▪
The Ford
Saga
The Levins:
Variations of
Grand Old Name
The Fable AbOut
Arab Mentality
President Gerald R. Ford had a fraternal relationship with
Detroit Zionists . . . His meetings with them at a convention
of the Zionist Organization of America, his deep interest in
Israel, the friendships he cemented with American Jewish
leaders, are related in a series of reports on pages 16 and
17.
President Ford,
Mideast Peace,
U. S. Destiny
THE JEWISH NEWS
A Weekly Review
Commentary
Page 2
Improving
Black-Jewish
Relations
of Jewish Events
Editorials
Page 4
Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper
Vol. LXV, No. 23
°OW" 17515 W. 9 Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833
$10.00 Per Year; This Issue
30c
August 16, 1974
Aiypriss War Interrupts Israel
ServIce,0 El Al Unaffeeted
Synagogue 'Council to Unify
Form Synagogue
Detroit Jewry's Religious Voice
Representatives of Orthodox, Conservative and Reform congregations
in the Metropolitan Detroit area this week announced the formation of
the Synagogue Council of Greater Detroit.
The new organization, which already comprises most of the major
congregations in the community, has as its prime purpose the affirmation
and strengthening of the synagogue as the
central force in the religious life of the
community.
In a statement issued by the officers of
the Synagogue Council, Robert Canvasser,
of Temple Beth El, chairman, Robert A.
Steinberg, Cong. Shaarey Zedek, co-chair-
man, and Irwin Klar, Cong. Beth Abraham-
Hillel, secretary, outlined the objectives of
the Council as follows:
• To discuss the crucial problems facing
the synagogue today;
• To establish guidelines for the strength-
ening of the spiritual and material welfare
of the community's synagogues;
• To be of assistance to congregations
Robert Canvasser
having special problems;
• To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and for mutual
cooperation; and
• To strengthen and meet common goals and objectives.
"The Council, as envisioned," Canvasser said, "will serve as a unified
religious voice in the Jewish community, working cooperatively in many
areas of common concern, especially in the area of social action."
Canvasser indicated that "the ties ,that bind us together are certainly
much stronger than those that tend to separate us."
Three immediate areas of concern to be explored by the new Syna-
gogue Council were described by Canvasser as follows:
1. The problem of the unaffiliated;
2. The overlapping of adult study programs; and
3. The development of young leadership within the synagogues.
"Recent surveys and demographic studies indicate that less than
50 per cent of the Jewish community is associated formally with a
(Continued on Page 6)
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Four foreign airlines suspended flights to Israel Wednesday
because of renewed fighting on Cyprus. The airlines — Air France, Alitalia, TWA and
British Airways — declined to accept a routing south of the Cyprus danger zone that
was charted by Israeli navigators and approved by the safety committee of the Inter-
national Air Transport Association (IATA). El Al, Israel's national airline, is flying
the new route, however, and is reportedly maintaining its schedules despite the burden
of passengers shifted from foreign carriers.
El Al has suspended service to Istanbul where the airport has been closed and a
flight to Teheran Wednesday morning was delayed. But all. other El Al flights to the
U.S. and Europe are departing on schedule, an airline official said. An Air France
Jumbo jet that took off for Europe Wednesday morning returned to Ben-Gurion Air-
port after the pilot was -informed by. the Athens Airport control tower that the regular
route over Cyprus was in the danger zone.
Israeli aviation circles expressed surprise over the suspension of service by the
four major foreign air lines and said mail serice might suffer as a result. Alitalia has
transferred its Israel-bound passengers to El Al. According to Israeli officials, the new
route adopted by Israeli planes is well south of the danger zone and in continuous
contact with the Ben-Gurion Airport control tower and with radio navigation beams
located in Italy and Crete.
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The war in Cyprus was cited by officials Tuesday as partly
responsible for the latest drop in tourism in Israel. The figures for July issued by the
Central Bureau , of Statistics were 78,900—a drop ' . of 22 per cent from the July 1973
figure. The figure for the January-July period was 371,700 compared to 441,600 dur-
ing the first seven months of last year.
Senate, House
Committees Vote
Aid for Israel
By JOSEPH POLAKOFF
WASHINGTON (JTA)—The Senate foreign rela-
tions committee and the House foreign affairs commit-
tee, each with foreign aid bills under consideration,
have both approved $250,000,000 in economic aid to
Israel and Egypt. Tre sum is $200,000,000 above the
Nixon administration's previously requested aid for
Israel.
The Senate body also approved Tuesday $100,-
000,000 in military aid grants to Israel and $200,-
000,000 to finance low interest loans to Israel to buy
U.S. military hardware. One of a series of policy
amendments approved by the Senate committee would
phase out over a three-year period the U.S. military
(Continued on Page 6)
Amefican Jewry's Blessings Greet President Ford
dit
vol-
Kissinger's Retention as Secretary of State, Message of
Friendship to Israel Elicits Gratitude; Ford's Supporting Role
for Zionism Recalled by Leaders in National Movements
.
National Jewish organizations and eminent Jewish leaders joined in greeting President Gerald R. Ford and in expressing
confidence in the new day that is dawning for America in cooperative government tasks, assured congressional .coopera-
tion for his administration.
President Ford's assurances of continuing American-Israel friendship served to hearten Israelis as well as America's
supporting Jewish community.
The changed administrations at the White House in the past week are evaluated in the following series of articles and
news reports.
Milton Friedman, former Jewish News-JTA Washington correspondent, assisted in drafting President Ford's inaugural
address of last Friday. It's finishing touches were by President Ford himself.
Mr. and Mrs. Max M. Fisher were at the inauguration, their names having been included in President Ford's list of
161 official guests.
By MURRAY ZUCKOFF, JTA News Editor
WASHINGTON (JTA) — With Gerald Rudolph Ford as the new President, the question uppermost in the minds of
Jewish leaders and the Jewish community as a whole is what, if any, changes can be expected in the American Middle East
policy: The consensus, both privatp and public, is that there will be no substantial change and that the U.S. will continue to
seek ways to help establish a stable and lasting Mideast peace.
One of the encouraging signs, in addition to Ford's self-expressed attitude of friendship for the Jewish state, is that
Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger will continue in his position under the new administration. Ford made it clear
that he will continue the foreign policy developed by President Nixon.
Speaking in front of his home Thursday night shortly after Nixon concluded his resignation speech, Ford declared: "Let
(Continued on Page 17)