Purely Commentary
Tel Avivians' Gratitude to Holland for Humanitarian Tasks;
Expose of Retreat of Dutch Reformed Church by Dr. Littell
Holland retains a role of honor in the so-called energy crisis and Jews every-
where have shown appreciation to the Dutch for their realistic and human response
to Arab pressures.
Here is a photo of Tel Avivians who expressed their thanks to Holland in a
demonstration that was marked by a parade, accompanied by many on bicycles, to
show how the Dutch act in an expression of justice in this period of crisis:
1 1,9
45
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.
As everywhere else, there is an element in Holland that is suspect. From that
group may have come the antagonism that sought to mar Dutch-Israeli friendships.
In the CCI ("Christians -Concerned for Israel - ) Notebook, Di'. Franklin H.
Littell, a major defender of Israel and a philo-Semite of note, wrote the following
under the heading "Retreat in the Dutch Reformed Church?":
During Hitler's domination of Europe
Hendrik Kraemer and W. A. Visser't
some Dutch Christians gave a witness of
Hooft, is to sink back into the ideological
integrity against Nazism and its Aryan
quagmire from which many others never
Laws. For a time after the war the Dutch
emerged at all. The Synod held near
Protestants and Dutch Catholics were out-
Utrecht this November, in the face of the
standing in their advocacy of reform and
Yom Kippur War, retreated before the
renewal in the churches, cooperation be-
charge of its general secretary (Albert
tween the churches, and insistence upon
Van Den Heuvel) ,that the church was
repentance for the betrayal of the Jews
"frighteningly one-sided"- in its sympathy
and acts of good faith toward Israel.
for the Jews and Israel. (This was at a
In 1970 the Synod of the Hervormde
time when the Dutch government stood
Kerk adopted one of the best statements
almost alone in Europe in refusing to
on Israel produced by any Christian
scurry for cover in the face of plane hi-
group. Along with the Pastoral of the
jackings and oil blackmail!)
French Catholic Bishops and the Letter
to Fellow-Christians of the American The-
Van Den Heuvel went on to utter a lie
ological Working Party. the Dutch synod-
which may, if not exploded, become as
ical _statement gave good evidence that
current as the inflated statistics which fly
some Christians have learned some of the
through the air about the Palestinian refu-
lessons of the Church Struggle and the
gees. (Of the "2,250,000 refugees" and
Holocaust.
"1,750,000 refugees" on the basis of which
Now the question arises whether the
half a billion dollars has been wrested
church which produced many men and
from various nations and churches in the
women of the Resistance, the church of
last 25 years, about 350,000 unemployed
Watch Out for Nasty Propaganda
Because Yassir Arafat has made the claim that his
Palestine Liberation Organization was not involved in
the murder of 32 people at the Rome Fiumicino Airport,
Moscow propagandists now make the charge that the Is-
raelis had fomented the outrage.
Anything goes with the haters of Israel. It does not
matter that the criminals were Arabs. If it suits the
purpose of harming the Jewish state; why not even claim
that Jsrael was able to plot murders with Arab terrorists?
Meanwhile, the.sanctimonies of Arabs and Communists
combine to prevent punishment for the criminals.
There is much to be on guard against in defense
of Israel that the new Kremlin charges need not he
viewed with surprise.
Afro-Asian Institute and Fairness to Arabs Affirm
Histadrut Services in Israel ... Expose of Injustice
in Dutch Church While Holland Shows Fairness
and dependent in fact exist.) Van Den
Heuvel appealed against Israel in the
name of 20.000.000 Christian Arabs." He
can count, of course. on the ignorance of
most church people and ev,en officials in
statistics
How many "Arab Christians" are
there in fact? He does not mention, of
course, that in the Muslim countries of
the area there are 0.0 Christians and that
the death -penalty would be exacted if
anyone converted. Nor does he refer to
the genocidal policies of Muslim dictator-
ship in such places as the Sudan and
Uganda, directed against Christian tribes
and their leaders. Most important of all,
he uses the definition of "Arab" which is
symbolized by the propaganda of the Arab
League.
Egypt has the largest number of Chris-
tians in the Middle East-1,650,000 Copts
to 23,000,000 Sunni Muslims- Are the
Copts "Arabs"? Hardly!—They are de-
scendants of the native Egyptian popula-
tion before the Muslim conquest. In Tu-
nisia there are 44,000 Christians to 3.9
million Muslims. Are the Tunisians, 98
per cent of Berber stock, "Arabs"? In
Iraq there are 310,000 Christians and
9,000,000 Muslims: are the Kurds and Sha-
baks, to name two important tribes,
"Arabs"? What about Iran (not in the
Arab League), with 132,000 Christians
and 27,000,000 Muslims (chiefly Shi'ites)?
Are the Kurds and Gabers and other
tribal minorities in these two countries
"Arabs"? What about Turkey ( not in the
Arab League), with 126,500 Christians
and 36,000,000 Muslims? After a period
of relative decency (since "separation of
mosque and state" in 1928), a combined
military dictatorship and Muslim right
wing is again persecuting the Christians
there. But are the Turks "Arabs"?!
Perhaps Van Den Heuvel includes Pa-
kistan and Indonesia among the "Arabs"?!
Pakistan has 1,000,000 Christians and
105,000,000 Muslims. Indonesia has 4,-
500,000 Christians and 114,000,000 Mus-
lims. The fact is that he cannot tot up 20,-
000,000 Arab Christians if he counts
every little minority in the Muslim world.
And in the countries most immediately
concerned in the Middle East conflict
there are 4,332,000 Christians—of whom
the largest blocs are not Arabs.
He certainly cannot mean to speak for
the Arab citizens of Israel (c350,000), who
in spite of tens of millions of dollars flow-
ing into terrorist activity actively support-
ed the defense of their country from the
Syrian and Egyptian attack! , What then
does he mean? He means what has be-
come fashionable recently in some circles
of the churches where even officials want
to prove they are "with it:" a bow to the
"New Left" and "Third World," and an
anti-Jewish and/or anti-Israel utterance
to prove you're "progressive". too . . .
The fact is that large sectors of the
"Arab League" are not - Arabs" at all and
never have been—even though in so
centuries they were ruled by Arab prine
The function of the Arab League is pri-
marily to implement Muslim crusading
spirit against the Jews and against Israel-
Its atmosphere is comparable to that
which governed Christendom six and seven
centuries ago—which is to be expected
perhaps, since Islam is seven centuries
younger than Christianity and still largely
in the pre-scientific mindset. The Arab
League is called the "Arab League"
simply because "Muslim League" would
identify its true nature and motivation:
religious crusades are out of style, while
ethnic crusades still seem respectable to
some people.
A Christian churchman would earn
greater credibility if he not only limited
his remarks to the facts, but even gave
occasional attention to what has been suf-
fered by the Christians under the unitary
trust of Islam even in this century—from
the genocidal assault of the "Holy Muslim
Empire" upon the Armenian Christians
(1,250,000 murdered, 1,750,000 fled to ex-
ile) through to the repressions and attacks
upon Christians in Lebanon since _1926.
(There are more Lebanese Christians in
the USA today than in Lebanon itself, and
even moderate Muslims have recently pro-
tested against the terrorism of the right-
wing Muslim brotherhoods in that coun-
try.) But restraint would require more at-
tention to historical and demographic facts
and less sloganizing a la mode.
This expose is not a search for dispute. Neither Prof. Littell nor Israel nor
Jewry desire conflict with any Christian grOup or people from any other denomina-
tion. But when there is injustice, when churchmen misrepresent the issues, the fact
must be presented.
We have another reason for appreciation of Dr. Littell's friendship in this
quoted expose of an unfortunate development in a great church sphere.
oline. Ghanian garages have been enforcing de facto
rationing."
It's an old story: that partners in crime do not always
benefit from their associations. Because many among
them are Moslems, Africans have yielded to Arab pres-
sures against Israel. But they are suffering at all ends,
and the benefits accorded them by relationships with
Israel were ignored. Time will no doubt teach new les-
sons to the Afro-Asians. Some day there may be remorse
for abandoning friendship with the Jewish state.
Hfstodrut's Consistent Role: Aiding
Arab Workers, Afro-Asian Institute
Israel's Arabs have gained so much from the Hista-
drut and their membership in the Israel Federation of
Labor that most shocking among the accusations often
Africans as Tools in Anti-lsraelism
heard leveled at Israel are those with complaints about
Nevertheless Suffer Lack of Oil
the treatment accorded to Arab laborers. Not only the
Arabs within Israel, who have acquired, equal citizenship
African states have yielded to Arab pressures against
except for the right to serve in the army (only the Druze
Israel, but they are not gaining from their submission.
citizens are memberS of Israel's armed forces), but Arabs
They do not even benefit from available oil supplies.
in administered territories are earning higher wages than
Writing from Nairobi to the Washington Post, David
any ever previously earned by them under Jordanian or
B. Ottaway reported:
-
any other rule. They have health services and can acquire
"Oil sources here indicated that African coun-
a good education at Israel's expense.
tries should expect no special treatment from the
It is through Histadrut that the Arabs have especially
companies. They said Africa would probably suffer
gained status and are benefiting from modern utilities
a cutback in supplies of roughly the same proportion
provided for their villages as well as for city dwellers-
as Western nations because the companies are act-
In spite of the negative actions recorded by Arab
ing to spread the burden of the shortage among all
voters in Israel's recent elections, the Israeli policies of
their customers.
protecting the rights of all citizens and of elevating the
"The Daily News of Tanzania remarked in mid-
status of minorities is a duty that Jews cannot deny.
November, 'It is likely that they will at best raise the
What has been done for the Arab workers in Israel
price at which they sell to us or they will at first
is a definite source of price for Histadrut.
cut the supplies they sell to us. The situation is
Currently, especially in our community, Histadrut
serious.'
'is inviting attention to its Afro-Asian Institute. The latest
"As the paper predicted, the price of petroleum
report on the activities of this institute pointed interest-
products has shot upward in East Africa and there
ingly to the following:
is even talk of having to take emergency conserva-
"Despite the repercussions of the Middle Eastern
tion measures similar to those in Western countries.
strife, and the cutting off of diplomatic relations be-
"The West African nation of Togo is reportedly
tween Israel and many African states, the Afro-Asian
living off current meager reserves with no new oil
Institute in Tel Aviv continued classes as usual and
supplies immediately available, and some parts of
in November graduated 70 students from 22 nations
neighboring Ghana have run completely out of gas-
-
of Asia, Africa, South America and Cyprus. Four
2—Friday,`January 18, 1974
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
other students had dropped out (three from Kenya
4'
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)
ti e
By Philip
Slomovitz
,
A
and one from Mauritius) after their governments had
cut ties with Israel. Thirty Africans, however, re-
mained for the full term. Joseph Lapido, of Nigeria,
said that "our consolation lies in the belief that the
severance will be temporary, and the chain of broth-
erhood will eventually be rejoined and remain forever
uninterrupted."
The point made here is significant. Although 28 of
the 32 African states with which Israel had close rela-
tions had broken with the Jewish state, there remains
the hope that diplomatic exchanges may be renewed on
a very friendly basis. Yissakhar Ben-Yaacov, who was
among the last of the Israeli ambassadors to leave his
post, after Nigeria had broken relations with Israel,
seemed optimistic on that score.
One of Israel's most distinguished diplomats, Dr.
Eliahu Elath, the first -Israel ambassador to the U.S., who
is chairman of the Histadrut-sponsored Afro-Asian Insti-
tute, also entertains such hopes. It is by looking to a
better future that Israel can gain, and Histadrut plays
a good role in that respect. That is why the honors
planned for Governor William Milliken, at a dinneq -
behalf of the Afro-Asian Institute, merits serious cons_- ..
oration and well-earned encouragement.
_Moynihan and Buckley: Hebraized
There are many Yiddish terms that have invaded the
English language and will be found in the dictionary. And
some Hebrew terms, too, are used by encyclopedists. Now
we have the addition of another Hebrew term. It was used
by U.S. Ambassador to India Daniel P. Moynihan in his re-
view of William F. Buckley Jr.'s 'Four Reforms' in - -which
the distinguished Christian diplomat wrote:
"It is not the expectations of William F. Buckley Jr.
which have been disappointed. In an appreciable range of
public policy his have, 'to the contrary, pretty much been
confirmed, a peripeteia of large consequence which has as
yet had but small recognition.
"How to deal with this changed condition, to wit that
so many things of which so much was expected were more
or less tried out in the 1960s and more or less didn't work,
is a central problem of American liberalism. For those who
do not see this, there is only the Hebrew: Hamayvin yavin.
Those who understand, understand."
Indeed: Hamayvin yavin! How.admirabl e to acquire
understanding in seeking knowjedge! . • • -
71;!:t'j'