2 December 12, 1975
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
_
Gratitude to the Eminent Personalities Who Help
Assure Truth About Middle East . . . Vital Need for
Cooperation from .Academicians, Youth, Blacks
By Philip
Slomovitz
Striving for Truth,. Searching for Friends, Grateful for Cooperators in Battle for Justice
It is difficult but imperative that the aim for truth should be primary in the task of
defending Israel and assuring justice for Jews everywhere.
Israel needs friends. Isolated in the United Nations, with the United States her only
true supporter, deprived of defensive weapons except those procurable in the U.S., Israel
also needs voices of libertarians to defend her position amidst heavily armed antagonists
who seek her destruction. •
When such voices are heard, they are certain to arouse the sleepers, the negligent, the
unknowledgeable.
When men and women who are respected in literary, political, religious and racial
ranks speak out against the tyranny of the UN majority, some good must come of it. For
such voices there is deep gratitude in Jewish ranks.
Several such voices were heard in recent days. Noteworthy is a statement published
in the New York Times over the signatures of James A. Michener, Beverly Sills, Bayard
Rustin, Leonard Bernstein, Betty Friedan and Martina Arroyo. They declared in their
condemnation of the UN anti-Zionist resolution:
November 10 was a black day for the United Nations.
The adoption of the resolution on that day in which the General Assembly
- equated Zionism with racism constituted one of the most immoral actions ever
taken by that world body, an action which makes a mockery of the principles on
which the United Nations was founded. It may well mark the beginning of the
end of the dream of a United Nations, founded ironically as an alliance against
Nazism just thirty years ago.
The condemnation of Zionism, an authentic movement for Jewish national
and ethnic survival, could very well be taken in many countries as the signal for
further incitements to anti-Semitism. It is ironic that the most vocal advocates
of the "Zionism equals racism" resolution come from countries who could take
lessons in the practice of democracy from Israel.
We who are concerned with the eradication of genuine acts of racism, raise
our voices against those who abuse and distort the racist issue, exploiting it as a
convenient vehicle to gain their political objectives. In this instance, their target
remains the liquidation of the state of Israel, for by this resolution they are strik-
ing at the very legitimacy of the state.
We will not stand idly by and see the noble purpose of the UN perverted. We
are opposed, therefore, to any form of participation by our Government in the
"Decade of Action to Combat Racism" so long as that decade and its program
remain distorted and compounded by this resolution.
Raymond Epstein's Challenges:
His Courageous Valedictory
Raymond Epstein's valedictory speech as the retiring
president of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare
Funds, delivered at the General Assembly in Miami Beach
last month, contained challenges of
such vital nature that they must
not be permitted to be buried in
conference archives.
Few who serve in public life
have dared encroach upon the Jew-
ish Agency's responsibilities in-
volved in the approaching selection
of a world chairman both of the
Jewish Agency and the World Zion-
ist Organization. But Mr. Epstein
did not ignore the issue. In his brief
address — in addition to courage he
also es-played wisdom in reducing
his remarks to the basics — he
made this reference to the Jewish
Agency chairmanship contest:
"Consider the convoluted
process whereby the next ex-
EPSTEIN
ecutive of the Jewish Agency
will be chosen to fill the vacancy left by Pinhas Sa-
pir — a process almost wholly dominated by the
realities of party politics in Israel and not by demo-
•
Let us make no mistake. Israel will survive yet another hostile resolution
inspired by countries who wield the power of the petrodollar. But how long can
the United Nations go on taking such blows, which strike at the very heart of its
existence, before it becomes the laughingstock of thoughtful people everywhere.
Such declarations, by eminent personalities are so very vital in time of crisis! They
serve to uphold the hands of Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the UN. They encourage the
vigilant who tirelessly work for justice.
The need for friends is great and urgent. The Jewish people in the struggle against
anti-Semitism, Israel in the battle for freedom and national protection, need the academ-
ics, the blacks, the courageous in statesmanship, the youth in Jewry.
Yes, there is need for black support. The declaration published immediately after the
sad day of Nov. 10 by BASIC — the Black Americans to Support Israel Committee —
earns American Jewry's deepest appreciation. The support of BASIC is vital, so vital! It is
of such great significance — as a refutation of the Third World claim that the blacks
against Jews and Israel. And Michigan Jewry can feel proud of the inclusion in the 1,,
of hundreds of black signatures to that statement of Michigan Secretary of State Richard
H. Austin.
And there is need for youth participation in libertarianism for Israel and Jewry. The
campuses are filled with Arab hate propaganda. The Jewish students and their friends,
the friends of Israel, must learn the truth to counteract the venom. This is a responsibility
not to be shunned.
Friends are available. Liberals must not tire in mobilization for truth and justice.
Israel's plight has not diminished in any sphere. The attacks on terrorist dens in
Lebanon added to the chaos. Condemnation of Israel is the order of the day among diplo-
mats and religious leaders. The Pope has spoken again.
If there is one single matter for which the Arabs can not be forgiven it is the necessity
created by them for Israel to retaliate and to resort to bombings of Lebanese hangouts
that are reportedly refugee camps but actually are terrorist mobilization centers. Such
retaliatory acts would be unnecessary if the Arabs were to come to terms with Israel, if
they would not begrudge a very small nation the right to inhabit their very small ancient
homeland.
The Vatican surely can not be forgiven for its bias. Where is the Pope when there is
Jewish suffering, when there are Israeli casualties? Is this a repetition of Vatican silence
during the Holocaust?
cratic representation in which you participate. Its
board of governors has now appointed a committee
on structure and the opportunity now exists for
greater input from Diaspora Jewry — and since the
Agency works so closely with the Israeli govern-
ment, an opportunity for a legitimate voice directed
at government policy in the fields of health, welfare,
education, immigration and housing."
This was enough of an admonition to those in power to
stop playing party politics. The battle between Yosef Al-
mogi and Leon Dulzin has taken on deplorable dimensions.
Mr. Dulzin is the acting chairman of the Jewish Agency. He
has gained respect for this dedicated labors in behalf of Is-
rael and Zionism. Yet Haifa Mayor Almogi told this writer
that the qualities for the job about to be marked by perma-
nent membership are integrity and ability. Are these qual-
ities to be questioned in the acting chairman?
The many published reports of polls taken in Israeli
and Jewish ranks show that an overwhelming majority of
Jews support retention of Mr. Dulzin in Jewish leadership.
Will party politics overcome popular sentiments? Isn't Is-
rael being harmed by such tactics?
* * *
Epstein's Views on Duplicity,
Overlapping in Jewish Affairs
Mr. Epstein touched on another painful subject: that of
overlapping in Jewish activities, primarily in the civic-pro-
tective field. In his speech he made this comment:
"At my first budget committee meeting almost
30 years ago I heard fretful questions being raised
about duplication of services among the community
relations agencies — the so-called defense agencies.
Granting their diverse historical origins, neverthe-
less why must our communities support an Ameri-
can Jewish Committee, and an American Jewish
Congress, and an Anti-Defamation League and a
Jewish Labor Committee? That same question is
still being asked today — with full recognition of the
excellence of their leaders and staffs, their very real
accomplishments in their special areas of expertise,
and the loyalty and financial support of their special
constituencies."
Many concerned Jews had been plagued by the same
question that resulted from an earnest desire to abandon
the duplicity in national Jewish organizations. Only a year
ago there was hope that AJCongress, AJCommittee and the
Anti-Defamation League would, at long last, abandon the
overlapping. The proposal for merging of conflicting official
and staff duties collapsed. Why? Is it professionalism?
What's wrong with Jewish public opinion?
Mr. Epstein may have stirred a communal hornet's
nest by raising both quoted issues. Perhaps credit for real-
ism in Jewish life will be credited to him. Perhaps he'll con-
tribute towards a new form of leadership and a more in-
spired constituency. Credibility in Jewish leader -ship has al-
ready declined miserably. Perhaps Mr. Epstein helped re-
vive it.
International Genocidal Mania and Hypocrisies on UN Agenda
Mexico Now the Penitant (Sic!) . . . and Sweden the Guiltier
Upon the resurrection of the Hitler
mania at the United Nations on Nov. 10, a
prominent spokesman for American Jewry
suggested to the English-Jewish press that it
keep reprinting, in every issue, the record of
the vote that was cast on the anti-Zionist res-
olution. It was to be a constant reminder of
the tyranny of the majority, with the list of
countries that subscribed to the bestialities
of those seeking Israel's destruction always
a reminder of the enemies of freedom and
democracy and fair play.
In a matter of less than two weeks it be-
came apparent that the unpredictables in di-
plomacy are often even more distressing
than the first shocks of the tyrannical and
the insane acts at the world forum.
The first act by liberty-loving people
was to refuse to countenance tourism to
countries like Mexico, Portugal and Brazil
whose representatives were among the
pawns of the Arab-Soviet bloc in a genoci-
dal pact against Israel and Jewry. But on
subsequent occasions at the UN and at dis-
cussions on the new international bestiali-
ties against Israel, spokesmen for other
western countries-which consider themselves
democratic and civilized spoke out critically
of Israel.
During the most shocking act on Dec. 5,
when the UN Security Council voted to give
an observer's se a t to the murderous and ter-
roristic PLO, the decisive vote was cast by
Sweden.
Has Sweden, purportedly Israel's
friend, abandoned fair play; Sweden which
welcomed the 8,000 Danish Jews on that cru-
cial Rosh Hashana night of 1943, else the 8,-
000 would have been sent to their doom in
Auschwitz; whose No. 9 vote emerged as the
dastardly act to recognize banditry: Sweden
betrayed common decency!
Who is to be boycotted now in tourism?
Is it to be Sweden?
When the need for a boycott of Israel's
enemies first was passed, this commentator
asked, perhaps naively: is it possible to boy-
cott the entire world, with so few friends left
for Israel?
Mexico deservedly suffered from a quick
boycott. In the first week after the Nov. 10
Kristalnacht UN maniacal vote there were
30,000 cancellations of tours to Mexico. Mex-
ico felt the sting.
Now Mexico is the penitent (sic!). Its
foreign minister visited Israel, placed a
wreath on the Tomb of Herzl, expressed her
friendship for Israel, and tourist agents are
bidding for Jewish business for Mexico.
Mexico is the penitent, Sweden the vil-
lain!
The lunatics in the UN no longer repre-
sent a fringe. Many claimants to decency in
civilized society are in evidence trekking
tyranical road to the international ins
asylum.
• The American delegate to the United
Nations, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, emerged
as a giant rising above bigotry on several oc-
casions, and again as a defender of American
libertarianism, when he vetoed the resolu-
tion of rebuke to Israel at the Security Coun-
cil on Monday.
Only the Vatican remains an enigma, a
puzzle, a sanctimony of negation. The Pope
seldom if ever expresses horror over the
Arab terrorists, the PLO and their outrages -.
He hasn't even spoken firmly in defense of
the Maronite Catholics in Lebanon. But he
was quick to assail Israel last week. Such
sanctimony! Such acrimony!
CM.
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