Newspaper Page Text
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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry
Vol. XLVI
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, August 13, 1971
The Short and the Long ofg?
By Eliahu Salpeter
In the long run, a detente be
tween the U.S. and Red China
would probably benefit Israel.
But in the short run, the effect
may make things worse before
it makes them better and, in
some respects at least, it may
turn out to be a somewhat
mixed blessing.
As the Israelis see it, the only
real danger of imposed settle
ment would occur if Washington
winced first and decided to force
unacceptable concessions on Is
rael rather than to confront the
Russians. A Peking-Washington
detente would quite obviously
reduce the risks Moscow could
afford to take in any Middle
East brinkmanship. In fact, hav
ing to worry more than ever be
fore over its long borders with
China would make the Soviet
Union less able than before to
ask exhorbitant prices for any
concessions on its part in the
Mediterranean or other parts of
the world.
Russia’s official foreign affairs
weekly, The New Times, in one
of its first comments on the
planned Nixon trip to Peking,
warned its readers that a Chi-
nese-American detente would
enable the U.S. to shift the fo
cus of its attention from the Far
East to counter Soviet interests
in other places “for example
Europe and the Mediterranean.”
One needs not too much imagi
nation to realize what worries
Moscow. Should an end to in
volvement in Vietnam and a
general relaxation in the Far
East enable the U.S. to move
some planes to Western Europe
and some units of the Seventh
Fleet join the Sixth in the Med
iterranean, the impact of the
shift of balance in Russia’s favor
would be reduced, if not halted.
Yet, the Israelis also assume
that once the Communist Chi
nese are seated in the UN, they
may well become there the fo
cus of anti-Israel activity. This
would serve to prove that
though they made some deals
Dateline Jerusalem
with the Americans, they have
not sold out and continue to be
the “spearhead of anti-imperial
ist and anti-colonialist forces,”
as they like to describe them
selves. Moreover a Peking-
Washington rapprochement
would probably spur Soviet-
Chinese competition for the fa
vor of Afro-Asian nations, in
cluding the Arabs. This may
lead Moscow and Peking to try
to out-do each other in anti-
Israel attitude.
Not less serious may be the
deeper implications of any
Peking-Washington agreement,
particularly if it involves an un
derstanding on the resolution of
the Vietnam conflict. In fact,
that would mean that two super
powers get together to end a
protracted local war. Israel cer
tainly does not cherish prece
dents for the idet
settlement. If o,
stretch similarities
ther, one can mentio. status
of Taiwan. While nob- jy thinks
the U.S. would hand it over to
Peking, or even abandon its ob
ligation to defend the island,
neither could there presumably
be any understanding with
Peking while the U. S. recog
nizes any Nationalist claims or
rights to mainland China.
Troublesome as all these points
are, the debit side of the U.S.-
China balance still seems small
er, from Israel’s point of view,
than the credit side.
The restraints it would impose
o<-°-
<1°
\o0
■shed 1925
No. 33
a China Amity
. Moscow’s ability to black
mail Washington are probably
the most important, but certain
ly not the only aspect of it. A
Far East detente would, hope
fully, relieve a considerable part
of America’s diplomatic and mil
itary burden, enablng it to de
vote more time and resources to
counter Soviet penetration in the
Middle East. Quite the opposite
would be true for Moscow.
There would probably also be
some incidental, but quite im
portant, other benefits. It is
assumed, for example, that Mos
cow would have to make an all-
out effort to assure that India,
the last huge uncommitted en
tity, remains neutral in the Sov-
iet-Chinese contest. But keeping
India friendly will involve not
tens nor hundreds but thou
sands of millions of dollars. It
is rather improbable that the
Soviet economy could afford to
take on such a burden and at the
same time disburse largesse in
other parts of the world, for ex
ample in the Arab countries.
The Kremlin leaders might be
forced to make some hard cal
culations as to the priorities in
the allocation of their limited
Copyright 1971, JTA
JTA SPECIAL INTERVIEW
Malice -In - Wonderland
By JOEL MANDELBAUM
JTA STAFF REPORTER
AN INTELLIGENCE DISCLOSURE —
ISRAELIS SHOW HELMS HOW DEEPLY
SOVIETS ARE ENTRENCHED IN MIDEAST
NEW YORK (WUP)—Discussing CIA Director Richard Helms’
recent visit to Israel and his meetings with his counterparts of the
Shin Beth, Time Magazine in its July 26th, issue listed the following
revealing subjects taken up by the two Intelligence agencies:
1. Soviet-flown MIG-23s, which can fly 80,000 ft., an altitude
that Phantoms cannot reach are conducting intelligence missions
out of Egyptian bases.
2. Two electronics-crammed Russian ‘listening ships’ have been
stationed about 80 miles off the Israel coast.
3. Soviet radar installed on the ground in Egypt can monitor
air routes over Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan.
4. Hundreds of Soviet intelligence experts are at work in the
Middle East evaluating centers in Cairo and Alexandria.
5. Soviet agents are visiting Israel in increased numbers in the
guise of tourists, journalists, European businessmen and even im
migrating Jews ..." i
NEW YORK (JTA)— Before
he was expelled from Russia by
Soviet authorities last month,
Irving Silverman of Roslyn, L.I.,
learned during his short visit
there that there is “remarkable
sympathy” amongst Soviet non-
Jews for their Jewish country
men who want to emigrate.
He also discovered that “sur
prisingly, many Soviet citizens
are willing to talk”; that Soviet
Jews seek accurate information
about Israel, and that not all
Soviet Jews want to leave Rus
sia.
Discussing his trip to Russia
and the circumstances of his ex
pulsion, Silverman, the 51-year-
old associate chairman of the
Long Island Committee for So
viet Jewry, indicated that
whereas he travels abroad in
order to interact with foreigners
and ascertain their aspirations
for the future, Soviet authorities
apparently prefer that visitors
to Russia confine themselves to
past history as displayed in
museums. For after 16 days of
a scheduled 20day trip there,
he and Leonard Schuster, a
member of the Greater Phila
delphia Council on Soviet Jew
ry, were suddenly and swiftly
expelled. According to the au
thorities, Silverman told the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the
members of a Kiev synagogue
protested that the two Amer
icans had insulted them with
fabrications about Jews not
being free and equal in Russia
and with suggestions that they
leave Russia for Israel.
“I’m so damn indignant at
what they did,” said Silverman,
who is also a vice president of
the United Synagogue of Amer
ica. “I’m terribly angry that I
was asked to leave. It’s the
worst frustration of all” Ha
said he was very annoyed- too,
that the Russian authorities re
fused to accept any response to
the charges against him. He was
not permitted to confront his
accusers— supposedly the Kiev
Jews—and he was not allowed
to appeal the decision to expel
him.
Silverman says that contrary
to the Soviet government’s “lie”
that Russians were antagonized
by him, he found them anxious
to meet him and his wife and
talk to them about life in the
United States and Israel. Insist
ing that he did not discuss poli
tics while in Russia, Silverman
said hundreds of Russians
SB M» 4
BViai B'rith's Dynamic
Rabbi Kaufman Dies
(
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Fu
neral services were conducted at
Temple Sinai Sunday for Rabbi
Jay Kaufman, 52, executive
vice president of B’nai B’rith,
who died Thursday night of
pneumonia after an illness of
several months. He had been in
the hospital for 11 days. B’nai
B’rith International cancelled its
Board of Governors meeting
Sisco's Visit Falls Short, Claim Rabin, Galili
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two
Israeli leaders agreed this week
that Joseph Sisco, Assistant Sec
retary of State, had failed
during his week-long talks in
Israel to bridge the gap between
Egypt and Israel on conditions
for an interim agreement to re
open the Suez Canal.
Israel Galili, Minister With
out Portfolio who often serves
as an unofficial spokesman for
Israel’s Cabinet, said in a radio
interview that, in making that
judgment, he was quoting Sisco’s
comments at a press conference
here before he left for Wash
ington. Galili said that the canal
reopening did not appear to be
“a practical proposition for the
present” but he warned against
any Israeli stand of blocking the
whole idea. In time, he said, it
might become the basis for ne
gotiations.
Gen. Yitzhak Rabin, Israel’s
ambassador to the United States
told newsmen before leaving for
Washington, that the gaps be
tween the Egyptian and Israeli
positions were just as wide as
titey were before the Sisco visit.
Rabin said the Nixon Admini
stration did not have a fixed
position on conditions for an in
terim settlement to reopen the
canal, declaring that taking such
a stance would have meant that
the United States would have
lost its position as an arbitrator
and become “a sided partner.”
Rabin said such an action
would be similar to the “mis
take” made by Dr. Gunnar Jar
ring, the special United Nations
Mideast peace emissary, in is
suing a document stating a pos
ition on the Mideast issues. He
said that by doing so, Dr. Jar
ring had made himself a part
ner in the dispute and that un
less he withdrew his document,
he could not re-assume his role
as mediator. Dr. Jarring return
ed to his post in Moscow as
Swedish Ambassador to the
USSR when the Nixon Admin
istration undertook the initiative
which brought about the cease
fire.
Rabin also said that a bal
ance of weapons in the Mideast
was a condition for maintenance
of the cease-fire and that the
United States had not linked
continuation of arms supply to
Israel with any political move.
He added that he did not ex
clude the possibility that a stage
might arrive at which the U. S.
might use weapons supply as a
means of pressure. He stressed
the fact that the Israeli Defense
Forces had been “greatly sup
plied” during the first year of
the cease-fire with weapons and
most of them came from the
United States.
The unanimity of Israel’s op
position to both Sisco’s report
ed terms and Egypt’s announced
conditions for reopening the
canal was dramatized by a re
port that no member of the Cab
inet had any critical comment
at the regular Cabinet meeting
on the rejection of Sisco’s re
ported conditions by Premier
Golda Meir and Foreign Mini
ster Abba Eban in their talks
last week with the American
diplomat. The Cabinet unanim
ously endorsed the stand taken
by Mrs. Meir and Eban and ap
proved continuation of the talks
in accordance with the com
munique published last Thurs
day when the talks with Sisco
were concluded. It was reported
also that Gen. Rabin will res
ume contact with Sisco and
other U. S. officials soon after
his return to Washington. But
sources here said that Egyptian
President Sadat’s latest pro
nouncement, in which he re
peated his demands for an Is
raeli commitment for total with
drawal from the occupied areas,
left little chance that any prog
ress could be made soon on an
interim agreement.
The Egyptian press, citing
reports from Israel, called the
Sisco mission a failure, it was
reported in London from Cairo.
The powerful Cairo newspaper,
A1 Ahram. which often reflects
the views of the Egyptian gov
ernment, said the mission had
failed because Israel had reject
ed the presence of Egyptian
troops in any part of the canal’s
east bank section vacated by a
partial Israeli pullback, be
cause Israel asked for an un
limited extension of the cease
fire and because Israel refused
to make a commitment for total
withdrawal from the occupied
areas. But there was no indica
tion that the Egyptian govern
ment had given up hope for
U. S. pressure on Israel for an
interim agreement to re-open
the canal.
scheduled for the weekend.
B’nai B’rith president, Dr.
William A. Wexler said: “Rabbi
Kaufman brought deep commit
ment and inspiration to tke
councils of B’nai B’rith. Hia
judgment and vision were re
inforced by an eloquence that
made him a natural leader of
men. He was proud of Jewish
tradition and aspiration. He im
bued his activities and his words
with that pride and he left a
lasting impact on the Jewish
community he served so nobly.
His death diminishes us.”
As executive director of the
service organization, Rabbi
Kaufman supervised special pro
grams for teenagers and col
legians, vocational counseling
and adult education, civil rights
and intergroup activities, civic
and veterans’ services, public af
fairs programs and philanthro
py-
Born in Cleveland, he was or
dained by the Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Re
ligion in 1946 and received an
honorary degree from it two
months ago. Rabbi Kaufman
was a founder of the Confer
ence of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations,
chairman of the Jewish Educa
tion Committee of the World
Conference of Jewish Organiza
tions, a governor of the World
Union for Progressive Judaism
and chairman of its Committee
on Israel, vice president of the
Union of American Hebrew
Congregations, and a member of
the boards of the Synagogue
Council of America, the Nation
al Jewish Welfare Board, the
Zionist Organization of Amer
ica and other groups. He lived in
Chevy Chase, Md.