Unity, Where Art Thou?

Rifts in U. S. Jewry Exposed

Michigan ADL
Elects Officers;
Gets State Reports

By Jewish News Special Correspondent

NEW YORK—Who said there staff. Thus moves the news and

is unity in Jewish ranks? Take its distributing agency.

UJA a n d Chicago : Is the
a hurried glance at the national UJA
in real trouble, in view of

_ .e

organizatiOns, examine the rift
that has been perpetuated in
Zionist ranks, listen in :on dis-
cussions among national leaders,
and you hear all-too-frequent
indications of rancor that bor-
ders on extreme bitterness.
Here are a few indications of
continuing disputes in Jewish
affairs:
Silver vs. Goldmann: Dr. Na-
h u m Goldmann, chairmann,
of the American Section of the
Jewish Agency, recently stated
that the UJA in 1949 fell only
10 per cent short of its 1948 in-
come. Dr. Abba Hillel Silv e r,
Goldmann's predecessor and bit-
terest opponent, took exception
to Goldmann's report and warn-
ed that Goldmann "might have
to#, do some tall explaining for
the role he played in the so-call-
ed Silver-Morgenthau dispute,
for the failure of the 1949 cam-
paign and perhaps also for the
decline in the Zionist political
position in Washington."
These are serious charges.
Goldmann was in London when
Silver leveled his guns at him.
When he returns, it is expected
that a new battle will begin-
Goldmann versus Silver — with
the World Zionist Organization
presidency as the plum and with
control of the WZO at stake. It
is an established fact that Had-
assah is not on Silver's side, that
the Cleveland rabbi is opposed
by the labor Zionists, that the
Zionist Organization of America
already is fighting for control
of WZO through large sales of
Shekolim. If the battle will be
kept on a high level, it will be
interesting; else, it will be just
another petty dispute.
JTA's Future: B e h i n d the
scenes, a serious personality
battle raged during the past
year, involving American Jewry's
major source of news, the Jew-
ish Telegraphic Agency. Jacob
Landau, JTA's managing direc-
tor, did not get along so well
with the former chairman of the
JTA board, Jacob Blaustein, who
had to quit that job when he be-
came president of the American
Jewish Committee. The Council
of Federations and Welfare
Funds stepped into the contest
and demanded a revision - of
JTA's policies and its abandon-
ment of ONA service. There were
numerous other issues, too in-
volved to be -related at this time.
Federations throughout the
country stopped sending JTA al-
locations. Some of them agreed
to give JTA "severance" pay-
ments amounting to 30 per cent
- of the 1948 payments, but there
still are communities — Detroit
among them — which have re-
- fused to give JTA a dime.
For several months, JTA was
in real trouble. It was slow in
paying salaries and there was
danger to the telegraphic service
itself. But the issue is coming to
a head. This week—possibly be-
fore Jan. 20—there may be a re-
organization of JTA. Mr. Landau
may be retired on a pension, a
n e w board chairman may be
chosen to succeed George Back-
er who has supported Mr. Lan-
dau's stand, and there may even
be a housecleaning on the JTA

last year's decline in income and
because of some petty reports
brought from \ Israel by unin-
formed tourists? UJA's leaders
are steering clear of controversy.
They seek amity. They won sup-
port from the English - Jewish
weekly newspaper editors last
week-end at a meeting that was
attended by editors and publish- .
ers from nine cities who are
members of the executive com-
mittee of the American Associa-
tion of English-Jewish News-
papers. But in some cities there
are real dangers of rifts. Chicago
is the major center of trouble.
The second largest Jewish com-
munity in America fell far short
of its goals for UJA both in 1948
and 1949. The charges are that
the sponsoring organization —
the Chicago Welfare Fund—was
much more interested in capital
funds and in local agencies than
in Israel and the funds for the
solution of the problem of sur-
vivors from Nazism in Europe.
Chicago Welfare Fund leaders
retused to meet with Henry Mor-
genthau, Henry Montor a n d
other UJA leaders, and the UJA
was forced to arrange an inde-
pendent gathering at the Chi-
cago Covenant Club on Jan. 5.
Now the battle is in the open.
UJA may be forced to conduct
its own independent d r iv e in
Chicago, thus breaking a 15-year
unity in fund-raising. If it can
happen in Chicago, why not else-
w h e r e, especially in view of
charges that in a number of
cities UJA suffered because Fed-
erations preferred to all o c ate
larger sums to building funds
and to local causes?
Who said there is unity in
American Jewry?

Hungary Eases Ban
On Israel Immigration

NEW YORK—Temporarily
lifting its total ban on emigra-
tion, Hungary granted permis-
sion to 3,000 Jews, including 40
leaders of the dissolved Hun-
garian Zionist movement, to
leave for Israel within the next
few months, it was announced
by the Aliyah Department of
the Jewish Agency.
The action will permit the
first departures of Jews from
Hungary in more than six
months. Bulk of the emigrants
will be children whose parents
are already in Israel, or parents
seeking to rejoin children living
in the Jewish State.

Z-Day Chairman Weiss
Thanks Community

Ben Weiss, chairman of the
Zionist Organization of Detroit's
"Z-Day" campaign last Sunday,
expressed the thanks of the
ZOD to the community for its
cooperation in the membership
enrollment project.
Anyone who was not contact-
ed may still participate in the
drive by sending membership
dues to the Zionist office, 1031
Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26,
Weiss declared.

On the Record

By NATHAN ZIPRIN

(Copyright, 1950, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Inc.)

4111111P

Ben Gurion Scores
The Israeli daily "Davar" has a reputation for linguistic pur-
ism but in its zeal to maintain its high standard it recently fell
into an error which had the whole country laughing . . . Prime
Minister David Ben Gurion had addressed the Knesset and ended
his speech with the words "In that day it shall be said to Jerusa-
lem: Fear thou not; 0 Zion, let not thy hands be slack" . . . How-
ever, Davar's editor performed a word-inversion operation on the
Hebrew text ... Ben Gurion immediately sent a letter to the edi-
tor saying that while he did not question the right of the editor to
challenge the grammatical authority of Israel's chief he doubted
the need and competence of the editor to correct the language of
the prophets . . . The passage, he wrote, was from the third chap-
ter of Zephaniah . . . The newspaper carried Ben Gurion's letter
in a boxed space on the front page . . .It occurs to us that Ben
Gurion might have called the attention of the newspaper to the
coincidence that that very chapter speaks of . purity of language
. . Verse sixteen of the third chapter reads: "For then will I
turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may call upon the
name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent."

At the meeting of the ADL
Michigan Regional Advisory
Board held in Lansing Sunday,
Sam Goldfarb of Jackson was
elected chairman.
Other officers include; Mrs.
Samuel Aaron, Detroit, Ben
G r a h a m, Kalamazoo, Rabbi
Frank Rosenthal, Jackson, vice-
chairmen; Sam Adinoff, Port
Huron; Abe Drasin and Sam
Himelstein, Grand Rapids; Jus-
tin Morrison, Lansing; Dr. Phil
Nolish, Saginaw, and Morris
Zwerdling of Detroit, trustees.
Haskell L. Lazere, Michigan
ADL director, reported on 1949
activities.
Ben Graham, reporting for
Kalamazoo, discussed a recent
incident involving discrimina-
tion in housing against a young
Jewish veteran, and outlined
the method by which it was
successfully handled with the
cooperation of ADL. Goldfarb
outlined the scope of commun-
ity relations activities in Jack-
son, and described the program
inaugurated ° by the. Mayor's
Community Relations Board of
Jackson of which Rosenthal is
chairman.
A highlight of the Jackson
report was the reference to a
Christmas Hanukah celebration
at which a Protestant minister
spoke to a mixed congregation
on "What Hanukah Means to
Me" and the Rabbi, in the role
of the_ Protestant minister, spoke
about the Christmas season and
its meaning.
Abe Dasin reported on activi-
ties of the Grand Rapids Inter-
Racial Committee. He praised
the Grand Rapids YWCA and
Community on the fine 'rela-
tionship between Bnai Brith and
the Inter-Racial Committee.
A. Abbot Rosen, Chicago mid-
west director for the ADL, ad-
dressed the luncheon. Clinton
Fair represented Governor Wil-
liams at the luncheon.
The regional board petitioned
Governor Williams to present
FEPC to the special session of
the Legislature.

Young Israel Opens
Friday Forums ; List
Women's Officers

Young Israel will begin its
mid-winter season of Friday
evening forums tonight, at 8:30,
in the auditorium of the Youth
Center, 12521 Dexter.
The topic, "The Future of
-Young Israel in America" will be
discussed by Charles T. Gellman,
Rabbi. Eugene Greenfield a n d
Daniel Schwartz. Rabbi Samuel
H. Prero will be the moderator.
The program will be followed by
a. Oneg Shabbat.
The second forum, Jan. 20 will
be dedicated to the Women's
League. The Position of the Jew-
ish Woman on the American
Scene" will be reviewed
Mrs.
Herman K. Cohen, Mrs. Samuel
H. Prero and Mrs. Meyer Weis-
enfeld.
The Women's League at its
election meeting Jan. 3, at the
home of Mrs. Harry Portnoy on
Leslie Ave. elected Mrs. Joseph
Grossman, president; Mrs. David
Applebaum and Mrs. Herman K.
C o h e n, vice-presidents; Mrs.
Charles T. Gellman, treasurer;
Mrs. Meyer Weisenfeld, secre-
tary; Mesdames Abbe A. Levi
and Solomon B. Cohen, chair-
men of house committee. The
officers will be installed Tues-
day evening by Rabbi Prero.
At the monthly membership
meeting on Jan. 11, 24 new mem-
bers were initiated into Young
Israel.
Dr. Hugo Mandelbaum, chair-
man of the Institute for Jewish
Studies announces that the In-
stitute will open its spring term
Feb. 7. Registration is being ac-
cepted at the Youth Center ; TE.
4-414k . by Hillel L. Abrams, reg-
istrar.
Faculty members include:
Rabbi Samuel H. Prero, Dr. Max
H. Kapustin, Rabbi Israel Hal-
pern, Dr. Hugo Mandelbaum and
Miriam Fishbein. The sessions
will be Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday evenings, 8 to 9 with
spring sessions running for 10
weeks.

by,

Israel Rejection of Modified
Jerusalem Plan Expected

Rejection of the modified
Jerusalem internationalization
plan was interpreted this week
in unofficial statements made in
Tel Aviv, but it is believed that
Israel may make some conces-
sions—such as including Dormi-
tion Church and Cenacle on Mt.
Zion—if an agreement can be
reached with Jordan. But Israel
is not prepared to sacrifice its
negotiations with Jordan in ex-
change for a modified Jerusa-
lem proposal.
At Lake Success, Brig. Gen.
William E. Riley was quoted, be-
fore his return to Israel, as stat-
ing that he believed there will be
peace between Israel and Jor-
dan this year.

The hope that access to He-
brew University buildings on
Mount Scopus, on the outskirts
of Jerusalem, may be agreed
upon by Transjordan was ex-
pressed by Prof. Selig Brodet-
sky, president of the Univer:7
sity, at a press conference in
New York.

Government Wins Support

JERUSALEM, (JTA) — A vote
of non-confidence on the for-
eign policy of . the Israel Gov-
ernment, proposed by Mapam
members in the Knesset, was re-
jected by a vote of 63-28 by
Knesset.
A motion introduced by the
Herut demanding the resigna-
tion of the entire Cabinet was
defeated, 63-11, with Mapam
deputies abstaining. The General
Zionists cast their ballots both
times for the government. How-
ever, they demanded that the
proclamation of Jerusalem as
the eternal and actual capital
of Israel be embodied in the Is-
rael Constitution as the first
paragraph of that document.
Their request was referred to a
special parliamentary commit-
tee now studying the Jerusalem
problem.
The cabinet decided to submit
to the Knesset a bill which
would fix the minimum age for
marriage for girls at 17.

To Erect Sugar Factory

TEL AVIV, (JTA)—A sum of
$600,000 from the $100,000,000

Export-Import Bank loan to Is-
rael has been allocated for the
purchase of machinery and oth-
er equipment for the erection of
a sugar refining factory in the
southern part of the Jewish
state. Large tracts of land in
the immediate vicinity of the
factory site will be used for the
growing of sugar beets.
Turkey has placed its first
order for Israel-made Philco re-
frigerators, scheduled to be pro-
duced in a factory now under
construction here.

"0 p e r ation Afforestation,"
involving hundreds of thou-
sands of dunams of land and
providing employment for
many new immigrants, began
in Galilee. The plan provides
for the- planting of 500,000
trees in Eastern Galilee and
116,000 in Western Galilee. Be-
tween 5,000,000 and 6,000,000
seedlings are being raised in
Israel nurseries and will be
ready for planting next eyar.

A thousand tents for six per-
sons each and 400 for 60 per-
sons each arrived from the
United States this week for the
Beth Lid Camp.
Answering the Jewish Agen-
cy's special appeal for tempor-
ary accommodation for children
of immigrants in the tent vil-
lages of the camps, the Israel
army took swift action in offer-
ing shelter for 300 youngsters in
a former British Army concrete
hall in a nearby Army camp.
More than 2,000 families all over
the country have thrown open _
their homes; many offering to
accept more than one child.
Two Arabs were killed in an
exchange of fire between Israel
security forces and infiltrating
Arabs near Kalkilia, in the "tri-
angle" area.
Citrus exports for 1949 ex-
ceeded 900,000 cases. Britain re-
ceived 528,000 cases and Eire,
30,000. In the first half of Jan-
uary 300,000, cases of oranges
and 100,000 cases of grapefruit
are scheduled to be shipped to
Britain, with a half-million cases
to be shipped in the second half
of the month.

UN Economic Mission Commends
`Striking' Israel Agricultural System

LAKE SUCCESS, (JTA)—The
final report of the UN Economic
Survey Commission on the Mid-
dle East, covering Israel, Leban-
on, Syria, Iraq and Transjordan,
was transmitted to all member
states of the United Nations.
The report proposes four river
deVelopment projects for large-
scale and long-range economic
development of Lebanon; Syria,
Transjordan and the Arab part
of Palestine. No project is rec-
ommended with regard to the
development of Israel.
Analyzing the economic situa-
tion . in Israel, the report says
that a certain degree of .indus-
trial development has helped
somewhat to reduce exchange
requirements, but that there
seems little possibility of fur-
ther extensive industrial devel-
opment that would pay for itself
by major import savings or im-
provements in exchange earn-
ings.

Another difficulty described
by the report is the insepar-
ability of political and engi-
neering planning of a major
water resource. Thus, the mis-
sion found that for the de-
velopment of the Jordan river
at most 15 percent of the
work contemplated could go
forward without taking water
from neighboring countries.

to overcome all _obstacles, the -
like of which it would be hard
to find elsewhere."

While presenting a gloomy
picture of the agricultural sit-.
uation in the Arab . territories
under review by the Mission, -
the report emphasizes that
the agricultural aspect of Is-
rael is "striking." It pays trib-
ute to the "well-organized"
Agriculture Department of the -
Israel Government and its fa-
. cilities for research, to the
communal and co-operative
. system of land settlement,
which it analyzes at some
_ length and to the "effort be-
ing made to bring about a
change-over from extensive to
intensive farming."

It calls the system of land
irrigation in Israel "an - object
leSson in the economical use of
water supplies and in securing
the utmost benefit from the
limited supplies available." And
it lauds the intensity of citrus
cultivation, which, it says, "once
seen, will always be remembered
as something exceptional in the
Middle East."
Comparing the situation in
Israel with that of the Arab
countries, the report declares:
"There, in Israel, one finds a
western civilization of the most
modern type which is making
prodigious efforts to draw life
from the barren soil of Pales-
tine.
• "On the financial side Israel
possesses a reasonably well-
equipped and excellently man-
aged banking system, a re-
markably high rate of savings
and a smoothly operating budg-
etary mechanism, which has so
far succeeded in financing very
substantial outlays for develop-
mental purposes, as well as cur-
rent operating expenses."

In the absence, says the re-
port, of a peace settlement be-
tween Israel and adjoining
countries it is unrealistic to sup-
pose that agreement on the
complex question of interna-
tional water rights could be ne-
gotiated among the parties.
It notes in Israel's favor, how-
ever, the high level of education
and craftsmanship among the
immigrants, the large propor-
tion of government expendi-
ture for education and public
health, and "a spirit of nation-
al-racial solidarity, a willingness 20 THE JEWISH NEWS
common in-
to sacrifice in
Friday, January 13, 1950
terest, a faith n
in Israel's ability

—