Israeli Luxury Cruise Cancelled After Spanish Shipping Ban
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
Israel said it would, take
sentation in Spanish territory,
to The Jewish News)
LONDON — A refusal by Spain restrict their stops to the ports various diplomatic steps in in-
ternational and maritime organ-
to allow the Israeli motel ship, the of Malaga and Palma where Isra- izations if Spain persists in im-
eli
ships
with
tourists
are
accus-
Nili, to use a southern Spanish
port resulted Tuesday in cancel- tomed to call, the release said. It plementing orders to deny har-
lation of several holiday cruises by denied that the action had any bor facilities to Israeli shipping.
The Barcelona order, according
Somerfin of Geneva, the owners of political • overtones.
The statement failed to explain to officials of Zim Israel Lines at
the ship. The Spanish ban was
part of a wider restrictive order that Spain has refused to establish Haifa, read: "As from the 30th of
by Spain on access to Spanish diplomatic and consular exchanges April, no Israeli-flag ship, carry-
ing either passengers or cargo,
ports for Israeli ships believed to with Israel.
Reports were received in Wash- will be permitted movement in.
stem from Arab boycott pressure.
ington that, last week, the Spanish this port because Israel has no
About 4,500 Britons had made port of Cadiz refused for three diplomatic relations with Spain."
reservations for the cruise, which days to unload the Israeli ship
An official communique at Las
was to have included ferry service "Yehuda," on the basis of "new
from Southampton on May 15 on instructions" to deny rights to Palmas stated: "As Israel has nei-
the $8,400,000 ship now being com- Israeli vessels. At the port of Las ther diplomatic relations nor trade
pleted in a Scottish shipyard. Is- Palmas, another Israeli ship was or bankers agreement with Spain,
rael has accused Spain of yielding refused fuel, and harbor facilities no Israel ship will be permitted to
to • Arab boycott pressure, but there and at Barcelona will be carry out trade transactions in
this port."
Spain has denied the charge, as- closed to them after April 30.
It was learned that, under Arab
serting it was simply restricting
Shipping sources termed the
Israeli vessels to two ports — Spanish move "an arbitrary, sud- pressures, the anti-Israeli policies
were about to be put into effect
Palma in Majorca and Malaga.
den imposition of a ban that will in both ports on March 18, but
It was believed here that prevent Israeli ships access to
were postponed after intervention
Spain was. acting against Israeli Spanish ports."
by local Spanish tradesmen deal-
shipping in a bid to win Arab
ing with Israel.
support for the current Spanish
At least two steps are open to
drive against British control of
Israel on this issue, it was said
Gibraltar.
here. Israel and Spain are both
The Somerfin company an-
members of the General Agree-
nounced it would return the reser-
The time has come for those who ment on Tariffs and Trade, so
vations payments to the pas- hate Germany and the Germans to
sengers. A substantial advertising forgive that country for the slaugh- that Israel would appeal to GATT
campaign had brought total book- ter of more than 6,000,000 Jews un- for intervention on the grounds
that Spain is violating the GATT
ings of $4,400,000 in- Britain.
der the Nazis, a German-born
The first hint that the cruise American rabbi declared.
Writing in the current issue of
might have to be canceled de-
veloped last week when Spain be- Look Magazine, Rabbi Joseph Ash-
gan turning Israeli ships away er of Temple Emanuel, Greens-
from Spanish ports. Zim ships boro, N. C., said that those who
carry "unending retribution" in
were the first to be affected.
An agreement regulating Israeli- their hearts toward Germany must
Spanish shipping relations was ex- "take a new look into their feel-
pected to be signed in Madrid by ings." •
Rabbi Asher is himself a for-
a representative of the Zim Israel
Lines and Spain's maritime under- mer victim of Nazi terror. In his
youth he was driven out of
secretary.
school three years after Hitler
The agreement to which Spain
assented will relate only to Zim came to power. His father, an
shipping initially. But it was ex- Othodox rabbi in Wiesbaden,
pected that the pact be widened to p e r i s he d at the Buchenwald_
cover other Israeli maritime firms, death camp.
Recently returned from his first
although currently only Zim ships
trip to Germany since the time he
are calling at Spanish ports.
Spanish officials denied any of- was forced to flee, the rabbi said:
`When I first returned to the
- ficial boycott and said the re-
strictions were due entirely to a scene of my youth, suspicion and
revision of harbor dues, but Is- loathing were my uppermost senti-
raelis noted that only Israeli ships ments. Having seen the Hitler
were, affected. The Nili owners tragedy in all of its enormity, I
_began looking for other routes for was neither willing to forgive nor
the 7,800-ton Nili, which is due in forget."
But talks at length with German
London on May 11. It can carry
students of the postwar generations
125 cars and 530 passengers.
The Spanish embassy in Wash- convinced him that guilt for Nazi
ington insisted in a press release crimes must not fall on the shoul-
that Israeli ships for some time ders of Germany's young people.
have been calling at the ports of Asked Rabbi Asher in his article:
How much of a burden of guilt
Malaga and Palma without pre.
viously requesting permission can you lay on the shoulders of an
from Spanish authorities and 18-year-old boy without damaging
without meeting consular and his soul almost beyond repair?"
Since little Or nothing is taught
customs requirements which are
normal for vessels of all nations in German schools about the story
and common practice for all world of the Jews and Judaism, Rabbi
Asher proposed that a number of
shippers.
With the recent increase of calls German-speaking American rabbis
by Israeli flag ships and their in- be asked each to devote a month
clusion of other ports in eastern to teaching in Germany secondary
and southern Spain, Spanish au- schools. He said:
"There exists in Germany a vir-
thorities have requested that such
vessels, having no consular repre- tual vacuum of information on
Judaism, other than its victimiza-
tion in the Nazi era. There cannot
be anything but a warped view of
Jews and Judaism if the only con-
tract with them is either to read
of the tragedy or of the lingering
bitterness that one imagines besets
Jewish people in relation to Ger-
many."
charter. Another course seen here
as open to Israel is to point out
that Spain's action might jeopar-
dize the Madrid govermhent's ef-
forts toward a link with the Euro-
pean Market. Meanwhile, a Spa-
nish passenger liner docked in
Haifa, and received complete port
services. The ship carried Spanish
tourists who were taken directly
from the Haifa dock for a tour of
northern Israel.
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THE
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Opera to Finish Series
of SOC Symphony
The South Oakland Symphony
Orchestra, Wayne Dunlap conduct-
ing, will finish its current series
with Puccini's opera "La Boheme,"
sung in English, by the Turnau
Opera Players, Oak Park High
School.
Named after the European direc-
tor, Prof. Josef Turnau, the 10-
year-old company has established
itself as one of America's outstand-
ing workshops in opera—singing,
directing, designing and staging.
Tickets at the box office.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
8—Friday, April 9, 1965
,, .........
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