c'v A Muddled USSR Issue Involving Fulbright BY MILTON FRIEDMAN (Copyright, 1964, JTA, Inc.) WASHINGTON—The controver- sial roles of the State Department and Chairman J. W. Fulbright, of the Senate Foreign Relations Com- mittee, complicating efforts against Soviet anti-Semitism, puzzle many senators. No one has accused Sen. Ful- bright, Arkansas Democrat, nor the State Department of sharing the anti-Jewish prejudices of the Sov- iet Union. But they have been charged with "whitewashing" the problem, failing to appreciate the actual plight of Russian Jews, and obstructing moves to alleviate pressures. Eighty-two Senators were last month recorded as either voting on the floor or recording votes in favor of the Ribicoff amendment condemning Soviet anti-Semitism. Only one Senator fought the amendment and voted against it. This was Sen. Fulbright. Behind him <. was the State Department. Stn. Fulbright offered a substi- tute amendment, eliminating all references to Russia and to Jews. It would have only vaguely de- plored "infringement of religious freedom anywhere in the world." He saw no special and unique threat to the Jews. "I do not know why we should be so exclusike as to restrict the condemnation only to the persecution of the Jews," said the Senator. Sen. Abraham Ribicoff, Connec- ticut Democrat, objected strenuous- ly to the Fulbright substitute. He said that Sen. Fulbright sought "to completely undercut the original resolution and take the Soviet Un- ion' "off the hook.' " Sen. Ribicoff explained in detail boW the Jews in Russia were sin- gled out and treated differently than other groups. He. told how JeWs were denied privileges ac- . corded others and subjected to forms 'of discrimination and abuse reserved only for Jews. He said "the Soviet Union does not treat the Jews as belonging to a religion, but as a nationality." Other faiths were treated as re- ligions in the Soviet Union, "but the Jew has stamped on his pass- port 'Jew,' representing his na- tionality. A Russian methodist does not have stamped on his passport "Methodist." Sen. Ribicoff went on to point out that "Jews cannot have schools of their own. Other nationalities can. The Jews cannot have theaters of their own. Other nationalities can. The Jews cannot have their own religious semi- naries . . . newspapers and mag- azines." Sen. Fulbright's response failed to recognize the Soviet sophistry in branding Jews a nationality but denying them the benefits of event the categorization. Sen. Fulbright commented "the idea of Jews being a nationality was not confined to the Soviet Un- ion" because "Ben-Gurion re- garded the Jews as a nation." Sen. Fulbright read to the Sen- ate a letter from the State Depart- ment, approved by the Adminstra- tion, and signed by Frederick C. Dutton, assistant secretary of state. The letter said approval of the Ribicoff amendment might lead the Kremlin "to take the very ac- tion against the Jewish people of the Soviet Union which we are try- ing to prevent. The resolution might therefore redound seriously to the detriment of Soviet Jews and other religious people of the Soviet UniOn . . . the Department does not recommend adoption of a resolution . . . " Sen. Ribicoff, a former member of the U.S. Cabinet (under Presi- dent Kennedy) responded with a forthright statement. He said "the State Department never has been sympathetic to these problems. The State Department treats Jews merely as numbers. The State De- partment seems to be consistently Kremlin Envoy to Sign Pact in Jerusalem ignorant and uninformed on this problem." . "For the life of me," said Sen. Ribicoff, "I cannot understand why, whenever we come up against a problem on which we seek to speak our conscience, the State Department seeks to throw cold water on the efforts of the American people . . . I stand on the Senate floor condemning the attitude of the State Department in this particular instance, be- cause the State Department shows its ignorance of what is happening to three million Jews. It shows its indifference." Sen. Ribicoff added that "the State Department has a lot to learn about people as human beings and humanity in general. The time has come for the State Department to get a little education of its own. One way to give the State Depart- ment some education is to reject the substitute . amendment offered by the Senator' from Arkansas. Senators applauded Sen. Ribi- coff. Not one Senator backed Sen. Fulbright or the State Department- Fulbright position. Sen. Ribicoff commended: "We who are U.S. Senators understand public opinion and understand bet- ter what will move the Soviet Un- ion than do some bureaucrats who sit in the State Department." Drive to Aid Pilot Medical Center Detroit Cancer Fighters, City of Hope, will appeil to residents of the Northest area Sunday through Monday for support of the internationally known pilot medical center at Duarte, Calif. Under the leadership of Mrs. Elliot Schubiner (right), vice president of fund raising, and her chairman, Mrs. Fred Prag (center), scores of volun- teers are being mobilized for the three-day house-to-house canvass. Also assisting is Mrs. Harry Fink (left), chairman of the Blue Bank drive. For volunteer information, call Mrs. Schubiner, EL 7-5166, Mrs. Prag, LI 7-3586. or Classified Ads Bring Results . JERUSALEM ( J T A ) -- The Israel-Soviet agreement, providing for the purchase of Soviet prop- erties here by the Israel Govern- ment, was scheduled to be signed in Jerusalem by Soviet Ambassa- dor Mikhail Bodrov and foreign Minister Golda Meir. The purchase, which involves $4,500,000, will be paid for by . Israel with one-third in cash, and the remainder in kind, mostly with citrus shipments. Ambassador Bo- drov informed Mrs. Meir that his government was willing to have the agreement signed in "Israel's capital." At Tel. Aviv, Sunday night, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, opening its season, paid tribute to Ambassador Bodrov in a special program note for helping to break Russia's boycott against the orches- tra. As a result of the recent cul- tural exxchange agreement signed between the two countries, Soviet soloists and a conductor will, for the first time, appear with the Philharmonic this season. In re- turn, Israeli artists have been scheduled for appearances in the Soviet Union. Bodrov was instru- mental in arranging the cultural pact. CoDDMES IN JEWISH LIFE 4 ") %E • laiNONESS TO ANNALS 15 CONSTANTLY PREACHED IN THE JEWISH TALMUD./ * • * * IaRESENT DAY ISRAEL 15 NOT THE'FIRST' JEWISH STATE THERE WERE TWO OTHER Jav15i4 COMMONWEALTHS IN ANCIENT HEBREW C>Mf5 * I Grand opening tonight. —New 'aegscriNDOWS WERE `THE REMNANTS OF "14E. Va ILLIAN% PENN. FOUNDER OF PENNSYLVANIA, BELIEVED THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS vTEN LosT 'TRIBES OF 15ReiLi HE yyptom TO FRIENDS IN ENGLAND AS3our THE veny 4REAT RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN THE usit•ter4 EWRIAL. RIVAL P.m!) - THAT OF THE ANCIENT HEBREWS! BeRNAcaz Friday, October 9, 1964-13 Or any night. With anything. Meat, fish, dairy. If there's another vegetable dish as deliciously, nutritiously satisfying as Heinz (strictly) Vegetarian Beans—well, we'll eat it! Every label carries the Qu seal of approval of the UNION OF ORTHODOX JEWISH CONGREGATIONS OF AMERICA.