Ise

Page Fifty-two

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

low the Government of Israel
is Run Told in Brief Outline

Friday, October 1, MI

In Detroit Concert

A N EXCELLENT birdseye view of the Sewish State

•

is given
ih the following article in the Sept. 23 issue of The Nation
by I. D. W. Talmadge, foreign affairs editor of Scholastic. Ta1-
inzsdge has just .returned from a special trip to Israel for the
magazine.
The State of Israel, unlike a dictatorial state. Any sugges-
Rome, was built in a day. With- tion of totalitarianism is repug-
in 24 hours after the British nant to the Jewish masses. Ac-
pulled out, the Jews had a fully cordingly, strikes were not out-
functioning state. They had a lawed despite the desperate
cabinet and a provisional par- struggle for national survival.
ti
• •
lia. ent. From nowhere they
prcluced an army, an air force, HALF STRENGTH
and even a sizable naval fleet.
I TALKED WITH an official
Before the last Tommy had of the Ministry of Police. "The
stepped aboard the last ship for outgoing government can scarce-
England, an effective Jewish ly be said to have handed over
government was in operation— to us any central police orga-
complete from Prime Minister nization," he told me. But by
down to sanitation inspector.
the end of last month about
• • •
100 officers, 70 N. C. O.'s, and
TARE OVER POSTS
1,300 men had been trained and
OVERNIGHT A NEW, prefab- posted.
"The Israeli police is still at
ricated structure of administra-
tion was erected. Jewish per- less than half strength," this
sonnel moved in and took over official continued. "For exam-
the offices and bureaus vacated ple, the department cannot pro-
by the British. Essential gov- vide more than twelve men for
ernment services were hardly night patrol in all of Tel Aviv.
interrupted. Everything went It is noteworthy, however, that
off smoothly as planned. The crimes of violence in rsrael are
schools opened as usual, the some 30 per cent lower than
buses ran on time, the mail was they were a year ago in the
delivered on schedule. The hos- town and 50 per cent lower in
pitals, the factories, the tele- the rural areas."
The Israeli ministry of finance
phone exchange—all continued
to work as if nothing had hap- took over the financial functions
of the state without any gap or
pened.
Only, where the Union Jack hitch—an achievement which
flew the day before, the new would have been astonishing
standard of the Republic of Is- even had there been sympathetic
rael was unfurled. And the coopefation from the outgoing
signs on the government build- authority.
As a result of careful prepa-
ings were repainted in Hebrew
characters. A new seal bore the ration beforehand, income tax,
inscription "Medinat Isroel"— customs, and excise duties were
"State of Israel." By the next collected without interruption.
day the new-born state even had Even in the first crowded days
the ministry initiated action in
its own postage stamps.
Tcday, four months later, that fields where the mandatory gov-
hastily installed government is ernment had been in default.
Immediately after the decla-
still functioning. It is, indis-
putably, the most stable regime ration of the Israeli State a
in the Middle East. It has sur- national loan was launched, for
vived the armed attack of six 5,000,000 Palestinian pounds.
sovereign states. The secret of This loan has already been sub-
its success is simple. The gov- scribed.
• •
ernment of Israel is a democra-
tic government receiving the un- HELP MINORITIES
swerving support of the people.
A SPECIAL ministry of mi-
• • •
norities was set up in the cabi-
LITTLE RED TAPE
net under the able leadership
THERE IS amazingly little red of Behor Shitreet.
tape and even less pomp and
Its purpose is to defend the
protocol, Members of the cabi- interests of the Arab and Chris-
net work in their shirt sleeves, tian minorities in Israel and to
without ties.
promote friendly relations
At first there was too much among the three religious com-
Informality. People would drop munities.
in to have a Schmuss with Prime
One of its main principles is
Minister David Ben Gurion or the encouragement of autonon-
Foreign Minister Moshe Shertok mous institutions among the
and suggest to them how to run Arabs. Arab schools have been
,the government. That had to be reopened. An Arab newspaper
stopped. But even today a ses- is now published in Israel. Even
sion of the Provisional Parlia- during the fighting the Israeli
ment resembles a meeting of government appointed Arabs to
the executive board of a trade police Arab areas in Palestine.
union more than of a national
In the new State of Israel
legislative body.
Synagogue and State are sepa-
Fourteen political parties, in- rate and will continue to be so
cluding the puny Communist under the proposed constitution.
Party, are represented in the Saturday is the day of rest in-
provisional parliament or state stead of Sunday — and that's
council.
about all that makes Tel Aviv
The Communists have one any different from an American
representative among the 37 city. Synagogue attendance in
members. As one Ivislator ex- Israel is about as good, or bad,
plained to me, "We can't give
them less than one seat."
It is not uncommon for the ROSH HASHONAH
prime minister to be outvoted
in the Israeli Parliament. But GREETINGS TO ALL
as becomes .a democratic leader
of a democratic state, Ben Gur-
ion takes it graciously.
Even in war time Israel is not

as church, attendance in Ameri-
ca. Dietary laws are not uni-
versally observed. Some res-
taurants serve Kosher meals,
others don't.
• • •

NEW CONSTITUTION
A DRAFT constitution for the

state of Israel is patterned on
the American model and guar-
antees freedom of expressiOh.
worship, assembly, and associa-
tion. The preamble to the pro-
posed basic law of Israel as-
severated that "the state shall
insure the sanctity of human life
and uphold the dignity of man."

An interesting innovation in
the projected constitution is a
clause which provides that free-
dom of expression shall not be
accorded to movements which
advocate the suppression of the
democratic form of government.

Among provisions being con-
sidered for inclusion are guar-
anties for a national system of
compulsory unemployment, old-
age, and health insurance, equal
pay for men and women; prohi-
bition of child labor; and mini-
mum hours of employment for
women in industry.

Israel is the most eastern of
the western democracies. Its
destiny is in the hands of a
party (the Mapai) which is the
very counterpart of the British
Labor Party. Both are affiliated
with the Second International.
They have the same basic ideol-
ogy. Reshuffle Morrison, Attlee,
Shertok, Ben Gurion, and you
could. not say where each be-
longed. (Bevin, to be sure, is a
case by himself: his anti-Jewish
bias can be explained only in
psychiotric terms.)

On all issues save Palestine
the Labor parties of Palestine
and Britain see eye to eye. And
ironically enough, the difference
of opinion on Palestine devel-

•

gitEETINGS FOR A HAPPY
PEACEFUL NEW YEAR

MD

Detroit League

CENTRAL
Fabric & Supply
Co.

ROSH HASHONAH

GREETINGS TO ALL

SIIOSIIANA DAMARI (above)
and Joseph Goland, Israeli
musical revue stars who are
on a nationwide tour of the
U.S., will be in Detroit Oct.
10 as featured performers in
the "Stars Shine for Israel"
program at the Scottish Rite
Cathedral of Masonic Temple.

oped only when the British
party came to power.
• • •

BITTER AT LABOR

THE PEOPLE of Israel are
more bitter against the British
Labor Party than against Britain
itself. They were let down by
their own brothers, so to speak.
In all its election campaigns
British Labor had championed
the cause of a Jewish state in
Palestine.

One Israeli government official
said to me dourly, "It would
have been better for us if Win-
ston Churchill had remained in
power. Then we could have
(Continued on page 59)

Season's Greetings and

Best Wishes

D. SULLIVAN
COAL CO.

Coal and Coke

5784 TWELFTH ST.

MAdison 0285

TEL AVIV • (ZOA) —Designs
for the Israel State flag and
arms, chospn by the government
out of 164 entries sent in by
contestants have been submitted
to the state council.
The flag, 120 centimeters by 80,
is to be blue with a white cen-
ter stripe on which will be em-
blazoned the seven gold stars
visualized by Herzl as symboliz-
ing the seven-hour work day in
the Jewish State.
The proposed State arms are
to be a blue shield, 100 centi-
meters by 85, with a yellow bor-
der and a 20-centimeter strip at
the top with the seven gold stars,
and a seven-armed white cande-
labrum in the center mounted on
a base consisting of two layers
of three tiles each.
The foreign minister, Moshe
Shertok, who submitted the de-
signs to the council, explained
that the government wished the
new emblem to be distinct from
the old Zionist Organization col-
ors which Jews in the Diaspora,
unable to fly State of Israel col-
ors, would continue to use.

Don't bury your ad. Adver-
tise in the Jewish Chronicle.

Holiday Greetings

Haskins
Refrigeration

Sales

4472 CASS AVE.

TE. 1-4470

".... ■■■•■

Rosh Hashonah Greetings

Season's
Greetings!

•

RIDLEY
Commission Co.

Live Stock Commission
Merchants

6750 DIX AVENUE
Vlnewood 1-1500

Primrose
Benevolent Club

7 Stars Planned
in Israel's Flag

GREETINGS ...

Linwood
Window Shade
Company

11828 Linwood Ave. •

TO. 8-5500

Rosh Hashonah Greetings
to Our Friends and Patrons

Irvine" tn

Gift Shop

We wish to thank you for
your generous contributions
and sincere help.

13205 Dexter

Infants
Service Group

110. 1071

Mrs. Julian Grace, President

19114 Livernois

Le Shono Tovo Tikosevu!

MARGOLIS FURNITURE
COMPANY, Inc.

Louis Margolis, Pres.
5560 CHENE ST.

Rosh Hashonah Greetings

GRAND
JEWELRY CO.

4155 CASS

1224 Randolph

TEmple 1-1858

RA. 8053

Best Wishes for a Happy New Year

for the

National' Home

for

Jewish Children

at Denver

WA. 1-9756

. Purity Chapter No. 359 O.E.S.

Wishes for its sisters, brothers and their famies
a joyous New Year
May you be inscribed in the Book of Life
for a Happy New Year

BEVERAGES

