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Home My WebLink AboutTimes-Advocate, 1983-11-30, Page 20Page 8A Times -Advocate November 30, 1983 SPECIAL AWARD — Huron Home Economist Jane Muegge presents a 24 project award to Ann Dearing at Tuesday's Huron 4-H Achievement Night at the Fut. Huron Rec Centre. T -A photo • WIN PROVINCIAL HONOURS — Receiving their Pro- vincial Honours certificates at Tuesday's Huron 4-H Achievement Night at South Huron Rec Centre were Joanne Smits and Helen Vlemmix of Grand Bend. Discrimination is a terrible sickness that's still prevalent Back in the early 1940's, I was sauntering down Main Street of an Ontario summer resort when my eye caught a sign hanging over a business doorway : 'Gentiles Only.' Showing my innocence, I in- quired of my youthful compa- nion, "What's a Gentile." "You, you dummy," he laughed. "So why is that sign up there," I asked again. "It means no Jews are allowed." "Why not?" HP shrugged and pushed his way through the crowded throng. I followed, but m} mind kept asking, "How come?" My experience with Jews, at that point, had been limited to one family who ran a small general store in Saskat- chewan when I was a child. I could scarcely remember the short, quiet storekeeper and his even quieter wife, but I did recall their pretty, curly- haired little girl who smiled shyly as she peeked around the counter. The family mov- ed away before either she or I started school so I never really gat to know her. A few years after the sum- mer resort incident, I went to Toronto to look for a job, and after answering several advertisements, I was called in for an interview with a courtly, grey-haired gentleman who spoke with a pleasant accent. He explained that Ontario was about to experience a post-war building boom, that he was in the land develop- ment business, having sub- divided a large area, north of the city, into choice building lots. He needed someone to answer his phone, type his let- ters, keep the books, but most of all, someone who could talk to customers when they came to the office. Since my qualifications suited him, he hired me on the spot. Office space was very scarce in those days, so I would share his office. He COUNTY 4-H HONOURS — A number of County Honours certificates were presented at Tuesday's Huron 4-H Achievement Night of the South Huron Rec Cen- tre. Back, left, Sherri Gullage, Hurondale; Denise Renning, Crediton; Christine Coates, Elimville; Janet Kints and Julie Lamport, Hurondole. Front, Heother Love, Grand Bend; Beatrice Hunter, Elimville, Dianne Dearing Crediton, Lisa Rundle, Hurondale and Johanna Morrissey, Crediton. T -A photo J L Looking Wood FASHIONS FOR HER A (u11 length Norwegian Bive Fox says '1 love you- Make ou•'MVfake Christmas '83 a year she 'I1 remember )n►r • $2200 at /oolong (,00il xeter i pointed out that since he'd be out of the office a good deal I'd have it to myself most days. There were several other employees in a large outer of- fice, all of them young women except for the office manager, I hid my.surprise. "No, I didn't know that." As I got to know the girls better, they began to bring me spicy Jewish treats their mothers had made for special celebrations, and invite me out to Lunch. One of them, my It seems to me... by Gwyn Whilsmith a quiet, young man called Saul. The girls were friendly enough but they did in- timidate me, a shy country girl, with their brash city -wise ways. They seemed so sophisticated and blunt, call- ing a spade a spade and back- ing down from no one. Two or three days after I started the job, the teenage office girl, who ran all the er- rands, stopped by my office to chat, "Did you know," she asked, "that you and I are the only Gentiles working on this floor?" 2£ favourite...lovely, red-haired Golda offered to cover my phone calls while I ducked out to see my very first Santa Claus parade. Sweet, gentle Saul (he told me I could call him Paul), his dark eyes nearly hidden behind thick glasses, loved to talk religion. He could never understand the animosity bet- ween Catholics and Pro- testants (it was much worse, then). "Aren't you all Chris- tians?" he'd demand, throw- ing up his hands in bewilderment One day, when 1 was trying to make a sale on the phone, the customer asked if our building lots were restricted. Not understanding, I turned to my employer, who hap- pened to be in, for an answer. "Yes," he said, "Tell him they are." After I'd hung up, I in- quired, "What does that mean....restricted to what?" "Not to what," he answered, "to whom? Gen- tiles." His face flushed deeply. I was stunned, but the realization slowly dawned on me as to why I was always the one sent out to speak with the buyers. The summer resort sign flashed in my mind, 'Gentiles Only.' I, a Gentile, had been hired to make deals with other Gentiles who might not wish to deal with a Jew. Shame and discomfort flooded over me. Shame for my employer. Shame for me being a Gentile, and discom- fort at being used as a front. I left the job soon after. Now, all these years later, it still makes me sad, but it makes me laugh, too. Here was a shrewd Jewish businessman making a killing by selling building lots to racist Gentiles. Good for him. Before long, however, we were all shocked beyond belief, at the horror stories pouring out of Europe about the slaughter of millions of Jews. The 'Gentiles OrJy' signs quietly disappeared. But 40 years later, anti semitism is still alive, as we witnessed in Alberta. It's a terrible sickness and seems even more abhorrent when found in so-called religious groups. Not long ago, a television preacher stated bluntly, "God does not hear the prayers of Jews." He's dead wrong, because somehow, I don't believe God has put up a 'Gentiles Only' sign that would keep out His only Son. That's how it seems to me, anyway. A FITNESS EXHIBIT — Kristyn Darling and Angelo Fleming are shown with the Crediton V 4-H club exhibit "Fitness for Life" at Tuesday's Huron 4-H Achievement Night at the South Huron Rec Centre. . T -A photo C.C.C.fMlr.C.O .C.W. C.C.0 OW.C. Cfr.C. tr.C. C W.tr.f infTP.O O CIP.0 frC lr t C tr.Ir C C C C C.r.0°.1PfM.C.Cfr W.011 I fi0W.C1 Gift Giver 436 Male St. S., Exetef Phone 235-2202 poi • Craft Kits • Games • Puzzles • Fisher-Price toys • Johnson & Johnson toys (Except those items already on sale) Off EXETER iWINNtry h• ). sem."",,,."'^ RANO• ia * *.Q Np� ,6 I J All Timex Watches `.° 30, • All the latest Quartz and Digital designs, to •.-a'. 0/0 Off Regular Prices lt 113 1713 7,3 4 333 3 150 pc. package of Christmas Tags/Seals 88H'.. $588 Accepted J, during' sale it VISA choose from All Giftwore2O%o Figurines, collectable dolls, stemware, plus much much more All Decorative Pkuques2O%•ff Save 20C Save 1.11 Norfolk Tiller Man's Wallets Regular '18.00 Save $6.01 Now $ 99 King -lite Disposable Lighter 694 Care Bear's Children's Books ;588 Pipe Special .Receive Dealer D A FREE •ol One 30 gram pouch of Brigham :!h tobacco, one package of Brigham filters. Retail value $3.96 With Purchase of Any Brigham Pipe Savo 3.11 All Popular Brands i ga rettes 359 A Carton Limit 2 cartons per customer Fisher-Price Chime Bali $1 088 Fisher-Price sawJiffy Dump $889 4.11 Truck Truck 8.o9 Fisher-Price Airport Set 2888 Saint 1.66 Sew 41! All (Milton Boxed Christmas 20% Off 8 Roll Chi istmas, 26" x 360" Gift Wrap Playdoh Play Set EXETER J Sale ends Monday, Dec. S, 1983 or while quantities last 0; lf'owirovvvo'o' �'o'l�`f'>f�if'owir rowi 'if s trobif�o'>f' roof '+1 vrobro i� ovirovrovro �� o, �' rt ov 1>t�'i��ovr s