THE JEWISH NEWS
Another Welcome Mat Needed
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951
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, 1952, at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
SIDNEY SHMARAK
Advertising Manager
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Circulation Manager
FRANK SIMONS
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This 'Sabbath, the twenty-ninth day of Adar Aleph, 5717, the following Scriptural selections
will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Parsha Pekudei, Ex. 38:21'-40:38'. Prophetical portion, I Kings 7:51-
8-21.
Licht Benshen, Friday, March 1, 6:04 p.m.
Page Four
VOL. XXX, No. 26
March 1, 1957
Back to Amity Between U.S and Israel
Friday, March 1,
Justice and the world's urgent need for peace are certain to lead to a solution of
the Middle East problem. Else, the entire globe will be engulfed in conflicts that may
,
lead to another world war.
Therefore, regardless of the multiplying complications, we shall surely witness
an end to the dbuble standard in conducting international affairs, the beginning of
equitable considerations of the problems affecting all nations—great and small—and
an earnest effort to assure amity among neighbors.
Unless there is equity, until such time as the powers who now control the destinies of
nations, through the international organization, are willing and prepared to treat small
nations with the same respect- that is applied to great powers, solution will be postponed.
Meanwhile, in order that the democratic processes which still have some bearing
on world affairs may be understood, so that they may be utilized for mankind's ad-
vantages, it is important that the occurrences of the past year, which influenced the
actions of the United Nations and the thinking of the statesmen of the world, should
be known and properly evaluated.
The Middle East's tragedy—for such it is—was aggravated when Communist gov-
ernments were permitted to flood the entire Middle East with weapons intended to
threaten Israel's existence and, at the same time, to create a strong foothold for Com-
munism in the Middle East. Israel, the only staunch democratic force, was denied
assistance to counteract the threats that ca le from the Arab-Communist forces.
When the threats to Israel became too menacing, ,the Israeli action in the Gaza
and Sinai areas became inevitable. It is deplorable that American citizens must differ
drastically on President Eisenhower's interpretation . of the October-November events
which brought collapse to Nasser's forces and a great victory for the Israelis. It was
not aggression, in the common interpretation of the term, but an act of self-defense.
It is essential that the basic truth, relating to the attitudes of the nations in the
Middle East, should be understood: Nasser and his cohorts have said, and continue to
say, that Israel must be destroyed, that they are still at war. Israel wants peace.
Here is the world's treatment of the problem; the great nations recognize that the
Arabs are at war With Israel, but they insist upon treating Israel as if she must remain at
peace and act as if she is at peace with her neighbors. This, too, is a double standard of
international morality. It can be and has been interpreted as meaning that while the
Arabs, considering themselves' at war; are .at liberty to attack Israel; but Israel, being
considered at peace, can not hit back in self-defense. Israel has destroyed such an inter-
pretation of morality.
t-
Now come the statesmen of the world, under the leadership of President Eisen-
hower, and say: Britain and France responded to the demands of the UN and with-
drew completely. These two nations, they aver, acted within the bounds of, morality.
But Israel remains the aggressor. Israel is flouting international opinion.
A basic fact is overlooked in such reasoning: In the instance of Britain and
France it was a cinch: London and Manchester and Paris and Versailles were not
in physical danger. But Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and Eilat and Beersheba and all of
Israel were and are yet in danger. It required a great lack of realism to fail to
recognize this danger to an embattled State, to a people surrounded by sabre-rattling
enemies who outnumber the Israelis more than 20 to 1.
Unfortunately, there are elements in the situation with which Israel is unable to
eompete. There is the problem of oil and the great need for it by the entire world.
On Washington's birthday, discussing truth-telling in public life, in his daily col-
umn—which took the form of a letter to his grandson and namesake — Drew Pearson
wrote:
To ignore the truth can be just as bad as not telling the truth. When a newspaperman,
for instance, omits the truth in order to curry favor with a bureaucrat or the White House,
he is in effect, lying to the public.
"For instance, when newspapermen fail to report that George Allen, who was chair-
man: of the Yemen Oil Co., was with the President during his vacation when the Presi-
dent was making demands on Israel, they are neglecting important truth."
This being the case, we can more readily understand why there is so much pres-
sure to sacrifice Israel on the altar of materialism.
In the process of threatening Israel, there has been a lot of talk about sanctions.
Here, too, the statesmen have been so unrealistic that they emerged ludicrous. News
commentators have continually called their attention to the sad fact that Israel already
is suffering from- sanctions; that from her very birth—and even prior to that time—
there were Arab-imposed sanctions, including a boycott on her goods, the barring of
her ships from the Suez and Aqaba and armed invasion of her territory. Also: the
United States has imposed sanctions upon Israel by banning travel to that country
and by cutting off all technical and economic aid to the Israelis.
The inhumanity of it all ts that some had dared even to speak in terms of inter-
. fering with the Israel Bond drives and with the United Jewish Appeal. It is on this
score that we wish to register a strong protest.
The UJA has helped empty the concentration camps and a number of countries
where Jews were subjected to persecutions. No one else wanted these people who
swelled Israel's population to the present 1,900,000. Only little Israel was able to absorb
more than a million dispossessed and hounded people in a period of eight years.
Now, Israel is in the process of rescuing the remnants of another great commu-
nity. Less than 50,000 Jews remain in Poland out of a total pre-Hitler Jewish popu-
lation of 3,500,000. Most of the rest perished. Now, more than 25,000' already have
applied for passports to leave Poland for Israel. Is anyone else prepared to welcome
them? Who else *ill resettle the Egyptian Jews who are now being expelled from
their homes? If UJA funds were to be cut off, it would be the most cruel act in
modern history. It would mean a death penalty for a people.
.
We hold an to the conviction, based on American humanitarianism, that any steps against
the UJA or any • other life-giving media, are impossible in this country.
And because we have faith in America's humanitarianism we also are convinced that
all talk of sanctions will vanish, that there will be a return to great amity' between Israel
and the United States and that there, never again will be any talk of punishment for cour-
age by one democracy for another.
*
*
All birth pangs are painful—especially freedom's. But once the newborn child ac-
quires the shelter it needs, it has a chance in the world.
Apply it to Israel. She has suffered birthpangs more than any other element in
life. She continues to struggle for existence. She is fighting at this moment for the
final assurance of liberty. Because she is able to fight for life, she • will attain the
freedoms that go with life.
`Return' and Temple 'Rebuilding'
Snaith's From Cyrus to Herod
a Valuable Jewish History
Dr. Norman Henry Snaith, tutor of Old Testament
and Hebrew at Wesley College, Leeds, England, has added
a valuable Jewish history of the five-century period pre-
ceding the Christian era with his "The Jews from Cyrus
to Herod," published by Abingdon Press (810 B'way,
Nashville 2, Tenn.)
Dr. Snaith covers the events that began with cyprus
(538 BCE) and describes the rise and fall of several em-
pires, until the time of Herod in 4 BCE.
In view of the fact that we have accepted Cyrus as the
Persian ruler who had made possible the rebuilding of the
Temple, this paragraph, in the early pages of Dr. Snaith's book,
will be of special interest:
"So far as the Jews in Palestine are concerned, the reign
of Darius I (Hystaspis) is notable for the rebuilding of the
Temple, the foundation being /aid in 520 B.C. It is unlikely
that there was any attempt to rebuild the Temple under
Sheshbazzar in the first days of Cyrus, in spite of the state-
ment of the Chronicler (Ezra 5:14-16)."
Apparently, Dr. Snaith is correct in his assertion. Under
Cyrus, the return of the Jews to Palestine was made possible,
whereas the Temple's rebuilding was under Darius I, as indicated
in the above quotation.
Dr. Snaith has written a most interesting story of that period.
He throws much light on the various conflicts for power and
he reveals many facts regarding the religious developments of
that time.
Dealing with the occurrences in the third century preceding
the present era, 'he states:
"Throughout the century the Jews were properly submissive
to their Greek-Egyptian masters, and were treated well. There
was considerable literary activity during this time. It is probable
that Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah were written in those days.
Probably also many of the psalms were edited and incorporated
into the Psalter, and there was also great activity amongst the
wise men who contributed to the formation of the ,Book of
Proverbs. The good relations existing between Jews and Greek-
Egyptians provided also the occasion for the beginning of the
translation of the Hebrew Bible into the Greek (the Septuagint)."
*
*
*
Herod is described as "clever, personally ambitious, a born
ruler, but first and foremost loyal to Rome . . Herod was a
great builder; he conferred numerous benefits on the Jews, but
they hated him with a hatred that never died. The fact that he
did so much to renovate and beautify the Temple passed for
next to nothing. He was still an Edomite, and he kept the
peace for Rome."
A description of "The Restoration," which commences the
part dealing with religious developments, provides • much
additional hislorical material on the spiritual developments of
that era, which affected the history of the world.
There are interesting sections dealing with deparatism,
intermarriage, circumcision. There were vast differences of
opinion on the mingling with Gentiles, and Dr. Snaith states
that Philip of Alexandria "was anxious to commend the tenets
of Judaism to the Gentile" and that "after the rebellion in the
time of Hadrian we find a less exclusive attitude in Palestine
also."
*
*
*
Dr. Snaith's interpretations of the Prophets, especially of
the Second Isaiah, may arouse controversy, but they never-
theless are most illuminating and interesting."
His "The Jews from Cyrus to Herod," while intended as a
textbook, will be found valuable and enlightening - by laymen
as well as rabbis and ministers. It is an important addition to
Biblical literature.