A Peace-Maker's Problems THE JEWISH NEWS Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20. 1951 member: American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 108-10 David Stott Bldg., Detroit 26. Mich., WO. 9-1155. 4ubscription $4 a year, foreign 115. Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1819. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher VOL. XXIII, No. 11 SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager Page 4 FRANK SIMONS City Editor May 22, 1953 Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the ninth day of Sivan, 5713, the following Scriptural selections will be read in • ur synagogues: PentateuChal portion—Num. 4:21-7:89. Prophetical portion—Judges 13:2-25. Licht Benshen, Friday, May 22, 6:52 p.m. Israel-Arab Issue: Role of U.S. as Peace-Maker As a result of the visit in the Middle East, including Israel, of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Mutual Security Director Harold Stassen, Israel's position has been made clearer and the role of the United " States as peace-maker with the Arabs more apparent. On the eve of the U. S. officials' departure for the Middle and Near East, interesting propaganda was unleashed. The Arab po- sition, as outlined by the spokesmen for Is- rael's antagonists, was summarized as be- ing based on demands for territorial re- visions and the return of Arab refugees to Israel. We have no doubt that the U. S. spokesmen are well acquainted with the true facts. When Arabs speak in terms of terri- tory based on the original 1947 .United Na- tions partition decision, they seek to mislead the world into believing that they favored it at the outset. The truth is that the destruc- tion of liVeS• and properties in the Holy Land, for which they must be held responsible, was the result of a war launched upon Israel the very moment the Jewish state declared its independence. The present territorial status of Israel is a direct result of the defensive activities of the new state. * Similarly, the statesmen of the world, and more especially the spokesmen for this country, must be made aware of the truth in the Arab refugee issue. The Palestinian Arabs were not driven froth . their homes: they left of their own accord, • at the instiga- tion of their leaders who believed that they would destroy the young state and acquire that territory. During the early stages of • discussion, in the UN, Israel offered to re- - patriate more than 100,000 refugees. This offer was rejected and such repatriatiOn later was made difficult, if not altogether impos- sible. These are the two major issues raised by the Arabs who could have been parties to an amicable solution to the problem had they shown the slightest interest in peace nego- tiations. But they refused to negotiate with Israel, they :•• would not :recognize the Israeli name and refused to mention it in UN de- bates, and they now speak of adherence to the terms of the original decision only out of a belief that they can. thus force Israelis to evacuate territory like the Negev which has been developed and strengthened since Israel's liberation. Israeli spokesmen, howeVer, are more conciliatory. They speak of financial aid to refugees and of assistance in repatriating . them in Arab countries, and they are ready to compensate those who have fled. Of particular interest is Israel's readiness to make frontier rectifications in areas where villages are located on both sides of the border. While it has been indicated that only about 150,000 dunams—approximately 38,000 acres—of land would be involved in such negotiations with Syria and . Jordan, the fact that Israel is prepared to discuss prob- lems involving such areas is an indication of a sincere desire to come to terms with the Arabs and to work for peace in the best in- terests of the entire area. In addition, Israel's offer of Haifa's port facilities to Jordan adds proof, to her crav- ing for amity. * Naturally, before there can be an en- forceable peace there must be an end to the Arab economic boycott, the truce violations on the borders must end and Naguib -must stop his gun-toting. • Only the United States is in position to bring both sides together. The first step must be in the direction of inducing Arab leaders to talk directly with the Israelis with whom they must establish common ground at a peace table. Thereafter, matters will be less difficult. We are witnessing the beg inning of a pos- sible peace as a -result of ttie visit in Israel and in the Arab states by the two U. S. leaders. Now all peace-loving peoples must hope that out of these initial efforts will de- velop genuine accord. All the fears from Communism, all the doubts about strife, can thus be dispelled. World peace hinges upon the wholesome results of the Dulles-Stassen visit in the Middle East. *. .* Mr. Dulles, who was greeted in Israel- with • shouts "Long Live America," had a proper reception, in spite of the arro- gance that was displayed by Communist elements. The Secretary of State's ex- planation that he had made the trip to gather information and "to . show the verment .friendship of our people and go for your government and people" is en- eouraging: Heartening also is his state- ment: "We know the great progress made by Israel and the energetic way in which its leaders are attempting to solve the problems which exist." But Arab intransigence is a serious ob- stacle to overcome. The . solution is in . the hands of reasonable U. S. and UN leaders. May the statesmen of the world prove strong. in their determination to enforce peace. Firm Stand for Free Editorial Expression Spokesmen for the English-Jewish press, at the annual convention of publishers and editors, in Washington, last week, took a firm stand in defense of a free press, declar- ing unanimously that they "hold inviolate the right of editorial expression without fear of harrassment." The Jewish newspaperMen called upon editorS and publishers of all faiths and all races "to guard zealously the trust that is theirs by rallying to the defense of those whose Constitutional rights are vio- lated and to recognize that so long as the rights of any individual are jeopardized, a threat exists to all." This statement, coupled with ,President Eisenhower's assertion, in his message to the convention of the American Association • of English-Jewish Newspapers, that "one of the most effective sources of a democracy's strength is the accurate presentation of the news by a free press," serves an important purpose. It links Jewish leadership with the serious efforts now being exerted by respon- sible newspapers to allay fears and to com- bat efforts at intimidation. The Wechsler- McCarthy episodes served to bring the issue to the attention of the larger public, and the request of James Wechsler, editor of the New York Post, for action by the American Newspaper EditOrs Association, appears• -cer- tain to bring the desired results in defense of basic American rights. All Americans owe Wechsler a debt of gratitude for his coura- geous stand against investigators' intimida- tions. - The New York Times, in an editorial analysis of. "Freedom and Fear," made an important contribution to the truest Ameri- can ideals with these conclusions: "Fear leads to panic, and panic can lead to the subversion of our most precious institutions. Americans have to be alert, strong and steady. But they do not have to be scared. It is contrary to the best in- . terests of the country to capitalize on fear." The position taken by the English-Jewish press endorses these views. It calls for the abandonment of intimidations. It takes its rightful place along with • the general press of our country in combatting fear. It is proof that the basic medium for the dis- semination of news, the expression of views and the exchange of ideas—the Jewish news- paper published in English—is a vital Amer- ican instrument and a major institution in the development of Jewish communal struc-. tures. `Early American Jewry': Dr. Marcus' •• Fathers' Story of 'Jewish Founding EARLY AMERICAN JEWRY, Velume fI. By Jacob R. Marcus. Philadelphia, Pa., Jewish Publication Society of America. 615 pages and 18 pages or illustra- tions. 54. The second volume of "Early American Jewry" by Dr. Jacob. R.. Marcus continues with the story of the Colonial Jews, pursuing the same method used so effectively in the first volume which appeared about a year ago. Volume 1 dealt with New York, New England and Canada; Volume II includes Pennsylvania and the colonies and states to its south. Once more we are introduced —frequently through their own words—to the men and women, important and unimportant, who were in a real sense the "Found- ing Fathers" of the American .Jewish community. This volume, like the preceding one, contains a number of interesting illustra- tions; it also has an extensive index, covering about thirty pages, to facilitate reference to both volumes which constitutes the set. Pennsylvania is given more space than any of the other colonies treated in Volume II; not only did it have a considerable Jewish • population, but its Jewish, residents were exceptionally varied and interesting. What with the Frankses, the GratzeS, the Levys and Haym. Salomon, Philadelphia played a notable , ' role then as for a long time thereafter. Apart from engaging . in trade and actively participating in the development - 0 the land to the west. the JeWs of this colony numbered some very colorful personalities possessing a surprising amount of imagina- tion_ and energy: The Jews of Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia were equally gifted; but they were fewer and the condi- tions these colonies offered them were not as favorable. Dr. Martus makes these differences abundantly clear. The second part of this volume is of a different nature. Hav- - ing discussed the settlement of the Jews in the various colonies and, the early development of Jewish life in each, Dr. Marcus decided that a general survey, or summary, was called for, in order that the reader may see the forest as well as the trees, the process as a whole as well as its individual manifestations. Almost half of this volume is therefore devoted to a generalized description of Jewish life during the colonial period. He discusses in broad terms who came to the American shores and why they . came here; what were their economic activities and the "classes" into which they divided themselves; what sort of community life they organized and what were their social activities; what was the level of their Jewish and of their general culture and how their life began to display differences from the .Jewish life of the countries in which they originated. Nothing quite like this sum- mary, for simplicity, directness, and authoritativeness, has ever been done before. - Indeed, it may be that some readers will want to turn to these last chapters even before reading the earlier and more detailed portions of this two-volume work. - H I STOR I ETTE: Feeling. Toward Early Jewish Settlers An American Jewish Press Feature) What was the feeling towards the early Jewish settlers in this country? In the second volume of his "Early American Jewry," just issued by the Jewish Publication Society of America, Dr. Jacob R. Marcus writes: "About ten years after the first Jews landed in New Amster- dam. the English took possession and named the city New' York. In the course of the next generation the few Jewish settlers who remained or who came in received, or assumed, the privileges which were denied them by the Dutch. About the turn of the century, they began to exercise political rights by voting for can- didates for the Assembly. On occasion, this right to vote was challenged. At no time were they permitted to 'hold honorary offices. "On the whole. conditions for New York Jewry throughout the eighteenth century were quite satisfactory, though they were now and then marred by untoward incidents. It is curious that those expressions of anti-Jewish prejudice found their record only in contemporary newspapers and other non-Jewish sources; the synagogual minutes ignore them. The instance of the goy-' ernor's brother, Oliver DeLancey, married to a Jewess, was a drunken escapade. DeLancey broke into the house of a Dutch Jewish immigrant and made insulting proposals to his wife. A more serious incident, for it bore all the marks of religious bigot- - ry, was a brutal assault on a Jewish funeral cortege. The inci- dent is described in the May 16, 1743, issue of Zenger's New-York Weekly Journal. The shocked witness, a Christian of some. theo- logical learning, said that the rabble interfered with the burial and 'even insulted the dead in such a vile manner that to men- tion all would shock a human ear.' But those were isolated inci- dents covering almost a century.. In general, there was very little anti-Jewish feeling that expressed itself in violence."