Purely Commentary
Arthur Goldberg's Role at UN
Arthur Goldberg's resignation as the U. S. representative at the
United Nations was not unexpected. It was known for some time that he
was not happy in his role, that he wanted
a change, that he was fed up being the
mouthpiece for the State Department. He
didn't say so, but that's what was
understood.
He leaves his post with honor. He con-
ducted himself with dignity. There were
times when government policies must have
irked him. He followed orders but what
he did he performed well.
Goldberg's performances during the
Middle East crisis especially earned for
him great glory. He faced up to the USSR
charges and inane attacks with courage.
He had been attacked as a Jew and he
. portrayed the role of a man of courage as
well as dignity and earned for himself a
place of great respect in the world arena.
It is possible that conditions might
have been much worse for Israel if some
Arthur Goldberg
one else had represented the White House
and the State Department at the United Nations. He did not deviate
from his skill as a brilliant researcher, that he has strengthened his
crisis and finally attained a goal that averted a possible East-West
conflict and greater tragedies in the Middle East. He has earned
admiration and appreciation for his valiant efforts.
India Prime Minister's Deluding Statement
Look magazine's interesting issue in which 15 pages are devoted to
Israel's 20th anniversary is marked by a sad coincidence. In the same
issue appears an interview with India's Prime Minister Mrs. Indira
Gandhi in which the lady who guides her country's destinies reiterated
her position of antagonism to Israel. While asserting that India's official
position is the same as in 1956, reflecting "also our long-established and
strong friendship with the Arab world, especially with the United Arab
Republic," she added: "If Israel is to live in peace, she can only do so
in friendship with her neighbors."
This was wisely said, but friendships must be attained and cemented
on a partnership basis and on the international scene other nations can
encourage peoples who are in conflict to establish amity. Israel desires
friendship and the UAR rejects it; and Mrs. Gandhi has been an ele-
ment of encouragement to Nasser not to effect the friendship she
talked about. In reality, Mrs. Gandhi has been a factor in inducing
enmities rather than friendships in the Middle East.
It is not enough for Mrs. Gandhi to say that India is not anti-Israel
by pointing out that there is an Israeli consul general in India. This
is true and Israel hopes for and pleads with India's government to
assure an exchange of ambassadorships in addition to the limited
recognition accorded an Israeli representative. There is cause for
appreciation of the fact stated by Mrs. Gandhi that in the interwar
years India was among the first to condemn Nazi atrocities and she
was "secretary of a committee set up to condemn atrocities against the
Jews in Europe." But the fact that Mrs. Gandhi and her government
are negating the wishes of the Indian people who are pro-Israel is
the cause for deep regret.
The true attitude of the Indian people towards Israel was outlined
in a very revealing article in Orbis, the quarterly journal of world
affairs published by the University of Pennsylvania Foreign Policy
Research Institute. Commentary column in our issue of March 29 in
.which the Orbis essays on the Middle East were reviewed contained
reference to the article on India which we treated as follows:
Richard J. Kozicki, University of Hawaii lecturer, an
expert on South Asian affairs, in his essay "Indian Policy
Toward the Middle East," presents data to show that the
people of India do not go along with the policies of Prime
Minister Gandhi and with the anti-Israel policies pursued
at the UN. This essay alone justifies further study of
the Orbis collection of essays. Suffice it to quote this from
Kozicki's article:
"A survey conducte.d in mid-July by the respected
Indian Institute of Public Opinion on the 'West Asian crisis'
has revealed that two out of three respondents in the cities
of Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi and Madras oppose India's exten-
sion of unqualified support in the 'Arab cause' and maintain
that India needs to take a 'more objective and impartial
stand' on the Arab-Israel issue . . ."
Such is the regrettable factor about India—that the country's prime
minister is antagonistic while avowing a desire for peace and friend-
ship, ignoring by such policies the wishes of the Indian people. And
those who read her views in Look while becoming acquainted with
Israel's 20 years of progress have no way of learning that the Gandhi
views do not coincide with those of her citizens!
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*
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Hussein's Strength and 'Peace Role'
An interview by Louis E. Lomax with King Hussein, reported in
this week's Look magazine, gives the impression that Israel's recent
attack on El Fatah's hangout in Jordan destroyed a "peace mission"
that was planned by Hussein.
The Jordanian king had told Lomax that he was seeking "the
peace initiative" and was about to "visit all of my brother Arab heads
of state" to find a peace formula. Then came the Israeli attack upon
the guerrillas and Hussein, angered, joined in a demand for continuation
of the war with Israel. Lomax adds his comment: "All Israel
accomplished was to weaken—perhaps fatally = the power of King
Hussein, the only Arab leader actively seeking a peaceful settlement."
In view of Hussein's inconsistencies, one wonders how naive an
interviewer can possibly be—Hussein talked through both sides of the
mouth. In Washington he was a peace-seeker, in Cairo he embraced
Nasser. While there still is persistent view that Hussein desires peace,
he has not shown courage enough to pursue it.
It may well be that Israel's El Karameh attack was untimely, that
it postponed peace for a time. But it could not have affected Hussein's
attitude. He is in a dilemma, fearing assassination, desiring peace
while unwilling to sacrifice the role of a collaborator with his fellow-
Arab potentates. To believe anything else is to yield to sheer naivete.
2—Friday, May 3, 1968
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
By Philip
Slomovitz
For Hubert Horatio Humphrey
as President of Our Country
For Hubert H. Humphrey: A Time to Choose the Ablest Man
In the 47 years during which this column has been published, weekly, uninterruptedly, there were
11 Presidential elections. During those historic years your commentator analyzed and reviewed the emerg-
ing issues, commented upon them, criticized often, advocated strict adherence to our nation's democra-
tic ideals. Never before has this column, on no occasions have our editorial columns., taken a partisan
stand. We adhered strictly to neutrality.
For the first time we take a stand and advocate a preference for the Presidency of the 'United States.
This is the most demanding occasion on which we feel it has become vitally urgent to seek the
ablest man for the Presidency and to strive first for his nomination by his party and then to join in efforts
to elect him to the highest office in the land.
Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey is our choice for the high office, and we hope and pray for
his success.
In these turbulent times it is urgent that this nation should choose as its leader, for a period that
is certain to be vital for the world and for America, a man with experience, one who has had the train-
ing that should qualify him to tackle the many issues that face us.
We face the world problems—the threats to our way of life, the East-West struggle.
There is the race issue—already we are confronted with the danger of being forced into a posi-
tion of "a nation divisible."
Poverty must be fought and overcome—we dare not perpetuate conditions of degradation among „--
our fellow citizens.
Educational institutions are under attack and there is a cultural revolution—it needs careful handl-
ing in order that the high standards of American endeavors should not be sacrificed on an altar of in-
difference.
Scores of other issues involving the health of our people, law and order, means of solving the needs
_
of the millions who are afflicted with mental ills, especially the mentally retarded children—these need
strong leadership and wise approaches.
It is the strong conviction of this commentator that Hubert H. Humphrey is the ablest man avail
able for these tasks, and we add our voice to the mounting support for the vice president.
Two things need to be understood:
There are, of course, other able candidates in the running for the Presidency. None, in our view,
possesses all the qualifications of Vice President Humphrey. We must avoid opportunism, we can not
Word dreamers, we have had experience with some who have distinguished themselves in national and
state positions but their total backgrounds do not begin to approach the training Hubert Humphrey has
acquired in his many years of service to this country.
And there is another matter: let it be recorded that, in our view, there is no such thing as a
Jewish vote. We are all citizens of a great nation and in each group there are supporters for one or an-
other of numerous candidates. Therefore what we do is as a duty of citizenship.
It is this duty that impels us to join the ranks of those who are backing Hubert Horatio Humphrey
for the Presidency. We wish to be listed as a non-partisan supporter, but because it is first necessary
that the Vice President have the Democratic nomination we join the ranks of progressives in his party
who are backing him for the most important position a man can attain.
We believe in Humphrey's liberalism, in his progressive approaches to all issues, in his honesty
and in his dignity.
We have confidence in his integrity and the spirit with which he has dedicated his life in the serv-
ice of our country.
With this sense of trust in a great American's worthiness and reliability we join the :rorces backing
Hubert Horatio Humphrey for President of the United States.
*
Japan and the Arab Boycott
Japanese visitors in Israel have evinced enthusiasm over the
progress that is so apparent in the Jewish State. Yet there are
industrialists in Japan who have yielded to Arab pressures and are
condoning the economic boycott of Israel. From all indications the
Japanese government is not very happy about a situation that compels
Japan's merchants not to do business with Israel so that they may not
jeopardize trade with Arabs.
The cause for concern is the Japanese government's rejection of a
bid to participate in the Tel Aviv trade fair in June. That's deplorable,
and if one boycott should lead to another it will be another unhealthy
episode in world trade rlations.
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Morris Epstein's Remarkable Classic
Dr. Morris Epstein has produced so valuable a classic, resulting
from his skill as a brilliant researcher, that he has strengthened his
role as one of the ablest editors and students
of Jewish folklore in our time.
To many he is especially known as the
editor of the children's magazine World
Over. As the researcher who has made
available the Hebrew counterpart of Boccac-
cio, his thoroughly fascinating series of anec-
dotal tales incorporated in "Tales of Sende-
bar," a recent Jewish Publication Society
volume, he emerges as one of the creative
writers who has rescued significant docu-
ments which have become part of his great
book.
His "Mishle Sendebar"—as, "Tales of
Sendebar" are known by their Hebrew title
—contain the originals and the translations
of the "Seven Sages" and are based on un-
published documents which have been
gathered and edited by Dr. Epstein.
The skillful editor of these entertaining
tales drew upon more than 200 manuscripts
Dr. Epstein
from some 250 editions of works that con-
tamed the stories of the Seven Sages of Rome, collectively known as
the Book of Sindibad. Th oldest of the eight surviving Eastern versions
from which stories were drawn for Dr. Epstein's book belong to the 10th
Century. There were versions of these stories in Syriac, Arabic, Greek,
Spanish and Persian and the most important of the eight Eastern
versions is the Hebrew which, alone, according to Dr. Epstein, "contains
features which distinguish the Western versions from the Eastern." He
presents the "Mishle Sendebar" as the most important yet the most
misinterpreted.
Dr. Epstein's dedicated task of presenting the tales in their proper
form makes his effort so distinctive. He has drawn upon the handwritten
versions of the Leningrad manuscript, the French and Budapest texts,
the manuscripts available at the Jewish Theological Seminary and
Hebrew Union College as well as those at the Vatican.
The result is the product of scholarship of so high a merit that this
book is certain to remain among the imperishable JPS classics.
The tales related in this book, the narratives accredited to Asian
storyteller, the episodes about a weak king, a lascivious queen, a loyal
son whom the young queen wishes to seduce—these vie with similar
stories like Boccaccio's. The sages play their roles and there is great
delight in the text of this splendidly compiled collection of episodes.
Dr. Epstein's contribution to research among the Hebrew classics
lies not only in his editing and translations but also in the inclusion in
this text of reproductions of the historic manuscripts, the presentation
on parallel pages of the Hebrew stories and his English translations
and the explanatory essays and appendixes which evaluate the work
and assure for it the permanence of a classic.
Rescue of Jews
Theme of Danish
July 4th Event
NEW YORK—Denmark's tradi-
tional observance of the American
Fouth of July in the Rebild Hills
of Jutland will also commemorate
the 25th anniversary of the rescue
of the Danish Jewish community
by their countrymen during World
War II; and Richard Netter of
New York, president of the Thanks
to Scandinavia Fund, has been
chosen as the American Rebild
speaker.
American Independence Day has
been celebrated in Denmark every
year since 1912 under the auspices
of Danish-Americans in the Re-
bild National Park Society. T h e
Danish prime minister and the
American ambassador are tradi-
tionally among the participants
and members of the Royal family
often attend.
Charles L. Hansen, president a
the Rebild Society, has also an-
nounced that Dr. Erik Husfeldt,
professor of medicine at the Uni-
versity of Copenhagen and a lead-
ing figure in the wartime. Danish _\
Resistance, will be the Danish
speaker at the July 4 celebrations.•-
Previous American speakers at
Rebild have included Chief Justice
Earl Warren, Vice President Rich-
ard M. Nixon, Walt Disney, Walter,
Cronkite, Semon E. Knudsen,
president of Ford Motor Company,
and Robert F. Wagner, former
mayor of New York City.
"Thanks to Scandinavia" was
organized in 1965 to commemorate
the rescue of 8,000 Danes of Jew-
ish faith from the Nazis and to
perpetuate the memory of the
moral act involved. Its collections
to date have exceeded $350,000
and more than 36 young Scandi-
navians have received scholarships
to study in the United States. By
the end of 1968, the Fund hopes
to grant up to 20 scholarships an
nually.
Netter is a distinguished lawyer
who joined with Victor Borge and
others in creating the Thanks to
Scandinavia Fund.