THE JEWISH NEWS
Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
Incorporating the Detroit
Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial
Jew
Member American Association of Englis
Alsociation.
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, 1952, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAle
Advertising Manager
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
selections will be
day
of Tebet, 5717, the following Scriptural
This Sabbath, the eleventh
read in our synagogues:
portion, I Kings 2:1-12.
Pentatcuchal portion, Vayehi, Gen. 47:28-50:26. Prophetical
today.
Fast of Tebet is observed
Licht Benshen, Friday, Dec. 14, 4:43 p.m.
VOL. XXX No. 15
Page Four
December 14, 1956
Proof of Oil Interests' Pressure
O
Proof of the pressure that is being ex-
erted against Israel by the oil interests
was published recently in Petroleum
Week, an important magazine circulated
among oil dealers. Under • the heading
"Socony Sells Out in Israel," Petroleum
Week's article stated:
Socony Mobil Oil Co. has sold out its busi-
ness in Israel effective Dec. 31, be-cause of the
difficulties of doing business in Israel and
Arab countries simultaneously
Sonneborn interests of New York have pur-
chased the business of Mobil Oil - Israel, Ltd.,
the Socony affiliate, according to a joint an-
nouncement.
Negotiations for the transaction had been
under way for many months.
A Socony spokesman declined to say
whether Arab states had forced the company
to withdraw from Israel.
The only explanation it gave, in answer to
questions, was the "long-continued and in-
creasing difficulties of doing business in Israel
and in the Arab countries."
Socony has a share in the crude oil produc-
tion of both Saudi Arabia and Iraq-10% and
12%, respectively.
Socony has been a marketer in the Pales-
tine area (now Israel) since before World War
I. It has no oil production 'there.
The company has been the third largest
marketer in Israel, following the government-
owned marketing company and Shell.
The volume of its business amounted to a
little under one-quarter of the total business
in Israel. Israel's oil consumption is currently
running around 20,000 b/d, with the Socony
share apparently about 5,000 b/d.
The company had a processing agreement at
the Haifa refinery for crude oil it imported.
It also imported some products, notably The Rambam's 750th Yahrzeit
lubricating oils.
The Sonneborn interests will continue the
business of marketing "a full line of petroleum
products through a company which will have
an adequate supply of crude oil and transpor-
tation," according to the announcement.
It intends to retain all present employees.
No details were given as to where Sonne-
born will get its crude. Presumably, it will
come from Western Hemisphere sources,
though there has been no official information
released on this.
The Sonneborn interests have been in the
oil business for more than half a century. Their
operations include marketing and refining, as
well as petroleum chemicals.
The Teachings of Maimondes
While the Sonneborns and other fair-
minded oil dealers will undoubtedly strive
to counteract unfair methods in the trade,
which are aimed at dealing a death-blow
to Israel, the role played by oil magnates
generally is unsavory. It accounts for
most of Israel's troubles and is a major
reason for the failure of public-spirited
men in democratic countries, including
our own ,to come to Israel's defense in
time of crisis •
A Time to Prevent War Is NOW
In an. Open Letter to the President
of the United States, a message entitled
"Is an Attack on Israel Less a Threat to
Peace Than an Attack on Iraq?" the So-
ciety for the Prevention of World War III
had this to say:
On Nov. 29, you warned Russia and
Syria that any threat to the territorial integrity
or political independence of Iraq, Iran, Turkey
or Pakistan, members of the Baghdad pact,
"would be viewed by the United States with
the utmost gravity.
Are the Baghdad Powers the first targets of
Russia and Syria? Is not the real plot against
Israel?
Three times in recent weeks the Russians
have denounced Israel and ominously warned
that her very existence is endangered.
In his new role as protector of Arab in-
terests, Russian Prime Minister Bulganin sent
a direct communication to the Prime Minister
of Israel threatening its "continued existence
as a state." What did this warning portend—
except liquidation of Israel by the Russians
and Arabs?
On the very day you were protecting the
Baghdad Powers, Ilvestia, the Kremlin's offi-
cial organ, reiterated the threat, "the very
existence of Israel as a state is now at stake."
And joined this threat Itgith new denunciation
of Israel's leaders as "irresponsible adventur-
ers" acting "as a tool in hands of 'external
imperialists' " carrying out "an alien will, the
will of the colonialists."
What is this, Mr. President, if not deliberate
incitement to war on Israel?
By fomenting an Arab war against Israel,
Russia could secure popular support to over-
throw the Arab governments not yet in the
Soviet orbit, create chaos and control the Mid-
dle East.
Arab countries which have adopted the
Russian-Nazi barbarism of deportation, expro-
priation and human hostage, which for eight
years have shouted for Israel's extermination,
are now sated with Russian arms. Are they
made calmer by this calculated Russian provo-
cation?
One-half a billion dollars worth of Russian
arms in Egypt, $100,000,000 worth in Syria
certainly do not upset the arms balance of
the Baghdad countries who are protected by
the military might of the U. S. and NATO.
But what about Israel—protected nowhere
by treaty alliance with the big powers—left
in isolation?
Since the United' States, Russia and the
Arab States have made common cause against
Israel in recent weeks, 4 there not the explicit
danger that your unfortunate omission of refer-
ence to Israel could be exploited by the Arab
States to obliterate Israel?
Two days after you gave your protection to
Iraq, that country's King Faisal called on all
friendly nations to support the "elimination
of Israel."
You, Mr. President, did not leave the Bagh-
dad countries to the protection of the U. N.—
for the obvious reason that the U. N. could
not protect them.
Nor can the safety of Israel, surrounded on
three sides by enemy states, two in the Soviet
camp, be left to U. N. action—action which,
if it came at all, would come too late to prevent
the destruction of its cities and industries by
Russian weapons, Russian satellites and con-
ceivably Russian "volunteers."
If Russia's Arab stooges should attack Is-
rael, can any one predict that it will be a little,
limited war? Or that it will not be the begin-
ning of World War III?
If we mean Peace, — then the time to pre-
vent war is now."
Traditional Photo of Maimonides
Edited by Dr. Simon Federbush, eminent Jewish author and
publicist, a series of essays, written. on the occasion of the '750th
anniversary of the death of Maimonides — the Rambam — Rabbi
Moses ben Maimon — are incorporated in an impressive volume,
"Maimonides: His Teachings and Personality," published by the
cultural department of the World Jewish Congress and the
the Jewish Agency.
Indeed, "if we mean Peace—then the Torah culture department of
a
bilingual
work,
with
171 pages of essays in Hebrew
It
is
time to prevent war is now." There can
and 71 pages of special articles in English.
be no two ways about it.
Dedicated to Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president of the World
But the issue can not be treated incon- Jewish Congress and the World Zionist Organization, "in recog-
sistently. If Russia can be warned when nition of his distinguished leadership and his outstanding service
the Baghdad pact members are involved, to the Jewish people," this volume, admitting that it makes only
when Hungary's freedom is threatened, "a modest contribution toward the exposition of his (Maimo-
when Formosa is endangered, why are nides') teachings and the delineation of his ethical personality,*
the Arab states different when Israel is nevertheless fills a great need.
In addition to his forewords to both the Hebrew and English,
in danger?
sections, Dr. Federbush has contributed two essays to this col-
Grave errors have been committed, but lection, "Maimonides and His Critics" (English) and "MaimonideS'
there still is time to correct them.
View of the Hebrew Language" (Hebrew).
Chief Rabbi I. Herzog of Israel heads the list of English
This is the time to act—to impel direct
negotiations for peace in the Middle East, essayists. In this group are included articles by Drs. Salo Baron,
I. K.
to protect the world against a third world Israel Goldstein, Abraham I. Katsh, Israel S. Elfenbein,
A. R. Malachi and Zevi Tabory.
war—by avoiding another conflict in the Mikliszanski,
The Hebrew writers' list includes Rabbi Isaac Stollman,
Middle East.
of Detroit. His essay is on the topic "Torah and Science in
This is possible only through firm steps Maimonides' Works."
Other Hebrew writers include Rabbi J. L. Mahnon, Dr.
in direction of peace—and such steps are
possible only when Nasser and his cohorts J. Rosenthal, Dr. Joshua Wolfsberg, Rabbi Federbush, Rabbi
S. K. Mirsky, Dr. Mikliszanski, I. J. Dinstag, Dr. W. Blattberg and
are told to talk peace.
Dr.
S. Z. Kahane.
We dare not lose patience, and must
Every aspect of Maimonides' genius — rabbinic, philosophical;
retain faith that the proper steps will be medical, scientific, is covered in these essays by men who have
taken in such directions. President Ei- made a deep study of the great teacher's works and his person-
senhower holds the trump card, as the ality. It is a book of great merit for our time. Tabory, for in-
leader of our Government whose policies stance, points out that "the 750th anniversary of the Rambain
are dominating the scene at the United offers us an opportunity to embed in the hearts of Jewish children
Nations. We pray that the proper steps in the two great loves of this teacher, the Torah of Israel and the
the direction of peace should be taken im- land of Israel."
History and philosophy play a role in 'the delineation of the
mediately. We join in the appeal to our
and works of Rambam. This volume is an excellent inspira-
President in behalf of this urgent peace life
tiOn for deeper study of the ideas of the great rabbi and physician.
move.