Influx of Afro-Asians Negates Claim Israel is Being Isolated TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban declared Friday that "all the attempts to isolate Israel have not been effective." This, he said, is the political significance of the arrival in Israel this week of 175 prominent guests from 63 African, Asian and Latin American nations to attend the Sixth Rehovot Conference. The guests include vice presidents from two African states, Gambia and the Malagasy Republic, and 20 cabinet ministers. Eban told reporters that the interest of world leaders in Israel is "greater than ever." He added: "If the effort to turn Israel into a sort of leper colony had succeeded, Inconsistencies: UN General Assembly as Anti-Israel Platform JEWISH NEWS Tragic USSR Anniversary Editorials Page 4 Vol. LIX, No. IT . I would not have to spend two-thirds of my time at Lydda Airport" welcoming digni- taries. Eban, who is the moving spirit behind the Rehovot conferences, also spoke of the fruitful results of the previous conferences. He said the ideas discussed there have been utilized in the developing countries. This year's subject is "Urbanization in Developing States." The meeting, which opened in Jerusalem and then moved to the Weizman Insti- tute in Rehovot, also is attended by representatives of 11 international organizations and by dozens of distinguished scientists. Michigan Weekly Review of Jewish News Correcting an Injustice: AJCongress and ADL Factual Statement on Quakers' M. E. Distortions Commentary Page 2 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 August 20, 1971 Israeli Pound May Be Devalued; Trade Unharmed by Nixon Policy Survey of Youth Attitudes Reveals Protests Against 'Establishments,' Demand for Changes in Communities CHICAGO (JTA)—According to 65 per cent of 600 respondents to a questionnaire sent to one thousand Jewish students on campuses all over the country, changes will have to be made in Jewish communal life if the Jewish community wants to encourage youth to participate in it. The survey, conducted by the Chicago chapter of the American Jewish Committee, sought to elicit responses from students on: "Jewish establishment; religious services; Jewish identity; Jewish education; reading matter, and reactions to Israel." The report, entitled "Not Just A Number . . ." was written by Sheryl .Leonard, AJC's midwest director of public relations and education. Explaining the title, Miss Leonard stated: "Young people are not num- bers or categories. They are distinct individuals with deep perceptions, concerns and ideas." Dr. Dr. Bernard Beck, associate professor of sociology, Northwestern University, in his commentary on the survey said: "While there is some independence of answers to different questions, there is a core of agree- ment on the 'positive' side of all major questions." On what repre- - Some of the findings of the survey were as follows: 17 per cent replied sented the "Jewish establishment" to the student, that it was Jewish organizations; 15 per cent—financially powerful and :influential Jews; 13 per cent—the Jewish community; 9 per cent—syna- ,_ gogiies and temples, and 5 per cent—the-family structure. To 30 per cent of the students, "establishment" was a combination of two or three of these categories; 6 per cent found it was all of the above, and 5 per cent gave no answer. on the subject of attendance at religious services, 48 per cent attend On holidays only; 19 per cent attend regularly; 17 per cent stay away entirely, and 16 per cent go occasionally. Regarding the question of whether or not something should be done to encourage greater participation with the religious community, 65 per cent stated "yes" and 34 per cent said "no." Those who expressed having no concern in this topic were less than 1 per cent. Some of the specific statements by students regarding change in synagogue structure were: Don't engage merely in rituals and unrelated prayers; spend more time on philosophical and cultural meanings rather than on repetition of rigidly structured services; help the family to learn about holidays and customs together, so they can be enjoyed as a family unit; sermons are often too long and meaningless to the immedi- urgencies and relevancies of today's burning issues; redirect "estab- hment" groups back to religious ideals instead of using the synagogue a fund raising device; on the Shabbat and holidays, invite students away from home to the homes of congregants; students should not be urged a fee for attendance at High Holy Day services. Along with their suggestions for change, a number of students expressed their frustra- tions with statements to the effect that "what's the use of responding ... no one's going to change anyway." On the subject of having a sense of Jewish identity, 90 per cent responded in the affirmative and 6 per cent responded negatively. Less than , 1 per cent left the question unanswerd. Although the majority ex- pressed a sense of Jewish identity, only 54 per cent of this group felt something should be done to encourage greater participation with the religious community. In giving their reasons for what constitutes the basis for their sense of Jewish identity, the following emerged: 24 per cent cited cultural-intellectual reasons; 13 per cent—moral-ethical; 11 percent--religious; 10 per cent—family; 7 per cent—social; 7 per cent— Israel; 28 per cent felt it was a combination of the above factors. The word "pride" was used in many positive responses. - On the subject of a need for more basic Jewish education, 80 per cent responded there was such need and 20 per cent felt Jewish education was unnecessary 50 per cent stated that - Jewish education should begin at the pre-school level; 25 per cent at the 'primary - grade level, and 16 per cent at the upper grade level. On the subject of Israel, 88 per cent stated that it did have special meaning for them; for 12 per cent Israel had no meaning. Yet 3 per cent out of the 12 per cent, who had a negative response to Israel, did express a strong sense of Jewish identity, and 5 per cent felt there is a need for more Jewish education. • JERUSALEM (JTA)—Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir said Tuesday night that he did not plan to propose any devaluation of the pound in the wake of President Nixon's wide-ranging changes in United States fiscal and trade policies. He made the state- ment to the ministerial committee on economics. But some sources reported that a definite decision on devaluation would be taken at a later date, possibly in a few weeks, after the impact of the Nixon economic moves on world monetary markets could be more accurately assessed. In the meantime, foreign currency transactions were restricted to dollars. Uncertainty over the future of the Israeli pound caused a jump Tuesday in the ratio of the dollar in the free market to more than four pounds as against the three-and-a-half pound official rate. But by Wednesday morning, the dollar had drop- ped and was trading at just under four pounds. But fears of devaluation spurred purchases of securities on the Tel Aviv stock exchange and a rush to buy such appliances as refrigerators and washing machines by Israelis seeking to protect the value of their pounds. However, merchants said that deliver: of such purchar,..;,s would be in accordance with new pound rates‘if any changes took place before delivery. Officials stressed that while such buying was heavier than normal, it did not reach anything resembling panic buying. Israel economists, who have long demanded devaluation of the Israeli pound, renewed that pro- posal with added emphasis after consideration of President Nixon's announcement of sweeping changes in United States wage, price and WASHINGTON (JTA)—The State Department has international trade policies. refused to endorse the bills in both branches of Con- Profs. Chaim Barkai and Michael gress to provide 30,000 emergency visas for Jewish Michaeli of the Hebrew Univer- citizens of the Soviet Union who wish to leave that sity were among such experts country and settle in the United States, it was dis- queried by newsmen seeking in- closed here Wednesday. formation on possible effects of The State Department claims that the U. S. attor- the new United States policy on ney general has the authority to admit "a substantial Israel's economy, particularly its number of Soviet Jews" and that "there is therefore little technical need" for the proposed legislation. international trade. The department's position was revealed in a letter Prof. Barkai, head of the univer- to Rep. Emanuel Celler, New York Democrat, chair- sity's economics • department, and man of the House judiciary committee, whose office Prof. Michaeli, social sciences dean Bills to Admit 30,000 Jews From USSR to U.S. Rejected by State Dept. made it public. The congressman, who is traveling in (Continued on Page 3) (Continued on Page 14) Believes Peking Daily Denies Diplomat East Germany May Contact With Israel Seek Ties With Israel LONDON (JTA) — An article in the Peking newspaper, Peoples Daily, denied that contacts had taken place between the Peoples Republic of China and Israel in order to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries. The article described the reported contacts as "lies delib- erately fabricated to confuse public opinion." On July 27 it was reported that repeated con- tacts between Chinese diplomats of the Peoples Republic and Eli Ben-Gal, representative of the Israeli Mapam Party, had been conducted in Paris. A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Paris, Tsa Kwei Seng, told the JTA that "no member of the embassy had met Ben-Gal." The article in the Peoples Daily stated that the Chinese government had always supported the struggle of the Palestinian and other Arab peoples and would continue to do so. The article took exception to the fact that reports of the alleged contacts had been repeated by Tass, the official Soviet news agency. This was, in the Chinese view, an attempt to conceal the Russians' "own sinister activities" in the Middle East and their "collusion with Israel." COPENHAGEN (JTA)—East German political personalities have expressed the hope that diplo- matic and economic relations with Israel will soon be undertaken, a senior Danish statesman told the JTA. Vigo Karpman, who was Denmark's -prime minister from 1960-62, told the JTA correspondent here that he had met with various East German political personalities and that they expressed the view that relations would be established with Israel after Israel and the Soviet Union renew their diplomatic ties. The Soviet Union broke her relations with Israel during the Six-Day War while East Ger- many and Israel never established diplomatic or economic relations. According to Karpman, contact between East Germany and Israel, particularly along economic lines, could reach the scope equal to that now existing between Israel and West Germany. Karpman, who is well known for his friend- ship toward Israel, is chairman of the Denmark- German Democratic Republic Friendsip Associa- tion.