Purely Commentary

Emphasis on Religious
Freedom in Israel . . . Tragic
Plight of Egyptian Jewry

By Philip
Slomovitz

Truman Center
to Be on Scopus

benches eventually we had to sit—and even to Ile—on the floor,
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The Har-
despite its condition. At last we were herded together for departure.
As we left the outer door we were set by the mob outside."
ry S. Truman Center for the Ad-
The Egyptian tragedy is symbolic of the sufferings of Jews in vancement of Peace will be built
spreaders of prejudice and suspicion who criticize and condemn and Moslem countries. In the consideration of the Arab-Jewish issues in on the Mount Scopus Hebrew Uni-
the Middle East, these persecutions which have resulted in more than versity campus site, as the former
portray Israelis as villains.
Preachers of religion have been among the hate-mongers who have 700,000 Jews being forced out of Moslem lands must not be ignored. President had wanted, Samuel
refused to listen even to the clerics in Israel who have repudiated these escapes from Arab threats lost all their possessions. Their plight Rothberg, chairman of the board
attacks on Israel and have affirmed that there is religious freedom should be considered as part of the Middle East refugee question of the American Friends of the
Hebrew University, and Louis
when refugees are spoken of as part of the Arab-Jewish problem.
in Israel.
Boyar, a member of the univer-
Fortunately. there are men of faith who refuse to yield to false
sity's board of
pr opaganda. Thus, the Rev. William H. Harter of Margaretville, N. Y., Gambling ... Lotteries ... the Jewish Attitude
governors, an-
wrote to the New York Times:
Adoption of a lottery by New York State has raised new
nounced here.
Continuing discussion about the need to safeguard and to discussions relative to the effects of resort to chance and the wisdom
When the pro-
guarantee access to Christian shrines and sites under Israeli control of introducing games as either a sport or as a means to raise funds.
ject was first an-
prompts this letter.
In the Christian Science Monitor, in his "Dialogue With Youth."
ounced in Inde-
My wife and I lived for almost a year in Israel in 1965.66, the newspaper's editor, Erwin D. Canham, in response to a question,
pendence, Mo., in
during which we made numerous visits to shrines revered by expressed this view:
January 1966, by
Christian groups and to historical sites of particular significance
t h e American
"My thought, often expressed, is that lotteries support crime.
for Christians.
Friends, the
Gambling supports the vast crime syndicates that interlace the
We experienced no interference whatever from the Israeli
Truracin M o u n t Scopus
United States and much of the world. It is argued that if the
authorities, nor did we ever hear those in charge of the places,
Harry • S.
site was in an
state operates them, rather than the underworld, we will somehow
who were Christians, complain that their administrative activities
Truman enclave surround-
be better off. But one form of gambling—the state lottery—doesn't
were hampered in any way by the government. Thus we believe
ed by Jordanian territory since
replace the other form—the numbers game. Rather, one feeds and
that Christian fears of Israeli interference with access or with
fosters the other. It is a bad step backward, and usually a
the 1948 war. The original plans
worship are both groundless and needless.
delusive one . ."
therefore called for establishment
We feel, moreover, that it is deplorable that such dispropor-
of
the Center on the new Hebrew
What
is
the
Jewish
traditional
attitude
to
gambling?
tionate concern has been lavished by Christian groups on "shrines
It is a matter of record that Jewish sages often resorted to University campus in new Jeru-
and sites" when we should be concentrating intensely on doing
salem.
A dedication ceremony was
all that we can to help those of all faiths who have suffered from the sport of chance, and gambling has not been a strange factor in
held there on July 11. 1966.
Jewish experience.
the war and its aftermath.
Capture of the Old City and the
Discussing the question some time ago, the eminent British-Jewish
There have been academicians who were fooled by false propa-
West Bank in the June war made
ganda, but there is evidence that many see through the schemes of scholar, Rabbi Louis Jacobs stated that, from a study he had it feasible to plan the center on
conducted,
it
appears
"there
is
no
legal
objection
to
a
Jew
indulging
the groups that seek to undermine the peace of the Middle East and
Mount Scopus. A total of $3,600,-
to follow the bigots who have made common cause with the Kremlin in a 'mild flutter' or to his buying a ticket in a sweepstake." He 000 for the center was subscribed
to harm Israel. Associate Professor of Mathematics Edward S. Boylan added that gambling in Judaism "is legally permitted in a mild form, by 36 leading American Jews who
but
the
ideal
is
to
refrain
from
it
completely."
of Hunter College in the Bronx wrote to the New York Times em-
contributed $100,000 each for the
But how many make life a total "ideal"?
phasizing that "men of goodwill in many nations have insisted that
project_
withdrawal of Israeli troops be coupled with an end to the state of
Dr. Jacobs referred to Dr. Salo Baron's "The Jewish Community"
belligerency between the parties." He expressed the hope that "in for quotation of data regarding the approach to the problem from
all the nations involved cool heads prevail" and wrote:
the legal viewpoint. In his reference to Baron's view he stated: M.E. Orthodox Prelate
Reading the Rev. Russell J. Clinchy's Aug. 3 letter concern- "Leon de Modena in 1584, at the early age of 14, wrote a famous to Attend Cushing Fete
ing justice in the Middle East makes me wonder whether he and treatise, sur me-ra, on the evils of gambling, though by a strange
TEL AVIV (JTA) —Archbishop
irony of fate, in later life he developed a passion for the vice he had
I have been witnessing the same events.
George Hakim of Galilee, the lead-
According to him, the "Hebrews" have had no national state so eloquently condemned. Various medieval communities introduced er of the Israeli Greek Orthodox
in the area for the last 2,523 years. Has he never heard of the state repressive measures to combat the evil of gambling."
communit y, is coming to the
He also quoted from Israel Battan's "Studies in Jewish Preaching"
of Israel? Or does he believe, along with the Arabs, that Israel
United States to participate in a
to indicate that: "In the moralistic literature of our people gambling
should just be wiped off the map?
dinner in Boston on Sept. 28 which
Further, he characterizes the blockade of the Gulf of Aqaba, is repeatedly condemned as a frivolous pursuit, as evidencing a will honor Richard Cardinal
the mining of the Straits of Tiran, the mobilization of 80,000 lack of faith in God and a 'get-rich-quick' attitude, and as the open
Cushing.
soldiers on the borders of Israel, the arrival of Iraqi troops in door to financial ruin. As early as the 13th century Jacob ben Abba
The dinner is being organized by
Jordan and the constant threats of national extermination as Maria Anatoli (b. 1194), though he admitted that gambling was not the National Committee for Labor
"questions of a legal and technical nature which should be presented legally forbidden, frowned upon the amusements of the gaming-table." Israel, sponsor of the annual cam-
Actually, as Dr. Jacobs additionally pointed out—
for judicial consideration and answer by the International Court."
paign in the United States for the
"In the Bible there are no references to gambling. So far as
Having viewed these provocations with such equanimity, Dr.
Histadrut, Israel's labor federation.
we know, gambling was unknown among Jews until the.y came
Clinchy accuses the Israelis of "aggression and terror," of bomb-
The Boston dinner, in which Mas-
under Greek and Roman influences. The casting of lots, however,
ing armies "on the desert plains of their own countries from
sachusetts Governor John A. Volpe
is frequently mentioned in the Bible and was often resorted to.
which they had not advanced." Inasmuch as the Egyptians have
will participate, will raise funds
Lots were cast to determine which of the two goats were to be
always claimed to be in a state of belligerency with Israel, it is
for a Cardinal Cushing Hospital to
sent to Azazel (Lev. xiv, 8-10), in the affair of Jonathan (I Sam.
difficult to see why it is aggression for Israel to act belligerently.
be operated by the Kupat Holim,
xiv,
42-43),
and
to
divide
up
the
land
(Num.
xxvi,
55,
and
Josh.
xv).
President Nasser cannot have his cake and eat it. He cannot close
the Histadrut Sick Fund, and t h e
The sailors in the book of Jonah cast lots to discover who was
the Suez Canal and Aqaba and then protest when Israel reacts
Greek Orthodox community in Is-
responsible for their evil condition (Jonah, i, 7), as did Haman
in like manner.
rael at Shefaram.
to determine the most suitable month for his nefarious plot
Moreover, whoever the initiator in Sinai, it is indisputable
Archbishop Hakim is a member
(Esther iii, 7)."
that it was Jordanians who began hostilities with Israel by their
These are interesting details regarding a subject that has plagued of the Histadrut and many nuns
shelling of Jerusalem and other Israeli towns. As for the poor sol-
and priests of his community are
diers being shot at in their own land, I was not aware that one of the many generations but which is never fully resolved. Just as our
members of the Histadrut Teach-
rules of war is to wait until an enemy crosses over onto one's sages have been divided on the issue of legality and morality, so
ers Union.
land before firing at him. A second rule which eludes me is that are we, in this modern age.
after all the shooting is over all nations must return to their
original boundaries. Many people, especially the Russians, seem
to be advocating this rule. But somehow I can't find one previous
example where it ever was applied.
typical of many Jews we encoun-
Stephen and Barbara Rosenfeld and the exhibit Medicine USA
Peace and justice in the Middle East will come only when
tered, took Barbara to a cafe.
when Barbara Rosenfeld was a
the Arab states realize that they cannot eradicate the state of were both making their second trip guide for the U. S. Information
Neither practiced the religion
Israel. Once this basic fact is established, a lasting, negotiated to Russia when they met in 1960. Agency, the following is related:
or professed any belief or inter-
As man and wife they returned
peace treaty should be easily obtainable.
in it, but they were acutely
est
"On one occasion two students,
To attempt to force Israel to return what it has conquered td Russia for their third trip in
conscious of their Jewishness.
without establishing this would be self-defeating and would only 1964 and they were expelled in De-
One declared that if he could
cember of 1965 as punishment for Denver Post Editorial
encourage the Arabs to bring on hostilities once again.
have one wish granted, it would
It is evident in Prof. Boylan's reputation of an unjust and embit- Rosenfeld's series of articles in Raps UN for Pressures
be to erase 'Jewish' from his per-
Washington
Post
on
the
"Pen-
tered accusation that false propaganda can not fool all of the people
sonal document s. His friend
on United Jerusalem
all of the time. It is to be hoped that the true state of affairs will, kovsky Papers."
agreed, 'We must be better than
DENVER (JTA)—The Denver
On the basis of their experiences,
as Prof. Boylan wrote, lead to peace for all elements involved in the
the others, and still it's held
the Rosenfelds wrote "Return Post, a leading western daily, has
Middle Eastern struggle.
against us. It's not fair. You can't
•
*
*
From Red Square" published by been buying space in national
know what it's like to live with
Robert Luce and promoted by publications to reprint one of its
this all your life. I dared be-
Another Genocide: Destruction of Egyptian Jewry
David McKay Co. (750 3rd NY17). editorials criticizing the United
come friends with you, but who
There were 70,000 Jews in Egypt in 1917. Their number began to
Both authors have mastered Rus- Nations and the United States for
knows when they'll ask what we
decline—in 1948, then in 1956, and by 1967 their number was reduced sian and have had extensive ex- pressuring Israel on Jerusalem.
did. They have a thousand eyes.'
to 2,500. In May of this year Cairo police began to round up Egyptian periences which are recorded in
The editorial holds that Israeli
Jews. On the day of the outbreak of the June war 600 Jews—practically this book on life in the Soviet control over Old Jerusalem should
"In the exhibition comment
all of the male Jewish population—including the chief rabbis of Cairo Union.
continue "at the very least until
book, visitors occasionally com-
and Alexandria—were arrested.
While dealing with life gen- the Arabs agree to recognize Israel
plained of too many Jewish
Most of Egypt's remaining Jews are stateless. Some had acquired
and sign a Middle East peace
erally, with the ways of the Rus-
guides. In Leningrad a man who
Italian or Greek citizenship through their grandparents who had
treaty.
sians, their manner of living,
signed himself 'Professor' critic-
settled in Egypt three or four generations ago. Some Jews managed
The editorial contrasted the
their foods, etc., the Rosenfelds
ized the United States for send-
to emigrate, but 300 are reported to be in prisons near Cairo and
silence of the great powers during
also make occasional references
ing Jews 'whom we know and
another 300 in the Barrag prison near Alexandria.
to the prejudices extant there. 19 years of Jordanian control of
do not trust.' "
British M. P. Lord Lambton, in an article in the London Evening
the Old City with the insistence
They tell about one man who
Thus, the Rosenfeld story brief-
Standard, quoted Squadron Leader Hindle James, who was arrested in
that Israel end its merger pro-
blamed the conditions under
ly corroborates many of the accu-
Egypt, who told him:
cedures.
which he lived on anti-Semitism,
sations
against the Soviets and re-
The editorial said that in view
but he worshipped Lenin "as a
"I was next moved to the Ministry of the Interior, from where
of Israel's guarantees of free ac- veals how prejudices have been
god," even wore a Lenin style
I was taken to Alexandria, manacled to a member of the British
At
cess by all religious adherents to ingrained among the Russians.
beard and had confidence that
Embassy staff. On arrival in Alexandria we were all—about 40
the holy places in the area and the same time they indicate the
the Lenin way of life would re-
persons mostly respectable and dignified Egyptian Jewish folk, who
fears
that
exist
among
Russian
the determination not to allow
turn.
were being constantly and grossly insulted—placed together in a
Jews.
They tell about the interest Rus- Jordanian gunners back to harass
large cell in what seem part of an old fort.
Thus "Return From Red Square"
Israel's capital, the United States
sian
Jews
showed
in
Americans
"This cell had evidently been used for confining many people
served importantly in indicating
for long periods. The walls and much of the floor had inevitably and in Israel and how they tried and the United Nations "ought to
be at least one-nineteenth as the conditions that exist in Russia.
when
they
met
other
Jews
"to
been used as a latrine. The filth was lightly covered with sand.
The volume is by a couple that is
We were kept there for many hours, and as there were no reach out briefly and anonymously patient with the Israeli occupation well qualified to write on experi-
of the Old City as they were with
to a fellow Jew."
ence under the Communists.
the
Jordanian
occupation."
Describing
American
exhibitions
THE
DETROIT
JEWISH
NEWS
2—Friday. August HI 1967

Common Sense Needs Re-Emphasis
No matter how repetitive the reports from the Middle East about
the good treatment provided the prisoners of war and the Arabs from
Jordan and Egypt who are now in Israeli territory. there still are the

'Return From Red Square' Exposes USSR Prejudices

" "