18
An Irgunist's Testament
Segal Compiles Conversations of Abraham Lincoln
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, November 10, 1961 —
Meridor Tells Story of Battle
Against British in Palestine
For more than a decade,
Charles M. Segal, who is well
known in national Jewish pub-
lic relations
circles, devot-
ed himself to
research in
Lincolniana.
He has writ-
ten scores of
articles on
Abraham Lin-
coln's rela-
tions with and
attitudes tow-
Segal and Jews, and
he has become an expert on
the life, writings and speeches
of -the martyred President.
In his newly-edited book,
"Conversations with Lincoln,"
published by G. P. Putnam's
Sons (200 Madison, N.Y. 16),
Segal has compiled Lincoln's
-conversations with personali-
ties of his time as President-
Elect and as President, during
the years 1860-1865.
In his preface, Segal asserts
that while his compilation is
not a complete story of Lin-
Ya'acov Meridor is considered ence. There were martyrs in the
the second in rank to Menachem Haganah ranks, many of whom
Begin in the Herut ranks, and suffered arrest, and while Irgun
was among the major command- may have been judged unfairly
ers of the Irgun Zvai Leumi dur- it was not the only fighting force
ing the battle against the British, in Israel, and when the com-
in the years that preceded the plete story is told there undoubt-
emergence of 'Israel as an autono- edly will be many faults ascribed
also to Irgun.
mous state.
* * *
His life was full of dangers.
Meridor's
story,
in spite of the
There were arrests and escapes,
separation from his family, con- charges and the negative factors,
stant conflict with the British and is valuable as part of the record
of Israel's struggle for independ-
difficulties with the Haganah.
"Meridor tells his story in an ence. The Irgunist tells how he
exciting book, "Long Is the Road, was tracked dawn, sent to Cairo,
to Freedom," which has just been later to Kenya and other incar-
published in an English transla- cerations; how he had made es-
tion by a newly-formed company, capes, how he opposed and sty-
Barak - Publications; --P. 0, Box 18, mied British efforts.
The story takes the reader
Tujunga, Calif. ,
Burton Arthur Ravins, presi- through the Sudan, Eritrea, Ad-
- dent of the Bar* Co., in a pub- dis Ababa, then Kenya.
lisher's note, pays tribute to
Meridor never stopped chal-
"this man of courage and his lenging the British. He had them
tiny band of fighters for free- fooled many times, and he never
dom."
stopped, as the ILZ's second in
* * *
command,_ directing _ the Under-
Stephen Longstreet, the well ground.
known author, in an introduction,
Hundreds of Jews were exiled
gives a brief account of Meridor's with him, in Great Britain's ef-
dedicated efforts. He states that forts to destroy the Underground.
Meridor's book was a best seller Their - efforts failed because of
in Hebrew and was accepted in the patriotic activities of the
South Africa in its first English fighters for freedom.
* * * -
edition. Then, describing the ap-
pearance of the present Ameri-
Life in the desert and in the
can edition, Longstreet states:
prison, defiance and escapes, the
"To appear in the United exiles' secret printing works in
States it was necessary to form a Kenya, are described in detail.
new publishing company for the
Meridor tells about the visit to
purpose. 'Somehow the American the Kenya camp of South African
public has been bedazzled by an- Chief Rabbi Dr. L. I. Rabinowitz
other version of the. Big Lie. who pledged to help the exiles
They have been told that Ya'acov get back to Palestine. It was in
Meridor and hiS.men and women March of 1948, and he failed to
of the Irgun Zvai Leurni were attain his purpose upon interced-
terrorists, not soldiers and patri- ing with Palestine High Commis-
ots. Washington, Garibaldi and sioner Cunningham. The exiles'
de Valera were also -called ter- anger grew. They dug an under-
rorists. But the world knows oth- ground passage, planning an es-
erwise because grateful peoples cape. - In spite of their being sus,
turned to these men to lead them pected, they managed t6 get
through the trying times follow- away, and they reached the Bel-
ing their successful struggle. gian Congo.
However, the new Jewish State
They came to Brussels, before
fell into the hands of those who
home, and from there
had previously been too fearful returning
conducted
the anti-British activi-
even to dream of a free Jewish
ties through contacts with their
State.
"Those to whom the Irgun Zvai associates, among- them Shmuel
Leumi presented a nation built no Tamir, Zvi Hadassi, Eliahu Lan-
monuments to the Irgun and kin and others.
The account concludes with -a
wrote no histories of its glorious
deeds. Rather, they have brain- salute to Israel and to HOME—
washed historians, blacked out the free and independent Jewish
the records and attempted a foul State. It is a story of an heroic
perversion of history. They shall Underground. It is too detailed,
not succeed. Sealed in blood, hid- since Meridor describes every-
den in agony, remembered in thing in minutest detail. But it
pride and in pain, the record of - remains, nevertheless, part of the
the Irgun stands proudly and story of the battle for a Free
awaits history to come and claim Israel.
it. Fairer men, truer historians
will keep the truth and mark it Two Charming Books
down. This book will help them."
* * *
for Younger Readers
This series of charges reveals
For 12-to-14-year-old readers,
the attitude also of Meridor who "Young Deputy Smith," by Dale
accuses the Haganah and charges White, published by Viking
the ruling element in Palestine Press (625 Madison, N.- Y. 22)
with having acted unjustly, un- is highly recommended.
wisely and dangerously in deal-
There are heroes and adven-
ing with the competing Irgun tures, a youth's way in life
forces. Meridor states outright that eventually leads him back
that the entire story has not yet to united family relationships
been told about the Altalena, the and the joy of normal activities.
ship that was commandeered by It is a good description of as-
the Irgdn and was destroyed by piration for the life of a cowboy
Haganah at the shores of Tel arid the _good lessons learned
Aviv. He promises that the full from wholesome adventure.
Another entertaining Viking
story will soon be told—imjlying
that it will be to the detriment book is "The Tigers of Corm
of the ruling Mapai and the for- Zoo," story and illustrations by
Edythe 'Records Warner, for
mer Haganah leaders.
It all sounds interesting, and younger readers of 8-to-10.
Meridor's story is filled with Those who are interested in
drama and excitement. But there animal life will be especially
is an evident element of injus- delighted by this book. The
tice in Longstreet's charge of author, who has done some
the brainwashing of historians hunting, is well qualified t.) re-
and distortion of facts, and of late an animal story, and her
his claim that only the Irgunists current work will enchant the
were the heroes in Israel's emerg- younger readers.
coin or the Civil War, his aim
has been "to present a com-
posite portrait of Lincoln —
in a mosaic of moods and atti-
0::;4tudes — as he
' was conceived
through h i s
conversations
as politician,
President,
statesman, hu-
morist, mili-
tary strategist,
peace negoti-
ator, husband,
father and
Lincoln friend." H e
explains that the conversations
were "based on memory," were
not recorded by stenographers,
many of them "were committed
to paper within a few hours
of their occurrence; others were
put down in writing at various
points ranging from a few days
to many years later."
An introduction by David
Donald, of Princeton Univer-
sity, Pulitzer Prize Winner,
states that the more than 100
interviews included in this
Hassidic Community Incorporates as N.Y.
Village Honoring Skvirer Rebbe
NEW SQUARE, N.Y., (JTA)
— After a prolonged court
battle, the Hassidic community
here, honoring the Skvirer
Rebbe, became officially an in-
corporated village this week,
known formally as the Village
of New Square.
The incorporation papers
were processed by the secretary
of state at Albany.
The village was founded in
1954 by 530 followers of Rabbi
Jacob Joseph Twersky who was
bron in Skvir, a town near Kiev
in the Ukraine. The name New
Square is a variation of the
name of that Ukrainian town.
The orthodox residents, who
built 69 one-family homes on
the 130-acre tract near Spring
Valley, - New York, voted unan-
imously last August to incorpo-
rate. They filed incorporation
papers- with Ramapo Township,
of which the area - is a -part.
When the Ramapo. Township
Board of Supervisors failed to
send the incorporation papers
on to the State capital at Al-
bany, the f ollo we r-s of the
Skvirer Rebbe petitioned the
State Supreme Court, request-
book present "a composite por-
trait of th -Civil War execu-
tive" and declares: "Mr. Segal's
scholarlarly ,and skillfully edit-
ed anthology will be a treas-
ured source for historians. As
a revelation of the intimate, ,
human side of Abraham Lin-,
coin, it will provide the Civil
War era."
Commencing with the noti-
fication of his nomination for
the Presidency by the Republi-
can Convention in May, 1860,
and the comments to the dele-
gation, the conversations carry
the readers through Lincoln's
exciting career, during the
Civil War, as President, in his
assertions of friendship for the
South, his difficulties with his
Cabinets, his direction of the
war, and the intrigues of that
crucial period in American his-
tory.
Lincoln's comments on slav-
ery and emancipation, on dom-
estic and foreign affairs, on the
issues of his day — to his as-
sociates and to citizens — add
to an understanding of the
Great Emancipator and his
time. And the great figures of
that era pass in review in this
important compilation.
ing that Ramapo be forced to
act on the incorporation. ,
Last July, Supreme Court
Justice John P. Donohue ruled
in favor of the Skvirer.
New Square plans to enact
an ordinance closing streets to
all but emergency traffic every
Sabbath, from sundown Friday
to nightfall Saturday. Other
ultra-Orthodox practices will be-
come local law in New Square.
At present, television is for-
bidden—although nearly every
home has a radio. Women may
not wear slacks in public.
ry about
Who ca
this c
MINSK,
ago
14 yea
RUSSIA, and wh e 2 brothers -
and sister probably-live, at pres-
ent, in Los Angeles or there-
abouts. Brother ShoIem in
Europe would like to contact
him. Write: BOX 524, The Jew-
ish News, 17100 W. 7 Mile Rd.,
Detroit 35, Michigan or call UN
1-0808 after NOV. 7th.
you
pick
it
we'l
Israeli Minister
Visits Tanganyika;
Seeks Cooperation
DAR - ES - SALAAM, Tangan-
yika, (JTA)--Pinhas• Sapir, Is-
raeli Mihister of Commerce and
Industry, arrived here as head
of a four-man mission to ex-
plore the possibilities of Israel-
Tanganyika cooperation in vari-
ous fields.
The four Israeli officials
were greeted at the airport by
Nsilo Swai, Tanganyikan Min-
ister of Commerce and Indus-
try and other officials.
Thirty farmers and six "trade
union leaders also left Tangan-
yika last week for a three week
study tour of Israel sponsored
by the Israeli Government.
Israel Good Will Pilgrims
Salute Curacao Leadership
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao —
Three hundred American-Jewish
good will visitors to Israel will
padse -here the afternoon' of Nov.
23 to pay homage to the cradle
of Jewish faith and culture in
the 'western hemisphere. They
will worship with "Mikve Israel",
the New World's pioneer Jewish
congregation in the older West-
ern Hemisphere synagogue still
in active use.
When that brand-new model in your dealer's show-
room steals your heart, let us put you behind the wheel
with a quick, convenient auto loan. You get our low
bank rates . . . and our experience can save -you both
time and effort. Tell your dealer you want to go with
Detroit Bank G. Trust or see us yourself.
the Most Experienced Bank in town
DETROIT BANK & TRUST
MEMBER FDIC
IS CONVENIENT OF
COPYRIGHT 3961 THE DETROIT BANK
a TRUST COMPANY
Send Your Delegates to:
Annual Histadrut City Conference
Thursda
16th, 1961
LABOR ZIONIST IN T1 UTE
8:30 p.m.