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Tiie Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Established 1925
Vol. XLVI! Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, September 15, 1972 Two Sections—16 Pages No. 37
Munich Tragedy Dominating World Scene
(SPECIAL)—The Munich vic
tims of Arab terrorism this
week continued to dominate de
velopments vis-a-vis Jewish
people everywhere.
Memorial services were un
doubtedly held in one form or
another wherever Jews congre
gated for the High Holy Day
services on Rosh Hashana.
In many communities, such
as Atlanta, Christian Council of
local ministers issued a state
ment of condolence and sym
pathy regarding the tragedy
which was read from every
pulpit.
Other developments at vari
ous points of the globe in
cluded these highlights:
In Brussels, a 42-year-old Is
raeli diplomat, Zadok Offir, was
shot and wounded by what of
ficials believed to be a renew
ed terrorist attack. The shoot
ing followed a telephone call to
the Israeli Embassy purported
ly to set up a meeting to supply
information about Palestinian
plans to attack an Israeli instal
lation. Offir kept the appoint
ment in a downtown cafe . . .
but received four bullets rather
than information.
Chief Rabbi of Denmark Bent
Melchior was placed under pol
ice protection following an
anonymous telephone call warn
ing him his life was in danger.
Elsewhere in Denmark, police
guarded oil refineries and other
installations believed to be tar
gets of Arab terrorists. A West
German alert had indicated acts
of sabotage were planned. An
unconfirmed report placed Arab
terrorists, possibly including
Leila Khaled, unsuccessful hi
jacker of an El A1 plane two
years ago, in Denmark.
German police at Munich
took three Arabs into custody
Monday and more than 55 de
parting Arab passengers were
delayed by security checks. The
three were detained because
their names were found on
paper in the wallet of one of
the terrorists killed last week.
At United Nations headquar
ters in New York, the United
States exercised its veto power
for only the second time. Ob
ject of the historic move was a
resolution before the Security
Council which failed to con
sider the provocation of Arab
terrorism in Munich in connec
tion with Israel’s air strikes at
terrorist bases in Syria and
Lebanon. Israel diplomats and
American Jewish organization
heads praised the action of Am
bassador George Bush.
New York B’nai B’rith coun
cils staged a five-day vigil for
the 11 Israeli athletes slain at
Munich. Elsewhere, B’nai B’rith
Youth Organizations are honor
ing the Olympians by naming
new chapters after them.
An Atlanta chapter will mem
orialize Andre Spitzer, while
American-Israeli David Berger
will have a chapter in Shaker
Heights, Ohio, his home town,
named for him.
In Atlanta, typical of the
agonizing concern aroused by
the deaths of the Israelis in
Germany was this statement
issued by Sam Nunn, candidate
for the United States Senate
from Georgia and recent win
ner of the Democratic Party
run-off:
“1 join with all decent peo
ple in sympathy for the Inno
cent men who were killed in
Munich. But it is not enough to
offer words of condolence to the
families of the slain Israeli
BONN (JTA) — Last week’s
Munich murders continued to
reverberate this week in West
Germany. Chancellor Willy
Brandt called for a “frank” and
“ruthless” inquiry into the
events in which 11 members of
Israel’s Olympic squad were
killed by Arab terrorists and
five terrorists and a German
policeman were slain during an
airport shoot-out.
In Munich, Interior Minister
Hans Dietrich Genscher urged
the Bonn government to ban all
Arab tourism into West Ger
many “for the foreseeable fu
ture.” Police in Munich had
meanwhile cordoned off the en
tire Olympic Village after re
ceiving an anonymous tip that
there may be more terrorist
outrages. The games ended Mon
day.
The Black September, the ex-
Olympians. We condemn the
cowardly terrorists who com
mitted these acts.
“The time has come for us
also to condemn those govern
ments who have harbored and
sanctioned these criminal ele
ments and who have made their
deeds possible.
“The United Nations has fail
ed to take any effective action
to stop hijacking plane bombing
and terror killing. If the UN
fails now to act, it will share
the blame for the consequ
ences.
‘The peace of the world may
well depend on the community
of nations to insist that this
reign of terror end.
“The people of Israel have
shown the world that only
through strength can peace be
found. We Americans must sup
port their search for peace, and
wo must remember that we
need to remain strong our
selves.”
tremist terrorist group responsi
ble for the Munich blood-bath,
warned that Germany would
suffer a disaster “from which it
will not soon recover” unless
three captured terrorists are set
free, West German authorities
warned German Jews not to
open mail or parcels they might
receive during the Rosh Hash-
ana holidays on the chance they
might be booby-trapped. Mun
ich police have been ordered
to tighten surveillance of Arabs
in the city and tight security
has been ordered around the
city’s foreign embassies.
Brandt’s demand for a full
dress inquiry appeared to be at
least in part an indirect re
sponse to criticism from some
Israeli quarters that West Ger
man security forces bungled
their attempt to rescue the
Continued on page 8
Memorial for Young Israeli Martyrs
By ELMO I. ELLIS*
Every nation sends the flower of its youth.
And so from the Promised Land they came,
Big, handsome muscular hoys and men,
Some born within the shadow of Jerusalem’s
sacred walls,
And others newly-arrived to the hills and towns
of their ancient fathers,
All proud and free to represent their country
In tests of strength and stamina and skill.
They came in peace, trustful of a nation
Where only a few years ago their kin by millions
had burned and died.
No danger now, for here comradeship and goodwill
reigned,
And war, deposed, deferred to joyful games.
They came, these sons of David and of Abraham.
They marched into the valley of the shadow,
Never knowing or daring suspect that death awaited.
i They played and laughed and sang and slept,
! And opened the door to a stranger’s knock in the
darkness before dawn,
Turning life upside down.
And when the shades of another night had fallen,
So had the Olympic warriors of Israel,
Martyrs all, sacrificed to insanity.
Douse the lights that blaze above the Olympic games.
Let the flickering flames of memorial candles
penetrate the darkness.
On the cool breeze of the approaching New Year in
Israel
Listen to the cries of the living for the dead,
Weeping for the innocent sons, weeping for young
husbands, weeping for the fathers of little
children.
If you pray, pray that justice will be speedy for those
ivho profane Holy Commandments■
Pray that peace will come softly and gently to those
who mourn,
And for a world that is too much obsessed with hating
and killing, pray for help to heal ourselves
with understanding and love.
•Mr. Ellis is general manager and
commentator for WSB radio.
Brandt Calls for
Full Munich Inquiry
Rusk Pessimistic About Early Peace in Mid East
By ADOLPH ROSENBERG
Pessimism about Middle East
peace during the 1970’s was ex
pressed by former Secretary of
State Dean Rusk, speaking re
cently before the opening of the
1972-73 season by Gate City
Lodge of B’nai B’rith.
The Middle East, said the
former diplomat now turned
professor of international law at
the University of Georgia at
Athens, presents intractable,
difficult problems "about which
I feel rather pessimistic for an
early peace.”
These problems will require
concessions on both sides, con
cessions which neither side is
prepared to make, he added.
Major concessions, Dean Rusk
indicated will have to be made
on the part of Israel as well as
by the Arab world, he noted.
If the United States can sit
down with North Viet Nam, it
would appear, in his opinion,
that the Arab governments
could sit down with leaders of
Israel.
Yet, the leaders know their
governments would not survive
if they did. He doubted also
that the Israel government
would survive, either.
In short, he summed up the
situation, prospects are not very
promising.
“What we can hope for is an
absence of hostilities with pri
vate contacts going on between
both sides,” he declared.
I hope that the governments
in the area will find ways of
contact. I do not believe it will
come from the outside ... I
have no doubt that the United
States has a commitment to
Israel’s existence, but not to all
territorial problems. (He was
making special note to the in
ternationalization of Jerusalem,
which all parties seem for the
time being, to put aside at the
moment.)
Introducing his talk on the
prospects for peace in the world
with comment about the Olym
pics disaster, Rusk said “It Ls
rather ironic that in the past
few days we see again an act of
savagery that defies description
in the human family There is
still such depravity that it de
fies description. I have ex
pressed my sympathy to Consul
General Bonney.
Consul General and Mrs. Ben
iamin Bonney were guests at the
dinner meeting.
Later during a lively question
and answer period, the former
cabinet member under two
presidents was asked what could
bo done to halt such acts as the
Munich terrorism.
Very little, he concluded, add
ing there is a way of course:
the creation of such controlled
police states which would pre
vent travel and the free move
ment between nations . . . The
world family is not prepared to
pay such a price.
On an inferential question
about an anti-Israeli state de
partment, he explained that
diplomats attempt to deal with
problems in countries about
which they absolutely have no
control. This in contrast to
other U.S. action on the domes
tic scene in which there can be
control on several levels.
On the subject of the use of
nuclear weaponry, Rusk noted
that it has been 27 years since
one has been used—in a word
directed to young people in the
audience—and if these young
people can add another 25 years,
they’ll be doing well since by
then perhaps the use of such
weapons will be “unthinkable.”
People can drive themselves
into a psychotic state by the
presence of nuclear destruction.
He referred to the Baruch pro
posal to turn all nuclear weap
ons to the United Nations. This
was turned down by Russia.
He reviewed efforts of the
Nixon administration in the di
rection of international peace,
but refused to “quarterback”
comment as a matter of personal
policy in view of his prior in
volvement.
I am concerned, he said, about
the growing mood of isolation
ism in America . . . There is a
general feeling abroad in the
land that we should forget the
rest of the world and take care
of things here at home.
This is an antedeluvian idea,
where it would appear for many
of us here, at the time still in
high school, “where we came
in.”
Dean Rusk was introduced by
Leonard Diamond. Jerry Shur,
Lodge president-elect, de
scribed the season’s planned
program for 1972-73 — a “year
of involvement.” He outlined an
expanded series of activities, in
cluding a luncheon group,
meet-the-candidates time, angel
fund, aid to handicapped, Israel
leadership even tennis and
Bond activities, United Way
bowling.
President Leon Goldstein,
whose father at one time had
headed the lodge, introduced
Rabbi David Auerbach of Aha-
vath Achim for a memorial
emphasis on the Olympics’ Is
raeli dead.