Only This Week-End Remains
for Action in Behalf of the
1959 Allied Jewish Campaign
Factual Data
Vindicating
Alfred Dreyfus
W. K. Kelsey's
Views on
Separation
Principle
Commentary
Page 2
The vital drive comes to a close at the dinner meeting on Monday, to be
addressed by Dr. Abba Hillel Silver. . . A great responsibility rests upon
our community to complete the drive successfully. . . . Give now, if you
have not already made your contribution, and make sure all the prospects
have been solicited.
Story on Page 5 . . . Editorial on Page 4
Only Week-End
Left to Make
Drive Succeed
THE JEWISH NE
A Weekly Review
Dr. Grayzel
and Jewish
Publication
Society
of Jewish Events
Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper—Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle
VOLUME XXXV—No. 9
Printed in a
100% Union Shop
Editorials
Page 4
17100 W. 7 Mile Rd.—VE 8-9364—Detroit 35, May 1, 1959 $5.00 Per Year; Single Copy 15c
Jordan Development Scheme
May Be Reopened by Herter;
Congressmen Back Israel Aid
Sinolar Replies to Charges
About Romanian Exodus
By BORIS SMOLAR
(Copyright, 1959, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
The Issue:
The American Council for Judaism seems to be quite dis-
turbed over the fact that, upon my return from Vienna, I
reported in this column that its claims of helping "stranded"
Romanian Jews in Vienna are greatly exaggerated . . . Origin-
ally, the Council planned- to call a press conference for the
purpose of "denying" some of the facts which I brought out
. However, on second thought, the Council apparently
realized that a press conference could boomerang, since ques-
tions would be asked there which might be difficult to answer
. . . So the Council Wok the much safer step, and sent out
a statement to the English-Jewish press, avoiding the possibility
of being asked questions 4 face-to-face . . Prior to dissemin-
ating this statement, the Council sought — in vain — help on
the issue from some of the other American journalists who were
with me on the mission to Vienna . . . It sent out a private
letter to these top journalists of leading American newspapers,
inquiring whether during their visit to Vienna, they came across
any Romanian Jews who were not aided by the Joint Distri-
bution Committee or the Jewish Agency . . . This very unusual
procedure has achieved nothing but making clear to the Ameri-
can journalists what the true aims of the Council are .
Another failure of the Council was its attempt to inject some
of its staff members on a radio discussion . . . The Council did
not have the courage to identify its speakers as members of its
staff, when applying for participation in the broadcast .
However, the station established their true identity shortly be-
fore the broadcast was scheduled to take place, and dropped
them . . What other means were then left to the Council
but to send out a statement directly to the English-Jewish news-
papers and speculate on the possibility that it will not be given
the "waste basket treatment?"
S.
By MILTON FRIEDMAN
JTA Washington Correspondent
Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News
WASHINGTON—Secretary of State Christian Herter, as one of his first acts
after assuming office, made known that he is taking steps to reopen and review
the long delayed Jordan River Development Scheme, it was revealed by Sen. Hugh
Scott, Pennsylvania Republican, who met with the Secretary to discuss matters
involving Israel.
Sen. Scott saw the Secretary prior to the latter's departure for Paris. He said
Tuesday that Secretary Herter unveiled plans for "a new look" at the Johnston Plan
for development of the Jordan River.
The Israel phase a the Johnston Plan has long been postponed because of the
State Department attitude. The State Department approved and aided work by the
Arab state of Jordan on a portion of the scheme within Jordan territory. Israel
repeatedly sought an agreement to proceed inside her own boundaries with the
Israeli portion of the project, but the State Department heeded Arab objections and
on one occasion, in 1953, temporarily suspended economic aid to Israel to restrain
it from working on the irrigation project.
Israel' has maintained that despite the Arab refusal to cooperate with Israel in
the overall development scheme, Israel should be allowed to proceed with the phase
within her own boundaries in conformity with the outline of the Johnston Plan.
Sen. Scott meanwhile indicated that he did not find complete satisfaction in
Secretary Herter's response to the request that Israel be put back on the list of
nations to receive direct grant assistance. The Secretary minimized the importance
of this special assistance program and suggested that Israel might instead be aided
through development loans and surplus commodity sales. He held that budgetary
restrictions prevented the continuation of Israel as a recipient of special assistance
in the new fiscal year.
Sen. Scott said the Secretary was made aware of Congressional plans to initiate
legislative action to restore Israel to participation in the special assistance
(Continued on Page 3)
The Facts:
What is the point in my report that is so disturbing to the
Council for Judaism and makes it go into such lengthy efforts?
. . . The Council is conducting a fund-raising campaign, creating
the impression that it is helping 60 Romanian Jewish emigrants
"stranded" in Vienna . . . It claims that these Jews receive no
aid from other Jewish organizations in Vienna, allegedly because
they have chosen to remain in Vienna rather than to proceed to
Israel . . . Such a situation, naturally, interested me when I
came to Vienna to study the arrival of the Romanian Jews
there . . . I looked into the matter, and what did I establish
from official figures? .. . During the months of December and
January, a total of 8,380 Romanian Jews reached Vienna, and
only six of them — not 60 as the Council for Judaism asserted
in its fund-raising appeal — remained in Vienna . . . There
were, in addition to these six, also about 60 Romanian Jews who
did not choose to proceed to Israel .. . These were encouraged
by the Jewish Agency office — which cooperates fully with the
Joint Distribution Committee and the Hias offices in Vienna
to proceed to more than a dozen other countries . . In fact,
a good many of them were aided by the Vienna offices of the
three agencies of the United Jewish Appeal—the JDC, the Jewish
Agency and the United Hias Service — to get to these countries
... I also established in Vienna that it has been the set policy
of the JDC, Hias and the Jewish Agency that, if a Romanian Jew
has a valid immigration potential to another country, outside
of Israel, and can be visaed in two or three months, the three
agencies pool their resources to help him . . . The JDC will
maintain him, the United Hias Service will help him with his
emigration, and the Jewish Agency will assist in a guarantee to
the Austrian authorities that, if the alternate immigration plan
falls through, the Jew can still go to Israel . . . This is all predi-
cated on the premise that the Austrian government will grant
(Continued on Page 24
First Israel Druze Doctor:
The photo on the left shows
part of the crowd of spectators attending the celebration held recently in the village
of Kafr Yirka, Israel, to mark the graduation of the first Druze student from the
Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School. At right, center, the proud new doctor,
a 28-year-old bachelor, Hammad Khalil Sa'ab, now interning at Rambam Hospital
in Haifa, who will practice among the colorful Druze community, is congratulated
by Dr. Michael Evenari, vice president of Hebrew University, left, and Dr. Moshe
Rachmilewitz, Dean of the Medical School. The celebration, held at the home of
Sheik Jabir Muadi, Dr. Sa'ab's uncle and a member of the Knesset, was attended
by Druze notables, representatives of the Israel government, and Mrs. Rebecca
Shulman, representing Hadassah.