56 Friday September 3, 1976 •

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Detroit Delegates in Attendance

Israel-Sponsored Jerusalem Conference
Encourages Yiddish and Jewish Culture

By YITZHAK SHARGIL

JERUSALEM (JTA) —
An overflow crowd of

EPHRAIM KATZIR

some 2000 persons includ-
ing Mr. and Mrs. Morris
Friedman of Detroit,
jammed the Jerusalem
Theater for the opening
session of the first world
conference in Israel for
Yiddish and Jewish cul-
ture.

President Ephraim
Katzir, in a message from
Hadassah hospital where
he is recovering from
surgery, set the tone for
the four day event by not-
ing that the conference is
living evidence of the
mutual respect existing
today between Hebrew
and Yiddish.
He stressed that in Is-

rael, more than anywhere
else, Yiddish literature is
flourishing with more
Yiddish books being
printed here than in any
other country,
Katzir's message; like
all the addresses at the
conference was in Yiddish.
Education and Culture
Minister Aharon Yadlin,-
accompanied by Interior
Minister Yosef... Burg,
Minister Without Portfol-
ion Gideon Hausner, Ab-
sorption Minister Shlomo
Rosen and Labor Minister
Moshe Baram, gave the of-
ficial greetings on behalf
of the government. •
Yadlin reported that

the ministry of education
has recognized Yiddish as
a language in the secon-
dary schools and that
some students have
taken their matriculation
examinations in Yiddish.
He said he has asked
Habimah, the Israeli na-
tional theater, to include
Yiddish plats in their per-
formances in Israel and
abroad.
Meyer Bass, secretary
of the American commit-
tee for the conference,
noted that there are some
40 -colleges and univer-
sities where Yiddish is
taught in the U.S. and the
need is for more teachers
and librarians.

Face of Labor Party Politics Changing
A Year After the Death of Pinhas Sapir

BY MOSHE RON

Jewish News Special
Israel Correspondent

TEL AVIV — The pop-
ularity of Premier Yitzhak
Rabin has risen after the
successful military opera-
tion at Entebbe. The ques-
tion is whether this
favorable trend will last un-
til the Knesset elections in
1977.
Rabin does not like
criticism against his govern-
ment._ Prof. Yigael Yadin
criticized the government as
being incapable of carrying
out important resolutions
owing to coalition dif-
ficulties. He said the
differences of opinion
between Mapam and Mafdal
tie the hands of Rabin on
the Gush Emunim settlers
in Kadum, on the National
Health Bill and other im-
portant questionS.
Rabin reacted strongly
and called Prof. Yadin a
false Messiah and a danger
to democracy in Israel. The
Israeli Press and even
circles in the Labor Party
regretted this strong per-
sonal attack on Yadin,
saying that it damaged

again the popularity of the
Premier.
A central bloc, the
"Gush," has ruled the
Mapai and later the
labor Party. It was domi-
nant in the party
machinery and all party
nominations were prac-
tically dictated by the
Gush. Its unofficial leader
was the strong man in the
party, the late Pinhas
Sapir. When Yitzhak
Rabin was elected by the
central committee of the
Labor Party as a can-
didate for the premiership
against Shimon Peres, the
votes of the members of the
Gush were decisive.
When Sapir became
chairman of the Jewish
Agency, he lost the
leadership of the Gush to
the present finance
minister, Yehoshua
Rabinowitz. After the death
of Sapir, Rabinowitz tried to
nominate, with the help of
the Gush, his candidates for
the offices of secretary of
the Labor Party in the Tel
Aviv district, secretary of
the Tel Aviv Labor Council
and secretary of "Hapoel".
But with the death of

party "strong man" Sapir,
Rabinowitz and the Gush
lost their power in the party
and young leaders were
chosen for these important
offices against the stand of
Rabinowitz and the Gush.
The general secretary of the
party, Meir Zarmi, who
relied always on the power
of the Gush knows now that
the Gush has lost its power
and that a new party
leadership will be elected in
the forthcoming party con-
vention.
* * *

The council of the
Jewish Agency (Sokhnut)
has decided to refrain from
holding elections for the
next Zionist Congress. The
mandates would be dis-
tributed between the fac-
tions according to the
"key" of the last
Congress. The represen-
tatives of Mapam,
Revisionists and the
younger leaders criticized
this decision strongly.
They argued that the old
guard wished to hinder the
young generation from
taking their place in the
Zionist movement.

"Haaretz" published the
sensational news that the
proposal not to hold elec-
tions was put forward by an
immigrant from Israel, the
leader of the Zionist federa-
tion in the U.S. Kalman
Sultanick, who has lived for
15 -years in the U.S. The
chairman of the student
organization in Israel Dubi
Bergman revealed this in a
letter to Rabin and declared
that the resolution not to
hold elections for the Zionist
Congress is •anti-democratic
and endangers the existence
of the Zionist Organization.
This decision bars the ways
from young Zionists to join
the Zionist movement and
to be active in it.
All signs indicate that the
old Zionist leaders, who
come often to Israel on mis-
sions for the Zionist move-
ment, Bonds, Keren
Kayemet, Keren Hayessod,
etc., will continue to repre-
sent their countries in the
Zionist movement, which is
getting weaker and weaker
as no fresh blood in pumped
into it in order to rejuvenate
it and make it' more active
and attractive.

Rabin Cites National Security Reasons at Cabinet Meeting

Boris SmoIar's

'Between You
... and Me'

Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA

(Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.)

COMMUNAL AFFAIRS: Thirty Israeli scholars and
university professors — each an expert in a particular field
of life in Israel — are now in the United States as "Scholars-
in-Residence" in a number of communities. They were
brought over to give the U.S. Jewish communities al - -ed
and authoritative personal view on Israel and its .e.
The mission of each "scholar-in-residence" is to bring
quality and "in-depth" information on Israel to the com-
munity; also to meet with non-Jewish groups in the
community and with faculty and students on the campus.
Benefitting from the Israeli "scholar-in-residence"
system are New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia,
Miami, Boston, Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, Detroit,
Cleveland, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis,
Milwaukee, Hartford, Des Moines, Louisville, Memphis,
Nashville, Tucson and a number of other communities.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: The "scholar-in-
residence" program is naturally welcomed by every com-
munity. At the same time it provikes as question: Why not
develop a "scholar-in-residence" program in reverse?
It is no secret that people in Israel know very little —
almost nothing — on the vibrating multi-colored life of the
Jewish communities in the United States and their, in-
stitutions. They know that American Jewry is generous in
giving financial aid to Israel and that it stands on guard in
critical moments for . Israel in Washington. But what do
they know about the creative forces of the 800 Jewish
communities in America outside of their fund-raising for.
Israel?
What do Israelis know of the functions of the Council
of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds which is the
central body of the organized Jewish communities in
America? What do they know about the wide net of Jewish
cultural and educational institutions in this country
ranging from lower Jewish schools to Jewish universities
and classes on Jewish subjects in many general univer- -
sities, or about the various communal problems faced by
American Jewry?
The press in Israel pays no attention to creative
development in Jewish life in America. The school system
fails to teach children in higher grades about American
Jewry. No public lectures are ever held in Jerusalem, Tel
Aviv and other cities to enlighten the Israelis on Jewish
communal affairs in the United States. Small wonder that
very few in fsrael - have a comprehensive picture of
American Jewry, except the picture of a "rich uncle."
TWO-WAY MISSION: A "two-way system" between
Israel and the American Jewish community in spreading
"in-depth" knowledge about each other is essential for the
benefit of both — Israel and American Jewry.
A better understanding and fuller appreciation of the
role of American Jewry in the destiny of the Jewish people
in general as well as of Israel is especially impOrtant for the
younger generation in Israel. By being ignorant of
developments in Jewish communal life in America, the
young Israelis are far from being helpful in cementing
strong feelings for Israel among American Jews of the
younger generation. To think of American Jewry merely in
terms of fund-raising for Israel and to know practically
nothing of the other aspects of American Jewish communal
developments spells gradual estrangement.

'Third Man' Verdict in Lavon Affair Will Remain Secret, Israel Says

JERUSALEM (JTA) —
Premier Yitzhak Rabin
told the Cabinet that
there was no justification
on grounds of national in-
terest, or for any other
substantive reason, to
permit the publication of
the verdict in the trial of
Avri El-Ad, known as
"the third man" in the
1954 security mishap that
led to the "Lavon affair."
All the ministers agreed
with him.
During the Cabinet
meeting, Rabin, it was
learned, severely
criticized the former
Chief - of Intelli-gence,
Isser Harel, for revealing
details about various con-
flicts within the intelli-
gence community at the
time of the Lavon affair.
The premier was refer-
ring to interviewsgiven
by Harel to Israel TV and

the daily Haaretz.
The interview with
Harel, and the discussion
of the Lavon affair in the
Cabinet followed the re-
cent publication in the
United States of El-Ad's
book, "Decline of Honor,"

AVRI EL - AD

in which he criticizes the
intelligence community.
El-Ad was the leader of
the Israeli spy ring in
Egypt which was captured
while attempting to sabot-
age American and British
installations in Cairo and

Alexandria. In his book he
charges that the military
establishment falsely
placed the blame on
Pinhas Lavon, who was
then the Defense Minister,
for the aborted attempt.
El-Ad also says that he

PINHAS LAVON

1SSER HAREL

was arrested and charged
with security violations
after he decided to testify
that Lavon was innocent.
He contends that his con-
viction was based on what
he insists was false tes-
timony by Harel. During
the Lavon controversy,
El-Ad was referred to as
"the third man" since his
arrest and conviction
were in secret.
A small number of
prominent citizens, led by
Harel, have demanded
publicity so that El-Ad
can be tried in the wake of
alleged distortions in his
book about the 1954 mis-
hap in Egypt and his sub-
sequent trial on other
security charges for
which he finally served 10
years in prison.
At the Cabinet meet-
ing, Rabin also said that
it was entirely up to the

Attorney General to de-
cide whether to prosecute
El-Ad because of sec is
he may have revea. 1
his new book. It was nct a
matter for the govern-
ment to decide, he said.
Rabin said that the ver-
dict in El-Ad's trial in the
Jerusalem District Court
on charges unrelated to
the 1954 mishap was sec-
ret on grounds of state
security, as the court itself
had ruled at the time. The
government had the right
to - request the court to
allow the publication of the
trial proceedings, Rabin
conceded, but there was no
reason to do so.
El-Ad now lives in
California, and parts of
his book are being printed
in Haaretz. The original
version of the book, in
English, is for sale in all
book shops in Jerusalem.

