2 Friday, August 13, 1976
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
Citizen Goldfarb's Challenge to Carter and Kissinger's
Role as Target of Many in Political Arena...Magen David
Adom's Struggle for Recognition, and Support in U.S.
Citizen Goldfarb and Carter
nomics is an important factor in international rela-
tionships, rather than just politics.
Sam Goldfarb of Hollywood, Fla., whose one-man
It is unrealistic, said Rabbi Schindler, to think
Operation Truth has attracted wide attention, is
of the peanut farmer from Georgia as a man "from
known for his idealism and espousal of important
the sticks" who will immerse himself in domestic
causes.
issues and leave foreign affairs to others if elected
He has authored several books and his latest,
President. Carter will find the temptation to be his
"Citizen Goldfarb," now gains special attention be-
own Secretary of State irresistible; domestic prob-
cause of his message to Democratic Presidential Can-
lems may seem so insoluble that he will want to plow
didate Jimmy Carter for an explanation of a statement
the broad field of foreign problems to increase his
about Jews and other religious elements in the land.
yield of success.
In his Open Letter to Carter, Goldfarb calls atten-
Now, for the good of all and the country at large,
tion to inquiries about Carter's "sermonic speech" at
Purdue University, on June 10, in which he was sus- it'll be a blessing if the religious issue is dumped and
pected of feeling some incompatibility with those the American constituency is led to view candidates
non-Christians present, particularly Jews. Goldfarb on their merits, their abilities, and not how they pray
so choose.
asks Carter for an explanation. He did it, cautiously, — or do not pray, if they
* * *
temperately, dispassionately.
There were, and there undoubtedly will be, many Kissinger: Everybody's Target
replies to this and to related questions about the re-
Returning to the issues, therefore, a major one
ligious issues that are always, perhaps inevitably, in-
revolve around Henry Kissinger. Everybody at-
jected in national political campaigns. "Jews and Car- may
tacks him. He is everybody's, except Gerry Ford's,
ter" has been made a subtitle in discussions about the target. They'd all fire him. Carter makes that one of
Democratic candidate, and at times such an ihjected the first planks in the.sweeping of personnel from the
issue appears nauseating. But it remains on the White House which is already assigned to him by. his
agenda, and when the Republican convention will supporters who refuse to be in doubt about the
have ended there' may be similar allusions to "Ford November results.
and the Jews" or — as it appears remotely to many
Secretary of State Kissinger is assumed to be
since the Ford nominations is anticipated — "Reagan
and the Jews."
planning to give up his important post in the U. S.
Temporarily it is "Carter and the Jews" and un- government regardless of who is elected. Is he as bad
usual interest therefore relates to an interview the as he has been portrayed? Will his record survive the
Jerusalem Post had with Rabbi Alexander Schindler, critics? Is he the dominant factor in formulating
president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American foreign policies?
American Jewish Organizations.
The White House maintains that policies are
Dr. Schindler expressed his views in Jerusalem framed there and Kissinger fulfills them. This sounds
where he participated in the sessions of the Jewish more logical, even if Kissinger were to inspire the at-
Agency. He then — a month ago — told of a lengthy titudes before they emerge as the brainchildren of the
conference he had with Carter and his impressions nation's Chief Executive. To fume over Kissinger is to
about the Democratic nominee:
agonize over the nation's dealings with all who are
involved in foreign affairs. If it is a difference in con-
Carter is "a very tough guy" and appears to be
cerns over foreign policies then it should be dealt with
— as he has himself proclaimed on the primary trail
— a "very religious man, a true believer." Rabbi on a party basis during the political campaign, unless
Schindler does not think that Carter's fundamen- the basic policy of eliminating discussions of foreign
talist faith is anything for the Jews to fear. It may issues from the disputes to be resolved at the polls in
even be a plus for Israel as his belief in the Bible November are adhered to. And if the foreign policies
are to be ruled out as political issues, then there is
includes acceptance of God's promise of the Land to
little if any ground for dragging Kissinger into the
the Jews. "and his strong emphasis on morality will
be indispensable factor in his foreign relations, disputes over who is to rule in the White House for the
since the moral argument is Israel's strongest claim next four years.
on U.S. support."
Incidentally, if Kissinger is to be dumped —
Reagan shares Kissinger with Carter as a target for
The Democrat has certain conceptions that may
work against Israel, the rabbi said. One is that.the aftack — then the critics owe it to the American people
American relationship with Western allies must to say who they prefer for the high diplomatic post. If
come before the tackling of its relationship with the there is an abler man in the ranks of either Carter or
Reagan let them speak up!
Soviets. Another is Carter's perception that eco-
-
`Opening Windows'
Weizmann U. Has Science
Camps for Disadvantaged
ri
REHOVOT, Israel —
"Opening windows to sci-
ence" is how the Weiz-
mann Institute's Youth
Activities Section
characterizes its two-
week science camps for
talented youngsters, held
this year in three of Is-
rael's poorer neighbor-
hoods and development
towns.
The science camp is
part of the institute's ex-
panding program of
camps, clubS and projects
for disadvantaged youth.
In Tel Aviv's Hatikva
Quarter, ydungsters from
the eighth and ninth
grade selected on the
basis of recommenda-
tions from teachers, prin-
cipals and personal in-
terviews are discoveing
new aspects of biology,
meteorology, geology,
electronics and
mathematics as pre-
sented by scientists of the
Weizmann Institute and
several other Israeli uni-
versities.
A typical camp day
might include learning
about aerodynamics by
building and flying kites,
By
Philip
Slomovitz
American Red Cross'
Intentions Exonerated
Once again the International Red Cross, meeting
in Geneva, failed to act on the proposal to admit Magen
David Adom, the Israel counterpart, into the global
movement.
The Arabs' Red Crescent has been a Red Cross
member for many years, even though its emblem is not
the cross, but Israel's Magen David, the Shield of
David, is either ignored or rejected.
Perhaps the time has come for a very active
movement to induce the recognition of Magen David
Adorn, whose services are humane and efficient. There
should be an end to discrimination in barring the
Magen David Adom from.world recognition.
While there is something radically wrong in
treatment accorded the Israeli Magen David Adorn at
Geneva, the position of the American Red Cross has
been, in the main, honorable.
Detroiter Myron Steinberg, who has shown a deep
interest in the problem and has urged proper action in
behalf of the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, is in
receipt of the following statement from Duane E.
Johnson, executive director of the Red Cross in De-
troit:
The following is a recent release from the (
cial publication of the American National Red Cr ,
concerning Magen David Adorn:
"The Diplomatic Conference of Governments
held in Geneva April-June, 1976 has concluded. The
proposal of the government of Israel in relation to
recognition of Magen David Adorn was on the
agenda, but the agenda was a long one and the proc-
esses slower than expected. The Israeli item was
never reached. Another session of the Diplomatic
Converence will be held in the spring of 1977, and
the Israeli proposal remains on the agenda for the
meeting.
"The American Red Cross has advised Magen
David Adorn that if the government of Israel intro-
duces a proposal at the Diplomatic Conference, the
American Red Cross will welcome the addition of
the following new article to the Protocol:
"Where the Red Shield of David on a white
ground is already used as a distinctive emblem, that
emblem is also recognized by the terms of the Con-
ventions and the present Protocol.
"Also, the American Red Cross has assured
Magen- David Adorn that it would support its appli-
cation for membership in the League of Red Cross
Societies."
The campaign for just treatment for the Magen
David Adorn goes on and it is thanks to the dedication
of men like Myron Steinberg that hope for an honora-
ble conclusion to the struggle is not dimmed.
Expatriate French Jewish Real Estate Tycoon
Expanding His Holdings in Israel and the U.S.
By YITZHAK SHARGIL
(Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.)
studying geology from
TEL AVIV — A
samples collected in the Polish-born French Jew,
neighborhood,- and ob- who immigrated to Israel
serving bacteria by grow- after the Six-Day War, is
ing them in petri dishes head of the real estate in-
and examining them under vestment group that
high-powered micros- bought the bankrupt
copes.
Royal Manhattan Hotel
Similar
two-week in the heart of New
camps are also being held York's theater district.
in the development towns "It is our first experience
of Kiryat Malachi in the in the United States,"
south and in the Upper Shmuel Sharon, the head
Galilee town of Hazor.
of the group of Jewish in-
A science workshop for vestors from Holland and
youth — an intensive two Switzerland, said.
week exposure to scien-
The group bought the
tific research under the 1300-room hotel for $1
guidance of top scientists . million. "We plan to in-
— is another new insti- vest $3 million more," he
tute program. The work- said, describing plans to
shop is designed for a convert the building into
select group of gifted high . 600 apartments to be
school students whose in- used primarily for foreign
terests and talents will be businessmen and others
fostered further by coming to the United
means of on-going States for short stays.
contact with the institute
The Royal Manhattan,
throughout army service which closed down in De-
and undergraduate cember 1974, is located 'on
career.
Eighth Ave., a street that
The most outstanding is dotted with hard-core
pa•ticipants in the com- pornographic theaters
bined research- and book shops, massage
independent-study prog- parlors and prostitutes.
ram will receive special It is one of the streets
study grants.
that New York City offi-
cials have been trying to
clean up in their efforts to
restore the Times Square
area.
Sharon, who was active
in France in real estate
under the name Samuel
Flatto, has built several
major projects in Israel in
eight years. He and his
group of investors have
helped build such projects
as the Tel Aviv bus station
and Dizengoff Center, a
commercial project in the
heart of Tel Aviv.
They are now involved
in a housing and office
project in Ramat-Gan
and are building 6000
housing units in Sao
Paulo, Brazil, and 2000
housing units in Ven- ,
zuela. In Venezuela, Sha-
ron is working in
partnership with the His-
tadrut'S Solel Boneh con-
struction company.
Sharon, who looks
younger than his 46
years, was born in Lodz,
'land, in 1930 as Shmuel
hayewitz. His family
left Poland in 1930 and
moved to France.
Sharon, then known as
Flatto, started producing
waihing machines after
W -irld War II, but then
went into real estate.
He set up companies
which bought houses, re-
novated them and then
sold them. His business
continued to expand to a
point where tens of mill-
ions of francs were in-
volved.
Sharon set up numerous
ad hoc companies for spe-
cial projects involving the
buying, improving, de-
veloping and selling of
houses and began to in-
clude in his companies in-
cividuals involved in the
higher echelons of the
French government, a
move which proved an
asset to his business.
However, with the fre-
quent ch-anges of political
regimes during the
post-World War II period
those business firms
v‘rhich included political
personalities on their
boards found themselves
in difficulty.
Sharon's operations,
like others, came under
scrutiny from the oppo-
nents of political board
members as well as from
income tax officials who
thought that some of his
operations were not in
strict keeping with in
come tax laws. -
Sharon said that after
the Six-Day War he be-
came interested in Israel
and began donating
funds. The late Pinhas
Sapir, then Israel's Fi-
nance Minister, asked
him why he didn't oper-
ate any businesses in Is-
rael. "I told him, 'just
bring me the right busi-
ness and I am in,' '' Sha-
ron said. Sapir then
brought him together
with Aryeh Pilitz, an Is-
raeli businessman -
was planning the nee,
Aviv bus station. "That
was it," he said, and in
1968 he moved to Israel.
Meanwhile, France has
charged that Sharon owes
millions of francs in in-
come tax. His lawyer
said, are working on
matter and are expected to
clear it up soon. Till then,
Sharon, whose business
enterprises in France con-
tinue to expand, is refrain-
ing from visiting that
country.
While waiting out the
legal moves, Sharon re-
sides in the posh Savyon
suburb of Tel Aviv.