Returnees to Germany Win 'Strike,' Barkley to Speak
At Adas Shalont
But Bonn Will Crack Down in Future
MUNICH, (JTA) — Approxi-
mately 700 Jews who are regis-
tered as "illegal returnees" in
Foehrenwald, the last remaining
Jewish DP camp on German soil,
will neither be deported nor
forcibly transferred elsewhere,
and efforts will be made to
bring about their emigration
within six months.
However, any new infiltrees
lacking proper German visas
and entry permits will be jailed
and later deported by German
authorities.
A tentative understanding
along these lines was reached at
a conference convened in Bonn
by the Federal Foreign Office.
Leading representatives .of the
Israel Purchasing Mission
Germany, Joint Distribution
Committee, HIAS, Central
Council of Jews in Germany,
Bavarian Association of Jewish
Communities and a_ committee
appointed by the returnees par-
ticipated in the talks.
The conference, which was
marked by a spirit of modera-
tion, had been called to consider
ways and means of dealing with
the problem posed by an influx
into the Foehreriwald Camp,
usually from Israel, of several
hundred former DPs who still
have valid German visas and
residence permits and want to
use Germany as a base for im-
migration to other countries.
Last month, these "illegals"
staged a sit-down strike in Mu-
nich to draw public attention to
a policy of forcible deportations
to Israel via Austria. The depor-
tations were temporarily halted
and a census of the "illegals" was
conducted in Foehrenwald in
mid-August.
The German officials also in-
dicated they will give favorable
consideration to a request to re-
lease from jail those infiltrees
expressly held on charges of "il-
legal entry." Their number is
given at more than 150.
In connection with the prob-
lem of "illegals," instructions
have gone out to German fron-
tier control posts and airlines
warning them against admitting
to Germany holders of Israeli
passports marked "not valid for
Germany." Heretofore, German
authorities have been willing to
overlook this condition.
2—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, September 18, 1953
Purely Commentary
ALBEN W. BARKLEY, former
Vice-President of the United
States, will speak during Sukkot
at Adas Shalom Er_lagogue
The title of his address, to be
delivered at 10 a.m., Oct. 1, will
be "Israel—Its Present and Fu-
ture."
Bartley Crum to Open Honor Roll
Campaign of Local liadassah Chapter
Bartley C. Crum, noted phi-
1 a n t h r o pist and government
leader, will be principal speaker
at the kickoff event of Hadas-
sah's annual Honor Roll drive,
slated for Tuesday, at Temple
Israel.
Mr. Crum, who. recently re-
turned from a visit to Israel and
other lands in
the Near East
served on Presi-
dent Roosevelt'i;
FEP Commis-
sion, and later
served President
Truman as a
member of the
Anglo - Ameri_
can Committee
of Inquiry on
Palestine.
"Behind the
Crum
Silken Curtain"
is the title of a book written
by Crum from his experiences
in the Holy Land on American
and British policy. Mr. Crum,
in 1951, was honored with a de-
gree of Doctor of Hebrew Letters
JNF Planning
Box Clearance
For Sept. 27
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
No Color Line• in. Israel
The Council of States at New Delhi last week heard this note
addressed to it by the government of Israel:
"7o the people of Israel . who have suffered so much from
•
: racial discrimination there is no charge that comes with greater
irony than that they themselves:have erected in: their own land
•a bar against fellow Men. .baSedf.0 the 'ground of ,color."
This was a repudiation of . an impression created in the New
Delhi parliament:last May :that Israel was denying citizenship to
the Jews of . India.•because of their color. At that time it was
indicated that.2,395.. Jews. had left India for Israel since .1948 and
that as of : last Decerriber 343 'of them had returned to India. In
the Council of States; the upper house of the Indian ijarliament,
the secretary - to Prime Minister Jawaharial Nehru, Mrs. Lakshmi
Menon, accused Israel of. forcing the Indian"' Jews to return to
their forther hOmes becatiSe--of the color
Israel's . declaratiOn resulted in • an expression of ''regret over
the misunderstanding by A. K. Chanda, India's, `Deputy Minister'
for External Affairs.
This interesting incident throWs light on the entire color.
line problem in Israel. While individuals anywhere can , . not be
controlled in their prejUdiCes, it is. nevertheless true that officially
Israel does not and could not - countenance any type of 'racial or
religious or color line piejudices. It is unthinkable that any one
Should be barred from citizenship or employment or participation
in the government because Of the color of the skin. It iS• more
reasonable to assume that if there are preferences and special
privileges in employment that they are based on party lines. But
that is not exclusively . an Israel failing. It is a universal spoils
system. -
*
*
*
Secret British Balfour Declaration Documents
Sir Mark Sykes, famous for his part in the Sykes-Picot agree-
'Dent involving Palestine and the Arab states, may. have been
among the most misunderstood of the British statesmen. There
may have been many others, among the British, whose share in
making Zionist policy was misunderstood.
Sir Mark's son, Christopher Sykes, in his new book, "Two
Studies in Virtues," clarifies some of the misunderstandings: In
his preface, explaining the second essay in his volume, he asserts:
"The more learned reader is asked to remember that ignorance of
misunderstandings which afflicted the British experiment in the
the historical causes of Zionism was one reason for the grievous
Promised Land, and that this is an attempt to undo part of that
wrong."
In subsequent columns, this Commentator will anyalze some
of the important. points raised by Mr. Sykes. Of immediate im-
portance is his revelation, in his preface, that "there is (Balfour)
Declaration material in the Foreign Office which has never been
placed at the disposal of a historian, and under the present hard-
ening rules of security this cannot be available for some years."
Similar official secrecy, we learn, has "somewhat extrava-
gantly" been extended to the private papers of Arthur Balfour.
We note with added interest Mr. Sykes' statement that an im-
portant role was played in Zionist history by the Sephardic Rabbi
in London, Dr. Moses Gaster. But of special significance is Mr.
Sykes' statement:
"It is likely that among forbidden documents there are to
be found many further details of what happened to Zionist
fortunes in 1916 and 1917; but even when security regulations
become less fearful, and the historian is smilingly beckoned
aloft, it is unlikely that a theory of the origins of the Balfour
Declaration radically different from that recorded by Dr. Weis-
mann, Israel Cohen, and Nahum Sokolow will ever prevail."
Zionist leaders thus stand vindicated in their evaluations of
theories, ideas and facts.
The Sykes story is unique and interesting. It throws light on
some onscure issues. It gives credence to the just claims of the
Jewish cause.
There are many errors in the book. The author at times
shows a lack of understanding of Jewish history. His occasional
ironic comments are distasteful. He either can not or does not
want to understand Herzl and Pinsker. In spite of his lack of
knowledge of Peretz Smolenskin's "Am Olam," he dislikes it.
Nevertheless, lais, Recess to important facts makes the data to be
reviewed later of value to the Jewish historian.
The 1953 fall clearance of Jew-
ish National Fund boxes will
begin Sept. 27, during the fes-
tival of Sukkot, it w a s an-
nounced this week by Mrs. Mi-
chael Michlin, speaking for the
JNF Council of Detroit.
She stated that more volun-
teers are needed to help clear
boxes, and added that most
homes where the Blue-White
Box now serves "as a symbol of
Jews on the Land" will be
visited during the period from
Sept. 27 to Oct. 15, and the
money collected.
Some boxholders, Mrs. Michlin
asserted, may not be visited
within the designated period, in
which case a call to the JNF
office, TO. 8-7384 will bring a
volunteer to pick up your funds.
In her appeal, Mrs., Michlin
pointed out that every pennY,
nickel and dime left 'waiting in
any box delays the JNF pro-
gram of planting and building
up the soil of Israel.
Organizations participating in
the box clearance project are
JNF Ladies Auxiliary, Pioneer
W o m e n, Hadassah, Mizrachi,
Northwest Child Rescue Women,
Farband, Habonim, Hashomer
Hatzair and Bnei Akiva.
Name Career Diplomat
To Restitution Court
BERLIN, (JTA) — Charles H.
Owsley, a career diplomat, has
been named the American
member of the recently-formed
Supreme Restitution Court of
Berlin. He replaces Judge Wil-
liam R. Reichert, who recently
resigned the post.
The court, the tribunal of last
resort in restitution disputes in
the western sectors of Berlin, is
composed of seven judges —
three Germans, one American,
one Briton, one Frenchman and
one representative of a "neutral"
power who acts as presiding
judge.
Most cases reaching the . court
involved actions for the return
of Berlin real estate to former
Jewish owners.
New Book in Yiddish
Written by Dr. Steinberg
NEW YORK—A call to, JeWs to
mobilize forces to assure "sur-
vival of Jewish mass culture of
Eastern Europe," is sounded' in
a new volume, in Yiddish, by. Dr.
Isaac N. Steinberg, noted author
and thinker, just off the press.
Titled "In Kamf far Mensh
un Yid," the 440-page book
comprises a compliation of es-
says penned by Dr. Steinberg
during the past quarter century.
The volume—published in Ar-
gentina by a special committee
in honor of Dr. Steinberg—re-
flects Jewish. life in all its rami-
fications and struggles in East-
ern Europe, Israel and America.
from Hebrew Union College.
Mrs. Harry Baum and Mrs.
Jacob Bernstein are hostesses
for the affair, and will be as-
sisted by the following group
members:
Mesdames Albert Schlussel, I. Wein-
garten, Burton Seidon, David Yaffee,
Bagley; Max Horwood, J. H. Fink, Cen-
tral E.; Arthur Leff, A. Silberstein, Sol
Zeme, Eli Harelik, Central W.; Joseph
Honeyman, Russell Woods; George Keil,
Nathan Gersuk, Russell Woods W.;
Abraham Davidson, Arthur Fleischman,
Sherwood; Lawrence Grushko, .Jay Per-
shing, Schaefer-Greenfield; Sam Lieber-
man, University E.; Albert Williams,
Samuel Cohen, University N.; H. Kush-
ner, Sidney Kraft, Harry Robinson, Uni-
versity S.; Max Barin, William Stoler,
Wyoming.
Prior to the afternoon's pro-
gram, officers of Hadassah and
leaders of the Honor Roll drive
will be interviewed at 10 a.m.,
over radio station CKLW. by
Myrtle Labbitt.
Business and Professional
Chapter will open its season at
8:15 p.m., Tuesday, at the Zion-
ist House when Charles H. Rub,
iner wlil speak on highlights of
his recent trip to Israel. Pros-
pective members are invited to
attend.
Detroit Exhibition to Honor
Saul Raskin's 75th Birthday
The works of American
Jewry's most distinguished art-
ist, Saul Raskin, will be on ex -
hibition here at the Garelick
Gallery, 20208 Livernois, starting
Sept. 28 and continuing through
Oct. 18.
Fifty-three of his best known
creations in oils and water col-
ors will be on display during the
exhibit which will start with a
reception from 8 to. 11 p.m. on
opening night.
The Detroit exhibition has
been arranged in honor of Mr.
Raskin's 75th birthday.
Born in southern Russia in
1878, where he received a tradi-
tional Jewish education, Saul
Raskin studied art in Odessa and
later in Berlin and Paris. He
reached New York in 1904 and
turned to commercial art for a
livelihood.
In 1921 he took a trip to
P alestine which marked a
turning point in his life. From
that time on, Saul Raskin de-
voted himself exclusively to
painting and illustration, almost
entirely in the field of Jewish
lore.
He became famous for his
illustrated editions of the Haga-
dah, Pirke Avoth, Tehilim, Sid-
dur, the Five Megiloth and the
"Land of Israel." His most re-
cent book, a richly illustrated
version of the Kabalah, reveals
that in his seventy-fourth year,
the master's hand was more
cunning than ever.
By BORIS. SMO .LAR -.
(Copyright, 1953, Jewish Telegraphic Agency).
Washington Echoes
The White House has invited major . Jewish organizations in
this country to submit a list of names of people Who could repre-
sent them on government committees . The renewal of repara-
tions talks between representatives of American Jewish groups
and Austria, scheduled to start Sept. 21, will not pass unnoticed by
the T.I. S. Government . , The main issue in these talks 'will be
the Jewish claim for heirless property. which exists as a result of
the Nazi extermination of Jews in Austria . . . A good part of this
property is in the Soviet zone of Austria, and the Soviet adminis-
tration is not inclined—at least for the present—to recognize any
Jewish claims . . . But some buildings are in the hands of the U.S.
military admiinstration in Austria and it will, no doubt, be trans-
ferred to Jewish possession as soon as the Austrian government
reaches an understanding with the Jews ... The American Jewish
experts involved in the negotiations have been keeping the Ameri-
can authorities in Vienna informed of the progress of the talks.
. The renewed negotiations can lead to a speedy settlement, but
they can also drag on for a long time, depending on the attitude
of the Austrian government — All that the government has to
do is to give decisive authority to its officials which are conduct-
ing the talks with the Jewish experts . . The negotiations will
then be short and productive . . However, if the government .in-
sists that the Cabinet must approve every point of agreerrient
reached between its officials and the Jewish experts, then_ the
negotiations will move in a very slow tempo..
Israel Echoes
Many American Jews will be startled to learn that the salary
of the Israel Ambassador to Washington—including allowance and
personal expenses—is not higher than $1,285 a month ... ThiS is
much less than the salary received by lesser executives of some of
the Jewish organizations in this country . . . The- salary of the
Israel Minister to Washington, including allowances and personal
expenses,. is $1,159 a month . The Israel Ambassador in Argen-
tina receives $1,179 a month and the Minister to Brazil gets $1,252
in salary and allowances . . The lowest salaried is the Israel
Minister to Moscow .. . His. salary and personal expenses are set
at $1,092 a month . . . Small as these salaries are, the Israel gov-
ernment is now considering a 5 to 25 per. cent salary cut for its
diplomats . . . At the . same time, the Cabinet is inclined to in-
crease the salaries of high ranking civil service officials within
Israel ,. These officials are demanding an average 49 per cent
salary increase ; . The reduCtion of expenses abroad seems to be
motivated by the fear that foreign-aid from world Jewry and
other sources to Israel will decline drastically -within the next two
or three years . . • This is at least the impression of some mem-
bers of the Israel Cabinet, as conveyed by Peretz Bernstein, Min-
ister of Commerce and Industry, in a talk to a group of about 300
top executives in Israel's industry and government, army and
police representatives . . On the other hand, Eliahu Dobkin,
Jewish Agency executive member, is of the opinion that Israel
will this year get about $60,000,000 from the United Jewish Appeal
in various countries, with the U. S. contributing about 80 per cent
of this sum . . . He believes that income from the U. S. will this
year be about seven per cent higher than last year, while contribu-
tions from England and Western Europe will probably show a
slight decline.