A T Congress Lists Petegorsky Awards Israel's 'Double Feature' at. the UN Eban and Comay
By SAUL CARSON
JTA Correspondent at the UN
(Copyright, 1964, JTA Inc.)
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. -- In
the General Assembly's great hall,
I 15 delegations — including every
one of the Arab state representa-
tives — sat spellbound listening to
Israel's Deputy Prime Minister
Abba Eban. In the smaller, more
intimate Security Council chamber,
the air was electric with tension,
very few sat, all delegates were
huddled in hot conversation while
The first David Petegorsky Civic Achievement Awards have been
hourS passed and the scheduled
awarded by the American Jewish Congress to (left to right): Howard
Council meeting was not being
Al. Squadron, AJ Congress vice president who headed the successful
called to order.
drive for enactment of a Fair Sabbath law in New York last year;
Here, the business was being
Frederick D. O'Neal, first Negro president of Actors' Equity Associa-
conducted in the Council's office,
tion; and R. Peter Straus, president of WMCA radio who successfully
off to one side of the chamber,
challenged legislative malapportionment in New York, leading to the
and the argument concerned Israel.
"one-man, one-vote" decision of the U.S. Supreme Court. Straus is the
Here, the Israeli side was being
grandson of Nathan Straus, an .1.1 Congress founder. The awards are
represented by Ambassador Mi-
named for David Petegorsky, late executive director of AJ Congress.
chael Comay. And, between the
Assembly and the Security Coun-
cil room, all who are interested in
Israel— including correspondents
—were having heydey. Israel was
ill
playing a double feature — to
Alan Watts holds a doctorate of the saints and angels around the packed galleries.
divinity. is a student of theology, throne of the Lord God of Hosts.
Mr. Eban is one of the all-time
an interpreter of Zen Buddhism I null your sleeve and say. `Psst !"
Is this irreverence. or blasphe- greats among the small handful of
and of -Chinese philosophy. His
truly great orators who, over the
"Beyond Theology: The Art of my—to utter a "psst !" in a place
Hodmanship," published by Pan- of worship. to invite a Court Jester years, have been heard at the
United Nations. His eloquence.
theon Books (22 E. 51st. NY22). into sanctity?
Watts' book is full of puzzles of well known here. has not dimin-
which is described by the publish-
er on the wrapper, as "an Olym- this sort. He writes that "the relig- ished over the years. Some years
pian laugh that will set 'kings to ious exercises of Jews and Chris- ago. when India was represented
cutting capers , and priests to pick- tians are lar ,_:ely verbal: Hindus by Arthur Lall, a speaker with a
ing flowers.' " (quotation from Jos- will chant a little. and then enter very high reputation for fluid ora-
eph Campbell). might be called ir- into silent meditation so as to tory. a wag remarked: "Lall's Eng-
reverent. Perhaps just because of change the level and quality of ' lish is so good, he is almost great
it, it will emerge as most enter- consciousness. But Jewish and enough to be an Israeli ambas
taining—and it has much of en- Christian services are almost en- sador. - The oblique reference was
tirely streams of utterance—pray- to Mr. Eban, whose mastery of the
lightenment amidst the puns.
In his preface, the author pre- er. singing. reacting and preaching. English language (as well as of a
pares the reader for what's in Should silence occur. except in a number of other tongues) is be-
store in this collection of theolog- Quaker meeting, it usually denotes yond compare.
some hitch. in the arrange-
This time, Mr. Eban was de-
ical hilarity by stating:
ments . . . "
livering. before a plenary session
"Perhaps I can best indicate the
Jewish worshippers. who can
of the Assembly, Israel's address
spirit and approach of this book either chant. or pray silently-:-or
in "general debate"—an exercise
by asking you to imagine that you not even in a synagogue but with
are attending a solemn service in as much fervor at home — will „An speech making, during which
statesmen spell out the over-all
a great cathedral . . . Suddenly question what he says. but his in-
foreign affairs policies of their
someone pulls you by the sleeve . terpretation nevertheless is inter-
governments. In recent years,
and says, 'Psst ! Come out back. esting.
Israel's Foreign Minister Golda
I've got something to show you.'
There will no doubt be endorse-
Meir
has been delivering that
You follow him and go around the ment of his assertion that "while
major address for her govern-
building where there is a small it is true that some of the basic
ment. This time, unable to come
door leading into the vestry. This attitudes of Judaism and Christian-
here due to illness, she had
is the ecclesiastical equivalent of ity have sunk deeply into the com-
passed on that task to Mr. Eban.
the green room in the theater, and mon sense of most Western people.
No one was let down by the sub-
you are about to enter by what it cannot be assumed that even reg-
would be called the stage door. ular church-goers have so much as
stitution.
However. just outside you notice an elementary grasp of the doc-
The news dispatches have re-
a couple of clerics—in their vest- trines they profess."
ported the substance of ,Mr. Eban's
ments—lighting up cigarettes. Now
There are comments on the He- address. But the tone. the color..
transpose this scene to Heaven. so brews' covenant with the Lord, the thoroughness of his presenta-
that the church service will be and this footnote .to the Jesus story tion—those were uniquely Ebanese.
nothing less than the worship of may add to the puzzlements in this He touched all bases — from the
Middle East and the Arabs to the
hook:
"A major part of the Western Ecumenical Council and Germany's
Jew's problem is that he has to live refusal so far to continue prosectit-
with Christians. and thus cannot ing Nazi war criminals after next
simpiy ignore the crucial differ- May: from human rights in gen-
ences between Christianity and eral, to a "certain greater country"
Judaism. His tradition is still re- where Jews are being maltreated.
NEW YORK (JTA)—Diplomatic pressing the question of why Jesus He did not name Russia in this
number
of
a
representatives from
was handed over to Pilate. .and context but did quote the USSR
United Nations member states, there can be no peace for him when insisting that, like the Soviet
headed by Ambassador Marietta until he faces it."
Union. Israel. too, opposes war,
Tree. U. S. delegate to the UN
And we had already begun to opposes violation of any nation's
Trusteeship Council. joined prom- believe that the question has been integrity and territorial jurisdic-
inent educational leaders in the answered
tion. desires for and fights for
dedication of a new residence for
There is much in Watts' book , global peace. No one could hope
foreign students attending New to entertain, to inform—to differ ' to beat Mr. Eban at this game.
York Unive'rsity, named the Sam- with. That, probably, will make it It was his and his alone—with the
uel Rubin Residence Hall.
a success.
. credit going. of course, to the Gov-
The facility, previously a hotel
ernment which he represents.
near the NYU's campus, was pur- : Einstein College Gets
Meanwhile—"back at the ranch"
chased by the university with the U.S. Grant of $289,000
—in the Security Council, Mr. Co-
aid of a gift of $1,000.000 given by
' may was fighting toe-to-toe against
for Bronx Aid Centers
Samuel Rubin, former president
NEW YORK (JTA)—President entrenched Arabs. and the Coun-
of the American-Israel Cultural
Johnson announced a grant of cil's two Communist members, the
Foundation, and donor of several
$289,000 from the United States USSR and Czechoslovakia. These
schools of music in Israel.
Office of Economic Opportunity. insisted that Israel must be slap-
A
founder
of
the
NYU
Medical
-
under the Administration's Anti- ped down for using air power, last
Center, Rubin has in the past also
Poverty Program, for the estab- Nov. 13, to silence Syrian military
provided scholarship assistance to
lishment of a network of "store- positions that had caused great
200 medical and lay students at
neighborhood" aid centers havoc on Israel's northern frontier.
New York University. He is also front
The Security Council had already
to be conducted in The Bronx by
chairman of the lay advisory board
t he Albert Einstein College of held seven sessions on this issue-
of Fordham Hospital, an institu- Medicine of Yeshiva University.
' called "urgent" by both Syria and
tion conducted under Catholic
The project will serve the area Israel—and had not as yet taken
auspices, as well as a founder of
termed "the most disadvantaged in any action. Now, Morocco, acting
the Postgraduate Center for Men-
the city," embracing a population as the voice of the Arabs (Morocco
tal Health.
of 350,000. It will be conducted by is the only Arab member of the
the college's department of psy Council) was insisting that Israel
chiatry. The President's grant to be sharply censured. Only the Com-
100's EXCEDRIN
Einstein College is among Anti- munists were willing to vote for
Retail $1.39
Poverty Program projects for the resolution entered by Morocco.
DISCOUNT $1 03
which he allocated $20,000 for New
The West—led by the United
PRICE
York and vicinity, out of a total of
G & M DISCOUNT
new grants aggregating $02,000,000 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
KE 5-4910
20009 W. 7 MILE
to institutions around the country. 8 — Friday, December 25, 1964
lluny Theological Puzzles Appear
Alan Watts' Bevond Theology'
States and Britain wanted the
Council to take no action at all,
beyond the reading of a statement
by the president of the Council,
telling both parties, in effect, "be
good boys and - stop fighting." The
difficulty lay in the text of such a
statement. Syria wanted Israel's
air strike mentioned—unfavorably,
of course. Israel wanted the state-
ment to refer to the fact that the
UN's o*n, on-the-spot investiga-
tion of the Nov. 13 altercation
showed that Syria had started the
firing which then escalated into
m urderous fighting.
For more than two hours, the
argument about the text of such a
statement proceeded in the Secur-
ity Council's office. The Arabs
conferred with the Communists. Is-
rael conferred with the majority of
other Council members. Alter-
nately, the Syrian representative
and Comay entered the Council of-
fice, exited, never were there at
the same time, each fighting for
his preferred version. It was a
beautiful battle, and Comay would
not give an inch.
Finally, the scheduled eighth
If YOU TURN THE
*ItT'S'il
UPSIDE DOWN YOU WON'T
FIND A FINER WINE THAN
session of the Council was can-
celled. Almost literally knocking
at the Council doors were the
African nations, insisting that
the Council debate the Congo
issue. The eighth session of the
Council on Syria-Israel never got
going. The issue remained hang-
ing fire. Whatever the ultimate
outcome -- it was evident that,
already, the Arab cause had
given birth to a fiasco.
For the day, the "show" was
over. Eban was being applauded
in the Assembly, Comay was being
congratulated for his skill in the
Council. No one could say that
Israel was not active—or faint-
hearted—at the United Nations.
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