Friday, February 21, 1947

THE JEWISH NEWS

Page Two

Strictly
Confidential

Sea Halutzim

The Jewish Flag on the High Seas

By WILLIAM B. SAPHIRE

By PHINEAS J. BIRON

(Copyright, 1947, Seven

Arts)

FLASH!
Don't be surprised if the British Labor
government drops the whole Palestine
problem in the collective lap of the United
Nations . . . The move would be designed
to rally support around the Labor cabinet
which is in a grave crisis as a result of
the coal emergency in Britain . . . This
action might be accompanied by other
progressive changes in the United King-
dom foreign policy.
•
•
•
ORCHIDS FOR SUPERMAN
Those of you who don't have a Super-
man fan in the house have been missing
some thrilling radio fare . . . And we're
not kidding . . . Bob Maxwell, young
Jewish producer of the popular radio
series, has given his show a powerful wal-
lop against discrimination and bigotry
. .. This is the first time that democracy
has been woven into the fabric of a chil-
dren's network series as more than a
passing reference to "tolerance" betWeen
commercials . . . Orchids have been re-
ceived from leading religious and educa-
tional groups, as well as from Henry
Wallace, Fiorello LaGuardia, Senator
Pepper and ex-Governor Ellis Arnall .. .
The payoff, for people who have been
afraid that democracy isn't "commercial,"
is that the Superman program has jumped
from fourth to first place among juvenile
shows, according to Hooper ratings.
«
*
•
CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE
Two members of Hashomer Hatzair,
leftist Zionist youth movement, have
been arrested by Philadelphia police
. . . The would-be chalutzim were dis-
tributing anti-terrorist leaflets in front
of the theater where Ben Hecht's "Flag
Is Born" was playing.

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•

SPORTS NOTES
Not so much surprised as sorry to see
Hank Greenberg put his big bat on the
shelf . . . Hank is a natural for a front
office or managerial post with one of the
New York clubs.
If you're near a track meet in which
Iry Mondschein, NYU decathlon ace, is
entered, don't miss it . . . Iry is one of
the greatest all-around athletes this coun-
try has ever seen . . . Rated a sure thing
for the 1948 Olympic games, the 22-year-
old NYU soph lifts weights, heaves the
discus, high jumps and sprints, to men-
tion only a few of his talents . . . To top
it off, he played a little basketball with
the top-notch NYU five before the track
season started.

One of the first signs of the birth of a nation is the sight of a new merchant
flag on the high seas and in the principal ports of the world. Such a sight was seen
in the port of London last week when the Jewish-Manned, Jewish-operated ship
Kedma sailed down the Thames estuary on her maiden voyage to Palestine, flying
the blue and white merchant ensign of - Jewish Palestine.
Kedma, owned jointly by Zim Navigation Company of Haifa, in which the Jew-
ish Agency is a stockholder, and the London shipping firm of Harris and Dixon
Ltd., will inaugurate the first Jewish passenger and freight service between western
Europe and Palestine. Though she's a small vessel, with modest accommodations,
Kedma is the pioneer of a Jewish fleet which may some day link Palestine directly'
with the great ports of Europe, the Americas and the Far East.
- The importance of a merchant marine to the Jewish State was recognized in
the earliest days of the Zionist movement. Dr. Theodore Herzl, father of political
Zionism, wrote in "Judenstaat:" "The Jewish flag shall fly the seven seas and
bring a message of peace and goodwill from the Homeland to its persecuted
sons throughout the world."
The first step towards the fulfillment of Herzl's prophecy was taken in 1934,
with the establishment, by private and Jewish Agency capital, of the Palestine Mari-
time Lloyd, which began a passenger and freight service between Haifa and the
Black Sea Port of Constanza, Romanic). It became self supporting and began to yield
a profit after two years' operation. In 1935 a more ambitious venture was under-
taken with the establishment of the Palestine Shipping Company which began
operation of the Tel Aviv, formerly an Italian ship, on the key route between Pales-
tine and ports in Italy and Greece. The Tel Aviv however, was unable to compete
with the vast fleet of Adriatica, a subsidiary of the powerful Italian government
operated Lloyd Triestino, which dominated shipping in the Eastern Mediterranean
before the war, and the Palestine Shipping Company sold her and dissolved.
When the war broke out the Lloyd's vessels were requisitioned by the British.
Their flagship, Har Zion, was torpedoed off Gibraltar and sank with 17 members
of her Jewish crew.
The establishment of the first Jewish steamship lines in the 1930s highlighted
the lack of trained Jewish personnel to operate the ships.
The Zebulon Seafaring Society was established in Haifa to give young boys
basic instruction in seamanship and small-boat handling. The Palestine Mari-
time League was created to revive national interest in shipping. The League, in
cooperation with the Jewish Agency, opened the first Jewish nautical school in
the world, on the campus of the Haifa Technical Institute.
The Nautical School offers a four year course to teen aged youths, in navi-
gation, marine engineering, and wireless operation as well as academic studies.
The courses are followed by two to three years sea-experience, after which the ap-
prentice may qualify for second officer or second engineer licenses.
Jewish cadets who signed on British, American and Dutch merchant ships or
served in the Royal Navy, continued their training in the hard school of war. Some
were killed in action. But others became licensed seamen and officers who will
form the nucleus of the future Jewish merchant marine.
Before the war the bulk of Palestine's 5,000,000 ton annual import and export
traffic went to foreign steamship lines which extracted $24,000,000 annually from
the country out of which the Jewish community paid an average of $6,000 per ton.
With a well established merchant fleet of its own Jewish Palestine can recapture
that loss and in addition embark on a new highly profitable field of endeavor.
Ninety Jewish men and women, trained as deck and engine room officers, wire-
less operators, cooks and stewards are enroute from Palestine to Antwerp where
they will take over the new ship Kedma. Jewish youths of the same stock which
drained the malarial swamps and irrigated the desert are now turning to the sea
for a livelihood, as fishermen, lightermen and stevedors in Haifa and Tel Aviv ports.

.

Copyright. 1947, Independent Jewish Press Service

Between
You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright, 1947, Jewish Telegraphic
Agency, Inc.)

Heard in
The Lobbies

By ARNOLD LEVIN

Press Service. Inc.)
(Copyright, 1947, Independent Jewish

Purely
Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

`THE DESERT SHALL REJOICE'
Deriving inspiration from the words
of Isaiah—"The wilderness and the soli-
tary places shall be glad for them, and
the desert shall rejoice"—young Jews
continued on the path of conquering
the desert of the Palestinian Negev by
establishing three new colonies.
They named them: "Miftachim" (The
Opening), the colony for members of
the General Zionist Center group; "Shar-
ashim" (Roots), settled by labor Zionists;
and "Alumim" (Youth), occupied by
Mizrachi, religious orthodox Zionists.
Less than a week later, young men
under 20, from Hashomer Hatzair, cre-
ated a new colony, "Nachalin," in the
Judaean hills betwen Jerusalem and
Hebron.
Thus, defying attempts to perpetuate
the wilderness, and ignoring interference
from the mandatory power, young Jews
are setting up new ramparts in Palestine
so that the homeless may continue to
pour into the land from the Diaspora.
Particularly impressive is the fact that
the four new colonies created in one
week have been apportioned among
members of four different parties in Zion=
ism, attesting to a spirit of solidarity in
support of the ultimate aim for the es-
tablishment of the Jewish Homeland.
• • •
DEFINITION OF 'INFORMER'
Having consistently rejected any at-
tempt on the part of the British to cause
Jews to become informers in ferreting
out terrorism, - the Jews of Palestine have
indicated to the mandatory power that
they would undertake to put an end to
the horrible conditions created by the
Irgun, provided outside interference is
eliminated and the British refrain from
imposing a military or police state in
Palestine.
An interesting definition of the term
"informer" was offered in a cable to the
New York Times by its Jerusalem cor-
respondent, Gene Currivan, who stated:

The manner in which the underground is
attempting to reach its goals is repulsive to
all intelligent Jews but at the same time
they do not feel disposed to intervene. In
any event there is little that they can do.
Informers do not last long in a country like
this where everyone knows everyone else's
business, or can soon And out without dif-
ficulty.
The British Government, with its occupy-
ing army and its capable intelligence service.
has been able to get 'nowhere because the
Jews won't talk. Jews have had experience
in other countries where they talked—or
mere talked against. Those who had experi-
ence in Russia during the pogroms remem-
ber well that it was their "protectors," the
police. who were the first ones to turn
arainst them when opportunity offered.

PALESTINE INVASION
DIPLOMATIC NOTES
Jewish Palestine's goodwill missions
The U. S. government. is definitely
opposed to Bevin's latest proposal for the will be invading the United States this
Such reports do not enhance the posi-
solution of the Palestine problem . spring . . Ella Goldstein, pianist, will tion of the British government in its
This was indicated to the British Ambas- make her Carnegie debut late in March mandated territory in Palestine or in
sador in Washington . . . A delegation . . Manahem Pressler, prize winner for the eyes of the civilized world. How,
• • •
representing all major Jewish groups in Piano in an international contest, has then, are we to account for the lack of
POT POURRI
America—Zionist as well as non-Zionist been booked for over fifty recitals and vision displayed by Great Britain? The
New York Times' owner Arthur Hays —may s oon call upon President Truman solo appearances with symphony orches- answer is offered by many correspondents
in connection with the Bevin scheme I tras throughout the United States . .
Sulzberger's recent statement that the
who charge that the British seek to dis-
British were justified in their occupation which was rejected by Jews and Arabs' Hapoel soccer champs are coming to the credit the Jews by placing emphasis on
U S. Embassy circles in London United States for exhibition games in the terrorism. Mr. Currivan, in one of his re-
tactics brought this reply from one Zion-
ist leader, "Why should he worry? His
which kept a close watch on the British metropolitan areas.
ports to the Times, stated that "the dras-
national homeland is in Wall Street."
talks with the Jews and Arabs are dis- SCIENCE
tic measures recently taken in Palestine
Dr. Chaim Weizmann's latest inven-
were intended primarily to influence
"The Zionist Review" is running a appointed with the Bevin plan . . . the
tion, expected to revolutionize the
question
of
the
hour
is:
"What
will
British opinion and not necessarily di-
crossword puzzle in Hebrew.
plastics
industry
and
the
Palestine
Truman
do
now
to
show
that
he
still
Charles Luckman, 37-year-old president
rected against terrorists."
economy, seems to be the fulfillment
• • *
inisists
on
the
admission
of
100,000
dis-
of Lever Brothers Inc. (they make soap),
a'o
of
a
pledge
he
made
several
years
placed
Jews
to
Palestine,
regardless
of
THE `SAVE FACE' ATTEMPTS
is rumored as a candidate for the United
when he declared that research-chem-
the failure of Bevin's proposal?" . . .
Best coverage of the Palestine situation
States Chamber of Commerce chairman-
ists will yet convert Palestine inlia an-
Circles close to Bevin claim that al-
comes to this country from the N. Y.
ship.
other Switzerland, a major industrial
Herald ' Tribune's Palestine correspond-
Norman Granz, whose "Jazz at the though he stated that Britain may bring
center. He said also that chemists will
ent, Homer Bigart. In one of his recent
Philharmonic" opened its fourth national the Palestine issue before the United Na-
find ways of developing sources of raw
dispatches, Mr. Bigart described how the
concert tour a couple of weeks ago, is tions, Bevin is still determined to con-
materials within the country proper,
British are attempting to "save face,"
doing a terrific job of mobilizing band tinue his talks with Jewish and Arab
Weizmann's invention does exactly
in the matter affecting the order evacu-
leaders for a drive against discrimination. leaders . . . "For 37 years I learned to
that, according to reports.
settle disputes by talking, and see no
ating British civilians. He wrote:
Civilians, who had not felt the slightest
reason why I should not now do the same PRESS NOTE
danger from the Jews, embarrassed the ad-
Chief Haaretz editorial writer, Madzini,
on the Palestine question," he reportedly
ministration with loud protests. Nonethe-
scores
William
B.
Ziff's
publicity
grab
at
less, 1,300 were hustled off to Egypt, where
told friends . . . Bevin is reluctant to pre-
By DR. NOAH E. ARONSTAM
they continued to voice resentment. Chief
sent the Palestine issue to the United Basle. The American League for a Free
Secretary Sir Henry Gurney is now in
I drank the bitter waters
Palestine
representative,
he
says,
was
ac-
Nations, because under the present cir-
Egypt, presumably to tell the evacuees what
Of wormwood and gall,
horrible fates they narrowly escaped.
cumstance Britain will face not only Rus- companied to Basle by a press-agent .. .
The only hopeful glimmer for the Jewish
Endured the coils of thralldom
Madzini
doubts
that
Ziff
had
any
author-
sian opposition, but also American non-
community is the impending departure of
'Midst nations' rise and fall.
General Barker, who more than once has
support . .. This would, under the best ization from the Irgun and the Stern
declared his dislike and contempt for the
of circumstances, mean for Britain a group to threaten the Zionist Congress
Jews. King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan at-
I ate the bitter kernel
tended a farewell luncheon for Barker,
plunge into the unknown . .. Bevin feels with "civil war" .. . Extending his crit-
bringing him two cases of dates. Barker
The Soclom fruit of hate
Mr.
Mad-
icism
to
some
Zionists
as
well,
that his government cannot afford to pre-
also was the guest of the Arab Legion of
In days that are forgotten
Trans-Jordan.
sent the Palestine matter to the United zini recalls that Haganah's founder, the
In years that are not late.
Barker's successor as commander of the
late
Eliahu
Golomb,
was
a
perfect
exam-
Nations without offering a clear-cut plan,
British forces in Palestine is Major General
ple
of
the
self-effacing
public
servant.
MacMillan, a divisional commander in
likely
to
be
approved
by
a
UN
majority
You deemed my acts as savage,
France during the war. Presumably it is up
. . . At preSent, the British government
to MacMillan to confirm or commute the
You dubbed me wild and foul;
death sentence.
has
two
plans
in
reserve
regarding
the
of
the
findings
of
an
impartial
interna-
You called me cruel gangster,
This quotation throws some light on
Palestine issue and the United Nations tional body . . . There would certainly
A desert beast, a ghoul..
situation which calls for united action
a
. .. Details are known to few persons ... not have been any extremist activities in
Palestine, had Britain begun to admit by Jews and Christian liberals against
Some think both plans may backfire.
What care I for invectives?
•
•
•
100,000 Jews to Palestine soon after the intolerable conditions imposed "upon Pal-
Am I a serf, a slave?
report. of the Anglo-American Corn- estine by the British. -
POLITICAL
ECHOES
No stone shall be unturned,
An ancient Jewish philosophic formula
The British are beginning to realize mittee was made public .. • There would
'Midst danger I'll be brave!
provides otr people with a weapon
that they made a serious mistake by not have been no irritation in the White against all emergencies in the assertion
acting on the recommendations of the House and in the State Department over "Gam ze yaavor"—"this, too, shall pass."
I'll tear my bonds asunder,
Anglo-American Inquiry Committee on the British policy on Palestine ... Wash-
I'll burst my shackling chain!
Jews have withstood many tragedies in
Palestine . . . Had they accepted these ington would have seen itself compelled the past and undoubtedly will survive
I'll let them feel my thunder,
to back British 'policy, based on the
recommendations,
they
would
not
now
vain!
in
not
My fight is
the present one in Palestine. We have
be facing the embarrassment of -having recommendations of the Anglo-American
waited a long time for salvation, but we
their latest Palestine proposal rejected Committee . . If things are different are nearer to it today, in spite of British
My fight—the fight of ages,
. . . Enforcement of these recommenda- now, it is due only to the fact that Brit- interfence, than ever before. Our an-
And thus the fray shall be:
tions would have had the approval of the ain."missed the boat" as a result of short-
I'll break the walls of cages,
swer to the British is: "Gam ze yaavar.*
entire world, since they were the result sighted diplomacy.
free!
I
shall
be
must
I

I Drank the Bitter Waters

i_

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