Purely Commentary
JWV Sets Blood Goal
Of 200 Pints at Rally
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Israel's New President: Scholar and Labor Leader
•
Those who know Israel's leading personalities could have fore-
told in advance that. Itzhak Ben-Zvi would be chosen successor to
Dr. Chaim Weizmann and would be named President of Israel for
a eve-year term. One of the ablest labor leaders in Israel, Presi-
dent Ben-Zvi is a noted scholar, a prolific writer and a linguist.
He is an authority on the Samaritans and their history, is a stu-
dent of natural sciences, a geographer and an explorer.
There are many interesting aspects in his career. His family
background in Russia was revolutionary. While he managed to
escape from Russia, after being placed on the Czarist blacklist,
his father was deported to Siberia. There is no doubt that he. has .
never forgotten this hurt and throughout his life aimed to allevi-
ate suffering among Jews—through statehood—and among the
working classes, by fighting aggression, oppression and Czarist
slavery. He was a natural leader in the formation of the Jewish
self-defense movement in Russia. This, too, is accountable' for his
anti-Communist position.
He not only was an organizer of Hechalutz and of the Pales-
tine Hashomer self-defense organization, but also, together with
Israel's Prime Minister David' Ben-Gurion, helped, in 1916, in or-
ganizing the Jewish Legion that fought under General Allenby
for the liberation of Palestine.
While it was a foregone conclusion that he would be elected
Israel's President, the division of the votes offers interesting tes-
timony of the sharp ideological conflicts in the Jewish state. In
the final vote, Ben-Zvi received 62 votes to 40 for Rabbi Mordecai
Nurok, the candidate of the orthodox elements. But the left-
wing Mapam candidate, Dr. Itzhak Gruenbaum, polled the five
Communist votes, and there were five blank ballots. On the first
ballot Ben-Zvi received 48 votes to Rabbi Nurok's 15, Gruenbaum's
17 and 18 for Dr. Peretz Bernstein, the General Zionist leader.
Jacob Hazan, Mapam leader, made the announcement •that his
party's votes were switched to Ben-Zvi in order "to defeat the
combination of fascists and clerics who supported Rabbi Nurok."
At the same time, the General Zionist and Heruth votes went to
the orthodox leader. Thus, extreme ideologies dominate the
thinking of Israel's parliamentarians, and the close vote certainly
does not augur abandonment of internal conflicts in the months
ahead.
President Ben-Zvi, we believe, will exert wholesome influence
upon Israel's thinking. He is an able leader, a clear thinker, a
good analyst of political issues. Perhaps he will be in a better posi-
tion than others in the Israel government to cement the popula-
tion in support of a strong policy of industrialization and of en-
couragement to private investors in and out of Israel to partici-
pate in the country's upbuilding.
World Jewry acclaims the new Israel President. There is
justified rejoicing that the head of the reborn state of Israel is a
man of great learning and of- deep-rooted social vision.
Histadrut and Private Enterprise in Israel:
We continue to hear occasional slurs hurled at Histadrut-
the Israel Federation of Labor—that it stands in the way of pri-
vate investments in Israel and that it demands 51 % control of all
industries. established there by non-Israeli investors. We were
naturally concerned in tracing the actual facts in the situation,
and in the interest of truth we call attention to this statement,
published by Israel Histadrut:
"There is absolutely no truth to any rumors that Histadrut
demands 51% of the controlling interest in any enterprise. His-
tadrut has never placed any obstacles in the way of bona fide
private investors seeking to do business in Israel."
It is imperative that this declaration should be circularized as
Widely as possible. The charges themselves are grossly unfair, and
their dissemination serves to undermine fund-raising for Israel on
all fronts, in addition to harming investment projects.
The situation involving Israel's investment projects is so mud-
dled that unless there is an immediate solution to the problem
there will be great harm to the state. It is especially disturbing to
read this statement by Dr. Emanuel Neumann, head of the, econ-
omic department of the Jewish Agency, who said at the last
meeting of the Zionist Actions Committee in Jerusalem:
"The underlying reasons for the lack of success in attracting
Jewish capital to Israel is due to both the economic policies and
to the administrative procedures which have become entrenched
in Israel during recent years,"
Dr. Neumann undoubtedly refers to the influence of the His-
tadrut. He spoke of "delaying tactics" of Israel's officialdom. It
seems to us that he, belongs to an officialdom that should be in
position to secure relief from an oppressing situation. As a mat-
ter of fact, his present post is a very influential one in the invest-
ment field. But solutions can not be arrived at by sniping and by
public statements. They can be reached by sitting down with the
parties involved with a view to ironing out differences. How
about less publicity and more action?
There are, however, instances when publicity serves to open
our eyes to faults. There - is a specific instance: A London Jewish
Chronicle report on the work of the Children and Youth Aliyah
Committee for Great Britain, quotes Mrs. Lorna Wingate, widow
of Orde Wingate, the famous creator of the Palmach, as charging
that "bureaucratic inefficiency and red tape" was responsible
for the delay in establishing the Wingate Children's Village on
Mount Carl in Israel. The official opening of the village
has been set for .March 14. If bureaucracy and red tape is at
work, let it be tracked down and eliminated from Israel activities
and politics. Delay in ending inefficiency will interfere with
private investments which are so urgently needed in the Jewish
state.
The new coalition of Mapai and General Zionists is the sound-
est step yet taken in Israel in the direction of encouraging coop-
eration between labor and capital and Israel and the diaspora.
It is a step also in the direction of defying undue pressures from
extreme elements.' Perhaps this is the beginning of realism in
handling; the economic problems in the Jewish state.
Urgent Note About Deadlines
Several publicity writers for local organizations have failed to
live up to deadline rules. Henceforth, all copy reaching The Jewish
News office after 2 p.m. on Monday. will .either be eliminated en-
tirely :or will be retained- for the following. week's issue, if copy.
still is timely. During the pre-Christmas holiday rush, it is urgent
that copy be mailed days in advance to assure delivery. The
Jewish News is unable to accept any news items 'over the tele-.
phone.
2—THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December 19, 1952
An army soldier, convalesc-
ing in a Tokyo hospital, gets a
shave from a Japanese barber.
This is nothing like the close
shave he had a f ter a leg
wound inflicted in c o m b a t,
which necessitated 18 blood
transfusions. In an effort to
replace the vital blood supply
used by our troops in Korea,
the Jewish War Veterans will
hold a huge blood rally from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, at
the JWV Memorial Home on
Davison. The goal is 200 pints.
Histadrut Leaders
Increase Pledges
For 1953 Drive
The program of Histadrut in
Israel was outlined by Moishe
Bitan, member of the Israel His-
tadrut delegation to the United
States at a program for local
campaign leaders and friends,
last week, at the home of Mor-
ris Lieberman.
Bitan explained hotv nearly 40
per cent of the budgetary re-
quirements of Histadrut for so-
cial services for newcomers will
be met by the 1953 drive for
$11,860,000.
The gathering was part of a
series of events leading up to the
actual kickoff of the campaign,
which will take place Jan. 11, at
Temple Israel. Those present
oversubscribed to former Hista-
drut pledges with a 22 per cent
increase.
Representatives of Labor Zion-
ist and Farband branches agreed
to undertake the financing of a
fully-equipped surgical pavillion
in the Eliezer Kaplan Memorial
Hospital at Rehovoth, Israel.
Members of Arlazaroff Branch,
Farband, will completely equip a
ward of the pavilion in memory
of Alex Nichamin and other re-
cently deceased members of the
organization.
Before proceeding on his tour
of the U. S., Bitan will address
a gathering in Grand Rapids to-
day. The meeting is sponsored
by the Detroit Histadrut Cam-
paign, as regional office for
Michigan, to present Jewish
communities out-state with an
up-to-date picture of the a-
chievements and importance of
the Histadrut drive.
Noted Guests to Adickess
Technion Founders' Dinner
Three distinguished personali-
ties—William Fondiller, retired
vice-president of the Bell Tele-
phone Co., honorary president
of the American Technion So-
ciety; Charles Frost, noted in-
dustrialist who is associated
with the National Pneumatic
Co., and Dr. Menahem Merlub-
Sobel, associate professor of
chemical engineering at the
Technion—are coming to Detroit
this week-end to assist the De-
troit Technion Society in its prb-
ject of enlisting sevetal hundred
Detroiters as founders in the
building of the new Haifa en-
gineering university in Israel.
Leon Kay, national vice-presi-
dent of the American Technion
Society, and Benjamin Wilk,
president of the Detroit Tech-
nion Society; are co-chairmen
of the founders' dinner to be
held this Saturday night at the
Detroit Leland Hotel. Cocktails
at 6 p.m., will be followed by
dinner at 7.
Miss Clara Mann, Technion
field director who is assisting
with plans for the dinner, an-
nounced this week that foun-
ders' certificates will be issued
to contributors of $1,000 or
more.
Miss Mann also announced
that founders will be asked to
establish endowments for the
Technion, which has been ac-
claimed as the outstanding en-
gineering school in the entire
Middle East, and for dedication
of rooms and laboratories at the
university. Classrooms can be
endowed at varying costs. Lec-
ture halls can be dedicatee for
$15,000, laboratories for $12.000,
and there are numerous other
available portions of the uni-
versity for founders who give
$1,000 or more.
The new Technion, which is.
being built to accommodate the
more than 2,000 students who
are clamoring to be admitted for
engineering and technological
studies, will cost $20.000,000.
Half of this sum is being pro-
vided by the Israel government,
and the Jews of America are
asked to raise the other $10,000,-
000. Detroit is asked to contrib-
ute $350,000.
In the present Technion build-
ings, originally built for 300
students, more than 1.500 al-
ready are being taught pro-
fessions and trades.
Reservations for tomorrow
night's founders' dinner are be-
ing taken by Miss Mann at 224
Penobscot Bldg., WO. 5-7947.
Reservations also can be made
through members of the Detroit
Technion Society.
Between You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1952, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
The Washington Scene
Officials in Washington who go through the motions of pre-
tending to study how to classify the racial or ethnic origin of Jews •
under the McCarran-Walter Immigration Act before Dec. 24, when
the Act goes into effect, are just wasting their time . . . Whether
Jewish organizations in the United States know it or not, they may -
just as well be aware of the fact that this question was long ago
solved officially by theImmigration Service of the Justice Depart-
ment . . . Each passenger who sails from . a United States port to
a foreign port, or a port of the insular possessions of the United
States, must fill out questionnaires stating his race ... And the
official instructions declare specifically that "race or people" is to
be determined by the stock from which , aliens sprang and the
language they speak . . . The instructions emphasize that "the
original stock or blood shall be the basis of the classification"
The mother tongue to be used only to assist in determining the
original stock . . . The instructions list 50 races or ethnic groups,
and Jews are listed there as Hebrews . . . In other words, any
American Jew who sails from an American port must, in addition
to declaring his nationality as "American" must also declare his
racial origin as "Hebrew," whether he wants to'br not . . . I doubt
whether the Jewish organizations in this country who usually take
a stand on racial matters have looked into this practice by the
Justice Department of the Immigration Service ... The peculiar
fact is that no quesions about race or national origin are asked
when one leaves the United States by plane . . • Why this should
be required on sailings is something that our Jewish organizations
should also look into .
Mystery Resignations
I am flooded with inquiries as to why Henry Morgenthau and
.Henry Montor submitted their resignations as leaders of the
Israel bond campaign . I am inclined to believe that the leaders
of the bond drive will withdraw their resignations, although the
reason for submitting them remains a well-kept secret . . . An
invitation cabled them by Israel's Finance Minister Levi Eshkol
to come to Israel to straighten out the matter was not acted upon
. . . The issue involved will have to be solved not by Eshkol but by
Premier David Ben-Gurion, if not by the entire Israel Cabinet —
It does not seem that the issue of coordination of the UJA-Bond
campaign was involved ... In fact there is no longer any real
misunderstanding between the UJA and the bond campaign lead-
ers, except perhaps with regard to the 'timing of drives in New
York City . . . Those in the know reveal that some time ago Mr.
Montor submitted to the Israel government a memorandum sug-
gesting expansion of the scope of the American Financial and
Development Corporations for Israel—which conducts the Israel
bond drive—in other directions ... The idea was that the Corpora-
Center Symphony Plans tion should, in addition to selling Israel bonds, sell shares in
Israeli enterprises as is being done now in the United States by
Tribute to Mr. Meyers the Palestine Economic Corporation and the Ampal . . . It seems
that the Israel government has taken no action on this memoran-
The Jewish Community Cen- dum ... Whether it will be ready to act 'on it now remains to be
ter's Symphony Orchestra will seen.
play a musical salute to the late
(See Later Story on Page 3)
Henry Meyers at its second con- Community Affairs
cert of the season on Sunday,
Things are not going too well in planning the celebration of
in the Detroit Institute of Arts the 300th anniversary of Jewish settlement in America There is
main auditorium.
still no clear picture as to how the necessary funds for large scale
Beethoven's Egmont Over- celebrations can be obtained . . . At present there is a suggestion
ture will be dedicated to Mr. that the celebrations be limited to the erection of a special wing
Meyers, who was the first presi- at the Library of Congress as a Jewish national monument . .
dent of the Friends of the Cen- This would probably cost several million dollars, but will at least
ter Symphony.
be of permanent value . .. The money for this project can be
Also on the program will be raised through a special campaign to which Jewish Federations
Greig's A Minor Piano Concerto, and Welfare Funds are expected to contribute to' a substantial
played by soloist of the evening, extent ... The building of a special wing at the Library of Congress
Detroit pianist Gizi Szanto, and in Washington would naturally not exclude local Jewish com-
Mozart's Symphony No. 35.
munities from celebrating the Tercentennary in any way they see
Julius Chajes, director of the fit . . . The original plans, submitted by the American J_ewish
orchestra, announces that solo- Historical Society, provided for the publication of special books
ists at the remaining concerts and paniphlets reflecting Jewish participation in the development
will include Mischa Kottler, of America • for the last 300 years Also a huge costume pageant
Georges Miquelle and Clyde Ell- and parade in New York, the production of special plays based on
zey. Tickets are available at the Jewish history in the United States, as well as films for theater)
-
Center or at Grinnell's.
and community centers.