40—Friday, August 22, 1969

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Israelis Strip Gaza Guerilla Nest

Arab children watch an Israeli bulldozer clear brush and cactus
from the side of a road in Gaza City, where an Arab guerrilla terror-
ist had ambushed Israeli troops with a hand grenade. Israeli troops
stand guard during operation in occupied territory.

Hope Where There Was None

ORT Brings Change to Jews of India

director of ORT in India, I also
By ROBIN GILBERT
In Bombay, India, where many represented the Joint Distribu-
of the 10,000 Jews live in poverty, tion Committee because we felt
a boy turned up for the entrance that we could not establish a
examination to the ORT Polytech- ' decent school with students who
nic, alone, without his brother, who did not have the nourishment
had been attending preparatory and the leisure to study.
courses. As he explained, "We
To operate a school in Bombay,
only have one pair of trousers it is
necessary to provide the sim-
between us. -
plest physical necessities—food,
This is a city in which the Jews' water, clothing, a place to sleep
share the same sort of economic and to read—simple, but without
standards as other Indians, where them there would be no education.
hundreds of thousands sleep in the
ORT has now been operating for
streets at night. where there is over
years and the situation
a line every morning in the out- today five
is not so bad because the
patient clinics of the hospitals for first graduates
are coming out of
people who have been bitten by the ORT schools,
and they make
rats during the night.
a difference.
It is because of conditions like
What is happening to the grad-.
this that ORT decided this was an uates?
of them are in Switzer-
area that needed desperately a land at Some
the ORT Teachers Train-
program to help this community lift ing Institute.
who came as
itself to a more hopeful level of boys will go Four
back as men—to
existence. These same circum- teach in the next
school
year. One
stances convinced us it had to be of them is the boy who
a combined operation with the JDC. have the trousers, which the didn't
school
When I was appointed the first had to provide.

Aussie Jewry Plants Trees

JERUSALEM — Thousands of
trees in the Jerusalem Peace For-
est will be planted by the Jewish
National Fund of Australia and
New Zealand as a symbol of its
support for the reuniting of Ishael's

capital.

Inaugurated after the Six-Day
War, the forest will transform the
former demilitarized zone iri the
vicinity of the High Commission-
er's Palace into Jerusalem's mun-

icipal park.

Berl Katznelson—Man of Vision and Action

(On the 25th Anniversary of His
Death)
BY S. BAHARAV
Berl Katznelson is regarded as
one of the "founding fathers" of
the Second Aliya, although he was
not among the first to arrive to
Eretz Israel with that wave of im-
migration; when he arrived from
Bobruisk (Russia) in 1909, it was
already the heyday of that era. He
left an imprint on many fields in
the life of the Jewish community
of Eretz Israel during the 35 years
of his activities in the country. He
was the recognized leader of the
labor movement although he never
aspired to, nor exercised any per-
sonal power in it. His Zionist ap-
proach was simple and direct: to
him it meant individual and na-
tional salvation.
When Berl Katznelson set foot
on the shores of Eretz Israel be
was little more than 22 years of
age but, to quote him, his "aliya
had lasted more than 15 years."
This calculation is connected with
his father's library which boasted
of many books on Eretz Israel, in-
cluding in album of wild flowers
from the Holy Land. At the age of
15 he "underwent a serious and
difficult crisis", engendered by his
encounter with Marxism. To begin
with he found therein the strongest
foundation for his Zionist convic-
tions, but after becoming acquaint-
ed with the teachings of Ahad
Haam and his concept of spiritual
Zionism, he was plagued with
doubts and began asking himself
whether Zionism was capable not
only of solving the "Jewish ques-
tion", but also the problems of the
Jews. His incessant internal strug-
gle changed his party allegiance
intermittently almost every six
months, and he was frowned upon
by his friends. But the urge to
find peace of mind was stronger
than the desire to meet with the
approval of his leaders and teach-
ers.
After moving to Vilna to teach
at a Hebrew school, he resolved
to go Eretz Israel, but before
going on aliya he decided to ad-
just himself to physical work
and so underwent what later be-
came known as "hakhshara": he
became apprenticed to a tin-
smith, and later worked as en-
graver at a famous Jewish
school in Odessa.
Katznelson soon became fully in-
tegrated in his new life in Eretz
Israel. in 1910 he wrote about the
deep satisfaction that he derived:
"If you want a place which gives

Kfar Saba and Petah Tikvah. In
1911 he joined Kvutzat Kinneret.
In World War I, Katznelson
joined the Jewish Legion. Asked,
why he had done so, he said:
"Maybe the Legion is a calamity
as part of the large calamity of
war, but I am in the habit of seeing
the humane in the inhumane, the
exalted in the mean and the good
in evil. This time I see an elevating
Jewish and human message in a
calamity." Years later, in 1942,
during World War II, Katznelson
stressed the point that the mobili-
zation proclaimed in the Yishuv
would not be carried out without
a great movement of volunteering.
When one of the new volunteers
told him that he was going without
any enthusiasm, only out of a sense
of elementary duty, he retorted:
"I do not wish to decide what is
more valuable, enthusiasm or
sense of duty, but I know that at
this time it is of decisive im-
portance to have one more Jew
carrying a rifle."
Berl Katznelson was a social-
ist, but first and foremost a Jew-
ish socialist. He said: "I do not
accept a socialism which denies
my people the possibility of lead-
ing a socialist life."
At a memorial meeting for Berl
Katznelson held in 1954. 10 years
after his death, which had occurred
on Aug. 13, 1944, Zalman Shazar

pointed out that Katznelson had
been a contemporary of the holo-
caust and suffered the greatest an-
guish from the terrible tidings. but
that he did not live to be comforted
by the establishment of the State.
In this connection the president told

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Foreign. Soviet intervention in the Middle said he detected a common interest
Minister Abba Eban said Monday East, the foreign minister said Rus- in both the United States and the
that a possible solution of the Pal- sia clearly had reservations over Soviet Union to prevent the global-
estine problem might be the crea- direct involvement in the area. He ization of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
tion of a politically separate Pal-
estinian entity. It was the first
time Israel's foreign minister said Jewish Law Forbids Interest on Loans
publicly that the idea of a separate
By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
Palestinian state was supportable.
Egypt so that they would become
(Copyright 1969, JTA, Inc.)
Eban told a Montreal United
His people and they would help
Jewish Appeal delegation that Is-
each other. If they extend loans to
It is forbidden for a Jew to take each other with no other motive
rael would not totally debar all
the Palestinian Arabs from a sepa- interest on loaning money.
than to be of assistance, they are
rate political destiny. However, he ! This prohibition is mentioned in carrying out the original intent of
argued against any attempt to de- the Bible (Leviticus 25:36). A num- the exodus. Generally speaking, one
lineate Israel's future borders be- ber of reasons have been advanced who extends loans without interest
fore peace negotiations with the for this prohibition whose violation demonstrates his faith to the provi-
Arabs. is considered to be so extreme that dence of the Almighty who provides
The extent of Israel's control one who does practice usury is con- all his creatures with their due
over its own home is no less im- sidered to have denied the very sustenance. If one has more than
portant than the dimensions of fundamentals of Judaism. his own needs, and another is lack-
Some claim that one who does mg, he is destined to fill the needs
the homeland, he said. That is
his fellow human by granting
why most planning for peace in loan money without taking interest him
whatever courtesies are pos-
Israel today seek ways to im-
that
the
money
he
Bible.
prove territorial security with-
out acquiring an Arab population owns was given to him by the Al- There are certain cases and con-
of 1,500,000 which would be per- mighty in trust so that he could ditions, of course, where exceptions
manently dissident and totally help others as an agent of the are made and some form of inter-
est is allowed, depending on the
committed in its deeper loyalties Almighty.
Furthermore, it is claimed that circumstances and condition.of so-
to Israel's neighbors, Eban said.

Asked about the possibility of the Almighty saved the Jews from ciety and the individual:

,

—and those who did not. He want-
ed to safeguard the integrity of
the World Zionist Organization be-
! cause he regarded it as the only
instrument capable of forging our
future and ensuring our rights:
"Even when there are serious dif-

I

ferences of opinion whenever a
proposal is submitted or a resolu-
tion taken, we must take care that
this precious instrument remains
unbroken or damaged."
"Berl"—without any official titles
or adornments—was, and has re-
mained the spokesman of the Zion-
ist Labor Movement.

Jewish Studies Congress Explores
Facets of Folklore, History, Education

religious trend with a strong strain
of a nti-Christianism.
• Findings of a survey of
the problems of Jewish education
in the Diaspora, were explored at teacher-training schools in the Dia-
the fifth World Congress of Jewish spora showed that at least half of
Studies at the Hebrew University. Jewish teacher education schools
Some 1,000 delegates from more were substandard and of 76 insti-
than 20 countries attended the con- tutions, fewer than 500 teachers
gress, which will again be held in were graduated each year. More-
over, Jewish content studied in
four years.
Among the items presented in most Diaspora schools is inade-
quate, and Israelis, in turn, display
papers were the following:
ignorance of the Diaspora.
• In contrast to a theory of
• The anti-Zionist Templars,
Freud that Jewish humor is based part of the pietist stream of the
on self-mockery, a research pro- German Evangelical Church to

JERUSALEM — Wide-ranging
subjects, from Jewish humor to

Other graduates are going to
Israel because the ORT certificate
gives the man economic passport
to a. good start. Those in Israel
are working in factories and all of
them are making a living.
gram in the U.S. has conducted
Those remaining in India are
that while Jews are often appar-
earning, in their first year after
ently laughing at themselves, the
graduation, more than the com-
barb is seldom directed at their
bined salaries of all their fathers
own social group, age-level or pro-
and brothers who didn't have the
framework, but rather at
fessional
chance to go to ORT schools. ORT reason to hope that it will ultimate.
types outside their own social
has together with the JDC, as it ly become our home, come and
sphere.
did other areas of Jewish poverty, join us here." He became a laborer
• Supernatural spirits pervade
raised the whole economic and at Ein - Ganim, Vie first moshav
the
traditional Moroccan Jewish
social level of the Indian Jewish (co-operative workers' village) in
. community.
Eretz Israel, and afterwards at home to the extent that the Jew
sees himself accompanied
by

Eban. for 1st Time. Sees Possibility
of a Separate Palestinian Entity

the audience about the fast which
had been proclaimed by the Chief
Rabbinate of Eretz Israel when the
first news about the dimensions of
the Jewish catastrophe were re-
ceived. Berl was no traditionalist,
but he conscientiously fasted and
observed silence throughout the
day, and he added: "The very im-
mensity of his grief gave him the
strength for a momentous strug-
gle. It was he who put forward the
demand to organize Aliya Bet (ille-
gal immigration) on a large scale.
At his desk the bold plans were
laid down."
Already at the 20th Zionist Con-
gress in 1937, Berl Katznelson (who
had founded and edited, until his
death, the Hebrew daily newspaper
Davar) called for the establish-
ment of a Jewish State, saying
that we want but two things: inde-
pendence and security. However,
he was against an open conflict
between "full Zionists" and "half
Zionists" between those who an-
ticipated future developments —
and he certainly belonged to them

Palestine at the turn of the cen-
tury, who wished to revive the way
of life of the early Christians,
feared the expanding Jewish im-
migration would deprive them of
dominating Palestine. They found-
ed six colonies but by 1914 were
outnumbered 50 to 1; their settle-
ment came to an end in World
War II.

ghosts throughout his life. For ex- To Probe Charges of Bias
ample. after a child is born, the in Hiring Teachers
father bangs on the wall of the
MINNEAPOLIS (JTA) — An in-
room- every night with a sword vestigation has been ordered into

until the circumcision. in order to charges by the St. Louis Park
drive away the spirits.
Human Relations Committee that
• Origins of the tribe of Judah the school authorities in that Min-
remain obscure, and it appears neapolis suburb have discriminated

that the tribe really only emerged
to a true identity at the time of
David—and thanks to his activi-
ties.
• A high proportion of the
original members of Hapoel Ha-
mizrachi (Religious Zionists)
were of Hasidic origin, and their
heritage of mysticism provided
religious excuse for their radi-
cal social doctrine. Hapoel Ha-
mizrachi circles repudiated so-
cialism in the 1920s and 30's
an expressed preference for the
moshav over the kibutz form of
cooperative.
• In the Semitic languages sec-
tion, a plea was made for a world
standard in the tran1literation of
Hebrew, and a new version, differ-
ing from that of the Hebrew Lang-
uage Academy's simplified system,
was proposed.
• A study of the originators of
modern anti-Semitism from the
1871js onward reveals • that 'they,
were influenced by a general -anti-

in hiring teachers.
Only six of the 450 teachers who
were hired were Jewish despite the
fact that St. Louis Park is almost
one-quarter Jewish. The investiga-
tion was voted by the Park School
Board.
St. Louis Park school board
authorities reportedly told Rabbi
Arnold Goodman, head of a special
committee on education, that it was
not anti-Jewish bias but rather a
lack of Jewish applicants that kept
down the number of Jewish teach-
ers in the schools. The committee,
called Parents for Continued Qual-
ity of Education, was formed after
school board delays in hiring teach-
ers led to the cancellation of sum-
mer school classes.
Louis Schoen, head of the St.
Louis Park Human Right Commis-
sion, said 12 or 13 teachers told
the committee they had been dis-
criminated against when they ap-
plied for teaching positions in St.
Louis P.ark and that they all had
obtained jobs• *elsewhere.

