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The Southern Israelite A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - , 0 UtO >1 XU ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 19t .JV**®* — 'I '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.