Purely Commentary

Facts and Figures: How the Oil-Rich Nations Also Are

Being Additionally Enriched by the U.S. and the USSR
and How Israel is Being Subjected to Unnecessary Fears

By Philip

Slomovitz

Humanist Manifesto II . . . and a Dissent

Israel's 'Guilt': That Arabs Get So Much Help, From Russia and U. S.

That Sherwin Wine's name should be appended to a humanist manifesto is un-
derstandable. After all, the Birmingham rabbi asserts his affiliation in the Humanist
ranks. But Mordecai M. Kaplan? How does he fit into the picture?
Nonagenarian Mordecai Kaplan will undoubtedly have an explanation. He is a
remarkable man and at his age he continues to propagate his Reconstructionist views.
His discourses with Arthur A. Cohen in the Schocken-published volume "If Not Now,
When? Conversations Between Mordecai M. Kaplan and Arthur A. Cohen" (reviewed
in The Jewish News, July 13), gave an indication of the genius of the man.
In his debate with Cohen, Dr. Kaplan stated emphatically: "To me the belief
in God is the result of collective action . . ." We'll be hearing more from him, un-
doubtedly, and from his associates whose names were not appended to the manifesto.
There was one negation to the manifesto. In a letter to the New York Times
(Sept. 2), Eugene McGovern of Tarrytown, N.Y., wrote:
To the Editor:
Humanist Manifesto II, as represented by the "Highlights" drawn therefrom
(Aug. 26), is an embarrassment. Among the 120 signers is the usual crowd of
camp followers, but there are also many people of real distinction. It is depress-
ing to see that so many of the illuminati have signed their names to a document
which is illiterate, vulgar, vicious, nihilistic and fanatical.
It is illiterate in saying "moral values derive their source from human
experience." Things can be derived from their source, or have their source some-
place, but they cannot derive their source.
It is vulgar in trotting out, still again, "We strive for the good life, here
and now," a sentiment one expects to see on the gift catalog of a trading-stamp
firm rather than above distinguished signatures.
It is vicious in its call for "a recognition of an individual's right to . . .
euthanasia and . . . suicide." Will we have a Supreme Court decision requiring
that the senile, retarded and disabled are fully informed of their rights?
It is nihilistic, though the author doesn't seem to have noticed it. What
grounds has he left himself for deciding what is "a disservice to the human
species," what would constitute rectification of social injustices, what is "the
good life," what is a "solution of human problems," what does "freedom and
dignity" mean (with B. F. Skinner among the signers)? This reader cringes at
the thought that the signers are modestly putting themselves forward to answer
these questions.
It is fanatical in its seeking a "solution" in just that humanism which "Mani-
festo I" promoted and which is largely responsible for our present problems.
Our philosophers should not be wasting their time with such worthless ges-
tures-there is work to be done. They must find ways to formulate for the modern
world the facts that God exists, that we are supernatural beings for whom the
grave is not the end, that there is a Natural Law by which our actions are to be
judged. Let them get to the task because time is running out. Western civiliza-
tion has been fueled by these beliefs, but the fires have been banked for many
years. When they die out, it will be a very cold place indeed.
- Eugene McGovern, Tarrytown, N.Y., Aug. 26, 1973
Robert Green Ingersoll would have loved to get into this argument-especially
when there is name calling, in which the 18th Century agnostic (1833-1899) was a
master. But abusive resorts to branding those differed with as being vulgar and illiter-
ate doesn't help much. We have a new youth to contend with, and an aging dis-
illusionment to tackle. Perhaps the emerging humanists of our age, Mordecai Kaplan
and Prof. Joseph L. Blau can lead us to straight paths of devotionalism.

"Both sides are at fault," said President Richard Milhous Nixon.
Israel may be guilty of many missteps: her friends could find much more to
criticize than the Arabs, the anti-Israel forces in the United Nations, the President
of the United States.
That does not justify the accusation that there is a special favtoritism for Israel
on the international arena and that the U. S. gives more aid to Israel than to the Arabs.
Israel benefits from American friendship, but the aicl given by our govern-
ment to the Arab states remains overwhelming in comparison to the aid extended to
the Jewish state. And most of the funds allocated to Israel have been repayable to
the U. S., and the military assistance has been through purchased hardware.
It isn't the U. S. alone that plays a role in the Middle East. There is the Soviet
Union. And the Kremlin's funds that have been poured into Arab treasuries remain
staggering.
Here are the figures of assistance given the Arab states by both the United
States and the Soviet Union:

From the United States
1946-1972

From Communist Countries
1954-1972

(in millions of dollars)

(in millions of dollars)

USSR
E. Europe China
Military Economic Economic Economic

Algeria
Egypt
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Morocco
Saudi Arabia
South Yemen
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
Yemen

Total

$ 421
1,198
549

$ 246
671
419

$ 92
106
45

15
-
25
65
715
-
75

-
88
-
14
64
317
34
92

40
-
16
153
287
73
17

-
-
55
82
61
36
78

$4,998

$2,777

$1,922

$555

$ 400
2,700
1,000
-

3

Military
Loans Grants

Economic
Grants
Loans

$ - $ - $ 48.5 $ 168.6
724.3
292.7
-
-
. 30.9
26.1
-
46.7
642.2
33.7
69.0 120.0
-
-
50.0
-
37.2
89.4
14.3
10.0
205.5
7.0
-
15.4
330.4
526.8
38.8
59.6
44.5
27.5
257.7 36.1
-
-
2.7
-
.7
38.2
67.5
1.5
24.0
36.8
-
.1
395.8
5.2
37.0
356.9
42.7

$393

$309

$1,917

$2,332

By comparison, Israel's position weakens. While the Arabs have failed to assist
their kinsmen, the refugees, they keep benefiting from oil, from military and economic
aid from the two major world powers-and they keep crying because Israel insists
on protecting her autonomy, the state and the people!
Fortunately, the blackmail from the oil interests and from the Arab states that
are benefiting from their black gold in the billions is now being exposed and
condemned.
Fortunately, there are well-meaning people who are not submitting to threats.
Fortunately, there will not be a search for relief in the threatening dangers
from an energy crisis.
The facts must not be hidden. Let the available data serve the necessary pur-
pose of exposing the lies to the non-Jewish world and to Jews everywhere who must
not weaken under the blows that have come from panic-stricken worriers over an
energy shortage that should be treated realistically by a great nation like ours.

The Jews in American Cabinets

"Equality Achieved by Jewish Blind," by Gerald M. Kass;

Coming

Boris Smolar's recollections on how he brought together

Special Features

Soviet and Zionist delegates at the UN in 1947; "St. Louis
Elderly Solve Their Problems on Community Basis," by

in Holiday Issue

Ben Gallob; "Antwerp, Community of Hasidim and Diamond

Sept. 28

Rosenfielder; "Art in Israel," by Edith Zartel; Book Re-

Cutters," by Peggy Taylor; "Bahai in Haifa," by Reuven

views, Recipes and many more features.

Israel's Universities ... Bar-Ilan's Role in Educational Structure

A researcher for the
World Zionist Organization,
in his analysis of difficulties
now being encountered by
Israeli students in securing
admissions to the country's
universities, presents some
interesting facts. He points
to the competitiveness for
admissions to Bar-Ilan Uni-
versity, indicating emphasis
on oral as well as written
entrance exams. He gives
the4e vital figures:
From 300 applicants, 100
will be admitted to the psy-
chology department. There
are 80 places for 1,000
seeking entrance in the de-
partment of criminology,
150 to be chosen from the
800 desiring to specialize
in economics, 50 places for
the 300 desiring to study for
social work, and 30 to be
admitted out of 400 appli-
cants for the computer sci-
ences.

These are indications of
the great need for emphasis
on education in the support
that Diaspora Jewry gives
to Israel.
There are other facts list-
ed in the study made of
the status of Israel's uni-
versities.
More than 1,000 of the
6,000 applicants for admis-
sion to the Hebrew Univer-
sity will be rejected for
lack of provisions for them
in classes and in assuring
housing for them.
A new record has been
set at Tel Aviv University
which has 8,300 applicants
for admission to the first
year of studies.
Some 4,200 have applied
for admission to Haifa
University.
So far, 2,832 candidates
have applied for the 1,200
student admissions avail-

2 Friday, Sept. 14, 1973 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

-

able at Beersheba Univer-
sity.
At the Technion in Haifa,
2,500 have applied for ad-
mission and only 1,000 can
be admitted.

Increased support for sec-
ondary schools adds to the
American interest in Isra-
el's cultural needs. The aid
provided for such schools
by Detroiters is another
compliment to the positivie
concerns by American Jews
in the upbuilding of the
Jewish state.

There are Arab students
in all of Israel's higher in-
stitutions of learning. The
Shiloah Institute for Middle
East Research reports that
one of every 1,000 Arabs
attends a school of higher
learning, contrasted by 13
for every 1,000 Jews. The
Shiloah figures show that
70 per cent of the Arab
students are in the human-
ities and social science de-

partment, with 30 per cent
in the exact sciences.
There are 1,200 Arab stu-
dents in Israel's univer-
sities. The forecast for the
1980s is that 4,000 Arabs
will be pursuing studies for
academic degrees and that
there will be 35,000 Arabs
in the secondary schools.
Arab pupils in Israel's post-
primary classes have in-
creased from 10,000 to
130,000 since the rebirth of
Israel.
These figures point to the
emphasis on learning. They
show the urge of Arab-Is-
rael cooperation. They em-
phasize progress.
Bar-Ilan has a great role
in the Israeli educational
structure. This has inspired
those in our midst who
have joined forces with the
supporters of this univer-
sity whose 18th anniversary
will be celebrated here at
the - annual dinner next
Thursday.

Interest shown in the presidential selections of mem-
bers of official cabinets was energized considerably by
the selection of Dr. Henry Kissinger to be President
Nixon's secretary of state.
That inspired recollections about previous cabinet
members in both the U. S. and the Confederacy-Oscar
Straus, Abraham Ribicoff, Arthur Goldberg, Henry Mor-
genthau and Judah P. Benjamin.
Probers into history admonish us not to forget Prof.
Wilbur Cohen of the University of Michigan who served
in the U. S. Department of Health, Education and Wel-
fare (HEW) as President Kennedy's appointee.

We are indebted to Prof. William Haber for the
reminder that when John Gardner resigned as head
of HEW, Dr. Cohen became President Johnson's secretary
of the department. That increases the record of the num-
ber of Jews who served in presidential cabinets.
Prof. Cohen has become very active in ORT, in UJA
and other movements. His activity as a member of the
board of Haifa University makes him especially akin to
the cultural activities in Israel, and his colleague, Prof.
Haber, speaks with pride of the role of Prof. Cohen in
vital Jewish movements.

For that matter, some may even claim that an eighth
of our kinsmen should be listed in the stated category-
the present secretary of HEW, Caspar H. Weinberger.
But while Secretary Weinberger has affirmed Jewish her-
itage-on his father's side-he is not Jewish on his moth-
er's side.
In any event, the interest is intriguing.

Caspar Weinberger

Wilbur Cohen