Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
A campaign of Merit
—
and a Dedicated Chairman
Our Allied Jewish Campaign has ended in triumph . The
hoped-for million-dollar increase over last year has not material-
.ized because of adverse economic conditions, but the quarter-
million additional sum secured over the 1961 income represents
such a remarkable success that the campaign organization is
deserving of highest commendations for its efforts in the drive.
Detroit remains one of the hardest hit communities in the
economic recession that began four years ago, but in spite of
the slump the Jewish community evinces deep devotion to its
local and national needs and to the responsibilities to Israel.
In spite of the economic obstacles, our campaign organiza-
tion has made the 1962 Allied Jewish Campaign one of the five
best years in the history of our community drives. This is a
direct result of the work of Paul Zuckerman, of the tireless
devotion of his associates, of the able guidance he has received
from Isadore Sobeloff, the dynamic campaign director. We
would have been much happier to be able to congratulate
ourselves on a much larger income, which would have assured
the extra funds so urgently needed by the United Jewish
Appeal for the increasing immigration into Israel, but there is
no sense deploring the impossible. The possible was attained
—under great stress, by men and women of devotion who under-
stood the pressing needs. The community is to be congratulated
that the accomplishment for 1962 is as great as it is. We can
congratulate ourselves on having had such good leadership—
under the Zuckerman-Sobeloff-et-al direction.
Vatican's Ecumenical Council Expected
To Discuss Removal of Jewish Stigma
ROME, (JTA) — The Ecu- ally interested• in having the
menical Council, to be convened Council condemn anti-Semitism
here by Pope John XIII next and modify the emphasis in the
October, is expected to dis- Catechism on Jews as "God kill-
cuss way of removing from the ers."
Jews the stigma of "slayers of
In New York, The American
God," Augustin Cardinal Bea Jewish Committee commended
told representatives of the press Cardinal Bea's statement, call-
here this week.
ing it "a highly significant ad-
Cardinal Bea was the con- vance, a major step forward in
fessor of the late Pope Pius XII, the betterment of relations be-
Vatican's Secretariat fo rthe tween Catholics and Jews."
Union of Christians, planning'
Louis C a p l a n, of Pitts-
the agenda for the Ecumenical burgh, a committee president,
Council.
declared: "The exploration of
The Catholic Church, said
the Cardinal, recognizes that
a principal reason for anti-
Semitic persecutions through
the ages has been the fact
that the Jewish people were
blamed by Christians for the
crucifixion of Jesus. It is
high time for this stigma to
be removed, the Cardinal
said.
Under Pope John XIII, va-
rious steps toward reduction of
anti-Semitism have already been
taken. Two years ago, the Pope
revised the Easter ritual so as
to eliminate references to "per-
fidious Jews" allegedly respon-
American Jewry's Role in Battle for Justice for Israel
sible for the killing of the
In their interesting review of America's continuing battle
Christ. Vatican sources indi-
against bigotry in politics, in their book, "Religion and the
cated that some Jewish sug-
Presidency — A Recurring American Problem," (Macmillan), g e s t ons for the Ecumenical
Edward J. Richter and Berton Dulce recall that during the Council have been received.
last Presidential campaign Mrs. Margaret Sanger. the famous Jewish organizations are especi-
leader in the world movement for birth control, said, in Honolulu,
that she would "find another place to live" than America if
Kennedy became President. After the election, in Arizona, to World Bank May
quote the two authors, "Mrs. Sanger said she would wait and
see what happened in the first year of Kennedy's administration Loan $30 Million
before deciding whether to move out of the country."
for Roads in Israel
JERUSALEM, (JTA) — Ex-
What Mrs. Sanger failed to take into account at the outset
was that, while she was fighting for certain of her principles in perts of the International Bank
this country, she might have had a harder time to gain her for Reconstruction and Develop-
objectives in the "other place" she might have chosen to live ment were in Israel Monday, ex-
amining the government's master
in.
plan for extending, widening and
A parallel to this story was reported during the United Na- improving Israel's highways, pre-
tions Security Council debate on the Israel-Syrian crisis, when paratory to a World Bank loan
a Detroiter, in anger over the unjust action of the Security of $30,000,000 toward financing
Council in censuring Israel while ignoring the illegal attacks of the comprehensive road pro-
on Israel by Syria, in protest against the unfair position taken ject.
by the U.S . delegates to the UN in sponsoring the one-sided
The experts are expected to
anti-Israel resolution, said he - would move to Israel and subject have their final report ready for
himself to "voluntary exile."
submission to the World Bank
Like Mrs. Sanger. the Detroiter's threat also was in anger. He executive board scheduled to
meet next September.
protested justifiably, but with a lack of realism.
The entire project, if finally
The fact is that many people protested against the U.S.
position, that members of both Houses of our Congress criticized approved by the World Bank,
will involve costs totaling 180,-
Adlai Stevenson for his stand against Israel.
000,000 Israeli pounds ($60,000,-
But if justice is to be attained, it is such a status that must 000). The construction work is
be retained — the position of an American's right to criticize to begin during the 1962-63 fis-
his President and his Government when he sees either or both cal year, and is expected to last
in the wrong. But by going into "exile" we do not strengthen six years.
such elementary rights but weaken them.
The rebuke to Israel by the UN was as hasty and as unwise
as a threat to leave this country. One does not, however, escape
from realities. A citizen does not attain his rights by running
away from the battlefield — and the struggle for justice for
Israel is a fight for fairness in which level-headed Americans of all
faiths will play an important role.
One resolution of censure does not destroy a state that is
fighting for its autonomous rights. Neither does it destroy the faith
that all citizens of all lands must have that even so grave a wrong
as a one-sided resolution against Israel will one day be atoned for.
Indeed, the protesting citizen, like Mrs. Sanger, is expected to
remain here. He'll do well to condemn injustice on home ground:
here the right ideas are sure to take root in the course of time.
•
•
Gen. Weizmann
on Bond Tour
•
The Babi Yar Tragedy: Is There a New Russian Attitude?
Babi Yar is the Russian synonym for Buchenwald, Auschwitz
and the many other Nazi centers of mass murders of Jews during
the horrible holocaust. Located near Kiev, in the USSR, it was the
scene of the mass murder of tens of thousands of Jews who lie
buried there—many of them having been buried alive.
Yet, the Soviet Russian leaders had prevented Jewish research.
ers and tourists from going there to witness the site of the mass
crime.
Last year, the Russian poet, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, aroused
worldwide interest with his poem in which he lamented the fact
that there were no memorials to the victims of Nazism at Babi Yar.
It seemed as if the Communist leaders wished to reduce the magni-
tude of the Nazi crime against the Jews; they were only interested
in exposing nazi-Fascism as it affects the present East-West crisis,
as it helps Communism, as it harms West Germany.
Last week, however, the Russian playwright, Aleksandr Y.
Korneichuk, addressing the Supreme Soviet National Parliament,
revived the Babi Yar story and spoke of the sufferings of Jews
and Poles as well as Russians. He likened Babi Yar to Auschwitz
and Buchenwald.
Does this mean a change in Russia's attitude? Is there a return
to reality? Are the Communists ready to recognize the facts of the
great Nazi crimes—even if Jews will be proven to have been the
major victims in the world tragedy?
Conditions change so rapidly and so often in Soviet attitudes
that only time will tell what actually is happening in the new
Russian approach. Perhaps some measure of historic justice will
yet emerge from the Kremlin.
the relationship of religious
teachings to the persecution
of Jews suggested by Cardi-
nal Bea for the forthcoming
Ecumenical Council in Octo-
ber represents a profoundly
courageous move which is
bound to reduce the barriers
of bias that have led to mis-
understanding and conflicts
between Jews and Christ-
ians."
Caplan paid specific tribute
to Pope John XIII "for having
ushered in a new spirit of un-
derstanding and rapproachment
which have provided a basis
for overcoming ancient an-
tagonisms."
He said that "His Eminence,
Cardinal Bea, has also worked
actively to create a new atmos-
phere of friendship and im-
proved relationships between
Christians and Jews."
Edward Kennedy Says U.S. Won't
Hesitate to Take Stand for Israel
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
MONTREAL — Edward Ken-
nedy, of Boston, youngest brother
of President Kennedy, said here
Monday night that an Arab at-
tack against Israel would be re-
garded by the American Govern-
ment as similar to a Communist
attack against West Berlin.
He was the principal speaker
here at an Israel Bond "Negev"
dinner honoring Samuel Bronf-
man.
"We have not hesitated to take
a stand on Berlin," Kennedy said,
"and we would not hesitate to
take a stand on Israel.
"Gamal Abdel Nasser, the pres-
ident of the United Arab Repub-
lic, has dedicated himself to the
destruction of Israel. He shall not
succeed.
"Israel is a model for the
underdeveloped nations that can
see there what can be accom-
plished in the building of cities
from the desert and the raising
of gardens from waste places."
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
.. and Me'
(Copyright, 1962,
Jewish TelegriipMc Agency, Inc.)
The American Scene
The Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith belongs to those
Jewish organizations which do not make public their annual
reports . . . Instead, its executives publish from time to time
books aiming to show that the ADL keeps its fingers constantly
on the pulse of the people in this country, to check symptoms
of anti-Jewish bias . . . Such a book—authored jointly by
Benjamin R. Epstein and Arnold Forster—has made its appear-
ance now . . . It carries the title "Some of My Best Friends,"
which makes it clear that it deals with social anti-Semitism
rather than with the vulgar hate peddlers and rabble rousers
. . . How strong is social anti-Semitism in America today? . . .
The authors show that social discrimination against Jews is still
strongly rooted among certain elements of "social supremacists"
in this country, even thought some of them, when charged with
anti-Jewish bias, claim that some of their best friends are Jews
. . . It is under the influence of these elements that Jews are
not admitted today to hundreds of city and country clubs, to many
sports places, to numerous summer resort hotels, and are also
barred from certain neighborhoods . . . These discriminations
are often camouflaged in a subtle manner and are accepted by
Americans who are not against Jews but who have no courage
to show resistance to those who are more vigorous in keeping
the Jews excluded . . . Then there is also anti-Jewish discrimina-
tion in employment—primarily in banks, insurance companies,
large accounting firms and in certain heavy industries where Jews
are not promoted to executive positions ... And, in a number of
colleges, a quota system for the admission of Jewish students
are still being practiced . . . There are also some student fra-
ternities where Jews are still not wanted as members . . . Break-
throughs have been made during the last years against some
of these barriers, but a lot is yet to be done to combat the polite
snobbish prejudice against Jews as well as the rude forms of
anti-Jewish discrimination.
Evaluating Anti Semitism
-
Brig. Gen. EZER WEIZ-
M A N N, commander-in-chief
of the Israel Air Force and
one of his country's outstand-
ing military heroes, is com-
ing for a five-week tour of
major communities in the
United States and Canada in
behalf of the Israel Bond
drive. A nephew of the late
Dr. Chaim Weizmann, first
President of the State of Is-
rael, Gen. Weizmann will aid
the drive to sell a minimum
of $66,500,000 in Israel Bonds
during 1962 for the develop-
ment of Israel's economy,
with special emphasis on the
Negev.
The book by Epstein, the national ADL director, and Forster,
ADL's general counsel, is full of facts and figures . .. But there
is little in the book that has not been published already in the
press . .. It is against the background of the facts long revealed
by the ADL that the authors of the book made their evaluations
. . . They come to the conclusion that, of all forms of discrimina-
tion, employment discrimination is the least virulent because
non-Jews profess themselves more willing to work than to live
alongside Jews, or to associate with them on a personal friend-
ship basis . . . They do not consider the discrimination in some
of the professional careers hopeless . . . They establish that dis-
crimination is an irritant for an American who is a Jew, but not
a crippling disability . . . They report that the situation in the
colleges with regard to Jews, as well as in the student fra-
ternities, has been improving and they believe that it will con-
tinue to improve .. But they consider the situation still difficult
with regard to the restrictions practiced against Jews in clubs,
resorts and "exclusive" neighborhoods ... They rightly point out
that discriminatory actions and patterns of parents have an
impact on the attitudes of their children . . . The children, grow-
ing up in an atmosphere of social discrimination, are ready to
practice such discrimination also in college and in later years of
their life . . . This is why the authors lay special stress on the
need to fight social bias . . . To them, social-minority-group
discrimination in personal relations is the basis of all other forms
of discrimination.