Purely Commentary 1956-THE DETROIT JEWISH By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Anti-American Council's Flagrant Distortions of Truth We have seen many distortions of truth by the anti-American and anti-Jewish Council that continues to call itself "American" and "Jewish," but none as outrageous as its recent statement that to the platform committee of the Democratic National Con- vention.:, The mere attempt by this Council to introduce the discredited claim of dual loyalties and the stupid debate over a "Jewish vote" is disgusting enough. But when it veers from the truth to the extent of suggesting that a resolution, unanimously adopted by the United States Senate, condemning discrimination against American Jews on account of their religion, should be applied to Israel as well as to the Arab countries, it brazenly distorts facts and creates an atmosphere that is deserving only of contempt. American Jews are being barred from Arab countries, primarily Saudi Arabia. The 10 national Jewish organizations, whose appeal for action was addressed to the Democratic Plat- form Committee, have stated the issue fairly and squarely. They showed how anti-Semitism is playing a role in our own Government. They were courageous in their challenge to Presi- dent Eisenhower and Secretary of State Dulles, who must share guilt for this unfortunate situation. If there were an iota of evidence that Israel, too, imposes discriminatory practices against any group, anywhere—in or or outside her borders—the charge would have been heard a long time ago. Israel has enough enemies who would have grabbed at an opportunity to harm her. But there is no ground for such charges, other than in the minds of self-hating Jews who are bent upon destroying their own kinsmen. The disgraceful acts of this- anti-Jewish-anti-American Coun- Cil —itl is the only description that fits this group — must be exposed 'for all to know their true colors. This group is indifferent to the criticisms of its own members. It had ignored the con- demnations of the late Drs. Leo M. Franklin and Louis Walsey eight years ago; they are ignoring the recent repudiations of Rabbi Irving Reichert; they are indifferent to the Contempt in which they are held by non-Jews who see them as betrayers of common decency. They do not speak for even a tenth of one per cent of Ameri- can Jewry. But they make wildly false claims. When 1,300 American rabbis, representing all grodps in American Judaism, issued a statement denouncing this Council, its executive director, Elmer Berger, who himself dares to continue to use the title Rabbi (note to the Central Conference of American Rabbis: isn't it time he was -defrocked?), had the audacity to declare, in a statement that received prominent space in a number of newspapers: "There are an estimated total of 3,300 Orthodox, Conservative and Re- forni rabbis in this country. It is significant that more than 2,000 of them seem' to have refused to sign this statement." We have already exposed his charge. (See - editorial "Auda- city!" in Jewish News of June 1. (There are additional facts which must be stated, in the light of the recent resignation from this group of Rabbi Reichert: The Council for Judaism originally was organized, about 11 years ago, by 95 Reform rabbis who, before the rebirth of the State of Israel, were anti-Zionists. Only eight rabbis are known still to be affiliated with the Council. They are: Goldenson, Foster, L _azaron, Fineshriber, Cronbach, Berger, Singer, David Goldberg. (If one or more of these have seen the light and will have quit the Council by the time this is published, we apologize for placing them in such bad company). Undoubtedly, among 12,000 laymen who are Council members there are many who have been misled and do not realize that their spokesmen are using them as tooLs in a campaign to invite wholesale murder of the Israelis by condoning Arab acts of de- struction. Perhaps they will see the light upon reading the facts. There are a few among those who are giving comfort to these destroyers of common decency for whom we once entertained great admiration. Among them is the editor of the Menorah Journal, Dr. Henry Hurwitz. In an article in the Summer / issue of Menorah Journal, "Three Ways for Israel," he proposes a "way of mission" and abandomnent of striving to be a "nation like all other nations," and to "offer to disarm and to merge its sover- eignty into a Middle East Federation." How long can a man be blind to reality and remain un- reasonable? If he had gone to the Arabs and secured their con- sent to such a program he might have had a leg to stand on. But, . this deluded editor knows that Arabs have refused to deal with Israel. He knows that they are bent upon destroying Israel. He knows that all that is necessary • for the Arabs to accomplish their purpose is to secure Israel's disarmament. Henry: how long do you think Israel would last if she dis- armed? Do yOu think it would be more than a matter of hours? Yet, such utterly ridiculous opinions are printed in a journal that is financed with contributions we make — small as they are — through our Allied Jewish Campaign. Poor little Israel! Why is she thus being penalized? • Isaiah, in the second sentence of the first chapter, warned us of the erring sons of Israel: "Children have I reared, and brought up And they have rebelled against Me." ("Bonim gidalti v'romamti, v'haim posh'u bi"). The latter sentence truly should be translated "they have betrayed me." But they are few in number, and their inanities must not remain unanswered. Let the facts be known, so that their sins be exposed and their poisons detected before their self-hatred harms innocent people. Congressman Powell and the Arabs In the closing days of Congress, the Hon. Adam C. Powell, Jr., member of Congress from New York, emerged as the cham- pion and the glorifier of Yemen - and Saudi Arabia. It is difficult to understand how a man who is battling for /justice for downtrodden people can overlook the fact that the people on the defense in the Middle East are not the Arabs but the Israelis; that glorifying the offenders does not help the cause of the embattled people of Israel. Rep. PoWell spoke of: "The success which King Ibn Saud has achieved through his efforts, and with the minimum of external support, has gained for himself universal esteem and the affection of Arabs." Really, Congressman? Did you ever hear of the $1,000,000-a- day oil royalties that go to this hero of the Saudians—for use exclusively by the King and his Princes—to the detriment of his subjects who live in squalor? You might do a little checking, Congressman, before you place a dictator on a pedestal. Dulles Hears Jewish Appeals in Support of Israel, Against Arab States' Discrimination WASHINGTON, ( J T A ) Seeretary of State Dulles has been called upon to place so- lution of the Suez Canal con- troversy within the framework of long range objectives de- signed to achieve peace in the Middle East. The appeal was made by Irving M. Engel, pres- ident of the American Jewish Committee, at a meeting with the Secretary of State. Within this franiework, Mr. Engel urged a solution of the Suez Canal dispute which would in- sure free navigation of the can- al to all nations without ex- ception. Mr. Engel suggested that despite the Suez Canal crisis, the United States reiterate its interest in objective that would insure the peaceful de- velopment and security of the Middle East. He called upon Mr. Dulles to "publicly reaf- firm the determined resolu- tion of the United States to safeguard Israel's sovereignty and to .oppose all acts that threaten that sovereignty." Such a declaration; Mr. Engel said, would offset any at- tempts by both Arab and Israeli extremists to exploit the present tension in the Middle East. Mr. Engel discussed with the Secretary violations by Arab governments of the rights of American- citizens of the Jewish faith and interference by Arab diplomats in the internal af- fairs of this country. A docu- mented brief detailing the mul- tiple infringements upon - the rights , of American Jews by Arab nations -and an extensive study including a series of com- prehensive, long-range recom- mendations for -solving Middle East problems were presented to Mr. Dillies. Jacob Blaustein, honorary president of the American Jew- ish Committee, had a long con- ference at the State Depart- ment with George V. Allen, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, his deputy secretary William M. Roun- tree, and Raymond A. Hare in a general review of the Mid- dle East situation, including the arms matter and the Suez Can- al problem. Mr. Rountree will shortly succeed Mr. Allen in his post. Mr. Hare is succeed- ing Henry A. Byroade as Amer- ican Ambassador to Egypt. In London, British Foreign office spokesman Sir George Young declared that the Suez Canal crisis is "wholly separ- ate from the Arab-. Israel dis- pute." He warned that any attempt to inject that dis- pute "would not be helpful to a settlement" of the Suez problem. He said. that the con- ference of 24 nations on the Suez Canal issue would in no way prejudice a final settle- ment of the Arab-Israel con- flict. This is being interpreted` here as an assurance to the Arab States. - The Foreign Office spokesman said that it was the intention of the United States, Britain and France, however, to assure that the Suez Canal is operated in accordance with the inter- national convention of 1888 which guarantees free passage to ships of all nations at all times. Egypt had barred Israeli ships long before she seized the Suez Canal. That Israel is becoming an object of concern to Britain was also demonstrated in a number of editorials in the British press. The papers point out that Egypt must not forget that she is already un- der censure by the Security Council for interfering with ships and cargoes destined for Israel. Expresing distrust in Egypt's promises of eventually 'permit- ting free passage to the ships of any nation, the British press stresses that Egypt is maintain- ing her blockade against Israel despite the fact that the 1888 convention on the Suez Canal be subjected to exercise of indicating that reports to the rights of blockade." effect that the United. States Commander Stephen. King- intends to cut off economic as- Hall, former MP and a re- sistance to Egypt pending an tired distinguished naval offi- easing of the Suez Can-al crisis cer, advocated in the Man- are premature. chester Guardian that Britain The State Department official sign a 25-year mutual de- said that no decision has yet fense treaty with Israel, in- been made whether to offer aid cluding provisions for Britain to Egypt during the fiscal, year to use Haifa as a base and 1958. At the same time, he made the right to station troops it clear that current aid corn- in Israel. mitnients to Egypt are "still in Such a move, Commander t h e pipeline continuing to King-Hall asserted, would cause move." Current aid commit- the other Arab states to turn ments amount to $38,000,000. against Egyptian President Nas- Earlier, Secretary of State John ser. Foster Dulles said that if the U. S. Aid to Egypt Not London conference on the Suez Withdrawn, Official Says Canal failed, "economic pres- WASHINGTON, ( J T A ) — sure" might be brought to bear The State Department has made it known that there has been on Egypt, but he did not ex- no change in the status of the plain by whom this pressure U.S. aid program to Egypt, thus might be exercised. Boris Smolar's 'Between You and Me' ... (Copyright 1956, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) Election Moods Adlai " Stevenson told a cheering Jewish crowd in Boston that Jews make the best Democrats . . . Exactly 40 years earlier President Taft assured a Jewish audience that "Jews make the best Republicans." . . . The conversion of many Jews from good. Republics an to good Democrats did not occur overnight . . . It was Woodrow Wilson who became the first Democratic Presi- dential candidate to break the Republican hold over the Jews in half a century ... The shift greW unusually large in 19.32 and 1936 when - Jews — parallelling the nation as a whole — voted heavily for Franklin D. Roosevelt . . . It reached the highest point in 1940 and 1044, when 90 out of every 100 Jews in the United States, according to the American Institute of Public Opinion, voted for Roosevelt . . . Jewish Democratic strength diminished slightly in 1948 . . Actually the combined Truman- Barkley vote was almost as high in Jewish districts as the vote for F. D. R had been four years before . However, there was a slight defection in the 196a Presidential elections, when a por- tion of every element of traditional Democratic strength switched to Eisenhower .. . Why did about 76 percent of American JewrY remain Democratic in 1952? . . . A variety of studies offer no clue to explain the continued Democratic strength of- Jews in the face of the Eisenhower landslide . It was established that Jews in the subur‘bs were primarily responsible for the Jewish defections which took place in 1952 . . . 'Jews may continue to vote for the Democratic candidate because the Eisenhower Ad- ministration has shown itself much less -friendly to Israel than the Truman Administration .. . This does not reflect on Eisen- hower, whom many Jews consider liberal-minded .. It does reflect on the State Department whose Middle East policy has been strongly criticized ever since Secretary of State Dulles began to display a tendency of appeasing the Arabs, often at the expense of Israel. Communal Trends The Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds is introducing a medal as a token of recognition of lay and profes- sional leaders for outstanding achievement in Jewish communal service . . Eligible for the award—which will be presented annually—are men and women who have demonstrated con- structive leadership in Jewish communal, activities, especially in the achievement of cooperation among Jewish organizations .. . The medal, which will be known as the Edwin Rosenberg Award, carries Mr. Rosenberg's name in recognition of the role he played in bringing about the merger of HIAS, United Service for New Americans- and the emigration department of the J. D. C. into a single organization, now known as United Hias Service . . . The award is financed by Ben Touster, former president of HIAS, now United Hias Service, who admires Mr. Rosenberg's devotion to ending overlapping' functions among Jewish organizations .. . Both Mr. Touster and Mr. Rosenberg are active in the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds . . . The first presen- tation of the medal will be made at • the national convention of the CJFWF, which will take place in Toronto in November. U. J. A. Distinction Speaking of medals, an advertisenient used by the United Jewish Appeal in its fund-raising campaign was awarded a medal by the "Advertising Age" . . . The advertisement was carried in the general press under the title "It's Going to be Mom's Night Out" . .. It shows a preoccupied Israeli mother with the rifle in her hand while her two children are watching her intensely. . . . She will be out during the night guarding her border set- tlement and she is preparing for it . . . "If any advertising illus- tration deserves a medal, we feel this one does," Advertising Age says . . The authoritative magazine especially lauds the im- mense power developed in the ad by the conjunction of the right picture with the right headline . . The headline and the copy for the advertisement was written by Raphael Levy, the UJA national publicity director . . . This is the second time in three years that Advertising Age has taken special cognizance of United Jewish Appeal ads. • ' A group of men are now planning to merge the English- Jewish weekly publications in New York into a single national weekly . . Plans have reached the stage where headquarters for the merged publication have been rented and furnished . . The American Hebrew and the Brooklyn Jewish Examiner are in the scheme . . A full-page advertisement announcing the merger will probably appear soon in the larger New York daily reads: "The canal shall never newspapers.