Moments of Pain in Israel and Sublimity in Triumph
Israel hates war, Twice in ten fight the Israelis. He wanted to
shelled Tel Aviv, we could not in the desert and surveys the shat-
BY CARL ALPERT
help reflecting bitterly that Jor- tered remnants of the mighty war years we were forced into battle go home. He was lucky; the pre-
HAIFA—The weeks slip by rap-1
to
preserve our very existence, vious night another soldier had
dan
had
received
555,600,000
machine
which
Moscow
so
gen-
idly. New crises face us on a dif-
finally come down from the hills,
worth of U.S. military aid, and erously, so painstakingly and over while the world stood by and
fcrent front, but those of us who
watched.
We don't want another bloated. He collapsed and died
was using American tanks, Amer- so long a period of time sent to
.% ent through the experience of the
as he entered the Israel encamp-
war.
We
want
peace.
We
want
to
ican
guns
and
American
Cairo.
At
some
spots
on
the
road
planes.
, ix-day war will have stories galore
ment.
to tell our grandchildren.
The chief chaplain of the Israel there is an almost unbroken line talk to our neighbors and work
together
with
them
for
the
develop-
War is a terrible curse. Israel
of military equipment as far as
If I were to write a book I armed forces read the Ten Com-
ment of a fruitful and blossoming did not want this war. Those who
the
horizon.
would call it: "And on the See-' mandments from a Tora scroll on
We drove for almost 400 miles Middle East. There is room for shouted most bloodthirstily suf-
Shavuot—on Mount Sinai. This is
enth Day They Rested".
both of us here.
fered the most. And those who
There were moments of pain, and the second time in 10 years the through the Sinai Desert, and
there is hardly a place where the
We stood on the bank of the fanned its flames are again build-
there were peaks of the sublimely' Israelis have been there. And my
debris of war is not to be found.
Suez Canal, at Kentara. On our ing up a situation which may lead
ridiculous. Those who know the wife sagely reminds me that Moses
Some of this material — un-
side flew the blue and white flag to more bloodshed. Politically Is-
secret of the Jewish mother's cure- also went up Mount Sinai twice.
damaged
tanks
and
trucks,
will
yet
of Israel. On the other side, less rael may have to endure unpopu-
all may also find the secret of The first time, he broke the tablets
be carted away. The rest will re-
than 300 feet away, flew the col- larity in certain quarters, but
Israel's military prowess in the of the law. The second time, it was main as mute witnesses to one
ors of Nasser's Egypt. The Egyp- Israel will not go back to a situa-
revelation made on the eve of for keeps!
of the greatest littering catastro-
tian flag was much larger than tion in which war again becomes
battle: The Israel Telma brand of I
phes of history.
ours, perhaps a subtle form of inevitable. We want a lasting
Chicken Soup, and Telma's other
No one who lived in Israel
In the mind of each of us is
peace in the Middle East, not just
compensation.
soups, won the Golden Spoon through the exciting first half of
If
this
the unuttered thought:
a patched-up postponement.
Award at the food exhibition in June will ever forget the events,
The guard at the railing put
three billion dollar monster had
The launch arrived and took
Chicago.
the mood, the spirit of the time.
gotten the jump on us, had been down his rifle, picked up the Red Ahmed Said over to the Egyptian
In a quiet little bookstore in 1 Nor can any of us ever forget a
able to grasp the initiative, Cross flag and waved it vigorously side of the Canal. There he will
Bethlehem opposite the Church of song which swept the country and
these tanks would today be roll- several times. An answering wave spend many months in camp, un-
the Nativity, I found pictures of became almost overnight the vic-
ing through the streets of Tel came from the other side. The dergoing intensive re-indoctrina-
King Hussein and the flag of Jor- tory anthem of the nation. It was
Aviv and Haifa. And the Egyp- signal had been received. Ahmed tion, before being permitted to
dan still for sale, while Israeli sung by men in their foxholes, by
tian soldiers would today be Said, an Egyptian prisoner, was go home.
children
at
school,
by
civilians
patroled
the
streets
out-
swaggering over the ruins of the about to be repatriated.
uldiers
huddled in their shelters, by tank
state of Israel, instead of lying
In recent weeks countless thou-
side.
crews,
by
people
waiting
in
queues
in shallow, fly-infested graves, sands have been returned. They
When we reached Jordan's Kal-
For Some
for
their
delayed
buses.
It
was
a
over
which
big
black
birds
of
are
the remnants of the Egyp-
andia Airport, now in Israeli hands,
of the
prey, hawks or vultures, swoop tian army which had been smashed
we found a restaurant there doing national hymn, a symphony, a mus-
ical
psalm
which
caught
the
spirit
in the Sinai desert.
in ominous grace.
best buys
a rushing business serving kosher
of
the
people
and
carried
it
to
new
One
must
ponder
these
conclu-
meals. The debris of war had not
Israeli soldiers told us that in
on new
sions in order to understand Is-
yet been cleared away. Overhead soarin,, heights.
the first days, before the Red
Pontius
On Sunday evening, May 15, Je- rael's stubborn foreign policy
was the freshly painted sign:
Cross officials arrived on the
Tempests
scene, the ragged remnants were
- Levy's Airport Caterers", the rusalem was the scene of the annu- to lay. We are not strangers to
some firm which provides the food al Independence Day Song Festi- this desert, Our ancestors once
fired at by their own people.
and
val. Ten songs, written by amateur crossed it on foot. These shifting
Those who made it to the other
;,t Lydda.
Firebirds
dunes
hide
the
bones
of.
a
whole
and
professional
tunesmiths,
were
side were often beaten cruelly.
The jokes and stories multiply.
performed before a large audience, generation of them.
Our son, Joely, brings home
Ahmed Said was one of the
ASK FOR
Israel has suffered grevious
and popular vote chose number
from the front the tale of the
luckier
ones. Through an inter-
losses in this war. The pain and
! one of the new hit parade.
new simplified plane which the
preter
we
engaged
him
in
con-
To vary the program somewhat. the grief have hit many homes. versation. He seemed barely 16,
Russians are now sending to
But no Israeli soldier can rejoice
Egyp t. Kosygin demonstrates to Radio Kol Yisrael commissioned
but said he was 20, from Alex-
AT
several
"special" songs to be at sight of the rotting corpses of andria. When fire had rained
but-
Nasser: You push the left
the thousands of Egyptian soldiers
ton and the plane turns left: heard, but not to participate in the who were panic-stricken victims of down from the sky on his unit
you push the right button and contest. Jerusalem's Mayor Teddy
the great desert. Their bones will he had, like the others, made for
18650 LIVERNOIS
the plane turns right. The mid- Kollek requested that a song be mingle with those of my ancestors. the open desert. He survived, but
1 block South of 7
dle button nzakes the plane go written about Jerusalem, and one
UN 3-9300
If there have been any atroci- now he was tired and sick and fed
up
with
war.
He
didn't
want
to
up. Asks Nasser: What about of the country's most popular song-
in
this
war,
they
ties committed
coming down? Replies Kosygin: , writers, Naomi Shemer, produced
the ones committed by Go-
are
The Israelis will take care of words and music for "Jerusalem of
ma/ Abdul Nasser against tens
' Gold" (Yerushalayim shel Zahav).
that !
of thousands of his own soldiers
Most of the songs presented that
One devout citizen inserted a
whom he sent off to die in the
paid advertisement in the Hebrew evening had full orchestral accom-
desert. When the Egyptian peo-
press headed: - Remember — Do paniment. But "Jerusalem of Gold"
ple finally learn the full truth
Not Forget! ' quoting from the was sung by an unknown girl,
there may yet be opportunity for
eichth chapter of Deuteronomy: Shuly Natan, to her own strumming
new political realities in the
In appreciation of your past patronage we
— lhou say in thy heart, my power of a guitar.
Middle East.
invite you to buy now and save
The melody was simple, but
and the might of my hand hath
achieved this. But thou shalt re- haunting. The words told of the
member the Lord thy God, for it is glory of Jerusalem, parts of which
All Sales Final
Ile that giveth thee the power .. ." were still desolate, but it is a
During the peak of local no/ Jerusalem of gold, of copper and
* Moving to New Location (Permit No. 1273)
a n d contributions, of light; "I am the lyre that sings
unteering
one of the Tel Avii7 papers got a thy songs."
The song was an instant hit. The
letter signed "Professional Pick-
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
pocket". He wrote: "I am con- crowd voted dutifully for the 10
to The Jewish News)
tributing to national defense tunes in the contest, but it was
20114 LIVERNOIS (Near Chippawa)
BRUSSELS—A leading European
from my "Jerusalem of Gold" that they
three days income
statesman
and
a
key
figure
in
the
cheered
the
loudest.
They
demand-
my
pro-
'work' and I call on all
fessional colleagues to do like- ed an encore. They joined the singer organization of the European Eco-
in the choruses. And the evening nomic Community said Wednesday
wise."
It is told that the government re- closed with the coupling of the in an interview that the European
ceived an urgent message from the new song and Hatikva. Yet none organization must concern itself
European Common Market. Israel of those present knew as yet the with the Arab-Israeli problem.
Jean Rey, president of the exter-
would be accepted as a full mem- destiny in store for it.
Naomi Shtemer said later that her nal affairs commission of the Euro-
ber if it would include among its
pean
Economic Community, told the
song
was
not
meant
to
be
a
national
exports, in addition to oranges and
hymn. If anything. it was intended Brussels daily, Le Soir, that the
l i;unonds—talented generals.
six-nation
organization of Europe
As we drove through Ramona, as a prayer. The words drew upon
soon after the cease-fire, little many classical allusions to the should begin to play a real polit-
Arab children waved at us gaily. Jewish association with Jerusalem. ical role and should make its in-
Older children looked on curi- The name came from a talmudic fluence felt in the Middle East
ously. The grownups were quiet !reference to a gift which Rabbi situation.
"We, almost alone, are in a
and unsmiling. They appeared Akiva gave his wife—instead of a
position to help them to build a
stilt in a state of shock. They 1 piece of jewelry, a precious and
common existence," lie declared.
seemed to be asking each other: holy city.
If you are a professional, college graduate, or undergraduate,
"Neither the Russians nor the
The first Israeli soldiers who
What went wrong? What now?
between the ages of 19 and 30, here is an opportunity
Americans can associate them-
for you to serve for one year in Israel, working with
They had not expected this to broke through the Jordanian lines
selves economically with them.
new immigrants in new development areas for only $670
happen. War was what they were and made their way into the Old
We are their main customers and
round-trip air fore. Next departure September.
City were followed by a trailing
going to do to the Israelis.
we will have to intensify our
During the days of early tension microphone. And the entire nation
PHONE or WRITE:
relationship with them and begin,
our men in uniform waited, alert. listened as the men stood at the
for several weeks for the crucial Wailing Wall and sang the prayer • with them, to achieve solutions to
the problems so violently high-
decision: would the great powers which suddenly became so appro-
lighted today."
be able to stave off a war, or priate.
Rey asserted that the present
From that moment on "Jerusalem
would Nasser strike first? During
that painfully monotonous wait the of Gold" became the theme song of Middle East crisis could have been
Hebrew Dept., Jewish Community Center
avoided
had Europe dealt in past
women of Israel organized Opera- the war. Naomi Shemer took to the
18100 Meyers, Detroit, Mich. 48235 — DI 1-420Q
tion Spongecake. Tens of thousands field and sang it for the troops years with the refugee problem and
of cakes were baked and sent to hundreds of times, but the entire the question of freedom of passage
of
the
Suez
Canal.
He
expressed
NAME
every unit in the field until the population had already taken both
men called for mercy. If the Egyp- words and music to their hearts. regret that the members of the
ADDRESS
-----
tians had struck at that time
The song had become a symbol of European Economic Community had
been unable to agree on a common
As Jordanian guns rained fire the redemption.
STATE
CITY
position on the Middle East at their
indiscriminately, day and night,
OIL civilian Jerusalem, including
SINAI DESERT — One can recent Rome conference and said
ZIP PHONE NO.
our daughter and grand-daugh- understand the enraged fury of the EEC's council of ministers
ter, and as Jordanian artillery the Russians when he stands here could and should find a political
Please send me additional information
SAUL BERCH
Packer Pontiac
FINAL WEEKS!
GOING OUT OF BUSINESS*
Euroinart Leader
Urges Colleagues
to Aid ME Nations
1/ 3 OFF ON ENTIRE STOCK
MORIS HUPPERT
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12 Friday, July 14, 1967
—
solution to the problems of the
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Middle East. (Earlier story, P. 29)
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