Purely Commentary Commander Barr, Gen. Christenherry
highlight Local JWV Encampment

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

The Middle East Peace Vexations

Newsweek Magazine's interviews with Israel's and Egypt's Pre-
miers, Sharett and Nasser, do not shed new light on the existing
situat2on in that area; but they are helpful in calling the atten-
tion of the democratic world to the need for peace among Arabs
and Jews.
While the conflicting statements fail to provide hope for an
early peace, they should encourage those who know the truth to
pursue it and to strive for its dissemination.
It is most regrettable that the Egyptian Premier's misrepresen-
tations are not exposed promptly—especially the arrogant asser-
tion by Egypt's military dictator that there are first and second-
class citizens in Israel—Jews on the one hand and Christians and
Moslems on the other. Any one who has visited Israel knows the
untruth of such a charge.
What the world at large may not know, however, is that the
obstacles to peace are being created by dictators. We share, for
instance, the following view with the Christian Science Monitor's
editorial, entitled "No Parliament for Egypt":
When the military junta led by Lt. Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser
deposed King Farouk I, Egypt looked toward an early resumption
of parliamentary government . . .
Premier Nasser saw to it that the promise was watered down
to a plan for a largely appointive and merely consultative as-
sembly. Now he thinks such a "sounding board" is the best that
can be hoped for this year, and that it may be six or seven years
before a genuine parliament with legislative powers can be in-
troduced.
This is politically disappointing in a land where a social and
economic revolution has appeared to be under way. Most observ-
ers consider that Colonel Nasser has a great deal of ability and
sound judgment. Whether these qualities fit the requirements
of a prolonged benevolent dictatorship leading to democracy can
be judged only by'the outcome. .
For the moment trends in Egypt are anything but encour-
aging or gratifying for Western powers . . .
Part of Colonel Nasser's indictment against a parliament is
that it would include "men serving the interests of big landlords,
or of Iraq, or of London, Washington, or Moscow, masquerading
as Egyptians." The ,difficulties of attaining national solidarity
in the Middle East are well known.
Yet Iraq, under Premier Nuri as-Said and an elective legis-
lature, has shown real stability. It would be regrettable if
Egypt's promising revolution turned out instead to follow the
pattern of General Franco in Spain.

The major point to remember, and to emphasize—and to plead
for—is the need for peace in the Middle East. There must be an
early peace between Israel and her neighbors. That's the major
need. If only the enemies of democracy—and we must list Nasser
in that category—could be prevented from placing obstacles in the
path of the urgently-needed peace!

-

Lebanese Detroiters' Hands of Friendship

Israel Prime Minister Sharett was asked by the Newsweek
Interviewer: "With which neighbor are the chances of peace most
opeful?" And the Israeli Premier replied:
"I am unwilling to predict which country would be the first.
But Lebanon is the first candidate to be the second. Its leaders
will deny this but they know it is true. We have no quarrel with
Lebanon. It can only benefit, enormously, from the re-estab-
lishment of peace."
Mr. Sharrett knew whereof he spoke. Within Lebanon there
Is a struggle between the Mohammedans and the Maronite Catho-
lics who form a majority of the population. But many of the lead-
ers in the latter group have been cowed by threats from the ex-
tremists who are following the Arab League line. That is why a
Lebanese has been directing the fight against Israel, in behalf of
the Arab states, in the United Nations.
But in Detroit there is a group of Lebanese who recognize
the truth and who are determined to fight for peace. They are
conducting a battle , against great odds, defying boycotts and
struggling to convince their people that all can benefit from
peace.
The leader of the Detroit group is a courageous, pioneer Leb-
anese •newspaper publisher, Chekri Kanaan. He is the editor and
publisher in Detroit of Leesan Al-Adl—The Voice of Justice, in
which he presents facts about Israel and pleads for a speedy peace
between his country and the Jewish State. In Lebanon, before
coming to Detroit 40 years ago, Mr. Kanaan published a newspaper
under the same name.
Threatened by boycotts; Mr. Kanaan is fearless. He refuses
to budge from the path of propagating peace by Lebanon with her
neighbor. Together with his son, American-born Lee Kanaan, and
two other Lebanese Detroiters, Louis Anter and Peter Mundaleck,
he is carrying on his battle through his own newspaper and
through the recently-formed LeVant Club.
The most recent Memorandum of the Levant Club carried the
following statement:
In the Asian parts of the Near East, between Arabia and
Turkey, the various Christian denominations do not quite reach
the two million mark, but are nevertheless of paramount impor-
tance. The largest groups are concentrated in Lebanon:
e. 700,000; in Syria: nearly 500,00; and in Cyprus: almost 400,000.
The Cypriot Greeks constitute about four-fifths of the people on
their island. The Lebanese Christians, most of whom are Mar-
onite Catholics, form a slight majority in their own country. As
to the diverse Christian communities in Syria (including the
Armenians), they represent a very considerable percentage of
Syria's urban population. All these, in practically all cases,
show a higher degree of cultural development than their Moslem
neighbors. Also, they are quite conscious of preserving the tra-
ditions of a most ancient civilization, indigenous to the Near
East and antedating the coming of Islam.
The Maronites, in particular, deny any kinship with the
Arabs and claim the Hebrew-speaking Phoenicians for their an-
cestors. An interesting feature of Maronite society, strangely
reminiscent of the Jewish, is their far-flung "diaspora" outside of
Lebanon—especially in the Americas. There are today more
than 1,000,000 Lebanese emigrants in the New World, or
Americans of Lebanese descent. Almost all are Christians, in
great majority Maronite Catholics.
Thus, we have indications that not all is lost in the Middle
East: there remains great hope for peace. And if, as Israel's
Premier Sharett said, "Lebanon is the first - candidate to be the
second" country to make peace with Israel, through the efforts of
men like Chekri Kanaan and his colleagues it is possible that
Lebanon may become the first actually to defy the Arab League
and to join hands in friendship with Israel. The Kanaans of the
Detroit ,Leban'ese 'c'elenS$"‘apear 'on ,''tlie horizon' as - Messengers tof
'Pe
' ace.

-

By FRANK SIMONS

Joseph F. Barr, of Washing-
ton, D.C., successor to Detroit's
Harry T. Madison as national
commander of the Jewish War
Veterans, was here last Friday
afternoon to open the annual
encampment of the Department
of Michigan , JWV, held over
the weekend at the Sheraton
Cadillac Hotel.
Skipping a conference with
President Eisenhower to address.
-the opening luncheon, Com-
mander Barr bitterly attacked
Congress for its failure to 'im-
plement competent legislation
in three separate areas:
1. The Federal Employee Se-
curity program;
2. Immigration program,
through the McCarran = Walter
Immigration Law and the Presi-
dent's Emergency Refugee Re-
lief Act; and
3. The national military
training program.
Referring to the security
program as a "monstrosity,"
Barr called on fellow veterans
groups to take a firm stand,
such as taken already by JWV,
in "returning our government
to the concepts of our found-
ing fathers: a government of
laws and not of man."
He cited the cases of Abra-
ham Chasanow and Wolf Lade-
jinsky as two of the more flag-
rant occurrences of the present
security hunt.
The Chasanow case, pursued
by JWV for a year and a half,
finally was cleared up success-
fully, and he was restored to his
former post with the Navy, Barr
said, but "is it possible to visual-
ize the hell of a loyal employee
of our govenrment when he is
dismissed as a security risk?"
Only three years before his dis-
missal, he was given a loyalty
award for keeping government
secrets from enemy agents,
Barr pointed out.
In the case of Ladejinsky,
the government land reform ex-
pert who was removed from the
Japanese office of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, later to be
given a similar post in Viet Nam
with the State Department, Barr
pointed to open anti-Semitism.
The only real basis for his
dismissal, Barr said, was a re-
mark by a Department aide
saying that Ladejinsky was a
Russian Jew, and that all Rus-
sian Jews were security risks.
Barr, who was associate di-
rector of the Veterans Admin-
istration Council in Washington,
D.C., before his retirement- re-
cently, strongly urged the pass-
age of the Military Security Bill,
now shelved in Congress.
He stated that JWV has been
on record for Universal Military
Training, in one form or an-
other, since 1919. "Today, more
than ever before, we must be
prepared, not only on the battle
field, but at home. These young
men who serve the armed forces
would provide the leadership we
need at home in the event of an
atomic struggle," Barr said.

.

Two Detroiters Attend
New York Health Parley

At the Saturday session of the annual encampment of the
Jewish War Veterans, Dr. H. JOSSELSON (left), of Wayne Uni-
versity, presented scholarship awards to the university to ILENE
EMERMAN, of Central High School (second from right), and
DONNA LEE SCHARF, of Denby High School. A. ALBERT SUGAR,
chairman of the award committee, watches the ceremony. Both
scholarships are for $500, the one to Miss Emerman being the
decision of the committee, the other to Miss Scharf being awarded
by the Sholom and Charles - and Aaron Kogan Posts and
Auxiliaries.
a
a
* * *
•
dent
Louis
C.
Miriani
presented
In the immigration field,
Barr • gave assurances that three citations from the city to
JWV was working with many JWV, its retiring commander,
groups to effect immediate Henny Littman, and retiring
implementation of the Refu- president of the JWV Auxiliary,
gee Relief Act, so that the Mrs. A. Albert Sugar.
Between the opening lunch-
200,000 refugees the Act at-
tempts to settle here, will be eon and the concluding banquet
able to come before the ex- an Sunday, addressed by Maj.
piration of the law. He also Gen. Charles W. Christenberry,
delegates attended Sab-
attacked the McCarran- JWV
bath services at Temple Israel,
Walter Act, and said JWV is awarded two scholarships to
working for its revision.
Wayne University and held bus-
Walter Klein, assistant direc- iness sessions, highlighted by
for of the Jewish Conununity the election of new Department
Council and a local leader, was officers
toastmaster at the luncheon See Later Convention Story, P28
session, attended by communal,
civic and veterans leaders.
2 — DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Detroit Common Council pres-
Friday, June 10, 1955

II

Between You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright, 1955, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Tercentenary Echoes

The nine-month national observance of the American Jewish.
Tercentenary regretfully left no deep impressions . . . It did not
provoke great interest among Jews and attracted almost no at-
tention among non-Jews .. • The ambitious projects of which there
was so much talk when the Tercentenary committee was formed
did not materialize • .. Nothing came of the plan to build an annex
to the Library of Congress in Washington to house material per-
taining to Jewish history .. Nor was a Tercentenary postage
stamp issued, as originally planned . . . The only project which
seems to have materialized is the publication of a 10-volume
history of American Jewry, which will take two years or more to
bring forth . . . But this is a matter for which the Jews - in this
country did not have to wait 300 years . .. It could have been done
any year . . . It is possible that the uninspiring atmosphere that
prevailed around the Tercentenary committee was due to the fact
that it did not have sufficient funds . . . On the other hand, the
failure of the fund-raising effort is perhaps itself an indication of
the indifference that prevailed toward the Tercentenary ... At a
time when Jewish communities and institutions in this country
raise 250 million dollars a year for all kinds of philanthropic and
communal activities, the problem of raising a few million dollars
for Tercentenary projects should not have been too great . The
only high point of the nine-month celebration was the appear-
ance of President Eisenhower at the Tercentenary dinner in New
York . .. However, credit must be given Ralph E. Samuel, na-
tional Tercentenary chairman, who devoted a good deal of time
and energy to achieve what was achieved.

,

The Graduation Season

.

With graduation season upon us, it is estimated by competent
Jewish organizations that about three out of four Jewish high
school graduates go on to college to prepare themselves for their
More than 100 Jewish federa- future vocations ... Jewish parents are, naturally, interested in
tion, health and welfare leaders choosing a college where their children can get the best possible
from all parts of the United training geared to their career plans . . • However, many of them
States and Canada are gather- are at the same time interested in selecting a School which can
ing in New York this weekend offer adequate facilities for the satisfaction of the Jewish needs
for a series of intensive discus- and interests of their children . • The Bnai Brith, which main-
sions on community and hospi- tains Hillel Foundations for Jewish students hi about 200 colleges
tal planning for the long-term and universities, supplies information on colleges where Jewish
patient, it was announced this religious and social activities are being conducted by the students
week by Louis Stern of Newark, on the campuses . . . For some Jewish students the availability
of facilities for kosher meals is a major factor in their choice of a
general chairman.
The two-day conference, college . . . Except for Brandeis University and Yeshiva Univer-
sponsored by the Council of sity, no college or university provides kosher food for its students
Jewish Federations and Welfare . . . But several Hillel Foundations serve kosher meals daily or
Funds, will seek to fix commu- several times each week, in most cases on a cooperative basis . a
nity responsibility for the chron- Such services exist at the Hillel Foundations at the folloWing uni-
ically ill and will explore vari- versities: Cornell, George Washington, Harvard, Illinois, Maryland,
ous programs for meeting this Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Queen's (Can-
top priority problem, Stern ada) . . In cities like New York, Chicago, and others where there
.are many kosher restaurants, kosher food is no problem for stu-
stated.
Welfare leaders from Detroit dents who observe the dietary laws . . . The Bnai Brith also sup•.
who are attending the confer- plies information on fraternities and sororities in which Jews are
ence include: Sidney J. Allen, welcome, and on Greek letter societies which have a predominantly
member of the board. Jewish Jewish membership . . . Incidentally, I have been asked by the
Welfare Federation and Gtis D. American Physical Therapy Association to draw to the attention, of
Newman, president Jewish Xeiiivi*yo1411S.'that'l,h.qe . 4s currently a' critical, need for Z5,1)00
physical
I for the Aged.
' " 44 " """ '0-