Histadrut Launches $10,000,000 Drive;
Epstein Warns Jews Will Defend Negeb

NEW YORK — Speaking at
the 25th anniversary convention
of the National Committee for
Labor Palestine, on the occasion
of, the inauguration of the $10,-
000,000 Higtadrut drive for 1949,
Hon. Eliahu Epstein, Israel
Special Representative in the
United States, declared that the
Jewish State had no intention
"of losing control over the Negeb,
which is part of our sovereign
territory." He declared that the
Negeb "is the only land reserve
left to us for intensive coloniza-
tion" to provide for the settle-
ment of hundreds of thousands
of newcomers from DP camps
and from Moslem countries.
Mr. Epstein criticized the
"hostile and selfish forces within
the United Nations, led by Great
Britain" which are trying "to
whittle down that tiny mite of
land given us last November."

He predicted that "none of the
machinations of our enemies in
Paris will prevail," and paid tri-
bute to President Truman and
the United States for "their aid
and assistance to Israel."
Berl Locker, chairman of the
Jerusalem section of the Jewish
Agency, warned Jews to be on
guard in defense of the victorious
outcome of Israel's struggle.
Isaac Ben Zvi, one of the
founders of Histadrut and presi-
dent of the Jewish National Coun-
cil of Israel, expressed confidence
that the United States will lift
the arms embargo on Israel and
denounced Britain as having in-
fluenced the Arab . countries in
their .antagonistic attitude.
JoSeph Schlossberg, chairman
of the National Histadrut drive,
said that the need • this year is
for $25,000,000, 60 per cent of
which will be raised in Israel.

2

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THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, December 3, 1948

EXPLODING ANOTHER RUMOR

Samuel and Agnon Desecration Charges Against
Get LaMed Prizes Israel Shown to be Untrue
By the REV. WILLIAM C. KERNAN
For English Books
Director, Institute for American Democracy, Inc.

In the past several months
The Louis LaMed Foundation,
Fotir: On July 17 the Arab
dedicated to the encouragement rumors have been circulated im- town of NaZareth surrendered to
plying that Jews were guilty of
of Jewish literature in Hebrew pillaging and desecrating Chris= Israeli forces. An AP _dispatch
and Yiddish, announces that tian churches in Palestine.
in the New York Herald Tribune
prizes will be awarded this year
There is a great deal of evi- of July 18, reporting the after-
to the following books in Eng- dence whiCh refutes this charge, math of _the Israeli victory, said:
lish: Maurice Samuel's "Prince some of which . is herewith pre-
" . . Mass was said as usual
of the Ghetto," published jointly sented:
by. Alfred A. Knopf and Jewish
One: When Haganah troops in the Church of the Annuncia-
Publication Society of America, took possession of Mt. Zion in tion this morning after steel-hel-
and S. Y. Agnon's "Days of Awe," Jerusalem from the Arabs, Chris- imeted Israeli soldiers had es-
published by Schocken Books.
corted bareheaded, brown-garbed
tians entered th
Samuel's book is being award- Tomb of David for•
Franciscan monks to the church
ed theN prize for its outstanding
after dawn . . "
the first time in 500
interpretation of Jewish life in
years.
The
New
Five: Concerning the destruc-
a 'Yiddish ,meu, since it 'is in
tion of Jewish holy places by
part a tra,nilation and, in part York Times of July
Arab forces, the New York Times
an evaluation of the works of 5 stated, "Msgr
said in a dispatch from Jerusalem
J. L. Peretz. Agnon's book is an Gustavo Testa, Ro-
dated June 7: •
anthology of Jewish thought con- man Catholic Apos- Kernan
cerning Rosh Hashana and Yom tolic delegate, entered the Tomb
"Twenty-two of the 27 synagogues
the ,Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's
Kippur and represents an inter- . of David on - Mount ' Zion last in
Old City were destroyed before the
pretation of Jewish thought week. He was the first Christian community surrendered to Arab
forces May 28, Isaac H. Herzog, Chief
By PHILIP SLOtviOVITZ
drawn from the Hebrew.
dignitary to go inside this Mos- Rabbi
of Palestine, said today. The
five others probably were demolished
lem-guarded
chamber
in
500
The
prize
will
be
announced
at
Arthur Koestler's Wounded Feelings
after
the
Jews' departure, he added.
years."
"More than 500 Torahs (holy
Arthur Koestler, noted author of "Thieves in the Night"—in a gathering of the Louis LaMed
Two:
Over
the
byline
of
Broth-
scrolls), many sacred vessels and
ivhich he glorified -the terrorists. in Palestine, "Darkness at Noon" Foundation in the auditorium of
and manuscripts of historic
and "Arrival and Departure"; former Communist who now is the . New School for Social Re- er Anthony Bruya, 0.F.M., The books
value were burned and looted, the
occasionally witch-hunting, has launched upon a
search on Dec. 5. The. English Register, a paper connected with Rabbi declared, and other Jewish pro-
perty 'was burned after the Jews
sensational career of "exposing" a lot of things he
language committee, w h i c•h National Catholic Welfare Con- had
left."
doesn't like in Israel. He writes • about himself (in
judges the entries for this pur- ference Washington News Head-
On the other hand, the Anglican
the New York Herald Tribune) that he "has spent
quarters,
stated
on
Sept.
26,
"For
poSe, consists of Ludwig Lewis-
Bishop of Jerusalem, as quoted
altogether some four • years in Palestine, on and off,
ohn, Nathum N. Glatzer and the first time in centuries, prob- in the New York Star (datelined
and 'speaks Hebrew fairly' fluently, but is quite in-
ably
since
1552,
a
High
Mass
was
Solomon
Grayzel.
capable of reading a newspaper, to say nothing of
sung in the Cenacle, place of the London, July 6), said that Arab
books?:
mosques were respected by the
Last
Supper . .
Apparently quiteangry with himself because of
Jewish forces. "After •Haganah
this condition, he unburdened an impassioned at-
"It happened in this way::
"The Jewish forces captured the had captured the northwest sec-
tack on Hebrew and proposed Latinization of the
Mount Sion area of Jerusalem. In tor of the New City," the Bishop
script. "Thus- for example," he states in finding Koestler
this section of the city are located
fault, "the word composed of the three printed signs Daleth Vav
the Apostolic Delegation, the Bene- said, "I saw a mosque marked in
dictine Dormition abbey, the Fran- Hebrew letters, 'This is a holy
Daleth will mean 'the beloved one,' or 'uncle,' or 'boiler' or 'David/
ciscan Chapel of the Cenacle„ and the
according to the context in which li . t appears." Therefore, he be-
place'." .
actual room of the Last Supper.
li4wes, the progress of the new State of Israel, where , he quite
"Interned in the Dormition shrine
The full list of inconvertible
-e)ficiently likes living," is slowed.
PORTLAND, Oregon (JTA)— were three Benedictines and one
It is an amazing criticism for a brilliant author who also knows The CIO national convention Franciscan priest. When the Jews facts is too long to detail here.
took over, they offered the four re-
several languages. There hardly is a tongue with printed letters adopted a resolution calling for ligious the opportunity to hold serv- The, instances cited above are
which does not have words with varying meanings. Tongue itself full recognition of Israel by the ices in the Moslem Tomb of David, but 'a Sample.
as the non-Christians called the place
has at least _half a dozen interpretations and many words in all United States and assistance from that
witnessed the institution of the
languages have varying . pronunciations.
.Blessed Sacrament. -
this government to the Jewish
Israel Government
"The
religious quickly availed hem-
Mr. Koestler is well aware of the history of the Hebrew Ian-
The six-point resolution selves of this opportunity. One morn-
guage and its development. But his information is not complete. state.
Acquires Vanderbilt
ing
shortly
thereafter,
a
portable
altar_ candlesticks, and all the neces-
At least, he does not present the total picture. He does not show urged:
Home as Headquarters
sary
articles
for
the
celebration
of
that the great poets of our time—Hayyim Nahman Bialik, Saul
1. The U. S. Government ac-
Tchernictiovsky and others—captured the imagination of the entire cord full de jure recognition to Mass were carried into the Cenacle."
Significantly enough, the head-
The farmer Vanderbilt town
Jewish people. He fails to tell that nearly all of the world's great- Israel; 2. Lift the embargo on
line to the above article read,
est• classics have been translated into Hebrew and that in the
house
at 11 E. 70th St., New
Jewish State there is a larger percentage of book-buyers than arms shipments; 3. Oppose all at- "Jews Allow What Moslems For-
York, will be taken over as
anywhere -else in the entire world. These are proofs not only that tempts in' the UN to deprive bade."
headquarters of the Govern ;
Israel of the Negev; 4. Provide a
the language is being read but can be read.
Three: The Rt. Rev. Western
ment of Israel in New York,
loan
to
Israel;
-5.
Support
the
The astounding critic of Hebrew knows that the late Eliezer
Henry Stewart, Anglican Bishop
it was announced this week.
Ben Yehudah's son, the late Ittamar Ben-Avi, not only advocated Jewish state's _application for U. of Jerusalem, was quoted in the
This building will house the
Latinization of Hebrew but actually published a Latinized Hebrew N. membership when it is sub- New York Star, datelined Lon-
headquarters of Abba Eben,
newspaper. It did not succeed and such a newspapei can not pos- mitted; and, 6. The convention don, July 6 as follows:
Israeli representative to the.
sibly succeed. A people that insists upon the rebirth of an ancient reaffirmed its solidarity with the
. So far as I have seen, the
state does not abandon a language which already has been revived Histadruth.
United Nations, and Arthur
holy *places in the Old City have suf-
in the New Israel.
fered little damage, with the ex-
Lourie, Israel's Counsul Gen-
ception of the two ancient synagogues,
Isaac
Ben
Zvi,
president
of
the
Mr. Koestler surely knows that Hebrew not • only is spoken—
eral, together with their staffs.
which were destroyed by the Arabs.
indeed, fluently—wherever there are Israeli representatives, but Jeviish National Council of Israel, One of them had been occupied by
The five-story building, with
Haganah'
forces,
and
was
shelled
that the language is used in exchange of state documents. It is a who is now in this country to after
basement
and sub-basement, is
the
Arabs
had
sent
them
a
24-
living and thriving language about which the Hon. Eliahu Epstein, assist a drive for $10,000,000 for hour ultimatura to quit. The other
valued at $130,000.
Israel's representative in the United States, said:
filled with unarmed people tak-
the Histadruth, received an ova- was
ing. shelter from the sehting.. • -
"One of the chief instruments in this gigantic undertaking is the Heb-
tion from the convention dele-
rew language.- It is the language in which the Jewish ideas continue to
live and it is the language in which the Jews in Israel express their
gates after he described condi-
every-day thoughts. He, who wants to reach the peaks of Jewish thought
tions in Israel and thanked the
as welt as he who wants to understand the simplest events in Jewish
life in Israel, must be equipped with a knowledge of Hebrew.
American labor movement for its
"No translations however excellent, will enable a Jew to participate
aid to the Jewish -State and the
in the full .stream of Israel's life unless he understands its language. Here
Histadruth. He appealed for
By BORIS SMOLAR
then lies both- a definite and concrete task for Jewish institutions and
organizations outside Israel in the immediate future, and here also lies
further help to the Jewish people
{Copyright. 1946, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
an opportunity for them to help in strengthening the relations between
in their struggle for justice, peace
Israel and Jewry abroad for a long time to come."
The Diplomatic Touch
In another article, Mr. Koestler attacked the Jewish religion and equality.
Arab-Jewish peace could have been achieved the day following
and poked fun at Jewish traditions. Prof. Selig Brodetsky, president
Truman's victory in the Presidential elections.... This is the _opinion
of the British Board of Jewish Deputies, made an .,interesting reply Abe Tuvim Named
to him on this score, stating:
of shrewd diplomatic observers who witnessed the moods at the
United -Nations session in Paris' on the day that Truman's victory
"The tone of Mr Koestler's article on cultural life in Israel—Church
Zionist Council Head
and State—is hardly in keeping .with the serious nature of the problem
became known there. . . . The Israeli delegation was invigorated, but
treated. The Jewish people retained' its identity during many hundreds
the Arabs were the most downhearted delegates in the lobby of the
of years of dispersal, thanks to its adherence to a certain code of laws
NEW YORK.•-•--The appoint- Palais de Chaillot. . . . A feeling prevailed that an agreement could
which, autocratic and outdated though they may seem today to one not
ment of Abe Tuvim as executive have been reached on that day and peace overtures could have been
rooted in their tradition, nevertheless represented a remarkable degree of
progress in standards of human living. The State of Israel is a very new
director of the American Zionist formularized, had Britain but confirmed to the Arabs how greatly the
fledgling, and the Jews making up its population can hardly expect, or be
Emergency Council was an- situation had changed. .'. . The military success of the Israeli Army
expected, lightly or soon to discard or even modify those tenets. In fact,
nounced by the executive' com- has cost British General Patrick A. Clayton—"father" of the famous
only one expert in Rabbinical law has been co-opted on to. the Constitu-
tion-drafting body of the new State, and an attempt is being made to
mittee of the Council. Tuvim suc- pro-Arab "Clayton Plan"—his career . . . Gen. Clayton would have
synthesize the tenets of Mosaic law with the demands of the 20th century,
and many important reforms are to be expected.
ceeds Harry L. Shapiro, newly- been the hero of the entire Middle East had the Arabs won their war
"Mr. Koestler's assertion that a Medical Faculty has not been estab-
elected executive vice chairman against Israel . . . Now he has been compelled to leave Cairo for
Britain and retirement, a bitter and broken man. . . . His functions
lished at the Hebrew University because Mosaic law forbids the dissec-
of the United Palestine Appeal.
tion of corpses is nonsense. A Medical Faculty has been planned and it is
have been taken over partially by Harold Beeley, the pro-Arab and
hoped that it may be inaugurated next year. It had - not been opened
Tuvim has been with the Zion- bitterly anti-Israeli British official of the Foreign Office who is con-
earlier because it is a very costly apparatus which was hardly justifiable
ist Emergency Council almost sidered the outstanding British expert on Arab-Jewish relations .
as long as pre-Hitler Europe held its medical schools open for Jewish
students. The _ Medical Faculty, however will certainly not suffer a
since its inception. During the Beeley is reported to have assured Egyptian and Syrian delegates at
moment's delay in functioning owing to the ruling of Mosaic law regard-
ing the dissection of corpses.
past five years, he was director of the United Nations that considerable aid would be forthcoming to
special events. In this capacity the Arab countries—not only from Britain alone, but in the form of
"Incidentally, it might have been mote to the point bad Mr. Koestler
sanctions. . . . It was after this assurance that the "sanctions-
used the telling irony of his pen to protest that the University itself and
he coordinated all public demon- UN
against-Israel" campaign was started at the United Nations. with
the Hadassah UniVersity Hospital are both hors d'usage owing to the
strations, mass meetings, confer- Britain and China taking the lead . .• . Nevertheless, some of. the
tenets of a law of much more recent promitigation—namely, the United
Nations ruling that these institutions on Mount Scopus be regarded as a
ences; radio and television events Arab countries considered dealing directly with Lsrael as a better
free area, and therefore remain unused."
sponsored by the Council.
way out . These countries are militarily. shattered by the success
Koestler even would have us apologize for making the Old testa:
Prior to his affiliation with this of Israeli arms, politically disturbed and economically unable to bear
ment the chief source of teaching Israel's children their history and
any
longer the cost of waging a losing' War.
ethics. He doesn't like this egocentric trend. Also—he dislikes the &Ay,' Tuvim - Was With the JewiSh
- *.
* .• *•
National
Fund
and
the
Associat-
rise of the percentage of Oriental Jews—especially Yemenites—in the
Community Issues .
Israeli population. Fortunately for his reputation he admitt that.,'M ed MUsitians Of 'Greater New
Now that the conflict 'concerning t United Palestine Appearis
the native youth ("Sabra") . • . does the first intimation of the York, Local 802, A. 'F. of M. For
alriiost' settled, bargaining will soon st'i t betWeeri the UPA
future profile of Israel as a nation begin to outline itself."
the
a number of years; he was execu- . JDC for an agreinent renewing the. United JeWish•Appeal - and
for the
The critic Koestler did even more: he has criticized the esthetic tive director of the American'
coming year .. . The: Council of Jewish Federations- and Welfarq
standards of Israel, Heaven knows., he Will do next! In his ORT.
Funds which acted. as mediator in the UPA affair, is-determined)to
"esthetic" outburst he even goes s o far as to say that "with the'
I,. •
•
see the IVA renewed for 1949. under, any -and all ,circumstances..:.; A
Arabs ... the, British found social, contacts easy and pleasant." But
special committee of the Council of,. Federations is : now .'gathering
the Jews, the unestfietic Jews, could not even relax with the British Romania AO, , Establish
information, on salary and personnel practices of Jewish pothintinity
over a couple of drinks!. These sews! Why didn't they bow - dOwn Five Rabbinical Schools
orgatiizationS'..„
The growing importance of Cairn-Atli-lit-OS in Ain0i-
to the perSecuting British, as the Arabs have done?
BUCHAREST, (JTA)---The Ro- Can. Jewish life will be 'reflected in 'the . ' program
for the 'Genera/
The solution is easily available: Jews who refuse to bend their manian government will estab- 'Assernbly
of the •Council of FederatiOni.• . - This'program 'bVing
knees to enemies are . free! , z
"
..4Ye
:
prepared.
by
a,
committee
headed
by
Bernard
Pepinisky
Up to thif
SehbOis
for
the
training
`attention
cincimisitt.
staKtoltoestlees.
bursts. _We suspect that from this time on he. will 'have to worry of rabbis and Jewish religious, . . According to Mr. Pepinsky, , the tentative program w,il•.go : ti ie-
alone - about hit " otitraged , esthetic sen$V . 'uttered 'enough servants, a ..cleeree published in' .yonddiscussion and analysis .t• reach conelusions:.and.. reconimeoda.
,,The.C3-e.meral,AssgrnblY eir;.c41.KW.,w-
nonsense for one month.
X . A11.1nc'q
the Official Gazette announces.
. ..‘ i41 111
• - 40 41 .
phia in the middle of January.

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Purely Commentary

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CM Asks Be Jure
Status and Loan
For Jewish State

'

Between You and Me

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