Purely Commentary

Menacing Anti-Semitic Growth:
Challenge to Christianity

Semites are not immune from anti-Semitism, ruefully
due to Israel's cousins, the Arabs, stemming from a
traditional relationship with the Jews.
One of the errors in the philosophy of Theodor Herzl
was his belief that the rebirth of Jewish statehood would
mark an end to the international prejudices against Jews.
Instead of abating, Arab hatred against Jews developed
into a maligna.ncy. The growth of anti-Semitism in recent
years, in many ranks and especially among the reaction-
ary rightists in the U.S., has evidence of Arab, anti-
Israel and anti-Zionist influence.
American Nazi party spokesman as well as leftists
in this country have not hesitated to advocate Israel's
destruction. They begin with demands for an end to
American aid to Israel but they mean the demolition of
Israel. Thus, Commander Matt Koehl, of the National
Socialist White Peoples Party is conducting a campaign
for what he terms the "dumping of the illegitimate state
of Israel".
It is no wonder that Rev. John M. Pawlikowski, OSM,
assistant professor, dean of students, and chairman
of the Israel Study Group at Catholic Theological Union
of Chicago, in a recent address, before ADL's interreligi-
ous cooperation and inter-cultural affairs committees,
should have called for serious concern by Christians in
matters relating to "Israel ; the Holocaust, and the possi-
bility of a new wave of anti-Semitism."
Similar concern was expressed by the Rev. Edward
H. Flannery, executive secretary of the Secretariat for
Catholic-Jewish Relations, National Conference of Catho-
lic Bishops, who, in an article in the N.Y. Times ("The
Greatest Hatred in Human History"), in which he re-
ferred to the enunciation of prejudices by General George
Brown, likened the latter's blunderings to these earlier
incidents of prejudicial references to Jews:
A recently published tape transcript showed that
on June 23, 1972, Richard M. Nixon, as President,
- warned H. R. Haldeman to eschew the arts: "The
arts you know—they're Jews, they're left wing—in
other words, stay away." -
Proceeding to develop his theme, the Rev. Flannery
reminded his readers that such incidents are repetitive,
that "hardly a day goes by that a stereotyping or attack
is not visited upon Jews somewhere. Where is a syna-
gogue that a swastika has not been daubed? The only
thing somewhat unusual about these performances is the
political level Of the persons involved. We are not dealing
here with guttersnipes but with presumably educated and
sophisticated people."

The Rev. Flannery, who belongs to the highly re-
spected faction of American religious leaders who have
earned the rating of hasidai umot ha-olam, the saintly
among the nations of the world, continues to show his
concern and calls to task the unconcerned by proceeding
to state the following in his article:
The reaction to incidents
ly replaces it.
like those cited is usually
A vapid pre-Christian kind
minimization and denial.
was followed by a "Chris-
Those involved always deny - tian" variety that became
their anti-Semitism, and oppressive and murderous.
most people defend them.
Then in succession came
It is socially disrespectable
rationalist, pseudo-scien-
today to be overtly anti- tific racist, socialist, right-
Semitic, whence a strong ist varieties. Today there
reluctance to own up to it,
are Soviet, Arab (over and
or accuse another of it.
beyond political enmity),
Our first conclusion must black, New Left and "gen-
be that anti-Semitism is
teel" types.
something strongly re-
Anti-Semitism has known
pressed, hence always
every
cruelty: social and
denied.
civic disabilities, insult,
When there is any sort
ghettoization, torture, exile,
of acknowledgment, a pro- murder.
cess of minimization takes
Through the centuries,
over. Reduced to a foible,
an anti-Semitic lapse is even great saints and lead-
ers have been infected.
made light of, even made
Estimates of Jews murder-
subject of jest.
ed before Hitler range in
Anti-Semitism is t h e
the multimillions.
greatest hatred in human
Is there not warrant to
history. In duration and in-
view this enormity as the
tensity, it has no competi-
greatest stain in the history
tor.
of Western culture?
What other hatred has
lasted some 23 centuries
It may, in any case, be
and survived genocide of
seen as a demonic force,'
six million people in its
endless and bottomless, that
23d century of existence?
defies analytical powers, in-
I say "survived" because
deed eludes our very obser-
it is very much alive today.
vation. The Jew, "eternal
An unexorcisable devil, it
scapegoat," serves appar-
has ravaged from age to
ently to assuage a deep
age, land to land. As one
human need.
kind wanes, another prompt-
Many efforts have been

2-Friday, Dec. 20, 1974

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

A Challenge to the Christians from the Growing
Anti-Semitic Lunatic Fringe . . . PLO's Arrogance
Put to the Test . .
Korff,'s Boasts Exposed

made to understand anti-
Christian, it would be an
Semitism, all partly suc-
unconscious displaced rek
cessful. Historical causes)
sentment of his own Chris-
center on the "deicide"
tianity; in the non-Christian,
charge, the old theological
a revolt against moral
myth. Yet history can conscience.
hardly do full justice to
It was Judaism that
the phenomenon: Profound brought the concept of a
psychological mechanisms
God-given universal moral
are at play. As one psy-
law into the world. The
choanalyst has stated.
Jew reminds us of our
"Anti-Semitism is more a paganism. For this • he has
conflict within a person never been forgiven. Willy-
than between persons."
nilly, the Jew carries the
Perhaps the most fruitful
burden of God in history.
avenues of explanation ex-
Until anti-Semitism is
plored locates anti-Semit4
openly acknowledged and
ism in the lowest strata of
diagnosed along lines as
the psyche where sayage
deep as these, the Browns
forces struggle against all
and Nixons will always be
restraints and ideals. In the with—no, in us.
This is a call to action against bigotry. If bias can
be stopped against Jews it can also be curtailed when
prejudice affects non-Jews.

Vigilance is essential against rightists and leftists
both of which paradoxically formed a bed-fellowship in
their hatred for Jews and for Israel.
The need also is to avert confusion when Arabs
utilize their being Semites in order to prove that they
could not be anti-Semites because they are only anti-
Zionist. In the process their anti-Zionism is sheer anti-
Semitism. On this score an interesting definition needs to
be recalled. Prof. A. Roy Eckhardt, the eminent Christian
philo-Semite, who -belongs in the saintly class with the
Rev. Flannery, in his important book "Your People, My
People—The Meeting of Jews and Christians" (Quadran-
gle Press), which exposes the anti-Semitic virus, had an
explanation for lower-casing the letter "s" in anti-Semit-
ism, stating: '
"The usage 'antisemitism' appears throughout
this book. I agree with James Parkes that 'anti-Sem-
itism' is incorrect and misleading; it wrongly implies
a movement against an implied `Semitism.' On 'the
the meaning of the term 'antisemitism; the root of
the English word lacks preciseness. In the Random"
House Dictionary, the sole definition of 'antisemitic'
is 'a person who is hostile to Jews.' I would only
suggest adding to the qualifying words, 'because
they are Jews.' That Arabs are reputedly a Semitic
people lessens in no way the power of -antisemitism
among them. A German word that is not readily
subject to semantic gameplaying is Judenfeinfschaft,
enmity toward Jews."
Emphasizing that he is not alone "in writing
and speaking of Christian guilt," Dr. Eckardt ap-
pended this footnote:

The accumulated facts regarding the 'unending and
growing anti-Semitism are. not pleasant to the eye of read-
ers or the ear of listeners, , but it is well that the enemy
should be known. That is how he can be exposed. That
is how the intended victim for the poison of hatred can
know his way towards vigilance and apply it towards
attainment and retention of justice.

Ira Hirschmann, Rescuer of Victims
of Nazism, Exposes Korff Mirage

Fables often acquire recognition as realities. Boasting
is sometimes misjudged as truth. This is the case with a
rabbinic mediocrity whose support for Richard M. Nixon
gave him notoriety and led him to make fantastic claims.
Among them is the boast that he was a rescuer of Jews
during the Nazi era. He has been exposed several times,
and more recently in -this letter published by Newsweek:
Korff's Rescue Mission
In her article "Korff's Last Tape" (Sept. 30),
Shana Alexander, apparently on the basis of a con-
versation she had with Rabbi Baruch Korff, states,
"During World War II when he was a young rabbi,
he managed to smuggle 1,400 stateless- Jewish
orphans from Hungary into Turkey, get them all
baptized Catholic and then released by the Apostolic
Delegate—the man who later became Pope John
XXIII."
Contrary to these allegations, the facts are that
the rescue operation of Hungarian Jews was con-
ceived and developed in a secret meeting between
the Apostolic Delegate and me on the Turkish
island of Principo when I was serving as an envoy
for President Roosevelt. This led to the issuance of
baptismal certificates to thousands of Hungarian
adult Jews, not orphans, whose lives were thus
saved. I have visited many of them in the suburbs
of Tel Aviv, where they now live. The rescue opera-
tion constituted a signal act of mercy performed by
the Catholic Church in collaboration with me, act-
ing for the U.S. State Dept., and the International
Red Cross as ,intermediary.
IRA HIRSCHMANN

By. Philip
Slomovitz

As one of the heroes in the rescue efforts during
World War II Ira Hirschmann knows the leaders in the
ranks of those who conducted the heroic work of saving
Jews more than anyone else. It is good that he saw fit to
expose the rabbinic boaster and his myths. Press, radio,
and TV commentators have been misled all too-long
by the Korff mirage.

Satire on Arafat's Role

Humor as an essential in relieving tensions is a vital
factor in survival from the tensions that afflict mankind
in the sick world it lives in today. A bit of satire often
does more to expose inanities and to condemn inequities
than volumes of philosophic logic.
Yasir Arafat was treated with so much concern, and
amidst condemnations his pistol-rattling seemed to create
so much fear of impending dangers stemming from oil-
rich Arab lands, that a means of laughing -it off was
necessity. Art Buchwald provided it. He can be proud
the satire in which he delineated the ludicrous terr
manipulators. This is how his famous column Create
the hero Arafat whose hordes conducted massacres of
defenseless athletes in Munich, men and women in air-
ports and Israeli settlements:
"Why did you kill the
WASHINGTON—"Can I
people in Rome? Do you
help you, sir?"
"I'd like to join the United have any grudge against
the Italians?"
Nations."
"We don't care who gets
"Very good. By the way,
killed as long as somebody
do you mind putting down
pays attention to us. YOu
that gun?"
mean to say just because
"The gun stays where it
we shoot people in an air-
is. Now, what do you want
port we can't join the
to know?"
United Nations?"
"We have certain rules
"I didn't say that. Ordi-
for new members. I'll have
narily we don't like to take
to ask you a few questions.
in anyone who goes around
Who recommended you for
killing innocent people. But
membership?" •
in your case, since you
"All the Arab countries.
come so highly recom-
They said if you don't make
me a member, they'll cut mended by the Soviet
Union also, we can cer-
off your. oil."
tainly overlook it."
"We don't like blackmail
"Don't forget to put down
at the United Nations, but
the massacre at the Munich
on the other hand we're
always looking for worthy Olympic Games."
countries who will abide. by
"Yes I believe I read
the charter. Could you tell something about that. The
me what you've done to
victims were Israeli ath-
warrant membership in our
letes, weren's trey?"
esteemed organization?"
"We got 11 of them, all
."We hijacked more than
unarmed. Anything . wrong
30 foreign airplanes and
with that?"
held the crew and passen-
"At one time killing ath-
gers as hostages."
letes at the Olympic Games
"I see. You're a terrorist
might have been looked on
organization." -
by the majority of the U.N.
"Do you have anything members -as an atrocity.
against terrorist organiza-
But since they were Israeli
tions?"
athletes, I'm sure no one
"Of course not. Look, if
will raise a fuss."
you won't put down that
"They'd better not. Here's
gun, would you mind point-
a list of the other things
ing it in another direction?"
we've done, including the
"I told you, the gun stays
raid
on Ma'alot where we
where it is. What else do
murdered
all the kids in
you want to know?"
the school. The list is not
"Well, is there anything up to date because we still
you can-tell me about your-
have some tricks up our
self that would show us
sleeves. What about my
you're worthy of belonging
membership?"
to a peace-loving organiza-
"From what you've told
tion?"
me, I can't see anything
"We killed an American
standing in the way of your
ambassador in Khartoum as
joining the United Nations.
well as the U.S. charge
Incidentally, where exactly
d'affaires and the Belgium
is your country?"
ambassador.
"Here's on this map."
"Hmmmmmm. That could
"But that's Israel!"
be looked on by some as a
"Not after we drive them
provocative act."
into the sea."
"When has it beeda crime
"Of course. Well, welcoir
in the United Nations to kill
to the United Nation
a couple of ambassadors?"
We're proud to have you
"Don't get excited. I'm
as an 'observer' in the
just trying to get the full great community of nations.
picture. Is there anything
Your full membership will
else that you're proud of?"
be -sent to you in the mail.
"We murdered 22 people Now, will you put down
at the -airport in Rome. We
that damn gun?"
were hoping to kill a hun-
"No way. Who knows—
dred more, but we only
we may have to shoot some-
wounded them."
one here."
A piece like this merits gratitude to its author. The
arguments are irrefutable. It exposes the murderers who
have suddenly risen to fame.
More humor, more satire, exposing the oil-fested in
their true light, will need the Buchwalds. What they do
helps the realists to treat the criminals as they deserve.

.

