American ( 7cwisit Periodical Ca&

Page 4

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

Detroit Jewish Chronicle

Israel Salutes U. S.

Published Weekly by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc.
WOodward 1-1040
900 Lawyers' Building, Detroit 26, Michigan
SUBSCRIPTION
$3.00 Per Year. Single Copies, 10e; Foreign, $5.00 Per Year
Entered as Second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at
Detroit, Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879

SEYMOUR TILCHIN
Publisher
GERIIARDT NEUMANN
NORMAN KOLIN
Editor
Advertising Manager
Nisan 28, 5711
Friday, May 4

UJA and Bonds-Both Needed

Despite all the publicity given both the United Jew-
ish Appeal campaign and the Israeli government bond
drive, some people seem still to be confused over the sig-
nificance of the two matters. Last week, Abba S. Eban,
Israel's ambassador to Washington, found it necessary to
issue a clarfying statement, in which he declared that
the two do not conflict with each other.
Contributions to the UJA (or Allied Jewish Cam-
paign in Detroit) are "to meet such immediate needs as
immigration, rehabilitation and integration," Eban said.
Dollars from the sale of bonds will be used "for the
economic development of the country."
"Any purchase of Israeli bonds," Eban said, "at the
expense of a contribution to the United Jewish Appeal is
not a service to Israel."
UJA contributions are charitable gifts deductible
from the income tax, whereas the sale of Israeli bonds is
a business transaction which, in due time, will pay the
purchaser interest on his investment.
The bond drive will be in full swing this month, and
its first climax will be on Israel's Independence Day
(Sunday, May 13 in Detroit), when a number of Israeli
cabinet ministers will usher in a wave of bond buying.
The whole question is a matter of confidence in the
Jewish state. It is only natural that as young a state as
Israel has its shortcomings, and this paper has always
considered it its journalistic duty to give a complete pic-
ture of Israel by reporting its economic difficulties and
handicaps as well as its progress.
The bond purchaser must clearly distinguish between
the present situation in Israel—which is somewhat con-
fused because of the upheaval caused by a tremendous
immigration—and the future of the country.
Israel's future looks bright. In a sea of backward-
ness, Israel is an island of progress and modern thinking.
Some day peace is bound to return to the Near East, and
the Arab markets will be open to Israel's industrial out-
put.
When this stage is reached—and we hope it won't
be long—many of Israel's present difficulties will dis-
appear, and its economic situation will look completely
d ifferent.
An investment in Israel's future is undoubtedly a
safe investment. It is obvious that it takes time for a
new state tit develop. But once it gets going there is no
stop to its momentum.
Needless to say that political reasons alone should
be grounds enough to strengthen Israel as the democratic
bulwark in the Near East. There is still time left to build
and solidify that outpost in a region which could be easily
overrun by Russia and the oil reserves of which are of
equal interest to the United States and the Soviet Union.
And in the meantime, don't forget your gift to the
Allied Jewish campaign. Double it—because misery in
the world has doubled and tripled.

Apologies and No Peace

It was with a great deal of satisfaction that we noted
last week that Abba Eban, speaking for Israel in the
United Nations Security Council, had offered apologies
for the bombing of an Arab village in the Huleh area in
retaliation for the killing of seven Israeli policemen by
the Syrians.
Eban now admits, and correctly, we believe, that
under the armistice agreement sovereignty in the dis-
puted area belongs to the UN Mixed Armistice Commis-
sion, and not to Israel or Syria. That being the case,
Israel only compounded a felony when it answered Syria's
terroristic tactics with payment in kind.
As Eban pointed out, no reasonable person can as-
sume that there is any doubt as to Israel's paramount
right to the Huleh district. The fact that some parts of
the Huleh may have been in the possession of Syrian
troops at the close of the war cannot invalidate Israel's
claim which dates to the British mandate.
The point which the United Nations has not grasped
is simply that Israel cannot afford to stall the settlement
of its boundary claims until the Arab nations make up
their minds to sign a peace treaty.
Having no legal or moral claim to the Huleh area,
Syria has nothing to lose by stalling.
Israel, on the other hand, has undertaken a vast
project of irrigation, drainage and river control, abso-
lutely essential to its material welfare. It cannot postpone
parts of this integrated program until the Arabs are ready
to talk business.
The UN has only two satisfactory choices before it,
either it must persuade the Arab countries to conclude
peace treaties at once with Israel, or it must settle the
border disputes itself and enforcg the decision upon all
parties.
If the UN continues by inertia to abet the stallers,
we can expect further incidents as Israel goes about its
business of reconstruction.
Meanwhile we are still waiting for an apology from
Syria.

Friday, May 4, ISM

Syrian History
Colorful Scene
In Time's Play

By GERHARDT NEU5IANN

HISTORY OF SYRIA by
Philip K. Ilitti (Macmillan Co.,
New York, 749 pp.).

The history of Syria, one of 1
the cradles of civilization, is of
more than passing interest to
Jews, because a large part Of
their history, from Moses to the
destruction of the Temple, is
closely interwoven with Syria's
destinies.
Prof.' flitti, fatuous Lebanese
scholar, has written a brilliant
and captivating work, the study
of which can be warmly recom-
mended to everyone seeking in-
. formation on ancient Jewish his-
, tory and its relationships with
These are the gunners and one of the big guns on the Misgav, 301-
Syria.
foot Israeli frigate which is one of two ships that arrived in New
There can be no doubt that the
visit
in
connection
with
the
Israeli
bond
drive.
a
York Monday on
• Hebrews who ,entered what was
The ships will visit cities on the east coast.
then called Canaan learned quite
a number of things from a su-
perior civilization. Canaan taught

Will Sanhedrin Brand
Reformers Non-Jews?

the Israelites, most of all, farm-
ing. According to Hitti, they also

acquired from the Canaanites
"those religious ideas and prac-
tices essential for fertility and

1 mands. ''What has been your re- for insuring good crops."
By ALFRED SEGAL
Many of the dietary laws seem
ligious practice?"
T JUST DON'T like the idea of "Well, rabbis, I confess I hay- to have their roots in Canaanite
a Vatican for Jews. Not that
I 1 take the idea too seriously. I en't strictly followed the dietary thinking. Canaan's influence on
I laws. To me it has seemed that Hebrew architecture also • is un-
feel sure that if
, that which I put in my stomach mistakable.
the Sanhedrin is
Jewish scholars probably will
has nothing at all to do with the
re-established ir
content of being a Jew." not agree with Hitti on his con-
spiritual
iritual
!
Jerusalem to
tention that monotheism is an
• • •
hand down reli-
achievement of Syrian culture.
"AND what is your practice in Hitti labels Moses and David as
gious laws and
judgments upon
the service of the synagogue?" henotheists and then discusses at
I the president of the Sanhedrin
all of us, most
length the Hebrew prophets as
inquires. "Do you, for example,
Jews will keep
the spokesmen of monotheism,
•wear the phylacteries in the but he fails to substantiate his
on following
prayers of the morning — lay
their own con-
claim that their ideas were a
the tefillim, as we say?"
sciences, regard-
direct result of their contact with
Segal
less.
"Oh sirs," I reply, ''I possess Syrian religion.
I come to these meditations up- no phylacteries but I do wear
Other achievements of Syrian
on reading that Rabbi Judah
civilization are not in doubt. It
Maimon, minister of religion in
was the Phoenicians — later
the Israel cabinet, said in New
inhabitants of Syria — who in-
Israeli
Stamp
York recently that the ancient
vented the alphabet, which was
Sanhedrin is going to be con-
borrowed by the Greeks between
to
Honor
Bonds
again
shortly
by
the
rabbis
voked
850 and 750 B.C. The Greeks
in Israel.
A new Israel postage stamp preserved the Semitic names of
It seems that the Sanhedrin is is being issued to commemor- the characters and their general
to be a legislative and judicial
ate the 9E00,000,000 "Indepen- form and serial order. The Ara-
body not only for the inhabi-
macans, who likewise borrowed
dence" bond issue.
tants of Israel but also for Jews
The stamp, known as the this alphabet bequeathed it to the
all over the world. The Sanhe-
Independence Bond Stamp, Arabs, Indians, Armenians and
drin members will be orthodox pictures an Israel laborer other eastern peoples.
rabbis from all the countries, to
holding up the map of the new
It is also probable that the
represent and speak for all Jew-
democracy. Designed by Ab- Phoenicians discovered the At-
ry everywhere. But not for me
ram Games of London, the lantic Ocean. It was from them
and probably not for you!
issue is of a brown-red color that Homer and Hesiod learned
From Rabbi Tibor Stern of and is in the denomination of about that "sea of darkness," as
Kansas City I learn just what
80 prutah.
it was' later called by the Arabs.
The new stamp honors the It is also claimed that the Phoe-
a Sanhedrin might attempt on
you and me. Rabbi Stern is ortho-
bond drive for a half billion nicians reached Cornwall in
dox and seems to be all for the
dollars in the United States, England in quest of tin, but no
Sanhedrin. From a letter of his the proceeds of which are to
eroof can be offered. There is no
in the National Jewish Post I
be used for the development doubt that they were enterpris-
gather that reform Jews likely
of Israel's resources in a three ing seafarers.
will be on the Sanhedrin's agen-
year program to achieve econ-
Hitti also claims that Syrian
da: Whether members of re- omic self-sufficiency.
thinking helped create Christi-
form temples and their rabbis
The Independence Bond anity. "Syrian religion," he says,
really arc Jews. It will be a court
Stamp is the first of two to be "worked its way into a position
to expel reformers from the
issued by Israel in May. The of spiritual predominance.
house of Israel if their delin-
second will be released short- Through it Syrian culture con-
quency is established.
ly in honor of the third an- summated its third and greatest
• • •
niversary of the Israel's pro- contribution to world progress.
The civilized world does not al-
SAYS Rabbi Stern: "It is the clamation of independence.
ways appreciate that it was in
duty of a high Jewish court to
the Christian literature of Syria
decide if the reform Jews are them in the spiritual sense, I that its highest idealism had its
are
might
say.
or are not Jews .. . There
primary expression."
"But I reject the idea that to
In the later chapters of his
thousands of couples now mar-
ried among them who never had be Jewish I must wear the sa- book, Hitti describes the Arab
a Get (Jewish divorce), and nat- cred law literally in a small box, period which started out with
I on my head and in a box on my great promises for a strong civil-
orally their children are ban- a rm. I prefer that Jews carry ization but quickly degenerated
ished from the Jewish communi- I the law in their hearts and in the into a conglomeration of hetero-
ty . It is obvious that the re- work of their bands and in the generous elements which lost
touch with the world and its de-
form movement is against the processes of their houses.
restoration of the Sanhedrin be-
"Mind you, I make no pretense velopments.
cause a Sanhedrin would offi- of being a saintly character who
Hitti touches only lightly on
cially rule them out of the Jew- forever carries the holy law developments after World War I.
around in his heart. But I try: He states that the pioneers of
ish faith."
Well, I am not afraid of a San- I try to be a decent guy in accor- the Arab nationalist awakening
hedrin in Jerusalem organized to dance with the commandments. "were mostly Syrian intellectuals"
decide whether I and others may I try to care for my neighbor as who advocate Pan-Arab unity
rightfully call themselves Jews. I do for myself, as the law says "based on language and secular
culture rather than on religion."
I shall laugh at it as at a kan- I should.
"This is laying tefillim enough.
"In Palestine," the author as-
garoo court. But, then, for the
sake of this week's column, I can This is being Jewish enough. serts, "Arab nationalism was
imagine myself being called be- This is reform Judaism. This is nourished throughout by hostil-
fore the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. my case. Ah, dear rabbis, you and ity to the British and to Zionism
I really are Jews together."
—which in 1948 eventualized in
I plead guilty at once.
The Sanhedrin collects in a the birth of Israel—as an in-
"Yes, I have belonged to a re-
form temple ever since my chil- huddle and shortly the president truding movement of central and
dren became old enough for arises to give judgment ... "This western Europeans Jews."
This negative attitude toward
Jewish education. I believed that man," he says, "is not a Jew but
in the reform persuasion they a reformer and an insolent one, Zionism was to be expected. On
could best express the Jewish life besides. He stands banished from the whole, however, the book is
an objective and fascinating ac-
the Jewish faith."
in the modern world."
I go my way laughing. resolved count of one of the most colorful
"But in what ways have you
chapters in mankind's history.
been Jewish?* the president de- to keep on being a Jew.

