Purely Commentary
Public Funds Used to Encourage Hatists'
Propaganda . . . Distressing Anti-Israel
Attitudes ... Tribute to Swedish Martyr
By Philip
Slomovitz
Dignity and Honor Must be Restored Immediately on WSU Campus
ReMembering Raoul Wallenberg
In an era of tragedy, when we are reminded not to forget the
If, by the time this issue reaches our readers, Wayne State University does not assure for
martyrs, it is obligatory for us to honor the name of one of the very
great heroes of the last war.
It is heartening to know that the Eternal Light's radio series "Man
in Protest" will include the ONE MAN feature to be on the air this
Sunday night. It is to be a program in tribute to Raoul Wallenberg, the
Swedish Christian who risked his life to rescue Jews.
He had graduated from the University of Michigan College of Archi-
tecture in the early 1930s and later entered the diplomatic service. When
he was asked whether he would undertake a rescue mission that might
save some Jews from the Nazi terror, in Hungary, his reply was: "If I
can save one Jewish life I am ready to go." He did and he saved more
than 20,000 lives.
He did it in this fashion: he acquired buildings in Budapest over
which he hoisted the Swedish flag. As soon as he could gather groups of
Jews who were about to be sent to extermination camps, he placed them
in these buildings, secured for them false passports, called them Swed-
ish citizens and thereby assured security for the hordes who were
- branded for destruction by the Nazis.
In six months, Wallenberg rescued more than 20,000 Jews. But he
was himself arrested by the invading Russians, was accused of espion-
age, was sent to a Russian prison where it is believed he was tortured
and murdered. But his mother—and now the Swedish government—
refused to consider him dead. There is some hope that he is still alive!
His former classmates at the University of Michigan retain a great
admiration for him. Now they wish to honor him with a tribute to be
imbedded in scholarly work at the school from which he was graduated.
Sol King, the prominent architect and head of the Albert Kahn Asso-
ciates, together with University of Michigan deans and faculty mem-
bers, encouraged by several Detroiters, has undertaken to raise a
$100,000 fund for such a Raoul Wallenberg tribute. The hope is that 100
people will provide this fund.
We join in the hope that this tribute fund will be subscribed. It is
not to interfere with established causes for which we must provide the
vitally needed funds. The Wallenberg name must not be forgotten.
Let there be a response to this call to remember the martyrdom
of a saintly Swedish Christian. Perhaps the broadcast in Wallenberg's
memory over WWJ Sunday night will serve to encourage the interest
in a cause we feel deeply obligated to endorse.
its students
a newspaper worthy of its name; if, at this late hour, the university does not put an end to outside propa-
gandists serving as spokesmen for the academic community of Detroit and does not insist on qualified
writers editing—for students, faculty and the interested community—a periodical worthy of the name of
this community and of the university that is supported with our tax dollars, then even greater insult will
have been added to the farce that stems from the central area of Detroit.
Lou Gordon, in his program on Channel 50 at midnight Sunday, rendered a distinct service by exposing
the manner in which a university paper is run in the name of a "revolution" that is not defined for the
benefit of students but aims at advancing the objectives of foreign powers.
Other university newspapers have been critical of the United States policies in Vietnam (so have
responsible candidates for the Presidency and other important national offices criticized the last adminis-
tration) and they continue to reserve the right to be revolutionary in their attitudes toward public figures
and events, but they do not claim the right to speak for Cuba and North Vietnam: they speak for themselves,
and continue to benefit from the freedom of speech granted to all Americans.
But the occurrences on the WSU campus are different. The reverend name of Collegian has been aban-
doned and another assumed as a rebuke to the northern section of Detroit as if they were pariahs, oppor-
tunists, oppressors. The editors that are running the paper are either non-students or part-time students—
"some time students," one of them explained.
Several questions can now be posed:
Why has the university's administration permitted such an abuse of privilege?
Why have students who have been used as scapegoats permitted the existing condition to escalate
into a scandalous state?
Why has the black community permitted its name to be misused by a couple of•irresponsible boys
who assume to speak for it and to claim that it is the entire black community that is in the revolt
against any and all at a great university, while ignoring the needs and objectives of the university
itself?
The questions can be multiplied. Let these suffice—and let there be some sort of affirmation of univer-
sity dignity towards a couple of boys, who are paid out of this state's tax dollars, to act, on their own
admission, in behalf of the Cuban, North Vietnam and Red Chinese ideas rather than the needs of one of our
universities.
There has to be an end to such irresponsibility—and a cessation to the need for assurance that a
college newspaper will be edited by students, by writers qualified on the basis of training in journalism and
under a name that does not differentiate between segments of our population but in behalf of the entire
population. Let there be a return to the Collegian days, with responsible nomenclature, in an aura of dignity
and self-respect worthy of the university supported by all Michigan taxpayers.
An explanation apparently has been issued of the existing situation by President William R. Keast of
Wayne State University. Let us hope his declaration, when it is made public, will lead towards a solution of
a sorrowful problem. It's a bit late, but perhaps not too late to end a deplorable condition in an area where
truth rather than hate and bile should predominate.
Christian ministers who joined in repudiating the prejudices that stem from the WSU venom-filled
sheet have redeemed the honor of a section of our community.
Israel is getting a bad press—so much so that the Iraqi newspapers,
Meanwhile, there are other evidences of unfairness on college campuses and in our public library.
in their resentment over the failure of public relations agencies in other
By sponsoring a series of anti-Israel, pro-Arab lectures, Oakland University's administration has
Arab countries to come to their support of public hangings, charged displayed a lack of concern for two sides of a serious issue and therefore acts callously in dealing with
that the newly-won pro-Arab attitude in the American press may dimin- truth.
ish as a result of it.
That's how our tax dollars are used to provide avenues for hatred and for anti-Semitism.
But it is not diminishing: the anti-Israel attitudes seem to be
O
growing and out of them there are developing anti-Jewish sentiments what he had written: "Oh, that I don't know: I haven't learned to read
which must be tackled quickly.
yet." How well this explains the editorial attacks! Those who write Boycott of France
We are not advocating a blackout for anti-Arab, even anti-Jewish, them are not reading their own factual news reports which must in
opinions, as long as they can be met rationally, in truth, without inborn some fashion indicate the Israeli position.
Opposed by Agudah
prejudices.
We do not approve of name-calling, but we believe in the right
NEW YORK — "Any boycott of
But the prejudices persist—and an article in one of our local news- of people to express anger — and the Taylor piece is among the mis- French goods and services would
papers on Monday, by Henry J. Taylor, provides proof of bias so out- leading that inspire resentment over distortion of truths.
be harmful to Jewish interests, in
rageous that it should have shocked the conscience of non-Jews sooner
An editorial in the organ of the Boston Catholic Archdiocese, spite of the new anti-Israel policies
than it afflicted us.
the Pilot, entitled "The Troubled Jew," touches upon the agonies we of President Charles de Gaulle,"
The Taylor piece is filled with so many misstatements, it is steeped are experiencing today. Indeed, Jewry is suffering many tortures it was declared in an appeal is-
in such a lack of knowledge—a lack of knowledge DOES spell ignor- today. Why can't responsible writers refrain from adding to the sued by Agudath Israel to national
ance!—that any newspaper publishing it should have questioned a troubles of an imperiled society?
Jewish organizations who have
writer who claims a foreign correspondent's credentials. His only
•
•
been under pressure to take boy-
credentials in the matter of Arab-Jewish relations and the Middle East The Late Ralph McGill
cott action.
situation is a total lack of information, with the result that he distorts
"While Jews the world over are
Ralph
McGill
was
among
the
few
American
writers
who
rec-
facts.
the basic reasons for Israel's retaliatory act in the Beirut shocked and outraged at General
He could easily hide under a phrase he uses about "the loaded ognized
deGaulle's anti-Israel stance, and
airport.
votes of the UN." But that's preceded by a charge that Israel is
One of his last columns was a paean to Israel and a rebuke to his overt support of Israel's
"unwilling to surrender her post-victory policy." The fact is that Israel's
enemies, the institution of a boy-
those
who
condemned
Israel
without
taking
into
account
Israel's
spokesmen have stated time again, at the UN, in Jerusalem, in Wash-
and the gang-up against the small state in the press and cott against France would aid the
ington, that they are ready to negotiate, to yield some territory, but grievances
at the UN.
enemies of the Jewish people,
only if they can discuss the status of the nation whose very exisence
We were with him last November in Atlanta, at the meeting of the statement declared. "The peo-
is threatened by the Arabs who speak only of exterminating Israel and the Georgia Press Club that was addressed by General Itzhak Rabin, ple of France have indicated their
the Israelis.
Israel's ambassador to the United States. For nearly, two hours he continued friendship with Israel,
Taylor proceeds to state that Israel TOOK 3,000 square miles more sat next to the hero of the Six-Day War,
and we learned later that and their rejection of deGaulle's
than was allotted by the UN resolution of Nov. 29, 1947. Why does he
he was simply enchanted by the Israeli ambassador's scholarly and reversal of France's traditional
hide the fact that Israel was ready to live in the ghetto-state set up by realistic attitudes.
pro-Israel policy. To penalize the
the UN, but the Arabs converged upon Israel and having failed to de-
Ralph McGill left a good heritage. In the last decade, his writings French people for a policy which
stroy the new state lost areas that were so valuable for Israel's contributed towards the highest ideals of good citizeznship,
and
for
they have repudiated, would be a
security?
decades he fought for just rights for the Negroes. He has earned moral error, and a political blun-
He goes on to say that only Israel, a partner of Britain and France, four
the tributes now paid to his memory in full measure.
der."
"achieved their objective." What objective was achieved other than
the satisfaction of attaining a victory and of having ended the intrusions
of the murderous Arab Fedeyeen? Didn't Israel yield to Eisenhower
by withdrawing from Sinai?
Then he talks about Israel's acquisition of the Golan Heights. For
STRASSBOURG, France (JTA) I to the Soviet Embassy Sunday tion with the American Jewish
a number of years, from that hilly territory, Jewish settlements were —The treatment of Jews in Russia to protest Russian anti-Semitism. Conference
on Soviet Jewry. •
set on fire, Jewish farmers were murdered, and when Syria joined in and Poland was strongly condemn- A delegation handed a petition
The gathering was addressed by
the Arab war Israel stepped in and took the hills to protect life and
ed in a report adopted last week- to an embassy official who told Rabbi Ralph Simon, president of
property. How can a responsible man of letters resort to such bile?
them, "You have been deceived the Rabbinical Assembly, who told
Then comes another major attempt to incite to hatred—by charging end by the Council of Europe about the situation of Soviet
the 250 delegates that "The Soviet
that Israel refused to "share the Jordan waters" with the Arabs. How meeting here. The council's plen- Jews."
Union has intensified its course,
can a man of honor ignore the fact that Israel went along with the ary labeled the report an inter-
Demonstration sponsors were the aimed at the conscious obliteration
Johnston Plan, arrived at by the inspiration of President Eisenhower, mediate assessment of the situa- Universities Committee for Soviet
for the harnessing of the Jordan River for the benefit of Arabs and tion and agreed to return to the Jews and the Inter-University Jew- of Jewish history and culture with-
Israelis alike, but the Arabs scuttled the plan because to adopt it would subject of Eastern European Jews ish Federation., The demonstrators in its borders."
Rabbi Simon denounced Russia
at a future session.
mean the recognition of Israel?
then marched to the Iraqi Em- as "the only country that has ut-
The report was presented to a
That's the point: anything Israel would agree to with the Arabs,
bassy to protest the execution of tered no protest of mass hangings
if the Arabs went along, would have meant recognition of Israel, and special committee on the problems 14 persons, nine of them Jews, on
of Jews and others in Iraq last
that the Arab governments reject! And now a man named Henry J. of nonmember groups by Bruno spy charges. Prayers for the dead
week." One of the first projects
Piterman, a Socialist leader and
Taylor also rejects it, with his adoption of the Arab line.
were
recited
there.
(In
Leeds
some
on
the assembly's agenda concern-
It's a shameful demonstration not only of ignorance but of an ill former vice chancellor of Austria. 3,000 attended an open air service
ed assistance to the Jewish com-
It noted that discriminatory treat- for the Iraqi Jews.)
nature that aims at encouraging those who seek Israel's destruction!
munity
of Odessa in Russia to re-
What a pity that in the course of the anti-Israel campaign so many ment of Jews has become official
Jewish college youth from 30 build its only synagogue which was
newspapers condemn Israel and in the process fail to read their own policy in Russia and Poland "in campuses in the United States and destroyed by fire recently. The
news columns, actual facts which negate the editorial opinions. crass contradiction of the princi-
Canada convened here to protest assembly urged demonstrations of
A recent editorial in one of our two local dailies was sent on to the ples and declarations on human against treatment of Soviet Jewry solidarity with Soviet Jewish
editor by a Detroit young lady who appended to it a story in the same rights of the 'United Nations." Ac-
and to make plans to help alleviate youth.
issue of the same paper refuting the editorial. That week there ap- cording to the report, no anti-Semi- thheir plight.
The council claims to represent
peared a cartoon in the Saturday Review portraying a caveman who tism or discrimination against
The youngsters, hailing from 25 500,000 Jewish high-school and col-
rushed in with his stick and a piece of paper that contained scribbling, Jews was found in Czechoslovakia cities,
lege
students. Its national chair-
were
attending
the
first
Na-
shouting: "Honey, I learned to write." His wife was elated and asked and Bulgaria.
tional Assembly on Soviet Jewry man is Jerry Epstein, a student at
In London, some 10,000 per-
sponsored by the North American the Jewish Theological Seminary
2 Friday, February 7, 1969
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS sons, mostly students, marched Jewish
Youth Council in coopera- in New York.
.
• .
The Bad Press for Israel . .. Exposing the Uninformed
Council of Europe, U.S. Students Hit Russia and Poland
—