Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Established 1925
Vol. XLIII
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, July 12, 1968
Israeli Government Silent Cabinet OKs
On U. S. Sale of Hawk Batteries N am ' n 9 Allon
To New Post
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No. 28
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel
maintained official silence on
announcement by the Defense
Department in Washington that
the United States has agreed to
sell Israel additional batteries of
Hawk surface-to-air missiles
under a credit arrangement.
There was no editorial com
ment either in Israel’s press. The
agreement was the first for the
sale of U. S. military equipment
to Israel since the June, 1967
Arab-Israel war.
Some political circles here
took the Pentagon’s announce
ment to be an attempt by the
U. S. to“buy off Israel” which had
been seeking other types of A-
merican arms, mainly the super
sonic Phantom jet fighter-bomb
ers, the most advanced operative
warplane in the U. S. arsenal.
But other sources here noted
that the sale of the Hawks was
only the logical continuation of
an old agreement. The U. S.
agreed to sell Hawks to Israel
in 1962 to offset weapons ac
quired by the Arab states from
the Soviet bloc. Enough missiles
to form a battalion w^re deliv
ered to Israel in 1965 at a cost
of $25 million.
A battalion normally has a
total of 24 Hawk missile launch
ers each bearing three missiles.
The new sale, according to the
Pentagon, involves “additional
batteries.” A battery has six
launchers and 18 missiles. The
Hawk — Homing All-the-Way-
Killer—can destroy aircraft at
altitudes as low as 100 feet and
as high as 38,000 feet, which is
considered “medium" altitude.
In Washington a Defense De
partment spokesman disclosed
that agreement on the Hawk
transaction was reached June 29
but refused to say how many
batteries were involved. The an
nouncement did say however
that the “acquisition by Israel of
additional Hawks should en
hance its ability to defend itself
against air attacksi”
That gave rise to speculation
that the missiles were viewed
by the U. S. as a substitute for
the 50 Phantom jets that were
requested by Prime Minister
Levi Eshkol during his visit
with President Johnson last Jan
uary.
The Administration has since
been under strong pressure from
many Congressmen and from
political candidates to sell the
Phantoms to Israel in view of
the massive Soviet build-up of
Egypt’s Air Force. But the State
Department is believed to have
sought to defer the sale. Some
observers in Washington said
that the State Department rec
ommended to the White House
that a formula be found to bol
ster Israel’s air defense but
her the Phantoms which could
be used offensively. The Hawk
is a purely defensive weapon.
Latin American Parley Urges Be Protested
Moscow To Fill Reunion Pledge
SANTIAGO de Chile (JTA)—
A conference of leading Latin
American i n t e 1 lectuals and
writers on the plight of Jews in
Russia closed here with the
adoption of a resolution demand
ing that the Soviet Government
grant Jews the same cultural
and religious freedoms enjoyed
by other ethnic groups in the
USSR and that it honor the Dec.
3, 1966 pledge by Premier Alexei
Kosygin in Paris that Russian
Jews would be permitted to emi
grate to be reunited with their
families abroad.
The conference, which opened
last Thursday, brought together
Cabinet Transmits
Plan For Reform
In Education
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The
Cabinet has approved and for
warded to the Knesset (Parlia
ment) a plan to reform the Is
rael school system, basing it on
three educational stages of six,
three and three years instead of
the present eight and four year
steps. One of the recommenda
tions adopted by a divided Cab
inet calls for raising compulsory
and free schooling to nine years
instead of the present eight
while an alternative draft pro
posed to raise it to 10 years.
Elementary school teachers re
cently held a one-day strike in
protest against the expected im
minent approval of the plan
which was worked out by a Par
liamentary committee. Proposals
of Prof. Yehoshua Praver, chair
man of the advisory council on
education to the Minister of Ed
ucation and Culture, formed the
basis of the proposed reforms.
48 intellectuals from eight Latin
American countries, among them
a former President of Guate
mala, leading academicians and
editors and directors of some of
the continent’s foremost news
papers and periodicals.
It was the first gathering of
its kind in Latin America de
moted to the condition of Soviet
Jewry and drew participants
whose political p h i 1 osophies
ranged from the conservative to
the extreme left-wing. Its im
pact on the orthodox Communist
apparatus here was reflected in
the local Communist daily, El
Siglo, which condemned the
gathering as an “anti-Commun
is t, Zionist provocation.”
The resolution demanded that
the Kremlin immediately cease
all forms of discrimination
against Jews and Judaism and
return to Soviet Jewish citizens
their rights guaranteed in the
Soviet Constitution. It urged
that Russian Jews be allowed
to live their lives as they wish
ed and to transmit their lang
uage, literature, tradition and
historic culture to their chil
dren.
Knesset Rejects
Upper House Plan
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The
Knesset has rejected a private
member’s bill to establish an up
per house in the Israeli Parlia
ment. The bill had been intro
duced by Uri Avneri, an inde
pendent member, who said the
purpose was to advance senior
members of thp Knesset to ah
upper bouse to enable the inflow
of “fresh blood" into the exist
ing house.
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Dr.
William A. Wexler, internation
al president of B’nai Brith, has
sent a special communication to
B’nai B’rith officials and leaders
throughout the country deplor
ing Senate efforts to block the
nomination of Abe Fortas as
Chief Justice of the United
States.
Dr. Wexler said the B’nai
B’rith could not remain indiffer-
et to an anti-democratic filibus
ter now threatening to deny an
eminently qualified jurist the
honor of becoming the first Jew
to serve as Chief Justice of the
United States.
The Wexler statement was is
sued in response to requests for
guidance from all sections of the
nation. Mr. Wexler deplored the
use of the Fortas appointment as
a “political football.” He said he
expects that members of B’nai
B’rith, as individuals, will want
to inform their Senators immed
iately of their confidence in Mr.
Fortas and their resentment of
the tactics used against him,
Canada Parliament
To Seat Eight Jews
TORONTO (JTA)—Eight Jews
will hold seats in the new Ca
nadian Parliament, four of them
members of Prime Minister Pi
erre Elliott Trudeau’s Liberal
Party, three representing the
New Democratic party and one
Conservative. The latter, Jack
Marshall, will be the first Con
servative Jewish member of
Parliament in Canada since the
Confederation. His constituency
is Humber-St. George’s-St. Bar-
be in the maritime province of
Newfoundland, which has a
small Jewish population.
The eight will be the largest
number of Jews ever to sit in
Canada’s Parliament. There
might have been nine, but re
districting deprived Montreal,
which has Canada's largest Jew
ish population, of the represen
tation of Milton Klein. The
former incumbent is now with
out a constituency.
Q'Cl
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IgS
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The
Cabinet has approved Prime
Minister Levi Eshkol’s propos
ed reshuffle of portfolios with
only the Gahal (Herut-Liberal)
Parliament faction in dissent
Mr. Eshkol made formal an
nouncement of the changes to
the Knesset (Parliament) but
debate on the matter was post
poned owing to the convention
of the Liberal Party whose
members were absent from the
chamber.
Labor Minister Yigal Allon
will be raised to the rank of
Deputy Prime Minister and he
will be placed in charge of the
new Ministry of Absorption.
Yosef Almogi of the Rafi faction
will become Labor Minister. The
Gahal members voted against
the proposals. They told a meet
ing of Labor Party ministers
headed by Mr. Eshkol that they
wanted a much larger role in
the Cabinet if the proposed
changes were introduced. The
National Religious Party voted
for the appointments of Gen.
Allon and Mr. Almogi to their
respective Cabinet posts but
voted against the appointment of
Aillon as Deputy Prime Minister.
Wexler Urges
Fortas Block
MERIDIAN, hi
More arrests are4 — in
connection with tne capture of
a suspected night-rider who
may be connected with bomb
ing of synagogues and a rabbi’s
home, Police Chief Roy Gunn
says.
The police and other law en
forcement agencies are seeking
possible cohorts of Thomas Al
bert Tarrants 3d, 22 years old,
who was wounded by police aft
er he fled from the yard of a
prominent Jewish businessman’s
home here, leaving behind a
box containing 29 dynamite
sticks.
Chief Gunn said that Mr. War
rants was in fair condition with
numerous wounds at a local hos
pital and is charged with at
tempted murder with a deadly
weapon. He wounded a police
man in an exchange of fire when
police who had staked out the
home of Meyer Davidson, 51,
pursued him. His woman com
panion Mrs. Ralph (Cathy) Ains
worth, 26, who was in his car
was killed.
Chief Gunn said Mr. Tarrants
had been a “prime suspect” in
the bombing of Temple Beth El
here in May, the residence and
synagogue of Rabbi Perry Nuas-
baum in nearby Jackson, a cot
tage at predominantly Negro
Tougaloo College near Jackson,
and other homes. The officer
said he “now considers 11 re
cent acts of violence in Meridian
as being solved.’ Mr. Davidson’s
home had been under surveil
lance after he put up a $75,000
reward following the bombing
of the Meridian Reform temple.
Chief Gunn said he found a
notebook in Mr. Tarrants’ pocket
which contained the following
note: “Gentlemen: I have com
mitted myself to defeating the
Communist-Jew con s p i r a c y
Histadrut Plans
To Transfer Office
BRUSSELS (JTA)—Histadrut,
Israel’s labor federation, will
transfer its European office
from London to Brussels soon.
The organization’s current Euro
pean representative, Eli Marx,
is concluding his four-year tour
and will be succeeded by Hana
Lehmann.
In Tel Aviv, Israel Stolarsky,
associate director of the Nation
al Committee for Labor-Israel in
the United States, speaking at a
symposium on the Histadrut,
said American Jewish and non-
Jewish circles want Histadrut to
increase its activities in the U. S.
American Makes Gift
To Dutch Synajrogrue
AMSTERDAM (JTA)—Amer
ican Jewish industrialist Joseph
Foster, owner of the Foster
Grant Chemical Works in Breda,
The Netherlands, has contribut
ed 75,000 Dutch guilders (about
$25,000) to the small Jewish
congregation in Breda toward
construction of a new synagogue.
Christian groups have already
collected 10,000 guilders (about
$3,000) for this purpose.
School Accredited
DENVER (JTA) — Hillel A-
cademy, the only Hebrew day
school in the Rocky Mountain
region has been officially ac
credited by the Colorado Depart
ment of Education. The academy
is the only private elementary
school in the state to receive ac
creditation.
threatens our country —
any means necessary shall be
used. Please be advised that
since 23 March, 1968, I . . . hare
been underground and operating
guerilla warfare. I have always
believed in military action
against the Communist enemy.”
Chedf Gunn said he believed
rewards for information leading
to the conviction of the local
bomber had been $85,000. It was
unclear to whom the note Mr.
Tarrants had written was ad
dressed, he said. He declined to
questions about whether
Jewish homes in Meridian
and Jackson had been under po
lios surveillance.
The Meridian synago g u e,
whose rabbi is Milton I. Schla-
ger, is planning to be rebuilt by
the High Holy Days. The cost of
the repairs is net known yet,
Rabbi Schlager said. Its religi
ous school was damaged but the
sanctuary of the $400,000 build
ing escaped unscathed.
Melbourne May
Guard Synagogues
MELBOURNE, Australia (JTA)
—A spokesman for the Victoria
Jewish Board of Deputies warn
ed here that the Jewish com
munity may be forced to mount
guards at its synagogues because
of a wave of vandalism. The
Carlton Hebrew Congregation
here was broken into twice
within a week. The latest act of
vandalism caused an estimated
$3,000 in damages. It occurred
when the congregation had just
finished cleaning up sifter an
earlier break-in.
Israel Granted
Year's Extension
In Common Mart
BRUSSELS (JTA)—The Coun
cil of Ministers of the European
Economic Community has de
cided to extend for the period
of one year the temporary re
duction of customs duties on
certain items imported from Is
rael by member states.
The original agreement grant
ed Israel certain customs ad
vantages up to June 1968. Israel
has been pressing for an associ
ate membership status in the
Common Market. But, applica
tions for membership in the
market have been frozen be
cause of the difficult problems
occupying the six member coun
tries.
Israel’s bid for associate
membership has been held up
mainly because of opposition by
France.
Hail Citizenship
Of British Jews
LONDON (JTA)—British Home
Secretary James Callaghan
speaking at a Guildhall dinner
marking the silver jubilee of the
Leo Baeck Lodge of B’nai B’rith
hailed the Jewish community of
Britain for its contributions to
the vigor and strength of the
country. Mr. Callaghan declared
that British Jews have brought
a “productive approach to the
nation’s commerce and industry
and contributed substantially to
the advancement of the arts.
“You are a gifted people,” he
said, adding, “If you were not
I don’t know how long you could
have survived.” Quinton Hogg,
Shadow Cabinet Home Secre
tary, said that most Jews had
come to Britain persecuted and
ignorant of the language and
have built themselves into a
solidly responsible and respected
body of British citizenry.