Tie Salute Our Confirmands,
Consecrants and Graduates
Educational
Challenges:
Shavuot Theme
Emphasizes
Emerging Needs
Editorial
Page 4
List of 1969 Con firmands, Consecrants and
Graduates on Pages 28 and 29
THE JEWISH
ti NEWS
1=•
-rmc:+1 --r
A Weekly Review
Commentary
Page 2
The Jewish News dedicates this issue , to our youth
who have consecrated themselves to Jewish studies,
with the hope that they will rededicate themselves
to uninterrupted consecration to Jewish learning.
_&.
MICHI G AN
l '' of Jewish Events
Best Wishes
to Jewish
Communities
Everywhere
for a Happy
SHAVUOT
Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper — Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle
VOLUME LV—No. 10
...c. 27
cst7.
17100 W. 7 Mile Rd., Detroit 48235—VE 8-9364—May 23, 1969
$7.00 Per Year; This Issue 20c
12 000 Academicians Press UN
,
to Aid Jews in Arab Countries;
Anti-Semitism in Texts Exposed
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Undersecretary of State Elliot Richardson was presented Mon-
day with a petition signed by 12,000 academicians and university students urging United
States intercession through the United Nations to evacuate Jewish nationals in Arab coun-
tries. A delegation headed by Dr. Benjamin Miller of the University of Pennsylvania, in con-
ferences with Richardson and other ranking State Department officials, stressed the worsen-
ing plight of Jews in Arab lands since the 1967 Six-Day War. The petition, bearing the sig-
natures from 50 colleges in 30 states, called on the United States to "facilitate" emigration
"by every possible means," through the UN. It proposed that the UN and "other nations
that value human life and dignity" allocate funds for such a program, supplemented by vol-
untary private sources.
Dr. Miller said the meeting with State Department officials provided "a productive ex-
change of views." The delegation included among others Msgr. John M. Oesterreicher, direc-
tor of the Institute of Judeo-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University, and Rabbi Benjamin
N. Kahn of Washington, director of Bnai Brith Hillel Foundations.
*
*
*
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (JTA)—A commission of educators, assigned by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to investigate the textbooks used
in Arab schools maintained by UNESCO and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
for Palestine Arabs, has recommended that eight of the textbooks be withdrawn and that
"certain modifications" be made in 58 others. The survey commission, composed of Ameri-
can, French and Turkish educators, examined 127 textbooks used in these schools. It found
that many of the textbooks gave a distorted view of the history of the Middle East region,
and some employed the "deplorable language of international anti-Semitism."
The educators had "no objections" to 33 of the 127 books examined. It found that most
of the remainder were "very poor in presentations" and that many had a "political slant."
They said that the repetition of this theme in books for children was likely to "form, create
or strengthen frustration or the idea of revenge in the minds of children." They noted that
the Arab-Israeli conflict held "a central place" in some of the textbooks which, they said,
were likely to "advocate an appeal to violence" against Israel. The commission recommended
that "all terms contemptuous of a community as a whole should be prohibited. It noted
that some of the terms applied to Jews in the textbooks were "liars, cheats, usurers, idiots."
It was understood that both Lebanon and Egypt. where many of the UNESCO-UNRWA
schools are located, protested against the fact that the books "used by the other side" (Israel)
had not been similarly examined.
Israel Repulses
Invaders, Downs
Egyptian Planes
—Woodcut by Ilya Schorr, Frontispiece
.I. Heschel
From "Earth Is the Lord's" by Abraham
Photo Courtesy, Jewish Theological Seminary
SHAVUOT
5729
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli
planes and missiles destroyed two
Egyptian MIG-21 jet fighters in two
separate fights near the Suez Canal
Wednesday, an Israeli military
spokesman said. Another Soviet-built
plane was damaged but fled, he said.
The spokesman said the air battle
began when several MIG fighters
tried to invade Israel air space north
of Kantara in the Sinai Peninsula.
One Egyptian plane was struck by a
Hawk ground-to-air missile and ex-
ploded, the spokesman said.
The spokesman said a "number of
other planes tried to enter the Sinai
over the Great Lake. Further south
along the canal. "Israeli air force
planes were sent out. Two Egyptian
MIG-21 fighter planes were downed
in the ensuing dogfight. They were
seen crashing in Egyptian territory
west of the Bitter Lake." Another
Egyptian plane was reported dam-
aged. All Israeli planes returned
safely to their bases, the spokesman
said.
(Cairo radio denied losing any
(Related Story Page 12)
plans.)
Israelis Will Attend French
Air Show; Seen as Thaw
PARIS (JTA)—A major breakthrough in the cool Franco-
Israeli relations that prevailed under former President Charles
de Gaulle was seen with the announcement that Israelis will
attend the international air show here Thursday. Air show author-
ities said that an invitation to the show had been extended to
Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and that an Israeli delegation will
attend. Gen. Zvi Tsur, special adviser to the ministry, will head
a three-man delegation. Gen. Mordehai Hod, commander of the
Israeli air force, was invited but will not attend.
Earlier this year, the French Defense Ministry, headed by
Pierre Messmer, said France had decided not to invite any delega-
tions from Mid-East countries. The decision to reverse the invita-
tion policy apparently came following Gen. de Gaulle's resignation
last month. Political observers here (and in Jerusalem) were
speculating whether the first step had been taken toward a
rapprochement that might involve lifting of the de Gaulle embargo
on 50 Mirage jets that Israel had paid for but never received. The
air show is run annually by the French Defense Ministry.
The contenders for the presidency of France — interim
President Alain Poher and former Premier Georges Pompidou
—have made campaign pledges to change the anti-Israel, pro-
Arab policy laid down by de Gaulle.
Poher came out in an interview Tuesday against the de Gaulle
embargo on the shipment of military equipment and supplies to
Israel.
Poher, in an interview with the magazine Paris Match, said
that "I cannot approve a discriminatory embargo" and called for
the Big Powers to reach a speedy decision in their current talks
in New York on a Middle East solution.
Friends of Israel said they hoped Poher would make a
stronger, more definite commitment on Israel. It was considered
(Continued on Page 5)