40—Friday; January 4, 1974
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
What's in Store
for Us and
the World in
By Jewish News Analyst
"Good riddance" is the conglomerate
effect of feelings about the year that just
ended.
An old Hebraic saying welcomes a new
year with the salutation: "An end to the
year with curses, a welcome to a year of
blessings!"
,4
Thus, 1973 and its
tensions
shoved off
New Year the arena is of
history
Arew Hopes with relief, accom-
panied by hopes of the coming of a period
of relief from sufferings, violence, threats,
insecurity, war-mongering.
World Jewry especially craves for an
end to the bias that seemed to drag 1973-
5733 in its midst — into the worst calendar
periods in humanity's records.
How does 1974 (5734 within it) begin?
Does it carry with it hopes for better days,
for amity among men, for respect for
humankind, for a cessation to racial and
religious bias?
Perhaps Israel's status is more hopeful.
Golda Meir's victory at the polls is a sign
that the Israelis are concessionaires, that
peace is valuable to them and they are
willing to trade a measure of pride for a
great segment of good will and neighbor-
liness.
Perhaps the hopeful days are arriving,
even if by slow movements.
*
On the home fronts it is not yet too com-
forting. The dangers to international co-
operation have not been reduced. Hate stir-
rings are still in evi-
Toynbee , s denc e. The vigilant
Renewed must remain on guard.
An example of ex-
Hatreds
tremism was glaringly
flashed last Sunday in a world famous
historian's repetition of bias against Israel.
Arnold Toynbee is among those who per-
Sist in introducing prejudice into an atmo-
sphere of peace-searching. He did it again.
At a time when the Palestinian problem is
nearing some form of solution, with the
Palestinians hopefully in a cooperative
mood to ,-strengthen their own positions
while working in harmony with the Israelis.
Not so the prejudiced professor. He would
go back to 1947 to reduce the state of Israel.
Perhaps he, like Qaddafi, would _ expel
3,000,000 from Israel and would take
control of the land, subjecting the remain-
ing 1,000.000—or less—to the slavery that
one would anticipate from a program like
the Toynbee-Qaddafi clique would enforce
in the Middle East. That's the kind of
civilization one could anticipate from the
learned professor whose line is in no sense
different from the Libyan dictator's
There is one main factor of seriousness
in the whole business: will Israel's will and
right to live be respected? As long as the
Toynbees deny that right, the battle against
them and for justice continues. That's a
factor on the new year's schedule not to
be ignored.
Toynbee is a symbol of a continuing
menace to Israel and to just rights for an
embattled and imperiled people.
Arab potentates, so rich that they can't
spend even a portion of their available
funds (they use it for all purposes except
to provide sustenance
P ublic
for refugees from their
relief for whom
Relations ranks,
is provided mainly with
Forces
U. S. dollars), have
forged menacing weap-
Tested
ons against mankind.
Oil is the main tool of destruction. Now
their emissaries are coming to the United
States to conduct a propaganda campaign.
One of them, a Lebanese designated to
start the new propaganda against Israel —
which means against American Jewry as
well — said before leaving Beirut, as re-
ported in the New York Times, that "the
Arab intention was not to create hardships
for the American people but to make the
oil issue 'a household word' so that the
American people would bring pressure on
their government to follow an even-handed
policy.".
9
Are
714 We
on
the
R oa d
•
Jewish News
Summary of
Current
Events
to
In other words, the intention is to make
anti-Israelism a household word in this
country, and the Arabs have the money for
such propaganda. This is, perhaps, one of
the most pressing challenges confronting
American Jewry today. Are we competent
enough to counteract such propaganda,
which would inevitably lead to anti-Semit-
ism? Is the American Jewish community
properly prepared to counteract the hate
that is certain to emanate from the house-
hold world that has already become a bitter
code for the lunatic fringe and threatens
to be adopted by the unknowing who are
so numerous in our midst?
This is the time for the intellectuals in
our midst to play the role that is so vital
in overcoming bigotry. The struggle with
the Arabs could be resolved quickly and
easily if the hatreds were removed. But
they are fanned more rapidly and they are
assuming a global character. American
Jewry is therefore being put to the test.
Unless our best minds are geared to the
task of educating the public, of presenting
the truth and defining it, we'll be in serious
trouble. The challenge is here. The answer
is awaited in all seriousness. Perhaps a
stronger public relations force will emerge
in Jewish ranks to defeat the bigots and
the prejudice-injecters.
*
*
Irving Howe is a distinguished scholar,
editor of Dissent, an authority on Yiddish
and Yiddish literature (he has authored sev-
eral volumes on these subjects), and is an
eminent university professor. He is not a
Zionist. He is a Socialist. He is concerned
about Israel.
In the current issue of New York maga-
azine, appears his per-
Howe's
sonal statement,
"Thinking the Unthink-
`Gevale
able About Israel," in
About
which he calls for ac-
tion in Israel's defense
Israel
after reviewing the
basic issues that create the challenges. He
utters a gevalt, declaring that "silence is
intolerable," in a concluding paragraph to
his long statement, ih which he asserts:
T
land did is also reminiscent of Munich and
the Nazi era.
Howe is a sincere man. He is a good
thinker. • As a non-Zionist he is also our
antagonist only when he fails to admit that
he was wrong in not adopting our platform
which rescued many Jews and established
Israel and could have saved many more if
we did not have an opposition. Isaac Duet-
scher admitted it, even though he, too, re-
mained a non-Zionist while admiring Israel.
Extra cauting is needed now to detect
the intentions of propagandists. Many so-
called Middle East political groups have
been formed, and nu-
Beware
merous publications are
to those inter-
Of False offered
ested in the Mideast de-
Merchants velopments. Who's to
know what the politics are of these seekers
for support? How is one to know what "Fel-
lowship of Reconciliation" stands for? It of-
fers for sale numerous books and periodicals.
Its intentions can be judged by the conclu-
sion of the Berrigan speech on the future of
the Middle East. Rev. Berrigan has en-
rolled in the ranks of Israel's destroyers.
He has proven to be an anti-Semitic anti-
Zionist. Any group selling his views on
Israel cannot be unbiased. Beware of them!
• Many heartening evidences of Christian
friendships emerge in the present critical
time for Israel and for world Jewry. The
hope is for a much larger and more effective
action from the non-Jewish community in
defense of Israel's right to live, which is
the basic need at issue. But the few who
assert themselves are firm and emphatic.
Dr. Frank H. Littell has earned our ap-
preciation for his leadership in Christians
Concerned for Israel. In the current issue
of his organization's CCI Notebook appears
this interesting note:
"A very important suggestion has been
made: that churches 'adopt' young Israelis
who are hospitalized and being rehabilitated.
- There are thousands, for it was a very
dear and costly effort for little Israel to
throw back the Syrian and Egyptian surprise
"There is flux, uncertainty, Maneuver- attack on the Day of Atonement. Any Sun-
ing. Pressures encounter other pressures. day School class would find it tremendously
In the imperfect society that we live in, the rewarding to 'adopt' a young injured Is-
consequences of pressure are real and meas- raeli — to send books and magazines, ex-
urable. For good or bad, they count. What change letters and pictures, to act out a
worries me is that all the modes of pressure compassion which we often verbalize with
and persuasion — lobbying, writing to and facility and let wither without the sustain-
visiting congressmen, offering public argu- ing soil of credible action.
ments and statements — strike sophisticated
"Dr. Littell will be going to Israel in
people — say, the kind who are likely to the semester break to work out some of the
be reading these words — as tiresome and details. In the meantime, why not take it
tacky. (It's more exciting, no doubt, to give up—with the church and the church school,
a party for the Black Panthers.) But it is the youth fellowship and the adult classes?
precisely these tiresome and tacky things
This is the kind of Christian action which
that can have a significant impact on Amer-
any church group, whatever the differences
ican policy in the coming few months.
of political opinion, can immediately see
"A time may come when it will be and act upon."
necessary to turn to more dramatic and
militant methods, perhaps a march on
When the present crisis will finally be re-
Washington. A time may come when the solved, one of the aspects of interest to be
traditional Jewish outcry of gevalt!, pro- analyzed will be the reactions of the press
voking scorn and worse, may be necessary. and of news commentators.
Let us keep our voices in readiness, but
More letters f r o m
L etters
meanwhile there is the work of politics,
Jews and Arabs have
pressure, persuasion. Silence is intolerable."
been published in
To the
American newspapers
He makes some accusations against the
Editor
on the Middle East is-
enemies of Israel, and among the most
devasting is a recapitulation of a shocking sues than ever before. Perhaps the press
action that is reminiscent of earlier trag- has been more tolerant than after the Six-
edies: "the Arabs have s u c c e e d e d in Day War. Israel's retention of American
frightening and demoralizing Western Eu- sympathies are partly ascribed to her being
rope through their skillful manipulation of the underdog.
Yet, one must question the wisdom with
oil, so that — this example is my own —
during the Yom Kippur War, England, in which some newspapers have handled let-
the name of 'even-handedness,' prevented ters. Controversy is part of the American
the spare parts for tanks that were sitting way of tolerating difference of opinion, but
on the Southhampton docks from reaching distortion of truth should be intolerable. But
Israel, even though the Israelis had already all sorts of lies have penetrated the Ameri-
paid for the parts. For anyone of a certain can press.
A typical example was the out-of-context
age, such 'even-handedness' brings frightful
memories of the `neutrality' of France and quotation from HaAretz in a letter by an
Britain during the Spanish Civil War. Hitler anti-Israeli Arab in last Saturday's Detroit
and Mussolini p our e d supplies into the News.
A question to be posed is: How could the
Franco-held portion of Spain, while the
European democracies, craven then as now, Free Press have permitted the printing of
proclaimed themselves neutral!" What Eng- a letter in which the writer said: "America
•
has almost ignored the pleas of the Arabs,
many of which are justifiable, thus aiding
Israel in the killing of the Arab population."
Doesn't such imbecilic charge that Israel is
killing the Arab population arouse hatred
rather than inspire rational thinking? Or
the letter the Free Press published from a
deluded reader who insists he'll burn lights
on his Christmas tree "not in memory - of
Christmas . . . money for 'God's c'
people' . . . but in memory of Moslemb
died for what any man is willing to die for;
his country; his village, his children." What
a pity that an uninformed can't be advised
that he is on the wrong track, that Moslems
benefit from Israel, that Arabs and Jews can
both benefit from peace
Many letters mislead, corrupt, disrupt,
appeal to hate and murder. A- bit more cau-
tion by editors would help eliminate bias
and hate.
It was relieving and there was a bit of
genuine humor in this letter that appeared
in the New York Times:
Does Israel Have Time?
To the Editor:
I watch with morbid fascination how
Duerrenmatt's "The Visit" is now being
acted out on the world stage.
Clara Zachanassian, one of the world's
richest women (Arab countries) wants to
kill Anton Schill, the man who had sup-
posedly wronged her (Israel). Unable to do
the job herself, she offered huge bribes (oil)
to the people of the town (nations of the
world) to do the dirty work for her.
The town folks first resist since they
all love the friendly and popular Schill, but
their need for the money wins out. They
denounce him, smear his reputation in order
to relieve their guilt to justify his killing
and thus they prime themselves for the
murder. Schill incredulously watches his
friends turn into enemies one by one, and
designedly succumbs as they are closing
up on him.
The only difference is, of course, that
we know that Schill is doomed. Israel still
has time. Or, 'does she?
Zoltan Erenyi
Bronx, Dec. 10, 1973
Not to be ignored is the yielding to terror
by world powers. It must have contributed
to the Arab intransigence. Arab states have
given asylum to mur-
Yielding
derers a n d terrorists
have been glorified as
To
heroes. Kuwait is still -
Terror
refraining from punish-
ing the five torrorists who murdered 32
innocent people in Rome — five Moroccan
officials among theni — by permitting the
Palestine Liberation Organization to do the
investigating. It forced the New York times
to publish another editorial (Dec. 28) con-
demning the indifference to the crimes,
under the title "No Deal With Terror":
"The outrages committed by the five
Arab terrorists who indiscriminately mur-
dered 32 innocent persons at the Rome and
Athens airports cannot properly be dealt
with in any manner other than trial in a
court of law.
:Ay
"The Government of Kuwait is a
making a mockery of justice in dealing with,
these wanton murderers. Instead of moving
toward a trial in its own courts or co-
operating with Italy's extradition request,
the Kuwait authorities have agreed to an
interrogation of the five hijackers by a
'special committee' of the Palestine Liber-
ation Organization. This move tends to con-
firm earlier reports of • "tacit agreement"
between Kuwait and the Palestinian guer-
rilla leader, Yasir Arafat, that the terror-
ists would be turned over to a special PLO
"court."
"The Palestine Liberation Organization,
which has itself a long record of criminal
activities, has less than no qualification to
act as the representative of law and justice.
The case of the PLO against the five
would amount to nothing more than an in-
ternal squabble over organizational disci-
pline. It can in no way satisfy the demand
of the civilized world that the Government
of Kuwait mete out justice to the murderers
it has been holding in custody."