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1 1 Israel's Tenth Anniversary

Next Year Is Jerusalem's

By EDITH BRODSKY

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Editor's Note: Beginning next April 24, Israel will
open a full-year celebration of her tenth anniversary
as a state. Th is i s z n interview with Meyer W. Weis-
gal, director of the festival year, in which he presents
a preview of some of the plans for the anniversary
year.

Bringing "the world" to Israel, when trans-
lated into practical terms, means attracting a
minimum of 100,000 visitors from all fields of
endeavor and from many countries. The largest
number of visitors in any previous year has
been 50,000. The hope is that these 100,000 will
be a "new kind of tourist"—people who will
come to enjoy themselves and not merely to
perform an act of duty.
Already one American corporation, a na-
tionally-known firm that annually awards
cruises to its top -performing distributors, is
chartering a ship for approximately 500 deal-
ers who will visit Israel as the guests of the
company.
Major Jewish organizations—World Jewish
Congress, Bnai Brith and Hadassah—are con-
templating conventions in I sr a e 1. Others —
American Jewish Congress and its Women's Di-
vision and Pioneer Women=are moving ahead
to organize pilgrimages. Synagogues large and
small in every land are being encouraged to
sponsor at least one minyan of travelers. The
response here, Weisgal disclosed, has been
"overwhelming."
Supplementing the stream of ideas issuing
from the planners, thousands of suggestions have
been pouring in from well-wishers around the
globe. There is a movement afoot, for example,
to celebrate 10,000 bar mitzvah ceremonies in
Israel. In this same area, some propose to sub-
stitute a trip to Israel for the usual gifts and
parties for the bar mitzvah boys and the has
mitzvah girls. Another project would stimulate
the formation of delegations from every city
and town bearing a Biblical name. This summer
the ASCongress' Women's Division carried out
a program that can be readily adapted or dupli-
cated next year by schools, colleges and inter-
ested groups anywhere: granting study-vacation
scholarships in Israel to talented college students.

E-4
"Ten," says the Jewish Encyclopedia, "is the
;4
A number of completion, of perfection, of founda-
;az
= tion," and in the spring
of 1958, Israel will have
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rounded out ten years of
existence. Of the three
?-1 qualities mystically at
tributed to that number,
▪ Israel claims certainty
(1) only in the last, and only
42
0 progress toward comple-
tion and perfection. But
0 ) that is surely enough to
warrant an unusual cele-
' i bration — nothing less
, than a whole year of it,
,
40 from the spring of 1958
to the spring of 1959.
"The theme," said
Meyer W. Weisgal, who
was drafted by Prime
Minister Ben-Gurion to
direct the festival year,
Weisgal
"will be peace, • and the
whole world is invited. The theme is peace not
only because it is the basic Jewish tradition, but
because the world has developed a lopsided
image of Israel. Ten years ago the image was
lopsided, too, but in another direction. It was
said the Jew could not fight. Today it is said
he is too much of a fighter. Israel figures in the
world's consciousness as a combative nation. The
fault is not ours.
"We came to build in peace, we were driven
to fight in self-defense; and we fought so well
This illustrates only half the aim of the
that the world is forgetting what—and how well
planners; the other half—to bring Israel to
—we have built. The headlines of war have
the world—is a full-scale enterprise in itself.
crowded out the reports of Israel's far more
For the festival to fulfill its purpose, the 100,-
significant achievements. We want to use this
000 visitors must leave the country with a
year-long decennial celebration to reorient the
fresh and balanced understanding of Israel's
world's outlook. We want the world to come
purpose.
and look at Israel in its totality, to see it in the
Exhibits by the dozen will be just one means
historic perspective not of 10 years, but of world
of fostering this desired understanding. The
history, to see it as one of the great laboratories
most ambitious exhibition, to be held in Jerusa-
of the twentieth century, a symbol of stability
lem for about six months, will dramatize Israel's
and progressive influence in the Middle East
accomplishments in every major field of activ-
and the world."
ity: agriculture, education, commerce and indus-
Next year's festival has a twofold purpose:
try, the arts, science. A second national exhibi-
to
the
nations
Israel's
original
and
to recall
tion, "Land of the Bible," will spread out over
abiding bright hope and promise; and to re-
virtually the entire country. Israel's archeolo-
joice in the evidence it can offer that this
gists are already in the field preparing the
hope and this promise are in process of ful-
individual sites.
fillment. Besides, it is only fair to say that for
Apart from these large-scale productions,
years,
marked
by
overt
and
covert
war-
10
there will be scores of shows featuring the best
fare, Israel and the Jewish people have been
work not only of Israel's artists but also of the
cheated out of a proper celebration.
world's leading talents.
A word is in place regarding Ben-Gurion's
The one event that may properly be called
choice of the man to plan and direct this am-
the "high point" of the year, the one under-
bitious celebration. Meyer Weisgal's colorful
taking that will most concisely symbolize Israel's
career as a Zionist worker, editor, theatrical
enduring ideal will take place in the hills of
producer and prime mover in the founding of
Jerusalem. It will be at once a reenactment of
the Weizmann Institute of Science, of which he
ancient history and a rehearsal of history to
is now the executive head, provides him with a
come. It is a pageant, to be performed by the
unique fund of experience for this assignment.
world's greatest a r t i s t s, which will unfold
It was Weisgal who produced the brilliant
through music, the dance, song, color and light,
spectacles, "The Romance of a People" and "The -
the theme of the festival—peace.
Eternal Road." It was Weisgal who directed the
The words, enunciated in their original He-
Palestine Pavillion at the New York World's
brew and reiterated in a vast chorus of different
Fair in 1939 and the extraordinarily successful
tongues, will echo through the same heights and
"Jewish Day" at the 1933 Chicago Fair. This last-
valleys of Judea where, 2500 years ago, the
named feat he accomplished by inducing Dr.
Prophets Isaiah and Micah first proclaimed them
Weizmann to fly from London to Chicago for a
to the children of Israel. In 1958, in Jerusalem
single day. Soldier's Field, with 131,000 seats,
—the City of Peace—the children's children will
was too small.
hear them again. And perhaps this time, all the
"This tenth Yom Atzma'ut, or Independence
children of God everywhere will listen and pay
Day, which will inaugurate the festival year,"
them heed:
Weisgal said, "will be 'different,' for it will only
And it shall come to pass in the end of days.
That the mountains of the Lord's house shall be
be the prologue to what we might call the
established as the top of the mountains,
Shnath Atzma'ut, Independence Year. The
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow unto it.
parades which are scheduled to be held in con-
many peoples shall go and say:
secutive order on April 24 in Jerusalem, Haifa . And
'Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
and Tel Aviv will be diverse in character. Taken
And He will teach us of His ways,
together, they will be like the overture to the
And we will walk in His paths.'
themes of an opera. One will highlight Israel's
For out of Zion shall go forth the law
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
cultural and scientific achievments; another will
And He shall judge between the nations,
have a military motif; and the third will stress
And shall decide for many peoples;
And they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
the holiday temper. The Prime Minister — and
And their spears into pruning-hooks;
probably thousands of visitors and Israelis in
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation.
Neither shall they learn war any more.
his wake—will attend all three."

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