20-D ET ROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, October 22, 1954

Clergyman Backs Israel's Position on Near East Peace

refugees who are almost 100 per literally advancing 2,000 years
in time," Rev. Sperry said.
cent Moslem in belief.
Rev. William B. Sperry, like
Israel, he put in a category
"Crossing the border from
most impartial observers of the Syria into Jordan, you can
with New York or Detroit or
Middle East who have an oppor- feel the tension that is in the
any busy Western metropolis.
tunity to visit the area, has re- area," Rev.. Sperry said. "At
The shops were neat, children
turned to this country after a the border, we were stopped by
carried school books, people
recent tour as a champion of a military policeman who took
walked the streets with a pur-
pose and "we didn't see a beg-
the cause of Israel. us to headquarters.
The pastor of Christ Episcopal "Our bags were inspected, and gar during our entire stay,"
Church and active member of we were told, in cordial but he said.
the Episcopal Diocese of Michi- very plain terms, that we were
"While the Arabs are content
gan expressed this conviction welcomed as individual Amer-- with wholesale illiteracy among
and related his experiences last cans because 'we know you are the fellahim, Israel is educating
Friday at Ye Olde Wayne Club, not a representative of President all its children, despite the prob-
at a meeting convened by the Eisenhower.'
lems of channeling 60 national-
American Christian Palestine
"In no way," Rev. Sperry con- ity backgrounds into one. Since
Committee.
tinued, "did the Jordanians Hebrew is now the authorized
Judge George Edwards pre- conceal the fact that they hate language, the task has become
sided at the informal gathering the United States, that they hate easier, and school children go
in place of Judge Frank Picard, President Eisenhower and before home after class and teach their
chairman of the Michigan him President Truman, for the parents the language ," Rev.
ACPC, who was ill and unable aid given to Israel by the U.S." Sperry added.
In an interview with Cdr.
to attend,
In Jordan, his guide claimed
While Rev. Sperry re ad i l y to be an Arab refugee, who was Elmo Hutchison, former chief of
commended certain Arab states, fond of telling how the Israeli the Israel-Jordan Mixed Armis-
particularly Lebanon and Syria, government had deprived him of tice Commission, Rev. Sperry
ifor the progress they are mak- some $300,000 in frozen funds was told that probably the best
way to begin clearing the air is
REP. CHARLES OAKMAN
ing in their major cities, Beirut and properties.
"Later we found out that he by sensible demarcation of the
his
first
term
in
the
and
Damascus,
he
stated
that
During
when you cross the Mandelbaum was not only a guide but the borders, which now separate
United States Congress, Michi- i gate from Old Jerusalem into owner of the hotel in which we farms from farmhouses, which
gan Representative, Charles G. Israel's New Jerusalem it is like were staying and the largest halve villages and separate fam-
Oakman, has been in the fore- "advancing 2,000 years in time." landowner in the area. When ilies.
"But, to accomplish this, the
front of a number of legislative
From his stop in Beirut, Rev. we got to know him better, the
moves that will mean more in- Sperry was able to grasp the statement of -his losses in Israel Arabs must sit down with the
come and increased industry true picture of the unwillingness jumped to $600,000„" Rev. Sperry Jews at a conference table, and
this, despite Israel's many over-
the Detroit area.
lof the Lebanese to accept the ddclared.
"Our visit in Jordan was pic- tures they are not willing to do.
A candidate for re-election . 1 ; Arab refugees. In 'addition to
the 1.7th Congressional District,lbeing one of the most populous turesque — women with veiled All the Arabs talk about is
Rep. Oakman aided in consider- 1 of the Arab States, Rev. Sperry faces, food sold in the street `pushing Israel into the sea,"
able degi:ee the passing of the pointed out, Lebanon is a nation covered with flies, beggars with Rev. Sperry said.
As a clergyman, Rev. Sperry
St. Lawrence Seaway Bill, whichlrepresenting a 50 per cent outstretched palms crying, 'Bak-
had lain dormant in Congress I Christian population, and as sheesh, Baksheesh.' When we was told several confidences that
for 50 years.
such, is unwilling to accept the crossed into Israel, it w a s like usually are not related to an
House Majority Leader Charles
A. Halleck, in describing Rep.
Oakman as "one of the finest
men in Congress," stated, "No
member of the House did more
to aid in the passage of the St.
Lawrence Seaway Bill than Con-
gressman Oakman."
In the 83rd Congress, Oakman
introduced legislation to afford
tax relief for home owners
through depreciation reductions
for home -owners for income tax
purposes.
He also introduced measures
for repeal of Federal excise taxes
on automobiles, trucks, tires and
parts, and was instrumental in
developing a bill for highway
improvement and Federal funds
for elimination of railway-high-
way crossings in urban areas.
He proposed amending the
Natural Gas Act • to establish a
rule for the evaluation of gas
reserves for the purpose of rate-
making, which would aid home
owners as well as all" -Who rent
and have to pay for their own
utilities.

BY FRANK SIMONS

Rep.OakmanAided
Seaway Passage
In 83rd Congress

Ferguson Favors
Averting Middle
East Arms Race

Senator Homer Ferguson this
week expressed the hope that
the armaments race can and will
be completely averted in order
that the entire Middle East may
harmoniously strive for a demo-
cratic way of life, with Israel
emerging as one of the leading
nations in the Mediterranean.
"I have visited Israel and my
friendship for the new state is
therefore based on convictions
attained from personal know-
ledge gained from Israelis as
Well as from my Zionist friends,"
Senator Ferguson said.
Senator Ferguson added that
he will continue to support leg-
islation to aid Israel materially,
in order that this bastion of
democracy in the Middle East
may become economically se-
cure.
Senator Ferguson expressed
his conviction that he believes
conditions in the Mediterranean
are so oppressive that an arma-
ments race would prove damag-
ing to the economic status of all
concerned. He said he was con-
vinced that peace would be to
the advantage of all, and urged
a negotiated peace to end the.
present tensions.

"The careful reader of a few
good newspapers can learn more
in a year than most scholars do
in their great libraries."—F. B.
l■ -.=

American. One was by a spokes-
man for the anti-Israel Ameri-
can Friends for the Middle East,
who admitted that the refugee
camps were merely political in
nature — that nothing was done
about the refugees, that they
are kept in plain sight primarily
to show how cruel the Israelis
are in not taking them back.
While the refugees barely

exist, with no recreation
planned for them and no work
to do, Rev. Sperry pointed in
contrast to the transit camps
in Israel, in which people are
happy with a purpose. They
know they will be here only a
short time

In concluding, Rev. Sperry
cautioned against remarks such
as the one issued recently by
President Eisenhower, in which
he said the U.S. must be sym-
pathetic and impartial in our
treatment of the Middle East
states.
Rev. Sperry said, "It is abso-
lutely impossible to view cir-
stances in the Middle East with
an impartial eye. While Israel
is willing to sit down and talk
the problems out, the Arabs re-
iterate, practically in one chant,
`Push Israel to the sea.'
"You cannot be impartial to
injustice such as this," Rev.
Sperry said. "This is probably
the only war ever fought where
the winners are willing to con-
ciliate, and the vanquished wish
to make their own terms for
peace, which include wiping out
the very country which defeated
them."

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