Polish History and the Jewish Tragedy JEWISH NE C~E TFROr Artistic 5727 Calendars A Weekly Review Commentary Page 2 Vol. XLIX, No. 25 -r Contest With Apathy: Vital Need for Adult Jewish JMI CHIGgN Education of Jewish- Events Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper — Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle August 12, 1966 17100 W. 7 Mile Rd.—Detroit 48235—VE 8-9364 r'. 4 Editorial Page 4 $6.00 Per Year; This Issue 20c Eshkol-Sapir Economic Program Threatens to Split Israel Coalition A From Direct JTA Teletype Wires to The Jewish News Major liff Congress Issue Germans and the Jews BRUSSELS, Belgium, (JTA) — The most dramatic session of the plenary Assembly of the World Jewish Con- gress, took place when, in a tense atmosphere engendered by bitter attacks against Germans by leading delegates, one of West Germany's most prominent leaders addressed the delegates during a symposium on "The Germans and the Jews." The speaker was Dr. Eugen Gerstenmaier, president of the Bundestag, the lower house of Bonn's Parliament. He had been invited to participate in the symposium by Dr. Nahum Goldmann, WJC president. Hot debates took place on whether or not to let that invitation stand. Finally, two-thirds of the delegates approved the invita- tion, but voted to let those who wished to boycott the ses- sion do so without showing disloyalty to the World Jewish Congress. A parade of speakers addressed the sesion pre- ceding the symposium, complaining bitterly that it was far too early in history to hear a German speak of Jews. Dr. Gerstenmaier, speaking at the symposium, con- ceded that there are still "serious worries" in West Germany about some of the "rising voices" of reaction and anti-Semitism. "There is still a great deal of con- - fusion," he said. "At the same time, it is true to say that the residue of anti-Semitism and Hitlerite ideas in Ger- many plays a small part in the life of the country." "Those who daub anti-Semitic slogans on the walls, and desecrate cemeteries, are hooligans who don't even know what anti-Semitism is," Dr. Gerstenmaier continued. "But they know that such acts create nervous tensions in the country, and that is why they do it. Some people have pointed out correctly that anti-Semitism in Germany cannot be cured by simply loving the Jews. It is a question of normalization, of going back to decent values." Alluding to the sharp protests against his appearance on a WJC platform, the German leader said: "I realize that I might have overstepped my limits. I realize that we Germans will still, for a long time, not be able to feel that we can go back, in regard to the Jews, to a normal rela- tionship. But let me thank you again for letting me speak here. And I say thank you not only for myself. It is the Continued on Page 25 JERUSALEM—Prime Minister Levi Eshkol and his Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir were still huddling today in a last-ditch effort to prepare a compromise package to raise Israel's economy and, at the same time, remain satisfactory to all elements of his coalition government. Not only has opposition been forthcoming from the Mapam and Ahdut Avodah, but factions within Eshkol's own Mapai Party have been voicing strong objections. The Premier had hoped that concessions already made to the coalition forces would permit the presentation of a draft of the three-year economic austerity program for debate at Sunday's scheduled Cabinet meeting. Hopes for such discussion seemed to fade, however, when all of the various divisions regarding the plan were summarized here. There are differences inside the dominant political alignment, with Ahdut Avodah opposing the Mapai. Leaders of Histadrut, which is the Mapai backbone, are at odds with Finance Minister Sapir, who is the draftsman of the new economic program. The left-wing Mapam, whose backing in the Cabinet is essential if the coalition government is not to split wide open, is still adamant against the plan, which Mapam sees as favoring the wealthy against the interests of the Israeli workers. Finally, even the other two coalition members, the National Religious Party and the Independent Liberals, are critical, contending that neither of them has been consulted suf- ficiently in the formulation of the economic plans. Unless negotiations are held with these two parties, their leaders threaten to vote against the Eshkol-Sapir program. The seriousness of the split within the Mapai-Ahdut Avodah alignment became evi- dent following a 10-hour joint meeting of representatives of the two parties in Eshkol's office. The meeting adjourned without a decision that was binding on either of the parties. The next morning, a joint committee composed of representatives of the alignment, together with Mapam, started negotiations on the economic planning Eshkol had already offered to include in the economic program—a tax on upper ranges of capital gains and on dividends in return for a Mapam agreement to a wage freeze for all Israeli workers. The Mapam leadership was still dissatisfied, accusing the Premier of making only "minor" concessions. As for Histadrut, its leadership accused Sapir of trying to put forth an economic program that would hit the workers much harder than it would affect corporations or persons with higher earnings. One important backer for the Eshkol-Sapir program came forth when David Horowitz, Governor of the Bank of Israel, announced in an address at Tel Aviv that he supported the government's economic trenchment plans and the proposed freeze on wages and income coupled with a rise in Israel's productivity. However, irony was seen in some circles here in the fact that after Horowitz's statement, the Bank of Israel announced officially that it had granted its employes a salary increase of 6.5 per cent. It was understood that the bank workers had originally sought a raise of 10 per cent, but compromised for the lower figure. While he was battling for agreement on the overall economic program, Eshkol pro- ceeded to order further government economies as part of the new austerity program. He asked the Knesset to reduce the number of delegates it is planning to send to an interparliamentary conference in Teheran. He also requested all ministers to cut down on their foreign travel wherever possible. 'Jewish Parliament' Seeks Order Out of Chaos: Major Jewish Issues Perplex Delegates From 57 Lands at World Jewish Congress Fifth Plenary By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ BRUSSELS, Belgium—Every conceivable issue that has emerged among the Jewries of the world was on the agenda of the fifth plenary of the World Jewish Congress that was in session here for 10 days, through the final stormy meetings held in the Palais des Congress —the bulding in which the EEC usually holds its meetings—on Tuesday. There was the usual marathon of speeches. Every delegation insisted on being heard and needed to express itself— as it should have. Each conflicting idea found a score of contradictory opinions. Yet, they had to be uttered and they were, with the result that oratory was the order of each long day at sessions that often were marked by sharp divi- sions of opinion. Out of the debates emerged a realization that problems that affect one Jewry may, with equal perplexity, involve many others, if not all Jewries of the world. In the annals of this "Jewish Parliament" —as its leaders like to refer to the World Jewish Congress—there have therefore been incorporated the challenges involved in the de- clining cultural factors in Jewish life, the fail- ure of Jewish communities to draw the interest of the Jewish youth; the "debate" relating to Israel-Diaspora relations, the German-Jewish "dialogue" that has been marked by so much bitterness and by a sharp division of opinion over both the timeliness and desirability of such discussions. There were the issues involving human rights; peace and armaments, civil rights—some directly related to Jewish needs and others that compel Jewish participation in every aspect of human relations. Insofar as the Jewish issues are concerned, there was the serious effort to establish order out of chaos, to arrive at decisions that might lead towards practical and constructive efforts in Jewish life. This can be said with certainty: the wish to find a way out of the jungle of prob- lems was strong, the- way out of that morass difficult. It is safe to say that the comparable difficulties encountered by each individual Jewish community similarly affect the world Jewish community, and we may be as distant from solutions as is any of its component parts. For example, the Congress was seriously con- cerned over the indifference, the lack of in-, terest in Jewish life among the youth. There were very, very few young representatives in the various delegations. Isn't this the problem of American, British, Scandinavian, nearly all Western European Jewish communities—that old age creeps up on Jewry's communal struc- tures and that young people are unconcerned? And when the Congress' notables spoke about ignorance dominating Jewish life, could any one have limited the challenge to a single area? And when there was discussion about Continued on Page 2