THE DETROIT JEW ISH NEW S — Friday, December 2 3, 196 0 Purely Commentary By Philip Slomovitz Jerusalem Shows the Way to Rome for Amity ROME, Italy — A continuous clash between two civilizations, the Jewish and the Christian, the Hebraic and its offspring, has been in evi- dence for twenty centuries. In more than one sense, the clash still goes on. It is especially manifest during this season of the year. The Christmas spirit predominates, and the Hanukah idea often fades into minute- ness. That's natural, of course, under conditions of Jewry being overwhelmingly outnumbered. We were to have multiplied like the sands on the seashore, but Judaism the parent has be- come the mere minority, while Christianity the child has its vast numbers. Yet, the parental voice is heard everywhere. It is the paternal psalm that is chanted where- ever there is a religious service.- It is the Hebraic hymn that thrills the millions in the churches, and while the Hanukah lights are dim compared with the floodlights of Judaism's daughter religion, the spirit of the Maccabees prevails: had it not been for the Maccabees, there may not have been the Apostles. These are thoughts that come to one's mind in Rome. There is a Jewish community here. The undying spirit of Israel is evident where- ever one turns, even though there is much intermarriage and assimilation is taking its toll in our ranks. But as long as there is a she'arith Israel — a determined remnant in Israel that repeats the worlds of the Psalmist lo omuil ki ekh'ye — "I shall not die but live" . . . — Israel remains eternal. There was a time when the Rome versus Jerusalem struggle was truly threatening. When Israel's hopes were dimming, due in part to the cruelties that emanated from the bigotries of Christians, the position of our people was not too secure. We were constantly on the defen- sive. We had to hold on tight to whatever sem- blance there was of Jewish traditions. We were compelled to reject every intrusion into our ranks of idolatrous practices. Something immense has happened in our lifetime to alter the battle. The ideals of Jeru- salem undoubtedly will continue to challenge those of Rome, yet struggle now is certain to be less antagonistic, the battle less militant, and a new tolerance — approaching genuine friend- ship — is in the offing. The reason for the new trend is the emergence of the State of Israel, which is giving so much hope to the People of Israel and which is serving as a bridge between Israel and the nations of the world. The reason, also: Israel has less to fea t from assimilation, from the threat of being swallowed up by an antagonistic majority. Those who out- number us and who previously were either suspicious of us or had inherited a hatred for Israel now have a new respect for Israel: be- cause Israel is autonomous. Now Israel is teaching its offspring, Christi- anity, a new tolerance. A look at the calendar of events in Israel, • for 1961, will prove our point. Its significance fits into the scheme of things in viewing the Christmas-Hanukah con- flict in the Italian city where it received its impetus. For 1961, the Israel Government Tour- ist office announces these Christian festivities: January 1—services in all churches; Jan. 6, Epiphany, commemorating the baptism of Jesus, the visit of the Wise Men to Bethlehem, the miracle at Cana in Galilee, with High Mass celebrated in all Catholic churches; Jan. 7 Eastern Churches' Christmas; Jan. 14, Eastern Churches' New Year; Jari. 19, Armenian Church Christmas; March 19, Feast of St. Joseph cele- brated in all Catholic churches, with High Mass in Nazareth; March 25, Festival of Annuncia- tion, with pilgrimages to Nazareth; March 30 and 31, Good Thursday and Good Friday; April 2-3, Easter services; May 11, Feast of Ascen- sion; June 24, Feast of St. John the Baptist; June 29, Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul; July 2, Feast of the Visitation; July 20, Feast of St. Elias; Aug. 3, Feast of St. Nicodemus; Aug. 15, Feast of the Assumption; Sept. 14, Feast of the Cross; Dec. 8, Feast of the Immaculate Con. ception; Dec. 25, Christmas. It is possible that this list does not exhaust the Christian festivals of which Israel takes official note in its tolerance for all faiths. There are similarly long lists of Mohammedan feasts that are marked in Israel with the approval of the government of the Jewish State. But it was not so long ago that the mere mention of such Christian festivals in Jewish ranks would have been looked up as yielding to prosetylization. Conditions have changed: thanks to the emergence of an independent Israel where Jews have no fears because they are a majority. These thoughts arise for this visitor in Rome on his way — his pilgrimage? — to Israel. It is heartening to know that while Rome could never conquer Jerusalem, Jerusalem shows the way to Rome — eventually, we hope, also to Mecca — that all faiths can live to- gether in amity. Cabinet Will Have Two Jews for 1st Time (Copyright, 1960, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) WASHINGTON, D. C., (JTA) —President-elect John F. Ken- nedy announced this week the appointment of Arthur J. Gold- berg, Chicago-born labor law- yer, as Secretary of Labor. The appointment puts two Jews into a United States Cabi- net for the first time in Ameri- can history. Senator Kennedy previously had chosen Governor Abraham Ribicoff of Connecticut as his Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. The Secretary of Labor nominee has been special counsel of the American Fed- eration of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations since 1948 and he is also general counsel for the United Steel- workers of America. He was described by Kennedy as one of the "architects" of the AFL-CIO merger. The 52-year-old labor law ex- pert is known as a friend of Israel. He recently accepted ap- pointment as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hista- drut Development Foundation, ARTHUR J. GOLDBERG an American organization estab- lished to help Israel's Labor Federation. He is a member of Temple Sinai here. Goldberg was the negotiator between the U. S. State Depart- ment and the two seafaring unions which picketed the Egyp- tian ship, the Cleopatra, at a New York dock earlier this year in retaliation for Arab black- listing of American ships touch- ing at Israeli ports. He was instrumental in the issuance of a statement by the State Department promis- ing to take action to meet the grievances of the two mari- time unions. The new Cabinet appointee is a graduate of Northwestern University and is a member of the America, Illinois and Chi- cago Bar association. He served as a major in the U. S. Army during World War II. Israel Casts Decisive Vote in ITN to Defeat Soviet Bloc Resolution Against France (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) UNITED NATIONS, (JTA)—Israel cast the deci- sive vote in the General Assembly here Monday night, teaming with the United States and 25 other delega- tions to help defeat a Soviet-backed resolution that would have given United Nations support to the anti- French National Liberation Front, the leading rebel organization fighting the French in Algeria. Led by the Soviet block, and backed by the Arab states and some other anti-French forces here, a number of delegations sponsored a resolution which would have defied the stand of President Charles De Gaulle. De Gaulle had requested that the UN keep hands off the Algerian situation until he achieves a solution of the troublesome issue. When the roll call vote was taken on the issue, the balloting stood at 52 for the proposal and 26 against, being one vote short of the two thirds ma- jority needed, when Israel cast its vote in the nega- tive. France was absent and the United States had already voted against the resolution. The vote by Israel became decisive, swinging the ballot to 52 for and 27 against—to defeat the resolution. President Eisenhower Receives First "Judaism-World Peace' Award In presenting the "Judaism .... WASHINGTON, D.C.—Presi- dent Eisenhower became the and World. Peace" Award to first recipent of the 'Judaism President Eisenhower, Rabbi and World Peace" Award of the- Davidson pointed out that "this Synagogue Council of America, meeting . . . represents the first Dec. 16 at a White House cere- time that an official delegation mony marked by several prece- from all the major branches of dents in American and Jewish the Jewish religion has been re- history. ceived by a President of the The award, consisting of an United States." original bronze sculpture of the The Synagogue Council presi- Prophet Isaiah "beating swords dent told President Eisenhower into plowshares," was presented that the purpose of the award to the President by Rabbi Max "is to signalize the climax of D. Davidson of Perth Amboy your brilliant stewardship of N.J., president of the Syna- our nation and of the free gogue Council and a delegation world during your eight years of rabbinic and congregational of sacrificial devotion and leaders from the Orthodox, Con- leadership as President of the servative, and Reform Jewish United States, and of your en- movements. tire public service career." rOMHIAMIIII.INNI11•0111011• 0M11111•0■0411•11.714111■0•011■0■11.1•••■ 0.110.0•11•10.0410illio.■14.111■131!0■1■0•■•1 Boris Smolar's 'Between You . and Me' (Copyright, 1960, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) Washington Winds Dean Rusk, who has been named Secretary of State in President-elect Kennedy's Cabinet, is no stranger to those who worked behind the scenes at the United Nations in 1948 when the Palestine Partition resolution was adopted . . . As a member of the American delegation to the U.N. Assembly at that time he played no small role in influencing situations . . . He is the originator of the "Sacred Cow" idea which he advocated shortly before the United Nations decided to partition Palestine into two separate Arab and Jewish states . . This idea provided that the U.S. Presidential plane, The Sacred Cow, should be sent to Jerusalem to bring Moshe Sharrett and the ex-Mufti of Palestine Haj Amin Husseini together to the U.N. in a last dramatic effort to reach an Arab-Jewish rapprochement . . . When pressure for the internationalization of Jerusalem mounted at the United Nations, Rusk was the originator of an alternative idea to place Jerusalem under U.N. trustee- Dean Rusk ship, but appoint Israel as U.N. trustee for the Jewish part of the city and Jordan as trustee for the Arab-held section ... At one time dur- ing the U.N. Assembly session he was advocating placing the whole of Palestine under United Nations trusteeship rather than to partition it into two separate states ... It is generally believed that Rusk is not inclined to share the view held by some State Department officials that all American troubles_with the Arabs are a result of the establishment of Israel .. . His most recent contact with Israel was when, as head of the Rockefeller Foun- dation, he was active in bringing about large American par- ticipation in the Conference on Science held at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot . . . His appointment as Secretary of State was received in Israel with great relief, since it was feared there that Senator J. W. Fulbright of Arkansas might be ap- pointed to this post by Kennedy . . . Senator Fulbright was against Israel in debates on Suez, supported the World Bank Loan to Nasser, and indicated on various occasions his opposition to pro-Israel proposals in the Senate. The Zionist Congress Is Israel the right plaee for the World Zionist Congress which opens next week in Jerusalem? . . . This question is being asked by numerous rank-and-file Zionists who consider the Congress a body in which Israelis cannot have much interest even under Ben-Gurion's definition of Zionism .. . This defini- tion provides that a Zionist is one who is willing to settle in Israel, gives his children a Hebrew education, and helps to promote Israel's development ... Anyone in Israel today, whether a member of a Zionist party or not, has long automatically complied with these requirements . . . Thus, Zionism to him is now something that is intended for Jews outside of Israel and not for him . .. Even the various Zionist parties in Israel are today actually not Zionist but Israeli political parties, each interested in gaining a stronger position in the affairs of Israel rather than in the Zionist movement . . . Under such cir- cumstances, the World Zionist movement is actually today a movement for the "Galut"—for Jews in the Diaspora—and the Congress, as the supreme body of the movement, is developing into a "Galut" institution ... Would it not be better then for the Congress to hold its session in a "Galut" country, where its meaning is still fully understood, rather than in Israel where Zionism is looked upon as a movement of the past? . . . Those who ask this question believe that a World Zionist Congress held in New York, Washington, Atlantic City, London, Buenos Aires, or even. Switzerland, would be more useful from the point of view of strengthening the cause of Zionism in the Diaspora than when held in Israel . . . It would serve as a stimulant to the many thousands of Jews in the Diaspora who still think in terms of Zionism and are willing to remain Zionists . .-. It would also establish the fact that the Congress is primarily a body representing Jews outside of Israel vis-a-vis Israel in the interests of Israel . . . Understanding of this fact is ,begin.; ning to emerge now, when for the first time in the history of the Zionist movement, fraternal non-Zionist groups in - a number of countries have sent representatives to the Congress in Jerusalem to participate in the sessions either as delegates or as observers.