2
Israel Receives Additional $5,000,000
From U. S. for Telecommunications
WASHINGTON, (JTA) — A
credit of $5,000,000 earmarked for
the purchase in the United States
of telecommunications equipment
for Israel has been extended to
the Israeli Government by the
Export-Import Bank. This sum
brings to $51,000,000. the amount
already advanced on the Bank's
. $100,000,000 loan.
The equipment will be used to
establish r a di o-telephone and
radio-telegraph service with the
United States and other countries
and for the expansion of local
telephone facilities in Israel.
Israel proposes during the next
. five years to replace most of the
manually-operated telephone ex-
changes in Israel by automatic
multi-exchange systems. The new
exchanges will permit service to
• 25,000 new subscribers, an in-
crease by more than 150 percent.
The major cities will be linked
circuits.
Israel's new international serv-
ice will have contacts not only
by radio-telephone multi-channel
with America but also with
Switzerland, Prague, and possibly
-Moscow. Now the only Israeli-
U.S. connection is via Tangiers,
AJC Asks That Senate
Investigate in Germany
NEW YORK (JTA) — The
United States Senate was asked
to investigate AMG policy in Ger-
many in view of "an astounding
announcement" by Gen. Lucius D.
Clay, American commander in the
European area, that the U. S. oc-
cupation authorities have ended
all denazification programs. The
request to the Senate was made
by Dr. Robert S. Marcus, political
director of the World Jewish Con-
gress, at a rally here . called by
the American Jewish Congress to
"protest the resurgence of Nazi
influence in Germany."
NEW YORK.—The plans for
the acquisition of extensive land
areas in Israel, to meet the needs
of the great immigration which
is now streaming into the new
nation from Europe, were com-
pleted, it was announced by Dr.
Abraham Granovsky, Israeli land
expert, member of Israel's Con-
stituent Assembly and chairman
of the board of directors of the
World Jewish National Fund.
The plans involving the acqui-
sition of 250,000 acres (1,000,000
dunams) of land for Israel's fur-
ther agricultural development
depend for their full. and speedy
implementation upon the avail-
ability of American financial sup-
port, he said.
Dr. Granovsky, who returned
to Israel by air after a five week
visit to the United States, will
enroute visit Holland and Switz-
erland for negotiations with lead-
ing banking circles in those
countries. He noted that "an au-
spicious start" has been made in
the $250,000,000 campaign of the
United Jewish Appeal for 1949
and that "it is indicative of the
momentum with which the cam-
paign will now go forward."
Attractive Children's
'Bookshelf' Enhances
Publishers' Ingenuity
Simon and Schuster, publish-
ers of best sellers, have hit upon
so many clever ideas that one
more no longer surprises the
public. Nevertheless, their "Tiny
Nonsense Stories" deserve a Spe
cial recommendation.
The second set of these stories
—12 little booklets boxed in a
miniature "city block bookshelf
—proves the genius of these pub-
lishers. These stories by Dorothy
Kunhardt, with 288 full-color
pictures by Garth Williams, are
in little booklets two inches by
three inches. The young reader
can fini.§h a single story in a few
Minutes. He can enjoy -the pic-
tures, turn to another tale, and
time and again return to - the
stories for repeat readings.
Besides, the bookshelf = the
"city block"—provides a toy for
play, for the building of a li-
brary, for real enjoyMent.
Thus—new reading for young-
sters is prepared in fashion lend-
ing itself excellently for gifts.
Again—Simon and Schuster pave
the way in attractive publishing
schemes.
American Communists
Are Now Anti-Zionist
NEW YORK, (JTA) — Com-
munists in the United States have
officially adopted an anti-Zionist
program and henceforth will
wage war against Zionism as a
form of "bourgeois nationalism,"
according to an announcement in
the Morning Freiheit, Communist
Yiddish daily. By • so doing, the
American Communists have re-
turned to the traditional Com-
munist opposition to' Zionism
from which they deviated when
the Soviet Union supported es-
tablishment of a Jewish state in
Purely Commentary
Freedom--Passover's Inspiration
Epictetus' famous saying, "no man is free who is not master
of himself," is truest in its application of the Jewish people. For
centuries, our people waited for miracles and for the fulfillment
of Prophecy. Prayer and faith sustained Israel. -Then came the era
of Zionism. Jews were mobilized to fight for the right to be masters
of their own destiny. This is the basic idea in Epictetus' admonition.
The fight for self-mastery and for the right to self-government
materialized — thanks to the faith of our people and, indeed, to
the miracles of our time.
This Passover, more than at any other time, we shall be com-
paring notes on historical experiences. Until the realization of
Prophecy, we were dealing in myths. Today we are concerned with
truths and accomplishhed facts. Passover's inspiration has resulted
in the acquisition of complete liberty for Israel and the breaking
of the shackles which have kept our people down for 2,000 years.
D. H. Lawrence rescribed the power of freedom magnificently
when he said: "Men are free when they are .in a living homeland
. . not when they are escaping to some wild west. The most unfree
souls go west, and shout of freedom. Men are freest when they are
most unconscious of freedom. The shout is the rattling of chains,
always was." In Israel, freedom is "as a firebrand plucked from the
burning" (Amos, iv. 11). And it is part of the normality which is
assuring freedom so emphatically and so definitely that our people
will be as unconscious of it as they will be of all things which make
for normal living. -
Normal freedom, in all its reality, is the distinguishing factor
of Israel, making our Passover the greatest of all time. It is a
blessed Passover.
* * *
Elisheva: Picturesque Proselyte
In the death last week of Elisheva, Israel lost a. great person-
ality and an interesting proselyte.
Elisheva was her pen-name. She was born Yelizabeta Ivanovna•
Zhirkova in 1888, in Riazan,. Russia, and was the daughter of an
Englishwoman and a Russian. During her early youth, in Moscow,
where she resided with her family, she became enamored with a
Jewish family and began a lifelong attachment to Jewry. She
married the Hebrew writer, Simon Bychowsky, mastered Yiddish
and Hebrew and translated Jewish classics into Russian.
Her poems revealed her great love for the newly-acquired
language, for Israel and Eretz Israel. For nearly 30 years, she
devoted herself entirely to Hebrew literature, to the renaissance
that was inspired by the Zionist cause and to the task of building
the Jewish State. It is no wonder that she became famous where-
ever there were Jews and was among the most beloved Hebrew
poets. Few proselytes in our entire history have earned their fame
so deservedly. Her name already is distinguished in our history.
* * *
The Late Dr. Louis M. Epstein
Rabbi Morris Adler was right in stating in his column "May I
Have a Word With You," in the Shaarey Zedek Recorder,' with
reference to the late Rabbi Louis M. Epstein, whose funeral he
attended in New York last week: "The obituaries in our English-
Jewish press will be modest, and will be published, if at all,. in the
back pages of the newspapers. Yet if ever an American Jewish life
comes into being, marked by understanding, discipline and loyalty
it will be because Rabbi Epstein of blessed memory and other
inspired leaders like him, worked patiently, constructively in the
quiet places."
The Jewish News, too, had a modest • obituary notice. -But we
have a defense . WE at least, recognized Dr. Epstein's great contri-
butions in his lifetime, in our lengthy reviews of his books. Rabbi
Adler's complaint, in the main, is justified: our truly great men
are ignored and forgotten. What is particularly regrettable is that
so few of our scholars are given the recognition they deserve while
they are alive. A great deal is yet to be done to -create a real
appreciation of Jewish culture by our people.
Israeli War Heroes Tour U. S.;
Will Visit Detroit ort April 17
Land Acquisition
Plans Completed
with the exception of a British-
owned submarine cable. The Ex-
port-Import Bank was informed
that Israel suffers from a serious
defiCiency in telephone installa-
tions, particularly handicapping
in government offices. Only 12,-
000 telephones are now in service
in Israel, mostly for commercial
and government uses.
Israeli Ambassador E l i a h u
Elath signed contracts for $16,-
000,000 in credits from the Ex-
port-Import Bank. The credits
were previously announced and
provide for- the purchase here of
bus and truck chassis, materials
for housing and telecommunica-
tions equipment for Israel.
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
THE JEWISH NEWS
—
Friday, April 8, 1949
partitioned Palestine during the
United Nations debates last year.
The reversal of the Communist
position was proclaimed through
publication in the Freiheit of a
letter. from Moshe Katz, one of
its staff members, recanting an
article written last January tak-
ing issue with strictures against
Zionism written by Ilya Ehren.-
burg, the Soviet journalist. Along
with this letter, the paper pub-
lished a statement from the
Morning Freiheit Association de-
claring that Ehrenburg's "ideolo-
gical struggle against bourgeois
nationalism and against Zionism
is our struggle, the struggle of
the entire progressive move-
ment." It endorsed Ehrenburg's
statement that "the solution of
the Jewish problem can be
achieved only under Socialism"
and noted that it demanded "im-
mediate commencement of a wide
ideological campaign against
bourgeois nationalism, against
the reactionary Zionist leaders."
The statement rued the Associ-
ation's failure to start such a cam-
paign earlier and explaned that
the error had resulted from the
"constant pressure of bourgeois
nationalism on Jewish life in
America."
In his letter of recantation,
Katz declared that recent events
"have clearly demonstrated that
the bourgeois nationalists. :.are the
bitterest foes of their countries
and that the Zionist leaders out-
side Israel and the social demo-
cratic rulers in Israel are pre-
pared under the guise of the al-
leged cosmopolitan Jewish nation
and of the alleged defense of the
`general national interests' to
transform Israel into a bastion of
Jewish reaction and as a prop for
Anglo-American imperialism."
—International Photo
1
Israeli Consul General in New York, ARTHUR LOURIE, shakes
hands with 24-year-old PRIVATE ISRAEL GLAS, legless veteran, who
was among a group of the new Jewish state veterans to arrive at
Laguardia Airport for a three-week tour of the United States. The
veterans, including two women lieutenants, will tour aboard a seven
special-train-"CARAVANS OF HOPE" of the United Jewish Appeal,
to rally support behind the $250,000,000 campaign for Refugee Aid,
Overseas Relief and Rehabilitation and Settlement in Israel. The
veterans visited West. Point where they placed a wreath upon the
grave of 'Colonel David Marcus, the American officer who was killed
last year while commanding Israeli troops in Jerusalem. The "Cara-
van of Hope" will visit Detroit on...April 17.
Off the Record
-
By NATHAN ZIPRIN
Syrian Coup
Syria is by no means a politically ripe country . . . Yet last
week's coup. shows all the drama and earmark of skilled hands . .
Who was behind it? ... Of course the French are still bitter over
their being ousted from Syria and Lebanon by the British . . .
General de Gaulle has made no bones a-bout the fact that he hopes
to restore French influence and prestige in that part of the world . „
weeks ago there -were even reports that France was sending
It'is inconceivable that the French,-who
arms to those countries .
The
recognized Israel, were involved in an anti-ISrael maneuver .
fact that the new Syrian regime indicated willingness to negotiate
with Israel would seem to dispel that theory . . . Viewed against the
background that the British aimed their anti-Israel stones best when-
ever agreement seemed imminent between the new state and its
neighboring Arab states, the coup appears to be the result of a
British intrigue • • . If so British strategy has again backfired even
as it failed first in the case of Egypt and later with Transjordan . . .
In fact the British may have been outsmarted by the Syrian Arabs.
. . What may have started out as a scheme to halt negotiations
with Israel has ended up in a movement that appears for the moment
at least directed against British intentions of having Abdullah
swallow up Syria . . ..Bevin's potent brew seems- again to have
failed in its purpose.
Thinking Aloud
Bernard M. Baruch, in a recent address at the convention of
mayors, warned against Wide investments in improvements because
of the uncertainty of the international situation . . . in the light of
that reminder it might be well for Jewish communities perhaps to
think twice before considering plans for construction of new build-
ings, hospitals, centers and synagogues . . . For this and other rea-
sons it might be wise if they were to take Baruch's adviCe and give
instead a maximum toward Israel • . Jews are in a position to
Surprise the world . . . The whole world thinks Jews have plenty
of money . . . But the surprise will be if developments in Israel will
be halted because Jews do not have enough money.
Heard and Recorded
Isaac izakson, publisher of Haboker and head of the Farmers'
Society in Israel, has been in this country for some weeks ... He
says an effort is teing made to bring about unity between the Pro-
gressive and General Zionists.
Hollywood considers Carl Forman the ablest scenario writer .. .
Forman, author of "Champion," a sure-fire hit, is the son of a
Chicago Jewish tailor . • . His parents wanted him to become a
lawyer . . . But Forman was drawn to writing and he won out.
, • Lee J. Cobb of the successful drama, "Death of a Salesman," is
a Jewish young man whose father is a typesetter connected with
32,250 Workers Listed
the Forward, Yiddish daily . . . His wife is beautiful Helen Beverly,
In Israel Manpower Census who starred in Jewish films.
Dr. P. Berman, chief of the Los Angeles County Hospital, the
NEW YORK.—A census taken largest in the world, is quite a scholar apart from his medical knowl-
by the Controller of Manpower edge . . . His-father was one of the outstanding rabbis in Lithuania.
.*
of the Israeli Government at the
end of 1948 showed a total of Creme de Bananes
3,350 industrial enterprises func-
For the first time bananas are being gilown in Palestine . .
tioning in Israel, employing a It is a small banana . It is unique in that while green-skinned
total of 32,250 workers, according it is sweet and ripe . . .. When it turns yellow it oozes like honey .. .
to information release by the A fine banana brandy, creme de bananes as it is called, is being made
and exported to the U. S. for Passover use . Several barrels of
Israel Corporation of America, that drink were shipped from Israel in January to Rabbi Julius
headed by Albert Schiff,. Presi- Horowitz of -New York, who offered it to the firm of Kraus Brothers
dent.
& Co. for distribution.