Purely Commentary

A Soviet Apologist Who Resorts to Often-Rehashed
Anti-Zionist Propaganda Explores Many Myths About
America, Jewry, Israel . . . Vergelis' Fables Exposed

Sadat's Major Obstacle to Peace

Truth About the Russian and U.S. Jewish Contrasts

Ii everybody talks about peace and too few do anything about it,
there is one sure thing: some place obstacles in its path. The Soviet
Union is a master in erecting obstructions, and Sadat's a good student
of Podgorny and Kosygin.
A spokesman for Anwar el-Sadat, Tahsin Bashir, made it known
that negotiations will be carried on with Washington, and he made it
plain in his own and Sadat's behalf: "We are not dealing with the
Israelis."
That's where the rub comes in. Egypt will talk to Rogers and
Sisco—and in the same breath will place all the blame on the United
States, as the Kremlin does. Israel keeps saying that if there is to be
peace between neighbors they must be on speaking terms. Who'll
dispute such logic?

Russia has apologists—many of them—in the
government, in the Soviet news agencies, among
Jews who, like Chief Rabbi (sic!) Yehuda Levin of
Moscow, must tow the line or else!
(They exist—the appeasing, condescending rabbis,
as evidenced by Chief Rabbi Sassoon Khadourie of
Iraq, who died last week at the age of 91 without
leaving a semblance of human courage in a heritage
marked by the infamy of his being an anti-Zionist !)
But Russia has one special agent who propagates
against Zionism, who challenges the right of Jews to
plead their just case, who defends the Soviet policies
and who is rather boastful about superiority of Jew-
ish survivalism in Russia as contrasted with his
prophecy of doom for both Zionism and Jewish cul-
ture in the United States. It really should not be nec-
essary to offer defense against the attacks of Aron
Vergelis, editor of the only Yiddish publication in
Russia , Sovietish Heimland. His record is too well
known and his latest comments in "A Soviet Reply
on Jews" which appeared in the New York Times
are mere rehash of his earlier apologetics. But there
are some facts that should be established.
Vergelis, like others of his thinking who would
give the impression that all is well for Jewry in
Russia, chides American Jews: their Yiddish theater
is dead, very few Yiddish books are published in the
U.S. and all claims to glory are mere Zionist propa-
ganda.
Some one should tell Vergelis, and alert the NY
Times readers who could be misled by Vergelis' apol-
ogetics. that there are thousands of Jewish schools
in our land, that 600,000 of the 1,000,000 Jewish
children of school age are receiving a Jewish educa-
tion, that while Yiddish has declined (so have other
Jewish dialects) Jewish life progresses and there is
not a soul, even the Vergelis type that corrupts our
sacred language of the Bible that has become a
means of communication for millions of Jews, who
can in any way destroy Hebrew. But Vergelis'
Yiddish is a corruption, they use Hebrew words in a
polluted manner to hide language identity as if
Hebrew did not exist. But they can't fool any one.
We doubt whether they can fool the non-Jews in
Russia some of whom are studying Hebrew.
The contrast: the young Jews in Russia who
desire to learn Hebrew must do it clandestinely.
Some young Russian Jews acquired Hebrew diction-
aries as guides, others bought translations of classics
into Hebrew—and these were the means of their
studying Hebrew. Is it an "anti-Soviet canard"
against which Vergelis registered his protest, or is
it the typical Communist mariner of hiding truth
when Vergelis rebukes American Jews but does not
admit to the fact that there are absolutely no Jewish
schools in Russia, except for the little "kleisel" that
is conducted as a front
•, . by the Moscow appeaser
rabbi?
_

The Arab Definition of Democracy

A bit of humor won't hurt. even if it is at the expense of an Arab
mayor.
Chronicler, "incidentally" the London Jewish Chronicle columnist,
relates this story which he titles "Arab Style
Israel's minister of Transport and communications,
Mr. Shimon Peres, told an intriguing story the other day
about the Mayor of Hebron, Sheikh Jabari. The sheikh com-
plained to Mr. Peres that a relative returning from Jordan
with a transistor radio worth 40 Israeli pounds (under £5)
had to pay 100 Israeli pounds (about £ 12 ) in custom duty at
the Israeli check-post. When the young man explained to the
custom officer that he belonged to the Jabari family, the
Israeli was unimpressed, remarked the mayor.
(The current rate of the British pound is $2.72).
In Israel, custom duty is paid according to the value
of the goods taxed, and not in relationship to a family name,
Peres told Sheikh Jabari. - In reply, the mayor snorted:
"Is that democracy? A country in which a transistor radio
is worth more than the name of Jabari?"
All of which may prove that the Hebronites have not changed
very much. And if this is Arab mentality on the democratic idea it
must be primarily the view of the ruling effendi class.
*
*

Kidnapings, Blackmail, Terrorism vs. Alertness and Courage

Kidnapings, brutalities, resort to blackmail have not only shocked
the free world and the decent-minded peoples everywhere; they have
compelled attention to the problem of blackmail. The blackmailing of
an Australian airline proved the extent to which such tactics can
lead to panic: the Australians felt it was a hoax, but they gave the
trickster $550,000 because they were afraid of dire consequences.
Yet, in the case of the kidnaping of diplomats, there is general
agreement that in spite of the risks there should be no yielding to
blackmail because- it only encourages blackmailers.
The 'Chicago Tribune is an ultra-conservative newspaper. Yet
its views are not to be ignored. It believes that the FBI renders an
important service in preventing an excess of crime. It stated in
relation to the kidnaping and subsequent murder of Israel Consul
General Ephraim Elrom in Istanbul:
"One can only guess, at the moment, why the terrorists in
Turkey and Argentina chose their respective victims; we know
little enough about what they hoped to achieve, except that both
are determined to embarrass the governments of their countries
by every possible means.
"But their purposes don't really matter. Terrorism thrives on
unreason, and the best weapons against it are calmness, courage
and alertness. Terrorism in the United States has been restrained
largely by the alertness of the FBI in finding out who is likely to
cause what kind of trouble. Critics of the FBI calls this "sur-
veillance" and denounce it. Perhaps they would rather have the
kidnapings."
We can differ about tactics and we may dislike some of J. Edgar
ver's methods ; but there is no disputing the need for firmness and
ercness in preventing the spread of the insane kidnaping trend.
edy struck twice this year at innocent victims of kidnapings and
...e bestial murder of Ephraim Elrom should serve as a lesson to all
; . , sponsible governments. This time it struck an Israeli, later it might
-_ect many other peoples unless the crimes can be averted through
1 ,:oper vigilance.

-

*

*

Reinhold Niebuhr's Great Courage and Genuine Nobility

Mankind loses one of its noblest souls in the death of Reinhold
Niebuhr.
Few had his courage. He evidenced it as a young preacher in
Detroit nearly half a century ago. He had risen to the great heights
i;1 his humanitarianism.
His friendship for Jewry, Israel and the Zionist cause will
never be forgotten, because in this role he had guided and in-
structed many of his fellow-Christians.
A great theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr possessed the nobility that
%sins from dedication to faith and respect for his fellow men. The
_st in a mixed society is usually in the attitude a man has toward
ws, Blacks and other minorities, and Niebuhr certainly showed his
:nse of justice whenever there was need to fight for a just cause.
Blessed be the memory of this noble preacher who practiced the
Drotherhood he advocated.

New Civil Service Rules Aid Sabbath Observers

NEW YORK (JTA) — The Na-
..ional Jewish Commission on Law
nd Public Affairs (COLPA), ap-
; auded the issuance by the U.S.
(s. Service Commission of new
;ulations, requiring federal agen-
t to reasonably accommodate
religious needs of Sabbath-
,. serving employes and applicants.
Many Sabbath observers have in
ne past been denied employment
')y federal agencies which refused
to make even minimal adjustments

2

—

Eridayr kme 41 1 971-

-

-

-

-

- -

------

in uniform work schedules to ac-
commodate them, COLPA stated.
Such adjustments have been
required in private employment
since 1967 under guidelines issued
by the Equal Employment Oppor-
tunities Commission.

The present action by the Civil
Service Commission which went
into effect May 24, is the culmina-
tion of an intensive two-year effort
by COLPA.

--T-HE-4EFROIT- JEWISH --MEWS

Indeed, 0.:-,.shOlia.be:.nated that there is not a
single freelypperited •classroom for Jewish stu-
dies anywhere in Israel. In Russian Georgia
there is an especially urgent desire among
Jews to-pursue their Jewish loyalties and children
are taught there by their parents. But whereas
there were 11,000 _classes for Jewish studies in
1937 when the small number—for USSR Jewry—
of 160,000 Jewish youths received some sort of
Jewish education, there are no such provisions in
Russia today.

And it should be noted that while there were
450 synagogues in Russia in 1956, the number has
declined to 55 two years ago.

By Philip
Slomovitz

While 117 Yiddish books were published in Rus-
sia in 1947 and 1948, only eight appeared in the
entire period of the 1960s. Now Russia announces
the appearance of a new edition of the works of
Sholem Aleichem. The claim is that the Yiddish
humorist's works already were printed in the So-
viet Union 532 times in 8,000,000 copies. But this
was a distribution in many translations into lan-
guages that are, contrary to Yiddish, favored in
Russia. Where is the justice of these claims?
The theater: indeed the Yiddish theater exists N
only in fragments in our land. But those claims of the
Russians and the boasting by Vergelis that there are
"Jewish theatrical companies, both professional and
amateur, in Vilnius, Kaunas, Kishinev, Dvinsk, T
obidzhan and elsewhere" is one great joke. We _\
ready exposed. the Birobidzhan tragic comedy in our
reference to the horror that Nehama Lifshitz experi-
enced there (see Commentary, Jewish News, May 14).
Admitted: there are small theatrical groups in the
other communities mentioned by Vergelis. What does
it prove when nearly 3,000,000 Russian Jews could
be accommodated in thousands of synagogues, in
thousands of Jewish centers, in many cultural
spheres? But these are non-existent ! In contrast:
many hundreds of Jewish centers in the United
States conduct theatrical programs of a Jewish
nature. Some frequently resort to Yiddish and revive
Yiddish plays. They have libraries where one can
read a Yiddish book or 'a book on a Jewish subject
in English. And in Russia? What have you destroyed
there, Aron Vergelis et al?
Vergelis mentioned Vilnius. We made reference in
the column of Birobidzhan to the claims of a Vilnius
theater. We have the word of an authority: "A Jew-
ish amateur theater exists in Vilna, only formally.
Several of its members are now already in Israel.
Others have left the troup in preparation for de-
parture for Israel. And in general there is a lot of
ferment and tension among the rest. Thus the
number of remaining members has been substantially
reduced."
Indeed, from Vilnius, Kovno, Kiev, Leningrad,
Moslow, Kishinev and Riga there is a cry for visas
to go to Israel. But Vergelis speaks of Zionist "pre-
tensions" and suggests that the movement is bank-
rupt and therefore had to start a "Zionist barrage
of anti-Soviet fabrications." What nonsense ! The
USSR began on a friendly basis and was second to
the United States, on May 14, 1948, to recognize
Israel. Israel had friendly diplomatic relations
with Russia, Jews in many lands would welcome
friendship with the USSR, there is no antagonism—
there is only the obligation to assist those who are
persecuted—and the Russian Communists are
persecuting Jews, else they'd let them leave for
Israel !
The current antagonism is deplorable, but it is
not our making.
The Zionist movement is far from bankrupt:
there is a revival, aliya is growing, and the friend-
ship between Israel and the democratic nations is
far from ended. But there are obstacles from the
Kremlin whence comes the antagonism that seeks
to turn Zionism into a bogey, instead of retaining
for it the great role of a humanitarian movement
that elevates the goals for decency among mankind
by assuring a home for homeless and security for .
a nation that has redeemed its heritage with glory.
There is only one way for Jews to respond to the
Aaron Vergelises who are few but who are never-
theless destructive: keep the movement Zionism .--
which they seek to destroy in greater strength as
a mark of honor and self respect for our generation !

—

-

-

`Salute to Olim' to Be Marked by Social
Function, Zionist Federation Receptior,

Dr. Sidney Leib, chairman of
the committee that is arranging
the "Salute to Olim" in behalf of
the Detroit Zionist Federation, an-
nounced that all who have enrolled
for aliya to Israel have been in-
vited with their families to the
function to be held
1-3 p.m. June 13,
at the Zionist
Cultural Center.
Dr. Leib said
that the program
for the afternoon
will include com-
munity singing to
be led by Cantor
Louis Klein, of ..
Cong. Bnai Moshe Cantor Klein
with Martin Mandelbaum at the
piano.
Carmi M. Slomovitz, president
of the Detroit Zionist Federation,
said arrangements are being niade

for a guest speaker representing,
Israel to express an advance wel-
come to the more than 20 families
planning to settle in Israel from
this area during the coming weeks.
Association of Canadians and
Americans for Aliya is co-sponsor-
ing the farewell "Salute to Olim."

*

Record-Breaking Number
on Work-Study Programs

NEW YORK — An increase of
over 43 per cent in the number of
Americans leaving for Israel this
summer to participate in work-
study programs sponsored by the
Jewish Agency for Israel brings
the number for this year up to
7,761 individuals, as against 5,421
last year.
They will leave during June - 1S-
Aug. 15, according to Isadore -

Hamlin, executive director of the
Jewish Agency-American Section,
who made the announcement, to
participate in 72 Jewish Agency
projects in Israel.
Of this number, 5,686 are en
rolled in summer work-tour proj-
ects and 1,385 are enrolled in
programs of from six months to
one year duration.
The greater number of the par-
ticipants in the Jewish Agency
programs are high school and col-„
lege youth, numbering 7,071. The
690 participating adults are for the
most part Jewish educators and
communal 'workers.
It is estimated that another
3,000 young Americans will be in
Israel on their own, or on tours
sponsored by other major Amer-
ican Jewish organizations, and
American and Israel educational