Heart of Our Commztnal Life ...THE JEWISH NEWS Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle connnencing with issue of July 20, 1951 h' SiE Member American Association of English—Jewisb Newspapers, Michigan Press Associations, National Editorial Association. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscription $5 a year. Foreign $6. Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1952 at Post Office, Detroit, Mich., under act of Congress of . March 8, 1879. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher SIDNEY SHMARAK Advertising Manager CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ HARVEY ZUCKERBERG Business Manager City Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the tenth day of Kislev, 5722, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: - . Pentateuchal portion, Way-yeze, Gen. 28:10-32:3. Prophetical portion, Hosea 12:13-14:10. Licht Benchen. Friday, Nov. '17, 4:51- p.m. VOL. XL. No. 12 Page Four November 17, 1961 Misconceptions in Arab Refugee Issue A major issue in the present General Assembly of the United Nations will be the Arab refugee problem, and all of the vituperative talk that had been heard in the United Nations during the past 12 years undoubtedly will be repeated by Arab spokesmen. There are many misconceptions about the tragic problems of the refugees, and it is important that the basic facts should be known. The debate is certain to revolve around the UN Resolution 194 adopted by the General Assembly on Dec. 14, 1948. Paragraph III of that resolution `reads: "The General Assembly .. . CALLS UPON the Governments and authorities concerned to extend the scope of the negotia- tions proVided for in the Security Council resolution of 16 November 1948 and to seek agreement by negotiations conducted either with the Conciliation Commission or directly with a view to the final settlement of all questions outstanding between them; "INSTRUCTS the Conciliation Commission to take steps to assist the Governments and au"- thorities concerned to achieve a final settlement of all outstanding questions between them." Paragraph XI, the one out of the 14 dealing with the refugees, provided that: "the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date," and instructed the Conciliation Commission "to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refu- gees and the payment of compensation." The Arab delegations voted against this resolution. Now, however, they are using it in distorted fashion in claims for the "right to return." It will be noted that the resolution emphasizes facilitation not only of repatriation but also "resettle- ment" and "payment of compensation," points which were emphasized by Pres- ident Kennedy in his letter to heads of Arab states on May 11. By their refusal to confer with Israel's spokesmen in plan- ning a solution in line with the original resolution, the Arab states are obstruct- ing peace. There is no doubt that their UN representatives . will again resort to obstructionism in the forthcoming debate. The United States, as the supporter of the Arab refugees in their camps to the tune of $ 250,000.000 during the last decade — a sum that represents 65 per cent of the total expended for that pur- pose—will be compelled to play a major role in the deliberations. Our delegates to the UN General Assembly will be called upon to suggest a solution to a probleni whose solution is long overdue. It is vital that the sentiments expressed by Con- gress should be taken into consideration by the U.S. delegates. The following excerpts from the re- port of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 27th Congress, included in the Mutual Security Act of 1961, dated Aug. 4, 1961. mnst be taken info considaration: "The committee regrets that only limited progress has been made to solve the problem of the Palestine Arab refugees. Some progress has been made within recent years because refugees who have acquired skills have found employment and have been absorbed in the local economy. -The United Nations Relief and Works Agency now plans to expand the vocational training program in order to stimu- late employment of the refugees, and part of the funds included in this year's authorization for the U.S. contribution to UNRWA are to be used for this vocational training program. Nevertheless, progress toward a final solution remains regrettably slow. The only favorable developments during the past year were (1) real progress in the rectification of UNRWA relief rolls and (2) an expanded program of vocational training. While the committee con- tinues to support the program, it is of the opinion that more vigorous action is needed to bring the refugee problem to an acceptable and early solution. The committee believes that the vast majority of the refugees will eventually have to be resettled in lands where there is room and opportunity for them. "The committee has been informed that aid to Israel will, in the future, stress loans and food for peace. Under difficult circumstances Israel has achieved impressive economic devel- opment, so that for the first time in 10 years, grant assistance has not been programmed for Israel. The committee is of the opinion that Israel should continue to receive development loans and other forms of economic aid at levels high enough to insure continued development. Should circumstances arise which find Israel again in need of grant aid, the committee believes that the administration should deal sympathetically with any such request. "It should be stressed that Israel has strug- gled for stability at great odds in a disturbed area. Lack of peace and economic relations with her neighbors has led Israel to snake large expenditures for security and survival. Israel has never received grant military aid or defense support under the mutual security program. Under these circumstances, the committee con- tinues to be concerned about Israel's progress." Israel has made offers of repatriation which she has been compelled to abandon in view of changing conditions. It should be remembered that half a million Arabs had left Israel and that their number has grown to a million. If the tragedy of these people in refugee camps is permitted to drag on, that number will continue to increase, and the wrong impression is given that the children, who form half the number of the -present hordes of refugees, also have been expatriated. To solve the problem, Israel's views must be respected, and a serious effort must be made to arrive at . a lasting solu- tion. Israel stands ready to assume respon- sibility for compensation. Through proper resettlement of the refugees in Arab countries, together with compensations, a halt can be called soon to - the issue. The United Nations must take into view the fact that as many Jews had been forced to leave Arab countries as the number of those who left Israel in haste in 1948 at the behest of their leaders and against the- appeals made to them by Palestinian Jewry that they should re- main where they - were. It is a tragic issue and it must be solved. But it can not be remedied through obstructionism and the search for "moral" weapons by Arabs against Israel. The United Nations can emerge a strong force for good by compelling'-an Arab-Israel accord on this and on other questions involving the peace of the Mid- dle East. If it fails to exercise courage during the coming debate, it will be yielding to pressures that lead to pro- longation of war threats. Well may all of us pray that the UN will emerge strength- ened and ready to act realistically and firmly on this as on other issues. Thanksgiving In his Thanksgiving message, Pres- ident Kennedy emphasized that while we, as a nation, have reason "to be thankful for the abundance of our blessings," we must not be "unmindful of the plight of those in many parts of the world to whom hunger is no stranger and the plight of those millions more who live without the blessings of liberty." The President has spoken in the spirit of the Hebraic tradition of Sukkot whence stems the idea of the American Thanks- giving. His message inspires us to strive for the perpetuation of the freedoms we enjoy and to labor to the end that all perils shall perish from the earth. 4 Noteworth JPS Paperbacks Korn's Civil War Book ; Baeck , Parkes, Trachtenberg -Volumes Four important volumes have just been issued by the Jewish Publication Society, jointly with Meridian Books of World Publishing Co., in popularly priced paperbacks. Included among them is "American Jewry and the Civil War," by Rabbi Bertram W. Korn. The centenary of the Civil War makes the -republication of this book, and its availability as a low-priced paperback, especially timely. Allan Nevins has written the introduction' to Rabbi Korn's book. Equally significant in this new series of paperbacks is the series of essays by the late Leo Baeck, "Judaism and Christianity," translated and introduced by another eminent scholar, Walter Kaufmann. The Conflict of the Church and the Synagogue," by the well known Christian theologican, Dr. James Parkes, is a study in the origins of anti-Semitism. It is the lengthiest in this new group of paperbacks. The fourth title is "The Devil and the Jews," by Rabbi JoShua Trachtenberg. It offers explanations of the medieval conception of the Jew in relation to modern anti-Semitism. 'What Ship? Where Bound?', Refugee Ship Running Novel One of the most dramatic stories of the century relates to the attempts to smuggle refugees into Palesine, before the establish- ment of Israel, by ship runs that sought to break through the British blockades. The British resorted to every means at their disposal to prevent the arrival of escapees from Hitlerism or any others who aspired to settlement in Palestine. But from many ports there came thousands of immigrants who risked their lives, Whb faced the danger of having their ships sunk —only to escape the humiliations they were subjected to in lands of oppression and in concentration camps. The story of one such ship is told in a novel by Shepard Rifkin, entitled "What Ship? Where Bound?" and_: published by Knopf (501 Madison, N.Y. 22). Rifkin, a 43-year-old New Yorker who grew up in Omaha, served in the Merchant Marine in the last war. He loves the sea and his novel shows the deep knowledge he has about the sea and seamen, about life on boats and at ports. 1vIuch of this novel is devoted to preparations for the trip to pick .up- the refugees who sought entrance into Palestine on the Felicidad, an, old vessel that was purchased for the trip and was sent on its difficult voyage. The title of the book is from the inquiries made of all vessels entering the Mediterranean by the Gibraltar Signal Station: "What Ship? Where Bound?" When that was addressed to the Felicidad when it approached the Palestinian shore, there was no answer. Then the British boarded the ship to take charge of the newcomers for deportation. It recalls the Cyprus chapter in the Jewish-British struggle, the Exodus and other incidents. - Rifkin's novel assumes particular importance because of its vivid descriptions of - the seamen's activities, but- more especially because the author shows the battle for control of immigration and the search for political superiority between Haganah and the Revi- sionists. The enmity that existed between the two at times-hindered progress in moving the immigrants and threatened -Jewish unity. "What Ship? Where Bound" is an ably written. novel that adds to an understanding of the trying period during which the flight of Jews fOr safety in the Jewish. National Home was a major strug- gle for human rights. Two Children's Hanukah Stories . Among the books published for very young children is one especially timely for Hanukah. It is the 2-in-1 story book issued by Ktav (65 Suffolk, N.Y. 2). The two stories, "The Singing Shammos" and "The Gelt That Grew," deal with the Hanukah theme—the Hanukah gelt given a youngster as a reward for his having given up a subway token to a lady who had no money with her at the subway, and the compe- tition among candles for the Shammos position. Ruth Samuels authored the stories and the illustrations were drawn by Ezekiel Schloss.