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and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Arabs, has recommended that eight of the textbooks be withdrawn and that "certain modifications" be made in 58 others.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)