pit-Wingt Inspired
Hertzberg Reveals4 Rd
Anti-Semitism During French Enlightenment

Anti-Semitic actions and utter-
ances during and after the period
of French enlightment was "the
language of extreme Jacobins in
eastern France" and "it was to
be the post-Christian Secularized
rhetoric of at least one wing of
the revolutionary left in France
and all over Europe, in the 19th
and centuries."
In this fashion, Dr. Arthur Hertz-
berg, in his thoroughly annotated
work, "The French Enlightenment
and the Jews," co-published by
Columbia University Press and
the Jewish Publication Society of
America, shows how the anti-
Semitic spirit stemmed from Vol-
taire and those who followed his
preachments of hatred. Christian
theologians were among those who
advocated enfranchisement of
Jews, but leftists were in the front
ranks of the bigots who fought
against the moves to assure eman-
cipation for Jews. The decrees of
the majors of the French Revolu-
tion triumphed, but not without
the obstacles that were placed in
the path of the libertarians.
Rabbi Hertzberg's complete
study of the events that led to
the final and total act encom-
passes all of the details embrac-
ing the charges and defenses,
the bitter accusations against
Jews and - the counter-actions of
eminent liberals. Jews were ac-
tive in the efforts to acquire
equal status, but some Jews evi-
denced negative sentiments. The
zeal of Jewry's friends forms a
revealing element in a volume
filled with a wealth of historical
developments.
While "Voltaire personally dis-
liked Jews quite intensely, and this
has generally been explained as
an accidental and secondary phe-
nomenon," Henri Gregoire, Charles
de Secondat Montesquieu, Chris-
tian Wilhelm Dohm, Honore Ga-
briel Mirabeau and many others
emerged as admirers of the Jews
and their supporters in the quest
for just rights.
"Voltaire," Hertzberg explains,
was supposed to have been reflect-
ing both some personal. unfortu-
nate experiences with Jews and
his incapacity as an individual to
free himself from his earliest
Christian education." It is indi-
cated that Voltaire's "writings
were the great arsenal of anti-
Jewish arguments for those ene-
mies of the Jews who wanted to
sound contemporary. The 'en-
lightened' friends of the Jews in-
variably quoted from Montesquieu
and did battle with Voltaire."
The debates that ensued are
reviewed in all thoroughness in
Hertzberg's evaluative work and
the result is not only an account
of the battle for Jewish rights
but also contains an informative
account of Jewish life in that
era, of the Jews' roles as mer-
chants, financiers, aides to kings
and as aspirants for positions in
education. The search for Jew-
ish indentity similarly finds
echoes in these analyses and
the author shows how many
Jews in French areas, having
escaped from the Inquisition,
returned to active Jewish life in
France in areas where that be-
came permissible.
Spinozist influences which left
their negative marks'. upon Jews,
the 'antagonism of Spinoza, his
denigration of the Bible, are intro-
duced for an understanding -of the
elements that formed embittered
theological discourses. At the
same time Hertzberg tells about
Jews of that era who attacked the
New Testament, of Marranos who
returned to Judaism who attacked
Christianity.
The transition from mercantilism
to free ,trade is part of the Jewish
experience described by Hertz-
berg. In this course of defining
the events he related the import-
ant historical occurences involving

the Jewish communities . of Bay-
onne, Bordeaux, Metz and other
major centers where Jews played
important roles.
The activities of eminent philo-
Semites, the courageous posi- •
Lions of many Jews, the disputes
and the extensive argumenta-,
tions among the parliamentari-
ans form a compilation of ideas
that give great significance to
this work.
Mainstreams of arguments by
Christians as well as Jews in the
course of debates over Jewish
rights show the numerous ap-
proaches, the means used to wipe
out the mark * of ugliness with
which Jews were depicted in the
centuries of Christian persecutions.
While the debates raged in the
Assembly, there was a revival of
charges, even the ugly ritual mur-
der lie was resorted to, and the
leftists' positions towards the end
of the 18th century, when the em-
ancipatory decisions finally were
reached, mirror experiences today,
when neo-leftists haVe turned anti-
Israel, anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic.
Hertzberg asserts that "the
idea that the Jew was irrele-
vantly alien and that any new
order for all of society had to
defend its purity against him
was to 'recur many times, and
in ever more dangerous forms,
in the next age." It was from
leftist sources that these dangers
were to emerge.
He states in his conclusion: "The
debate about the Jewish question
on the way to the Revolution, dur-
ing it, and after it happened, thus
produced not only new, modern
Jewish intellectuals but an in-
telligentsia that was willing to
accept them. This has been obvious
and well known, though our analy-
sis has qualified these conventional
assertions with a description of
the many ambiguities that sur-
rounded the Emancipation. What
has not been noticed is that an
anti-Jewish left-wing intelligentsia
arose at the same time. The liberal
age in Europe was, indeed, made

by the new intellectuals who first
appeared in power in the French
Revolution. It was to be devastated
by the heirs and successors to the
anti-Jewish intelligentsia that ap-
peared in the very midst of these
events. The outline of all the mod-
ern versions of the 'Jewish ques-
tion,' as it was to be defined in the
future by both Jews and gentiles,
existed in 1791. The glories and
the tragedies to come had already
beet . conceived."
* * *
Dr. Hertzberg's significant social-
historical study has very great
merit as an evaluation of Jewish
community structures of the eras
under review, with its account of
the differences between Sephardi
and Ashkenazi groups, the striv-
ings for abandonment of practices
that were looked upon askance, the
aim to attain citizenship on a par
with the non-Jewish communities.
There were internal battles
among the two Jewish communities
in France. The manner in which
they were resolved, even if Ashke-
nazi-Sephardi differences could
not be totally adjusted, is of in-
terest and of historical value for
an understanding of the conflicts
that often are inevitable in JeWish
life.
Dr. Hertzberg's "The French
Enlightenment and the Jews" is
so thorough, contains 'so much an-
notated material leading to a de-
sire by historians to pursue the
studies conducted by the eminent
rabbi, that this work could well
serve as a textbook and the sub-
ject as a course of study in schools
of higher learning.
The author, a nationally promi-
nent Zionist leader, is rabbi of
Temple Emanu-El in Englewood,
N. J. He is president of the Con-
ference on Jewish Social Studies
and consulting editor for Encyclo-
pedia Judaica . . . He is the author
of a number of important hooks
and his "The Zionist Idea" is one
,of the most important compilation
of research results dealing with
Zionism.

Romania-Israel Land Project,
Chief Romanian Rabbi's 20th Year

BUCHAREST, (ITA) — Mufti
Yakub Mehmet, the Moslem reli-
gious leader of Romania, today
exchanged greetings and profes-
sions of friendship with Rabbi
Itzhak Nissim, the Sephardic Chief
Rabbi of Israel at a luncheon in
honor of Chief Rabbi Moses Rosen
of Romania, the final event in a
week of celebrations marking Rabbi
Rosen's 20th anniversary as chief
rabbi. The Moslem leader quoted
the Koran and stressed the need
for peace.
Speaking before an international
audience that included Jewish re-
ligious and secular leaders from
all over the world and representa-
tives of the 13 major faiths in Ro-
mania, the Mufti declared that
"Israel and the Arabs must come
together and talk peace directly."
He praised Rabbi Rosen as a
champion of peace.
Jewish personalities from all
over the world have sent greetings
to Rabbi Rosen. Among the Ameri-
cans congratulating the Chief
Rabbi were Dr. William Wex-
ler, president of Bnai Brith, and
Morris Abram, president of the
American Jewish Committee. From
Jerusalem there were messages
from Dr. Zerah Wahrhaftig, the
minister for religious affairs; Louis
Burg, minister for social welfare;
Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of
the Keren Hayesod; and Prof.
Aryeh Tartakower of the World
Jewish Congress. World Jewish
Congress President Dr. Nahum
Goldmann also sent greetings as
did Alderman Michael Fidler,
president of the board of deputies
of British Jews; and Sir Barnett
Janner, labor MP. Greetings were

also received from Louis Horowitz,
head of the Joint Distribution Com-
mittee in Geneva.
Israel's extensive know-how in
the field of land rehabilitation will
be put at the disposal of Romania
in a cooperative effort to make
5,000 acres of land in that country
arable. The project was part of
an agreement reached here last

week between a delegation headed

by Israel's Minister of Trade and
Industry, Zeev Sharef, and a Ru-
manian delegation headed by the
Minister of Trade, Gheorge Ciaro.
In a joint communique issued by
the conferees, the two countries
expressed satisfaction over the
growth of trade between them and
announced that their economic co-
operation would increase. Romania
is the only Communist-bloc coun-
try that did not break diplomatic
relations with Israel following the
June, 1967 Arab-Israel war.

40—Friday, July 5, 1968

-

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Eden-Dulles Enmity Revealed
in Hugh Thomas' Study of `uez'

.

New developments at the Suez
surely could have affected the con-
tents of the illuminating work,
"Suez," by Hugh Thomas, pub-
lished by Harper & Row, which
was written some time before the
June 1967 war.
The author, who was secretary
to the United Kingdom delegation
to the UN disarmament commit-
tee, and who is presently profes-
sor of history at the University
of Reading, reviews the American
and British involvements, probes
the Eisenhower-Dulles roles in the
conflict that arose in 1956 and
comments even on the frequent
resort to claims that "the Jewish
vote" — which often is merely
mythical — had its effects on the
conditions that , arose in world
crises.
Prof. Thomas makes these ob-
servations:
"Britain and France made
two major mistakes so far as
the USA was concerned; they
thought that Eisenhower, old
friend from the Grand Affiance,
could be separated from Dulles;
and that Eisenhower would be
rendered inactive over the
election partly because of the
Jewish vote in New York. Eden
seems to have believed that he
had received a certain freedom
of action in the Middle East
from Eisenhower during his
visit in January 1956, and Eisen-
bower perhaps, through his in-
nate politeness and vagueness
of language, may very well have
left that impression. Dulles has
sometime s been saddled with
the whole blame for Suez, and
it is certainly hard to believe,
taking into account the fact of
two major affronts (Sept. 13
and Oct. 2) that he was merely
unconsciously rude. With a re-
markable capacity for convinc-
ing himself that whatever he did
was morally justified, the evi-
dence suggests that he really
believed that a certain brutality
would be in the long run the
kindest policy towards Britain.
His conduct over Suez too was
only the last straw following 10
years during which British poli-
ticians, officers and diplomats
had been 'irritated almost be-
yond measure . . . by what' one
senior officer 'saw as the un-
helpful and sometimes . . .
attitude of the State De-
partment . . . in the Middle
East . . . based on their extra-
ordinary, sentimental, outdated
and . . . hypocritical obsession
with the evils of British coloni-
alism.' This mood of resent-
ment was later reflected in the
signature of the la t e r• anti-
American motion in the Com-
mons by 12'7 Conservative MPs."

Much of the criticism in this
book is leveled at Eden, and the
author declares that "Suez was a
good example of how a single in-
dividual can affect event s. It
showed the almost limitless power
of a prime minister particularly
when supported by a powerful

group of ministers. -Probably Eden,
a good foreign secretary . . .
should neve! have been encour-
aged by Churchill to be his heir."
Here we see the revealed atti-
tude of the author towards Eden.
Possibly it- reflects also the view
on Dulles who did not come out
so well in other analytical works
on the Suez.
Thomas' "Suez" refers to the
declarations by Selwyn Lloyd who
told the House of Conutons on
Oct. 31, 1956, that Britain "had
not incited Israel to attack." 'In
the light of evidence he summar-
izes in his book, Thomas charges
this to be "a straightforward lie,
as does Eden's statement in Com-
mons, Dec. 20, 1956, that there
was 'not foreknowledge that Israel
would attack Egypt."
What we have in Thomas'
work is primarily a revelation
not only of the "cauldron of
animosity" in the Middle East
but the hatred among politi-
cians. "If Eden and Dulles had
got_ on together," Thomas states,
"mutual incomprehension, which
often settled down over them
like a dark cloud, might have
been avoided. But behind them
stretched years of animosity.
Eden had asked Eisenhower not
to appoint Dulles secretary of
state. Disputes over Vietnam,
Quemoy and Matsu, and finally
Eden's glittering success at
Geneva in 1954 had fanned the
flames. Dulles liked to seek the
intellectual basis of his actions;
Eden relied on intuition and be-
came bored with Dulles' long
analyses. Both men openly criti-
cized each other behind their
backs, but were scrupulously
polite when they actually met.
Dulles, like Eisenhower, hated
the 'My dears' with which Eden
laced his private conversation
(in contrast to the 'My friends,'
his style of addressing the pub-
lic) . . ."
How does Thomas view Israel's
role in his book in which he makes
extensive mention of the military
operations and the relationships
with France and Britain? He as-
serts that "the Anglo-French in-
vasion of Egypt" as he styled it
gave "victories to both Egypt and
Israel: Egypt got the Canal and
a victory over 'imperialism,; Is-
rael freed the Gulf of Aqaba, de-
stroyed the fedayun bases in Gaza
and ruined Egyptian military pres-
tige."
Was it as simple as all that?
The new developments changed
the picture, but they also indicate
that there were aspects which
needed to be included in a pre-
vious study of the Suez crisis for
an understanding of the long-
running international dispute.
One can't help but feel that
Thomas' work in too much of an
expose of personalities and that
it needed greater searching into
the international conflict that still
remains unresolved.

Theologians !Discuss 'Death of God' Meaning

Prof. Eugene B. Borowitz of
Hebrew Union College - Jewish In-
stitute of Religion, writing on "God-
Is-Dead Theology," in the compila-
tion, "The Meaning of the Death
of God," published by Random
House, stated:

"The fact is that Western cul-
ture and society are no longer
Christian. The modern world and
its citizenry rarely if ever live by
their religion even where they
maintain contact with an institution
. . , modern man is secular and

happily so. Indeed, with the prom-
ise of greater abundance coming
his way, he is content to be of
this world alone. That is why God
is dead. People do not really need
Him any more; they have out-
grown Him."
Prominent theologians represent-
ing all faiths participated in the
symposium in this new Random
book which has been edited by
Bernard Murchland, professor of
philosophy at the State University
of New York at Buffalo. Atheistic
theology is explored in the numer-
ous brief essays in this interesting

volume. Dr. Murchland states in
his own comment on the problem
relating to the "Death of. God"
bitterness that has emerged
public discussion recently:
"It is because we have become
alienated from ourselves and our
world that we have lost God. It is
not likely that we will ever be
able to speak to God in the old
way. Perhaps; as has been sug-
gested, we can get along without
the word. But is it too much te
hope that the experience of whole-,
tress will be visited upon us once
again?"