The Roll Call of Israel's Friends and Antagonists
and the Jewish Solidarity Task . . . Altered American
Position and Mounting Animosities From All Areas
Purely Commentary
By Philip
Slomovitz
Solidarity for Defense ....Urgency of Immediate Action in Israel's Support
needed for defense, for relief, for the medical services to care for the tragic number
of casualties: these must be raised promptly, quickly, generously.
The assistance will come, and if it is sufficient it will help speed an end to
the current battle that was so unnecessary, that came to be s6 brutally and so
sacrilegiously.
Then will come a period of accounting of needs and errors, of duties and
faults. The war's end will not conclude the conflict. It will open many more. We
may as well anticipate the mounting dangers. The terrorists are at large. The oil
interests are bogged down with money which will be used against all of us, Ameri-
cans of all faiths, in the power struggle that is universal. This war of tensions and
of cheapening human lives must end. We must give whatever help is available to
assure Israel's military victory.
Israel's life is at stake. Therefore, the unity of the Jewish people is essential to
prevent destruction. A current great victory is vital in order that a triumph for
justice and common sense should become workable after this fourth Israel war in
modern times.
To attain the objectives the solidarity of the Jewish people is as vital as life
itself. Let us join this unity for the sake of a truly honorable future!
This is the great showdown. The fourth war could be the last war. It could
also be a symptom of the greatest danger that has faced Jewry since the destruction
of the Second Temple. It is certain to be another military success for Israel. The
Pentagon believes it. The Arabs concede it. Yet the Arabs are fighting it, as they
say, to express their "honor."' All the more reason for Jewry to view the situation
with concern not for the present, alone, but for the future and the generations to come.
Let's first of all call the roll. The friends of Israel are on the record. The
United States is not letting the Jewish state down. The position at the United Nations
is a rational and practical one. Anything other than a return to the cease-fire line
would be suicidal. Jewry's debt to the United States is growing with the newly
emerging developments.
Then there are the enemies. They have shown their colors: Russia and China
at the UN, Tito in Yugoslavia, Bourguiba in Tunisia, Pakistan and India . . . and
many more.
The one great defender of Israel is Israel's kinsman: the Jew. This is the great
hour of challenge to the Jew for solidarity, and for action. Unified Jewry can protect
Israel with means for sustenance, with loans through the Israel Bond drive and
philanthropk through the United Jewish Appeal. The hundreds of millions now
The WHY of Military Triumph: Faith in Israel's Will to Live
A New York Times summary gave the following figures for comparative
military strength of the contending forces:
It would not have mattered if the strength of the enemies of Israel were five
times larger. It is not the number and the who that counted but the why.
The answer was provided a few days before the outrageous occurrence on Yom
Kippur by the Libyan dictator, Col. Muammar Qaddafi. He was interviewed by
Arnaud de Borchgrave for Newsweek regarding a settlement with Israel, and the
Libyan demanded Israel's complete isolation.. Then came this exchange:
Borchgrave: "What specific changes would you like to see in America's
Mideast policy?"
Qaddafi: "If the United States tells Israel it has no right to occupy Arab
land, it will be a major plus in our relations."
Borchgrave: "You mean the territories occupied since the 1967 war?"
Qaddafi: "The occupied territories don't interest me. I'm talking about
Palestine."
This is just what the terrorists say, what Qaddafi repeated, and their views
have received endorsement from rulers of most Arab countries: a view that calls
not only for a return by Israel to pre-1967 borders, but for the complete destruction
of the Jewish state.
That's why Israel is destined to be the winner: because she fights for survival.
The enemies wish to destroy, the people of Israel wishes to live. It is the will to live
that gives Israel not a manpower of 275,000 but one of 2,000,000—not only adults
but every child, even the five-year-old who in May and June of 1967 was seen piling
up sandbags at air raid shelters to help protect family, nation, country.
Yes, overconfidence is stupid, lack of confidence disastrous, loss of faith in
Israel's indestructibility because of the people's desire to live utter blindness.
Over-confidence can be stupid. Lack of confidence could be calamitous. It's
amazing how many people panicked during the first hours of the current war crisis
that began so ignominiously on Yom Kippur.
Abba Eban at the United Nations and on television, rabbis from their pulpits,
worshipers who were outraged, kept emphasizing the sacrilege of the combined Egyp-
tion-Syrian attacks on Israel on the holiest day on the Jewish calendar when all
Jewish activists were isolated from counter-attacking opportunities and were, in the
main, in the synagogues. How naive to expect anything resembling respect for our
faith from warmongers! A Yiddish saying summarizes the reality of the situation:
"Wie kummt a kozak tzu yeisher?" How can you expect decency from a cossack?
It happened, and as any realist could have expected the Arab attack on Israel
collapsed. The reason?
Military Power of Three Combatants
Ground
Troops
ISRAEL
EGYPT
SYRIA
.
Tanks
275,000
1,700
260,000
2,000
1'20,000
1,170
Air Force
Manpowe,
CoTbai-
Planes
.
•
Navy
Manpower
ummid ■
Navy
Vessels
49
5,000
488
5,000
23,000
620
15,000
10,000
326
2,000
.
89
25
Sotirce: International Institute of Strategic Studies, London..
Am Israel hai!
The New York Times/Oct. 6, 1973
Historicity: A Gabrilowitsch-Himelhoch Incident that Emphasized Zionist Ideal
balance, and this can best
Israel Himeloch represented an interesting genera-
May 17, 1932
be done by sending contri-
tion. It was deeply religious. The store of which he be- Mr. Israel Himelhoch
came the head in the first decade of this century closed 1545 Woodward Ave.,
butions to Palestine direct.
The recipients of such
on the Holy Days, and for a time it was kept closed on Detroit, Mich.
contributions, (as far as
the Jewish Sabbaths. That was routine in those years Dear Mr. Himelhoch:
for many Jewish business houses, even the Reform
As per our conversation my donations are con-
affiliated. After all, the Sabbath was a major factor in over the telephone of yester- cerned) are not only musi-
Jewish life.
day, I am sending you here- cians and musician institu-
It was not a generation of Zionists. They were phi- with check for for tions, but also other philan-
lanthropists, and Zionism negated philanthropy: the basic the Allied Jewish Cam- thropic organizations in
ideal of the movement for Jewish national rebirth was paign. It is understood Palestine. In the course of
self-help, a return to the soil, redemption of the ancient that the amount of my years they have come to re-
contribution will not be gard my small donations as
homeland, establishment of dispossessed and homeless
something they may look
made public. In forwarding
Jews in colonies in Eretz Israel. The support of the move-
this contribution to you I forward to with a certain
ment through merged Joint Distribution Committee and
United Palestine Appeal efforts did not materialize until wish to make it clear that regularity. Therefore, I do
not feel that such monies
the modest amount it rep-
the 1930s, and did not really take root until the menace
should be deflected from
resents must not be inter-
of Hitlerism.
preted as a lack of suffici- them and directed to insti-
Mr. Himelhoch was, however, deeply interested in
tutions located in Detroit or
ent interest on my part in
the great tasks of JDC and other movements that assisted
the affairs of Jewish wel- elswewere in the United
impoverished Jews throughout the world, as well as the
fare. On the contrary, my States.
less fortunate in his Detroit community. He headed a
I believe that my point of
interest in such matters is
public relations committee that included such eminent
view in this matter is logi-
very earnest, but for rea-
local publicists as Philip Adler, Jake Albert, Louis Ten-
sons which I explained to cal. I have maintained it
dler, Ben Wigder, staff members of the daily newspapers
for several years in the
you
over the telephone yes-
as well as the English-Jewish press. We met regularly
past, and intend to main-
terday, I have always made
and frequently and we gathered material to inspire the
tain it in the future. If,
a point of directing my con-
community in the Federation's fund-raising activities.
tributions to Palestine — nevertheless, I am sending
The late Mr. Himelhoch did not shirk responsibilities.
you a check today, this is
rather than to American
He also was a solicitor, and one of his prospects was Jewish philanthropic organ- done simply because you
Ossip Gabrilowitsch, the world famous director of the
mentioned yesterday that
izations. My reasons. for this
Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
it may be of some moral
are very simple. I know
Mr. Gabrilowitsch had become deeply interested in
assistance to your cam-
that there always are and
the movement to establish the Jewish National Home in
always will be plenty of paign. I must state, how-
Palestine. While he was viewed as a thoroughly assimi-
ever, that I cannot obligate
Jews in the United States
lated Jews—he was married to Clara Clemens, daughter
myself to repeat this con-
who will contribute to the
of Mark Twain—a visit in Eretz Israel with former fellow-
tribution in the future, as
regular philanthropic com-
Russian-Jewish musical associates who were compelled
it may become more and
paigns in the country. Ula-
to find refuge from pogroms in Palestine, made him a
more imperative to send
fortunately, there are only
strong supporter of the Jewish National Fund and an very few who take any in- money direct to Palestine.
admirer of those who labored for the revival of Hebrew
Sincerely yours,
terest in Palestinian affairs.
as a living and spoken language.
(signed)
I do believe that those of us
One of the final approaches made by Mr. Himelhoch
Ossip Gabrilowitsch
who are interested in Pale-
to Mr. Gabrilowitsch for a gift to the Allied Jewish Cam-
stine should make an effort OG:H
paign brought an interesting reply. It was an affirmation
to somewhat readjust this enc.
for priority to the Zionist idea. Here is the Gabrilowitsch-
The reason for linking this message with historicity
to-Himelhoch letter that deserves appellation of historicity:
is that there were so many who deviated from the great
Zionist libertarian movement at a time when support for
2—Friday, October 12, 1973 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
-
it could have rescued hundreds of thousands more from
the Nazi terror a decade after Gabrilowitsch declared
himself on the question.
Isaac Deutscher, the noted authority on Communism,
himself a former Communist, after a visit to Israel in
1955, wrote a confessional: he still declared oppostion to
Zionism, but affirmed that if he had not propagated
against it and had supported the movement, large num-
bers of Jews could have been rescued.
In a period in history when so many—let's hope not
many Jews!—are misled by the false cries of chauvinist
Zionism from Russia and Zionist imperialism from Arab
enemy camps, the truth in the libertarianism of the Zion-
ist idea must not be overlooked. The Gabrilowitsch-
Himelhoch correspondence also supports the reality of
pro-Zionism and the need for its continuity.
Screens Between Neighbors
Israelis often offered to appear on radio and TV with
visiting Arab diplomats. Invariably, the Arabs refused to
meet with Jews face-to-face. On some occasions they made
their appearances while separated by screens.
The barrier was in evidence on Sunday. Egypt's For-
eign Minister Muliammed Hassan el-Zayyat was to appear
on the Face the Nation program with Israel's Foreign
Minister Abba Eban. He refused. The station had to ex-
tend the program to an hour's length, giving el-Zayyat
the first half hour and Eban the second.
Yet, the Egyptian spoke of a desire for peace. He
could have had it on television. He really isn't permit
even to speak civilly to a Jew. How can one hope
peace from such neighbors who insist on putting up a
barrier when an Israeli appears?
Any wonder that from such neighborliness stems a
compulsion to keep being stronger so that the hate should
not develop into terror and murder?
Action Needed NOW Against Oil Bandits
This is to be anticipated: lots of muddle-headed people
will talk about Jewish money that is being gathered to
assist Israel in the present struggle_ for life.
Those with such a prejudice about a humane act should
be reminded about the billions of American dollars that
have been collected by Arabs from their oil riches.
Now there is a threat that Arabs strike at this country
by shutting off the oil reserves and by creating an energy
crisis for us.
The time has therefore come for ALL honorable men
to contact members of Congress—and the President—to
demand that they do not yield to the oil threat. ACT NOW!