Purely Commentary Historic Sense of Justice: Israel's Indestructibility as Fact of Life Must Impress Arabs Why should it have become necessary to struggle for ways of educating even the most moderate Arabs to the humanity of Israel's role in the Middle East? Why are Arabs constantly spreading propaganda that Jews—Israelis—Zionists—are murderous, tortuous, bent upon harming their people, ignoring the fact of a constant and frantic pleading for peace and an end to hatreds? Nowhere will there be found proof that Israelis, that Jews, have advocated destruction. There has been in- evitable destruction resulting from the compulsion to resort to self-defense, to protecting life and property— especially life. Some eight or ten years ago, this column carried this item: An Oft-Told Fable Revealing Arab Mentality How does the Arab view the attempts at peace in the Middle East? Is there hope for a solution to the existing problem without tricks or betrayals? An old story has just been repeated, indicating how cautious one must be in dealing with the ag- gravated situation in that area. The story, which has led to the revival of an old fable which carried with it an ominous warning, is based on a question that was posed by a Western diplomat when he approached an Arab journalist in the United Nations lobby and asked: "Why do the Arab countries refuse to meet at a round table with Israel to discuss peace so that there may be pros- perity for both Israel and the Arab nations?" The Arab newsman replied by telling this old Oriental fable: A reptile lounging on the shores of the Nile, pleaded with a frog to be transported to the other side of the river. "Oh, no," exclaimed the frog, "you are a reptile, and you will inject your poison into my body." Thereupon, the reptile answered: "Ridic- ulous, were I to do so, I would drown:" This logical argument convinced the frog, which permitted the reptile to climb on its back and begin swimming across. However, as they were yet halfway from the shore, the reptile could not resist temptation and injected poison into the frog's neck. The frog began to wail in pain, "Why? Why?" The reptile knitted his brow and replied: "This is the Middle East." It is a recognizable tale, and it causes concern: isn't there hope for peace negotiations without treach- ery? The intransigence of Syrian negotiators during the UN Mixed Armistice Commission deliberations proved how trying the situation is and how uncertain is any approach to the issue in conferring with the Arabs. • But one must never generalize. There are enough- levelheaded Moslems who can be dealt with. One must never abandon hope for peace—even with those who would brand the Middle East as incapable of rational agreements. Even while punning and resorting to anecdotage, our pleas, hopes, prayers, are for peace and amity. . Yet, even the most knowledgeable of Arabs refuse to appreciate the historicity of the Jewish position. A group of Israeli youngsters—their position was re- viewed in this page recently — spoke pacifically. A "moderate" Arab, Nasra Hassan, was so elated that Israelis had said they considered it stupid for any one to wish to die for his country, that her letter to the New York Times on the subject contained the following comments: It is only when the younger generation of Israelis begin to question the "history" they have been taught that they will be able to understand, the historical background of the Palestine question, which is es- sentially the nucleus of the Middle East conflict, and which is behind incident ssuch as Kiryat Shemona and Ma'alot. Both the Arabs and Israelis want peace: the task will be infinitely easier when the people of Israel - courageously voice their doubts over the actions of their government and over the very premise on which their country was founded—only then will they see the Arab side of the story, and be ready to negotiate on bilaterally just and honorable terms. This is not an endorsement of amity, if it denies the facts - of "history" when applied to Jews. It is not an endorsement of justice, as long -as it does- not assert that Jews have a right to exist, that Israel's indestructibility must be acknowledged and supported even by Arabs. When will enemies come to their senses? Can't they realize that an existing nation must not be subjected to genocidal threats? How soon will there be a sense of justice so that hatreds can end? Time usually solves all problems, but in this instance time creeps all too slowly. 2—Friday, August 16, 1974 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS A Fable Illustrates Arab Peculiarities, Call for Resort to Common Sense . .. The Levins as a Tribe, the Famous Here and on a World Scale More Glory to Tribe of Levi: Another Levin Gains Prominence Another Levin gains the limelight to retain glory for the Tribe of Levi whose traditions are embodied in that name. Sander Levin adds prominence to the indestructible family name. His triumph at the polls, the respect he has acquired in a great state, make the Levites addi- tionally distinguished. His brother, Carl Levin, president of the Detroit City Council, is among the personalities highly regarded— noted services to a great city embellishing the Levin family. Their cousin Joseph Levin didn't make it on his first try for a major public office. Yet he, too, can be ex- pected to add honor to a family name. In a special feature article in the New York Times (March 24, 1974), under the- heading "Levin—and Varia- tions—it's a Grand Old Name," Israel Shenker, the able education editor of the NYTimes, wrote: It is not a Specter which is haunting Europe, -let LEvin." alone America. It is a For his short story, "The Levin. Angel Levine," Mr. Mala- Not since the Norman mud took the name from Al- Conquest, in 1066•, has a exander Levine, whom he name been so renowned, so taught at night school in prominent, so beset with 1940. Mal a mu d subse- variations. quently taught at college The latest catalog of Athe- and wrote a novel called neum, the distinguished "A New Life," whose hero New York publisher cele- is Seymour Levin, who gets brates varieties of Levin: involved with a waitress "1933," a book just pub- named Laverne and dis- lished, by Philip Levine, cusses "the lore of- the Le- and "Levine," a biography vant." The epigraph to "A scheduled for June, by New Life" is from James Rosa Levine-Meyer. Joyce's "Ulysses": "Lo, levin leaping lightens in Levine is a poet and Mrs. - Levine-Meyer is the eyeblink Ireland's westward widow of Eugen Levine, her welkin?" book's hero. Levine the poet One of the great experts was born In Detroit, and on Joyce is Malamud's Levine the hero in Russia. friend Harry Levin, the Hero Levine died before a Irving Babbitt Professor of firing squad after the Bav- Comparative Literature at arian Communist revolt of Harvard, who pronounces 1919. In the Great Soviet his name -LeVIN, but says, Encyclopedia his example "I answer to anything that is extolled for heroism and approximates it." deplored for left-wing dev- "I had a namesake on the iationism. His widow mar- faculty here. Sometimes he ried Ernst_Meyer, and she was in arrears in dues for now lives in England, where the faculty club, and this acutely accented Levins are was. annoying when his rare. name was posted on the In America the literary bulletin board," he recalled. columns are now accenting "I complained to the presi- Meyer Levin, thanks to the dent of the faculty club and controversy surrounding his he changed the notice to latest book, "The Obses- specify that the Harry Le- sion." vin in question was in the "Thad been told that both School of Education. The sides of my family had dean of the School of Edu- been Levin," he said, • "but cation then complained and it turned out it was Levin finally the other Harry Le- in neither. •On my father's vin paid up." side it was Basist, and on The other Harry Levin, my -mother's Machlim, or now the William R. Kenan else the other way around. Jr. Professor of Psychology I think it was just a case of at Cornell, remembers get- being in the line-up -on Ellis ting a nate from the Irving Island and having the name Babbitt Professor saying: Levin assigned." "For 30 years I've kept my People confuse Meyer Le- name in good repute in this vin, most famous for "Com- community and now look pulsion," with Ira Levin, what you've done. best-known for "Rosemary's "We were getting con- Baby," Ira wrote back — fused •all the time," said as he recalled — "I hope the Cornell Harry Levin. as many people congratu- "When he spent a year at late you on writing `Rose- the Sorbonne his checks mary's Baby' as congratu- started going into my bank late .meon writing 'Compul- account, and I got a cable sion.' " from him saying, 'Please In 'Meyer's native Chica- put some of my money in go it .is pronounced LeVIN, my account.' and in New York usually Neither of these Harry LEvin. He pronounces it Levins used a middle name, LeVIN, and Ira prefers LE- but in desperation the Le- vin. Ira had an unlisted vine who - paid - his - bills - phone until en Ira Levin promptly began using his: with a listed number com- Tuchman. The Levin-who- plained he was getting calls paid-his-bills-late pronoun- for the author. ces his name LEvin, and Bernard Malamud takes his relatives pronuonce exquisite care with his pro- theirs LeVIN. nunciation. "I had a stu- At Harvard the Levins dent at Bennington last are usually drawn to spring called James Le- science, and they now VIN," he said, "and God serve as professors of pity me if I called him chemistry, pediatrics, psy- By Philip Slomovitz Baldur von Schirach, the Nazi Collaborator: Notable Story As leader of the Hitler Youth. Baldur von Schirach wrote his name indelibly among the most cruel of the Nazi leaders. As a Gauleiter, he was charged with the guilt of having sent 50,000 Austrian Jews to death camps. For that crime he served a 20-year sentence in the Span- dau Prison. His death on Aug. 8 brought to public notice again the roles of the heartless criminals who were res- ponsible for the miseries that- are unmatched in human degradations. But there is an interesting story about von Schirach. It is related as having been given in a sworn affidavit by Maria Hoepken, on June 19, 1946, and as having been repeated by von Schirach and his wife, in "The Destruc- tion of the European Jews" by Raul Hilberg. It is related as follows: "On the highest level, the following story was told by Gauleiter Schirach's secretary: While Schira wife was staying in the 'hotel in Amsterdam, watched a roundup of Jews at night . . . The Jewish women 'screamed terribly' . . . Mrs. Schirach's nerves were so much on edge that she decided to tell her husband about it. The , Gauleiter advised her to tell. her story to Hitler himself . . . since the Fuehrer would not tolerate such 'abuses' (Misstaende). During the next visit to Hitler Mrs. Schirach told the story. Hitler listened "ungraciously,' interrupting several times and telling her not to be so sentimental . . • Everyone present found the exchange between Hitler and •Mrs. Schirach 'very embarrasing' (ausserst pein- hell). The conversation broke down, no one spoke, and Mr. and Mrs. Schirach left the room . . . The Schir- achs departed the next day without saying good-bye." It is possible that there were moments of human com- passion, that even the brutal 'were moved by the degrada- tions they imposed on millions of innocent victims of the Fuehrer. But they yielded. They followed orders. They were criminals. Some were penalized. Many escaped. Too many today would forget. The lessson of the Hitler-Schir- ach era teaches: never forget, lest the crimes should recur! chiatry and medicine, and Parent is doing post gradu- as fellows in obstetrics, neu- ate film work in her thesis rology, periodontolagy and "Sheila Levine is Dead and endodontics. This Darwin- Living in New York," and ian selection is paralled at James Lavine, the conduc- Yale, where eight of the tor, is keeping the Metro- nine--Levins are in science. politan Opera lively in New Levines are a powerful York. John Douglas Le Vien writers' collective which has waves his baton and the TV screen" lights up. Bernard dealt with education (Ar- thur E.), hex houses (Betty Levin, columnist of The K.), engines (Gary), vocab- Times of London, may be seen these days moving ulary (Harold), drugs (Har- across the screen, pushing vey R.), labor (Herbert A.), his newest book. Hitler (Herbert S.), Stalin (Isaac), (Don), diets (Lois), Levins should be scrupu- Tudors (Mortimer), poverty lously isolated from the (Naomi) and Indians (Sig- contagion of Levy's, which mund A.). Jack Levine is the many- is almost impossible. Lev- sided painter and David - ys go back to the tribe of Levine is the corrosive cari- Levites. Some experts sug- caturist. Joseph E. Levine gest that Levin is a form produced "Jack the Ripper" of Levy, but that would and "The Graduate." Gail simplify this genealogy no end. This most interesting article, with its research, merits added attention on the occasion of the latest triumph for Michigan's Sandy Levin, who has been named, over- whelmingly, the Democratic candidate for governor of Michigan. - Shenker's especially interesting feature merits many important addenda. Irving Levine, the eminent NBC commentator and authority on national economic matters, belongs to the Tribe. The late Judge Theodore Levin, Joseph Levin's fa- ther, was one of the' great federal judges. The late Saul R. Levin, Sander and Carl Levir! 1"7 father, was an outstanding authority on penology. Michigan Supreme. Court Justice Charles Levin, Joseph Levin's brother, has already set a record for ju- dicial brillance. The three young Levins' grandfather, the late Joseph Levin, the father of Theodore and Saul, was one of the outstanding authorities on tobacco. All he needed to do was to touch and smell •a cigar leaf, and his judgme.it produced the best recommendations for discriminating smokers. Oh—so many more Levins can be enrolled to testify to the glorious name. There was the late Chief Rabbi Judah Leib Levin of Moscow. Detroit has its Rabbi Leizer Levin, and years ago there was the late Rabbi Judah Levin, father of Prof. Samuel M. Levin (no relationship to the Theodore and Saul Levin families), who was viewed as Detroit's chief rabbi. And the many other •Levins? They'll forgive us for not listing them: there are far too many of them. Meanwhile, Sandy Levin, who may well be Michigan's next governor, has risen on top of the Levin ladder.