No one in this generation can possibly foretell whether he will live to see the
day of peace in the Middle East; whether Arabs as well as Jews will be blessed with
an end to warfare, tension, suspicion, vengeance.
As matters are now, Jews must protect themselves. With the terrorist's knife
at the back, hatred enveloping an entire world—the Arab campaign against Jewry as
well as Israel has become global—those who sit back complacently are undermining
their own sense of honor, often their security, and are contributing to great dangers
by indifference.
Arab propaganda of hatred has reached the shores of this land and of Latin
American countries it has caused havoc in European lands, it has gained a foothold
everywhere. The oil dollrs are being utilized to propagate destruction. Universities
have been invaded. Attempts are made to pollute the press with venomous lies. Now
they are making inroads into the high schools. Just as beasts do not hesitate to kill
children in Israeli schools, so, also, it will not be surprising if the efforts to poison
the minds of children will reach in the elementary schools. It was done in schools in
the Gaza Strip, in Jordan and Egypt, and anything is possible as the fruit of hatred.
That is why it is so vital that the offended should protect themselves, that the
lies should be met with the truth, and for that purpose it is necessary that the youth
should be properly prepared to meet whatever challenges may be hurled at their people.
A typical example was a tirade gainst Jews and Israel in a local high school
paper. It was as bad as the venom that was published in the university newspaper
several years ago. The writer of those venomous untruths may have been totally
innocent. She was supplied with the lies that are fed in the anti-Israel propaganda
and she believed it. Therefore, she wrote it. But Jews, her schoolmates, must know
the facts, else all of them will be damned as inhumans.
Every Jewish community must start anew to prepare for defensive . roles, and
the youth must be drawn in as major factor in truth-demanding campaigns.
How can the lie be exposed? When an important newspaper like the London
Observer can publish an advertisement which quotes the Syrian Jewish community
as glorifying its Arab rulers, then anything else is possible. Misquotations from the
Hebrew press, claiming confessions of guilt to atrocities against Arabs have been
resorted to and more are to be expected. That is why it is equally important , to resort
to facts, as it happens also from the London Observer, presenting the actual conditions .
in Syria and the plight of the community of Jews there.
Here is the story of Syrian Jewry as told in the article in the London Observer:
Syria's security service arrested 11
Syrian Jewesses in Aleppo last month and
of a small and frightened community, de-
tortured them in Damascus prison until
nied the means of sustaining itself or start-
they revealed who had smuggled their chil-
ing again elsewhere.
dren out of the country.
Jews, they said, were not allowed to
Their story was told to the Observer move further than four kilometres of
the centre of their own quarters of the
by a Syrian Jewess who left the country
earlier this month. Her name and those of town. They could not hold jobs in the gov-
ernment service, and they could not work
two other recent emigrants, also inter-
in the professions of their choice.
viewed, are known to us, but cannot be
Since the 1967 War the Jews in Ka-
disclosed for fear of jeopardising the safe-
mishliya have had to report to the police
ty of their families still living in Syria.
three times a day, giving details of every-
The woman said that a member of her
where they have been. If they want to go
own family had been one of those picked
to the cinema, they have to register before
up by the intelligence unit for Palestinians
and after with the police.
—a branch of Syrian military intelligence
Security men burst into Jewish houses
so called because it handles Jewish affairs
at night and count the people there. When
and Jews come from Palestine. Her rela-
200 pious Jews paid an annual pilgrimage
tive had been tortured for nearly two days
to the tomb of a local sage near the bor-
before she broke down and gave the au-
der, they were accompanied by 400 police-
thorities the information they wanted.
men.
I saw her within 48 hours of her leav-
Jews cannot work in banks, in the
ing prison, and again later in the week.
wholesale trade, or in import-export. A
The woman said, "Her hands and legs
handful of veterans Jewish doctors are al-
were swollen and there were marks on
her wrists and ankles where they had lowed to practise, but the new generation
is rigourously excluded. No Jewish lawyer
been bound by wires.
can practise independently. Some are still
"Her face looked as if it had been
able to work as clerks for Arab lawyers
struck and was pale as if she - had not
but if a Jew needs legal services he must
eaten for some days. On my first visit
go to an Arab.
she was unable to speak. Later she told
Most Jews work now as small crafts-
me what had happened to her.
men—tailors and silversmiths—or as ped-
"The authorities asked her first of all
lars. As individuals and as a community
who was responsible for smuggling Jewish
they are being deprived of any wealth they
youngsters out of Syria. When she refused
might have. Regular donations sent for ed-
to answer she was threatened with tor-
ucation and welfare by the American-Jew-
ture. My relative said to herself that they
ish joint organization are either confis-
would not dare to do that to a woman,
cated or whittled down before they reach
but they did dare. Her hands and feet
the local community.
were tied with wire, then she was strapped
In Kamishliya the Syrian authorities
inside a big lorry tire with her head point-
have taken over Jewish houses, shops and
ing downward. She given electric shocks
land conservatively valued at 3,000,000
every five or ten minutes. Gradually the
Syrian pounds. Educational opportunities
intervals increased, and so did the charge.
are shrinking. In the past two years no
She was treated like that for 36 hours
Jewish students have been admitted to the
before she gave in and was allowed to go
universities of Damascus and Aleppo. Ap-
home. For nights afterwards she would
plicants are told that the knowledge they
wake up shrieking."
acquired would be of value to Israel.
In 1943 Syria had a Jewish population
Fifteen to 20 Jewish students in their
of about 30,000. Some two-thirds of these
third and fourth years are, however, be-
left the country between 1943 and 1948,
ing allowed to finish their courses.
mostly for Israel. Since then,. movement
No Jewish pupils are admitted to Syr-
of Jews has been severely restricted, but
ian government secondary schools, though
a few still contrive to get out. The present
they can still go to private schools if they
Jewish population is estimated at between
can raise the high fee. Jewish primary
4,000-5,000. Of these, about 3,000 live in
schools now have Muslim headmasters and
Damascus, 1,000 in Aleppo, and 50 in the
Muslim teachers, who are forbidden to
small town of Kamishliya on the Turkish
teach Jewish subjects. Children caught
border.
studying "underground" are punished.
The three Jews interviewed last week
Harassment of Jews is commonplace.
had, between them, recent personal ex-
Since the October war they have stayed
perience of conditions in all three centers.
at home as much as possible. Those who
They testified to the increasing isolation
2 Friday, May 31, 1974
—
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
go out are molested by their neighbors—
Palestinian refugees who moved into the
houses left vacant in the Jewish ghettos.
Young women never walk alone in the
streets.
Within the last six months four Jewish
girls and two young men have been killed
in the frontier zone. Their bodies were re-
turned to the Damascus Jewish commu-
nity for burial. The parents of escapers
are invariably arrested and thrown into
prison (one of our witnseses had heard
that his own father had been picked up).
Three Jews have been in jail since th
autumn of 1971 without charge or trial.
They are Albert Elia, the 70-year-old sec-
cretary of the Damascus community, Jos-
eph Swed, and Nissim Katri. Last month
for the first time, close relatives were
allowed to visit him. They could see them,
but not speak to them.
How does one fight such brutalities? An Insight Team of the Sunday Times of
London has exposed the brutal treatment of Israeli prisoners in Syria whose resistance
to interrogations has been broken by medical techniques which are described in the
expose as follows:
This information has come from exceptionally highly placed Arab military
and political sources. Inquiries outside the Middle East have revealed the identity
of the drug used on occasion by Soviet interrogators. It is called succinyl choline,
and its action is so terrifying that its use must be regarded as torture.
Administered by injection, succinyl choline causes convulsive musclar
spasms, then leaves the victim totally paralyzed, unable to breathe, in agonizing
pain—but wholly conscious. The victim, in fact, can feel himself dying for lack
of oxygen.
The drug wears off in two minutes or less and the victim survives—to be
threatened with another dose. The drug, which has legitimate use in anesthesia,
has apparently been tested on volunteers in the West. Its effect is said to be
psychologically shattering.
The insight team has no direct evidence that this particular drug has been
used on the Israeli prisoners. Our information is merely that "medical means"—
according to two sources, specifically including the use of drugs—have been em-
ployed on them. Other inquiries have revealed the Soviet use of succinyl choline.
There were, of course, many Soviets in Syria before the October war. The
sudden departure of their families 48 hours before the Arab attack was one of the
neglected warning signals. But the Soviet officers were more closely involved in
the fighting than has so far been thought.
Throughout the war, a group of senior Russian officers—headed by a gen-
eral—were at work in Syrian army headquarters. We have talked with someone
who met and argued with this general.
There is also evidence that Russians were on the battlefield, probably con-
trolling some of the anti-aircraft radar directing the Syrians' SAM defenses. Both
Arab and Western military sources claim that about 20 Russians were killed on
the Syrian front. The Soviet interrogation teams, however, appear to have come
later—presumably drawn by the prospect of extracting military information.
How many Israelis were taken prisoner is unclear. After the war, more than
100 Israelis were missing on the Golan front, but Syria now holds only 62 prisoners
(plus three captured before the war). There is good evidence that several Israeli
prisoners died after being taken into custody.
It is not easy to battle - against lies or to secure international help against
tyranny. But even if it is for self-satisfaction, the truth must be made known, the
terrorists must 'be exposed, the conscience of those under attack must be kept
honorable.
Indeed, new approaches will be needed to overcome the dangers. Renewed
methods in civic-protective tasks must be found. 'No one is free unless he speaks
his mind in his people's defense.
Primarily, the duty is to enlighten the youth, to enable the children to defend
themselves against the spread of insinuations, insults, untruths. There must be an
awakening to the needs in all Jewish_ communities.
American Jewish Committee
Function With Major Purpose
If it were only because it is given to
honor Dr. William Haber, one of Jewry's
most distinguished leaders, the American
Jewish Committee dinner set for next Wed-
nesday would have major significance. It
has other aspects. There is serious talk of
an emerging merger of the AJCommittee
with its one-time chief opponent, the
American Jewish Congress. If it materi-
alizes it will be a revolutionary step in
fusing the two great causes and of aban-
doning overlapping in civic-protective ac-
tivities.
Many interesting historical factors are
involved in the conflicts that existed be-
tween the two groups. The letters of Su-
preme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis,
edited by Profs. Melvin I. Urofsky and
David W. Levy, throw much light on the
issues that were involved at the outset.
Now most of the differences have van-
ished. There is frequent accord by the two
movements on the major Jewish issues.
There is no reason for divisiveness.
Furthermore, the tasks pursued by the
AJCommittee at present are so extensive.
The roles played by it in Israel's defense,
in establishing accord with friends 'in non-
Jewish ranks, in the encouragement of
knowledgeability in Jewish ranks, are so
vast that the AJCommittee has well earn-
ed the appreciation of the Jewish om-
munity.
That Prof. Haber should be honored by
this body in such an historic time, that the
man who comes here to honor him—Com-
mentary editor Norman Podhoretz — was
so well chosen as the spokesman for the
AJCommittee, add merits to the Wed-
nesday function.
Hyman Park and Brandeis:
Letter to Be Perpetuated
Hyman Parker, director of the State
of Michigan Department of Labor Em-
ployment Relations Commission, will have
his name included in the fourth volume
of "Letters of Louis D. Brandeis" edited b:
Profs. Urofsky and Levy, because he hau._
responded to the item of this column on
May 17, inquiring for "the young man"
who had been in correspondence with the
late great justice of the high court.
The May 17 Commentary quoted letters
the editor had originally published 38
years ago. Mr. Parker read the inquiry
and promptly provided us with a complete
set of the correspondence. It develops that
the reason the letters were published in
1936 without his name wos to respect the
implied wishes of Mr. Justice Brandeis,
who had marked the letters to Mr. Parker
"Confidential." Now the several Parker
letters from Brandeis will find their right-
ful place in the impressive Urofsky-Levy-
edited forthcoming book.