Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Establish'
Vol. XLII
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, December 8, 1967
OV 10 ^ No. 49
Orientation For Children
Given B’naiB’rith Priority
WASHINGTON, D. C. (JTA)—
A two-year-dd study by 30 B’nai
B’rith task forces, working in
dependently of one another, took
a look at the future of Jewish life
in America and agreed that the
major and priority concern of
American Jews in the 1970’s will
be the Jewish orientation — or
lack of it—of their children.
The results of the study, which
involved 700 persons, were re
ported here by Dr. William A.
Wexler, of Savannah, president
of B’nai B’rith, at the opening of
the annual meeting of its board
of governors. The study indicated
that the strengthening of the cul
tural loyalties and Jewish iden
tification of youngsters, and
means to cope with “impoverish
ments in Jewish education” are
already the dominant concerns of
the Jewish community.
The problems of anti-Semitism
and related issues arising from
the civil rights movement and
racial conflicts, church-state dis
putes and political extremism,
rank second in frequency among
the major issues likely to claim
the attention of American Jews
during the next decade, the task
force studies showed. American
Jewry’s relationship with Israel
ranked third, but, it was pointed
out, this subject was investigated
prior to last June’s Six-Day War.
Dr. Wexler said the study
showed that “more atffirmativ#
activities in organized Jewish
life” are required to keep Jewish
youth from “drifting away from
Jewish moorings toward a mor*
humanistic society.” He urged
Jewish federations and welfare
funds to give greater emphasis
in their allocations to Jewish ed
ucational institutions and pro
grams, since medical and social
welfare services” are increasing
ly subsidized by public grants.”
The task forces listed the fol
lowing areas of concern which,
they forecast, will increase in
intensity in the next decade: The
loss among Jewish youth of in
volvement with authentic Jewish
expression, opening paths tow
ard assimilation; (the domineering
influence of Christian culture
over Jewish experience of family
life; the estrangement of Jewish
intellectuals from Jewish com
munal life; the present lack of
“contemp orary relevancy” in
Jewish education; and a “floating
by Jewish college youth” into a
new kind of Jewish identification
without religious emphasis.
DeGaulle Blast Repudiated
By French Leaders, Press
PARIS (JTA)— French Presi
dent Charles de Gaulle’s severe
denunciation both of Israel and
the Jewish people stirred sharp
critical responses among the
French people, in Israel and in
other countries.
The official translation of the
French President’s comments, re
leased by the French Mission to
the United Nations, made it clear
that his denunciation went well
beyond a political attack on Is
rael and that he had impugned
the Jewish people “through the
ages” for having “provoked" and
caused” ill will “in certain"
countries at certain times.” He
also told the press conference in
Paris that it was “always fear
ed” that once the Jews “gather
ed on the site of their former
grandeur,” meaning Palestine,
“they might come to change into
Histadrut Leaders
Meef Labor Heads
In U.S. and Canada
LOS ANGELES (JTA)— Aha
ron Becker, secretary-general of
Histadrut, Israel’s federation of
labor, helped launch the annual
Histadrut campaign here. He and
Sol Stein, director of the Nation
al Committee far Labor Israel,
addressed a meeting attended by
700 persons.
Mr. Becker also met with trade
union leaders, Jewish and non-
Jewish, at a reception tendered
for him in San Francisco by the
Histadrut campaign of San Fran
cisco and the Bay area. He had
come to the West Coast from
Canada, via Detroit In the latter
city he conferred with outstand
ing leaders of American labor,
including Walter Reuther, presi
dent of the United Auto Workers.
In Ottawa, prior bo going West,
he had met with officials of the
Canadian Labor Congress.
a fervent and conquering am
bition, the very touching hopes
they bad for 19 centuries.”
He said the creation of Israel
had raised apprehensions ‘‘even
among many Jews” that place
ment of “this community” in the
middle of “hostile” Arabs would
produce “friction and conflict.”
Response in France to these
and other De Gaulle statements
was immediate and sharp. Many
leading Frenchmen, including
members of the President’s parity,
took issue. Former Prime Min
ister Guy Mollet called a press
conference in Paris to denounce
de Gaulle’s Mideast policies and
his attack on Israel.
A meeting of “solidarity with
Israel" in Paris was attended by
M. Diomede Catroux, a former
Gaullist cabinet member, M.
Claude Gerard Marcus, a mem
ber of the Paris Council, Jean
Louis Tixier-Vignaneourt, a right
ist leader, and others who de
nounced the President, as did
Andre Francois Poincet, editor of
Figaro, and Emile Servan-Schrei-
ber, editor of Combat.
Grand Rabbi Jacob Kaplan
charged that the President had
given "the highest possible sanc
tion” to a possible wave of anti-
Semitism. He made (be charge
after two days of consultations
among leaders of France’s major
Jewish groups. He added that
“French Judaism declares its sol
idarity with Israel and supports
Israel’s efforts in favor of a fair
and lasting peace.’
The French press of all shades
of opinion, except the Commun
ist, continued to assail Gen. de
Gaulle and to repudiate the pos
ition he had taken on Israel. The
newspaper, Combat said that de
Gaulle had destroyed any chance
of France servir* as a mediator
in the Arab-Israel dispute. A
front-page editorial in Le Monde
said there was “an (Unpleasant
smell of anti-Semitism” in Gen.
de Gaulle’s remarks. The news
paper, Aurora, said that the
French people rejected the Pres
ident's “incredible attitude.”
Bar-Lev Named
New Israeli
Chief of Staff
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The Cab
inet has announced that Brig.
Haim Bar-Lev, 43, has been
named Chief of Staff of Israel’s
armed forced, effective in Jan
uary, 1968 and will be promoted
in rank to Major General. He will
succeed Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Rabin,
who, reliable sources said, will be
appointed Israel Ambassador to
the United States.
The name of Gen. Bar-Lev,
who is presently Deputy Chief of
Staff, was formally submitted to
the Cabinet by Defense Minister
Moshe Dayan. He noted that the
termination date of Gen. Rabin’s
appointment and the choice of
his successor were made by
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol ear
lier this year when he still held
the portfolio of Defense Minister.
Gen. Dayan spoke with high
praise of the qualifications of
both generals Rabin and Bar-
Lev.
Rabbi Denies
War Apathy
By Christians
NEW YORK (JTA)— Charges
by Jewish spokesmen that Is
rael’s Six-Day War proved the
‘‘failure and futility” of Jewish-
Christian dialogue were termed
“malicious distortion” by Rabbi
Wolfe Kelman, executive vice-
president of the Rabbinical As
sembly.
The Conservative rabbinical
leader also declared, in a state
ment here, that it was not true
that there had been “an inade
quate response” from Christiana
during the Middle East crisis,
when Israel was “in danger of
annihilation.” He asserted that
“most Christians in the United
States end, indeed, all of Europe,
both East and West, sided with
Israel’s cause in May and June. _ . S" II
“Demonstrations and petitions UpfillS Afl Vj3I ISTy
were signed and joined by hun-
XoO
M*orn
WITH FLYING FLAGS—Ceremonies, highlighted by a parading
army unit, open the new settlement of Hataevah, 55 miles sooth of
Beersheba in the Negev. Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, Chief of Staff
Itzchack Rabin, and members of two neighboring kibbotsim attended
the festivities.
Signs of El Fatah Found
At Scenes of Sabotage
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Widespread
acts of sabotage wrecked a sec
tion of the Jerusalem-TeL Aviv
railway line near Beth Shemeah,
damaged the water reservoir at
ALmegor, a settlement near the
Syrian border, and damaged road
construction equipment on the
Golan Heights, near the Israel-
Syrian cease-fire line.
The blasted bodies of two
Arab terrorists were found near
the scene of the railroad sabo
tage where, it is believed, they
accidentally stepped on mines left
behind along the former Israel-
Jordan frontier. Two hand gren
ades and two Russian-type mach-
ineguns were found nearby. Rail
road service to and from Jerus
alem was delayed, but returned
to normal after squads repaired
the damage.
The reservoir at Almagor, built
five years ago of reinforced con
crete, was breached by an explos
ion, resulting in a water shortage
for the settlement. Pamphlets In
Hebrew and Arabic, signed by El
Fatah, the Syrian terrorist or
ganization, were found near the
scene of the explosion. A similar
explosion which wrecked a
pumping station near S’dom on
the Dead Sea is under investiga
tion.
The Golan Heights incident,
which damaged road building
equipment, occurred about a mile
and a half from the cease-fire
line. Footprints and El Fatah
pamphlets were found nearby.
New York Bank
dreds and thousands of Christians
in America, France, Holland, etc,”
Rabbi Kelman asserted. “There
were also thousands of individual
Christian clergymen, many of
great distinction, who took forth
right and unequivocal positions
demanding that commitments to
Israel be honored and (hat all
necessary action be taken to
thwart the conspiracy to destroy
Israel.”
He said that clergymen such
as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
Dr. John Bennett, president of
Union Theological Semi nary,
Archbishop Hallman and Cardinal
Cushing, Dr. Reinhold Niebhur
end “thousands of other clergy
men of all denominations pub
licly express their identification
with the anxiety which all Jews
felt for the continued survival of
the Jews in Israel and (he integ
rity of the Jewish State.”
Argentines Protest
Soviet Policies
BUENOS AIRES (JTA)—Res
olutions protesting Soviet perse
cution of Russian Jewry and the
USSR’s policies on Israel were
adopted unanimously here at a
rally attended by 2,000 persons.
The resolutions adopted also de
manded that the Soviet Govern
ment cease arming (he Arab
states.
Calling attention to the cur
rent oelebration of the 50th an
niversary of the Bolshevik rev
olution, the meeting called on the
USSR to restore to Russian Jewry
the cultural and religious rights
guaranteed it under the Soviet
Constitution.
NEW YORK (JTA) — An art
gallery in a bank has been
formally opened here by the
American Bank and Trust Com
pany. American affiliate of the
Foreign Trade Bank, Ltd., of
Tel Aviv and the Swiss-Israel
Trade Bank of Geneva. The gal
lery is located in the newly-
opened Fifth Avenue office of
the bank.
Philip M. Klutznick, chair
man of the board of the bank,
presided at the opening cere
monies. Speakers included Rob
ert L. Stevens, chairman of the
National Council on the Arts,
and August Heck sober, New York
City administrator of recreation
and cultural affairs.
State Dept. Backs
Desalination Plan
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The
State Department has reversed
itself and given warm endorse
ment to a Republican-sponsored
plan that would use nuclear
energy to provide desalinated
water for the Middle East. The
plan, first advanced last spring
by former President Eisenhower,
calls for establishment of an in
ternational company, patterned
after the Communications Satel
lite Corporation, that would
construct three large nuclear
desalting plants in the Middle.
East.
The dual-purpose plants would
be operated by the International
Atomic Energy Agency, and
water and electricity would be
provided on a regional basis to
such countries as Israel, Jordan
and United Arab Republic.
‘Alarming’ Progress
Seen for Neo-Nazis
BONN (JTA) — One West
German of every four would
vote for the neo-Nazi National
Democratic Party “under cer
tain circumstances,” according
to a survey made on behalf of
the Social Democratic Party,
which marked the first anni
versary of its participation in a
coalition government headed by
Kurt Kiesinger.
The survey indicated that
fear of mass unemployment
would boost the voting support
for the NPD by an “alarming”
25 percent One Social Demo
cratic leader was quoted as say-
that “the great danger in Ger
many lies on the right, and not
enough is being done to draw
attention to this threat.” He
added that “one day we will
wake up and it will be too late.”
16 Soviet Bombers
Fly Over Cairo
LONDON (JTA)—Sixteen Rus
sian jet bomber* arrived In Egypt
on a good-will mission and im
mediately flew over Cairo aa a
demonstration of Soviet support,
it was reported here. The visit
by the Russian planes is believed
here to be ^tended as a morale
boaster for the Egyptians, and to
discourage Israeli reprisal raids.
The Soviet Government is more
deeply involved and committed in
the Middle East (ban ever before*
the Sunday Observer said in dis
patches from Moscow, reporting;
talks this past weak between So
viet diplomats and delegations
from several Arab and Moslem
countries, indudh* Syria.