By Philip
Romanian Tora to Be Gift
for NY Airport Synagogue
SiOMOVitZ
NEW YORK (JTA)—Chief Rabbi
Moses Rosen of Romania said
This applies equally to the Middle East and to Southeast Asia. The Monday that New York Mayor
Peace in 1967; There Must Be an End to Conflicts,
great powers, speaking in the name of democracy, have permitted the John Lindsay had agreed to serve
Withdrawal from Vietnam, Cessation of M.E. War
perpetuation of a tragic refugee problem among Arabs who have com- as a donor of a holy scroll from
Whether we like it or not, the conflicts that divide nations have pelled those who have fled from Israel — and the number of those now Romania to the International Syna-
developed into wars. Our involvement in Vietnam is war. Failure of in refugee camps has grown from 450,000 in 1948 to 1,200,000 today!— gogue at John Kennedy Airport.
Rabbi Rosen said he had met
Arab nations to live up to armistice agreements has led to war.
to accept alms rather than go work. There have been instances of
In 1967 these are the major issues: there must be an end to the rational-minded.Arab refugees who established good agricultural enter- Mayor _Lindsay at City Hall and
of that he visited New York Governor
war in Vietnam, more serious efforts should be made to compel the prises which were utterly destroyed by those who refuse to see any
, the numbers of "refugees" becoming self-sustaining. That's part of a Nelson Rockefeller at the latter's
Arabs to speak of peace and to end their aggressive tactics.
war that is countenanced in the name of expediency. It should end, and New York City office.
The latter can and will be achieved only when the great powers the powers who fail to act should be exposed for their failures so to act.
The chief rabbi has arranged
will stop beating around the bush, will end the double talk, and will
And in Vietnam we have a situation that is running out of hand, for the shipment of Tora scrolls
say that both Israel and the Arabs must sit down, at a peace table,
from
Romanian synagogues des-
that is taxing American citizens not only with dollars but also with the
face to face, and resolve their differences. It is the only way of ap-
manpower that is compelled to go into areas of disease and degradation troyed by the Nazis to Israeli con-
Purely Commenter y
America's and Humanity's
Chief Hopes for New Year
proaching the issue of bringing security to the Middle East, of assuring
the elevation of the standards of living of the peoples involed who to fight a war we do not want.
There are two major needs to be reckoned with in 1967. They
presently either live in camps as pariahs or are under subjection in
represent a challenge to statesmanship — and also to the American
feudal lands.
And there is Vietnam. We have reached a new stage. On behalf of people who must express themselves in demands for peace without
our government, UN Ambassador Arthur Goldberg has written to UN's hesitation, for acts to end wars without doubletalk.
Secretary General U Thant informing him that the United States will
cooperate in efforts to bring about a lasting cease-fire. It is the most
encouraging thing that has happened in the Vietnamese situation. Am-
1
bassador Goldberg wrote to U Thant:
gregations. He said he would ar-
range for transfer of a scroll to
Mayor Lindsay soon after he re-
turns to Romania, at the end of
January.
Ka men s 'Spanish Inquisition' Urges Reconciliation,
Nevertheless Lists Overwhelming Tyranny Evidence
Two world leaders, who command the respect of the entire
internation community, have recently voiced the desire for a
cease fire in Vietnam. On Dec. 8, Pope Paul VI noted the tempo-
rary Christmas truce arranged in Vietnam and beseeched all con-1 Students of the Spanish Inquisi- conservatism."
cerned to transform this temporary truce into a cessation of tion will read the appraisal of the
Among "the lonely intellectuals"
hostilities, which would become the occasion for sincere negotia- i events of that time by Henry Ka- were clerics and others who asked
tions. You, Mr. Secretary General, expressed the sincere hope on men, published by New American for an end to anti-Semitism. But
the same day that the parties directly concerned would heed the : Library (1301 Ave. of Americas, the instances of persecutions are
I Ny19) with mixed emotions.
Pope's appeal.
- most numerous and Kamen's ac-
In the 14 points my Government has put forward as elements
Although Kamen's "The Spanish count shows that in leveling
of a peaceful settlement in Vietnam, you will recall, the United Inquisition" is subtitled "a new charges against non-Jews they
States has• explicitly stated: A cessation of hostilities could be the appraisal of the notorious tribunal were accused of being descended
first order of business at a conference or could be the subject of — its causes, its tyranny, its effect from J e w s, as in the case of
preliminary discussions. I herewith reaffirm our commitment to that upon Spain and the Western Lutherans who were charged with
proposal — a proposal that is in keeping• with the appeal of the world," there are occasions when heresy.
Pope as endorsed by you. Our objective remains the end of all
Kamen explains how Jews were
an , the reader will feel as if there
fighting, of all hostilities and of all violence in Vietnam —
is an effort to whitewash the tri taught to spy on other Jews: "One
honorable and lasting settlement there, for which, as we have bunal and its cruelties.
repeatedly said, the Geneva agreements of 1954 and 1962 would
Nevertheless, this volume is
be .! satisfactory basis.
filled with so many factual ac-
President Johnson has time and again stressed his desire for a counts of the events that'occurred
peaceful settlement of the Vietnam conflict. Other United States from the time the Inquisition was
leaders have spoken in a similar vein. In speaking before the Gen- instituted until its abolition a little
eral Assembly on behalf of my Government on Sept. 22, I noted more than 100 years ago, that Ka-
there are differences between our aims as to the basis for such a men's work merits much attention.
settlement and the stated position of North Vietnam. I went on to
Kamen's contention is that the
sav: "... no differences can be resolved without contact, discussion
Inquisition was not motivated
with
regard
to
arrange-
negotiations."
This
holds
equally
true
or
entirely by religious intolerance,
generation of Spanish Jews who
had some acquaintance with the
Mosaic law as taught before
1492." Thus, anyone punished
for judaizing in 1532, at the age
of 50, would have been 10 at
the time of the expulsion and -
"the new generation would be
brought up in a different way
from their fathers. It is Kamen's
contention that "except for some
well organized and secret groups
of conversos, native judaizers
disappeared from Spain, and
with them all the great heritage
of Spanish Judaism." But when
the Inquisition finally ended of-
ficially there nevertheless were
demands for its reconstitution.
The liberals, however, finally
triumphed when the Inquisition
was at last suppressed in 1834.
From an historical point of view,
half of the Jewish community was
invited to spy on the other half, a
task willingly performed by many
Jews who resented the conversos
for their apostasy and their social
success."
Jews were "detected" when they
used clean cloths on the Sabbath,
if they buried their dead according
to Jewish rites. Again, however, the Kamen story is most valuable.
Kamen states in describing a num- The record of Jewish experiences,
ments
for
a
mutual
cessation
of
hostilities.
-
that there were social and racial ber of cases of persecutions, that the craving for Jewish wealth
We turn to you, therefore, with the hope and the request that
aspects. His work deals with the there was "a relative mildness of which was claimed to have moti-
you will take whatever steps you consider necessary to bring about
inquisitorial procedure, that "the vated many anti - Jewish acts. the
political implications, with the
the necessary discussions which could lead to such a cease-fire. I can
struggle for power between tribunal as a whole had no interest suppression of the conversos, the
assure you that the Government of the United States will cooperate
church and state, between Vati- in cruelty and that it attempted at haunt for judaizers — all are part
fully with you in getting such discussions started promptly and in
all times to temper justice with of a dramatic period that was, in-
can and monarchs.
bringing them to a successful completion.
.
He deals with all aspects of the merciful treatment." It is such deed, marked by tyranny. Kamen
request
that
this
letter
be
circulated
as
an
official
document
I
Inquisition, tracing its beginning as conclusions that leave the reader pleads for reconciliation. Appar-
of the Security Council.
i far back as 1238, indicating the puzzled after going over Kamen's ently it is taking place now be-
i ,
It is most unfortunate that such steps were not taken earlier. As in
tween Jewry and Spain — with
't
many instances . 1.1
p account of actual happenings.
the case of the Middle East, there was and there is procrastination. The , posed strenuously by Catholic dig-
There were punishments for the reconstitution of a Jewish com-
time has come for action — and there should be no delay in reasserting nitaries. There is, as an example,
"judaizing" and Kamen states munity there. But it is difficult to
that this country wants and will accept peace terms.
the strong resistance to it by Saint
that the large number of such be convinced that there was justice
Demands for the withdrawal of American troops are growing. There Ignatious Loyola. Throughout the cases "that occurred in the early
tempered with mercy. That's
are mounting demands that we end the travesties. Movements have volume, nevertheless, there are the
1500s marked the end of the
stretching the point a bit too much.
arisen to indicate that the sufferings involved are too great to be
countenanced. There are revelations about the horrors under which the scores upon scores of instances of
war is being fought, the sufferings of the American troops, the persecutions, of intolerance, of the
cruelties that marked the sad era
immoralities.
when Jews were expelled from
And there is the expose of the tragedy of the children in Vietnam.
By SHMUEL AARON
Since Israel is situated in the
Spain.
Ramparts Magazine, in its coming issue, presents a graphic tale of the
A Seven Arts Feature
heart of a Middle East area where
Kamen pleads: "Today, nearly
250,000 South Vietnamese children who were killed in the war since
JERUSALEM—Israel is sowing
1961, of another 750,000 wounded. This tragedy must be taken into two centuries after the sunset of its wild oats to feed the hungry of crops were cultivated some 10,000
years ago and where wild grains
account. The sufferings of the elders alongside the children must not that empire, there is a need for
the
world.
be
be ignored. And the impenetrable obstacles to winning the type of war the ending of myths and the
Described in less dramatic terms, still abound, the country is in a
that is being fought must be considered before we obstinately refuse to ginning of reconciliation." But the
it appears that Israel has a plenti- unique position to establish new
make concessions before winning a peace that is so vital! mass of data in this book certainly
ful crop of wild, disease-resistant genetic combinations. Israeli's abil-
We must take into consideration also the cost of the war to us, to does not prove that the charges
species of wheat, oats and barley ity to serve in the world-wide battle
the American people. Even before the expensive operations grew to even have all been myths. The author1
which Hebrew University scientists against hunger is further enhanced
larger propOrtions. when the cost of the war was only 20 billions for a does not claim that for them,
have succeeded in cross-breeding by the possession of another asset,
12-month period. Emmet John Hughes. writing in Newsweek six months nevertheless he is conciliatory.
T h e Spanish Inquisition w a s with commercial varieties which its well trained and highly moti-
ago. pointed out:
in wheat-rich United States vated "brain power." As early as
The cost of thc Vietnam war — exceeding $20 billion a year — established several years before even
the final decision to expel the have been prone to certain fungus 1913, a Palestinian agronomist,
signifies a sum that could mean quite different purchases.
Aaron Aaronson, had begun using
It could — each month —finance the complete, seven-year Jews, "everywhere in Spain, "Ka- diseases known as "rusts".
wild strains to overcome grain dis-
men shows. His definite work de-
The
world's
grain
production
ev-
training of almost '70,000 scientists.
eases. Actually, 60 years later his
It could — each month — double the resources of the Agency scribes the role of the conversos-- ery year suffers to the extent of work has been taken up by agri-
the
Jewish
converts
to
Catholicism
several
hundred
million
bushels
for International Development for a full year's economic programs
— who had been charged with dis- lost to these fungi. According to cultural scientists and wheat farm-
h' 38 foreign countries.
ers in other parts of the world.
It could—each month—create three Rockefeller Foundations. loyalty and with heresy. He reports experts in Holland who are work-
Scientists at the Hebrew Uni-
It could— each month — pay the full year's cost of state and on many of the autos de fe and the ing on grain improvement for the
burning of Jews thus condemned European Common Market, the in- versity are tackling the problem
local police in all 50 states.
troduction of Israeli wheat should from two sides. In Jerusalem, Prof.
It could — every year — provide a 10 per cent salary increase for alleged heretical practices.
The conciliatory approach in a protect crops in Western and Daniel Zohary of the botany de-
for every U.S. public-school teacher.
It could — every year — double the social-security benefits number of instances, in this inter- Northern Europe which ordinarily partment, working with five as-
esting work, is indicated numerous are hard hit by the destructive sistants, is investigating the ge-
paid to 20 million Americans.
netic composition of Israel's wild
The more paltry cost of U.S. helicopters lost in Vietnam only times. At one point, Kamen states: yellow rust.
grains. Meanwhile, at the School of
In the United States, under
in the last year could fulfill a few other American "desires and "The Inquisition was not the hn-
position of a sinister tyranny on
the watchful eye of the Depart- Agriculture in Rehovoth, Prof.
intentions."
ment of Agriculture, sturdy high Isaac Wahl, head of the depart-
It could pay the full bill last year for all UNICEF health and- an unwilling people. It was an
protein Israeli oats have been in- ment of plant pathology, assisted
education programs affecting more than 800 million children in 118 institution brought into being by
a particular socio-religious situa-
troduced for breeding in fields by Dr. Amos Dinoor and two other
countries.
is studying samples of
Or — it could signify a 10 per cent climb in personal income tion, impelled and inspired by a throughout the states of Florida, scientists,
decisively Old Christian ideology,
Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Minne- wild grain collected from some 600
for every citizen of all the New England states.
sites in Israel.
And as for the puny worth of just one modern heavy bomber ... and controlled by men whose out- sota, Texas and Wisconsin. Re-
look reflected the mentality of the
sults so far have led Department
To date Israeli scientists have
It could buy I billion bushels of wheat.
experts to estimate that the in- been most successful with oats.
Or — it could double the huge education budget of the State mass of Spaniards. - It was popular
as
misconceptions
a
r
e
popular.
troduction
of
Israeli
grain
may
Only
a few months ago in Puerto
of New York.
earn some $100 million. They Rico 4,000 selections of oats from
We could solve so many problems if we were to devote our thinking And to this the exceptions are a
few lonely intellectuals, and others
urge further use of the wild oats many parts of the world were test-
and our energies as much to peaceful needs as we do to war!
"as it appears that we now have ed by American scientists in order
Now is the time to begin amending the wrongs of the past and to whose race alone was sufficient to
put them outside the pale of the
a wealth of new and highly val- to establish which strains can best
correct the errors in which we share guilt!
uable genes for crown rust re- be crossed with existing cultivated
new society. being erected on a
varieties.
2—Friday, December 30, 1966
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS basis of triumphant and militant sistance."
Israel Sowing Wild Oats