NE KM WON NE THE JEWISH NEWS Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with issue of July 20. 1951 Member American Amociaton of raglzb-JewUh Newspapers. Michigan Pres ► Association. National Editorial AssoclaUon Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 1751S W. Nine Mlle, Suite 863, Southfield, Mich. 48075. Phone 3564400 Subscription $8 a year. Foreign $3. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager CHARLOTTE DUBIN City Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the 28th day of Heshvan, 5731. the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuclial portion, Gen. 25:19-28:9. Prophetical portion, I Samuel 20:18-42. Candle lighting, Friday, Nov. 57, 4:4.1 p.m. Rosh Hodesh Kislev Torah reading, Sunday, Num. 28:1-15. VOL. LVIII. No. 11 Page Four November 27, 1970 Sparks of Peace in a Decent Society Like his grandfather, King Abdullah, eluded the hijackings on a worldwide scale, King Hussein is amenable to negotiating with the peoples of the Middle East can live in Israel and to leading his Jordanian kingdom peace with a firmly established Jewish state. on the path of amity with Israel. Only Russia still stands in the way of amicability. Had it not been for Russia, there Hussein was present when Abdullah was is the belief that even Nasser would have assassinated, and he knows the background worked for peace. If not for the Kremlin, it of Jordanian-Israeli friendship which began would not have been necessary to postpone with Golda Meir's meetings with the mur- peace talks with Dr. Gunnar Jarring. dered king. Now, with the passing of Nasser, A major fault in the developments in the Hussein evidences and to deal with the readiness Israelis. to abandon fear Middle East lies with the press of the world. It is not Agnewism by any means to charge It's an old tale, it has been said all along that American and British newspapers espe- that either Jordan or Lebanon is prepared to cially, and the Canadian and French as well, be the second state to make peace with Israel. had given too much credence to the role of It is all based on the fears of any Arab state the guerrillas who emerged as murderous ter- to be the first to make such a move. Will rorists. The press gave dignity to murderers. Jordan now be the first to reach. accord? Arafat became a hero, and his photograph That's doubtful, yet it provides hope for some was displayed more prominently than that sort of agreement to end warfare and to of any distinguished diplomat or scientist create a form of neighborliness that will Hijackers, like the girl who attempted to eventually compel peaceful agreements. terrorize passengers on an El Al plane, be- Hussein's triumph over the terrorists is came notorious characters in our generation. directly accountable for his readiness to That girl with grenades in her bosom made some ridiculous charges against Israelis, but confer, as he did, with Yigal Alton, Golda Meir and Abba Eban. This is a heartening apparently there was little news value in the development because it proves the inade- fact that the girl terrorist could have been quacy of the guerrillas and their rejection endangered by enraged passengers but by the overwhelming majority in Jordan and her life was protected by the Israeli El Al especially the Jordanian army. crew. What the press has failed to recognize This is equally true in Lebanon, where the Christian population which numbers half and to emphasize is that Jews and Israelis do of all the Lebanese, is concerned about its not kill, they defend themselves and will safety. Even in Lebanon, most of the Mos- prevent anything resembling a Dachau or lems are known not to condone terrorism, and an Auschwitz to threaten them. But facts whether Lebanon is first or second to make have been distorted. peace with Israel, the fact is that terrorists Now we may be on the road towards an- may not be tolerated anywhere. other set of ethical rules both on the diplo- With Jordan the first to act in the direc- matic and the military fronts. Perhaps there tion of peaceful negotiations, there will sure- will be a new trend in the actions of U Thant ly emerge complete understanding of the and his associates, some of whom have earned decencies which marked Israel's treatment of the brand mark of prejudice against Israel. Arabs within her domain—in Israel proper Perhaps even Russia will change its anta- and in occupied territories—and the form gonism toward Israel once the Kremlin takes commercial freedom for Arabs assumed into account the strong stand of the Amer- when they were enabled to travel to and ican people and government. We hope we are on the road to peace. from Jordan over Israeli highways, carrying with them merchandise and agricultural The Israelis are consistent in such• a search products. Economic conditions of Arabs un- for amity. Perhaps Hussein will help. The der Israel's administration rose to very high craving for justice can not and will not be standards, and perhaps there now is an ap- abandoned as long as there is even a minimal preciation that by eliminating the terrorists, spark of compassion and friendliness among by preventing their murderous acts which in- neighbors. In most instances of expressions of re- sentment, the demonstrators expressed their views, presented their stated opinions to the Russians who came here on a cultural ex- change basis, and left with a feeling that their message will be taken back to Russia. The intention is to ask for justice for the Jew and an end to prejudice, not to harm anyone or to interfere with the cultural programs which should eventually lead to greater understanding between the American and Russian peoples. There were instances when orchestra leaders who have come to this country with Russian dance groups and members of such tioitring troupes approached the peaceful demonstrators and commended them for their courteous presentation of a case so vital in Jewish ranks today. But there have been isolated instances of vileness which Jewish communities reject as unworthy of our posi- tion. It. is our conviction that Russia is vulner- able, that the Russian people would prefer peace with Americans and with Jews--per- haps also with Israelis—and therefore ex- involved. At the same time there is art allusion to the role of the hofjude of the European tradition and the sbtadlan who has been repudiated as an intermediary for Jews without being granted spokesmanship by the Jewish community. There is, in fact, in the Goren work, an elaboration of the processes which marked the communal-building structures in American Jewry. It is natural for it to include the issues involving the labor, movements, education, integration of immigrants and relationships with non-Jews. Thus, Americanization was a matter for serious consideration Socialist Party was a serious matter at the time, and while viewing pressions of resentment over the suppression of eJwish rights in Russia are desirable and should be encouraged. We reject indignity, we con mend every effort to expose the Russian discriminations and to demand for the Jews in the USSR their rights as a cultural entity and the right of emigration for all those who wish to settle in Israel. Confounding Confusion Prof. Arthur A. Goren of the Hebrew University., who was on leave this year as lecturer at Harvard University, has written a splendid history of the Kehila experiment in New York in 1908 and 1922, and in the process has revived great interest in many noted personalities of the first three decades of this century and the movements and conflicts over community domination in which they were involved. In "New York Jews and the Quest for Community" published by Columbia Univer- sity, Press, there is a thorough reconstruction of events that led to American Jewish Com- mittee, Zionist Organization and American Jewish Congress disputes. A chief figure in the formation of the New York Kehila was the late Dr. Judah L. Magnes, who later became the first president of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and his numerous . ‘ontroversies involved differences over the need for and formation of the American Dr. Magnes Jewish Congress movement. Dr. Magnes, like the late Dr. Stephen S. Wise who figures signifi- cantly in the Goren book, became involved also in political disputes. It was an era in which Jewish leaders did not hesitate to take sides in matters involving office seekers, and divisions in political circles were unique. There are frequent differences of opinion over the right of clergy- men to participate in politics, and the experiences recorded by Prof. Goren add immeasurably toward a better appreciation of the issues and the assimilatory forces were fought in the communal plans that were seriously considered by the leadership in Jewry. The role of the Right to Protest USSR Discriminations Should there be public demonstrations against Russian artists visiting this country as an expression of protest over the anti-Jew- ish acts of the Kremlin? History of New York Kehila Traces Jewish Communal Trends . A question undoubtedly posed with the best intentions by Detroit's morning daily newspaper regrettably added confusion to misunderstandings. In a poll taken by the paper, 76.3 per cent voted against granting Israel and Cambodia $785,000,000 in military aid. The linking of Cambodia with Israel was unrealistic, and the impression given that Israel was to re- ceive gifts was untrue to fact. For Israel there is to be an opportunity to get long-term credit to acquire hardware for self-defense. Congress already voted in favor of such action overwhelmingly in August— only 11 having voted against it in the House and seven opposed it in the Senate. Time will correct all errors and misunder- standings. the developments involving the Kehila Dr. Magnes also dealt with the Socialists and with men like Meyer London who was the only man ever to have been elected to Congress on the Socialist ticket. The author's emphasis on Jacob Schiff, Felix Warburg, Dr. Magnes, Prof. Israel Friedlaender, Louis Lipsky, Louis Marshall and others in various fields of endeavor gain added significance by his elaboration on the roles of such men as: Abraham Cahan, Chaim Zhitlovsky, Mordecai M. Kaplan, Gedaliah Bublick, Joseph Barondess, Samson Benderly, Isaac Hourwich and a score of others who were leaders in various movements and in the developing Jewish community. Dr. Benderly's role as the creator of an effective Jewish educational system is vital in the portrayal of the emerging New York community. There is an interesting summary which throws light on the Jewish approaches to creating the Kehila which today has its counterpart in Jewish community councils: "Magnes had assumed the existence of an ethnic solidarity which, grounded in the group's minority experience and the national-religious quality of Judaism, led to collective responses to outside threats. He had proposed channeling these group-sentiments into the creation of an Integrated community—the Kehila. Its utility and reasonability, he believed, would bring the Institution stability and recognition. This Process fitted his understanding of the thrust of American society, which he saw as evolving into a 'republic of nationalities.' But in the declining period of the Kehila, .Magnes came to understand that under the free conditions of American life, ethnicity was but one of many attachments shared by group and individual. Only some lead- ers would continue the elusive pursuit of organic community. Indeed, Magnes' co-worker in the Kehila, Mordecai Kaplan, would make this goal a central feature of his philosophy of Jewish life. But most Jews remained Interested in the minimum of separation from the larger society necessary for maintaining their Jewish identity. They would be content with a more modest view of communty." • The evolution of the council movement as it is being practiced today traces its history from such an Americanization tendency. For an understanding of organized Jewish life today, in centers in which the old European methods of governing communal life have vanished, this study by Prof. Goren is of immense importance.