Jewish Organizations Not Above Criticism;
Youth Demonstrations Challenge Establishment

By MURRAY ZUCKOFF
JTA News Editor

(Copyright 1971, JTA, MC.)

Dr. Walter S. Wurtzberger
struck a responsive chord in the
hearts and minds of many pro-
Israeli Jewish youths who consider
certain public practices of some
American Jewish organizations
liabilities in their efforts to win
friends for Israel and to counter
anti-Israel propaganda by the Old
and New Left.
The associate professor of
philosophy at Yeshiva University
told the recent convention of the
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congre-
gations of America that "blind
apologetics for the staus quo, all-
out defense of the 'establishment'
and hysterical flag-waving—be it
of the American or Israeli variety
—will only play into the hands of
the New Left."
Countless numbers of Jewish
youths—and adults as well— are
facing an agonizing dilemma
amounting to a moral and psycho.
logical crisis in trying to determine
the legitimate limits of criticism
of those Jewish organizations
which, in the opinion of these
youths, appear to provide ammuni-
tion for anti-Israel groups.
Jewish youths have been grap-
pling with questions such as: "Can
one criticize these organizations
to any extent without seeming to be
anti-Israel and without giving aid
and comfort to Israel's detrac-
tors?" "What should be our re-
sponse to accusations against us
by these organizations that any
criticism of them is tantamount
to an anti-Israel position?"
"Should organizations and their
leaders .be immune from criti-
cism?"
Jewish youths are asking what
they can do to convince leaders
of these organizations that they
are not, as frequently charged,
conscious or unwitting dupes of
Israel's enemies nor wayward
children who must be taken in
tow.

That this dilemma exists at all
is a tragedy. It is a tragedy for
Israel whose image is molded and
presented in this country by orga-
nizations and individuals which
place themselves above criticism
by invoking a series of shibbo-
leths. It is a tragedy for Jewish
youths who, outraged by the in-
vectives hurled at them, develop
a sense of futility and despair
and become alienated. It is a
tragedy for those organizations
whose function it is to win friends
and adherents to Israel's cause
but who only succeed in disen-
chanting Jewish youths both with
Israel and the Jewish community.
Unfortunately, Israel's image
abroad is generally determined
more byaliiat her "friends" do
and say MTh by what Israel does
or does not do. There are real
enemies of Israel eager to seize
on all slips and misdeeds of those
who speak for her to emphasize
that "a country is known by the
friends it keeps."

Take the recent affair by the
Philadelphia Histadrut Commit-
tee in,honoring that city's Police
Commissioner Frank Rizzo, a
man detested by whites and
blacks, the Jewish and non-Jew-
ish liberal and radical commu-
nities for his abrasive tactics
against black militants and even
non-militant civil libertarian
groups. Several hundred Jewish
youths staged a protest rally
outside the hotel where the IEs-
tadrut was holding a dinner
honoring Rizzo and made it clear
that they were not protesting
Histadrut as such but the choice
of the man being honored.
Their protest was highlighted by

such slogans pained on placards
as: "Labor Zionism Is Not Equal
To Police Stateism." Several of
the youthful demonstrators pointed
out that the Rizzo dinner was a
Perversion of all that Labor Zion-
ism advocated in theory and that

decides to give someone like Rizzo
an award."
Yet, their public protest against
a public affair in a city wracked
with racial tension and in which
many Jewish youths and adult
groups are working with unflagging
energy to ease this tension, elicited
an instantaneous response from
one local Histadrut official that
the demonstrators were "Commu-
nist hippies" and "trouble makers."
While a spokesman for the national
Histadrut and a leader of Histadrut
in Israel visiting New York dis-
associated the organization from
the local function, it did little to
assuage the feelings of the young
protestors who felt they had been
unjustly labelled and tarnished.
The New Left and black militants
had a field day "proving" once
again that Israel and its spokes-
men in this country were simply
"stooges" for the most reactionary
views and the best friends of the
enemies of the people. One New
Left newspaper, reporting on the
Rizzo dinner, carried a headline:
"Pig Rizzo Eats Israeli Union
Dinner Slop." Once again, Israel's
image took a beating by an orga-
nization that is, in fact, a staunch
and loyal friend of Israel. And
once again, a group of Jewish
youths, immersed in the day-to-
day struggles to counter Left-
Arab-Black militant anti-Israel
propoganda, were called on the
carpet.
Ironically, some 12 days earlier,
Histadrut in Israel expressed its
solidarity with the striking Gen-
eral Motors workers and the
Israel National Union of Metal
Workers contributed 53,000 from
its strike fund to aid the GM
workers. These acts, however,
were lost in the shuffle while
the headlines in the Philadelphia
daily press and the weeklies
focussed on the Rizzo affair.
Several months earlier, on Sept.
9, the Textile Workers Union of
America, AFL-CIO, picketed a din-
ner in New York given by the
Merchants Council of the United

Jewish Appeal of Greater New
York in honor of Robert J. Stevens.

executive chairman of the J. P.
Stevens & Co. The union protested

the Council's presentation of an
award for "humanitarian endea-
vor" to Stevens whom it termed
the nation's "biggest union buster."
A Council spokesman explained
that the organization's knowledge
of Stevens "has been in terms of
his philanthropic efforts in our be-
half" and added that Stevens had
been a UJA supporter as "far
back as anyone can remember."
The union sent a telegram to the
American Trade Union Council for
Histadrut and to Israel Premier
Golda Meir noting that its mem-
bers in the textile plants owned by
Stevens have been victimized and
harassed for trying to organize
the plants.

In this case, it was not Jewish
youths but Jewish, black, non-
Jewish white trade unionists
whose union has been as un-
stinting a supporter of Israel and
it strade unions as has been the
UJA that criticized a major
Jewish community organization
—and again—not for the sake
of criticizing the UJA Council
but for the choice of the man
they honored.
Does this mean that organiza-

No Military Attaches
With Sudan Rebels: Eban

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Foreign
Minister Abba Eban has denied a
London Sunday Times report that
Israel was maintaining military
attaches with African rebel forces
in southern Sudan and was assist-
ing the rebels.
Replying to questions in the
Knesset, Eban , said Israel was
rendering aid to Kenya, Uganda
and Kinshasa Congo within the
framework of its technical assist-
ance program. He said the nature
of the aid was the training of para-
military youth battalions along the
lines of Israel's Gadna and "Na-
hal," soldier-farmers, for those

their efforts on behalf of Israel
were being compromised. As one
Youth put it: "It creates tremen-
dous difficulties when we have to
explain why a pro-Israeli group nations.

tions must first check with Jewish
youths and trade unionists whom
to honor? Of course not. No mat-
ter whom they choose and no mat-
ter what "clearance" they receive,
someone is bound to object. But
the objections raised by pro-
Israeli elements on the basis that
Israel's image is at stake, should
receive greater merit than has
been accorded. By the same token,
should critics remain silent just
because it is bad for "the enemy"
to see divisiveness in the Jewish
community? Of course not.
Those Jewish organizations which
place themselves above criticism
and insist they are beyond re-
proach wind up behind the eight-
ball. If Jewish youth is to be a
partner in the development of a
healthy and vital Jewish commu-
nity, criticism must be viewed as
a positive ingredient in the meta-
bolism of the community structure.
The criticism of Jewish youths is
a sign of concern for Israel and
the Jewish community. Their de-
votion to both should not be im-
pugned. Certainly, the weapon of
criticism is less dangerous than
the march of opposition and the
mood of alienation.

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