Ben-Gurion,'s Surprise: Hebrew-Speaking U.S. Youth
• By ELIEZER WHARTMAN - committed to "working to the been so surprised when he con
Prime Minister Ben-Gurion
paid a visit to the 140 American
students who are enrolled in the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
If Ben-Gurion was amazed at the
large number of U. S. students
at the school, he was positively
flabbergasted by the fact that
they understood his remarks in
Hebrew.
It is, of course, encouraging
that B-G was so impressed by
his knowledgable young audi-
ence. However, it is annoying
that he should be unaware of
the fact that there are tens of
thousands of similar youngsters
back in the States. The Prime
Minister represents the genera-
tion of the Second and Third
Aliyahs whose thinking parallels
his. After reading of Ben-
Gurion's vast surprise at en-
countering the American stu-
dents, I was tempted to write a
column on the enormous mis-
understandings that many lead-
ing Israelis harbor about Ameri-
can Jewry, but then I discov-
ered that an Israeli journalist.
who had spent some time in the
United States, had done just
that. This, in somewhat con-
densed form. is what the writer
told his people:
. While it is easy to under-
hilt" — without making the
slightest effort to gain any in-
sight into the nature of the peo-
ple they are "saving." Ever since
the time of Herzl, the Yishuv
has regarded American Jewry
simply as a kind of financial res-
ervoir. It hardly entered their
minds to look upon U. S. Jewry
as a kind of "Jewish reservoir,"
and certainly not as a source of
halutziut (pioneering) or even
as manpower reserve. The only
approach ever made to Ameri-
can Jewry was to its pocket.
During the turbulent days of
building the country before the
State was established, the only
action asked of American Jews
was to write checks. The size of
the check was regarded as an
indication of the donor's love of
the land, his attachment to his
people and his ragard for Jew-
ish values.
And so after the State came
into being, we were "astound.
ed." Where was the urge to
come to Israel which was ex-
pected of American Jewry?
Where was American Jewish
youth? _Where was its pioneer.
ing spirit?
Even today there are . those
who fail to see that a lack of
aliyah from America is a direct
stand how B-G might have result of the wrong kind of ap-
been overwhelmed by the proach. The lack of pioneering
spectacle of Americ
irit on the part of American
sters comprehe
ad-
ish youth, claim these mis-
dress delive
ebrew, it gui • d souls, simply demon-
is income
nsit e to us why strat the fact that the time is
this s
_hlfi've come as a not y ripe for U. S. Jewry per-
com
sonall to identify themselves
e surprise to him.
T
e is a reason for it and it with
rael. American Jews,
ca •e found in history. Si
they
aintain, should, there-
tion the Y . try h
fore-
b
tinue to be regarded as
b y "discov ing
the
oviders of the building
hout ever
ma
ally
als which others will use
derstand it or de
t
the construction. This phi-
nt" emissa
v see
ophy was the prevailing phi-
tched fro
Yis
osophy during the pre-State
W.
days; it continues to domina
the thinking of Israelis even
Zim Line. V -ean C
Jerusalem an. 28
20 up
day. Even now that the S
. 11, 15 days ...
$360 up
exists, we still choose the
M
h 2, Kosher
$290 up
path: appealing to the po
Reg
o Haifa- on s/s
Israel an
ion, Jan. 25, Feb. 24,
The only real "work" whi
s/s Jerusalem, Mar. 15, Zion,
raeli emissaries put in is
Mar. 17, Apr. 5.
American Jews to give m
American Export Line s/s Atlan-
tic sails to Haifa Feb. 22, Mar.
the UJA and purchase
24, April 22.
Bonds.
SIM'
.a • -
.
Frequent 17 day fours, $889. 14
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Information on tours, cruises
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From time to 'time Amen
is "rediscovered." Occasion.
ally an emissary will return
open eyed and report: "Listen,
there's a wonderful Jewry
over there. Wonderful kids."
And then this is followed by
long enthusiastic talks on the
need to engage in "broad
basic' work" but' practically
nothing ever comes of it.
Therefore, i was no surprise
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that B-G was stonished."
If we we alking about some
obscure
ish community in
som
ant land, - it might be
standable. But the subject
question is American Jewry,
five and a half million strong,
which, serves as the chief prop
and stay of Israel, not only from
a financial point of view! How
on earth was it possible that the
Prime Minister should have
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1PC14
.
It was the destruction of
European Jewry and the rise
of the State that has produced
far reaching changes in the
thinking of American Jewry.
Their approach—which is an
independent one — no longer
looks back longingly to the
little "shtetl" in the "old
country," but -is rooted in the
present.
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Someone once said that a few
years ago a speaker could have
gotten up before an American
audience and even read from
the telephone boo
from time to
e he were to
inject th
ord "Israe "
would'
ufficient t use his
audi
e. Today's audience
wa
to be able to understand,
t
uery, to judge for itself.
The Israeli c ula staff
the U. S. spe
a
at ea
time tryin
thinking of
also spreads a
1
money trying to cq Chris-
tians with Isra This, of course
is all to the g d; but wo
it be worthwhi e to de
ome
of his time and
to deal-
ing with th
sh community?
Wo
be equally "inter-
ing" to learn something about
the social organizations of Amer-
ica's five and a half million
Jews, how they view us, what
they expect of us, how they
would like us to strengthen the
ties binding us and how they
would like to identify them-
selves with us?
to
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Is American Jewry so Jew-
ishly impoverished that all
that Israel can expect from
the U. S. is dollars?
IAM1
Ben-Gurion was astonished by
his meeting with the American
Jewish youth. Were his schedule
not so full, and had he time to
make some inquiries, he would
have come in for other surprises,
and might have discovered that,
aside from funds, American
Jewry possesses something else
that money can't buy: an enorm-
ous dedication. It is a commu-
nity overflowing with love for
Israel and which doesn't ask any-
thing (certainly not speeches)
in return.
Even if we don't come to
terms with this Jewry and find
some common language with it,
and even if we don't overcome
our mistakes, they will still keep
their purses open and will con-
tinue to contribute out of love.
But the bridge which should be
linking us - will never arise. It is
a bridge which we, no less than
they, are dependent upon.
The first American' turnpike,
known as Little River Turnpike,
was authorized in Virginia in
1785. Today, Americans travel
on over 750,000 miles of high-
way. To familiarize motorists
with the luxury and comfort of
driving a' new car, auto manu-
facturers last year spent over
$80 million in newspaper ad-
vertising.
4...
Exquisite ..
gracious hospitalit
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entertainment
room with p
FRE
fronted a youthful audience
which knew Hebrew? If it came
to him, the Chief of State, as a
complete revelation, we can
properly ask how accurate a pic-
ture of American Jewry does
the Yishuv have? The situation
today is completely different
from what it was in the past.
American Jewry today isn't the
same kind of Jewry which B
Gurion knew when, fleeing
the Turks in World W
, he
came to the U. S. Nor
it the
same Jewry -that exi d when
Golda Meir" was a sc
teacher
in Milwaukee. Lik verything
else. American Je
too, have
made strides duri
the last 20
years. It isn't ev
the same
kind of Jewry whi Ben-Gurion
met on his visit t America in
1951. Then it wou ave, be
a near miracle to find , ws
who knew Hebrew. Today, in
day schools alone, 60,000 chil-
dren are getting a full Hebrew
education.
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