THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS -- Friday, July 11, 1958

Purely Commentary

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Klutznick's Warning Against Perpetuating Officialdom

Philip M. Klutznick, the president of Bnai Brith, in his
decisive "no" to a resolution proposing him for a third three-year
term as head of the movement, made in Cleveland at the con-
vention of the organization's District 2, gave what he called
two "conclusive reasons" for his decision to abide by two-term
limitations:
"After six years, the president of an active, major organiza-
tion who has been working at it ought to be tired and ready
. for replacement. If he isn't tired, chances are he hasn't been
putting in the required effort and doesn't deserve being
retained.
"A leadership that constantly perpetuates itself tends to
become mastEr of, rather than servant to, the membership.
The tendency toward oligarchic leadership has been a common
tragedy in Jewish organizational life."
While these views are not applicable alike to all people and
to all.occasions, they are, in themselves, wise admonitions to all
our communities and to all Jewish movements.
There are frequent changes in leaderships, but in the main
we suffer on nearly all fronts from a self-perpetuating officialdom
that reduces the chances for drawing into active Jewish work
additional manpower and especially the younger elements in our
communities.
Mr. Klutznick is setting an interesting example in communal
responsibility by his warning against perpetuating leaderships.
His views are sound and should be applied whenever' officialdom
is being created.

* * *

'Israel': Wonderful Photographs, Good Text

"Israel," a book of photographs by Izis, edited by Nicholas
Lazar and Izis, with a preface by Andre Malraux, published by
Orion Press (419 4th, N.Y. 16), is one of the most exciting
books on and _about the Jewish State.
It is an unusual volume. The authors and publishers even
had the vision of getting impressive drawings by Marc Chagall
for the jacket and frontispiece (King David).
The very stirring photographs form one of the best
photographic Israeli collections we have seen. But the book
is enhanced by another great factor. Accompanying each of
the pictures is an excerpt from the Bible or the Midrash or
a great world personality.
For instance: the first photograph is of "The Desert of
Judaea." Explaining it is this quotation from the Midrash:
"If God had revealed the Law untoIsrael in an inhabited
country, that country would have become inflamed with pride
and would haVe considered itself- privileged among all the
nations. Therefore, God revealed His Law in a desert. He
revealed it in the desert in order to show that the children
of the Law must be free even as the children of the desert.
He revealed it in the desert above all to indicate that His
Law is a common heritage."
Dr. Chaim Weizmann once commented, to point to the
difficulties faced by the pioneers in the Eretz Israel, "Why
couldn't God have given us Switzerland instead . of the deserts
of Palestine?" - Others have posed similar queries by -way of
- comparison. The above Midrashic quotation answers all
questions, dispels all doubts—just as the Izis book of photo-
graphs will clarify many curiosities. Its pictures truly speak
volumes and give credence to the Chinese saying that "one
picture tells more than a thousand words."
This is a large book, all-inclusive, impressive, not only
good to the eye but fascinating as an anthology of valuable
statements on Israel and the Jewish people.
There are color paintings—Moses presenting the Ten
Commandments, from a 14th century Haggadah in the
Sarajevo National Museum and the fifth century mosaic "The
Signs of the Zodiac" from the Beth-Alpha Synagogue.
Included in the pictures are not only Jews- . but also
Moslems and Christians, thus making this collection. a full-
coverage pictorial review of all the inhabitants of Israel.
Shown are the Bedouins, Bedouin children, a Nazareth
Christian view and others.
The scenes, some pictured in larger size than a single
page, extending to an adjoining one or over three pages; the
faces of children, photographs of animals, especially enhance
this good collection.
As explanation of "The Dead Sea," the authors had chosen
to quote from Flavius Josephus (37-100 A.D.):
"Vespasian reached the shore and ordered a number of
men, who could not swim, to be thrown into the water.
Their hands, too, were tied behind their backs, and yet they
all bobbed up to the surface as though brought up from the
depths by a bubble of air . . . In many places the Dead
Sea casts up pieces of bitumen, in shape and size most like
the headless bodies of cattle, and these black lumps float
on its surface."
That is how the reader is led to understand the Israeli
scenes, the country's remarkable contrasts, the wonders that
are Israel's. .
Another example: accompanying a scene of the planting
of the Jewish National Fund Martyrs' forest, in memory of
Hitler's victims, by Israeli children, on the outskirts of
Jerusalem, are quotations from the Diary of Anne Frank.
What a splendid book—"Israel" by Izis!
* *

The Fifteenth Psalm : The Universality of Israel

Israel's Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion has 'invoked Psalm
15 in his personal evaluation of the term "Jew," in a communi-
cation he sent to Rabbi Judah L. Maimon, who was Israel's
first Minister of Religion. -
This Psalm speaks of- those sojourning in the Lord's taber-
nacle as walking uprightly and working righteously, as speaking
truth without slander, as not doing evil to their fellow men.
Applicable to all good people, regardless of faith, Psalm 15
attests to the universality of Israel, to the humanity of Jewish
traditions.
Does it explain the uniqueness of the Jewish position? In
a general sense it does, but in a larger sense, where - it involves
basic Jewish traditions and the spiritual values of Israel, it falls
short of definition. A more effective interpretation-must yet be
arrived at.

Ben-Gurion Draws Upon Psalm 15 for
Definition of 'Jew'; Mentions 'Bitter'
Fact of Lack of Unity in U.S. Jewry

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Prime
Minister David Ben-Gurion drew
on Jewish Scripture to give his
definition of a Jew in the cur-
rent Cabinet crisis over official
state identification of Jewish
status for citizenship.
The Prime Minister's defini-
tion, citing Psalm 15, was given
in a letter to Rabbi Judah L.
Maimon, first Minister of Reli-
gions in Israel, who had sent a
communication to the Prime
Minister in behalf of the deci-
sion of the United Religious
party to quit the coalition on
the issue.
(Psalm 15 defines as he
"who shall sojourn" in the
Tabernacle of the Lord, the
individual who is righteous,
speaks the truth, does not
slander or do other evil to his
fellow, does not reproach his
neighbor, despises a vile per-
son, fears the Lord, testifies
truthfully even if it hurts
him to do so, does not loan
money for interest or take a
bribe against the innocent.)
Asserting that Psalm 15 "is
the essence of Jewishness," the
Prime Minister ask e d: "Why
should he that observes the Sab-
bath a n d Kashruth be consi•
dered a Jew but he who lives
according to the Psalmist's defi-
nition not be considered a Jew?"
The Prime Minister added in

Israel's Position
Is Improved,
Evaluation Says

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.
(JTA)—As Abba Eban, chair-
man of Israel's delegation here,
visited Secretary General Dag
Harnmarskjold, prior to depar-
ture for Israel, an evaluation
of • Israel's current international
position revealed that:
1. At the Unit e d Nations,
none of the Western govern-
ments is thinking at present of
pushing t o war d fundamental
settlement of the basic Arab-
Israel disputes, but are inter-
ested rather in consolidating
the present period of relatively
stable Arab-Israel relations.
2. A vast improvement is dis-
cernible in the relations be-
tween Israel and many govern-
ments in Europe, Latin Amer-
ica, Asia and Africa.
3. Israel has recuperated en-
tirely from the heavy loss of
good will it encountered among
high officials of the United
States Government as a result
of the 1956 Sinai campaign. An
illustration of U.S. a t t i t u d e
toward Israel is the fact that,
during the fiscal year that end-
ed this week, Israel had re-
ceived from the U.S. a total of
$90,000,000
in
development
loans, scientific aid, technical
assistance and agricultural com-
modities. On the very last day
of the last fiscal year Israel
obtained more than $6,000,000
worth of agricultural surpluses
from Washington.
The Israeli diplomat left
Tuesday and will return late
next month or early in Septem-
ber.
Israel's major policy, to be
followed at the next Assembly,
will be among the subjects of
Eban's consultations with his
government. Another topic, it is
understood, will be the rela-
tions between Israel and Amer-
ican Jewry. Israelis here are
known to be of the opinion that
Israel must recognize American
Jewry as being thoroughly
American in character. From
that thesis follows the belief
among Israelis here that, while
Israel's existence may be a cen-
tral factor in the American
Jewish community, Israel must
not try to dictate the course of
Jewish development in this
country.

his letter that Israel's Declara-
tion of Independence defined
Israel as a country ruled by law
and not by the laws of Halacha,
the Jewish legal tradition.
Extracts from Ben-Gurion's
lengthy letter to Rabbi Mai-
nton revealed that the govern.
ment does not intend to legis-
la t e on religious matters.
"The government decision,"
the Premier wrote, "is not
binding on rabbis in matters
of marriage and divorce."
While the proclamation of
Israel's independence declared
freedom of religion and con-
science to be among the basic
principles of the State of Israel,
Ben-Gurion continued, it did not
say that the Jewish State should
be governed by religious law,
but on the contrary that the
state should not be theocratic
in nature.
"The state guaranteed every
Jew who wishes to observe reli-
gious laW all facilities to do so
and has undertaken the obliga-
tion to make provision for the
religious needs of the public at
state expense, though there are
undoubtedly in the state many
people who do not observe reli-
gious law," he said. "As far as
I know there is not a single
person in the government or

10

Knesset, not excluding the Com-
munists, who has any idea of
preventing a religious Jew from
observing the 613 Command-
ments in their entirety."
The letter further declares
that the government does not
consider itself authorized to de-
cide who is a religious Jew. The
question it had to consider was
who is a Jew by nationality.
"It is a fact," Ben-Gurion
wrote, "perhaps a bitter fact
that in matters of religion
and religious law there is no
unity among the Jewish peo-
ple and in America there are
Orthodox, Conservative, Li-
beral and Ref or m rabbis.
There are many Jews who
belong to neither one or the
other, but are in my opinion
Jews as long as they do not
become converted to another
religion."
The letter concluded by stat-
ing that many persons believe
that they belong to the Jewish
people although they do not
observe Jewish law. As long as
he remains in the government,
Mr. Ben-Gurion p 1 edge d, he
would en d ea v or to prevent
strife over religion. "I see dan-
ger in a war against religion
and in a war for religion," he
warned.

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Boris Smolar's

I

'Between You
... an Me'

(Copyright, 1958,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Issues and Trends .

Jewish organizations—even rabbinical—are drifting increas-
ingly into fields which are of general interest, rather than of
specific Jewish interest . . . The convention of the Reform
rabbis, which took place last week in Chicago, is the latest
example . . . The rabbis adopted more resolutions on general
subjects than on subjects of direct concern to Jewishness .
The spiritual leaders of the American Jewish Reform movement
have apparently not found it necessary to adopt a resolution
to stimulate in this year of economic recession, maximum giving
to the United Jewish Appeal or to local Jewish philanthropies
. • • Nor could I feel any resolution on how to bring JeWs to
a good year 'round attendance at Reform Temples, despite the
fact that Dr. Solomon Freehof, veteran Reform leader, warned
that adults should be the major concern of religious education
. . . Neither did I find among the resolutions an expression of
opposition to the Arab boycott against American Jews, or
greetings to Israel on its 10th anniversary . . . However, there
were resolutions asking the U.S. Government to halt immediately
testing of nuclear weapons; to recognize mainland China; to
give economic aid to India; to develop a scientific and cultural
exchange with Russia, and similar resolutions which have very
little to do with Jews as such, or with the Jewish religion . .
No wonder that the young American Jewish generation is indif-
ferent to things Jewish . . . Why should it not lapse into indif-
ference, if, instead of offering answers to the question -what
is Jewishness"—often posed by young American-born Jews—
the rabbis seek to stress general issues .. . They seem to over-
look the fact that any Jew who wants to advocate the stoppage
of nuclear weapons tests, or recognition of mainland China, or
to involve himself in similar issues of American general life,
does so as an American citizen and not as a Jew . . . From
rabbis guidance is expected on subjects Jewish, and not on
subjects dealing with general politics which are properly dealt
with by organizations open to Jews and non-Jews alike.

Community Currents

Is the growing tendency in the United States to centralize
Jewish communal affairs "good for the Jews?" . . . The American
Jewish Committee, which does not participate in coordinating
bodies of national Jewish organizations, is publicly justifying
its opposition to such bodies . . . Dr. John Slawson, one of the
top AJC leaders, claims that such coordinating bodies are tanta-
mount to "centralized control" of Jewish communal life . . .
Be admits that the tendencies to centralize Jewish communal
affairs under governing bodies which are related to one another
by certain conceptions are "gaining momentum" . . . However,
he argues that the American Jewish Committee, by preferring to
conduct its activities independently, is thereby rendering a
service to the community by releasing the creative impulses in
American Jewish communal life . . . He also claims, that AJC
deviations from the majority view have not been due to an
addiction to uniqueness, but rather to "a passion for effective-
ness" . . . In his view, the nature of Jewish communal organiza-
tions in America "must correspond to the nature of American
society and tradition" . . , He is not exactly certain whether
the Jewish Committee was always correct when alone, but he
cites certain facts which, he says, justified the AJC stand in
asserting its right to be a minority . . . The entire issue was
the subject of a full fledged discussion at a gathering of Amer-
ican Jewish Committee leaders, who seemed to approve of the
views expressed by Dr. S):awson.