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DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

Detroit Jewish Chronicle

Published by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
2805 Barium Tower, Detroit 26, Michigan

Friday, February 11, 1949

,ride's Bubble Bursts

WOodward 1-1040

SUBSCRIPTION: $3.00 Per Year, Single Copies, 10c; Foreign, $5.00 Per Year
Entered as Second-clan matte: March 3. 1916, at the Post Office at Detroit, Mich.. under the Act of March 3. BM

SEYMOUR TILCHIN, President

Vol. 51, No. 6

GEORGE WEISWASSER,

Friday, February 11, 1949 (Shvat 12, 5709)

in Brief . . .

Editor in Chief

-

-

DETROIT 26, Mich.

Post Election Thoughts

An interesting afterthought about the re-
The assault on the Zionist Organization of sults of the Israeli elections was voiced by
America and its Silver-Neumann administra- Jacques Torczyner, a young member of the
tion comes from two disparate factions that executive of the ZOA. According to Torczy-
yet have one thing in common—they want ner, people of this country have under-esti-
their way whether it means the destruction mated the strength of the General Zionists,
of the Jewish community organization or as they have over-estimated the power of
not. One group, the so-called Progressive the Religious bloc acquired in the election,
Zionists, is led by men with claims to great- If the General Zionists were to unite in a
ness, Dr. Wise and Louis Lipsky, but they bloc, as did the various Religious splinter
are captiously weakening the organization parties, they would have 19 seats as aim-
which more than any other outside of Israel pared with the 14 of the religious parties.
is responsible for the creation and recogni- Group A of the General Zionists have gained
tion of the Jewish State. The other faction seven seats; group B five seats; the Sephar-
is headed by a venal and ruthless crew of dic Jews who are also General Zionists have
professionals whose objective is the ulti- five, and the Wizo (General Zionist women)
mate control of all Jewish activities in have two seats. All these parties have to
America that engage in fund raising. This do is to unite into a single bloc, and they
cabal of self-seeking dissidents has the sup- will be a stronger force in the Israeli parlia-
port of Henry Morgenthau who is using the ment than the clericalists. Besides, how long
prestige of his name to force the ZOA to will the Aguda which has for years fought
return Henry Montor to his $40,000 a year Zionism more bitterly than the Council for
job as head of the United Palestine Appeal. Judaism, work together with the Mizrachi
In a word, what we have here, is an attempt and the Zionist religious labor groups?
by an undemocratic, non-Zionist group to asked Torczyner.
gain control over funds collected in America
for Palestine in order to strengthen its
Agronsky Corning Here
By WILLIAM ZUKERMAN
growing power in Jewish communities
(Jewish 1Vorld News Servite)
"A
khaki
election"—this
is
how
Ger-
throughout the land. The Jewish. Agency
EW YORK—One aspect of the first national election of Israel has
shon Agronsky, editor of the Jewish
executive has been summoned from Jerusa-
been strangely underestimated, if not glossed over entirely. This
Post'of Jerusalem and one of the best- is that it was an election for war or peace, and the result was a de-
lem to dictate to Americans who is to con-
informed men about Israel and the
cided victory for peace. The fact is 0
-
trol American funds for Israel. On the side-
that this was the most fundamen- political propaganda and activity
Middle East, characterized the Israeli
lines are the Labor Zionists backing the
tal issue of the election and the were directed into a militant cam-
elections. It was a war election very
dissident viewpoint despite its dishonesty as
electors spoke freely and decisive- paign against Britain and for a
much
like
the
famous
British
election
another maneuver to whittle away at the
pro-Soviet orientation which could
ly on it.
of David Lloyd George in 1918 after
ZOA which dominates American Zionism.
There is a great multiplicity of not but lead to a continuation, or
the first World War, he said. The
political parties in Israel. In this an extension of the war.
As for the Wise•Lipsky onslaught, it is the
The chief issue of the campaign
respect the new State follows the
significance
of
it
is
that
it
will
keep
renewal of the attempt of the oldtime, re-
pattern of Europe, not of the An- was stated succinctly by Moshe
the new state in the same forms in
pudiated leadership to undermine the Silver-
glo-Saxon countries in England Shertok, foreign minister of Is-
which the 'Yishuv" (the Jewish com-
Neumann hegemony whose daring, militant
and in the United States where the rael, in a four-hour speech to a
munity in Palestine before the estab-
policy brought the greatest impetus to the
two, or three party system gener- congress of Israeli trade unions on
lishment of the Jewish State) has
the eve of the election (Recording
ally prevails.
struggle of the Jew for a State in Palestine.
Israel had 21 parties in the field, to the story of Gershon Agronsky,
brought it up socially, economic-
A Zionist who wants a dynamic and demo-
but fundamentally there were only editor of the Palestine Post, who
al] and politically. It is possible
cratic Zionist organization and who recog-
two big trends in this election. One is now in this country). Shcrtok
that these forms will change un-
nizes the accomplishments of Dr. Silver and
was the trend for a quick, nego- asked the congress: Do you want
der
the
impact
of
the
tremendous
Dr. Neumann will continue to support them
tiated peace with the Arab people to continue with the war? Or do
Jewish immigration, but it is good that
on the basis of compromise and you want a speedy peace based on
as against rebels and self•seekers.
goodwill. The other was a trend negotiations and understanding
in this critical moment of transition,
for an aggressive militancy in po- with the Arabs? In the first ease,
the
old-established
form
of
social
jus-
. * * *
litical demands and in military vote its out of power; in the sec-
tice, upon which the state was built,
practice.
ond, return us to office.
has
been
retained
and
that
there
will
*•*
Dual Control Auto Sought
be no radical change. Agronsky is in
FORTUNATELY, THE over-
PROGRAM OF MAPAI
A dual control car is badly needed by the
whelming majority of tae people
this country now in behalf of Hista-
Jewish War Veterans to help recent new-
THE FIRST TREND—that of of Israel voted for peace and corn-
drut. He will address a citywide meet-
peace based on compromise—was promise, not for aggression and
comers to America in getting a job. If you
ing here on Thursday, Feb. 17, at the
openly reflected in the program of war with the rights of lefts. It is
can loan such a car to the JWV, you will
Northwest Hebrew Congregation. He
the Mapai Labor Party and It was in this, more than in anything else,
be contributing mightily to the happiness of
is one of those vital journalists found
supported to a greater, or smaller that the significance of the results
an ex-DP who deserves, at least, a chance
extent by the General Zionists and of the election lies.
in every new pioneer country, who help
most other smaller parties. The It showed that Israel wants
for a job in this land of his dreams. If you
to make the news which they report;
second trend—that of a continua- peace and is led by people who are
can help, call Ben Desenberg, TR. 2-2347.
a type of man who are not mere ob-
tion of the war—was advocated statesmanlike, progressive and hu-
servers, but creatures of the new life
openly by the Heruth and Mapam manitarian enough to know that
which they describe from day to day.
* * *
parties. peace, any peace, even if achieved
The Heruth party did not hide at a compromise, is better for a
His visit to Detroit is welcome, indeed.

Israelis Vote Decisively
for Immediate Peace

N

Ben Gurion Is Arbitrary

While there is no doubt that the Israeli
elections have confirmed the fact that Israel
will remain a Socialist Labor State, there
is no justification for Prenlier Ben Gurion's
patronizing attitude to non-labor parties in
his first post-election statement. The pre-
mier should remember that his party alone
controls only 40 percent of the vote and that
Mapam, while also a labor faction, has an
ideological basis that is quite hostile to the
tenets of Mapai and which might induce the
latter group not to support Ben Gurion at
all. In fact, it is not entirely impossible that
an anti-Ben Gurion coalition could be
formed to oust the premier from his com-
placent position. This would be an unfor-
tunate development resulting, as it would,
from a bitter factionalism that could cripple
the nascent State in its swaddling clothes.
Ben Gurion should use less arrogant tones
in his invitation to smaller parties to join
him in a coalition. These small parties, par-
ticularly the Religious bloc and the General
Zionists, can still play a decisive role and
they should not be alienated with dogma-
tism and bluster.

* •

Crocodile Tears

The Chicago Tribune, with its un-
savory record, has undertaken to re-
buke American Jews who cannot for-
get Hitler and his Germany. Forget old
grievances, be a sport and remember
the American principle - of fair play, it
tells us in an editorial weeping over the
reception Hitler's pianist, Gieseking,
got on his arrival to this country. With
crocodile tears running over its ugly
face, the Chicago Tribune goes into an
orgy of pain and contortions over the
fact that as a result of Jewish opposi-
tion to Gieseking thousands of Ameri-
can music lovers will have been de-
prived of, what it calls, the greatest
pianist of our generation. But the ear
that is so sensitive to the piano, of
course, found no dissonance between
art and its denial. It is the music which
Nero played while Rome burned that
counts and not the victims of the con-
flagration. Let the cries of the millions
go unheard as long as they are
drowned out by the sound of music....

ity, aggressive war aims by de- small nation like Israel living as It
manding the whole of Palestine on does and will continue to live in
both sides of the Jordan which, of the midst of an ocean of Arab peo-
course, meant a long war with pie, than a,vietorious peace based
Transjordan and eventually also on military force.
with Britain.
ea n I t i ewo ats i aog f rte haet teels e t c t n i o o n t o at !: l ( y i la s rpo
a e l
Mapam did not openly advocate
a war of aggression, but Its entire litical, but also a moral victor.

Critic of U. S. Federations,
Petegorsky, to Speak Here

Dr. David Petegorsky, national
executive director of the Ameri-
can Jewish Congress, who has
assailed community councils and
welfare federations for failing
to give democratic rights to the
majority of the people in their
communities, will speak here
Feb. 23 at the Northwest Hebrew
Congregation under the auspices
of the B. and P. chapter of the
Congress. There will be no ad-
mission charge.
"With some exceptions," he
said, "the financial support the
federations and welfare funds
extend to national movements
and organizations far too fre-

quently reflects the pressure and
influence of the influential local
contributors and is seldom based
on the judgment of the commu-
nity itself or an objective evalu-
ation of the need and achieve-
ment."
He asserted that the demo-
cratic organization and commu-
nal maturity of American Jewry
lies in "creating a mass move-
ment representing the views of
the majority of American Jaws
and exercising, through its num-
bers and program, a decisive and
creative influence on all aspects
and institutions of American
Jewish life."

