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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry -
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 19t
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'Alignment' Accepts
Eshkol Economic Plan
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The
dominant alignment partners in
Premier Levi Eshkol’s govern
ment—Mapai and Achdut Avo-
dah—have endorsed separately
the same version of Finance Min
ister Pinhas Sapir’s three-year
austerity program to deal with
Israel’s . economic difficulties.
However, the remaining hurdles
to full coalition agreement on
the plan are still formidable. A
principal need is to obtain ap
proval from Mapam, which in
formed the Premier that it had
not budged from its insistence on
a compulsory loan as a condition
for its approval. Mr. Sapir is
strongly opposed to such a loan.
Another obstacle to the Eshkol
effort to win coalition agreement
for an austerity program is the
adamant refusal of two other
coalition partners—the National
Religious Party and the Inde
pendent Liberals—to accept the
Mapam demands. The two parties
are scheduled to formulate their
views on the various elements of
the Sapir plan this week, but they
have indicated they oppose high
er taxes and favor more indus
trial efficiency and reductions in
government spending as the best
way to help Israel’s problems.
The proposal approval by the
Mapai secretariat and by the
Achdut central committee would
expand imports by keeping wages
down, by revising work norms
upward and would seek more ef
ficient use of labor through work
er transfers if necessary. The
parties also approved proposals
for increased taxes on capital
gains, and reductions in expense
allowances to businessmen.
In addition, the two parties
moved to find jobs for 25,000
workers currently unemployed, a
figure which they feared might
reach 50,000 by next year. They
accepted a proposal by Akiva
Govrin, chairman of the Align
ment’s economic committee, to set
up a special “Unemployment
Authority” to seek work for the
jobless. Dismissals of workers
have continued in a number of
plants and factories throughout
the country, following decreases
in production schedules. Efforts
are now being intensified to pre
vent further dismissals on the eve
of the High Days, while a new
wave of unemployment is feared
by the end of this month.
The Mapai-Achdut agreement
also provides for continuation by
the Government of its education,
housing and social welfare pro
gram, and for assisting develop
ment areas hardest hit by Israel’s
swelling unemployment; calls for
a balanced budget, aimed at eco
nomic advancement and for as
suring “social justice”; and urges
more efficient investigation of
income tax obligations so that
“all sectors of the population”
will pay their required taxes.
The plan calls on labor to be
more “conscious of its responsi
bilities” and “more fluid” in
passing from one sector of the
economy to another “as circum
stances demand.” The plan calls
on the Government to assure
stable prices, which would in
clude supervision of monopolies
and cartels. Under the plan, the
capital gains tax would be in
creased from 25 to 30 percent,
while commissions of banks and
insurance companies would be re
duced by 10 percent.
Foreign currency allowances
for visits abroad would be cut
from $500 to $350. The plan
would give main emphasis to in
centives to increase exports by
tax reductions and by govern
ment subsidies to exporters.
Vandals Despoil Graves
BONN (JTA) — Forty-five
gravestones were damaged and
33 daubed with anti-Jewish slo
gans in the old Jewish cemetery
in Luebeck, in northern Germany
police reported.
The German Trade Unions de
manded severe punishment for
the vandals, and the city of Lue
beck has promised to help the
Jewish community to restore the
cemetery.
Six Still Are Held
By Syrian Jailers
TEL AVIV (JTA)— Six other
Israelis are still imprisoned in
Syrian jails, said Yosef Shemesh,
one of the men returned here re
cently in prisoner exchange be
tween Syria and Israel.
Of the four Israelis given back
by the Syrian jailers, Shemesh,
43, who had been imprisoned by
the Syrians for 12 years, was the
only one who seemed to be able
to face Israeli journalists. Others
were taken immediately after
brief medical examinations to
mental hospitals. All four had
suffered severe mental disturb
ances, physicians said.
Canada to Forbid
Hate Propaganda
OTTAWA (JTA)—Prime Min
ister Lester B. Pearson has an
nounced that his Government
will introduce a bill for the out
lawing of the dissemination of
racial and religious hate mater
ials. He said he was not certain
whether the measure could be
“squeezed” into the agenda of the
national Legislature’s session
during the fall, but that it
“would certainly be ready for the
session beginning in January,
1967.”
Michael Garber, president of
the Canadian Jewish Congress,
expressed gratification over Pre
mier Pearson’s statement, noting
that this pledge “appears to bring
to fruition our campaign of many
years.”
Negev Industry Grows
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A new
complex of plants for the chem
ical industry, to cost 130,000,000
Israeli pounds (over $43,000,000)
will be built near Arad, in the
Negev, and will be ready to start
production in 1968, the Ministry
of Development announced.
Work is expected to start within
three months.
Birthday for Schools
MEXICO CITY (JTA) — The
two Jewish schools here, Yavneh
and Tarbut, celebrated their re
spective quarter-century anni
versaries here. Yavneh, which is
a religious school, is headed by
Zelik Shifmanovich, as director.
The director of Tarbut, which is
Zionist and emphasizes Hebrew
studies, is Jacob Blumer.
Israel Sees Full TV Service
By 1968, CBS Advisors
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A
spokesman for the Israeli Broad
casting Authority said today that
general television will be in
augurated in Israel on April 1,
1968. His announcement followed
approval by the Cabinet yester
day of an agreement with the
Columbia Broadcasting System,
under which CBS will provide an
advisory service in the creation
of television broadcast facilities
for Israel. The initial investment
for such facilities, including stu
dios and technical installations,
was estimated at $5,000,000.
The contract with CBS pro
vides for a $100,000 fee for the
first six months, and $50,000 for
each subsequent six months. The
contract, which is renewable, be
comes effective October 1. Josef
Stern, CBS chief engineer, is ex
pected here this month to begin
consultations with Israeli officials
on procedures for the television
system. The television service
will be started with a daily pro
gram lasting two and a half
hours. Two hours will be in He
brew, and 30 minutes in Arabic.
Content will be news, public af
fairs and service programs.
One problem in the projected
service is the small number of
sets in Israel, about 30,000, be
cause of high prices. A typical
modem set costs about $1,000,
much of the cost being due to
custom and other taxes. The
Cabinet is due to consider a pro
posal to reduce the price of sets
to around $700 by cutting taxes
on them.
Under popular pressures, the
Israel Government started a pilot
project earlier this year for edu
cational television. General tele
vision has been widely opposed
by officials in Israel. Israelis use
their 30,000 sets to tune in on
Arab telecasts, most from Beirut
and Cairo.
Ground has been broken for a
television transmission center in
an area here reserved for Gov
ernment buildings. The center
will be near the Hebrew Uni
versity and the new home of
Israel’s Parliament.
Knesset’s New Home Dedicated hi Jerusalem
(Copyright, 1966, Jewish Tele
graphic Agency, Inc.)
JERUSALEM, (JTA) — Bon
fires blazed throughout Israel
last week to mark the dedication
of the new $6,000,000 home of
Israel's Parliament.
The dedication ceremonies
were attended by more than
5,000 persons, including Speakers
of 44 overseas Parliaments and
47 representatives of Jewish
communities abroad. A huge
beacon was lighted in front of the
massive red stone building to
launch the inauguration cere
mony.
Baroness James de Rothschild,
widow of the donor of most of
the cost of the structure, cut a
blue and white ribbon stretched
across the huge iron gates. The
two Chief Rabbis, Isser Yehuda
Unterman and Yitzhak Nissim,
blessed the building and affixed
mezzuzot to the doorposts.
Flags of the participating
countries fluttering at the podi
um did not include any of the
East European Parliaments.
Speaker Kaddish Luz had ex
tended invitations to them.
Premier Levi Eshkol told the
throng that, within the walls of
the new structure “will be form
ed the unity of a people return
ing to their ancestral home.” Dr.
Nahum Goldmann said that the
building was “a symbol of solid
arity of the Jewish people
whether represented here or not,”
a reference to the East European
Jewries, the only major Jewish
group not represented at the
ceremonies.
President Zalman Shazar also
recalled "all of those not with
us on this day, great former com
munities of Poland and Germany,
and of all the other countries
whose Jews were either destroy
ed or prevented from attending.”
Dr. Birgir Finnson, president
of the Iceland Althing, the
world’s oldest Parliament,
brought "greetings to one of the
newest of the world’s democra
cies.”
Speaker Luz, in his address,
mentioned the name of former
Premier David Ben-Gurion as
the man who declared the inde
pendence of Israel and was
greeted with wide applause.
The absence of Ben-Gurion
from the ceremony attracted at
tention. The former Premier
took his seat when the Knesset
convened the next day for its
first session in its new home and
declined to reply to a question
about his absence. Members of
his dissident Israel Workers Par
ty (Rafi) said they did not know
why he had been^ absent. It ap
peared he might nave been of
fended at not having been invited
to kindle the torch of the new
Knesset, his apparent due as the
body’s oldest member. Though
he is Israel’s only living former
Premier, he apparently was not
invited to sit with the visiting
and Israeli dignitaries during the
inauguration.
The Chief Rabbinate complain
ed that the two Chief Rabbis
were not included among the
“distinguished persons” who
were individually announced as
they took their places in the in
auguration ceremony. In a letter
to Speaker Luz, the Chief Rab
binate said the omission was “a
serious insult to the dignity of
the Chief Rabbis.”
The structure includes two
kitchens, one for dairy meals and
one for meat meals, a synagogue,
a large assembly hall, offices,
restrooms for the Premier and
Cabinet Ministers, many commit
tee rooms and conference halls
and three restaurants. In contrast
to most Parliamentary buildings,
the bar is a modest one with
room for about only a dozen peo
ple.
A symbolic session of Parlia
ment was held in the new build
ing the day after it was inaugu
rated. The overseas dignitaries
who attended the dedication were
present at the first session.
Prior to the session, the visit
ing Speakers were received by
Speaker Luz in the Chagall Hall.
Each delegation brought a gift to
the Knesset and each in turn was
given a gold medallion marking
the inauguration.
Premier Levi Eshkol introduc
ed a bill to regulate the activi
ties and functions of Israel’s
Cabinet. A clause in the bill pro
vides for punishment under
Israel’s criminal law for publica
tion of reports on activities of the
Cabinet and Ministerial Commit
tees. The clause came under
sharp attack from spokesmen for
the opposition parties, include
Rafi, the Gahal alignment and
the Communists. However, Just
ice Minister Yaacov Shapiro de
fended the measure. He said that
not only security matters but al
so fiscal and economic proposals
required shelter from publica
tion. He assured the House that
Cabinet Ministers who provided
news of that kind to reporters
would be equally answerable
with journalists under the pro
posed law.
The session ended with referral
of the bill to committee Parlia
ment then resumed its receas un
til after the High Holy Days.