UN Censures Israel, Egypt for Gaza Outbursts
(Continued from Page 1)
charged that the attack was a
well organized, pre-conceived ac-
tion to disturb the relative tran-
quility of the border and to com-
pel Israel-Egyption meetings on a
higher level than local command-
ers. The Egyptians denied the
Israel version and alleged that
Israelis had initiated the attack
on the Egyptian hilltop position,
but in the course of the debate
the Egyptians withdrew their
allegations that it was a premedi-
tated Israel attack.
The Mixed Armistice Commis-
sion failed to accept the Egyptian
resolution but condemned Israel
for the attack on the -hilltop after
an Israel patrol h a d been at-
tacked. The commission, with the
UN chairman voting in favor,
Purely Commentary
Americans, more than all others, understand the importance
of self-defense and the protection of life and property against the
onslaught of savagery. The first three hundred years—the three
hundred years that preceded the establishment of the United States
—were spent in a battle for the protection of men, women and
children against those who threatened their lives in their process
of establishing peaceful colonies. The Pilgrims are pictured in our
minds as walking behind their plows with rifles on their backs.
That is how the Israelis are compelled to live today: with guns
at their workbenches and at their beds and even near their syna-
gogues; for, the wild men across the Gaza border have failed to
show respect for human values and seem determined to wage
war on the tiny land which Israel has reclaimed as. its own.
Walter Reuther, the CIO president, who landed in Israel on one
of the crucial days of Israel's battle for justice and for the reten-
tion of the state's independence, spoke like a true American when
he said: "If any homeland is invaded, then the people of the invaded
country have a moral right and an obligation to defend it. If Israel
is invaded, no matter from what side, the people of Israel have a
right and a moral obligation to stand up and fight for it."
Time will provide the answer to the question: why is Egypt
determined to destroy the armistice agreement with Israel? It
would be for the good of all Egyptians if there were peace, from
which all would benefit; why, then, are they waging war? It is
our guess that it is not the Egyptians who are waging war, but
their Premier, General Nasser, who may be fighting for his political
career by means of diverting the attention of his people from their.
miseries through a scapegoat: Israel; That was the Russian Czars'
way of prolonging their rule: by diversion through- -pogroms: •
. Most assuredly, time not only will provide the answer to this
and many More questions, but also will solve this problem of use-
less bloodshed on a border that should, instead, unite two neighbor-
ing peoples in friendship. But the Egyptians had chosen otherwise,
by waging war, by terrorizing civilians, by infiltrating into peace-
ful Israel territory and murdering old men, women and children.
Therefore, at this stage in. the horrible situation into which Israel
has been forced, we are compelled to side with those who state that
when a person is attacked he must defend himself; when a people's
existence is threatened, that people must put up the. best fight for
its
life.
.
•
That's - how Mr. Reuther saw the Situation on the first day of
his arrival in Israel, and our hat . is off to . him in deep respect for
frank speakin4 and realistic recogniti0:.facts.. 7as they exist in
a trotileA''area. ..,...,.
Mr. Reuther is not alone. Many ChriStians have said just that.
We say Christians, because it might be said that it Would be sheer
prejudice for Jews to say it. Many news and radio commentators .
showed *a sense of fair play by pointing- out that for Israel it is a
matter of life and death. Secretary of State Dulles should listen to
these'sentiments. We can't always hide behind expediency and the
interests that are discolored by oil and power politics.
There are, of course, some unfriendly correspondents. who talk
through both sides of the mouth; who, while posing as "experts"
on the Middle East, are in reality - motivated in their interpreta-
tions by a deep-rooted anti-Israel and anti-Jewish attitude. Their
existence on the scene is unfortunate, but they are doomed to-
remain a - minority: because the American spirit of fair play must
see through the mess that has been created by belated appeals for
peace, prolonged appeasement of murderous Arab tactics, the double
talk in which is echoed the insincerity of threatening Israel on a
par with Egypt at a_time when Israel is . being stabbed in the back
by the Egyptians.
If there is to be, as there must be, peace in the world, it
Might. as well start with the people who have enjoyed it the
least: the Jews. Let there be a determined—but a sincere—effort
on the part- of the United States and the United Nations to
enforce peace in the Middle East. But that - can not and must not
be at the cost of .Israel's self-reSpect and independence. Israel
will never yield to that and her kinsmen and friends will not be
parties to the annihilation of the freedoms of the Jews who have
become Israelis.
North African Jewry's Emigration Problem
Israel's hOpes tO rescue the Jews of Morocco and Tunisia will
not have smooth sailing. There are obstacles that will create many
hardships.
North - African Jews already have been warned. that if they are
permitted to go to Israel they will have to leave all their belongings
behind. Will such confiscations be chalked up against reparations
claims that are being made by Arabs against Israel? When will fair-
ness begin to dictate to the conscience of the•western world that
Jews who have been removed from Moslem countries by Israel
'have been robbed Of billions of dollars' worth of property when
they escaped from Arab persecutions into Israel?
No, •the road fdr these unfortunate people is not an easy one.
Interestingly enough, the same Arabs who are instigating their
people to murder Jews in Moslem countries also are- trying to tell
the North African Jews that they are being tricked-into going to
Israel. In their campaign to deter North African JeWish• ernigration,
Damascus and Cairo radio broadcasts are Spreading some curious
stories. -
From .Damascus, for example, was broadcast the following
message to North African Jewry:
"The Jews of America and Europe look down on you, Jews of
the East. The Jews who arrive from the Arab countries like Morocco
are brought to Israel to work and serve in the army. The Western
Jews from America and Europe get the top jobs and the big money.
You will .be treated like slaves and servants. You will become
hungry and poor. The Western Jews do not want refugees. They
want rich people, to make them poor in no time. Money is Isra'el's
aim, and your money will go to the top officials, to the governors,
to taxes."
It is reported from London that another Damascus commenta-
tor stated in his radio broadcast:
If the situation were not so tragic, this really would be funny.
There is no secret about Israel's policy: every boy and` girl, native
and foreign born, must serve in the Israel army for 18 months. Israel
would be in a messy situation if she had to depend upon draftees
. .
then condemned Egypt for hav- had voted for the Israel resolu-
ing started the trouble by open- tion because it was impossible to
ing fire on the patrol and for the tell who had started the firing,
subsequent shelling of Nahal Oz. but the resolution indicated that
The shelling of the settlement, the Israel patrol on an open
the commission held, "constituted plain was first attacked by Egyp-
a flagrant violation of the arm- tians from the fortified hilltop.
istice agreement." It called on
Inadvertent Crossing
Egypt to "take all necessary
The only incident reported last
measures to cease such viola- week occurred when an Israel
tions." Maj. Giacommagi said he patrol inadvertently crossed the
Every People's Moral Right to Self-
Defense .
. Israel's Friends Will
Not Permit Annihilation of Freedoms
By Philip
Slomovitz
from among incoming immigrants from North African countries
alone for her army.
It is reported from London that another Damascus commenta-
tor stated in his radio, message to the North African Jews:
"Do you remember what Hitler did to the German Jews? Do
you remember their poverty and humiliation? That is the fate to
expect if you go to Israel. The Western Jews look at you as
strangers who do not deserve a good life. Unless you wish to be like
slaves and servants, you should not go to Israel. Beware the trap
of Israel. Beware, save your money and learn a lesson from your
brothers who have been deceived."
Referring to what was described as "demonstrations" by North
African Jews against the Jewish Agency's policy of 'selective im-
migration,' Cairo's 'Voice of the Arabs' commented:
"Thus it has become clear to those Arab Jews that Zionism
knows no mercy and only knows ruthlessness and slavery for the
oriental Jews. It is not for the first time that the oriental Jews
have revolted against racial discrimination now prevailing in occu-
pied Palestine."
This is the type of propaganda and interference Israel has had
to contend with all along. They are ridiculous appeals, but they
assume seriousness when either Jews or intelligent Christians
dignify them—as the Council for Judaism does, or as misled officials
in Washington have done. Israel not only has the responsibility of
saving lives, but also of protecting an uninformed public from
falsehoods disseminated by propagandists who have no scruples
when they are out to incite to riot against Jews.
Frank X. Martel: Friend of Israel
We join in paying tribute to the memory of Frank X.
Martel: He was a stormy petrel in labor's ranks, but he knew how
to face criticism and how to tackle issues in behalf of labor. He
had a sense of justice and he never deviated from
principles, as was evidenced in his tireless efforts
in - defense of the Zionist cause and of Israel.
Long before Israel became a state, he was
aligned with labor's supporters of the Zionist
movement, and especially of Histadrut. With the
advent of Israel as an independent state, he was
always to be found in the ranks of the defenders
of the Jewish national home.
We had the best evidence of his sincerity
when the misguided executive secretary of the
Detroit Economic Club pursued a policy of in-
Frank X. Martelcluding anti-Israel speakers in his program. One
such speaker was especially mean in his pres-
entation of a biased report on Israel and the Middle East situation.
Mr. Martel then came forth with a scathing attack on bigotry and
with a denunciation of the misrepresentation that shocked people
who possess a sense of justice. Mr. Martel's editorial in the Labor
News was the most effective denunciation and therefore an excep-
tionally fine presentation of the pro-Israel position.
As a member, for more than 20 years, of the American Chris-
tian Palestine Committee, and as a leader in labor's forces that
supported Histadrut, he played a great role in defending a just
cause. In honoring his memory, we recall these fine deeds with deep
gratitude.
*
*
Jacob De Haas' Daughter
demarcation 1 i n e. An Israel
spokesman in Tel Aviv said that
the patrol was moving in the
dunes in the Nir Yitzhak area
when it accidentally crossed the
border, where it encountered
Egyptian troops. Three Israel
soldiers were missing, the spokes-
man said. Reports from the UN's
truce supervision organization,
evidently based on information
from the Egyptian side of the
line, said that two Israelis were
killed in that incident.
Army Ready to Defend Country,
Ben-Gurion Warns Arabs •
The Israel Army of Defense
will give a good account of itself
if it is again faced with the "su,
preme trial" as it was seven years
ago when it was born during the
invasion of the newly-established
Jewish State by seven Arab
armies, Premier-designate David
Ben-Gurion declared here, ad-
dressing a commencement parade
of army officer cadets.
Mr. Ben-Gurion who, with the
exception of the short period
when he was not in the Cabinet,
has been the civilian head of the
army from its birth, took this
opportunity to warn Egypt and
the other Arab states that despite
the fact that "we pray and hope"
for peace, "if we are faced again
with the supreme trial we will
stand up to it with greater force
and better ability than seven
years ago." He praised the nation
and the army for remaining con-
tinuously on the alert in the face
of almost "d a ily and nightly
trial" by Arab marauders, and
stressed that "only a few days
ago (the army) again proved its
fighting superiority on the land,
and in the air."
He emphasized that year by
year the Israel Army has im-
proved its equipment, its train-
ing and its organization. But, al-
though these factors are impor-
tant, he asserted, the most essen-
tial element is the spirit and vi-
sion which "permeates the heart
of the fighter and moulds his
- strength." He underscored the
role of the Army in helping the
new immigrant fit into the life
of Israel, educating him, improv,:
ing his health and morale and
training him for civilian settle-
ment as well as military duties.
He noted that the security of the:
state did not rest on the army
alone, but also on the ingather-
ing of immigrants from abroad,
their - settlement on the land, the
rehabilitation of the land and the
development of industry.
U.S. • Military Plane Forced
To Land by Israelis
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Two Israel
fighters forced an .American
tary transport to land at Lydda.
airport when it violated Israel
air space over the Haifa area.;
After the Americn plane failed to
heed a radio order to land, one
fighter fired a short machine gun
burst ahead of the plane, which
then landed.
The plane, its crew-.and passen-
gers: - were -permitted to leave
after interrogation by Israel - of-
ficials. Col. D a V:i d Petersen,
American air attache in Israel,
was present .during the interro-
gation of the crew by:Israel is.
U.S. WorkerS Wil)f .;Fight
For Israel, C.I.O. Head Tells-
Haifa Auto Workers •
HAIFA (JTA)
presi-
dent Walter Reuther told a group
of workers at the KaiSer-Frater
plant here that "there's a sense
of ..solidarity . with ; Israel among
Anierican.workers, : We will fight
with yott . if necessary. We need,
something like your Histadrut
and the spirit of your country's
people in the United States." Mr.
Reuther • and a delegation of
C.I.O. leaders were *touring Haifa
area factories and docks, where
they were warmly received by
the Israeli workers:
A reeption tendered by Haifa's
workers in his honor later heard
the American labor leader de-
clare that the United States must
help Israel, because whenever
freedom is threatened, the United
States is threatened also. At a
reception in Acre attended by
both Jewish and Arab notables,
the C.I.O. president said,. "the
way in which Arabs and Jews
live together here is a pleasant
example of how both nations can
cooperate on a larger scale."
Proof of how quickly people are forgotten is provided by the
information we have just received, through indirect channels, of
the death of the daughter of the late Jacob de Haas.
We learned of it from the London Jewish Chronicle which had
received the information from its Washington correspondent. Here
is the LJC story of her death in a car accident:
Mrs. Lewis -N. Demhitz,_ a.daughter of the late Zionist leader,
Jacob de-Haas, was killed in a car accident in Pennsylvania last
week while traveling on holiday to Cleveland, our Washington
Correspondent writes. Her husband was severely injured, but
their two daughters suffered only minor injuries.
Mrs. Dembitz, who was aged 45, was a lawyer in Washington.
She was born in Boston, where her father was editor of a Jewish
publication. She studied law at Columbia University and on
obtaining her degree in 1934 became Legal Assistant to Judge
Julian W. Mack, a noted Zionist leader at the time. In 1935 she
went to 'Washington to enter Government service as a lawyer in
the Reconstruction Finance Corp., in which capacity she served
for 18 years. In 1953 she resigned to engage in private law
practice.
•
-
-
In Washington she married Mr. Dembitz, who is -a cousin of
the late Justice Louis D. Brandeis.
She was active in Hadassah and other JeWish groups.
Is it because Jacob de Haas himself is being forgotten that this
story escaped the attention of American Jewry? De Haas was the
editor of the Boston Jewish Advocate when he met Louis D.
Brandeis and interested him in Zionism. Then de Haas turned over
his paper, which was struggling at the time, to the Brin brothers
(Alexander and Joseph), who turned it into one of the most profit-
able American Jewish newspaper ventures. De Haas, from then
on, devoted himself entirely to the Zionist cause. But that was not
his beginning of leadership in Zionism. He was one of the move-
ment's pioneers, had served as English secretary to Dr. Theodor
Herzl and was a leading propagator of the justice of the ideal for
the re-establishment of Jewish statehood.
He was secretary of the Zionist Provisional Committee when
it was headed by Mr. Brandeis, who later became United States
Supreme Court Justice. When the rift occurred in the ranks of the
Zionist Organization of America, he joined the group that was,
headed by Brandeis, Mr. Justice Felix Frankfurter, Judge Julian
W. Mack, Stephen S. Wise and many other leading American Jews.
All of them, however, retained their interest in the Zionist move-
ment and de Haas remained loyal to the Eretz Israel cause.
De Haas edited and published a one-volume Jewish Encyclo-
pedia. He wrote many articles and a two-volume biography of Dr.
Herzl. His name is inerasable from Zionist, Palestinian and Jewish
histories. Apparently his daughter followed in his footsteps. Their 2
names should not be forgotten.
—
DETROIT JEWISH NEWS:
Friday, September 9, 1955