•••• • ••• ttr..%.• ti • • • •• • • • • ". • • • • • • • ■ ••• • 7.• .1 • HE Israel's Hopes ,In 1949 "Throughout the World A Wee kly Read Smolar's Column on Page 2 'VOLUME 14—NO. 16 W . I S H NEWS si of Jewish Events 2114 Penobscot Bldg.—Phone WO. 5-1155 Detroit 26, Michigan, December 31, 1948 Dr. Weizmann's Autobiography: 'Trial and Error' Read Commentator's Column on Page 2 34 wiAaP. 22 $3.00 Per Year; Single Copy, 10c Israel's Victory Decisive; Gaza Captured; End of War Predicted Direct Teletype Wires by JTA and Jewish News Special Correspondents Israel's triumph over Egypt, in the hostilities which were resumed last week, were so decisive that, barring unexpected new developments, the war may be expected to come to an end very soon. A Jewish Telegraphic Agency cable to The Jewish News from Tel Aviv states that the nearest broadcasting station on Cyprus, which is con- trolled by the British Foreign Office, reported that the Israelis captured Gaza and found there 160,000 refugees. The report states that the Israelis . cut off ,the Egyptian road from Gaza to the south at a point 20 miles south of this ancient city. An Israeli official announcement said • that six Italian-made fiat planes piloted by Egyptians were intercepted by Israeli planes. They ap- parently were heading to drop supplies to Egyptian troops in Faluja. The Jewish pilots shot down one plane, drove off the others, and damaged three. A spokesman for Israel confirmed the report that additional Negev territory was freed from the Egyptians. UN observers reported that the strategic hill between Khan Yunis and Rafa was captured by the Israeli forces. A Jewish spokesman said that if the Security Council gives a cease fire order, Israel will certainly comply with it. Commenting on the assassination of the Egyptian Premier, Mohmoud Fahmy Nokrashi Pasha, by an Arab in Cairo, the_ Israeli spokesman said that "apparently he was as unpopular with Egyptians as he was with us." • Meanwhile, in Paris, the British UN delegatioilt demanded that the Security Council issue a cease fire order in the Negev, and called for the implementation of the Nov. 4 resolution which ,asked the withdrawal of • Is raeli troops from Negev positions won after Oct. 16. Maurice Fischer, Israeli spokesman, replying to Egyptian charges of violence of the truce, . said that the Egyptians, being on Israeli soil,' are the aggressors and are not complying with the Nov. 16 resolution which ordered discussions for an armistice among the belligerents. Fischer criticized Dr. Ralph Buriche's report on the Negev situation for not mentioning the situation regarding the armistice resolution. United Nations truce observation headquarters in 'Palestine has cabled ,the Security Council charging that the Egyptians are responsible for the, outbreak of current fighting in the Negev, thellebrew press reports. A country-wide blackout was reimposed following air raids in the Gaza, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazareth and Jericho areas. The Canadian Government has granted Israel de facto recognition, it was announced Friday by Lester Pearson, Minister for External Affairs, at a press conference. Pearson said that Israel had given r‘satisfactory proof" of complying with the essential conditions of statehood. The news of :the government'S action was received with elation in Jewish communities throughout the Dominion. Moshe Shertok, Israeli Foreign Minister, cabled the Canadian Gov- ernment his government's "deep appreciation" for the de facto recognition granted by the. Dominion: Shertok's m e s s age declared that Israel is anxious for a rapid restoration of peace and a final settlement of all outstanding questions either directly or through the UN Conciliation Corn- mission, and.regards Canada's recognition _as an important contribution to this end. While Israel is accepting the cease fire orders from the UN, it is evident that the Jews will consistently refuse to move from the Negev. President Truman has named Joseph B. Keenan of Kansas City as the U. S. member on the UN Conciliation Commission for Palestine. . `We, the People' 1, Israel s Proposed Constitution Is Highly 'Social-Minded' Document By DAVID SCHWARTZ (Copyright, 1948, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) The draft of the proposed constitution of Israel begins ' with the same words as the American constitution: -"We, the people . The Israeli draft has not yet been finally ratified, but it may be -assumedit, with things moving as speedily as they are in Israel, that it will not take as long to adopt the Israeli consti- tution as it took the United Stites to adopt its own. The very term, "We, the people," was much debated. What do they mean? cried Patrick Henry, by saying, "We the people," instead of "We, the States." Patrick Henry declared that this indicated that the new constitution would, practically speaking, abolish the states. When we remember all the controversy of that day with respect to the Constitution and everything else about the . making of the new nation, it should • teach us not to be too worried when we hear of controversy in and about Israel. Some of the delegates to the Philadelphia convention in 1787 left in themidolle of the convention, feeling sure that it would E•e_iifipossible to reach an agreement. The aged Franklin who had never been much of a religious roan, offered a mttion that the sessions of the convention be opened with prayer, in the hope that somehow this would be conducive to harniony. If a sparrow cannot fall, save it be by God, said Franklin, • how can an empire rise? When we recall that this 'same Franklin as a bOy was very economical of prayer—he suggested to his father that a prayer be recited before the barrel of sausage instead of 1'%I ear ilistradut Children's Village: Histadrut, the Jewish labor movement in Israel, has established a new children's village—Onim—at Kfar Saba, in the Jew- ish State. A population of 200 boys and girls is r eceiving physical and spiritual guidance of Onim. (Story about Detroit Histadrut on Page 5) before each individual dish—we may possibly get some realiza- tion of the difficult situation at Philadelphia, . When the convention finally succeeded in Mustering suffi dent votes to adopt the draft, the end . of the battle was still a long way off. The Constitution had to be ratified by each of the 13 original states and every line of it was microscopically dis- sected. In the attack, no holds were barred. In Massachusetti criticism was levelled at on the ground that it contained no mention of God. A preacher delegate offered this criticism. A lawyer delegate, defending it, pointed out that one of the books of the Bible was marked by a similar omission. The preacher delegate challenged the lawyer and pffered to (Continued on Page