Author Hans Habe's Comforting Words to Israel: His 'Proud Zion' and Open Leetter of Faith
Hans Habe, the noted au- who was educated in Vienna, in the French Foreign Le-
thor of "Anatomy of Hatred," I fought against the Germans gion, was captured by the
Nazis, escaped, became an
American citizen and fought
in the last war in the U.S.
SPECIALIST
Foreign Car Service
IN
army, was in search of facts
VOLKSWAGEN
regarding the Arab-Israel
AND
situation. He went to Israel,
PORSCHE CARS
made a thorough study, inter-
viewed many Arab leaders,
CALL
and he reached conclusions
which he embodied in his
548-3926
new book, "Proud Zion"
548-4160
(Bobbs Merrill).
541-9704
When the book appeared
in England under the title
1018 W. 9 Mile Rd.
Between Livernois
FERNDALE
"In King David's Footsteps,"
8 Pinehurst
MICH.
Alfons G. Rehme
it aroused wide attention. In
a translation from the Ger-
pirTICTITII IT irminirminrimmtrizmirms.z.z.i.i.gi Many by Anthony Vivis, this
aI
volume serves the purpose of
It.
demolishing libel for Amerir
can readers.
Habe often appeared out-
raged by the misrepresenta-
tions that were accredited to
1 Arabs, those resorted to by
14 Arab spokesmen in spite of
factual refutations. Habe saw
Israel in action and at times
wrote in infuriation over what
he had heard in negation of
the evident truths.
He was outraged by de-
mands for Jerusalem's inter-
nationalization and he com-
mented to his wife on their
• Beach Robes • Pants • Blouses
way to Capernaum: "And the
a
• Purses • Jewelry • Scarfs
Vatican is demanding an in-
a
M
ternational East Jerusalem
a
to safeguard the Christian
Select Group of
relics! Were people so fussy
5
when East Jerusalem was
Values to $30
under Jordanian control? Did
they trust Islam with Christi-
0
anity? Chrsitianity related to
I,
Mon.-Fri. 10:30-4
0_, 2743 Coolidge, Berkley
Islam?"
PS
399-7869
li
The failure of Arabs to
i.•
concede the benefits derives
11.14114.14.14.1.1.11EM.1.1.1.11.
.1.11.11 , 114.1.14.111 1 •
Al's
e
au es &Zace
Closing for the Summer
•
t:
*
• • ••
SA
so%
Off and more
, " ; :
* *
;
Pants & Sweaters
.6
HEADQUARTERS SALON
"Foremost In Beauty"
Brings You Another First!
SHILA
The Original AND ONLY
SUN SHADING HAIR SPECIALIST
Has Joined Our Staff
S
H
A NEW DEMENSION IN
WOMEN'S HAIRSTYLING
UN SHADING SHILA
AIR
"You Wear My Ability"
S
IVING
RI - HEADQUARTERS
WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO
LOOK AND FEEL BETTER!
If You're Not Becoming
To Others ... Better Be
Coming To Us!
Open Mondays, Wednesdays,
29736 Southfield Rd.
Thursdays, Fridays and
In The Southfield Plaza
Saturdays from 8:30 a.m.
At 12 1/2 Mile Rd.
SALON
55
7-0606
"What did you expect? The
from Israel's administrative your friends no less than of
skills proved especially dis- your enemies. Your sons military virtues of the Jews
turbing to Habe. Every act destined to accomplish your are aggression. The miracle
of enmity brought forth his work, are at the front. There of you upbuilding your coun-
plea in the form of factuality is hardly a house without an try is cunning. Your social-
to emphasize the need for invisible bla.ckilag of mourn- ism is a Jewish socialism
and therefore not akin to the
amity that is not being at- ing on its roof.
"If I am not mistaken, socialism of the 'Socialist
tained because of inherited
antagonisms and the pres- you are most depressed by World.' Your will to live is
sures from Arab politicians. your isolation and loneliness, nationalism and your readi-
These fact-finding presenta- by the condemnation that ness for peace will be called
tions make the Habe Book has replaced admiration, by cowardice.
a documentary in Israel's de- the lack of solidarity, by the
"What did you expect? You
ingratitude.
fense.
made the desert bloom; you
"But what did you expect, brought the West to the
The emphasis he gives to
the rights enjoyed by Chris- my friends? Must I, a Di- East; you have taught illiter-
tians in Israel, the autonomy aspora Jew, remind you that ates to read and to write.
given Christian courts the Israelis are Jews? Did You have brought progress
and other benefits accruing you believe you were nothing to two Continents; you have
to non-Jews, add to the value but Israelis? Even if that held your ground against
of a travelogue that seeks were possible, it would not overwhelming odds and you
truth and pleads for just re- be desirable. Is not our Jew- have survived. The triumph
lationships between the ishness the link between you of life over death will never
peoples who make up Israel's who have returned and us, be forgiven to the survi-
the homeless? Did you really vors! . . .
population.
"You are the one nation
Israel's status is defined in think that Zionism, which
many other ways. The press has achieved almost all its among the nations with a
is analyzed, the orthodox aims, would also mean the conscience. Therefore you
attiltudes that create reli- end of the antagonism to- seek fault with yourselves.
gious problems are not ig- wards the Jews? If you were Certainly, you have commit-
black people in deepest Af- ted mistakes, but you don't
nored.
Past experiences, in the rica or yellow men in Indo- have to look back. Your
survival from Nazism, is not china or starving Indians, youth do not look back in
forgotten by the eminent au- Australian dockers or Paki- anger. Take an example from
thor. The travelogue's begin- stani warriors, American cow- them. Your 'Shalom' should
nings also took him and his boys and German students be addressed to the future.
wife to the Island of Rhodes would demonstrate for your
"Your cause is just. In this
just cause—even Ethiopia's unjust world there is no
and he gave this account:
Negus
would
forgive
you
for
"In the narrow street lead-
cause that is 100 per cent
ing up from the circular main having accorded hospitality right. Remember that to be
square all the shutters were to him. But you are Jews!
unpopular does not mean to
down. Jews' Street. Is it just
be wrong; on the contrary,
a name? More than 2,000
much more often than not,
Jews used to live in Rhodes. Jewish Tradition
just causes proved to be un-
In 1912 the Italians took from Regarding Drugs
popular in the history of man-
the Turks what belonged to
kind. The knowledge of the
By
RABBI
SAMUEL
J.
FOX
the Greeks. The Turks ruled
true causes of your present
(Copyright 1974, JTA, Inr„)
the Greek islands for 389
lack of popularity should fill
There
are
two
dimensions
years, and no one thought it
you with pride. What is good
odd — Turks are not Jews. to the Jewish tradition re- for you is food for the world.
In the Second World War the garding drugs. One is the Your right is inseparable
Germans came and did what problem as to whether drugs from justice. Mankind de-
the Italians had left undone. are ever prescribed by Jew- rives benefits from what
Once German thoroughness ish tradition to raise an in- benefits you. Moses spoke
is let loose, hiding-places are dividual to a state of mysti- about Justice: there is no
no longer hiding-places, is- cism. There is hardly any love without justice.
lands are no longer islands, source for stating that drugs
"You believe to be the
islands are no longer hiding- were ever used by Jewish Chosen People. You are! But
leaders
in
order
to
become
places. Two thousand Jews
who says that to be chosen
were dragged off, men, wom- ecstatic.
means to be singled out for
A
leader
of
the
Chabad
en and children. Three Jew-
happiness? No rewards are
Hasidim
movement
is
known
ish families came back. If
given for being the Chosen
you like, Lucia Salam will to have made a distinction People.
show you the synagogue. She between what is called "di-
"I wish to tell you some-
came back alone, from Au- vine ecstacy" and what
schwitz. 'There have been no might be "psychological thing you do not know and
have no means of knowing:
services since 1943, we can't ecstacy." Divine ecstasy is a
Today the world looks dif-
matter
of
body
reactions
and
even get 10 men together
ferent from what it used to
now, there's only 35 of us thus is not at all compared
look before the Soviet-Arab
left.' From Rhodes to Tel to the spiritual. Thus the
assault in October 1973. The
psychedelic
effects
of
drugs
Aviv as the crow flies is 520
conspiracy between Commun-
have
no
bearing
whatsoever
miles. Auschwitz is a bit
on the spiritual dimension. ist dictators and Fascist oil-
further."
The
other part of the prob- sheiks has become evident.
Connectedly, the Jewish
lem
is the question as to The Western world„ in the
story leads from the horrors
shadow of the oil-blackmail
of a Holocaust to the inde- whether one is forbidden to
knows now who it is that is
pendence of Israel, and the submit one's self to the risk
pulling the strings of the
that
is
liable
to
of
-harm
latter has to be defended.
puppets. Good liberals in the
That's the Habe task, so well come about by the use of
whole world are turning
such drugs.
done.
This is emphatically pro- from their socialist seducers.
Hans Habe Letter
hibited by Jewish tradition. Young people in Europe and
to Israeli Friends
Maimonides (Laws of Rot- America are again listening
Hans Habe wrote "Proud zeach 11:5) rules that a per- when their fathers speak.
Zion" ("In David's Foot- son has no right to risk his Artists of confusion are
steps") in 1970. After the life by claiming that what again creating understandable
Yom Kippur War, having he does with his own life is works. There are again men
heard from many Israeli his own business. The Bible and women who dare to use
friends, he wrote an open states that "you shall not words like homeland and
letter in response. Of Jewish bring any blood upon your family, respect, faith and
decency. You are eating sour
descent, having been raised house" (Deut. 22:8).
as a Protestant, both his
Basically, Jewish tradition bread because you are the
book and his open letter are considers the body as the salt of the earth.
affirmatives of a "return" holy work of the Creator just
"All this does not make
to Judaism. He stated in his as the soul is the manifesta- you one iota more liked.
open letter, in part:
tion of the Almighty in man. However, all these changes
"After the fourth war The body, thus, belongs to occurred because a small
which was forced upon you the Creator and man is only country on the shores of the
and which you won, you have a trustee charged with its Mediterranean has withstood
lost the peace for the fourth protection and safety. There- the assault. In this you were
time. The vanquished behave fore, drugs would be pro- chosen and of this you should
as though they were the hibited by Jewish tradition. be proud."
victors. You are the victims
Friday, May 3, 1974-19
of blackmail on the part ofTHE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS