THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
16—Friday, July 16, 1971
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
... and Me'
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1971, JTA Inc.)
INNOVATIONS IN ISRAEL: Losing no time, the reconstituted
Jewish Agency—invigorated by the inclusion of American Jewish
leadership into its governing and policy making bodies—has embarked
now on a new program which will greatly contribute to the solution
of the most pressing problem in Israel—housing. Heading this new
effort is Jack D. Weiler, one of America's top Jewish leaders and a
great building expert.
It is the know-how. of Weiler — who has now become one of
the American members of the Jewish Agency—that inspires hope in
Israel that there soon will be a basic improvement in the housing
situation. After the war problem, the housing problem is uppermost in
the minds of Israelis. The system in Israel makes it practically impos-
sible for anyone to rent a house. Rentals often reach as much as 80
per cent of the average monthly salary. And the cost of buying an
apartment is similarly prohibitive. It costs about eight times the annual
income of the average Israeli family to acquire a home. In the United
States, homes generally cost about three times annual earnings. And
mortgages .are easier to obtain in the United States than. in Israel.
The interest rate in the U.S. is perhaps one-third of what the banks
charge in Israel.
Suffering from this situation are the young Israelis who come out
of military service and want to get married. They can't afford to buy
an apartment, not even to rent one. There is currently a list of 6,500
couples waiting for public housing and this figure is increasing at
the rate of 300 couples per month.
Added to the housing problem in these categories is the problem
of preparing housing for new immigrants, especially those from the
Soviet Union who turn out to be a very useful element in Israel because
of their skills, professions and higher education. With the anticipated
arrival in Israel this year of about 50,000 immigrants from various
lands, an estimated 15,000 housing units must be found for them by
the Jewish Agency.
THE "WEILER PLAN": Weiler — well-known in the United
States for his leadership in the United Jewish Appeal and in the Joint
Distribution Committee, and admired in Israel for his deep interest
in the country's welfare—has now taken upon his shoulders the heavy
task of helping Israel solve its critical 'housing problem. As a leading
member of the reconstituted Jewish Agency, he came up with a
project which will provide Israel with thousands of ready built "homes
on wheels" furnished, pleasant to live in, movable from place to place.
The owner of such a home will be able to reside in the area where
he works and to move later with his apartment to any other locality
where he may find better working conditions.
In the United States, where people move from city to city and
from job to job, quite a large part of the population in the smaller
towns live in such "homes on wheels." They enjoy living in them. They
don't feel chained to any place of residence since they can always take
their home with them. The houses are prefabricated, sturdy and long-
lasting, with all the conveniences that a modern home requires. For
Israel—where there is plenty of empty spaces but where housing con-
struction meets with great difficulties and is highly expensive—such
"homes on wheels" may be just the thing the country needs. Even the
kibutzim can use them.
Mr. Weiler's plan caught fire when presented at the founding
assembly of the reconstituted Jewish Agency.
*
AMERICAN "KNOW-HOW": Jews in the United States will soon
hear more details about the "Weiler Plan." Israelis very shortly may
see thousands of new houses on wheels reaching their country from
the United States and solving one of their most acute problems.
The "Weiler Plan" is only one of the innovations which the non-
Zionist partners in the reconstituted Jewish Agency have brought to
Israel. Other plans and involvements on the part of the new partners
in the Jewish Agency will be felt soon in Israel. The reconstitution
of the Jewish Agency is therefore looked u'oon in Israel as a great
achievement. It brings American Jewry closer than ever before to
the needs of Israel. It also brings more American "know-how" to
Israel—something which Israel needs. It cements the relationship
between the Jewish Agency and the Jews in the United States, since
the Jewish Agency is no longer looked upon as a body which is part
and parcel of the World Zionist Organization. The reconstituted
Jewish Agency has settled this matter by separating itself from the.
World Zionist movement.
The two top leaders of the reconstituted Jewish Agency are now
Aryeh Pincus, chairman; and Max Fisher, head of the board of gov-
ernors. Both are very able men and both work very closely and
pleasantly together. This assures the new Jewish Agency—which is
built on a fifty-fifty basis between Zionists and non-Zionists—a smooth
and effective functioning on a scale involving more men of ability in
practical work for Israel.
New Variety of Tree Is Being Planted in Sinai
GAZA—New varieties of trees
and plants planted by the Jewish
National Fund in experimental
plots in Gaza and Northern Sinai
have proven successful in anchor-
ing the desert sands, and will now
be introduced into the general
planting program for the area. One
hundred thousand new saplings .Jf
'the new types are currently be-
ing raised for transplantation this
year.
To date, the JNF, in cooperation
with the military government, has
planted over 2,500,000 trees in the
area.., Most . have been .placed in
sand dunes along the Mediter-
ranean Coast, roads and railroad
tracks and serve to protect agri-
cultural crops and roads from be-
ing buried beneath moving sand
duhes.
The plantings have also provided
employment for hundreds of local
workers.
Sen. Jackson_ Sees Harvard, Wisconsin U. Accused
Jerusalem Under of Discriminating Against Jews
Since the enactment of that
WASHINGTON (JTA)—Jews are
Israel-Arab Rule
discriminated against by Harvard vision, Miss Rabinowitz says, t
By PHYLLIS BUTLER
Acting Washington Bureau Chief
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON (JTA)—In an
exclusive interview with the Jew-
ish Telegraphic Agency, Sen, Hen-
ry Jackson (D., Wash.), President
Nixon's first choice for the post of
secretary of defense, blamed State
Department bureaucrats for "con-
tinuing rhetoric about withholding
arms from Israel as a means of
appeasing Egypt."
No major pro-Israel move, down
to the original recognition in 1948,
has had the support of the State
Department, Jackson said. He
added that whereas in the past
professional soldiers in the De-
fense Department, admiring the
Israelis for their military acumen,
engaged State Department career
types in productive debate, now
Nixon administration-appointed ci-
vilians in the Defense Department
implement State Department pol-
icy. Jackson referred to the hold-
ing up of Israeli arms requests in
both the State and Defense de-
partments to pressure Israel into
concessions of an interim settle-
ment to reopen the Suez Canal.
Jackson emphasized that
"Whereas the President himself
personally wants to protect the
existence of the state of Israel, he
determines his policy on the basis
of advice from State Department
career people." Jackson character-
ized that advice as naive about
the relations of the drive for So-
viet hegemony in the Middle East
and the Israeli issue.
Jackson rated Sharm el
Sheikh, Sinai and the Golan
Heights as first priorities and
"vital" to Israel's security.
He separated Jerusalem into
another category and said that
whereas the others are non-nego-
tiable, there is "an opportunity"
in the case of the status of Jerus-
alem for negotiations.
Jackson said that he had no spe-
cific position on Jerusalem from
the defense point of view, but
would not give it back to the Arabs.
He suggested some kind of in-
ternationalization of the city, as
part of a permanent settlement,
under joint Israeli-Arab rule.
Jackson said that the present
Rogers plan is supported by Mr.
Nixon, who despite his attitude as
an individual, "made serious er-
rors" not relating the strength
and survival of Israel to American
national interests. Jackson said
that "our policies are not working"
because by denying strength to
Israel, in the form of not approv-
ing her arms requests, "we are
weakening our bargaining posi-
tion."
Jackson told the JTA that he
"would like to see a real drive to
get NATO members to relate the
Middle East to the security of
NATO." He added that the "single
biggest Allied defficiency" is their
failure to support Israel and to
recognize the relationship between
Russian desires in the area and
Israeli security.
and Wisconsin universities because
they are visibly in the forefrOnt
of change, according to Dorothy
Rabinowitz in the summer issue ,of
Change Magazine, a monthly on
controversial social and aeademic
topics supported by the Esse, Edu-
cation and Ford foundations.
According to the article, "Are
Jewish Students Different?," Har-
vard has reduced the number of
students from suburban schools,
with a resulting discrimination
against Jews.
Harvard Dean of Admissions
Dr. Chase Peterson is quoted as
saying that the number of stu-
dents from "the donuts around'
the big cities" has been reduced.
A Jewish faculty member is
quoted as having retorted:
"Those aren't donuts, they're
bagels."
. The situation at the University
of Wisconsin is even more deli-
berate, according to Miss Rabin°,
witz. She cites a legislative act re-
ducing the enrollment of out-of-
state students to 15 per cent of
the student body. She quotes a
legislator arguing against the bill
as explaining its purpose and ef-
fect: "It was to get rid of the
kikes from New York and the dirty
niggers."
Al's
Jewish students population dropp
by two-thirds within a year. S J
attributed the admissions com
tee dislike of Jewish students
their leadership of social cha
movements.
"Jewish students are over
resented on the anti-establishme
activist side" she says, adding th
their number is not satistically
markable. She explains that
over-representation does not c
stitute a majority of Jews an
simply reflective of the
heavy representation of
good higher educational
tions. She attributes that to Jewi
use of education as a survi
tool and Jewish cultural famil
ity with books.
•
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Sport Unit on Campus
of Hebrew U. Under Way
THE WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE CAMPUS • (:),F
JERUSALEM — Zionist leaders
from the United States, Britain
and Israel gathered to honor Fred
Kahan of Los Angeles at the
ground breaking ceremony for a
sports center established in his
name by the Los Angeles chapter
of •Bnai Zion, at the Hebrew Uni-
versity's medical campus in Ein
Karem.
The sports center, located in an
area below the Hadassah-Hebrew
University Medical Center, will
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