Purely Commentary British Appear Successful in Move

To Rebuke Israel on Kibya Incident

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
What Ijas Happened to Early Jewish Settlers Descendants?

The approaching American Jewish Tercentenary celebration
poses an interesting question?

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

What has happened to the descendants of the early Jewish
settlers in this country, to the children of the tens of thousands
of Jews who resided in this country in the 17th, 18th and the
first half of the 19th centuries and to the hundreds of thousands
who followed them in the latter half of the last century?

UNITED NATIONS—The Big
Three resolution on Kibya,
scheduled for submission short-
ly, is essentially a draft worked
out by the British, with no sub-
stantial changes made during
the past two weeks, the JTA was
reliably informed.
The resolution, as it stands to-
day and as it will read when in-
troduced, unless Washington or-
ders the American delegation to
insist on changes, strongly re-
bukes Israel for the Kibya raid
and fails to appeal for a peace
settlement.
The resolution thus is a vic-
tory for the British position
which is essentially a concession
to the Arab viewpoint.
The American delegation's
chief, Henry Cabot Lodge, had
wavered on the question of con-
demnation of Israel and this
apparently is the reason why
the resolution had not been pre-
viously distributed. However,
with New York and New Jersey
elections out of the way, the
United States Government is
pictured as holding the view it
can presently take a strong line
so far. as Israel is concerned.
The resolution draft calls for
strengthening of UN truce ma-
chinery in Palestine—need for
which Eden and other British
leaders have been stressing—but
for which truce chief Bennike
did not even ask the Security
Council. In fact, his only recom-
mendation in this direction was
a reply to a Council question that
he thought another seven men
could be used as observers.

Does any one know what has happened to the great-grand-
children bf Asser Levy, Jacob Barsimson, Benjamin Gomez, Aaron
Lopez, Mordecai Manuel Noah, Joseph Simon, Mordecai Sheftall,
Solomon Etting, David Franks and scores upon scores of other
who played important roles in early American Jewish history?
Is it possible that intermarriage has taken a complete toll of
the children of early American Jews and that our existence in
this country is limited to two or three generations?
A few descendants of early settlers in this country come to
mind. The Taylor-Phillipses are among them. But in the main, such
offspring are unknown to us. Their non-existence can not be
brushed aside lightly.
If the life span of many of our people is limited, then the
Tercentenary celebration will mark tributes to a partially disap-
pearing race; then the observance will be of a museum-history
rather than that of a living and throbbing people.
And because the _challenge is a real one, there is justification
for posing another question: will the descendants of our own
generation disappear through eventual intermarriage and assimi-
lation?
In New York' they used to say that 'Jews are born on the
East Side, that they die on Park Avenue and are buried in the
suburbs. But the suburbs are taking on life and the picture is
less gloomy today.
History's lesson is that declining areas always are replaced
by other thriving ones. It has been so throughout our history.
We had millions in Egypt and in Spain who were replaced by
strong spiritual centers in Poland, Germany, and other lands. The
Jews of America now represent the great outpost of Jewish man-
power, with Israel serving as the bastion of the entire people's
strength.
But a people does not strive for retention of identity only for
a single generation, or for only two or three generations. When
an existence is justified, the people must strive to perpetuate it for
all generations to come.
We mention it to indicate that the Tercentenary celebration
should not be aimed merely at arranging pageants and public
celebrations but should primarily be geared for the strengthening
of Jewish values, for the advancement of our cultural ideals, for
the raising on high of Israel's spiritual banner. These aims must
be directed primarily at our youth, who should be drawn closer to Jordan Demands Rebuke For
their heritage, so that they may shelter and nourish it and give Israel; Avoids Peace Offer Reply
Jordan's representative before
it the strength that is needed for it to be embraced by generation
the United Nations Security
after generation.
Council demanded the branding
*
*
*
of Israel as an aggressor for the
About the Descendants of Other Jewries
raid, limitation of immi-
We recognize how easy it is to challenge our contention by Kibya
gration to Israel and control of
inquiring into a similar status among Jewries elsewhere.
Israeli armaments.
For instance, the question may be raised: how many Jews in
The Jordanian avoided direct
other parts of the World can trace their ancestry 20, 15 or 1.0 gen-
reply to the Israeli proposal,
erations back?
The fact is that the persecutions of the centuries, the constant made last Thursday, that high
wanderings, have made it difficult for Jews to keep track of leval Jordanian and Israeli poli-
tical and military representa-
Family Trees.
Furthermore, considering that we had increased five-fold in tives meet without delay at UN
a hundred years—only to be reduced from 18,000,000 to 12,000,000 headquarters to iron out all
armistice and border security
by the Nazi murders—we really are a young people again.
And all of us trace our ancestry more than 130 generations problems. He told the Council
that his delegation was here "to
back—to the First Jew Abraham!
Now we wonder whether there will be many who will retort by discuss the views of the Jordan
tracing their own background back several generations—either to government on the Kibya mas-
early Americans, or to rabbinic backgrounds of the 18th century, sacre and we have no credentials
to enter into any other discus-
or to the Gaonim?
sions."
*
*
•
He further told the Council it
Ben-Gurion and His Possible Successors
seemed that "if the Israeli gov-
Who will succeed David Ben-Gurion to the Israel Premiership? ernment has some proposal to
Whoever it will be—Eshkol or Sharett or Lavon or Meyerson submit to the Jordan govern-
—all of whom have been mentionedthe next Prime Minister ment, the proper channel would
of the Jewish state will have big shoes to fill, a large hat to fit be through the Chief of Staff of
into, a truly great man to emulate.
the UN truce supervision organi-
None of those mentioned even begins to approximate David zation.
Ben-Gurion's genius. Yet, Israel has wrought miracles, and there
"If there is agreement," he
may be another miracle in stOre even in the moulding of leader- added, "the most suitable place
ship.
for such discussions would likely
Whoever it will be, all who pray for peace—men and women be Jerusalem because of the
of all faiths and all nations—entertain the hope that the next proximity and facility of com-
man at • Israel's helm will measure up to the responsibilities that munications with the two gov-
will face him. Peace is at stake, and a great man is needed to ernments."
bring it about.
T h e Jordan representative
•
*
*
described the Kibya incident as
Problem of Minorities: Real or Poltically-Inspired?
a "flagrant aggression and a
Selection of Bernard Katsen, a well known New York Re- treacherous act of war." He said
publican leader, by the Republican National Committee, as con- that it had resulted in a dan-
sultant on minority relations, poses anew an old question: whether gerous state of political tension
the so-called minority problem in this country is real or political- in the area.
ly-created.
Abba S. Ebban told the
We believe that, at best, a choice such as that of Mr. Katzen Security Council that the
is intended to assure the "minority votes" for the Republican Jordanian statement was a
party. We doubt whether any one will take seriously the selection "negative response" and he
of a "consultant on minority relations" because there is no place expressed regret that. Jordan
for minorities in this country, unless we deal with those voted had failed to accept the Is-
into minority status by the electorate,—the position now occupied rael invitation to meet at UN
by the Democrats nationally. But if Mr. Katzen's appointment has headquarters or to show any
any reference at all to Jews and Italians and Poles and Greeks desire to change the present
and Negroes and others, then the Republicans are committing a border situation and elimin-
a grave error. Our aspirations must be at all times, as Americans, ate tension.
to create a unifying spirit, giving recognition to the existence of
The Israeli spokesman, cata-
an undivided nation. On that basis, there can be no minorities. loging recent acts of violence
Yet, there are times when we wish that some groups could by infiltrees on Israeli territory,
win political representation. We felt that way when Charles Diggs insisted that the present "sterile
was a candidate for a seat in the Detroit Common • Council. It deadlock" could not continue,
was believed that he would have spoken authoritatively for the and appealed to the • Security
Negroes who are approximately 15 per cent of Detroit's population. Council to seek a diplomatic in-
Yet this one-seventh of our population was unable to help elect itiative beyond the ordinary
a Negro as one of the nine members of the Council. To vote for routine to break this deadlock
him did not mean to vote for a minority. But it would have given and resolve the situation.
dignity and courage to his people. And to elect him would have
Members of the Security Coun-
been an act of justice on the part of the entire electorate. That, cil, with the exception of Dr.
too, would have spelled a more advanced Americanism.
Charles Malik of Lebanon, the
lone Arab delegate on the Coun-
Friday, November 20, 1953
cil, were reported to have ex-
2—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

. .

..

.

.....

pressed great interest in Mr,
Eban's proposal.
During the week end, Mr.
Eban met with UN Secretary
General Dag Hannnarskjold and
discussed the proposal with him.
He also urged the Secretary
General to circulate the proposal
among the. UN member delega-
tions as a document.

Israel Bids 3 Powers
To Note Proposal for Peace
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—The Is-
rael government formally called
on the United States, Britain
and France Tuesday to note the
Israel offer to meet with Jordan
at UN headquarters in New York
to thrash out all existing prob-
lems connected with the Jordan-
Israel armistice.
In identical notes handed to
the envoys of the three powers,
the Israeli Foreign Ministry
stressed the importance it at-
tached to this proposal and
pointed out that its acceptance
by Jordan could mark an im-
portant step towards remedying
the Palestine situation.

New Incident on Border
Israel authorities protested to
the Israel-Jordan Mixed Armis-
tice Commission against the
murder of an Israeli guard, the
wounding of an Israeli Arab
woman and the kidnapping of
eight women and two children,
all Israeli Arabs.
The incident occurred near
Belt Zafa, in the Jerusalem
Corridor, when the Israel Arab
party, protected by the Jewish
guard, went out to pick olives
near the armistice lines. A par-

ty of seven Jordan soldiers cap-
tured the group, wounding one
of the women in the party. They
were all later released, except the
wounded woman who is in a
hospital in Jordan. The body of
the Jewish guard was later
found with seven bullets in the
back.

Huleh Operations Accelerated
Operations on the Huleh
drainage project have been
stepped up and placed on a
round-the-clock basis, the Jew-
ish National Fund announced.
The Huleh drainage project is
not connected with the Bnot
Yaacov canal-hydroelectric pro-
' ject which is currently before
the United Nations Security
Council.

UN Refugee Relief Agency
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.,
(JTA)—The Special Political
Committee approved a draft
resolution extending the man-
date of the United Nations Re-
lief and Works Agency for Pal-
estine Refugees until June 30,
1955.

Arab-Israel Peace Urged
By Arab Leaders in Israel
• TEL AVIV, (JTA)—A call for
the establishment of a peace
settlement between the Arab
states and Israel and a demand
for the end of military control
of Arab villages in Israel were
voiced at a conference of 150
Arab notables from Galilee who
are members of the Arab sec-
tion of the General Zionist Par-
ty.

Between You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright 1953, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Washington Notes

Although neither Israel nor the Arab countries are happy
about the American TVA project to develop the Jordan River's
water resources, the U.S. Government does not intend to give up
the project . . . Plenty of American pressure will be brought to
bear on Israel and the Arab states to accept it . Some pressure
has already been put on the Arabs by President Eisenhower's
emissary, Eric Johnston, who is back in Washington frill his spe-
cial mission in the Middle East in connection with this project ..
It is understood that Mr. Johnston informed the Arabs that their
rejection of the plan might result in Israel's gaining, through ita
own initiative, a larger share of the water than envisaged under
the project . . . Israel's dissatisfaction with the project stems,
among other things, from the fact that the American plan in-
volves important changes in Israel's borders . . . Israel also takes
the stand that even if the American plan. is put into effect it
should not interfere with the Jordan River hydroelectric project
now under construction by the Jewish State . . . The official stand
in Washington is that the TVA plan is basic to America's future
Middle-East aid program. In this connection it has been revealed
in Washington that in the years between 1943 and 1945 the State
Department's Post-War Planning Office drafted proposals for the
development of the Jordan . . . These proposals were submitted to
Secretary of State James T. Byrnes but nothing was done about
them by the United States ... They suggested that an interna-
tional technical commission prepare a detailed plan for the devel-
opment of the Jordan Valley after a thorough study of the problem.
... This plan, the proposal said, should be submitted to the Arab
countries and to Israel . . . The United Nations should then under-
take to finance the development of the work after the Arab and
Israel governments reached agreement on it ... The present TVA
project is, thus, a child of the proposal drafted eight years ago by
the State Department which : for some reason, kept it secret until
now.
Comm unity Trends
Is American Jewry building on sand? . . This question iS
being raised by the publication of the results of a Jewish educa-
tion study conducted in New York ... The study establishes that
of approximately 270,000 Jewish children between the ages of 5 and
15 attending elementary and junior high schools, only 76,000 were
reported to be attending some Jewish religious class .
This
means that about '72 percent of all Jewish children of school age
in New York receive no Jewish education whatsoever . Not even
Sunday school education ... Of those attending the various types._
of Jewish schools, girls constitute about one-third of the total
enrollment .. . Most children complete their elementary Jewish
education at the age of 13, which coincides with Bar Mitzvah...
This would mean that between the age of 13 and the time they
enter college and join a Hillel Foundation group—the very forma-
tive years of a teen-ager—Jewish youths are out of touch with
anything that resembles Jewish education ... How such a state of
affairs can affect the future of Jewish communal life is obvious,—
It has long been pointed out by some leaders in the larger Jewish
communities that neglect of Jewish education work may within
one generation result in a lack of interest on the part of Jews in
their own Jewish institutions . .. And this at a time when many
millions of dollars are being spent for new buildings for such insti-
tutions ... Some argue that it is high time for Jewish communities
to realize that first things must come first . . . And they point
out that allocating funds for Jewish education must be among the
things that are "first" if we want to have Jews to attend the insti-
tutions for which new buildinbs are being built . . Adherents of
this point of view will find strong backing in the results of th
New York survey on Jewish education . . The survey has been
prepared by Dr. Israel Chipkin on behalf of .
Jewish Educating.

Committee of New York.

.

.