Moroccan J ewry's Mounting Tragedies Commentary Page 2 HE JEWISH E WS r:=1 "'"1- =C:)1 -T" Nil 1-1 G A Weekly Review Editorial Page 4 NI of Jewish Events Michigan's Only English-Jewish NewSpaper—Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle Vol. XXXIX, No. 1 Nasser's Ga ins Create Crisis for Israel Among African Nations Read Smolar's Column, Page 2 iciOr UentiPsilop 17100 W 7 Mile Rd.—VE 8-9364—Detroit 35,• March 3, 1961—$5.00 per Year; Single Copy 15c Kennedy Reported Adhering to Policy for Arab-Israel Peace Ben-Gurion Unable to Form Government; Mapai Requests New Israel General Election (Direct JTA Teletype Wires to The Jewish News) JERUSALEM — Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion informed President Ben-Zvi Tuesday that he was unable to undertake the task of forming a new government. After talking to the President for an hour Ben-Gurion announced that his Mapai Party would ask for the dissolution of the present Knesset, Israel's parliament, and for new general elections. This procedure became inevitable when leaders of Mapai turned down his offer to withdraw as Premier-designate so that Finance Minister Levi Eshkol could tackle the task of forming a government to replace the one that Ben-Gurion toppled on Jan. 31. Eshkol is acceptable to three of the partners in the former coalition, the Progressive Party, Mapam and Achdut Avodah, which have indicated willingness to return to a coalition headed by Mapai, provided Ben-Gurion was not the Prime Minister. As new elections became more likely, maneuvering began over the timing. The opposition parties were reported seeking early elections with a claim that elections could be held within three months, before the end of May. Mapai negotiators reportedly had already started talks with partners in the outgoing coalition, to obtain a majority in the Knesset for elections no earlier than October or November. • The declared goal of Mapai was to hold new elections after the close of the trial of accused Nazi Adolf Eichmann, scheduled to begin April 11, after the High Holy Days. Observers said it was clear that Mapai leaders hoped that the later the election the more the voters would have the chance to forget Ben-Gurion's battle against Pinhas Lavon, the Mapai rival forced out of his post as Secretary-General of the Histadrut, Israel's labor federa- tion, by Ben-Gurion. The opposition parties were reported desiring elections before Mapai and Ben-Gurion could recover part of the public esteem lost during the fight for Lavon's- ouster: Ben-Gurion's offer to resign the leadership - of his party and his place as Premier to Eshkol was unanimously voted down Monday. night at ail urgent meeting of Mapai Ministers summoned in Tel Aviv by Josef Almogi, Mapai Party Secretary. He called the meeting after Ben-Gurion wrote privately to several of the Ministers expressing his readiness to resign and retire to his Negev retreat at Sde Boker. . At the meeting of Mapai Ministers he explained he had been pressed by party leaders to withdraw his demand that Lavon should be excluded from the list of Mapai candidates for the next Knesset. He said he could not change his refusal against sitting with Lavon, and he had therefore decided to resign and thits make it possible for Eshkol to form a new government. Debate on his proposal lasted until several hours after midnight. Mrs. Golda Meir, Israel's Foreign Minister, told him he should not present the party "with threats to resign, for you know well that the' party will not accept your resignation and go to the polls without you." The decision of the Mapai Ministers to reject Ben-Gurion's resignation proposal may be brought before the Mapai Secretariat for formal ratifica- tion. The decision in any case was interpreted as acceptance by the Mapai leadership of Lavon's ousting. Two of Lavon's allies, Mayor Mordecai Namir of Tel Aviv and former Ethication Minister Zalman Aranne, took part in the meeting and voted to reject Ben-Gurion's resignation offer. (Additional Developments In Story on Page 3) WASHINGTON, (JTA) — High Administration sources denied a report that President Kennedy had decided to "defer" White House efforts for Arab-Israel peace. These sources, close to Kennedy, said the reports were spread by a State Department faction seeking to placate the United Arab Republic at a time when other elements within the Deparment have lost patience with Nasser's support of pro-Communist forCes in the Congo and elsewhere in Africa. The White House has positively made no decision to abandon the objec- tive of Arab-Israel peace and Kennedy's position remains precisely as stated last August, sources said. They pointed out that the President has so far had no opportunity to act on the Arab-Israel situation because of more pressing crucial situations involving the Congo, Cuba, Laos, delicate diplomacy with the USSR, and the missile gap problem as well as the domestic recession issue. ' While the Big Powers are maneuvering at the "United Nations on the alignment of Afro-Asian forces on the Congo crisis, allegations were spread' and "planted," sources said, without Kennedy's knowledge or authority, that the White House was abandoning plans to promote Arab - Israel peace. Sources familiar with the weekend developments characterized it as a "short-sighted" attempt by some State Department elements to propagan- dize Nasser. Max Bressler, president of the Zionist Organization of America, stated at the Jewish National Fund assembly here that "we still cherish" President Kennedy's promise to work toward an early Arab-Israel peace. "We realize_ full well that President Nasser is exercising his influence in Asia and in Africa not only against Israel but against, the United States, as has been amply demonstrated by his role in the Congo," Bressler said. "I am firmly convinced that the time has come for our country to undertake such steps that would put an end to the pernicious influence and activities in the Near East that are both anti-American and anti-Jewish." The ZOA president pointed out that the United States has within its power to reward its friends and restrain its enemies, actually as well as potential. "Let this power be used for peace and progress in the Middle East, as indeed it is being used throughout the world," he urged. "I say this as an American profoundly concerned with our American prestige abroad and America's aspirations for world peace. Our country's national interests and those of Israel fully coincide." Last Aug. 26, Kennedy promised the ZOA he would use "all the author- ity and prestige of the White House" to promote Arab-Israel peace. Kennedy hoped to bring about a peace conference of Arab states and Israel. Pres-sure for White House action on the Middle East was exerted by prominent Republican, Senator Keneth B. Keating of New York, in an address at the Jewish National Fund assembly here. Pointing to Israel's economic growth and democratic development, Keating asserted that "for Israel to fulfill her wider promise on the whole free world arena, it is necessary for the United States to fulfill its promise and take all necessary steps to resolve the futile and destructive policy of boycott which has cut Israel off from her natural neighbors." Keating urged United States efforts for a settlement recognizing Israel's existence and boundaries, while offering the Arab states full aid in the rehabilitation and resettlement of Arab refugees within Arab countries, "including compensation from Israel for properties lost." He said Israel had shown its willingness "to meet its neighbors half way."_ Allied Jewish Campaign to Open March 22 The 1961 Allied Jewish Campaign will open officially Wednesday, March 22, with a dinner at the Statler-Hilton Hotel, the campaign chairman, Paiil Zuckerman, announces. - The Allied Jewish Campaign is the annual fund-raising effort of the Jewish Welfare Federa- tion of Detroit. It averaged five million dollars annually for the past five years. The 14 local member agencies of the Federation and other local beneficiaries receive 38 per cent of the funds raised. Fifty-seven per cent of the money raised in the campaign goes to help Jews overseas, with the United Jewish Appeal as the single biggest beneficiary agency. National cultural, educational and service agen- cies receive five per cent of the money raised. The 14 Federation member agencies in Detroit are: Community Workshop, Fresh Air Society, He- brew Free Loan Association, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Community Council, Jewish Family and Children's Service, Jewish Home for Aged, Jew- ish House of Shelter, Jewish Vocational Service, Midrasha (College of JeWish Studies), Resettlement Service, United Hebrew Schools, Sinai Hospital and its Shiffman Clinic. A total of 55 separate local, national and. over- seas agencies are beneficiaries of campaign funds. Among local beneficiaries that are not Federa- tion agencies are: Hayim Greenberg Hebrew Yid- dish School, Sholem Aleichem School, United Jewish High School, Workman's Circle School and Yes hivath Beth Yehudah. Some of the overseas beneficiaries of the cam- paign funds are: Histadruth Ivrith, Jewish National Fund, ORT, United HIAS Service, Hebrew Univer- sity, Technion and YIVO (Institute for Jewish Research). Among national beneficiaries are: American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress,' ADL of Bnai Brith, Bnai Brith National Youth Services Appeal and the Jewish War Veterans Zuckerman stressed that a campaign requires advance work before its official opening. He urged campaign workers who have received their kits to- begin soliciting immediately so that a substantial - amount can .be announced at the campaign opening. Zuckerman announced the formation of a 14- member campaign executive committee. Former campaign chairthen—who form half of the committee—are: Maurice Aronsson, Louis Berry,' Irwin I. Cohn, Abe' Kasle, Nate S. Shapero, Leonard N. Simons and Abraham Srere. Srere is the only member who has been both a campaign chairman and president of the Jewish Wel- fare Federation. Other committee members are: Israel Davidson, Nathan Fishman, Louis Hamburger, Samuel Ham- burger, Milton K. Mahler and Max J. Zivian. Zuckerman reported that the preparatory phases . of the 1961 campaign are gaining momentum. He said that when the economy is slow, the need for providing community services increases. "This year particularly, we will have to accept the respon- sibility for increased services by increased giving," Zuckerman said.