. Political
Deicide Fable .
By Philip
Definitions . . . An Unholy
SIOMOYitZ
Fraternization with Nasser
* Today her thanks shall fly
demnation of those who resort to "undignified pressure" in a matter
on every wind,
that is strictly Christian responsibility resulting from church guilt in
Unstinted, unrebuked, from
the crime against Jews from the time of Paul. Jesus himself could
shore to shore.
not and would not have been a party to deification and to en- * One love, one hope, and not
couraging a deicide charge against his people because he was a devout
a doubt behind!
Cannon to cannon shall
Jew,

Purely Commentar

Definitions in Political Alignments

Ode to July 4th

On the eve of the Republican National Convention, we are
certain to be treated to scores of definitions of conservatism, liberal-
ism, reactionaries, radicalism, progressivism.
With Senator Barry Goldwater in the center of controversy, there
will be a search for evaluations of the positions of the candidates who
repeat her praise,
will vie for the highest office in the land against President Lyndon A U.S. Ambassador's Friendship for Nasser
* Banner to banner flap it
Goldwater
B. Johnson. Asked for his view of the term conservative,
forth in flame:
When Israel emerged as an independent state, George Weller,
Her children shall rise up
recently said:
correspondent
for
the
Chicago
Daily
News
in
Arab
capitals,
was
looked
to bless her name,
"A conservative, briefly, has a philospohy based upon the proven upon with suspicion and was suspected as being unduly anti-Israel. In
values of the past. When we seek answers for the problems of today recent years, Weller in a sense disproved that charge. He has been * And wish her harmless
length of days,
we look to the past to see if those problems existed. Generally, they reporting from Cairo and Beitur objectively and many of his reports
have. So we ask: What was the answer? Did it work? If it did, let us
The mighty mother of a
have been more revealing.
mighty brood,
try it again."
Most interesting among his recent reports is a story he sent to * Blessed in all tongues and lc
The average voter will no doubt be puzzled by it. It implies shun-
ning changes, and a progressive will question the validity of failing to his paper from Cairo regarding the former U.S. ambassador to the
dear to every blood
look ahead, of taking into account the advances that have been made. United Arab Republic, who had established a close friendship with *
The beautiful, the strong,
Even the most conservative Republicans have, in years gone by, ac- Nasser. Weller reported:
and, best of all, the
Prof. John S. Badeau, the tall, genial U.S. ambassador here, is
cepted the new mores that were introduced by their opponents. Sena-
good.
ending his three-year tour with his close friend, President Gamal
tor Javits' credo recently incorporated in his book, "Order of Battle—
—James
Russell Lowell
Abdel Nasser, leading a chorus of hosannas, not for the United
A Republican's Call to Reason" (Atheneum), certainly is based on
(1819-91
States but for the U.S.S.R.
progressive changes.
't***********************1
Senator Carl T. Curtis had a much longer definition of a conser-
Though the United States has given the United Arab Republic
$2
of
assistance
for
every
$1
from
the
Soviet
Union
during
Badeau's
vative, thus:
Cultural Delegation
"A conservative is one who seeks to conserve the forces of progress.
term, the imbalance doesn't worry Badeau.
"A conservative believes in the dignity, ability, intelligence and
From Israel Honored
An engineer and Presbyterian minister, he is returning to his
destiny of the individual; that the individual, with the aid of Divine first love: teaching. He will direct some 100 graduate students in
at
Moscow Reception
guidance, plus education, vision and hard work, can •neet his responsi-
Columbia's Institute of Middle East Studies.
MOSCOW (JTA) — The three
bilities in life with a minimum reliance on government.
Nasser is not happy to see Badeau leave. They often have con-
members of an Israeli cultural
"He believes that individuals can be trusted to own property, that
equitable rules should govern the economic contests among men and ferred more than once a month, about 50 times in all. Badeau's flu-
delegation were honored by lead-
ing Soviet musicians and cultural
that in such contests government should be the umpire and not a par- ent command of Arabic, learned in his missionary days in Iraq, has
been a bond.
officials at a reception held in the
ticipant. He believes that men ought to be masters of their government
So has the unrestrained generosity with which the United States Friendship House here, it was re-
and that government should be limited to the public needs of the
has given the U.A.R. $20,000,000 a year in aid.
ported by the No v o s t i Press
people as a whole."
Contrary to these views, Max Ascoli, editor and publisher of Re-
Badeau has assured Nasser that his departure at this time does
Agency.
not mean that Washington is peeved by Nasser's open favoritism for
The Israelis were Zvi Haftel, an
porter Magazine, thus describes a liberal:
Israel violinist; the manager of
the Soviets.
"A liberal is a man who cultivates the skills that make freedom
the Israeli Philharmonic Orches-
operational. He is always a man on special assignment."
"The Johnson administration has followed the same policy here
This Commentator's review of "Woodrow Wilson's Own Story"
tra; and Eli Peleg, the national
as the Kennedy administration and I am in harmony with both,"
which was edited by Donald Day, based on President Wilson's
secretary of the Israel i-USSR
said Badeau.
writings in The Jewish News, Oct. 31, 1952), contained the follow-
Friendship Movement.
This disclaimer, however, did not remove the definitely sour
Among the Soviet personalities
ing:
taste caused by the acceptance of Badeau's resignation, which was
Politicians in our time are debating heatedly the meanings of
who greeted the Israeli guests
first offered in January, right after Nasser and Soviet Premier
designations given to men in public life. On Jan. 23, 1911—a year
were Prof. Lev Ginzburg, stage
Nikita Khrushchev created a new partnership of power along the
before he became President—Wilson thus defined political party terms:
director Victor Kommisarzhevsky,
Red Sea shipping lanes.
RADICAL—one who goes too far.
noted pianist Prof. Yakov Flier,
American
policy
under
Badeau
has
been
steered
in
a
direction
enough.
not
go
far
CONSERVATIVE—one who does
composer Gavril Popov and lead-
suggesting
that
the
late
John
Foster
Dulles
was
a
skinflint
for
not
REACTIONARY—one who does not go at all.
ing artist of the Moscow Bolshoi
giving
Nasser
$350,000,000
for
the
Aswan
high
dam.
In
an
easy-
Hence we have invented the term label.
Theater Vera Duldova.
PROGRESSIVE, to mean one who (a) recognizes new facts and going, penitential mood, Badeau has been the agent for distributing
The Israeli guests expressed
nearly four times as much aid—$1,199,000,000, according to U.S. Em-
adjusts law to them. and who (b) attempts to think ahead constructively.
their- gratitude for the reception
Progress must build, build tissues, must be cohesive, must have a plan bassy figures.
and explained they were con-
Rarely in the history of U.S. aid has so much produced so little
at its heart.
ducting talks in Moscow on cul-
conservative,
in political results. Almost the only thing the United States has
There will be lots of talk in the months ahead, and the
tural exchange programs be-
who. in Wilson's mind, was "one who does not go far enough," will gained is a slight abatement of the Nasser campaign against Israel,
tween Israel and t h e Soviet
have much to defend. By the same token, progressives and liberals will
which was necessary anyway because one third of his troops were
Union.
committed in Yemen.
be equally on the defensive.
"We are immensely impressed
Interesting debates will be on our political agenda. The Presi-
Misgivings about Badeau's ability to influence Nasser or even to
by the sincerity and warmth shown
dential campaign certainly provides material for good training for
read his intentions began to arise in October 1962. Assured by Ba-
us in various state and public or-
the maturing citizens.
deau's tender of a three-year aid contract, Nasser launched his ganizations we visited during our
Perhaps Senator Goldwater will draw upon George Santayana's
Yemeni adventure, thus putting the United States in the position
first three days in Moscow," the
assertion: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
of vainly trying to persuade Nasser to drop a campaign it was sub-
violinist said. "I'm convinced that
him?
It
is
a
simple
corollary
-
repeat it." If he does, can it possibly help
planned mutual tours of musicians
sidizing.
that those who will be asked to lean upon the proven values of the
will serve the cause of strengthen-
Paradoxically, the move pleased Badeau's severest critics, the
past may be asked to recall the apple venders in Hoover's conclud-
ing contacts and friendship be-
American Zionists, because it meant the United States was paying
ing months in the White House.
tween the Israeli and Soviet
to keep the UAR army engaged far from Israel.
While the reference to Zionists was a normal guess for one writ- peoples."
'undignified Pressure on the Vatican'
ing from Cairo—there have been no pressures from or comments by
Having differed with Rabbi Leon Feuer of Toledo in the matter Zionists on the Yemen situation—Weller's evaluations strike at the
involving internal American Jewish affairs relative to a rabbi's free- root of many problems. They substantiate some charges that have Moscow's Chief Rabbi
dom to assert himself, this Commentator now wishes to align himself been denied by the State Department and corroborate the fears ex- Refuses Gift of Talmud:
with the president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis in pressed by Senator Gruening and others lest a free hand to Nasser may `We Have Enough Books'
the matter relating to the Ecumenical Council.
lead to war in the Middle East and a possible world conflict. That
MONTREAL (JTA) — Moscow's
Rabbi Feuer is correct, in our view, in believing that an "obse- is why pressures against appeasements in the Middle East must con-
chief rabbi, Rabbi Judah Leib Le-
quious appeal for a statement by the Ecumenical Council can only be
vin, who is also dean of the yes-
revolting to the Jewish spirit and an insult to the memory of Jewish tinue unabated.
hiva
in the Soviet capital, has re.--
martyrdom." We go along with him in his assertion that "such an act
fused to accept an offer of a sc . ,
of atonement is long overdue" and that the problem belongs to the More Exposes of Kowtowing to Nasser
Many are the protests against the kowtowing to Nasser. Senator of the Talmud made to him by —
Catholic Church." Indeed, he is right even in his criticism of Jewish
leadership, branding their action as "undignified pressure on the Vati- Ernest Gruening is especially outspoken in his warnings against the Michael Garber, president of the
Canadian Jewish Congress, it was
can to issue such a statement that would exonerate the . Jews from the Cairo menace to world peace. In their syndicated column, Robert S. reported here.
Allen and Paul Scott have charged: "There is apparently no limit to
death of Jesus."
who recently sent a let-
If such a schema can not come forth without our pressure, what's State Department kowtowing to President Gamal Nasser of the ter Garber,
to Rabbi Levin congratulating
the purpose in expecting it? We have stated during all the discussions United Arab Republic." They based their accusations on the state- the latter on his 70th birthday,
that the guilt for having blamed Jews of deicide is the church's and it ment by Rep. Thomas Morris of New Mexico that State Department
obstructionism is keeping U.S. cotton "out of the export market so had offered to send the set of the
is for the church to act in self-exculpation.
that prices will remain at a high level" for the benefit of Nasser's Talmud as a gift.
In a reply from Moscow, written
Egypt as well as Peru and Sudan.
Remember the legend about Abraham who smashed the idols
The charges are that American interests are being sacrificed in in Hebrew, Rabbi Levin wrote: "We
to prove that wood, stone and brick are not deities? That was the
an effort to gain a friend, when, as a matter of fact, that friend al- have plenty of books to study from,
only instance of a Jew who could have been charged with deicide.
and even more than we need. In
*
ready is in Khrushchev's lap.
*
*
If taxpayers are losing so that Nasser may gain, as the Allen- my estimation, there is no necessity
The Orthodox Position
to send your copy of the Talmud
From the very beginning of sensational announcements regard- Scott charge indicates, perhaps there'll be an earlier awakening to to us."
ing proposed plans by the Ecumenical Council, under the leadership the dangers of the UAR menace to world peace,.
of Augustin Cardinal Bea, to remove the stain of deicide from the
Jews. Orthodox Jewish spokesmen expressed resentment over the
pleading attitude of Jewish groups. Long before Rabbi Feuer and his
associates had condemned the "undignified pressure," the Orthodox
PARIS—If there is any future Jews is double what it was 10 Jewish activities. Their attitudes to
Judaism, religiousness and popu-
had already indicated that the issue was a matter for concern to
years ago.
Christians who must be the ones to act so belatedly in history to cor- for Judaism in Europe, a team of
lation trends are considered es-
The Community Service, a
sociologists hope to find it out in joint organization formed by the sential to community planning.
rect the criminal error of making Jews a deicide people.
The Jewish communities of five
On several occasions we indicated editorially that the guilt is at a series of 11 studies of important
American Jewish Committee, the
the door of the church, and on Nov. 29, 1963, we asked editorially: Jewish groups in continental West- Angelo-Jewish Association and
cities are being investigated as an
"How far will the Catholic church go in its efforts to remove
the Alliance Israelite Univer- example for the establishment of
ern Europe.
Jewish communities. They
the prejudices that had seeped into nearly seventy generations of
The investigation of the atti- selle of France, is sponsoring other .
are
Stockholm,
Amsterdam, Stras-
Christians whose anti-Semitism was motivated by the unjust crud-
the
investigation.
tudes and problems of some 700,000
fixion accounts in church literature in parochial school textbooks?"
Forty per cent of its financing bourg, Basel and a Belgian city.
Jews will focus primarily on
Give the Orthodox credit for consistency in a position that re- France where 500,000 live. Nearly is in the form of restitution pay- Five of the 11 studies deal with
jected begging for a change in Christian dogma, at a time when half came from Morocco, Tunisia ments from the West German gov- French Jewry, three of them con-
the non-Jews should ask our forgiveness for a centuries-old crime— and Algeria, and about 250,000 ernment.
centrating on the integration of
North Africans into the Jewish
that of pinning the deicide label on us.
A
chief
aim
of
the
studies
is
to
live in the Paris area, the largest
And give the Reform their just due for having spoken in con- concentration of Jews on the determine whether European Jews life of France. The studies should
continent. This number of French want to be brought together for be finished in a year.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, - July 3, 1964
2

European Jewry Will Be Subject of Study by Sociologists

-

1, *

A

4

=A

;;

K