Purelffrorn'ert
i n tary
z Passover's Positive Message
Contrasted with UN's Vagueness
ri)
Passover has the unique distinction of
; having introduced liberty to mankind as
*2
the ambition of an entire people to destroy
the shackles of slavery.
Our Festival of Freedom distinguished
0
itself especially in another form: it is an
uncompromising and frank symbol in the
struggle for man's right to assert himself,
w to share in the bounties of nature, to
enjoy the freedoms that are due all man-
, kind, not merely a privileged few.
In its uncompromising status, the
ideals inherent in the message of Passover
kr2
supersede all others in that they do not
trifle with human rights, nor do they re-
sort to the vague language of modern
statesmen, like those who now are dis-
gracing- international diplomatic negotia-
tions. Passover does not 'beat around the
' bush. It commenced with the demand by
•
Moses to Pharaoh to release the HebrewS
44 from bondage and to let them leave for
the Promised Land. There were no two
ways about it.
It is vastly different. today. Asec-
retary General of the United Nations,
which was the hope of mankind but which
is in danger of deteriorating into a sopho-
moric debating society, uses language no
one understands, vacillates, resorts to
favoritism and may be held responsible
by history for Middle East bloodshed..
r
E
The UN's Weaknesses
This is not the partisan
a viewp *it of
a Jewish writer. It is an opinion t'_iat is
shared by many member s of diplomatic
corps and by news analyst s who are study--
ing the UN's weaknesses at the source.
Constantine Brown, writing in the -
Washington Post, had this
s to say about
the TTN's S-G:
"Two major tremors—the rebellion of the
Hungarian peonle and the Suez
e Canal affair ---
which could have brought the Communist
world and its camp followe
rs into a hopeless
situation vis-a-vis the free orld—have
been
w
settled in favor of the Reds.
"The job entrusted to Da g Hammarskjold,
the Secretary General of the UN, was to es-
tablish a just settlement, inkeeping
with in-
k
ternational law, of the Suez Cnal
dispute.
a
"Mr. Hammarskjold is an
n unlucky nego-
. tiator. When the principal UN official was en-
trusted by Washington with the mission of
freeing the American soldiers ,fficially
knoWn
o
to be in Chinese Communist. jails he went to
Peiping where he was lavishly wined and •
dined. But he returned empty handed.
"In his handing of the Eptian situation,
Mr. Hammarskjold was able to get positive
results—more positive for the Egyptian dicta-
tor than for the free nations. In fact the few
responsible diplomats who hapentd to be in
possession of all the terms—th se given to the
public and those still kept uder wraps—say
that the settlement • negotiated by th.: inter-
nationaldiplomat means a complete
victory for
P
the Egyptian dictator. -
"The Egyptian dictator's getleinen's agree -
ment for a standstill in the Gulf of Aqaba an e
in the Gaza Strip means little. o liong as Israe
has a military strength superior to that of th e
modern Pharaoh that standstill will continue •
"Impartial American and Western obsery
ers who believe that the West will swallow th e
settlement as it has swallowed so many oche
humiliations in the past at the hands of th
Communists and neutralists are an unhappy lo
about the results. of the intervention by th e
UN's top official. They are convinced that it i
not Nasser who • is eraser. ring as the victor in
the eyes of the Afro-Asian leaders but the
Nehru-Krishna Menon team.
"These observers note that Krishna Menon
was closeted with Nasser for six hours the day
before Mr. Hammarskjold arrived in Cairo
They say that, judging from a previous state- •
ment by Nehru's troubleshooter, the statement
reached in Cairo represents exactly the views
of Menon.
"What many observers in Washington re-
gard as another UN surrender to the Commu-
nist objectives will work in-favor of the Indian
leaders at the free world's expense."
That's What We Mean by
Blaming the Compromisers
:imipmmumenmemmormomminimpow.I.P1
--
By Philip
Slomovitz
lied Cross Assists1,000111ore
Jews to Depart from Egypt
LONDON, (JTA) — A sixth are also being turned back, but
transport of some 1,000 Egyp- these measures affect only the
tian Jews, organized by the In- small section of Egyptian Jewry
ternational Red Cross, left which was economically best off
Alexandria, the Agudas Israel in the past, the WJC reported.
world executive announced, on No measures have been taken
the basis of information from to make good even part of the
the Red Cross. The vessel will damage done to lives and liveli-
dock at the Greek port of hoods of thousands of defense-
Pireus.
less and unoffending people, or
The World Jewish Congress to restore the property which
released a report to the effect emigrants were forced to sign
that more than 17,000 of Egypt's away before leaving, the report
estimated 50,000 Jews have fled said. .
the country since last Novem-
Even the wealthy, said the
ber, and that the exit of Jews WJC, see no future in Egypt
from Egypt shows no sign of and remain only in the hope of.
abatement. It is estimated that salvaging part of their posses-
thousands of Egyptian Jews sions to be used to start life
who delayed their departure out anew elsewhere. The communal
of fear of the severe European organizations are faced with the
winter have completed their problem of disposing of build-
preparations and will soon ings and institutions for whose
leave. By late Summer, it is maintenance they no longer
expected, no more than 10.000 have the resources or personnel.
Jews will remain in Egypt.
Basing its estimate on au- $70,000 Given for Press
thoritative information, t h e
World Jewish Congress says Club Building • in Israel
JERUSALEM, (JTA) — The
that the position of the Egyp-
The Free Air of Democracy
tian Jewish community remains Nahum Sokolow Journalists
The late. Stefan Zweig once made critical despite a number of Center was formally opened
these interesting observations about the minor - alleviations conceded re- here at ; a. ceremony attended
cently by the authorities. While by newspapermen, Premier
living affirmations of democracy:
Jews interned in the early David. Ben-Gurion, Israeli cul-
"Never in my life did I give much
of the anti-Jewish cam- tural leaders and representa-
thought to the conception of democracy, stages
paign have been released and tives of the American Fund • for
until a few years ago. Why should I have no more internments are cur- Israeli Institutions.
done so? Civil liberty was a, matter of rently taking place, nothing has
The Fund contributed $70,000
course even in the imperial monarchy, been done to release many Jews toward
. the 250,000 pound cost
where I grew up. Spiritually, we breathed committed to prison on trumped of the building. The Center
the atmosphere of democracy, just as up charges.
honors one of the foremost
Most sequestrated property pioneer Hebrew editors
physically we breathed the air, without
and
has
been
returned
to
its
original
considering the sustaining oxygen as a
one-time president of the World
special privilege. But just as, we only feel owners and communal buildings Zionist Organization.
Such are the compromises .which
negate the outspoken idealism of Pass
over. The tradition of our Festival of
Freedom rejects blackmail and tea parties
it calls for action. There are no two ways
about liberty: it can not be compromised.
We are aware of the fact that Israel's
enemies will accuse the Jewish State of
having created a refugee problem. It has
been gone over and over and over again,
and if those who raise the issue are fair
about it they must take into consideration
ISrael's readiness to compensate the ref-
ugees, to resettle some of them, to help
bring about a peaceful solution of the
Middle East's problems—provided Israel's
antagonists are ready to discuss it.
As part of the discussions, it is impos-
sible to eliminate consideration of the
400,000 Jews who escaped from Moslem
- countries - and .were given haven in Israel.
They left behind them much wealth. Will
they, too, be compensated? Will the Egyp-
tian Jews who are being driven from their
homes be compensated?
the need of air when we are choking, and
feel the desperate struggle of our lungs
when they lack the most indispensable
By PHINEAS J. BIRON
element of our existence, so only now,
when we see our freedom threatened, do Israel and Public Opinion
we begin to be aware that democracy has
Does American public opinion - understand the complexities
always been essential to our spiritual and of the political situation in the Middle East? . . . It is an inter-
moral existence, and that it alone makes esting, albeit. not easy question. . . One feelS tempted to say.:
possible the dignity and the freedom of "Sure, American public opinion is well informed and has shown
man. . Everything which restricts lib- its sympathies for Israel" . . But how true is this statement?
erty means a retrogression of humanity. Well we have an authoritative opinion about American public
which may surprise some of you . . • Elmo Roper, the
Nothing can, nothing should obscure this opinion,
reliable head of the Roper Public Opinion Institute (we're not
elementary fact: whoever tries, no matter sure that this is the correct name — but we know that
under what slogans or banners, to destroy Roper is the guy) recently tested this very question. . . . He Elmo
and
the will of the people to decide their own his men made a quick survey among a limited cross-section Of
fate—and this means democracy—is the people across the country and asked this question: "Switching
enemy of the people."
for a minute to the Suez Canal situation, in Your opinion what
Yet, there are elements of destruction country — or countries — are largely responsible for what hap-
pened there: Egypt, Israel, Britain, France — or who?"
that endanger this ideal democracy! Ye-
We are indebted to the Saturday Review for the answers
men recently boasted that by cutting off to this survey. .. . The results were as follows: 32% 4aid
the arms of thieves—men who have stolen 29% answered Britain; France 21%; Israel 14%; Russia Egypt;
12%;
loaves of bread have had their arms am- U.S. 3%; U.N. 1%; don't know 38%.
putated as punishments — they prevent
Roper makes this very significant comment on these re- -
crime and thievery. This was said in our sults: He believes that "the most obvious finding of course, is
modern times—and Yemen is one of the that more Ameriacns blame the Suez situation on Egypt than
members of the United Nations whose on anyone else. . . . Despite Nasser's loud protestations that
votes have counted against the struggling , Egypt was an innocent victim, despite U.N. resolutions which
Concentrated on censuring . the three 'aggressor' countries, the
democracy of Israel!
•
American public is just not willing to go along with ,the view •
In his column "The Lyons T) ,,,0-1" in that Egypt, simply because she was the one to be attacked, should
the New York Post, Leonard Lyons get off scot-free of blame." .. • and Roper makes another strong
carried this item:
point: "Israel, which actually started the fire, gets even less
"During the visit of King Saud, blame. than the two countries (Britain and France) who later
Strictly Confidevigial
some American friends told him they joined in. . . . This may be because people understand Israel's
were concerned about the slave - auctions. hard-pressed pOsition, having to fight:for her very existence as a
in Saudi Arabia. It was bad public re- nation among a circle of hostile Arab neighbors. . .. Or it may
been that people felt Israel wasn't starting a new war but
lations ,---these regular auctions where have
simply continuing an old one."
Negro and white slaves are sold. The
"It's interesting that Russia" continues Roper
blamed by
King replied: 'I could defend it in front almost as many people as blamed Israel, even though Russia
of any American audience, including a
was not named in our question — except as it might have been
Negro audience. My treasurer is a slave,' implied in the phrase 'or who' . . . This certainly indicates the
he noted. 'I'm the only ruler who has deep-seated distrust of Russia left by many of our people." • • .
And as to how well our public opinion is informed? . . . More
put a slave in his Cabinet'."
Slavery and the cutting off of arms than one third of the people questioned just didn't know what
as punishment for theft have been de- country or countries to blame for the whole Suez situation. . . .
Mr. Roper, in his Saturday Review editorial, draws a wise
fended by their perpetrators as principles conclusion
from this poll. . . . He thinks that to the man or
condoned in the Koran!
woman who is busily engaged in making a living, the current
And Saudi Arabia, together with world. situation is very apt to be confusing ... Roper's comment
fellow-Koran-quoting Yemen are forceful applies to a second section of his poll which asked "who should
elements in the Russian-Indian combine pay the bill for restoring the Canal to its old position of use-
UN S-G D ag Hammarskj old was
in the UN!
fulness?" . . The answers to this question were — it must be
wined and dined wherever he went. He
Such is the farce of our modern world admitted — rather confused . . . Britain 31';.- Egypt 28 ,7
was wined and dined by Nasser. He was
Fr ance 25%; U.N. 21%; Israel 10(;4. - ; Russia 4(;/(- ; U.S.
organization whose members—especially kn
1%; Don't
photographed with Hungarian Reds whose
ow 33%; The startling point here is that after recognizing the
its
S-G—have
yet
to
learn
the
lesson
of
fac
hands were reddened by the blood of in-
t that Egypt was primarily to blame, a large percentage of
Passover!
pe ople named the United Nations as being responsible for the
nocent victims. He asked for ransom
We offer it to them anew! Will they pa yment -of the bill. . . . How come? Well Roper says that
every time he made a move. He is respon-
it
learn from it—and from history?
in dicates a growing acceptance of the U.N. and particularly in
sible for blackmail-demands by Arabs.
Meanwhile we go on celebrating the a new role as an insurance company which insures against fire.
Your Commentator reported from the
-- • • . "If the insurance company can't prevent fires, then it ought
UN several weeks . ago - that the culprits - Passover, inviting our fellow-men
Christian-
is — to s a are its to pay for them." .
are the Indian representatives, combined.
principles and to apply them•in all human
Yet the important conclusion from this poll is this: the
with the Russians, working in cahoots with
An ierican people realized, notwithstanding Arab and Russian
relations.
the Arabs. An unholy partnership is un-
pro
As we greet our kinsmen with best D, pagan a and despite the equivocal position of our own State
dermining decency in the world, with
wishes for a Happy Passover, we pray an partment, the American people understood Israel's action as
Israel the victim. What a pity that our
that this invitation will be accepted, just ti oi act of self-defense... . . In other words those who pay atten 7-
Government has given encouragement to
1 to world politics grasped the essentials of the Middle East
as
they already have undertaken to share cri sis.
such devilish alliances!
. . . This should • give hOpe. for the future developmentS
with us our literary Scriptural gifts.
in the Middle East.
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