Purely Commentary

By

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Council Opposes
Congress School
Prayer Proposals

`Between You
... and Me'

Nasser's Boasts and Correspondents' Laughter
A bulletin emphasizing the
When Israel launched a rocket on July 5, 1961, the Arabs
were furious, as they well have a right to be every time the significance of the recent
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
little new nation shows signs of progress. The peoples of the Supreme Court prayer decision
(Copyright, 1962,
Arab nations have good cause to be furious over the failure and a str( ig protest against
of their leaders to elevate their economic and cultural standards.
Israel's Anxiety
But that anger did not come from the Arab peoples. It came any Constitutional amendments
Israel is, naturally, greatly worried by the fact that Nasser
from the potentates. It emanated from Cairo and Beirut. It designed to contravene it, were
able to do so
was an expression of jealousy coupled with fear of what may issued by the Jewish Commun- is amassing an offensive arsenal in Moscow and is
by diverting funds which he receives from the United States
develop from the progress attained by Israel. ity Council.
for internal economic development . . . and there are good
Now Nasser claims to have launched his own rocket and
In a letter to Senator East-
he boasts that he had one two months before Israel's rocket
reasons for Israel to be worried . .. A look at the list of arms
launching. In that case, what's he angry about? If it wasn't land, chairman of the U.S. which Nasser gets now from Moscow is sufficient to worry any-
Senate Judiciary Committee,
jealousy and fear then, what's he boasting about now?
Stanley J Winkelman, Council body who wants to see peace in the Middle East . . . The
Under such conditions, dealing with this type of "states-
president, took note of hearings principal items on this list are jet bombers—many of them—
manship," Israel must seek peace! What a sad position to be in!
scheduled to consider proposed
Making matters worse was another report from Cairo, Constitutional changes. Winkel- medium and heavy tanks, submarines and even a destroyer
early in the week, supplementing the boastful one about the man expressed the opposition . . . These include TU-16 long-range jet bombers-20 this year
rocket—to the effect that Saudi Arabian and Jordanism sub- of the Council "to any amend- and 40 more contracted—Also MIG fighter bombers-70 this
jects are being barred from Egypt.
ment which would in any way
140 which
So—it isn't Israel alone Nasser is at war with—but also weaken or diminish the guaran- year and 40 more to come next year, in addition to
are already in Nasser's possession . . . Also 60 IL-28 bomber-
his Arab kinsmen! It is far from a pretty picture!
tees set forth in the Bill of
In spite of this ugliness, there enters into Nasser's scheme Rights."
transports already delivered . . . In naval equipment, Moscow
of things the reaction of newspaper correspondents. The UPI
has given Nasser now at least one destroyer and two more
The proposed changes, Win-
report about Nasser's rocket states that when Nasser said that
submarines, bringing the total to seven destroyers and 12 sub-
the only military significance of his missile is "in the range they kelman stated, "would under-
worst
reach—a little south of Beirut," an obvious reference to Israel, mine important safeguards to marines .. . Should Israel not worry, seeing Nasser—its
the flourishing and freedom of enemy—acquire such a formidable aggressive arsenal? . . . And
he "drew laughter from some newsmen."
A world at peace can only hope . that "some newsmen" religion, and would contravene should the United States not look into the fact that Egypt, while
really meant a very few; for, if newsmen will ever begin to principles firmly established in getting American financial aid, spent about $70,000,000 last
year in Moscow for arms, and will spend this year $85,000,000,
consider the possibility of Israel's destruction to be a form of American tradition."
humor, it will be a sad day for the world. Newsmen must not
Copies of Winkelman's letter in addition to $145,000,000 to be spent for weapons to be
be humorless, but they must not tolerate a joke at the expense were sent to all the members delivered during the next two years?
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of human lives and world peace. It isn't even Galgenhumor of the Judiciary Committee, in-
in the German sense.
cluding Senator Philip A. Hart Washington's Arguments
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of Michigan, with the request
What has the State Department to say in its defense for
that the views of the Council
Prejudice and Envy That Inspired Anxiety
providing Egypt with dollars helping Nasser to buy Russian
What is happening today on Israel's borders is tantamount be incorporated in the record
arms? . . . State Department officials take the attitude that
to tragedy. Nasser's previous anger, resulting from envy, and of the hearing.
increased American aid to Egypt is consistent with Egyptian
prejudice. now is being transformed into a justified fear on
purchase of Soviet arms .. . They claim that there is no need
the part of Israel that the Egyptian dictator's threats to attack
for Egypt to divert American dollars received for domestic
Israel with his missiles and newly-acquired weapons may not
aid, and use them for buying arms in Moscow . . . They assert
be idle threats.
that Egypt has an excess of unused Soviet credits upon which
Because Nasser's new "strength" is the result of his
to draw . . . And they indicate that the American Embassy in
acquisition of Russian jet fighters and the aid he received from
In a court - approved s a I e, Cairo is strongly advising the State Department to continue its
West Germany to launch his rockets, there is a measure of
policy
of giving American financial aid to Nasser . . . They
justification of Israel's anxiety which may very well be Charles E. Feinberg, of Detroit, openly declare that they believe that such aid will strengthen
world
famous
collector
of
rare
termed fear.
the Middle East against "communist encroachment" . . . But
"We are getting ready," Nasser has told the world, in his manuscripts, on Tuesday pur- they fail to explain whether such "encroachment" has already
threat to attack Israel, and while he is saber-rattling the Western chased a Walt Whitman collec- not been partially achieved by Moscow in sending to Nasser
powers refuse to assist Israel militarily, our own State Depart- tion for $10,000.
His purchase, from Ethel hundreds of its agents as fliers, enginers and technicians to
ment utters sweet words to hush up Jewish protests against the
teach Egyptians how to use the arms acquired in Russia . . .
complacency that is threatening us with another world conflict, Browning Goldby, 75, a retired They also ignore the fact that the entire Egyptian military
and the Administration's declarations of friendship for Israel Los Angeles teacher, included machine is now becoming dependent on Russia to receive am-
41 letters, 21 postcards and six
sound hollow indeed.
munition and spare parts, thus Moscow is already in control
While all this is going on, Ben Bella, the Soviet and Nasser envelopes, written and addressed to a certain extent over Egypt . . . They are also mum on the
supported dictatorship-seeking Algerian anti-Israeli, is gaining by Whitman.
question as to whether the United States will take firm measures
The correspondence was writ- to guarantee that further American economic aid will not
control of the new Algerian government which has emerged
ten to the seller's uncle, Henry subsidize the dangerous escalation of Soviet weapons in Egypt
as another anti-Semitic pivot.
What can one expect in such a dynamite-charged situation Stafford, and his parents, George and other Arab countries neighboring Israel.
and Susan Stafford.
that menaces Israel's security?
Nasser's aggressive policies were outlined in a series of
Feinberg star t e d collecting
articles in the Sunday Times of London. A member of the British Whitman manuscripts when he
House of Commons, Stephen McAdden, writing to the Sunday was 17. He made his first pur-
Times on "the issues Nasser skipped," stated:
chase for $7.50 and now owns
"In your recent serialised interview with President Nasser half of the known existing 2,000
we are given a new and somewhat unfamiliar portrait of the Whitman letters. He said in Los - Isidore Sobelof f, executive creased central administrative
Egyptian leader as a man of moderation and foresight, con- Angeles, after making the latest vice-president of the Jewish duties and will direct the real
cerned above all with the improvement of the standard of liv-
purchase, that he will bequeath Welfare Federation, anounced estate and building division in
the Whitman collection to a changes in the Federation ad- the 1963 campaign.
ing of his people, a genuine progressive. It is all very gratifying
and very reassuring. If his hostility to Israel remains,.unabated, foundation. He is the owner of ministrative staff.
Mrs. Samuel Chapin has been
this is reflected only in a brief, if decidedly menacing, con- some of the world's rarest Jew-
named controller of the Federa-
Sol
Drachler,
secretary
of
the
ish books and ceremonial objects,
cluding passage.
tion. Mrs. Chapin was head of
"I wonder, however, whether this picture really stands including the first copy of Herzl's education budget and planning the Federation accounting de-
division,
who
directed
the
mer-
"Judenstatt" and scores of other
up to any detached examination. In his conversations with your
partment from 1936-1945. After
items. He has given important cantile division of the Federa- leaving Federation, she became
correspondent, Nasser has quite obviously found it convenient,
tion
annual
drive
for
funds,
the
Whitman and other manuscripts
though with charm and elegance, to skip over controversial
a volunteer. She was president
to the H e b r e w University in Allied Jewish Campaign, has of the Sheruth League, and
issues, in order to avoid stating his position on a number of
been
promoted
to
administrative
Jerusalem
and
many
gifts
to
matters which might not be acceptable to a Western public.
active in community affairs as
assistant. Drachler will have in-
"A small, but not insignificant, example of this kind American universities.
treasurer of the Fresh Air So-
occurs in his comment that "since the resignation of General
ciety. She was the author of
aid and encouragement in improving the lot of his Egyptian
Neguib in 1954, the full leadership of the revolutionary move-
"The 50-Year History of the
ment has been in my hands." The truth, of course, was that
citizens, who have lived on an abysmal standard of living
Organized Jewish Community."
General Neguib did not resign. Colonel Nasser, as he then
for centuries. However, there seems to be little prospect of
Milton Weiner, a research
his achieving that himself as long as he spends hundreds
was, having initially set him up as a respected figurehead,
case worker for the Federal
of millions of pounds on armaments from the Soviet bloc Foster Homes Research Project,
after exploiting him to the full, ousted Neguib and he has been
in order to strengthen his ability to intervene in the affairs
kept under house arrest ever since.
in Detroit, a former member
"Particularly eloquent are the things that President
of the staff of the Jewish
of other countries.
"It is estimated that in the course of the past year, at
Nasser chose not to mention in his story. Thus, there is no
Family and Children Service,
a time when Nasser boasts that by comparison with ten years
has been named secretary of
reference to the Nazi officers to whom he gave asylum and
the community relations budget
who helped initially to build up his armed forces and propa-
ago he has nearly tripled the amount spent on arms, including
the purchase from the Soviet Union of the latest MIG 21's and
and planning division, and di-
ganda machine. Nor does he tell us of his espousal of
rector of the arts and crafts
TU 16 bomber planes, he has received an amount estimated
Gizenga in the Congo or of how he made Cairo a hotbed for
division of the campaign. A
at over two hundred million dollars in financial, technical
the most extreme African nationalists. lie ignores, too, the
native Detroiter, Weiner holds
violent propaganda against Britain and her allies which pours
and other aid from the United States.
"It would be tragic if Nasser were allowed to proceed a B.A. and Masters degree in
incessantly from Radio Cairo to Africa and the Middle East.
education and social work from
with the implementation of imperialist dreams which con-
Significantly, too, whilst claiming that the Russian threat of
Wayne State University. He is
tinue to upset the international stability of virtually every
"atomic blitz" forced Britain and the French to accept a
a member of the Academy of
cease-fire during the Suez crisis, he fails to offer a word of
country throughout the region of the Middle East."
credit to America for her support of his regime during those
It is clear that Nasser is a threat not to Israel alone but Certified Social Workers.
menaces
Milton Goldinher, Atlantic
critical days.
to the world at large, to the other Arab states. He
"President Nasser fails, of course, to mention the endless peace, yet he gets aid from our own Government even in his City, NJ., a former member of
the
United Jewish Appeal cam-
lists of conspiracies and other acts of subversion in the Middle
accumulation of Soviet-made weapons that may be used not
East and Africa, which, in pursuance of these objectives,
only to destroy Israel but also to gain control of other Arab paign staff, will be director of
were hatched in Cairo and which brought him into direct countries, to strengthen the hands of Ben Bella and to be a the professional division of the
campaign. Goldinher holds a
conflict at one time or another with virtually every country
constant threat to the peace of the world.
In this glorious age, when the world should be united in B.A. degree from Transylvania
in the Middle East from Tunis and the Sudan across to Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and the Lebanon. In the course
friendship, when the globe is shrinking as a result of Telstar College, Lexington, Ky. He was
of the past several years indeed, the Security Council of the and other man-made miracles, the Iron Curtain remains an an intelligence officer in World
obstacle to amity, and Nasser is the Kremlin's major tool in War II and was recalled to
United Nations has been seized repeatedly with complaints
the Middle East. No wonder many Israelis and other kinsmen active duty as an intelligence
submitted by other countries against Egypt.
officer during the Korean War.
elsewhere are in jitters!
"Nasser should, of course, receive every form of active

THE DETR OIT JE WI S H NEW S

Boris Smolar's

Feinberg Buys
Whitman Papers

Executive Changes, Promotions
Announced by Welfare Federation

,