Purely Commentary
(Continued from Page 2)
it would seem Israel had no right to exist
it was guilty of any failures whatsoever.
- if
I noted earlier an erroneous application of
political eschatology to Israel. Here we
have the false application of moral escha-
tology to Israel. There is legitimate room to
question some Israeli policies. Israelis them-
selves have, and are doing precisely this.
But even if one were to judge certain
actions of Israel as morally wrong, this
would not automatically rule out the con-
tinued existence of the state. If such escha-
tological criteria of absolute morality were
applied to our own country. I ask what the
verdict would be. Certainly my conscience
troubles me when I read of Israeli use of
napalm in the June 1967 war. And certainly
I worry about the possibility of a war men-
tality being forced upon Israelis. But I
must judge these aspects against the total
picture of rights and wrongs and against
the fact that the Israeli government is not
dominated by militarists. In fact, the recent
party merger in Israel has strengthened the
doves.
On particular issues such as the status of
Jerusalem there is room for discussion and
disagreement. I wish to remain open on the
subject at present, not through fear of
Israeli control of the holy places nor a
desire for U.N. control (which the Danzig
and Tangiers situations show to be im-
practical). My reason is based on the feeling
that some Palestinian control of East Jeru-
salem might be vital to the economic sta-
bility of the state. I would be inclined at
present towards an Arab and Israeli sector,
but with free access to both parts of the
city by Palestinians and Israelis. A tempo-
rary U.N. presence of some sort might be
necessary for stabilization.
6. Christians should also be aware of the
danger that American policy in the Middle
By Philip
Slomovitz
Christian Spokesmen Emphasize the Rights
of the Jewish People to Inherited Israel
asking for a moral affirmation by Chris-
tians of Israel's right to survive in the face
of another genocide threat. Important
spokesmen for most of the major non-fun-
damentalist Protestant groups and a num-
ber of Catholic leaders did unequivocally
affirm Israel's right to e.rist. The charge of
e is perhaps more applicable to
Catholics than Protestants, especially to
Catholic leaders. Unfortunately. many of
those who did speak out had their priorities
in the wrong order. They began their state-
ments with a criticism of particular Israeli
policies before corning to their affirmation
of the absolute non-negotiability of Israeli
7. Something - should also be said about independence in any peace settlement.
the Jewish charge of Christian silence on This confusion has greatly added to Jewish
the Middle East and the Christian counter- resent meuu t.
charge that Jews over-acted. I believe that
On the other hand. some Jews were not
in this exchange there has been something entirely sensitit:e to the dilemma faced by
less than adequate sensitivity to the other's Christians when the crisis broke. Christian
problem by both sides. Christians were leaders in the peace movement were simply
ignorant of the importance of Auschwitz unprepared emotionally to react so quickly
and all it symbolizes in contemporary Jew- to war in another part of time world. And
ish theology and literature. As the novelist let me add that this was not only a Chris-
Elie Wiese( has said, Auschwitz and June- tian problem. Jewish groups also had to
'67 were intimately connected. Christians face it. as a special memorandum from the
were also short-sighted in not realizing the I'mmion of .4nierican Flebretv Congregations
close connection that exists for many Jews central office testifies. Ordinary Christians
between what Christians would classify as overwhelmingly supported Israel. though
the political and the religious spheres. some may have done so on the basis of an
Jews are a people, an important aspect of anti-communism that would embarrass many
which is a religious tradition. The survival Jews. It must also be remembered that the
of Jewish religion is linked in the eyes of Catholic Church has only recently broken
Jews to the survival of the people. And for
down its conception of church-state identi-
an increasing number of Jews, after Hitler fication. and in the eyes of many Catholics
this means the survival of Israel. The Chris- the Jews were falling back into a trap that
tian cannot simply brush off Israel as a
had proven so disastrous for them. This is
political issue that has absolutely no place
a highly complex issue, although it needs
in interreligions dialogue. Although some
further re.thinking by Catholics. .
Jewish spokesmen may have given the im-
The Jewish-Christian. dialogue was really
pression of wanting one hundred per cent
support of Israeli policy. the principal Jew- quite limited prior to the war, and Israel
appeared
on the agenda only infrequently.
ish leaders have no such idea. Apart from
any dialogue considerations, they are mere- So the average Christian must be partially
East might not be determined in the future
by consideration for all the peoples in the
area. The Middle East desk at the State
Department has been traditionally pro-.4 rob.
It took a maverick President named Harry
Truman to go against the State Department
and recognize Israel in 1948. And what
Michael Harrington has termed the social-
industrial complex might begin to play a
decisive role in policy formulation during
the business-oriented Nixon Administration.
Oil is one aspect of the problem. another
is the potential consumer market for Amer-
ican goods in Arab lands.
pardoned for his failure to understand how
deeply American Jews could feel about
Israel: In fact, the June '67 crisis brought
to a head a growing sense of Jewish people-
hood among diaspora Jews. This made it
difficult for many Jews to understand why
Christians could not appreciate their new
enthusiasm for Israel and Jewish people-
hood. Some Jetri'Sh leaders whose opinions
I value highly have said to me privately
that they feel diaspora Jewry still needs
to do some serious thinking about the pre-
cise relationship they should have to Israel.
It is interesting that black American
writers such as Malcolm N and Albert
Cleage have a deeper appreciation of what
Israel can mean to non-Israeli Jews than
do most white American Christians.
The present hour demands from Chris-
tians an idealistic drive for peace and jus-
tice for all people in the Middle East, but
such a drive will be futile and dangerous
if it is not accompanied by a sound his-
torical understanding of the harsh realities
and a good grasp of the strategies and
tactics needed to deal with them.
Why keep repeating these views? Why
constantly turn to our Christian friends for
comfort? Because the aim of Israel's ene-
mies is to destroy and also to be world
Jewry's enemies; because these antagon-
ists who seek to annihilate have revived the
atrocious blood libel, have resorted to use
of the stupid falsehoods contained in the
Protocols of the Elders of Zion and have
made charge against Jewry and Israel that
are so abominable that they must be re-
futed.
Why can't the more reasonable in Arab
ranks listen to reason and press for talka-
tiveness, for dialogue, for rubbing shoulders
with Jews and Israelis instead of exchang-
military blows that have led to so much
bloodshed? Cairo, Damascus, Amman, Bei-
rut must provide the proper answers.
Annual-Federation Meeting Oct. 29
to Honor United Jewish Charities
Seventy years ago next month an
idea was born in Detroit that was
to affect lives around the world. It
was called United Jewish Charities.
United Jewish Charities and its
leadership will be honored at the
annual meeting of the Jewish Wel-
fare Federation which will be held
Wednesday in Shiffman Hall of the
Jewish Community Center.
In 1899 there were 5,000 Jews
here out of a total population of
300,000. Then, as always, the Jew-
ish community saw to the care
of its less fortunate members.
Through individual initiative, or
through the synagogues, charitable
socities and fraternal organiza-
tions, every Jew was assured a
place to live, food.t.to eat and a
Jewish education for his children.
But each charity group worked
separately, often in competition
for funds and duplicating the serv-
ices of each other. The bounty
which the Jewish community dis-
pensed, though necessary and well-
intentioned, was, unfortunately.
sometimes haphazard as well.
Rabbi Leo M. Franklin, the
young spiritual leader of Temple
Beth El. had a vision of a better
way to handle the needs of the
Jewish population whose ranks
were swelling with the continuous
flow of immigrants fleeing Eastern
Euorpean pogroms.
Rabbi Franklin proposed a new
concept in communal activity. His
innovation was to invite all of the
city's Jewish philanthropies to join
one central organization. His pur-
pose was to expedite the charit-
able and educational work being
done by the existing groups and to
reduce the cost of running these
societies.
On Nov. 21, l899, representa-
tives of the Beth El Hebrew
Relief Society, Hebrew Ladies
Sewing Society, Self Help Circle
and Jewish Relief Society met
and established the United Jew-
ish Charities.
The success of the first year's
operation was indicative of the
role the United Jewish Charities
would play in the life of Detroit
Jewry for generations to follow.
48 Friday, October 24, 1969
—
By the first annual meeting, Oct.
31, 1900, a free dispensary (fore-
runner of today's Shiffman Clinic
at Sinai Hospital) had been open-
ed. The first support to Jewish
education had been granted by
opening up the United Jewish
Charities' meeting rooms on Sun-
day mornings to the Division
Street Talmud Torah. Allocations
had been made to the House of
Shelter and the Hebrew Benevolent
Society, School for Immigrants,
Self Help School and Kitchen Gar-
den, and the Boy's Self Help School
had affiliated with the United
Jewish Charities. During that year
247 contributors donated 53.647.50
to the fledging organization.
In the first annual report, Presi-
dent David W. Simons showed an
understanding of the purpose of
social service which was years
ahead of its time. He said that we
should extend to the applicant
"such aid and advice as will make
him self-supporting and encourage
instead of wrecking his self-reli-
ance and personal pride." He con-
cluded with the conviction "that
the United Jewish Charities, now
firmly established, will ever be
found faithful to its self-imposed
task of alleviating human misery
in all its various aspects."
His predictions proved valid.
As one of the earliest associa-
tions in the United States to co-
ordinate fund-raising and social
services for the Jewish commun-
al agencies of a city, the United
Jewish Charities was the prede-
sessor and a founder of the Jew-
ish Welfare Federation and has
remained its senior member
agency.
Today, under the leadership of
its 16th president, Paul Zuckerman,
the United Jewish Charities is re-
sponsible for communal properties
and stewardship of the endowment
funds for the Federation. Through
the Jewish Community Foundation
it is also playing an important part
in encouraging agency research
and program development as well
as financing pilot projects not nor-
mally included in agency budgets.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Henry M. Butzel
D W Simons
adoU
Joseph L. Selling
Julian El Krolik
Walter M. Fuchs
William Friedman
Theodore Levin
Abraham Srere
Henry Wineman
c -
Sidney J. Allen
1,0 0 101 PW ,,,
Nlax J. Zivian
Erwin S. Simon
Louis Tabashnik
Past Presidents of United Jewish Charities