State Dept.'s Pride:
Israel 'a Graduate'
A mong Aid-Getters

Arab Youth,

Escapee from

Gaza, Exposes

Refugee Myths

Commentary
Page 2

By Philip
Slomovitz

WASHINGTON, D. C.—State Department spokesmen expressed pride
this week in Israel's emerging progress and in the young state's ability
now to provide aid for other developing nations. Representatives of the
Agency for International Development, while outlining the global program
of aid to the needy peoples of the world, said that Israel is not necessarily
a terminal element, since she will continue to receive loans and will share
in cultural programs advanced by the United States. But the State of Israel
nevertheless is viewed as "a graduate" to be proud of and the example
set by her assistance to Afro-Asian nations in inducing other nations to

(Continued on Page 5)

Strength Even
in Diversity
in Israel

THE JEWISH NEWS

G7E TRO

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A Weekly Review

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of Jewish Events

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Editorials
Page 4

$6.00 Per Year; This Issue 20c

Innocence of Jews in Trent Case
Blood Libel Acclaimed by Vatican

Washington Needs Humor

Jack Benny for Congress

By DAVID SCHWARTZ
(Copyright 1965, JTA, Inc.)
It's too bad Steve Allen is out of the race for Con-
gress from California. Congress needs his humor. The
dry Congressional Record might have perked up. It's no
wonder the newsstands don't carry it.
Allen's retirement from the race is due to some
legalistic red tape. I've been thinking maybe he could go
to Israel and run there. They've got many tickets and
a man of Allen's humor and sympathies would be ap-
preciated. Israel is very much like California in climate
and other things, although I think Israel still has more
Israelis than California. From the Israeli papers, you
might think you were living in America. They carry in
Hebrew Walter Lippman's columns, Art Buchwald's hu-
moristic pieces. One Israel paper is serializing Eisen-
hower's Memoirs.
Anyway, we hope the withdrawal of Mr. Allen from
the race is temporary. He can be a candidate at the
election following.
The infusion of some theatrical blood in Congress
should be good for the country. Jefferson lamented the
fact that Congress is so largely constituted of lawyers.
We should like to nominate another man of the
stage for Congress, Jack Benny.
Jefferson also played the violin like Benny. Truman
played the piano, and long ago in Israel, David played the
harp. His son, Solomon, was not a musician but a literary
man, author of a couple of best sellers, Song of Songs
and Proverbs, all of which goes to show that politics and
arts went hand in hand and worked very well in ancient
Israel.
With Allen and Benny in Congress, admission could
be charged to the House Gallery and the additional in-
come might make it possible for the government to
reduce taxes.
The job of Congressman should
-; appealto the thrifty Benny. With the
, franking privilege, he could save
money on stamps. And 39 is just
the right age for Congress. The
Congressman is then at his best like
Speaker McCormack.
Both Allen and Benny have a
quality that especially fits them for
public service. This past week we read
an electioneering story about Yigal
Jack Benny
Alon (his name is similar to Allen).
He is one of the young political intellectuals in Israel,
a graduate of Oxford. He had just finished a Hebrew
speech in Beersheba when a woman came up. She spoke
Yiddish and she told him how her family had come from
Romania and how much she liked his speech.
Yigal Alon asked her if she could speak Hebrew.
No, she replied, but his words, she said, had warmed
her heart and she was all for him.
Some may laugh, but we understand her. We suspect
that many of the millions who tune in on a Jack Benny
program do so not only for the comedy but for that
mysterious something in Jack Benny which warms the
heart. A good man does not have to speak. Even his
silence speaks and his act speaks. Is there any good
cause for which Jack Benny has not given a benefit
performance?
Eddie Cantor once related how he first interested
Benny in one cause.
"Jack," Cantor said, "you ought to buy some Israel
Bonds."
"How much' do you think I should buy?" asked
Benny.
"Well, let me see," said Cantor.
"No. wait," said Benny. "Here is blank check. You
fill out the amount and I will sign it."

ROME (JTA) — The Vatican has officially withdrawn the status of "martyr" attached
for nearly five centuries to a 3-year-old Christian child named Simon of Trent, who was subse-
quently made a saint. The Vatican declared that the Jews of Trent, who had been tortured to
death for the alleged ritual murder of Simon, had been "innocent."
The Vatican action came Sunday on the heels of last week's promulgation by Pope Paul VI
of the new Catholic church doctrine, absolving the Jews of the ancient charge of deicide, and
deploring anti-Semitism.
The child Simon was found dead in the Italian city of Trent in 1475, and the Jews of the city
were accused of having murdered the little boy for the use of his blood during the celebration
of Passover.
A number of Jews in Trent and in other cities were tortured to death as a result of that ac-
cusation. After an investigation by some prelates, Pope Gregory XIII issued a bull stating that the
verdict of guilt against the Jews was correct and declaring Simon a martyr. Later, he was made
a saint. Sunday's Vatican action reverses all phases of that ruling.
The case of Simon of Trent was one of the bluntest anti-Semitic actions in Christian history.
An 80-year-old Jew "confessed" to the libelous accusation after being tortured. Thereupon, a num-
ber of Jews were beheaded or hanged.
After a bishop had probed the issue on behalf of the Vatican, and had ruled that the Jews
were innocent, another investigator told Pope Gregory XIII that he found the charges against the
Jews justified. Pope Gregory then issued his bull. At the Church of St. Peter at Trent, a special
chapel was dedicated to honor St. Simon of Trent.
Stemming from this case, ritual murder charges were lodged against Jews in many other
cities, particularly in Regensburg, and more Jewish martyrs were sacrificed. When Pope Gregory
XIII sanctified Simon, he made a saint also of a Franciscan monk, Bernardius de Feltre, who had
ruled the Jews of Trent guilty.
The monk was a friend of the chief enemy of the Jews in that region, a man who had en-
(Continued on Page 3)

The Formal Act in Rome

The Vatican Declaration on Jews—Agony and Hope

By JULIO DRESNER

(Copyright, 1965, JTA, Inc.)

ROME—The Italian press, the big papers and the small, almost unanimously welcomed the "Declaration on
Jews" as another important victory of progress over obscurantism, inside and outside the church. The document
on Jews was seen as one of the most important steps in the renewal of the Catholic Church, the "aggiornamento"
willed by John XXIII when he convoked the Ecumenical Council.
Anti-Semitism is not a practical problem in Italy. The Italians thus see in the declaration more the just,
overdue attempt of reparation for past harassments and persecutions than an instrument of fight against anti-
Semitism, such as it has ever been in the minds of its initiators.
Nevertheless, the changes in the text which had been voted earlier were most widely regretted and, in the top
papers, bitterly commented upon. The question in the Corriere della Sera whether thus a future Hitler will
"only be deplored" will remain famous.
As to the Italian Jews, no specific opinion can yet be detected. In the local Jewish weeklies, not even the
complete text of the declaration was printed. Their interest is of course very strong, but so is their reserve. A
good part of Italian Jewry did not believe that the declaration would ever be brought to promulgation, so they
were not aware of the ups and downs that characterized the past four years of sometimes dramatic elaboration. If
one can judge by scattered opinions, the average still incompletely informed Italian Jew, is favorably surprised
by the declaration and comments on its shortcoming with a short: "Could you expect more?" or "I told you so."
More significant is, of course, the general reaction of the large "in" group, the members of the Council and
their entourage, the experts and observers, official and unofficial, including the half-dozen representatives of
Jewish world organizations in Rome and of the hundreds of journalists assigned to the Council.
Remarkably enough, that heterogeneous group of several thousand persons reacted more uniformly; what
is more, even the changes in that general opinion were almost uniform. One can clearly distinguish two phases
regarding their reaction. The first phase — from the distribution of the amendments on Sept. 30 to a few
days before the voting on Oct. 14 and 15 — was characterized by a general sense of relief that "it" finally
arrived. The changes in the text and the fact that it had been blunted in some places was, of course, acknowledged.
But it was generally pointed out that, first, the document has remained a good, progressive, friendly and far-
reaching document; secondly that, in view of the great pressure that has been exercised, the changes were not
too significant, since it was obvious from the start that the Church could not alienate the Arabs and the Catholic
Oriental Church. Third, it was said that the changes would increase the final vote for the declaration and
this would strengthen its impact on the faithful. Finally, it was held that the amendments were only an alternative
proposal to the Council, if they were rejected by one third only of the fathers, the old text would be restored.
The new text was seen partly as a compromise, but a necessary one, and it would be wise to accept it in full
freedom, rather than to risk it as a whole.
Though this last summing up remained valid, the mood changed considerably with the nearing of the voting
date. A study of the amendments, of the explanations given for them and of the questions prepared to be put to
the ballot, led to a change of the general opinion. True, the document has conserved its general character, but this
was so regarding two important but not fundamental aspects: the stress of common religious patrimony and
origin of the desirability of a friendly dialogue. The original aspect, the eradication of religious anti-Semitism, was
the part that had suffered the most by the amendments. Certainly not as far as "men of good will" are concerned:
for them the sense and the repudiation of anti-Semitism remained valid.
(Continued on Page 5)