Newspaper Page Text
Friday, Jan. 25, IMS
Page Poor
Comment . . .
ENDING INTERNATIONAL
CHARITY FRAUD
A vital beam of light on the murky Arab refu
gee situation has been shed by Ira Hirsclunann, a
front-rank authority on refugee aid. What Mr
Hirschmann has done is to make available to the
members of the United Nations General Assem
bly some heightened perceptions in the difficult
matter, although for the time being it is, most re
grettably, boo late for action. As it is, what the
Assembly did last month was, in Mr. Hirschmann's
indignant words, "once again to freeze the Arab
refugee stalemate.” It is, in another manner of
speaking, a dreadfully stale situation and the re
peated delays in action thanks to an uncharacter
istically dead hand of American leadership—can
only make matters staler, more putrified, more
dangerous to the whole body politic of the Middle
East. Mr. Hirschmann reproaches his country’s
leadership for its decision to push through passage
renewal of the UNRWA mandate for another two
years—continuing the appropriation of twenty-
three-dnd-a-half-million dollars a year for the sup
port of the supposed million Arab refugees. We
are now entering the fifteenth year of this out
landish expenditure—a staggering aggregate of
three hundred and fifty million dollars in this
one stagnant and insatiable area alone ... It is
our hope, now, that Mr. Hirschmann’s sharper
and searchng views on the matter will be placed
before President Kennedy and that this country
will, as a result, undertake a more realistic and
infinitely more humanistic course in the matter
of the Arab refugees.
Arthur Weyne, American-Examiner
CHALLENGE TO KENNEDY
The new Congress is meeting in a time of let
down from a prolonged crisis. There has been a
pause in world affairs. For the first time in a
number of years—say since the challenge over
Berlin in 1958—the threat of thermonuclear war
has receded somewhat into the background. From
Berlin, the Congo, the resumption of nuclear test
ing and finally to the climax of Cuba, the crisis
mounted. Now, for the time being at least, in both
halves of the world the pause, which has a faint
resemblance to peace, has relaxed the tension
enough to release the rivalries and ambitions of
normal and unfrightened men . . . We may ex
pect that the new Congress will reflect the pause
^ in world affairs ... As there is no crisis which
drives the people to follow him, he (the President)
must lead by persuasion. He has to prove his case
not only in a court of impartial judges but in the
arena where prejudice and passion and special in
terests contend ... To achieve overwhelming
persuasion when there is no great surge of emo
tion behnd him, he will have to take the risk of
boring the public by saying the same thing over
and over again, if possible in different words. That
has not been in the Kennedy style. But it may be
indispensible.
Walter Lippmann, The Washington Post
Topic of the Day
—WFP—
By David Benarone
MEDDLING WITH NATURE
Twelve top scientists—not religious prophets of
doom—have warned the President of the United
States that man’s continuus meddling with nature
is boomeranging in a “frightening” manner to the
detriment of life.
This writer has touched upon this matter be
fore in connection with radio-active fallout and
the creation of the Van-Alien Belt.
It s good to know that scientists—who should
certainly know what they're talking about—have
finally spoken up on the perils involved in man’s
great gamble with nature.
The President now has a detailed report before
him which the twelve scientists—constituting the
advisory committee established by the National
Academy of Sciences and the National Research
Council at Mr. Kennedy’s request—submitted fol
lowing a coordnated study and survey.
The committee told Kennedy that "man is
altering the balance of a relatively stable system”
by contaminating the atmosphere and water sup
plies.
The scientists further warned that “the effects
on man himself of the changes he has wrought
in the balance of great natural forces in the new
microenvironment which he has created are but
dimly perceived and not at all well understood.”
It appear from all this, therefore, that science
has created several frankenstein monsters who are
now beginning to frighten the scientists them
selves.
But since this is a world-wide problem affect
ing all humanity, all Uie President can—and must
now—do is to convoke an international conference
to seek out ways and means for thwarting man’s
suicidal progression.
The best place to do this, of course, is the
United Nations.
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
and THE SUNCOAST JEWISH NEWS
Published weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, 390 Coart
land 8t., NE., Atlanta 3, Georgia, TR. 6-8249, TR. 6 8240. Second
ciaas postage paid at Atlanta, Ga. Yearly subscription five dollars.
The 8onthern Israelite invites literary contributions and correspond
enre but is not to be considered as sharing the views expressed by
writers. DEADLINE Is 5 P.M., FRIDAY, bnt material received earlier
will have a much better chance of publication.
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher
Gustav Oppenheimer, Kathleen Nease, Jeanne Loeb
JOURNALISTIC AFFILIAljlONS
AMERICAN* JEWISH PRESS ASSN
JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
SEVEN ARTS FEATURES
GEORGIA PRESS ASSOCIATION
As One Sits and Thinks
GUEST EDITORIAL
One sits and thinks;
We were tremendously interested in the response of the
American people to the tragedy of Cubans who were caught
in the tentacles of Castroism, their incarceration, their being
held incommunicado, the separation of families, the disturb
ance of the process of their lives. We were exceedingly sym
pathetic to their needs, their problem, and we were glad to
see the humanity and sympathy of the American people rise
above the considerations of national pride and the humilia
tion of having to pay ransom for human lives. We are glad
that the American people rose to the challenge and seized
the opportunity of setting an example of enlightened human
beings. The sum of some sixty million dollars in pharma
ceuticals has been found to pay the ransom. The government
of the United States consented to write these vast sums of
money off from the tax lists and made them tax deductible.
All of which is to the good and we were glad to witness
it.
But as we sat and thought, there was the image of other
refugees, other victims of tyranny and oppression, whose
lives could have been saved by a display of humaneness on
the part of the American people during the Hitler terror. We
do not recall any such demonstration . . . Many, many lives
which might have been saved, perished, because of this lack.
Why there was no such outcry and mobilzation of mercy and
generosity on the part of the American public and the Ameri
can government we can only surmise.
The victims of Hitler were after all, only Jews. And
when Jews are involved then there are political, economic
and social reasons for America’s aloofness and non-interven
tion. They were only Jews . . .
One sits and thinks—and wonders, whilst the heart aches
because of those who might have been saved and were not.
—The Connecticut JEWISH LEDGER
Soviet Threat
—from page 1
-attention of the Sub-Commission.
He said that if this would be the
case, he would not submit his
organization's documentation in
orde; not to endanger those Jew
ish populations.
In his statement, his second
during the current meeting of the
Sub-Commission, Mi. Ivanov de
clared that everyone in the Soviet
Union was allowed to leave and
that it was "nonsense” to s iv that
there were any limitations on em
igration from the Soviet Union
However, he again criticized any
intei pretations of the report
whii h would permit unrestricted
emigration asserting that this
would create mass departures
which could have ’undesirable
political effects."
He repeatedly attacked the Co
ordinating Boaid of Jewish Or
ganizations, asserting that Jewish
aspects of the issue had been in
cluded in the Ingles report “arti
ficially,” and that it was "regret
table" that the Jewish coordinat
ing body had managed ‘ i “in
duce" the rapporteur into "error”
by presenting only “slande's” and
false accusations “without any
basis" against the Soviet Union.
The Ingles report as such does
not make any reference to the
Soviet Union in regard hi the
Jews. However, in one of his
cou’itry-by-countrv reports sup
plementing the principal docu
ment, Mr. Ingles included a sum-
man of information on the ques
tion relating to the USSR, quot
ing not only the CBJO out also
Mrs. Golda Meir. Israel’s Foreign
Min.-ter.
In regal d to Mrs Meir. Mr
In„!es quoted her as telling the
Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in
1960 that "during the previous
five years. 9,236 special certifi
cates had been issued by Israeli
authorities to Jewish families in
the Soviet Union, which wished
to go to Israel, but few' Soviet
exit permits had been granted.”
Admitting that “it is a fact that
there are Jews who want to em
igrate to Israel,” the Soviet rep
resentative said: "This is true, but
it it also true that the number of
Jews w’ho want to emigrate now
is much smaller than it was be
fore We should not encourage
this institution which is interest
ed in increasing tint number to
use our Sub-Comtnission as a
forum for its propaganda.”
Mr. Ivanov returned to the
theme in a second speech, de
claring that the “grave danger”
was from racism and Fascism,
and ‘hat to introduce such infor
mation as that concerning Jewish
emip-ation would only distract
attention from that danger.
The Jewish coordinating board
also was criticized by Wojeiech
Ketrzynski of Poland, although ii^
more moderate terms than those
used by the Soviet representative.
He said that the problem of em
igration of Jews from Poland
con, erned only two countries—
Poland and Israel — and that it
was regrettable that a “private"
Jewish organization "without any
mandate” submitted “false in
formation” on the matter. He
added that the problem of such
emigration was a "delicate” one
and the procedure ol bringing the
question of its solution before
public opinion would make that
solid ion more difficult.
JEWISH CALENDAR
•PURIM
Sunday, M^j-rh 10, 1963
♦PASSOVER
Tuesday, April 9, 1963
(First Day
Wednesday. April 16, 1963
(Second Day)
Tuesday, April 16, 1963
(Eighth Day)
SHAVOUT
Wednesday, May 28, 1963
(First Day)
Thursday, May 29, 1963
(Second Day)
ROSH HASHONAH
Thursday. September 19, 1963
(First Day)
•Holiday begins
preceding evenings
Opinion . . .
-WUP-
A Digest of Contemporary Opinion
MARM’S ORDEALS
Everyone assumes that power in Israel lies in
the hands of Mapai— Ben-Gunon’s own party of
moderate socialists. Hut Mapai is finding it very
diffcult to maintain its position. It has to make all
kinds of concessions to its political partners in
order to keep the coalition together and so obtain
a majority of votes in the Knesset. Inside the His-
tadrut it has an even more difficult task First,
Mapai must continually battle with the more ex-
tieme socialist parties. Some of these parties have
recently been liehind the wave of wildcat strikes
that have dislocated the country’s economy
Secondly, the Mapai ministers in the cabinet (who
have to support the Government’s devaluation
policy) have been in direct conflict with other
Mapai leaders who are not in the Cabinet but are
powerful in the trade unions. Thirdly, Ben-Gurion
himself is booming increasingly authoritarian
Some of his public statements have not been pre
viously cleared with his own party or even with
his Cabinet as a whole . . . Neverthless, Ben-
Gurion, by virtue of his long and brilliant service*
to Israel in the past and his dynamic energy to
day, is still the biggest vote-getter. He is no dic
tator and Israel is in no danger of following Paki
stan, Turkey, Egypt, the Sudan and Ghana into
one-man rule . . Israel believes in the party sys
tem; the trouble is she believes in it too much .
Edwin Samuel, The Jewish Chronicle, London
SYRIA VERSUS ISRAEL
There has been trouble again on the Syrian
border—because ever since Israel signed armistice
agreements with her four Arab neighhbors in 1949,
the Syrian frontier has, on the whole, been the
most troublesome. There have been several lively
actions, even if none has been on the scale of the
Sinai Campaign against Egypt in 1956 There would
appear to be certain rules that govern border in
cidents: Syria has always been an unsettled coun
try—coup d’etat following coup d’etat. The first
rule appears to be: when there are internal df-
ficulties, shoot at Israelis over the border to dis
tract the altention of the public from these diffi
culties. The Arab countries are often at logger-
heads. Rule two seems to be: in order to prove
that you are more Arab than any other country,
fire across the border at Israelis . These rules
apply to all of Israel’s neighbors, but what makes
Syria bolder or less prudent than the others is
the: fact that her fortified military posts are high
up on the hills, while Israel villages and fields are
down below the plain. It is galling to see the
Israelis down below draining the Hula swamp or
fishing in Lake Kinneret or working the land. It
is too difficult to resist the temptation of shooting
at such sitting targets. For the Syrians know that
in order to retaliate, Israel would have—because
of the nature of the terrain—to mount a regular
military operation. And Syria knows that inter
national public opinion (and US. government
circles included,—WUP editor), which pays no at
tention to sporadic even if heavy shooting, regards
with disapproval a regular military action, even
undertaken in self-defense . . . Israel has made it
clear that if the efforts of Von Horn and U Thant
and the friendly powers fail, if the Syrians renew
tneir fire on Israel settlements, Israel will take the
action necessary to protect the lives and property
of her citizens . . .
Samuel Hakorech (The Israel Digest)
LIPS NOT HEARTS
There is unanimity amongst the Rabbis of all
our “trends" that their congregants are "Jews
without prayer," even when their lips intone the
appropriate sections of the Prayer Book There
are even a few Rabbis who have stated that some
men-in-the-pulpit encounter the same difficulties
with respect to prayer which afflict the men and
women in the pews. Revised prayer books of the
Reform and Reconstructioiusts have not solved the
problems of the "Jews without prayers.” . . . The
failure of the “modern revised” prayer books
proves that removing so-called “crass expressions
of supernaturailism” and other “untenable ideas”
does not engender greater enthusiasm for wor
ship. What, then, can be done and what should be
done? We hold that the principle obstacle to wor
shipper identification with the prayers (kavanah)
is the length of the service and the repitition of
the same prayer texts (the Kaddish, the Amidah,
etc ). Ours is an age of restlessness characterized
by lack of sustained concentration . . . There is
another fact to be considered. Prayer, according to
Jewish Law, required kavanah—complete concen
tration and intensity. "Prayer is the language of
the heart." but for how long can the heart sustain
the full thrust of the passion of God-intoxication
in which kavanah is consummated? . . . There is
good reason why all prayers recorded in the Bible
are very short. He who truly prays cannot be
loquacious and redunant . . There is no more
fatal error than the notion that God desires long
prayers and that man’s religious life is enriched
by them . . (For WUP’s editor’s comment on this,
read Isaiah, chapter I, verses 10-17) ....
Dr. Trude Weiss-Rosmarin (Jewish Spectator)