Purely Commentary
Israel to Build Its First Atomic Pile in 4 Years
GENEVA (JTA) — Israel will
build its first atomic pile within
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
the next four years, Dr. Walter
Eytan, director general of the
Ruth Gruber Interviews Ben-Gurion
Israel Foreign Ministry and
Ruth Gruber, one of the best informed American correspond- head of the Israel delegation to
ents, who has made periodic trips to pre-Israel Palestine and to the International Conference on
Israel, and who accompanied escapees from Nazis Germany on boats the Peaceful Uses of Atomic
which the evil spirit of the late Ernest Bevin had branded as Energy, revealed here.
"illegal," again sends some very interesting reports from the Holy
With an increasing population
Land. As correspondent of the New York Herald Tribune (this time and a scarcity of energy re-
she was accompanied by her husband, Philip Michaels, and her sources Israel must find new
"boss," Mrs. Whitelaw Reid, the - publisher of the Herald Tribune), sources of power, he empha-
she interviewed David Ben-Gurion, and he had this to say:
sized, Israel cannot depend on
"The only solution for the Arab refugee problem is to settle
Arabs in the vast empty sphere of Syria and Iraq . . . We cannot
accept one single Arab refugee, because this means the end of our
state . . . This is a little country — in danger, surrounded, beseiged.
There is no room here for Arab refugees. Why should they come
and live in a Jewish state and be miserable? The Herbert Hoover
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y.,
plan to settle the refugees in the rich Euphrates Valley in Iraq is
(JTA)—For the third time since
good. Iraq is three times bigger than England; Syria is an empty
Israel was admitted to the United
country. We have our own problems taking care of the Jewish
Nations, an Israel artist has been
refugees from Arab countries; hundreds of thousands have come."
honored by the United Nations
Then he added: "We would contribute financially to a settle- Postal Administration.
ment of Arab refugees in Arab lands, and we would contribute our
The agency announced that
experience in settling refugees by sending experts in settlement
problems like agriculture and housing. But we would like Iraq and Willi Wolf Wind, Israel artist
Syria and other Arab countries to pay for the damages they caused now living in the United States,
has been selected as a member
us in the- war."
of a panel of six artists, from as
"Arabs who live here now," Mr. Ben-Gurion. said, "are full- many countries, chosen to draw
fledged citizens. ,But we cannot take in enemies. Arab refugees
designs for UN postage stamps
won't go to the Negeb (desert). They can make deserts, but they
to be released in 1956.
will not work in the deserts."
The international panel, set up
"Do you foresee peace or war with the Arabs?" Miss Gruber for the first time, has been es-
asked him.
tablished "to -ensure a wide
"We are ready to make peace by day and by night, if the oppor- range of creative talent," the
tunity arises," he said. "If war comes, it will be only because the announcement declared. Wind
Arabs resumed it."
shares honors on the panel with
"We did not start the war with the Arbas," he said. "The Arabs Mrs. Dahl Collings, Australia;
invaded us. The Arabs defied the United Nations, and we defeated
Leon Helguera, Mexico; Jean
them."
Picart le Doux, France; David
Mr. Ben-Gurion spoke logically. An infiltration of refugees
Stone Martin, Chicago, and Hu-
into Israel would mean stagnation for the new state. The Arabs, who
bert Woyty-Wimm.er, Austria.
have been forced by their leaders to remain in refugee camps—
One of the previous UN postal
as pawns in the battle against Israel—can not be a constructive
honors given to Israelis went to
force in the young and small state. They can create choas, obstruc-
Wind in 1952, when he was
tion and confusion—a combination of factors that would lead only
awarded first prize in the Postal
to destruction.
Administration's
inter national
There was a time when many more Arabs could have come to
Israel. They were offered havens there and they refused to accept competition.
Last spring, another Israeli,
Israel's hospitality. Today, their hearts are filled only with venom
and hatred, and a country faced with dangers they represent would George Hamori, of Tel Aviv, won
first prize for designing a stamp
be insane to accept them.
*
*
commemorating the work of the
United Nations Educational, Sci-
Another Ruth Gruber Report: The Arabs and Water
entific and Cultural Organiza-
In another report—this time from Nazareth—Miss Gruber de- tion.
scribed the thrilling ceremony that marked the bringing of water
for the first time to Nazareth. It is such a fascinating story, reveal-
ing many aspects-of Israel's-fight for social justice for all her inhabi- To Step Up Bond Drive
tants, that it is worth sharing in full with our readers. Miss Gruber
reported:
Following Return of
"On a bright Sunday afternoon, last month, water came to
Nazareth. There had been some water before in this city of Mary Dr. Schwartz from Israel
'NEW YORK, (JTA) — Dr.
and Joseph, but every year there was a shortage, and in the years
of drought, there was almost no water at all. Now there would be Joseph J. Schwartz, vice presi-
water every day, water running through new pipes into everybody's dent and executive head of the
home.
Israel Bond Organization, re-
"Prime Minister Moshe Sharett drove up from Jerusalem to take turned from Israel with a pledge
part in the celebration. He turned a wheel, gaily decorated with of all-out cooperation from the
blue and white crepe paper; water gushed up from pipes that had government of Israel in moving
been placed upright in the Nazareth hills, and from everywhere, forward on the widest possible
from the roads and houses and sides of the mountains, children ran scale with the Israel bond cam-
to the water, singing and shouting and drenching themselves under paign in the United States and
the miraculous spray.
other parts of the free world.
On his survey tour of Europe
."Most of Nazareth's 20,000 Arabs and their friends and neighbors
came to watch the water ceremony. A big stadium had been built and Israel, Dr. Schwartz was
near Nazareth's quarries, and now it was filled with long benches accompanied by former New
of Arab men wearing robes and keffiyehs, with a thousand Arab and York State Attorney General
Jewish Boy Scouts standing at attention. On all the mountain sides Nathaniel S. Goldstein and Sid-
encircling the stadium, families sat or walked on the winding roads ney S. Green; financial adviser
and the ancient terraced paths, listening to the speeches carried to the State of Israel.
by loudspeakers.
In his first overseas trip since
"Their leaders, political and religious, were On the dais. Prime assuming the direction of the
Minister and Mrs. Sharett, the Mayor of Nazareth, Amin Jarjura Israel Bond Organization last
in red tarbush and Western clothes; the Kadi of Nazareth, Taher May, Dr. Schwartz also held con-
et-Tabari; two Arab Members of the Knesset (Parliament) who ferences with European leaders
were running for re-election; Msgr. Antoni Vergani, Custos of the on the campaign for the sale
Holy Land in gorgeous purple; Archbishop Georgius Hakim, leader of Israel Bonds in Holland, Bel-
of the 30,000.Greek Catholics in Israel, in a black robe; the orthodox gium and Switzerland. The Israel
Jewish Minister of Interior and Minister of Religious Affairs, Moshe bond campaign:will launch its
Shapiro, and the Military Governor of Galilee, Michael Michael.
peak activity for 1955 at a Na-
"They had come to Nazareth to celebrate this historic day. Every tional Mobilization Conference
one was happy except the Communists, who were holding a rally which will open in Washington,
near by immediately after the celebration, and the Prime Minister Sept. 10.
anticipated the propaganda they would use. "Certain elements," he
told the crowd in Arabic, "will try very hard to poison the atmo-
sphere by distorting the obvious goal of this project. No doubt the Weisgal in Argentina
good people of Nazareth will not lend their ears to this mischievous To Give Progress Report
nonsense, but will easily discern - the motives of those ill-wishers.'
BUENOS AIRES, (JTA)—San
"Bishop Hakim was more vociferous. 'This new water,' he said, Martin House, construction' of
'must wash out the shameful name of 'Red Nazareth' which has which at the Weizmann Institute
stuck to this town fOr years.' Arabs must prove to the citizens of of Science in Israel represents a
Israel their complete loyalty, he said.
major contribution by Argentine
"The speaker who won the greatest applause and laughter was Jewry to science in Israel, will
an Arab woman. She told the people of Nazareth what this water be completed and opened next
meant to their women. 'No longer will we have to go to the Well spring, Meyer Weisgal, execu-
of the Virgin to draw water. Now we will have water in our taps. tive vice-chairman of the Weiz-
No longer will we have to carry water on our heads. Now we will mann Institute, told a press con-
be able to go to the beauty parlor and get permanent waves.'
ference here. He reported that
"The celebration itself was deeply moving for this was a mixed 60 percent of the staff of the In-
Arab-Jewish day of rejoicing. Though this water was for - the Arabs stitute were native Israelis.
of Nazareth, it had come from Tel Adashim, a Jewish kibbutz (farm
Weisgal was honored at a
settlement) in the Valley of Esdraelon. It was being pumped from banquet tendered by the major
a pumping station near the kibbutz which lay in a steep incline
Jewish organizations in Argen-
below Nazareth, 1,300 feet up the mountain, in a twelve-inch pipeline tina. Among the speakers were
to Nazareth stone quarries where we were now sitting. Here it Pablo Manguel, Argentina's first
joined the municipal pipeline that had been laid the same time the Ambassador to Israel, and Dr.
government had laid the twelve-inch line, and brought the water Ezequiel Jabotinsky, who was re-
to the highest point in Nazareth, Mt. Nebi Saim, overlooking the cently elevated to the rank of
city."
ambassador in Argentina's For-
Thus, water, the most important ingredient for progress in the eign Service on instructions from
parched Middle East, may serve as means of cementing the best President Peron.
feelings in that area between Jews and Arabs, of bringing conflicting
elements together, of removing the tensions that result in tragedies 2—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
for all concerned.
Friday, August 19, 1953
Israel Artist Joins
UN Postal Panel
outside sources — as it is now
doing in the case of oil imports
from the Soviet Union and the
British Commonwealth—because
in the event of war such out-
side sources might be cut off
and "the country's life would
be brought to a halt. We must
be independent and cannot rely.
on others. That is why we are
making every effort to increase
our own energy sources and we
hope to have an atomic pile
built within the next four
years." He said that the Israel
Atomic Energy Commission,
established in 1951, was chiefly
concerned with research.
A report on measurements on
natural water sources as an aid
in prospecting for underground
sources of uranium was de-
livered at one of- the technical
sessions by Dr. Saadia Amiel
and Dr. Lester Winsberg of Is-
rael. Dr. Amiel is a member of
the staff of the Israel Atomic
Energy Commission, while Dr.
Winsberg is a member of the
faculty of the Weizmann Insti-
tute of Science at Rehovoth.
At another session, three Is-'
rael scientists reported on the
use Israel is making of radio-
active isotopes in the treatment
of certain ailments. They said
that in working with radioactive
isotopes at the Radium and
Tumor Institute of Hadassah-
University Hospital in Jeru-
salem, they found in certain in-
stances that the therapeutic
results "have been very grati-
fying."
Between You and Me
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1955, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
"Teen-Age" Moods
The "teen-age problem" does not seem to be serious as far as
Jewish teen-agers are concerned . . Judging from a survey con-
ducted in New York among Jewish children of lower and middle
class families, the following picture emerges . . Eleven-year-old
girls use lipstick and 13-year-old boys are already smoking . . .
They wish to be considered sophisticated adults ... However, they
do not like to go to places where the crowds are -"rough" . . . They
know little about Jewish religion because religious p-ractices in their
homes are often confused . . About 50 percent of them take les-
sons in singing, dancing, music and art . Among the tenth-graders
there is a surprising number who hold after-school jobs—such as
baby-sitting, newspaper routes, delivery, sales, and volunteer jobs
in hospitals .. . Most of them do not work for the money, but be-
cause they want to be "independent" . . . These jobs involve work-
ing two or more afternoons a week and sometimes all day Satur-
day .. . Horne-work takes a good part of most of the youngster's
weekday evenings . . . Most of them manage to see at least one TV
show nightly . . . Homework is sometimes a social affair as a group
of friends study together . . . The youngsters go to the movies at
least once a week .
What do they want to do in the free time
left them? Dates take priority .
For the boys sports also rate
high . . . When asked how many times they would come to a Jewish
center if offered the kind of activity they wanted, the reply was:
from once a week to once a month ... Many thought that the cen-
ters were for delinquents and not for "people like us" . . . Others
thought there are too many adults watching them in the centers—
"too many snoopervisors" ... A large proportion of the boys said
they joined after-school centers maintained by the Board of Edu-
cation to play basketball at a fee of 50e a year . . The survey
conducted among Jewish "teen-agers" of 13 and 16, established' that
Jewish boys avoid association with "wild" youngsters- in their neigh-
borhood, while the girls prefer to be in the company of "nice
Jewish boys'.' .. . The parents of the children among whom the
survey was carried out were civil service employees, teachers, taxi
drivers, small shop owners, garment workers, etc.
*
* -
"Atomic Age" Sidelines
The "Atoms-for-Peace" conference has lifted the curtain on
Jewish scientists in Soviet. Russia . Since World War II, when
Moscow began to eliminate Jews from its foreign service and other
positions of importance, Jewish names were completely missing
from the lists of Soviet delegations a-broad . . Now, however, about
two dozen such names appear among the Soviet scientists who have
submitted important papers on nuclear energy to the Geneva parley
. . . This is the first time in many years that the Moscow govern-
ment has included Jews on an important delegation sent abroad .. .
And no wonder ... Glancing through the papers submitted by these
Jews at Geneva, one must come to the conclusion that Jewish
scientists in Russia played a major role in advancing nuclear science
in their country . . . Thus, it seems that without their participation
in the Geneva deliberations, Moscow would not have been in a
position to make an impressive showing . . The names of the
Jewish scientists were hitherto not known at all in the Jewish
world . . There is S. Z. Bokstein and S. M. Feinberg; I. I. Gure-
vich and P. E. Nemirovsky; F. L. Shapiro and I. M. Frank; S. V.
Hirschfeld and P. I. Dolin; D. F. Zaretsky and D. E. Grodzensky • .
There are also M. I. Pevzner and P. E. Spivack; M. Y. Katz and
B. G. Yerusalimsy; V. A. Baum and B. V. Ershler; G. A. Badt and
N. Bach; A. P. Vinogradov and A. A. Schlick . . And a number
of others . . . Their papers deal with all phases of atomic science
. . .One wonders why Jewish writers and other intellectuals have
"disappeared" in Russia and why all Jewish cultural institutions
there have been closed down just at a time when Jewish scientists
contributed so much to the country, as has now been revealed for
the first time.
.
This and That
To Bernard Postal, public information director of the National
Jewish Welfare Board, we are obliged for the following interesting
items . Due to make its debut this fall is the monthly Jewish
Digest, which will digest the best from the world's Jewish press .. .
David H. White, editor of the Jewish Herald-Voice of Houston, will
be its publisher
. A national Jewish organization is making a
survey of the effects of Life Magazine's article on Judaism .
That
synagogue on wheels riding the roads of North Carolina has been
so successful that its sponsor, the North Carolina Association of
Jewish Men and Women, is planning a second one, with an addi-
tional circuit-riding rabbi at the wheel . . . A replica of the mosaic
from the ancient Beth Alpha synagogue in Israel, which dates from
Talmudic times, will be part of the decorative motif in- the new
Atlanta Jewish Community Center . . . A new mural honoring the
immortal Four Chaplains of World War II, including Chaplain
Goode, has been commissioned for the memorial lounge of the
Pittsburgh YM-YWHA, which is being established in honor of
Hyman Ro - gal ... Having recovered from the labors of co-author-
ing with Lionel Koppman, the bestselling "A Jewish Tourist's
Guide to the U. S.," Bernard Postal has teamed up with Sam
Abramson, assistant national field director of the UJA to do "A
Jewish Tourist's Guide to Free Europe" . •. Harold Ribalow,
whose prolific writings range from sports to literature, is co-
authoring a book on Israel stamps.