger brother in 1979,
announced late last week that he
was returningto the Soviet Union
because his hopes for a better life
were not fulfilled in America.
Three other Soviet emigres an
nounced at the same press con
ference, conducted last Friday at
the Soviet information office in
Washington, D.C., that they, too,
were returning to the U.S.S.R.
One of them, Israel Glickman of
Dallas, Texas, also is Jewish.
Their decision to return to the
Soviet Union came only days
before Monday’s Simhat Torah
Rally for Soviet Jewry in Altanta,
which 1,500 attended. It also
comes at a time when a major
national effort has been mounted
by Jewish organizations to per
suade the Soviets to allow Jews
to emigrate.
Chapovsky’s action has shaken
many in the organized Atlanta
Jewish community. Yet family
friends and other sources famil
iar with the case have given a
portrait of a young man not mo
tivated by political ideology but
by an inability to adjust to life in
the United States.
Described as extremely bright,
especially in the field of mathe
matics, Chapovsky also was por
trayed as a troubled young man
who has been unhappy and dis
satisfied for some time.
“I think he has some problems,
and I don’t think the United
States is one of them,” said one
source close to the family. “I
think maybe it’s just personal
problems. ...We don’t feel he’s
thinking straight.”
Said another source, “It isn’t
the politics, but his own mixed-
up reaction to life in America
Os
Yuri Chapovsky (right) talks to reporters during press conferences after his decision to return to
the Soviet Union. At left is Rashid Atamal-Ibekov, another returnee, next to Soviet Embassy
officials.
and what he expects to
Russian society.”
Meanwhile, his family, s
ing in the Atlanta area, i
edly is distraught over Yui
povsky’s decision. They ha>
unavailable for comments to the
media, and family friends have
closed ranks to protect their pri
vacy. Those who spoke to The
Southern Israelite did so on the
condition that their names not be
used.
Jewish communal officials, as
well, were reluctant to comment
on the case, adhering to a policy
of client confidentiality. However,
The Southern Israelite was able
to confirm that the Chapovsky
family came to the United States
at the height of Soviet Jewish
emigration in 1979. They, along
with approximately 180 other
Soviet Jews, were resettled in
Atlanta that year with the help of
the Jewish Family Service and
Jewish Vocational Service.
According to Georgia Institute
of Technology spokesman Charles
Harmon, Yuri Chapovsky was
admitted to the institute that
same year, transferring from the
Polytechnic Institute in Kiev. He
received a bachelor's degree in
electrical engineering in 1981 and
a master’s degree in applied
mathematics two years later.
While at Georgia Tech, Cha
povsky made the dean’s list sev
eral times, Harmon said.
During his Washington press
conference, Chapovsky said he
was unable to find a job despite
See Journey, page 25.
Shamir given ‘gift’ first week in office
tn
by Yaacov Ben Yosef
Special to TS1
JERUSALEM—Israel’s new
prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir,
was handed a welcoming gift last
week as the British decided to
Yankee lady
makes bid for
sheriffs post
by Richard Bono
TSI staff writer
Joan Koplan is pleased that no
one has publicly made an issue of
her background. A native New
Yorker, Koplan is the first Yan
kee to run for sheriff of Catoosa
County in North Georgia, let
alone the first Jewish woman.
Koplan, 36, faces opposition
from six others—all male—who
want to head the 43-person sher
iffs department situated in Ring-
gold, the county seat and the
See Sheriff, page 2 7.
break off diplomatic relations
with Syria over its sponsorship
of terror. Shamir called the Brit
ish step a “good example” for
other nations to follow.
Other than the British step
against the Syrians, Shamir’s
first week in office was relatively
quiet. Unlike Shimon Peres, when
he began as prime minister of the
national unity government 25
months ago, Shamir faced no
serious crises upon taking over.
Peres, in September 1984, con
fronted a growing national con
sensus to remove Israeli troops
from Lebanon and a massive
economic deterioration. Israel
left Lebanon in June 1985 and
conquered triple-digit inflation
over the 15 months.
The British action against
Syria was taken last Friday after
the sentencing of Jordanian ter
rorist Nezar Hindawi to 45 years
in prison for last April’s Syrian-
sponsored attempt to blow up an
El A1 passenger liner and its 350
passengers in mid-air after it was
to depart from London. Israel
was happily stunned by the Brit
ish decision against Damascus.
A mild debate ensued within
the Israeli foreign ministry over
how to react to the British move.
Prevailing were those who thought
Israel should adopt a low profile
and say little rather than crow
about this happy development.
Hence, Shamir and Peres were
encouraged to limit themselves
to modest statements of praise
for the British.
Shamir on Sunday expressed
appreciation for the move, say
ing it was part of “the interna
tional struggle against state-sup
ported terrorism that is a vital
necessity for humanity.” He also
urged other countries to follow
the example of the British, as
well as the U.S. and Canada, the
latter two countries having re
called their ambassadors from
Damascus in protest against
Syria’s support of terrorism.
Meanwhile, Shamir was quoted
as saying that differences over
Israeli terms for agreeing to peace
with the Arabs was the most
potentially explosive political
issue confronting his new gov
ernment.
He was therefore echoing Peres
who had warned earlier that
should Shamir set up barriers to
progress in the peace process,
Peres would be prepared to break
the coalition government. Peres
resigned as prime minister on
Oct. 10 and officially handed
over the reins of the national
unity government to Shamir on
Oct. 20.
Peres’ Labor Party has said
that it would give Shamir 40 days
of grace before deciding if and
when to attack him. It will be
tempting for Peres to consider
taking his Labor Party out of the
government any time in the next
two years, but unless he can form
a narrow government or be sure
of winning in early elections, he
will find it hard to take such a
step. The next round of elections
are scheduled for November 1988.
Shamir made it clear that he
believed the Arabs held the key
to the future of the national unity
government. In an interview with
the English-language Jerusalem
Post on Friday, Oct. 24, Shamir
said, “So long as there is no pro
posal from the Arab side that
could be accepted by part of the
government, there is nothing that
can prevent the continued exist
ence ol the government.”
Meanwhile, an Australian
clergyman John McKnight held
a Jerusalem news conference
Sunday to assert that Mordechai
Vanunu, the man who leaked
Israel’s alleged nuclear secrets to
London’s Sunday Times, was
being held “in a prison cell some-
See Shamir, page 27.
THIS WEEK
Atlantan doesn’t let
Down's get her down ... 11
Sports tycoon tights
for world s children .... 13
Specialist says Syria
rethinking war costs ... 24
Business 22
Arts & Entertainment .... 23
Obituaries 28
Classified 29
10 & 25 years ago 31
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