THE JEWISH NEWS

Build a Canal Here
.. and You Won't Have Blackmail

•
Incorporating the Detroit Jewisil, Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951

w

Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial
Association.
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

Friday, August 17, 1956—THE DETROIT

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher

SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager

FRANK SIMONS
City Editor

Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the eleventh day of Elul, 5716, the following Scriptural selections will
be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Ki Tetze, Dent. 21:10-25:19. Prophetical portion, Is. 54:1-10.

Licht Benshen, Friday, Aug. 17, 7:11 p. m.

VOL. XXIX. No. 24

Page Four

August 17, 1956

Israel: Between Devil and Deep Sea

While it branded Egypt's nationaliza-
tion of the Suez Canal as "Piracy," the
Sunday Times of London made this gratu-
itous editorial comment: "The problem of
Israel and her Arab neighbors is quite
distinct from that of the Canal and will
still have to be settled equitably when
Colonel Nasser's folly is defeated and ex-
piated. Indeed, it may be Israel that will
have to be restrained from taking forcible
advantage of Egypt's self-weakening."
Published at the time when Great
Britain was mobilizing her naval forces
in retaliation against Egypt's brazen acts
against the West, this was a most ungra-
cious thing to say about a small country
that has one duty: to strive for its people's
survival.
Israel's problems are serious enough.
Abandoned to her own fate by the world's
powers, she must plan her own defense,
she must strive for economic and military
security without aid or encouragement
from the democracies. Yet, she is con-
stantly viewed with suspicion and so im-
portant an organ for British public opinion
as the Sunday Times goes so far as to
inject additional suspicions by suggesting
that , Israel, the minority in the Middle
East, will have to be restrained from
attack.
* * *
There seems to be no end to unfairness
in the treatment accorded Israel. This lit-
tle state needs greater water supply for
her survival, yet she is being prevented
by the United Nations and by the Big
Three from utilizing the Jordan waters
through development projects within her
own territorj . She has offered to assist in
solving the Arab refugee problem, and
although it is the Arabs who refuse to
cooperate in discussions for the solution
of this painful problem only Israel is
being blamed for the perpetuation of this__
problem.
Only a few days ago, speaking at the
British Liberal Party's summer school at
Cambridge, the former British Minister to
Israel, Sir Knox Helm, urging "Britain's
standing by its friends," referred to the
"tragic human problem" of the Palestine
Arab refugees and charged that they were
being exploited for political ends. It is a
point that has been made in Jewish quar-
ters time and again. We recognize that

the refugees constitute a real danger, as
Sir Knox pointed out, and we recognize
the truth of his warning that the refugees
are prey to all kinds of troublemakers and
agitators.
But what are the world's powers doing
to eliminate such dangers? All we hear
is repetitious charges against Israel, with-
out due regard to the manner in which the
refugees are being used as weapons in a
scheme to destroy Israel.
* * *
The troubled situation is not unsolv-
able. Through serious efforts, Arabs could
have been gotten to sit at a peace table
with Israelis. Delays in such efforts, ac-
companied by encouragement given to
agitators who, propagate Israel's destruc-
tion, have nullified most of the advan-
tages on a road to peace.
Yet it is not too late to act. Firm
measures and reasonable approaches to a
grievous situation can still bring good re-
sults. But proper measures must be han-
dled by men of vision, without prejudices.
There must be compassion in approaches
to the problem. There must be recogni-
tion of Israel's position, and not alone of
the pressures that emanate from Cairo and
Damascus and Beirut.
Some of the men whO have openly
shown their antagonism to Israel have
been removed from important positions in
our State Department. ,Men more amena-
ble to reason must replace them, if there
is to be proper action in the proper time.
* * *
Our 10 major national organizations
have spoken with courage when they
leveled charges against the present admin-
istration in Washington for having con-
doned discrimination by Arabs against
American Jews. There must be a continu-
ation of similar fearless spokesmanship in
defense of Israel's just position.
In the meantime, unfortunately, Israel
remains in a precarious position, between
the devil and the deep sea. Egypt and
other Arab states continue to harrass her,
while important newspapers speak in
terms of- Israeli dangers to Egypt. The
charges against Israel, in this trying hour
in the Middle East's wavering between
war and peace, are fantastic. It is high
time that not only Jews but our Christian
neighbors as well spoke out against such
attitudes.

.

Ban on Reform House of Worship in Israel

We call the attention of our readers to
an analysis of the anti-Reform rulings by
the religious groups in Israel.
Our JTA Israeli correspondent, review-
ing the ban on such a synagogue, com-
ments that "the Israel public was as-
tounded by this decision.
Many in this country were even more
astounded—and shocked—by the declara-
tion of the Israel Chief Rabbinate, pub-
lished in The Jewish News on Aug. 3, a
portion of which reads:
"Our stand is clear now as never. be-

fore that Reform must not be given an
opportunity to strike roots in our land
and establish in our sacred city a cross
in the Temple of God."
This does have a comical aspect: that
the Chief Rabbinate, boasting as it .prop-
erly does of fair treatment accorded to
other religions in Israel — Christian,
Muslin, Baha'i and others — nevertheless
ascribes guilt of the "cross" to fellow-
Jews.
It is not too late for the rational people
among the orthodox groups in Israel to
correct this error.

Party Platform: The People Put to the Test

Party platforms adopted by political
conventions usually are mere bait for
ballots. But they nevertheless are com-
mittments to which politicians can and
should be held in the years that are to
follow the conventions.
One party has concluded its sessions,
has adopted a platform that includes a
pro-Israel planks and has chosen a candi-
date for the Presidency. The party in
power must assert itself in the week to
come.
In both cases, the political leaders will

be expected to act in behalf of programs
for civil rights, for wholesome domestic
policies and for a realistic foreign policy.
In the latter area, we have seen fumb-
ling, indecision and rash acts that have
brought us disgrace. There will have
to be a change—for better and firmer
approaches to issues and for serious con-
sideration of peace objectives rather than
expediency. The people of this country-
soon will be put to the test in choosing
between inactivity and proper and just
decisions in matters that may affect the
peace of the entire world.

An I mpressive Symposium

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Israel's Role in Civilization

/

Under the auspices of the Jewish Theological Seminary of
America, the Seminary Israel Institute was established on Feb.
21, 1952. Since then, a number of very valuable addresses were
delivered at its sessions, and their contents represent the think-
ing of the ablest authorities on Israel and Zionism, including
several distinguished Christians.
These addresses have been incorporated in a single volume
under the heading "Israel: Its Role in Civilization." It was pub-
lished by Harper and edited by Dr. Moshe Davis of the Seminary
faculty.
Because the Institute was planned and created by the late
Dr. Hayim Greenberg, together with the Chancellor of the Semi-
nary, Dr. Lewis Finkelstein, there is a dedicatory preface to Dr.
Greenberg, by Mrs. Rose L. Halprin, acting chairman of the
American Section of the Jewish Agency.
Significantly, this volume deals with every angle of Israel's
position. But emphasis is placed on a number of the recorded
addresses on Israel's close relationship to the United States.
Ambassador Abba Eban's paper on "Elements of a Common
Tradition" is one of the most emphatic assertions on the subject.
Mr. Eban made this interesting point:
"Perhaps nothing could better illustrate how consciously
the American fathers were adopting the Hebrew tradition, of
which modern Israel is also a conscious revival, than the fact
that when Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jef-
ferson were discussing the emblems of the American Union,
they suggested and formally proposed that the Seal of the
United States should be a portrayal of the children of Israel
fleeing from Egypt through the parted waves of the Red Sea
in order to establish their freedom."
Israel's spiritual role is outlined in one of the leading essays,
by Dr. Finkelstein, while a major address in this book, on the
subject "The Spirit of the New Israel," is by Premier David
Ben-Gurion, who spoke at the Seminary convocation in Jeru-
salem in 1952. Israel's Premier emphasized that the new land
needs "the greatest measure of cooperation from all the Jews
dispersed throughout the world and, above all, from the Jews of
America."
Noted scholars are represented in the section "What History
Teaches." Prof. Carl J. Friedrich's statement entitled "Israel
and the End of History" emphasized:
"In a world united under law in a federation of states,
the Jewish people were destined to play a crucial . part. This
part they could not play without a state of their own. Now that
they have achieved it, the deeper significance of the tradition
of a history that has meaning has once again become manifest."
Prof. William F. Albright's "Israel — Prophetic Vision and
Historical Fulfillment" asserts that "God will keep His covenant
with His people, if His people obey'the Devine commands." Pay-
ing tribute to some of the distinguished leders in Zionism, he
said: "I suspect that the Prophets themselves would have been
greatly surprised at some of their successors."
There is an important statement by Prof. H. Louis Gins-
berg on "The Dead Sea Manuscript Finds: New Light on Eretz
Yisrael in the Greco-Roman Period."
The participants in this volume form a veritable Who's-Who
of scholarship in learning. Their papers cover every conceivable
subject relating to the problems of the Middle East. The reader
will learn, for instance, of the spread of assassinations in the
Arab states and the lack of them in democratic Israel. He will
be enlightened on Israeli art, literatUre and science. He will gain
a great deal of knowledge from this symposium, for, "Israel: Its
Role in Civilization" is truly a most absorbing book.

'
Dr. Hershman s Hebrew Book

Upon his return from Israel last month, Dr. A. M. Hershman
brought with him the first copies of his Hebrew book, "Rabbi
Itzhak Bar Sheshet (Haribash)—His Life and Era," describing
the RIBASH's, life and the time in which he lived.
This book is a translation, by Rabbi Hershman, of his own
work that originally appeared in English about 10 years ago. The
.160
English edition now is out of print.
The Hebrew book was published by Mosad Horav Kook in
Jerusalem.

