Flint Interfaith Council's Peaceful Plea for USSR Jews Tribufe to a Great American: Courageous Whitney M. Young Commentary Page 2 Vol. LIX, No. 1 Flint's Interfaith Action Council has undertaken the task of making a peaceful plea in defense of Soviet Jewry when the Siberian Dancers and Singers appear there this evening. Because of the Sabbath Eve, the Jewish community will refrain from any actions.. But the non-Jewish community will express itself peacefully, with a vigil in which Catholic and Protestant denominations, black and white, will express their silent protests against the prejudices practiced against Jews and will urge that the right be given to those who wish to leave Russia to emigrate to Israel. During the week, a flyer was distributed in Flint churches explaining the tragic position of Russian Jewry. That flyer also will be given to those attending tonight's concert. A press conference has been arranged for this morning by the Interfaith Action Council to outline for news media the objectives of the justice-to-the-Jews-of-Russia campaign. In Detroit the Siberian dancers' concert will be picketed by Jewish students Saturday night and Sunday. Detailed stories on the Russian situation on Pages 14, 15, 16. THE JEWISH NEWS Michigan Weekly Review of Jewish News American Jewry's Agencies: Do They • Need Mending? Editorial Page 4 Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper — Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle 17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075, 356-8400 $8.00 Per Year; This Issue 25c March 19, 1971 Middle East Crisis Reaches Boiling Point; Rogers' Plan Summarily Rejected by Moir Israeli President Shazar's Visit Cheers U. S. Jewry NEW YORK (JTA)—Israeli President Zalman Shazar said he believed President Nixon was im- pressed by his presentation of Israel's general ap- proach tc the Middle East situation in their 35-mM- ute private talk in Washington. Shazar also disclosed that he had advised the President that the formal lapsing of the cease fire Sunday had ended the "tranquility" in the area. The Israeli statesman reported these details at an on-the-record ceremony in his hotel suite after being named "the one and only honorary member" of the American Zionist Federation by its president, Rabbi Israel Miller. Rabbi Miller explained to the president that the American Zionist Federation is now "engaged in an- effort to enroll a million American Jews in the Zionist movement to symbolize the adherence of American Jews to the centrality of Israel, and as one people, to the protection of Jewish rights everywhere." Shazar felt during his meeting with Mr. Nixon, he related, that as president of Israel and not premier he could not tell Mr. Nixon "If you'll be good to us, we'll be good to you." To his rapt audi- ence of two dozen American Jewish leaders, Shazar assured them that "a time will come when all will be fulfilled." He started in Hebrew, then switched to Yiddish, speaking in a highly dramatic delivery and em- phasizing his major points with intensty and con- siderable arm-waving. The 81-year-old Shazar said he had spoken to Mr. Nixon "not only as a fellow president, diplomat and statesman but as an old Jew who has devoted 70 years of his life to the cause of the Zionist move- ment, 60 years of it in the land of Israel." Ameri- can Zionism, he added, reflected the Purim spirit of "light, joy, gladness and honor." Elaborating on the talmudic interpretation of this biblical passage, President Shazar noted that it "aptly describes the mission of the ZiOnist move- ment which is to assure the perpetuation of the totality of the Jewish culture encompassed in the word 'light,' interpreted by the Talmud to mean Torah, Heritage and Tradition of the Jewish people. Such joy and gladness,' he said, "can only issue from tranquility which in turn is the result of safety. This safety is understood best by Zionists who are most keenly aware of the importance of honor to the Jewish people." President Shazar hailed the growth of the Amer- ican Zionist Federation in the less than a year of its existence, expressed the hope for the success of its million-member campaign, stating that "there is a continued and renewed importance. fo.• a vigor- ous Zionist movement. Today, mare than ever be- fore,' he said, "there must be a completely depend- able address to which Israel and the Jewish people can turn for full understanding and effective action in the marshalling of all Jewish forces." A few minutes earlier, in a separate ceremony, Shazar was presented with the first copy of a new two-volume "Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel," published under his patronage by McGraw-Hill and the Herzl Press. Dr. Emmanuel Neumann, chair- man of the Herzl Press and of the Jewish Agency- American Section, praised his "encouragement." (Continued on Page 48) Pressures upon Israel to abandon occupied territories have reached a critical stage, and from all indications it is possible that Israel may make concessions sooner than had been anticipated, especially in view of the latest declarations by Secretary of State William Rogers on Tuesday. There is an incon- sistency in his statement in which he declared, at one and the same time, that Israel must withdraw to pre-June 5, 1967, demarcation lines while adding: "We have never said that Israel had to withdraw from all territory." Rogers' proposal for international guarantees and an international force on Israel's borders in exchange for withdrawal was summarily rejected by Mrs. Meir. The vote of confidence given Prime Minister .Golda Meir was not too heartening to the coalition, and Menahem Begin asks again that the Knesset be dissolved and new elections held, but the Meir government appears to retain a slim majority. Much may depend upon the negotiations to be conducted today in Washington by Israel Foreign Minister Abba Eban with Secretary of State Rogers and other State Department officials as well as other members of the government. * * * JERUSALEM (JTA)--Premier Golda Meir's government won a 62-0 vote of confidence in the Knes- set Tuesday after an uproarious debate on territorial issues in which proposals made by Mrs. Meir in an interview published in the London Times last Saturday were the main points of contention. The lopsided vote did not reflect the weight of the opposition faction whose members stalked out of the chamber during a bitter wrangle over voting procedures and cast no votes. But observers said only 30 votes would have been 'cast against the government if there had been no walkout. Mrs. Meir was clearly on the defensive, however, as she denied charges by the opposition Gahal and Free Center factions that the territorial positions staked out for Israel in the Times interview contained concessions she 'had no authority to make. Mrs. Meir devoted a large part of her statement to explaining the interview which, she said, was published from notes and not . a verbatim transcript. She said Times Deputy Editor Louis Heren hardly once quoted her directly, sometimes changed the order of what was said and did not always bring out clearly the full significance of the points she made. She repeated the main points published in the interview: 1. Jerusalem will remain united and part of Israel. Israel will not withdraw from the Golan Heights Storm Causes Heavy which 2. dominate the Huleh Valley. 3. The Jordan River must never be open for Arab troops Israel Farm Damage to cross. JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israeli farmers are 4. Israel opposes an independent Palestinian. state on filing claims for $700,000 in crop damage the West Bank. caused by the severe storms that swept Israel 5. Israel must have secure, recognized frontiers to be over the weekend. Large areas of the coun- determined by negotiations and which cannot be substituted try were blanketed by snow, hail and freezing for by international guarantees. rain driven by gale force winds. Most of the The Gahal faction and some members of the National damage was suffered by citrus groves where Religious Party, one of Mrs. Meir's coalition partners, had large quantities of fruit were blown off the objected to the Times interview on grounds that the premier trees, rendering it unfit for market. Three foreign ships and a Haifa port tug drew "maps" at a stage when it was dangerous and unneces- were swept aground by the gale and an sary to do so. Both factions bitterly opposed her proposal Israeli ship was damaged at Ashdod when to withdraw from the Judea and Samaria regions of the huge waves slammed it against the break- West Bank, and Gahal especially took issue with the implica- water. tion, according to the published interview, that Mrs. Meir The amount of the damage has not been (Continued on Page 5) (Continued on Page 36) Positive Efforts in Jewish Study and Education Excerpts from Address by President Zalman Shazar of Israel Delivered at a Special Convocation at Yeshiva University Those deeply concerned with the fate of the Jew- ish people have always been convinced that the most fearful danger threatening communities in affluent coun- tries is ignorance of Jewishness on the part of both masses and intellectuals. No dissension, no differences among thinkers, can be nearly so dangerous as lack of knowl- edge. The darkest prophecy of our Sages was: "And Torah — may heaven forbid! — will be forgotten among Jews." f remember very clearly the day when zealots in Europe despaired of Jewish learning ever flourishing in America. All the more honor is due, therefore, to the pioneers who in contradiction of all the dire predictions and despite the dissimilarities among their schools of thought — fought together each according to his own doctrine, against the sentence of 'spiritual death. They did this not by preachments nor by mutual intolerance but by positive' efforts' in study and education. And to you who have reached such heights of achievement goes all our appreciation. In a country which only two genera- - tions ago our forefathers believed to be "a dry and thirsty land where no water is," we now see you as "in the sanctuary." (Psalms 63:23) For a long time melancholy prophecies continued to be made about the fate of authentic Jewish learning . (Continued on Page 48)