Marcia Reports from Israel
Wh ere igotry is Unknown

Continued from Page 1

of the visitor who stands INSIDE the Statue of Liberty in order
to "see" it. In trying to draw conclusions, she was forced to
work with incomplete information; while the accident of
birth had given me a better perspective on this particular
point.
As a matter of fact, my year in Israel has failed to produce
more than a couple of questions about my religion; the Israeli
doesn't know and doesn't care. If a man wears a burnous, he's
a Moslem; if he wears a skullcap, a Jew, or possibly a Catholic
or Greek Orthodox priest. If neither, then what's the difference?
One of the queries I mentioned came from an acquaintence
who wanted to know - if I were eligible for full civil status in
the country. The other was from an Immigration Department
official who was filling out a routine form.
The latter, by the way, (who seemed a very nice fellow),
was flustered at the unexpected break in his normal procedure.
This was easily fixed; "For administrative purposes," I told him,
"I'm a Jew." Heaven only knows what my records look like
now, but he was glad to have my tacit authorization to do as
he liked with my papers.
If I were ever to become convinced that my religion con-
stituted a real difference between myself and my neighbors,
it would be a long time before I began to feel lonely. There are
something like 45,000 Christians in Israel, besides an estimated
125,000 other non-Jews of . all creeds from Secessionist Moslems
to Bahai. Even the nonsectarian Young Men's Christian, As-
sociation is represented' here, and notably, too; their huge
building facing the King David Hotel having passed unscath-
ed through the recent fighting.
Every day I pass a large Hebrew-and-English sign identi-
fying the "Zion . Christian Mission," and dark-robed church
dignitaries are a familiar feature of Jerusalem's streets. What
with all this religious emphasis, it may seem that I'm the only
Christian in the .place who is not a missionary. I duck, figura-
tively, and deny this.
If the argument is theoretical, I can always return to that
thesis of human inconsistency which I established earlier; and
if practical, I may point out the industrial "settlement" in sub-
urban Beth Hakerern,. The latter consists of artisans sent to
erect a shoe factory here; they're all Americans, (mostly from
the south, I think), and for some reason or other, there isn't
a Jew in the lot
A good many personal details and observations have ap-
peared above. While perhaps excusable as convenient for illus-
tration, these are otherwise unimportant. The one solid datum
revealed in my own situation is that Israel is, quite simply, too
busy to bother with trivial distinctions such as the question of
religion is likely to call forth elsewhere.
The melting-pot here has a single product—the modern
Israeli. He is a composite man: Ashkenazic and Sephardic: ultra-
religious and iconoclastic.; so much a nationalist he feels he
owns Trans-Jordan, and so disinterested he doesn't care where
the boundaries lie. He is a stiff Norwegian and a voluble Latin,
an impractical Bokharian Torah-student and a:master mechanic
from Switzerland, He is Indian, Persian, Canadian, Argentinian,
French, Danish, Russian, Cuban, Iranian, Bulgarian, Brazilian,
Yugoslavian. He comes from Kurdistan and Kansas. He is all
these, and more.
Would a. man like that be "prejudiced," in the social sense
we know? Well, yes. Being .a man, he has prejudices, preju-
dices like these:
The Orthodox are salvation-bound, and "liberal" ideas un-
safe: The sensible attitude towards religion is to ignore it, as
An some of the kibbutzim.
The Yemenite has a pleasant voice and works hard, but is
culturally a nonentity, The Yemenite maintains the only purely
Jewish group cultilre in existence.
The German is a snobbish and overmethoclical blight upon
an otherwise happy-go-lucky land. The discrimination and sense
of order of people of Germanic descent are what really holds
this hapless country together.
The sabra is the salt of the - earth, and the moral founda-
tion of Israel. The sabra is a worthless lout who lives upon his
reputation and sneers at industrious newcomers.
The American is a super-progressive flash of energy who
has supplied the financial backing of the state and then pitch-
ed in to help during the war itself. The American is a politically
illiterate chrome-plated provincial whose contribution in all
respects has been vastly overrated.
So it goes. These examples are not wisecracks, manu-
factured in pairs for the sake of display. They are the con-
crete attitudes of vocal sectors of the Yishuv, and are brought
together here to highlight the impact of the Israeli melting-
pot upon the Israeli mind. As may be seen, they cancel each
other out. They eliminate in Israel the danger-spots where,
elsewhere in the world, the moral rot of our mistrust of each
other has been allowed to remain. Here, they are largely a
source of amusement, not friction.
No statesmanship, no philosophy, no human faculty what-
soever could have mapped the road that led to this spiritual
health. The forces that made Israel, (and perhaps, as the devout
believe, not all of them were human), have included an un-
foreseen attribute; this is friendliness.
There is no better bridge between religions.

NEW YORK—Special supplies
of religious articles and kosher
food have been rushed to mili-
tary and naval installations all
along the Pacific Coast by the
. National Jewish Welfare Board
to meet the religious and morale
needs of Jewish personnel in the
armed forces leaving for the
Korean war, it was announced
by Irving Edison, JWB presi-
dent.
The supplies are being placed
aboard Army transports and
ships of the Navy and are also
being distributed at all troop
concentration points while addi-
tional shipments are being sent

Friday, July 21, 1950

U.S. Delegates Mission
To Speed Immigration

Walter H.' Bieringer, president
of United Service for New Amer-
icans, and Arthur Greenleigh,
USNA executive director, arrived
in Germany as part of an of fi-
ciaLmission under the auspices

A

Report From Israel

Mrs. Chajes Describes Cultural
Life; Brings Leaders' Messages

By MRS. JULIUS CHAJES

"Hundreds of thousands of recently acquired with the help
our brethren from Europe and of the Jewish Welfare Board,
Arab countries are streaming Mrs. DeRoy offered to donate a
into Israel. The process of ab- piano, whose acquisition is to be
sorbing the exiles is going on the first important step for the
without interruption; we dare upbuilding of a music depart-
not fail them. If every Jew ment. The "Y" owns a record-
everywhere will do his duty fully ing machine, but has no record-
and whole-heartedly, we can ings. I promised to assist them
look with confidence into the in securing some from friends,.
who I am sure will want to help
future."
This was the message to the such a worthwhile project.
On invitation of Dr. Arie Tar-.
Detroit Jewish community by
Berl Locker, chairman of the takower of the Hebrew Univer-
Jewish Agency. He was kind sity, we were guests of the
enough to invite Mrs. Aaron De- Knesset and attended the ses-
Roy and myself to visit him in sion during which the "Child
spite of his limited time. Also, Marriage" question was dis-
Tel Aviv's Mayor and his charm- cussed.
We also had an interesting
ing wife, Mr. and Mrs. Israel
Rokeach, wanted to be remem- meeting with Dr. David Petegor-
bered to our community. I told sky, director of the World Jew-
them that we too have not for- ish Congress.
Greenleigh
Bieringer
their visit of two years
High Cultural Level
of the United States Displaced gotten
ago
and
that we would like to
Cultural life in Israel is on a
Persons Commission. Greenleigh have "a repeat
performance" high level. "Othello" and other
and Bieringer and Miss Ann Pet-
luck, head of the migration de- soon. Admires Citizens
partment of USNA, are visiting
I acquired the highest admi-
DP processing centers to study
the problem of speeding immi- ration for ,every Israel citizen,
gration under the new DP bill. who lives under unfavorable
A total of 45,000 Jewish refugees circumstances, mainly because
will be aided to come to the of the continued influx of the
United States by USNA during newcomers with who m he
shares the very essentials of life,
1950 and 1951,
food and housing. During our
three weeks stay in Israel, al-
moSt every day transports of
Jews arrived, mostly from Ro-
mania and Iraq.
It must be made clear to
world Jewry that in Israel they
TEL AVIV (JTA)—One of the have to carry the financial bur-
most serious incidents involving den for the hundreds of thou-
Israelis and Syrians in recent sands of displaced persons who
months occurred here last week arrived during the past year,
when one Israeli settler was and who are fortunately still
killed and another wounded by coming. The food situation is
Syrian gunfire.
bad—worse than one expects it
The affair began when an Is- to be. Bread and potatoes are
rael police launch on a normal plentiful and inexpensive, but
MRS. CHAJES
tour of duty on Lake Tiberias there is very little meat, and it
became entangled with Syrian- is neither good nor tasty. Mrs. Shakespearean dramas present-
laid fishing nets north of the DeRoy vowed to urge everyone ed by Habima are constantly
settlement of Eingev. The nets who can afford it to send over sold out. The Israeli Symphony
were illegally laid because Syr- parcels, as many as possible. Orchestra is adding more and
ians have no right to fish in the The items most needed are more appearances because of
lake. Nevertheless, the Syrians canned food, butter, coffee and the tremendous demand for
tickets. All the concerts and
hauled in their nets and cap- fats.
tured the t h r e e policemen
We visited many institutions movies are sold out many days
aboard the launch.
and centers of the Hadassah prior to the performance.
The Israel radio station, espe.
Summoned by radio, a second Youth Alijah and were particu-
Israel police launch carrying a larly impressed with the Mizra- cially its musical department,
number of settlers appeared on chi Children's Village "Kfar under the capable directorship
of Karel Salomon, is sending
the scene and disentangled the Batia."
programs appropriate for all
first boat. During this action
Piano for 'Y'
the Syrians opened fire with
Justice Gad Frumkin invited sections of the population. The
deadly results. The Israelis did us to see the new "Y" which was morning hour starts with the
traditional "Mah tovu" (How
not reply, but returned to Ein
goodly are thy tents, oh Jacob).
gov with both launches.
At noon time there are special
The Israel Government, tak- Negro Paper Applauds
programs for hospitals. They
ing a grave view of the incident, JCC Anti-Panic Effort
have programs for children, sol-
has protested to UN truce chief
diers, old and young, native Is-
Maj. Gen. William E. Riley, who
The
Jewish
Community
Coun-
is presently at Lake Success. At cil leaflet "Neighbor, Where Are raelites and newcomers. It is
a mixed Israel-Syrian armistice You Running To . . ." was re- very significant that they have
commission meeting the Jews produced in full on the editorial no commercials.
Presented Five Broadcasts
insisted .upon an immediate in- page of the Negro newspaper,
I was invited to appear in five
vestigatiOt of the incident. As The Michigan Chronicle, in its
broadcasts during my stay and
a result of the Commission's in- July 15 issue.
happy to see the special
tervention the three Israeli po-
The reproduction was accom- was
recognition which the music of
licemen were released.
panied by an editorial calling my husband received. His songs
upon Negro home-owners in the "Adarim" and "Mah Yafim Ha-
Elath Presents Credentials 12th Street area "to demonstrate leiloth" were heard frequently.
LONDON — (JTA) — Eliahu in their everyday living whether A "Chajes hour," where I sang
Elath, Israel Minister to Britain, they really believe in democra- many of his compositions, was
presented his credentials to cy or not." The Community recorded for • a alater broadcast
King George VI of England at Council leaflet is being distrib- during the Israel Music Festi-
a ceremony at Buckingham Pal- uted in an attempt to prevent val, which took place at the end
ace. Elath chatted with the panic selling of homes in the of June. My American songs
12th Street-Linwood ,area.
King for 15 minutes.
(Gershwin, Negro Spirituals and
American-Indian) w e r e also
very well liked. From leading
musicians like Marc Lavry, Ka-
rel Salomon, and others, I re-
ceived new songs, which I hope
to include in my repertoire for
the coming season.
It was my privilege to give
two interviews (in English and
Yiddish) without script, over
"Shidurim la Gola" on the eve
to all American installations in
of my departure. It is the
the Pacific. Edison said.
broadcasting station which
JWB is prepared with staff,
sends Israel programs and mes-
program and supplies, to meet
sages to England, South Amer-
emergency responsibilities grow-
ica and South Africa. When I
ing out of the Defense Depart-
later heard the recording, which
ment's call for the drafting of
was taken during the interview,
men for the Army, the rush of
my vocabulary consisted mainly
volunteers and active reserves to
of superlative words—"thrilled,"
the Navy, Air Force and Marine
a n d
"wonderful," "amazed"
Corps.
JWB's armed services field
Members of the Detroit Women's Division of American "happy"—and that is exactly
staff and the corps of Jewish Jewish Congress met with Mayor Cobo at the City Hall to how I felt about my stay in
chaplains now serving at 250 discuss community projects, and presented him with model Israel.
Mr. Chajes and I have been
military installations in this
country have been alerted to city ordinances drafted by their legal department. From the invited to present a number of
meet changes in troop strength right: MRS. H. NELSON, MRS. H. FRANK, MAYOR COBO, concerts in Israel next year, and
at all installations, Edison de- MRS. J. MENDELSOHN, MRS. J. KRITCHMAN and SAM we are looking forward eagerly
to that visit.
BROWN, A, Congress Executive Director.
clared.

JWB Rushes Religious Supplies
To Jewish GIs Enroute to Korea

,

6—THE JEWISH NEWS

Syrian 'Incident'
Solved Peacefully

Mayor Welcomes Congress Women