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.