THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Boris Smolar's

'Between You
... and Me'

Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1975, JTA, Inc.)

75 YEARS OF WORKMEN'S CIRCLE: The Work-
men's Circle, one of the oldest Jewish organizations in the
United States, has started celebrating its 75-year anniver-
sary this week.
It was founded at the beginning of this century when
Jewish mass-immigration was at its height. Originally es-
tablished as a fraternal body, the Workmen's Circle is today
far more than that. History of American Jewry cannot be
written now without giving the proper place to the role of
the Workmen's Circle and the achievements it has reached.
The Workmen's Circle is today also active in combat-
ting bigotry. It supports legislative action in the fields of
housing, employment, health care, social security, con-
sumer protection. It is in the front row among major Jewish
organizations fighting for the right of Jews in the Soviet
Union. It is actively supporting Israel by having invested
$600,000 of its reserve funds in Israeli projects and by urg-
ing its huge membership to contribute to the United Jewish
Appeal and the Histadrut campaign as well as to buy Israel
Bonds.
While continuing its traditional policy of providing fra-
ternal benefits to its members — in the form of insurance,
medical aid and other forms — the Workmen's Circle dis-
tinguishes itself also with its unique cultural program
which includes the maintaining of Jewish schools and sum-
mer camps, a Yiddish theater in New York, Jewish choirs,
organizing Jewish concerts and lectures throughout the
country, conducting Jewish festivals, publishing Jewish
books and magazines. It is also closely associated with the
Jewish Daily Forward, the only Jewish daily newspaper in
this country.
One of the main achievements of the Workmen's Circle
is the building and maintaining of modern homes for its
aged members. At present it maintains three such homes:
the largest is located in New York and accomodates 525 res-
idents.

* * *
SPIRIT OF "TOGETHERNESS": The popularity of

the Workmen's Circle goes back to the first days of its
founding. It stems from its spirit of togetherness.
Ships were bringing Jewish immigrants from Eastern
Europe to the United States in the thousands each day.
They landed without speaking practically any language ex-
cept Yiddish. They were complete strangers in the country
many months after their arrival. They needed friendship,
and a family atmosphere since many of them came alone
leaving their families behind until they would be able to
bring them over.
The Workmen's Circle gave them all these things after
long and gloomy hours of hard work in sweat shops. Work-
men's Circle meant a family gathering, a lecture, a concert
or a Sunday picnic.
The Workmen's Circle widened their way of thinking.
It gave them relief from loneliness. It made them feel that
they were part of a creative Jewish body, and its member-
ship grew to a high of 85,000.
* * *
THE YOUNGER ELEMENTS: The U.S. immigra-
tion laws promulgated 50 years ago sharply restricted im-
migration, putting a halt to the growth of the organization's
membership. Death of older members has also led to a de-
crease in membership, although not in the program of
activities.
But even today, the Workmen's Circle has a member-
ship of more than 55,000. A good number of them are youn-
ger American-born people attracted by the liberal ideas for
which the organization stands. In the last few years some
5,000 new members have joined the English-speaking
branches of the organization.
On its 75th birthday, the organization has an envious
record of achievements to report. It is now three-dimen-
sional in its purpose: fraternal benefits and services to its
members; commitment to Yiddish culture — which is now
acknowledged by many American colleges and universities
— and to a secure and meaningful Jewish life; and dedica-
tion to a better American society and a better world for all.
Led by members of a successor generation, it is giving up-
to-date expression to innovative programs while cherishing
its old traditions.

Israeli General on U.S. Tour

NEW YORK (ZINS) —
General Ezer Weizmann,
builder of the Israel Air
Force and one of Israel's
foremost military leaders, is
visiting the United States at
the invitation of the Zionist
Organization of America.

sent speaking tour, which
coincides with the reassess-
ment of U.S. Mideast policy,
are Pittsburgh, Bronx, N.Y.,
Philadelphia, Hartford,
Houston, Chicago, Atlanta,
Washington, D.C., South
Orange, N.J., and Roslyn,
N.Y. In addition he will
Included in the cities meet political and military
scheduled during his pre- leaders in Washington.

Friday, June 6, 1975

33

ADL Blasts U.S. Agencies for Soft
Approach to Arab Boycott Problem

(Continued from Page 1)

latory foreign investment
laws." Graubard said that
the reaction from some fed-
eral departments on the
problem was "disturbingly
negative" and characterized
by rationalization and even
protestation that the docu-
mented wrongs are unavoid-
able or "do not exist at all."
However, he said, some
other government agencies
have moved affirmatively to
support President Ford's
"excellent policy statement"
on the issue. He said his
comments were based on
the findings of an ADL sur-
vey on the results of the
ADL's disclosures in Febru-
ary and March that govern-
ment departments and pri-
vate industry were violating
U.S. policy and regulations
to do business with the Ar-
abs.

The ADL report listed a
number of "corrective
proposals which are much
needed" but which "have
been received by executive
departments with luke-
warmth if not open hostil-
ity."

They included a ban on
secondary boycotts; a ban
against business contracts
involving religious discrimi-
nation; a mandatory prohi-
bition against domestic ex-
porters taking actions,
including furnishing infor-
mation or signing agree-
ments, which have the effect
of supporting boycotts or
other restrictive trade prac-
tices imposed by a foreign
country against another
country friendly to the U.S.;
a rule suspending foreign
aid or military sales to any
nation guilty of religious or
racial discriminatory busi-
ness practices; government
controls over the acquisition
of substantial equity securi-
ties of major American
firms by foreign investors
who have tried to force
American businessmen to
engage in secondary boy-
cotts; and governmental
control over the acquisition
of material interest in stra-
tegic industries, resources,
or mass media by foreign
investors.
Graubard said the ship-
ping and banking industries
continue to be major boy-
cott participants.
The ADL said that to
date, only three of the
charges it made nearly four
months ago have been suc-
cessfully resolved.
The ADL said the Over-
seas Private Investment
Corp., a governmental body
cited by the ADL for having
asked an American business
firm to withdraw the name
of its Jewish vice president
from a list of proposed par-
ticipants in an OPIV mis-
sion to the Middle East and
North Africa, had apolog-
ized for the incident.

Two private firms, the
Ashland Chemical Co.,
Ashland, Ky. and Pacific
Pump Corp., Huntington
Park, Calif., announced
they are now prepared to
do business with Israel,
the report said.

The ADL said it was now
"up to President Ford to see
to it that executive agencies
follow his publicly an-
nounced declaration of pol-
icy."
In New York a spokesman
for the Conference of Presi-
dents of Major American
Jewish Organizations rei-
terated that a resolution
endorsing "acts of consci-
ence" by members in re-
sponse to Gulf Oil Corp.
support of Arab propaganda
efforts, about which the
firm expressed "deep con-
cern" last week, "speaks for
itself."
The resolution, adopted
here last week by 300 Jew-
ish leaders, "approves and
endorses acts of, conscience
taken by individual mem-
bers reacting to the Gulf Oil
gift to Arab sources in Bei-
rut, Lebanon, for propa-
ganda purposes in the
United States."

The resolution was

* * *

FDIC Approves
Arab's Bank Buy

The Federal Deposit In-
surance Corp. has approved
in principle the February
sale of controlling interest
in Detroit's Bank of the
Commonwealth to Saudi
Arabian busines§man
Ghaith Pharaon. Final ap-
proval of the sale is expected
following arrival of more
documents from Saudi Ara-
bia. .
* * *

Investment Firm
Defies Boycott

NEW YORK — In a re-
cent editorial condemning
Arab boycott practices,
Newsday lauded the invest-
ment firm of Merrill,
Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and
Smith, Inc., for defying the
boycott.
According to the editorial,
when a Kuwaiti bank pres-
sured the firm to exclude
the French banking house of
Lazard Freres from two ma-
jor underwriting deals, Mer-
rill Lynch refused and the
Kuwait firm withdrew.
The editorial also called
for "vigorous enforcement
of state and federal laws
that forbid discrimination
by U.S. citizens in business
dealings."

ORT Germany
Elects President

TEL AVIV — Max Will-
ner was elected president of
ORT Germany. He succeeds
Senator Jean Mandel who
died in December 1974.
Wilner, now 68-years-old,
was born in Gelsenkirchen
and lived in Nuremburg and
Berlin until 1939 when he
was imprisoned for six
years in a concentration
camp.
In the post war years he
has been exclusively con-
cerned with Jewish social
work and takes an active
part in many Jewish organi-
zations and institutions.

the contribution that the
American Jewish leaders
will reconsider their: ac-
tion."
Meanwhile, the American
Jewish Committee has
called on this country's ma-
jo• industrial corporations
and banks publicly to disa-
In a statement at its vow any compliance with
Pittsburgh headquarters, the Arab boycott and to re-
Gulf urged the presidents ject any Arab pressuresto
conference to await the out- discriminate against trews
come of an investigation of or members of any other
apparently illegal payments minority group.
Dorsey said the company
The AJCommittee re-
made to the Arab sources quest asked the companies
under duress.
to emulate the recent ac-
The company statement tion by the Bank of Amer-
said "We are deeply con- ica and the International
cerned about this resolu- Business Machines Corp.
tion. It is based upon incom- reasserting their non-dis-
plete information about a criminatory policies.
contribution which is one
The AJCommittee made
part of an ongoing investiga- its request in letters by its
tion by the Securities and president, Elmer L. Winter,
Exchange Commission. We to the heads of this coun-
would hope that when this try's 500 largest industrial
investigation reveals all the companies and 50 largest
circumstances surrounding banks.

adopted after Bob R. Dor-
sey, Gulf chairman, testi-
fied before a Senate sub-
committee May 16 that the
company had paid $50,000
for a public relations cam-
paign for the Arab position
in the Arab-Israeli con-
flict.

India PLO Office Opposed
on Constitutional Grounds

The opening of a Pales-
tine Liberation Organiza-
tion office in India, with the
blessing of the government
of Indira Gandhi, has been
opposed on legal grounds by
the chairman of the official
Bar Council of India.
Ram Jethmalani, who
heads the council of 17 rep-
resentatives from India's 17
states, wrote a lengthy arti-
cle in the August, 1974 issue
of the Council's journal, re-
viewing the history of the
Middle East and Palestine,
and opposing the govern-
ment's decision to allow a
PLO office.
Jethmalani wrote that
Article 51 of the Indian con-
stitution requires the gov-
ernment to promote inter-
national peace and security
and the fostering of honora-
ble relations between na-
tions.
He wrote that and

"The object of this
writer is to show that the
Government of India is
guilty of a gross breach of
its constitutional obliga-
tions. The political impro-
priety and the base mo-
tives of the Government
are not a fit subject matter
of detailed discussionii),
this journal.

"Nor indeed is the recent
resolution of the General
Assetnbly recognizing the
PLO as the representative of
the Palestinian refugees
any justification. Oil may
buy or intimidate the politi-
cians of the world but need
not stifle the conscience of a
nation that Mahatma Gan-
dhi fathered and brought
forth.

* * *

Denmark to Allow
Palestinian Office

COPENHAGEN (ZI9-8)
— The Danish authorities
will not pose any obstacle to
the opening of a separate
Palestinian office, said Den-
mark's Foreign Minister P.
Anderson, while on a visit to
Syria.
Israeli diplomatic circles
note that Denmark will be
the first European NATO
country which will allow the
opening of such an indepen-
"The Government of India dent bureau. In other West
is under no obligation to European countries the Pa-
provide them this facility in lestinian Arabs conduct
the capital. That cannot be their business within the
denied.
premises of various Arab
"By going out of its way embassies and legations-"
and allowing this extraordi-
nary facility the Govern- Germans to Fix
ment obviously proclaims
its unison and sympathy Jewish Museum
with the objectives and tech-
BONN (JTA) — What is
nique of the PLO. In other probably the oldest Jewish
words the Government is a museum in the world is to
party to designs to liquidate be restored in Brunswick.
a State which we have re-
It dates back to 1766, and
cognised and which is a up to 1923 \vas located in
member of the UNO.
Hornburg, near Wolfen-
"We seem to sanction the buettel. The most valuable
use of violence uncontrolled part of the museum will be
by any civilising limitations the complete interior of the
of the laws of war, for only wooden synagogue re-
achieving political purposes. maining in Germany.

"By opening an office in
Delhi the PLO is not seek-
ing either to buy some of
our products or to receive
training in non-violent
methods of conducting a
fgeedom movement. They
obviously want to use In-
dia as propaganda plat-
form to espouse their
cause and popularise their
technique.

