THE JEWISH NEWS Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20, 1951 Member American Associaton of Englab-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Association Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mlle, Sulk 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075. Phone 356-8400 Subscription S7 a year. Foreign SA PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager CHARLOTTE DUBIN City Editor Sabbath Sriptural Selections This Sabbath, the seventh day of Tamuz, 5730, the following scriptural selec- tions will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion. Ni n a 19:1-22:1. Prophetical portion, Judges 11:1-33. Candle lighting. Friday, July 10, 7d1 VOL. LVII. No. 17 Page Four July 10, 1970 Protecting the Spiritual Heritage Vacations may tend to dull the spirit, the summer months inevitably create lethargy, phlegmatism may set in, yet there must be a realization for the Jewish community of. America, singly for the individual cities and en masse for the country at large, that unless there is planning now for the year ahead that will commence with Rosh Hashana we may fall into a decay that will be harmful to us and to the people among whom we live. American Jewry's status is vastly differ- ent from what it was a generation ago. The overwhelming majority of Jews in this land are native born, and very few retain the char- acteristics of a bygone age, of Eastern or Western Europe or the Moslem countries. There are new attitudes, new mannerisms, different views of life, an altered folk in an environment of freedom. But the hopes and aspirations are the same. The heritage has been perpetuated. The legacy is treated generally as sacredly as it has been through the ages. If there are deviations in the respect given to the cultural and spiritual treasures that have become our possessions, they are attributable to a lack of understanding of their value or a lack of knowledge about their background. It is in the interest of protecting this heritage that the plans for another year, soon to commence, must be made at this time, less than three months before another year sets in on our calendar. Our school system must be protected. We fear for its status. There is cause for concern over what is transpiring in the methods of setting up curricula, in the manner in which the teachers' force is diminishing. We envi- sion a serious crisis in the training of our children, and we frankly view it with ap- prehension. There is need for an expanded adult edu- cation program, whether it is done in lecture form by synagogues, or by the existing schools, or by individual organizations. We have had lots of lecture series, but too many of them have had an aspiration for glamour in a credit-seeking sort of way. We need more positive approaches. They can be attained. But the planning must not be delayed. Traditional Negr o-Jewish Alliance A strong statement by the most prominent black leaders in support of Israel, with emphasis on Israel's "right to exist for the same reasons that we have struggled for freedom and equality in America" has been linked with other current experiences to give credence to the belief expressed by Bayard Rustin, executive director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute—sponsor of the statement urging assistance to Israel—that the tradi- tional Negro-Jewish friendship prevails. Mr. Rustin utilized the occasion of the pro-Israel effort to point to the support that has been given by Jews to the candidacy of Basil A. Paterson. a Negro. for the lieutenant-gover- norship of New York as the running mate of the nominee for governor, Arthur Goldberg. and he stated, both in regard to Paterson and the pro-Israel advertisement: "The overwhelming Jewish vote for Basil Pater- son in the New York primary elections and the signing of this advertisement by so many black leaders indicate that the traditional Negro-Jewish alliance for social justice still prevails despite certain false notions to the contrary. There may at times be differences between them, but ulti- mately an alliance of Jews and Blacks is essential to their mutual progress." These are welcome developments, and it is encouraging, in view of shocking New Left antagonisms against Israel which have influ- enced some black extremists against Israel, that the actual conditions in the Middle East were exposed in the advertisement which was entitled "An Appeal by Black Americans for United States Support to Israel." The adver- tisement not only emphasized Israel's right to live but also showed the Israeli role for the elevation of democratic ideals and the assist- ance Israel gives to underdeveloped coun- tries, and the contrasting backwardness and oppressions in Moslem countries. The ad- vertisement stated: "While we are aware that Israel, like any other nation, has its shortcomings, it is by far the most democratic country in the Middle East. What is remarkable is that the high degree of political freedom has not diminished despite the constant need to maintain military preparedness. In con- trast, countries like Iraq, Syria and Egypt are dictatorial one-party states where the press and the courts are rigorously controlled and non- Moslem minorities are severely persecuted. More- ca. er , Israel has made tremendous strides toward achieving an equalitarian economic order. Its sophisticated system of educational, health and welfare series is more advanced even than in our own country and has enhanced the quality of life for Arab as well as Jewish Israelis. The inci- dence of poverty in the Arab countries, on the other hand, remains appalling. The income from oil has been used to sustain wealthy sheikdoms— and often terrorist organizations as well — but rarely to alleviate the suffering of the poor. "We are deeply concerned about the plight of impoverished Arabs, particularly those who have been made refugees as a result of the three Arab- Israeli wars. But we do not feel that the continua- tion of the conflict serves the real interests of these people. Prolonged hostilities and inflamma- tory calls for the destruction of Israel can only divert precious attention, energy and resources away from an attack on the pressing social and economic problems of the Arab people. "Some Americans, including a small minority of Blacks, have expressed the feeling that the Middle East crisis is fundamentally a racial con- flict between nonwhite Arabs and white Israelis. We think that this point of view is not only unin- formed but dangerously misleading. It ignores the fact that approximately half the Jewish Israeli population consists of immigrants from Asia and Africa. And it also implies that there is an inherent solidarity of non-white people. This notion should have been laid to rest not only by the tragic Ni- gerian civil war, but also by the continuing brutal persecution of black Africans by the Sudanese government which, it must be emphasized, is militarily allied with and assisted by the Egyptian government. We should add in this regard that Israel, with its impressive program of foreign technical aid, has contributed far more than any of its Arab enemies to the development of black African nations. "We, therefore, support Israel's right to exist for the same reasons that we have struggled for freedom and equality in America. And it is again for these reasons that we believe that only peace and economic development can bring real justice to the Arab people. The present crisis in the Middle East endangers both Israel's existence and a better life for the Arabs. We believe that the United States has a vital role to play in ending this crisis. If it does not stand firm in the Middle East, the Soviet Union will be encouraged to increase its intervention, thereby escalating the conflict still further." The strong appeal from our black fellow citizens for American help to assure Israel's existence as a nation, and in support of the request for the urgently needed Phantoms, may bring desired results. Thus far, the ap- peals that have been made to President Nixon and the State Department seem to have fallen on deaf ears. The time has come for a mass movement to demand action from our govern- ment. The Blacks have spoken, and so have many others. Now we must give emphasis to these demands for justice for Israel. It is never too late to demand action to aid Israel's defense. Memorial Tribute to Felix A. Levy in His Selected Papers, Sermons A most impressive tribute to an eminent rabbi is contained in a memorial volume to the late Dr. Felix A. Levy, edited by Sefton D. Temkin. Entitled "His Own Torah," containing selected papers and sermons by Rabbi Levy, this volume, published by Jonathan David, contains the views of a man who had gained much popularity with his research work, his scholarly addresses and essays, his published works on theological and social problems. In the biographical sketch of Dr. Levy, Temkin applauds him as a man who re- acted "against slogan religion." He de- scribes his role as a fighter against bigotry and in support of social causes and tells how he came close to Zionism, propagat- ing the idea of a redeemed Israel. As president of the Central Confer- ence of American Rabbis, at the conven- tion in Columbus, Dr. Levy helped re- pudiate the anti-Zionist Pittsburgh plat- form. In a tribute to Rabbi. Levy, Dr. Louis Finkelstein, chancellor of the Jewish The- ological Seminary, Conservative, stated: "Felix Levy was one of the first American Reform rabbis to recognize the impor- tance of the Zionist movement, and he lived to see his dream of a Jewish home- Felix A. Levy land realized in the state of Israel." A great variety of issues is covered in the essays and addresses of Rabbi Levy. Temkin's judgment in making the selections earns high commendation. The events of half a century of American, world and Jewish events are under consideration and the views of the noted Chicago rabbi remain impressive to this day. Dr. Levy (1884-1963) took a deep interest in the influence that was being exerted by Unitarianism, Christian Science and Ethical Culture, and his studies led him to discuss universalism in his sermon delivered in 1920 on the subject "Can Judaism Become the Religion of the World?" His appeal was for Judaism to hold fast to its ideals and not to make compromises, and he asserted: "Men need not all be Jews— but they can believe in one God, they can believe in humanity, they can believe in the moral law. And we Jews can believe in the destiny of Israel to spread this gospel .. . " There are sermons on the Jewish holy days and festivals and on matters relating to Halakha, Reform Judaism, love, mar- riage, prayer, sin, etc. The value of this work lives in its universal outlook and on the multiplicity of subjects. The editor deserves commendation for having chosen the right ones to justify the effort and properly to honor a distinguished preacher. The brevity of some of the essays and selected speeches lends to a work that can be read leisurely and from which much is to be learned. Marxist's View of Nasserism As a leftist, and because of Nasser's repressions, Anouar Abdel- Malek left Egypt. He has lived in France and his "Egypt: Military Society," published by Random House, was translated . by Charles Lam Markimann. The subtitle of the book defines it as dealing with "The Army Regime, the Left and Social Change Under Nasser." It is the repression that the author, a Marxist, deals with primarily. He sees an evolution in crisis, and with advance going on. He predicts: "The basic exigencies of economic and social development will compel a confrontation, meanwhile strengthening a little more every day the function and possibilities of action of the positive elements: proletariat, intelligentsia, technocrats—above all, the peasants. Here, unremittingly, time is on the side of the resurgence of the social dialetic." For a full understanding of conditions under Nasser. this im- portant volume by Abdel-Malek is eminently worth studying.