Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Established ' ,n °5
Vol. XUII
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, June 21, 1968
L. A. Arabs Reported Nervous
About Possible Reprisals
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The
Arab community on the West
Coast is nervous over possible
reprisals in the aftermath of the
assassination of Senator Robert
F. Kennedy and has “gone into
hiding” ever since it was learn
ed that the accused gunman is
an Arab, Sirhan Sinhan, the
Washington Post reported from
Los Angeles.
According to Post reporter
George Larduer, there is, at the
same time among Los Angeles’
25,000 Arab-Americans, a “wide
spread rationalization, even sym
pathy, for the murder for which
Sirhan stands indicted. His anti-
Zionism is widely shared,” Lar
duer wrote and “time and again
it is argued that the real villain
is ‘international Zionism’ and
secondarily, Kennedy’s support
of jet fighters for Israel.”
Mr. Larduer said' that “not a
few of the Arab-Amerioan orga
nizations show the same sort of
persecution complex so widely at
tributed to Sirhan. It also makes
them candidates for the over
tures of the American far right
and white racists.”
The Post report named four
Arab-American organizations that
had been active before the as
sassination. They are the United
American Arab Congress, form
ed after Israel’s victory in the
June, 19C7, Six-Day War “to help
raise funds for Arab refugees
and to combat ‘support of Zion
ism by the American prem’; the
Amerioan Arab Citizens Council;
the Americans (of Lebanese-Syr-
ian ancestry) for America; and
the Arabic Society of American
ists.
The United American Arab
Congress has likened Israel to
“Nazi Germany” and “Fascist
Japan” in its propaganda, Mr.
Larduer reported. “Sirhan does
not appear to have been a mem
ber of any of the Arabic organ
izations in the city,” he said, but
“according to one report, Sirhan
and several of his brothers at
tended meetings of the so-called
‘American Arabs’ which was al
legedly a youth auxiliary of the
UAAC.”
According to the Post report,
the Arab community in Los An
geles has been the target of a
few minor incidents by cranks
since the assassination. But Sir-
han’s family is under tight se
curity guard. Mr. Larduer said
it was an open question how suc
cessful the Arab organizations
have been in resisting overtures
from the extreme right. “One
UAAC newsletter last summer
warned against ‘white racist
groups . . . coming out in support
of the Arabs’ and cautioned its
members against aligning them
selves with ‘hatemongers’,” Lar
duer said.
Open West Bank To Jordanians
For Summer Vacation Visits
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel
has cautiously embarked on an
experiment that will permit Jor
danians and visitors from other
Arab countries to spend their
summer vacations with relatives
The first such visitors, Pal
estinian students enrolled at
Arab universities, crossed the Al-
lenby Bridge near Jericho Sun
day. According to Col. Shlotno
Gazit, director of the military
government department of the Is
raeli General Staff, “the experi
ment is for one month only" and
“after we see how it works we
will consider the next batch” of
applicants.
An initial total of 3,000 appli
cations out of some 10,000 havr-
been approved for the first month.
The applications are made by
West Bank residents.
Gen. Odd Bull
Comes To Talk
With U. Thant
UNITED NATIONS (JTA) —
Lieut-Gen. Odd Bull, chief of the
United Nations observers, has ar
rived in New York for consul
tations with Secretary-General U
Thant.
While UN officials and Gen.
Bull himself continue to regard
him as head of the UN Truce
Supervision Organization, Israel
no longer recognizes the existence
of that body nor the 1949 armis
tice agreements on which it was
based.
The UN Secretariat and a num
ber of the Security Council pow
ers, Including the United States,
would like to see the cease-fire
observation arrangement! now in
force along the Suez Canal ex
tended the entire length of the
Jordan-Israel cease-fire line —
the scene of continuing serious
cease-fire violations.
Col. Gazit said the visitors
would be permitted to visit Jer
usalem in accordance with the
Government policy of guarantee
ing free access to the Holy Places
and that they might apply for
permission to travel throughout
Israel. He said one of the aims
of the experiment was to let the
vacationers see for themselves
that conditions on the West Bank
are far better than reported in
the Arab press.
Permission will not be granted
the visitors to go to the Gaza
Strip. Also barred are applicants
for Visitors from Egypt, Syria and
Algeria, the countries that have
tabeh the most militant stands
against Israel.
Col. Gazit said that about 40
percent of the applications re
ceived to date are on behalf of
people living in Jordan, 20 per
cent on behalf of Arabs from
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and
the rest for Arabs in 20 other
countries. He said that the ap
plicants would be responsible for
the behavior of their guests and
that if there were any mass de
monstrations the program would
be stopped.
Against Continued
Nazi Prosecution
MUNICH (JTA)—Franz Josef
Strauss, the Federal Finance Min
ister and chairman of the Chris
tian Social Union Party, has
spoken out against the continued
prosecution of Nazi war crim
inals beyond the end of next
year. He told a C3SU youth group
that the “cleansing operation,
conducted for more than 20 years
cannot go on that way.” He said
the time had come to call a
halt.
Three years ago, a Bundestag
voted to extend the 20-year sta
tute of limitations for war
crimes until Jan. 1, 1970. Mr.
Strauss «M he did not sympath
ize with (to Nazis but indicated
enough sees enough in prosecut
ing offenses at
Eshkol States
Jewish Agency
Role Continues
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Prime
Minister Levi Eshkol has given
his assurance that the Jewish
Agency will be expected to con
tinue to exercise responsibility for
“needy immigrants and refugees”
notwithstanding the establishment
of a Ministry of Absorption by
the Government.
Mr. Eshkol stated that position
in a letter to Aryeh L. Pincus,
chairman of the Jewish Agency
The letter was intended to clarify
the future position of the Jewish
Agency which many believe is
in jeopardy as a result of the
Cabinet’s decision a week ago to
set up an Absorption Ministry.
Delegates to the 27th World
Zionist Coegress, especially those
involved in fund-raising for Israel
abroad, had expressed fear that
the new ministry was intended
to usurp the Jewish Agency’s
functions in the sphere of im
migrant absorption and that this
would have repercussions on
fund-raising overseas. Some of
those delegates told the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency that Mr.
Eshkol’s letter had relieved thteir
anxiety.
The text of the letter to Mr.
Pincus was approved by the Cab
inet. It said: “From the various
meetings which we have held
together it is clear that there
have arisen some misunderstand
ings as a result of the decision
of the Government as announced
June 9 (to establish an Absorp
tion Ministry). In order to re
move any dhubt, I wish to state
that the Government did not in
tend by that decision to take over
responsibility relating to needy
immigrants and refugees which
has always been primarily the
responsibility of world Jewry. In
establishing the Ministry of Ab
sorption, its functions and respon
sibilities will have to be deter
mined by a joint committee of
the Government end Jewish
Agency which has been appointed
and will report shortly.”
Fuller Jewish Life
Chief Aliyah Goal
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The des
ire to lead a fuller Jewish life
is replacing Zionism as the prin
cipal reason for settlement in Is
rael by Jews from the United
States and Canada, according to
a study by the Israel Institute for
Applied Social Research submitt
ed to the 27th World Zionist Con
gress. The study found that such
personal factors as anti-Semitism
and opposition to American na
tional policies were minor rea
sons for aliyah (immigration). A
total of 1,672 American newcom
ers, who came to Israel before
March, 1966 and who were more
than 18 years old on arrival,
were interviewed in the study.
They constituted 83 percent of the
newcomers, who ranged in age
to 65.
JWB Issues
200-Game
Publication
n'&o
o. 25
NEW IMMIGRANTS — Upstanding and curious about their new
homeland, two oFfour swans here are debarking from an El A1
Israel Airlines plane at Lod Airport, under the watchful eyes of
Stewardess Sarah Negev. The swans, by now swimming placid
ly around their new habitat on the Sea of Galilee, are a gift
from Stuttgart, Germany.
High Court Upholds N. Y. Law
On Books; Affirms Right to Sue
WASHINGTON, (JTA)— The
United States Supreme Court, in
a six-to-three decision, has up
held a New York State law that
requires public school systems to
lend textbooks to students in pa
rochial and other private schools.
But in anoth'” - ruling, the
Court decided eight-to-one that
taxpayer suits may be brought
challenging Federal aid to pa
rochial schools. The latter decis
ion reversed a 1923 finding by
the Supreme Court that individ
ual taxpayers lacked standing in
such cases because their individ
ual tax payments were too small
to prove adequate personal in
volvement. It cleared the way
for a suit by sevcji New York
residents who contend that Fed
eral aid to pupils in church-re
lated schools violates the Consti
tution.
The Amerioan Jewish Congress,
one of several organizations spon
soring the New Yorkers’ test case,
hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling
as a “landmark decision” which
“gives new life to the First
Amendment” and “marks the end
of the anomalous situation under
which violations of the principle
of separation of church and state
through use of public funds for
parochial schools have been im
mune from challenge in the
courts.”
Howard M. Squadron, chairman
of the AJCongress’ commission on
law and social action, said that
“we are now prepared to pro
ceed with our suit to bring to a
halt the use of Federal funds
under the Elementary and Sec
ondary Education Act (of 1965)
to provide teachers and equip
ment for sectarian schools.”
District 5, B’nai B’rith Women
Meet in Florida June 29-July 2
NEW YORK—“200 Games for
Jewish Groups” is the title of a
publication just issued by the
National Jewish Welfare Board.
The manual’s emphasis is on
games for Jewish groups and
games for project readiness. In
cluded are Bible Games, Games
Related to Lsrael, Games for
Sukkot, Hanuka, Hu B’Shvat,
Purim, Passover, Lag B-Omer,
and Shavuot, suggestions of
games which challenge creativ
ity, social mixers, party games,
and many other games, in addi
tion to a suggested list of re
sources.
B’nai B’rith Women District
Five will hold its twenty-eighth
annual convention at the Diplo
mat Hotel, Hollywood-By-The-
Sea, Florida, June 29 through
July 2.
B’nai B’rith Women is an in
ternational Jewish service or
ganization of 140,000 members
engaging in civic, educational
and philanthropic programs. Dis
trict Five includes the District
of Columbia and six southeas
tern states from Maryland to
Florida.
The convention will be held
in conjunction with the Men’s
B’nai B’rith District Grand
Lodge No. 5.
Rabbi Jay Kaufman, executive
vice president of B’nai B’rith,
will give the keynote address to
approximately 500 delegates at
a joint opening session on Sat
urday evening, June 29. Rabbi
Kaufman was formerly vice
president of the Union of Amer
ican Hebrew Congregations, and
assistant to the president of that
organization.
Greetings will be extended at
the opening session by Holly
wood Mayor Maynard Abrams.
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