Please Get Off the Marked Trail! THE JEWISH NEWS Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951 Member American Association 'of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Asso- ciation Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VE. 8-9364. Subscription $5 a year, Foreign $6. Entered as second class matter Aug. 6. 1942, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879 PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher SIDNEY SHMARAK A dvertising Manager FRANK SIMONS City Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selections This. Sabbath, the ninth day of Tebet, 5716, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Gen, 44:18-47:27. Prophetical portion, Ezek, .37:15 2g. - Fast of Tebet Readings of the Torah, Sunday Pentateuchal portion, Es. 32:11-14:34:1-10. Prophetical portion, Is. 55:6-56:8. Licht Benshen, Friday, Dec. 23, 4:47 p.m. VOL. XXVIH. No. 16 Page Four December -23, 1955 Arab-British Alliance: A Tragic Comedy The British position in the Middle Eastern crisis and the attitude of the Arab states on the question of Israel's existing territorial boundaries appear to be related. Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, in his proposal for - compromises and concessions, is clearly implying territorial rearrange- ments. At the same 'time, the Arab states, by making an about-face on the out-dated parti- tion plan of 1947, similarly are seeking to take from Israel territory that is now gen- erally considered a logical part of the Jewish State. An important point to remember is that ALL of the Arab states had defied the au- thority of the United Nations when the original partition proposal first was adopted; and that Great Britain had abstained from voting on the partition plan after opposing it vigorously in the debates preceding the final vote. These two partners in the move to prevent the creation of an independent Jewish homeland now again are allied in an effort to reduce the very small Israeli state into an area that could no longer accept additional Jewish settlers. In view of the fact that the chief Jewish sufferers from persecutions today are to be found in Moslem countries, whence a quarter of a million more Jews must be rescued before they are destroyed, the political comedy , now being enacted, with the Arabs and Great Britain as the chief actors, becomes a seri- ous tragedy. *. * * The facts in the Middle East situation should be made known for a proper knowl- edge of true conditions. On Nov. 13, 1955, Gen. Nasser, the Egyptian Premier. made this statement: "Israel has so far shown only disrespect for the United Nations resolu- tions. What Egypt wants before anything else is for Israel to change this attitude and to show more respect for these resolutions." "A documented history of the partition resokition," compiled by Jon Kimche, an authority on Middle East affairs, published in the current issue of the Jewish Observer and Middle East Review of London, exposes the misrepresentations in this statement. At the outset. Mr. Kimche declares that a "tragedy of errors" is being repeated: As- serting that Prime Minister Eden, in his Guildhall speech, "gave hostages to fortune which he will never be able to ransom," Mr. Kimche writes: "This is 1948 all over again. Then the Arabs THOUGHT that it was British pol- icy that they should go to war against Palestine Jewry; they really BELIEVED that the British would back them to the hilt. When the British government failed to do so, or confined itself to diplomatic or just half-hearted support, the Arab leaders and peoples turned on the British with even greater bitterness than even on either the Americans or the Russians who had supported the Zionist cause. "For in the Arab eyes, it seemed that while the U. S. and the Soviet Union had openly opposed them, the British had mis- led and betrayed the Arabs. At the Guild- hall Sir Anthony went through all the motions of a repeat performance of this tragedy of errors." What was the attitude of the Arabs towards the 1947 UN Partition Resolution as contrasted with their current statements and the above quotation from Gen. Nasser's November 'declaration? Mr. Kimche has compiled excerpts from assertions by Arabs, at the 124th plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Nov. 24, 1947. We quote some of them: For the Yemen—H.R.H. Prince Self El Islam Abdullah said: "We have made it clear that the partition plan is illegal. . . . The plan is unwork- able. Because of this injustice and illegality the Arabs do not agree to it." For Egypt—Mahmoud Bey Fawzi said: "The General Assembly is not competent to impose any solution in this matter. We will not adopt and we will not implement the proposed recommendation by the General Assembly." For Syria—Emir Arslan said: "No plan has ever been more contrary to logic or to social, political and 'economic laws; as for us, we will never recognize this proposed partition and we reserve the right to act accordingly." For the Lebanon—Kamil Charmoun said: "This plan . . . unjust and inequitable . .. a precedent fraught witth very serious consequences." For Iraq—Dr. Fadhil Jamali said: "A report which is totally unacceptable to the Arabs, which needs force for its implementation. . . . This plan is most partial and unjust. The plan is unwork- able from an economic, administrative and politi- cal point of view." [Today Fawzi is Egypt's Foreign Minister, Charmoun is President of the Lebanon, and Jamali is Iraq's representative at the U.N.] The vote: Three days later, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 1947, the General Assembly proceeded to vote by roll call on the Resolution on the future Gov- ernment of Palestine. Thirty-three votes were cast in favor and 13 against. Among those who opposed were India and Pakistan, and the six Arab States. Ten countries abstained from voting. Among them were Great.Britain and Yugoslavia. After the vote had been announced, the Arab delegations again mounted the rostrum to make formal declarations. For Saudi Arabia — H.R.H. Emir Faisal said: "The Government of Saudi Arabia registers, on this historic occasion, the fact that it does not consider itself bound by the resolution adopted today by the General Assembly. Furthermore, it reserves to itself the full right to act freely in whatever way it deems fit." For Iraq—Fadhil Jamali said: "The decision Which we have now taken undermines peace, jus- tice and democracy. . . . Iraq does not recognize the validity of this decision and will reserve her freedom of action towards its implementation, and holds those who were influential in passing it against the free conscience of mankind respon- sible for the consequences." * * * The Noted Swing Musicians N• Pictorial History of Jazz Crown Publishers (419 4th, N.Y. 16) are to be congratulated for the production of another exceptionally fine book—"A Pictorial History of Jazz, People and Places from New Orleans to Modern Jazz," by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr. This is a real treasure. It is a _thorough review of Jazz and Jazz-men and a splendid evaluation of this art, in stories and pic- tures, in which Negroes have especially excelled. There are to be found also the names of some very distin- guished Jewish musicians who share in the development of the art of Jazz. Notable among them is Benny Goodman to whom the authors devote a considerable amount of space. As a 14-year-old clarinetist in Chicago, Goodman's career is traced in the many fields in which he excels. He went to New York, at 19, with Ben Pollack's band, and soon his star began to shine. The "official opening of the Swing Era" began with Goodman's Orchestra in 1936. Harry Goodman was on bass with him. The saga of the "incredible early popularity" of Benny Goodman is told in many pages of pictures and stories. Ziggy Elman was one of the stars who arose from this group of mush cians. The Goodman Trio, Quartet and Sextet became as famous as the Goodman Orchestra. In the Goodman story, the authors state: "Swing itself, as a feverish, all-pervading fad, is of course gone. It might have burned itself out in time, but actually its end was hastened by World War II: the draft, travel restrictions and the like made the big, traveling bands unfeasible. By the time the war ended, the music business was emphasizing individual vocalists (representing less of an investment risk) and jazz had turned in other directions. But Goodman himself has retained his personal prestige and drawing power, Subsequent history is well known. On and has made more than one successful Dec. 8, 1947, the Arab premiers met in Cairo return to action." and resolved "to do everything possible to There are many more whose names bring about the. collapse of the UN partition are known widely, whose great contri- plan and to encourage opposition to the butions to jazz must be recorded as establishment of the Jewish State." On Jan. having been among the phenomenal 19,_ 1948, "the Palestine Arab Higher Com- gifts to American music. Roger Wolfe mittee rejected an invitation of the UN Kahn, trumpeter, Max Kaminsky, Mar- Secretary-General to take its part, together gie Hyams, Artie Shapiro, Joe Bush- -, kin, Izzy Friedman, Al Cohn, Artie with Great Britain and the Jewish Agency, Benny Goodman Bernstein, Harry Mordecai, and many, in participating in the UN Palestine Com- mission in acordance with the Partition many more figure in this fascinating story. Students of music will find this book indispensable for an Resolution of November, 1947." of knowledge about jazz, and all who are interested in The Arabs not only launched a war acquisition the history of an American art will be well informed and enchanted against Israel, but informed the UN of their by this story. ' ' Wilson s intention to "persist in refusal to recognize the UN resolution." Dead On Feb. 16, 1948, the UN Palestine Com- "The Scrolls From the Dead Sea" by Edmund Wilson, published mission established by the partition resolu- tion presented a special report to the UN by Oxford University Press (.114 5th, NY11) is the extended form of the author's famous article in the New Yorker magazine. It is Security Council in which it stated: "The Commission now finds itself confronted with an attempt to defy its purposes, and to nullify the Resolution of the General Assembly . .. Powerful Arab interests, both inside and outside Pales- tine, are defying the Resolution of the General Assembly and are engaged in a deliberate effort to alter by force the set- tlement envisaged therein." The British were then directly involved in the fight against the Jewish State, Jor- danian forces having been directed, as they are to this very day, at an annual subsidy of $26,000,000, by British generals, headed by General (Pasha) John Bagot Glubb. But charges of failure to implement the UN Partition Resolution now are directed not against the Arabs, who started a war and who repudiated the United Nations, but against Israel! The historical facts read like a comedy, but they have developed, in reality, into a major tragedy. The tragedy can be averted, provided the United States and Great Britain act firmly to dispel the misrepresentations that may have taken root among the uninformed. Let the facts be known, so that truth and justice should not be sacrificed on the altar of unwise international political moves, on a chessboard that is loaded with false figures. Sea Scrolls' the report of the able author and critic on the recent discoveries, and the purchase of the Scrolls for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Mr. Wilson's report precipitated, in part, the worldwide dis- cussion of the signficance of the Scrolls. Some question their authenticity. Dr. Solomon Zeitlin's repudiation of the Scrolls as belonging to the first century of the Christian era are disputed by Mr. Wilson. He refers to a Jewish viewpoint that the Scrolls may impair the authority of the. Masoretic text of the Bible and to "a resistance to admitting that the religion of Jesus could have grown in an organic way." Mr. Wilson then proceeds: "Do these prejudices and precon- ceptions play some role in certain stubborn attempts—apparently, against all the evidence—of such scholars as Solomon Zeitlin of Dropsie College in Philadelphia and G. C. Driver of Oxford to date the scrolls very late? Dr. Zeitlin, who believes that the Karaites did not derive their doctrine from the Zadokites but wrote the Zadokite documents themselves, wants to put them in the eighth century; Dr. Driver inclines toward the sixth. In either case, their teachings could have played no role in the early development of Cristianity. Do such considerations have anything to do with the persistence—not untinged, one fears, with acrimony—with which Dr. Joseph Reider, also of Dropsie College, has attempted to explain away the text of the Dead Sea Isaiah, in which Brownlee has found evidence of the Messianism either of Second Isaiah himself or of the scribe who made the Dead Sea copy." Thus, the debate continues, with overwhelming support, thus far, going to Mr. Wilson. Those who have studied the Zeitlin- Driver opinions retain the view that not sufficient consideration has been given to their arguments. Meanwhile, the Wilson text is being widely read and enjoyed for its brilliant writing and fascinating narrative. Only time will solve the problem of authenticity—Dr. Zeitlin being given the full chance to prove his points.