Political Consequences of Zionism,
Movement as Common Denominator in
Jewish Life, Described by Halperin
to be forming between those
who are for the cause and those
who are against it, with little
room for a third camp. I am not
willing to join those who are
against it, so I go over to the
others.' "
Dr. Samuel Halperin, former
assistant professor of political
science at Wayne State Univer-
sity, now • on leave from his De-
troit post as American Political
Science Association Congression-
al Fellow in Washington, has
produced a most thorough study
of the influence of Zionism in
his new book, "The Political
World of American Zionism,"
published by Wayne State Uni-
versity Press.
In his several years of study,
which included research in Is-
rael in 1958 on a_ fellowship
from the Wayne State Univer-
sity Research Committee, Dr.
Halperin has accumulated all the
basic data for his subject, and
his thoroughly anotated book con-
tains the basic material neces-
sary for an understanding of the
emergence of Zionism as "Vir-
tually the sole common denom-
inator in an otherwise badly-
divided community."
, Dr. Halperin's e f f e c t i v e
study delves deeply into the
opposition as well as the ad-
herents of Zionism and he
reaches this conclusion: "The
American Council for Juda-
ism did not provide effective
opposition to the Zionist
movement. Founded !n the
darkest days of World War II,
when the tragic fate of Euro-
pean Jewry was rapidly be- .
coming known to American
Jewry2 it presented no al-
ternative to the Zionist pro-
gram. That its peak formal
membership never amounted
to more than one or two per
cent of Zionist strength is a
significant indication of its fail-
ure to stem the tide of Zionist
influence in - the American
Jewish community. Further-
more, while it cannot be prac-
tically demonstrated that the
`psycho - pathological motiva-
tions' of Council members
were exactly as depicted by
While Dr. Halperin finds
that Zionist strength was not
impressive before World War
II, he shows how the move-
ment's "actual base of sup-
port" grew and "extended into
virtually ever ,y organized
group in the American Jew-.
ish population . .. Under the
pressure of world events and
Zionist proddings, numerous
Jewish and non-Jewish groups
explicitly made assistance for
Palestine a corallary object of
their major programs, albeit
without the 'ideological over-
tones' of some Zionist party
platforms."
Ben-Gurion Tells
JNF Not to Rest on
Laurels at 60th Fete
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
Showing hpw only the Ameri-
can Council for Judaism, among
all of the American Jewish or-
ganizations, was willing to be
placed in a position of a "wreck-
er of Jewish unity and welfare,"
Dr. Halperin explains that there
was a desire not to harm the
movement for a Jewish Pales-
tine, and he makes this point:
"Perhaps this marked unwill-
ingness to harm Jewish interests
in Palestine can most succinctly
be expressed by a statement of
U. S. Supreme Court Associate
Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo at
the time he joined the Zionist
Organization of America in 1918.
Confessing to Dr. Stephen S.
Wise that he had signed the
Zionist membership application .
with 'some misgivings' since he
was not yet an enthusiast for the
Zionist cause, Cardozo conclud-
ed: `. . . today, the line seems
JERUSALEM—Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion told a 60th
anniversary meeting of the Jew-
ish National Fund Wednesday
that its reason for being was not
fulfilled by its "glorious past,"
but rather depended on its cur-
rent work and plans for the
future.
The Prime Minister warned
that an attitude confined to
"preserving past achievements"
was doomed to failure. Yaacov
Tzur, JNF board chairman, re-
viewed the Fund's history and
aims.
Ydsef Weitz, chairman of the
Land Development Authority,
stressed that the work of forest
planting of the JNF would con-
tinue. Israel Goldstein, chair-
man of Keren Hayesod, extended
congratulations on the anniver-
sary as did representatives of a
number of settlements. Similar
rallies were held in Tel Aviv
and Haifa.
3"1 'l; P r,1 rq gr1
tv".twirl ryinpl
▪
r1 -17 . 7r
mr. ) .Nri
milt") nr114R
,-71 27p
—
,r77 1.1 i7 r1 47
nrp.c- T 7rItti
not
• l'e7R1
. . niNn
r1,.71;rm itcr717
rihwipn
t'7nr171I
1tOp
".0 27 e.),tr.
rmci
TO?Pt) 11`'
;7'2;7
7
.n`l?' P 7P'7
tr4inrix77 nitin
,77 -2inL? nItr,r)
411414(1929) to"rn rg4
▪
nInin
n,-71rrn
.nrn nitzi771 non
,irr1;774
(r this
• T
, 1 •
rrin none)
••
iii Born x,r1 •1-141-1 -mn
T
:
: V
r•IrTi4
T
nr.11 '4
Lnn tr..= 9'. nzn
t.t
rq7 . n74
,Lnr1V`' nr-r? 1 1?lrir.) t? inn 7?
- rpn L7tg Nie?tti non wry!
TIT;
x'73
n1;., ;. 1
- 177 7.'
wry) ,e,r xi174
ninn rr??Ip rr1474
-74
1 7t#
ro- T )47,5 wrj
T
7rs74,
•• :
••
• :
vtpirr. .nni7r14
hrrtr. '717 1127? 1?
tz,nv -117,
rr. V17
.inT4r ;14
L7tg nr T 1-77 -qprs? rY. T ptig
/ 2'71;
rin4ct
Zionist propagandists, the fact
remains that existence of the
anti-Zionist group provided
Zionists with a potent appeal
and a new incentive for in-
tensified activity. Exploiting
the alleged danger of Council
for Judaism activities to Jew-
ish group survival, and culti-
vating the picture of wealthy
anti-Zionists as 'Jewish escap-
ist' and 'self-hating' indivi-
duals, Zionist leadership found
a useful device to win over
previously apathetic sympa-
thizers to their ranks."
In a footnote, Dr. Halperin
relates that "an anecdote which
made the rounds shortly after
the establishment of Israel in
1948 declared that the Council
for Judaism would voluntarily
recdgnize the Jewish state — if
only Zionist leaders would
change the country's name from
Israel to Irving (the (American-
ized' form)."
Dr. Halperin's The Political
World of American Zionism"
has many merits — as history,
as a study of 'political maneuver-
ing, as an evaluative study of
Jewish leadership. The militancy
of Dr. Abba Hillel Silver in the
trying days of Zionist struggles
to secure political endorsements
for a Jewish Palestine, the ef-
forts of Stephen S. Wise, Louis
Lipsky, Emanuel Neumann and
scores of others; the activities
of the many Jewish communities
in this country and the support
that came from non-Jews—these
are reviewed factually and in
historical perspective.
While reviewing Zionism as
a political movement, Dr. Hal-
perin also devotes considerable
space to- an evaluation of the
status of the American Jewish
community and the reactions to
Zionism among American Jews
during the years of Zionist de-
velopments. Zionism and the
labor movements, the support
given the Zionist idea by labor
leaders; the controversy over
Partition, the negotiations with
non-Zionist Jews, the formation
of the American Jewish Confer-
ence, Christian America's inter-
est in Zionism and the support
that came from non-Jewish
groups, the problems of philan-
thropy and fund-raising — these
are many more issues and are
part of this very commendable
study.
Dr. Halperin has enriched his
book with many charts and valu-
able appendices. "The Political
World of American Zionism" is
in all respects a highly scholarly
and very informative work that
will always be rated among the
most important. historical an-
alyses of the Zionist cause.
"
Hebrew Corner
Hebron
The city of Hebron is the highest
(in altitude) in the Land of Israel.
Its altitude is about a thousand
meters above the Mediterranean
Sea. Hebron is now outside the
boundaries of the state of Israel,
and is under the government of the
Kingdom of Jordan.
Hebron is one of the oldest cities
in the world, and is 'mentioned
many times in the Bible. She was
the city of Kalev Ben Yefune, one
of the conquerors of Erets Israel
in the period of Joshua son of
Nun. In this city David started to
be King of Israel, till he captured
Jerusalem and made it his capital.
Still the main holiness emanates
on account of the graves of the
ancestors which are there. In a cave
called "Me'arat Hamachpela," are
buried Abraham and Sarah, Isaac
and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah — the
ancestors of the Hebrew Nation.
For hundreds and thousands of
years , the Jews accepted the cave
as a holy place and prayed in it.
When the arabs captured Palestine
about 1,300 years ago, they built
over it a mosque, a house of prayer
for Muslims.
In the last generations Hebron
was an important center (for study)
of Torah, But in the year of 1929 the
Jews were killed by brutal arabs
and the Jewish settlement was
destroyed.
Translation of Hebrew text,
Published by Brith Ivrith Olamith
in Jerusalem
Around the
A Digest of World Jewish Happenings
from Dispatches of the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency and Other News-Gathering Media.
United States
NEW YORK — Mrs, Golda Meir, Israel's Foreign Minister,
returned to Israel last week after heading Israel's United Nations
delegation for several weeks .. . The New York City Commis-
sion on Intergroup Relations announced this week that it
planned to extend , its operations into the field of fighting em-
ployment discrimination in 1962 . . . Ambassador Arieh Eshel,
Israel's Consul General-designate in New York, was reported
here as saying that his country "maintains its offer to its Arab
neighbors to enter into negotiations on a mutual disarmament
agreement in order to put an end to the waste of precious
resources" . . . The new Israeli freighter SS Teverya arrived
in New York harbor Monday morning on her maiden voyage,
the first maiden arrival in the port for the new year.
WILMINGTON, Del. — For the tenth year Rabbi Samuel A.
Friedman of this city spent Christmas on volunteer duty as
relief man at the New Hanover County sheriff's office, allowing
three deputies to spend the holiday at home with their families.
PHILADELPHIA — State Rep. Herbert Fineman has been
named chairman of a joint Pennsylvania State Government Com-
mission Task Force which will make a study of all laws relating
to proceedings against juveniles who get into trouble with the
law.
BEAUMONT, Tex. — The Beaumont Ministers Association
has elected a rabbi, Newton J. Friedman, to be its president for
the first time in its. history.
CLEVELAND — Norman Shaw, associate editor of the
Cleveland Press, has been named winner of the Spenser D. Irwin
Memorial Award, established by the Jewish Community' Federa-
tion of Cleveland to enable the recipient to visit Israel.
Latin America
RIO DE JANEIRO — An agreement providing for the
establishment of a chair in Hebrew Civilization at the University
of Brazil, was signed here by ISrael's Ambassador Yosef Tekoah
and university officials.
SAO PAULO — Two prominent Jewish citizens of this city,
Arnoldo Felmanas and Samuel del Giglio, have been honored
by the Sao Paulo Municipal Council for their contributions to-
ward various civic and national projects.
Israel
TEL AVIV—Israel's Finance Minister Levi Eshkol and
David Horowitz, governor of the Bank of Israel, will leave for
Washington next week for talks with officials of the Inter-
national Monetary Fund and World Bank on various aspects of
Israel's finances . . . Several far-reaching investment programs
for Israel planned by U.S: and Canadian investors have been
postponed pending clarification of the monetary situation in
Israel, it was reported here by the board of directors of Bank
Leumi.
JERUSALEM—Israel is now maintaining trade contacts with
78 countries on all continents with a total foreign trade of $800
million last year, Pinhas Sapir, minister of commerce and
industry has reported . . . An Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman
denied a report from London that Belgian-made, Israel-developed
"Uzi" submachine guns were among the equipment captured by
United Nations troops in Katanga . . . The Israel Port Authority
will seek bids within a month for construction of a new deep
sea harbor at Elat, Pinhas Ginsburg, director geheral of the
Transport Ministry, disclosed last week . . . Finance Minister
Levi Eshkol told Israel's parliament Tuesday that there will be
no rise in income taxes.
Hilton Rebukes Boycott Threats
Over Plans for Tel Aviv Hotel
NEW YORK, (JTA) — A
spokesman for the Hilton Inter-
national corporation said this
week that plans to operate a
hotel in Tel Aviv would not be
affected by a boycott, threat
from the American-Arab Asso-
ciation for Commerce and In-
dustry.
The threat was contained in
a letter to Conrad Hilton from
Alfred M. Lilienthal, secretary-
counsel of the association and
former , officer of the anti-
Zionist American Council for
Judaism.
In his letter, Lilienthal said
Le had just returned from a
meeting with the chairman of
the Arab boycott committee in
Damascus. Lilienthal told Hil-
ton that if he proceeds with his
plans in Israel, "it means the
loss of Hiltor. holdings in Cairo
and the end of any plans you
might have in Tunis, Baghcia(7,
Jerusalem or any Arab country.
"In addition, the Saudi royal
family, Egyptian btisinessmen,
Arabs and United States com-
panies who service the Arab
states, will not "stop at your
hotels."
The hotel leader replied
that "as Americans, we con-
sider Arabs and Jews our
friends and hope that ulti-
mately we can all live in
peace. There was no threat
from Israel when we opened
our Cairo hotel. Does your
commiltee also propose to
boycott the United States
,
government because it main-
tains diplomatic relations with
Israel?"
The hotel corporation spokes-
man said that negotiations had
been underway for some time
with Israeli developers for the
building of a hotel in Tel Aviv
which would be operated by the
hotel chain, its customary pro-
cedure. The spokesman said
that the Arab threat would have
no effect on the negotiations.
Gordon W. Reed, chairman of
Texas Gulf Refining Co., is pres-
ident of the American-Arab As-
sociation.
UN Secretary General
Names Egyptian Envoy
as Under-Secretary
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.,
(JTA) — Omar Loutfi, repre-
sentative of the United Arab
Republic, who has a lengthy
record of anti-Israel speeches in
the United Nations, has been
named as one of three new
Under-Secretaries by UN Acting
Secretary General U Thant.
Loutfi has served as legal
counselor to the Egyptian dele-
gation to the United Nations,
p e r m an ent representative `of
Egypt and later of the United
Arab Republic, his cttrrent post.
In the latter capacity he has
represented the regime of Pres-
ident Nasser on the Security
Council, the Economic and Social
Council and the Trusteeship
Council.