E JEWISH NEWS

A New Plan
for Progressive
Jewish Education

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Dov Joseph's
Visit

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Our Book Fair
Editorials, Page 4

Weekly Review

of Jewish Events

The Jewish Vote:
A Myth Debunked

Decaying Portion
of Jerusalem

Commentary, Page 2

Michigan's Only English - Jewish Newspaper — Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle

VOLUME 28—No. 9

27

1 71 00 W. 7 Mile Rd.—VE. 8-9364—Detroit 35, November 4, 1955

$4.00 Per Year; Single Copy 15c

West Divided on Aid to Israel
300 Jewish Organizations Here
Plead for Jewish State's Security
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Iraqi's Anti-Jewish Speech Shocks Our Community

Detroit Jewry Demands
Time for Reply to Iraqi's
Attack at Economic Club

Jewish community leaders were shocked Monday by an out-
rageously anti-Jewish and anti-American speech delivered before
the Economic Club by the Iraq diplomat, Mohammed Fadhil
Jamali, who launched a violent attack on "Zionist imperialists"
and charged that "the Jewish vote" had influenced all American
Administrations on the question of the Middle East.
The injury became all the greater when his speech was broad-
cast on Monday evening over Radio Station WJR, from 10 to 10:30
that evening.
WJR officials recognized the harm in the speech and, upon
receipt of the text, early Monday afternoon, assured the Jewish
Community Council that equal time would be granted the Jewish
community to reply to Jamali's accusations.
At an emergency meeting of the Zionist Council of Detroit,
that evening, protests were launched against the anti-American
outburst of a spokesman for a- foreign government and a demand
was made for an opportunity to a Jewish spokesman to reply to
the charge which maligned all American Jews.
While time was immediately granted the Jewish Community
Council by WJR for a reply on Monday evening, the Council
found it necessary to defer acceptance of a definite date until the
speech could be transcribed and a responsible speaker given
sufficient time to prepare his reply.
Dr. Abba Hillel Silver was one of the leaders who was pro-
posed to make the reply.

Spokesmen for more than 300 Jewish organizations, including the
community's congregations, on Tuesday joined forces in an urgent plea
to the United States State Department to provide proper assistance to
Israel as a preventative to the massing of military forces and the gathering
of munitions from the Soviet bloc by Arab countries that are bent upon
destroying the Jewish state.

Copies of the resolutions, signed by the presidents of all congregations and organi-
zations, were submitted to U. S. Senators Pat McNamara and Charles Potter, with the
urgent requests that they take steps to avoid a tragedy for the 1,500,000 Jews in Israel
who are surrounded by warring governments.
The situation became increasingly more complicated as a result of a reported divi-
sion in the ranks of the Western Powers on the question of aid to Israel.
A direct Jewish Telegraphic Agency report to The Jewish News, from London, Tues-
day afternoon, stated:
It is clear that the Western Powers have declined "for many understandable rea-
sons to give Israel support which she has requested against her A r a b neighbors," the
Times of London reported Tuesday from Geneva.
The British journal said that Foreign Secretary Harold Macmillan had declined
the urgent request of Premier Moshe Sharett of Israel for arms, "as he felt that this
would merely- precipitate an arms race. He was evidently n o t prepared to go beyond
his offer to reaffirm the 1950 (tripartite) declaration." Secretary of State Dulles, how-
ever, the paper said, "who was under greater pressure at home, h a s evidently agreed
that the United States would consider sympathetically a supply. of s o m e defensive
weapons, notably, it seems, anti-submarine weapons."

Britain Leads in UN Move to Ease Near East Tensions

Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News

UNITED NATIONS — Great Britain seems to be taking the initiative at the United
Nations in working out some kind of "action" to be taken by the United States, Britain
and France, in conjunction with UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold and Pales-
tine Truce Chief Maj. G e n. E. L. M. Burns to ease the current Israel-Egyptian situation.
A spokesman for the British delegation here revealed Tuesday that the British have
been in constant consultation in the last few days with Americans a n d French signa-
tories together with the British of the Tripartite Declaration of 1950 and with UN
leaders. The British feel more "practical steps" are needed to cope with the dangerous
situation in Nitzana, the El Auja demilitarized zone•where several thousand armed
Egyptians and Israelis face each other. It is understood that the British feel that the
Continued on Page 3

Expose of Soviet Anti-Semitism

Maxim Litvinov's 'Notes for a Journal' Reveal
Extent of Communist's Hatred for Jews

—Drawing by Uriel Birnbaum

Book Month:

Jewish Book Month officially
begins today and will be celebrated throughout the land
through Dec. 4. Jewish Community Centers, schools and
libraries are participating in this annual celebration with spe-
cial programs, exhibitions, plays, radio and TV presentations.
The play "The World of Sholom Aleichem" will tour 44 Jew-
ish communities during Jewish Book Month. It will be seen
in Detroit next Monday evening. The Jewish Community
Center of Detroit, with the cooperation of scores of com-
munity organizations, is conducting book review seminars and
will highlight Book Month with the Annual Book Fair, at the
Davison Center, Dec. 3 to 6. Nationally, Jewish Book Month
is sponsored by the Jewish Book Council of America, an
affiliate of the National Jewish Welfare Board.

Some time between May and June of 1926, Schechtmann, the Rabbi of the largest
synagogue in Moscow — his first name is not given — came to Maxim Litvinov to com-
plain "about the Godless and said they had ransacked two places of worship in Mos-
cow." The story and the revelation of the ex tent of the anti-Semitism of the Soviet rulers
is recorded in "Notes for a Journal" by Maxim Litvinov, published in this country by
William Morrow & Co. (425 4th, NY16).
A fantastic story of bigotry, hatred of Zionists, the
quest for power, is revealed in this expose by the Russian
Jewish leader who was generally considered the most
human of the Communist leaders.
We begin with the Schechtmann story because it in-
troduces us to the attitudes of Stalin himself.
Litvinov, pursuing the report on the Schechtmann visit,
stated: "The Rabbi of Kiev has also been arrested on
charges of currency speculation. What nonsense! I promised
(Schechtmann) to help, although I know how difficult it is.
Koba (Stalin) doein't like me to interfere in questions con-
cerning the Jewish religion. Last time, indeed, he rebuked
me severely and threatened to bring the matter to the at-
Maxim Litvinov
tention of the Central Control Commission . . . I couldn't
help smiling at the threat; Soltz (Arnold Aaronovich), the head of the C.C.C., is the
son of the Rabbi of Vilna."
There is a long lapse in the Schechtmann episode — first told on Page 27 — al-
though, in the intervening pages, there is much more about Soviet anti-Semitism—until
we come to the following, starting on Page 53:
". . . Schechtmann has called again. I told him I was unable to help him. He in-.
sisted that as a Jew I had no right to refuse assistance, even at the risk of unpleas-
ant consequences to myself. A lengthy and tedious conversation .. .
Si
.
I gave in and decided to ring up Koba. He was furious and said, 'I don't

continued on Page 32

