Avalanche of Yuletide Anti -Semitic Mail By MILTON FRIEDMAN (Copyright 1967, JTA Inc) WASHINGTON —The Christmas season has revealed the develop- ment of a new anti-Semitic .line, emotionally charged with com- plaints against "Jewish control of Jerusalem and Bethlehem." Yuletide mail received by Con- gressmen brought messages of peace on earth, and goodwill to- ward men. But some of the com- munications bemoaned the con- tinued Israeli occupation of Arab territory, the plight of the Arab refugees, and the allegedly sinister roles of such personages as Am- bassador Arthur J. Goldberg and the. Rostow brothers. Walter W. Rostow is President Johnson's per- sonal adviser on international se- curity affairs. Eugene Rostov' also has advised governmental bodies. The Republicans tend to reject anti-Israel pressures because the emerging GOP position is that the administration wasted mil- lions in aid on Arabs who lined up with Moscow. Republican cri- ticism of the President has been based on charges of inadequate support of Israel rather than too much. Israel is seen in Republi- can eyes as an anti-Communist bulwark whose support is in America's best interest. Interviews with a number of Con- gressmen elicited a similar re- sponse on one point. They said that a pro-Israel statement or action often drew more denunciations than plaudits. The friends of Israel seldom send notes of approval and support, it would appear. A congressman, asking not to be identified, said he backed Israel because of his own conclusion that Congressmen consider most of the anti-Israel material as crank this was consistent with the Ameri- mail. While the pleaders for the can objectives of peace and jos- , Arabs generally avoid outright tice. "But," he added. "this is an anti-Semitism, it was noted that election yearSand it is good to have some attacks on Israel are ad- a little reassurance. My mailbox dressed to nun-Jewish members of Congress but not to Jews. Such letters contain snide references to Jewish "domination" of Christian holy shrines. Questions are raised about the objectivity of persons like Ambassador Goldberg. was jammed when things looked bad for Israel last May. Since May I have not relaxed my watch on developments and on all legislation and policies on the Middle East. But a spotcheck of current mail would quickly show that there is considerable opinion against Israel. It may not be representative. But it's what I get." THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, December 22, 1967-3 Get the Harvard Row Habit With our latest fashions in jewelry .. . GEORGE OHRENSTEIN Certified Master Wa tehnICIker and Jeweler HARVARD ROW MALL 11 MILE and LAHSER RDS. Phone: 353-3146 Open Daily 9-6; Thurs. 9-9 Canadian Jews Ask Mose ow to Stop Bias Polity MONTREAL (JTA) — The Ca- Union. The congress appeal was nadian Jewish Congress appealed in the form of a letter tranSinitted Monday to the Soviet government through Soviet Ambassador 'Van F. to remove the disabilities hamper- Shpedke and linked the plea to ing the religious and cultural free- the celebration of the 50th anni- dom of the Jews in the Soviet versary of the Russian Revolution. KAPLAN BROS. Specializing in: • Fresh, Cutup Chicken Parts Ready Made Hamburger Patties • Oven Ready Turkeys • Stuffed Kishka • Seasoned Meat Balls • Veal for Scalopini • Beef for Scalopini . • Hebrew Nat'l. Delicatessen • Boneless Chicken Breasts 18229 WYOMING WE DELIVER — UN 1-4770 • • • • • Cartwheels Cube Steaks Kosher TV Dinners Beef Ribs Seasoned Meat Loaf OPEN DEC. 25 TO 2 P. M. CLOSED NEW YEAR'S DAY Member Detroit Kosher Meat Dealers Association A steady increase in anti- Israel mail developed since the Six-Day War in June. The first theme was the accidental Israeli attack on the U.S.S. Liberty. Next came the official announce- ment on the permanent status of Jerusalem. This brought letters from Christian clergmen. Stock phrases were used, indicating that the missionaries who op- posed Zionism are still active. The letters denounce every Is- raeli reprisal and quote any Is- raeli statement that sounds pro- vocative out of context. They uni- formly ignore Arab terorism and belligerent remarks from Arab capitals. Arab collaboration with Russia is overlooked in a con- venient manner. Israel, however, is blamed for allegedly inflaming the region and forcing the Arabs to break with Washington. Writers portray themselves as "grass-root" Americans who feel their congressman has overlooked the facts. When a senator speaks out, for instance, for sale of U.S. arms to Israel, he may expect more negative than friendly re- sponses. A legislator's supporters tend to take him for granted. Critics of Israel quickly respond with literate appeals for the Arabs. Anti-Semites exploit the ma- terial of the so-called "American Council for Judaism." Reprints of anti-Israel material published by the council are often en- closed in letters to Congress. - Most congressmen place no cre- dence in the council material. Its presence affixed to a letter tends to discredit the writer. The bigots are mindful that 1968 is an election year. Their more or less tactful correspondence con- veys the message that a politi- cian's pro-Israel stand might cost him votes. An informal canvass suggested that neither Democrats nor Re- publicans tend to take their anti- Israel mail very seriously. Demo- crats resent the attacks on admin- istration policies and attempts to discredit President Johnson's five- point peace formula. They recall the wide popular support for Israel in June and see this as a barome- ter of the average voter's climate. Democrats feel the Israeli victory can be sold as an Administration achievement because President jOlinson avoided U.S. involvement while someone else thrashed the Communist-backed forces. Arabic Added to Forms JERUSALEM (JTA) — Jerusa- lem's municipality has added Ara- ble to all stationery and forms in- tended for Arab residents, whose letters and material will be in Arabic only, from now on A" your lives te as happy and 6ri gki as /lie nine durninq candles of die Aenorak. AMERICAN k i ma SAVINGS **socios-ct. MICHIGAN'S LARGEST STATE-CHARTERED SAVINGS AND LOAN INSTITUTION