2 Friday, September 10, 1976

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Purely Commentary

Politicized Religion and a Variety of Factors
Which Sensationalize- the Current Campaign
for the Presidency . . . African Issue Clarified

By Philip
Slomovitz

Gerald Ford made a statement endorsing religious
studies and prayers in the schools during his cam-
paign in New Hampshire in February. (See Commen-
tary, Jewish News, Feb. 27.)
'Why this nonsense about the religious issue in a
campaign, even if the 1976 contest is not as normal as
An overwhelming vote in the U. S. Senate to im-
most? What's this baloney about a "Catholic vote,"
pose penalities upon American business firms who col-
over the abortion issue, harming Carter? Isn't it gen-
laborate with Arabs in boycotting Americans doing
erally known that a loss one way gains adherents from
business with Israel is receiving even stronger sup-
,::
opposite quarters? Isn't it understood that the princi-
.
port from the House of Representatives.
pie in physics, "every action has an opposite and equal
The International Relations Committee of the
reaction, ' is applicable to politics?
U.S. House of Representatives voted 27 to 1 "to effec-
The religious scuffle goes on. Jim Bishop m:
tively bar American compliance with the interna-
much to-do about Jewish "suspicions" of Carter ai.....
tional Arab boycott." Congressman William S. Broom-
Rabbi Marc Tannenbaum of the American Jewish
field, ranking Republican member of that committee,
Committee didn't taste honey from that columnist's
took a strong stand in support of this language in the
analysis of his survey of the religious-political status.
resolution.
The fact is that Bishop's premise was wrong. If the
_Nt _
Yet the Commerce Department faces the charge of
Separation ideal was at issue — and to this commen-
YITZHAK RABIN
JOHN VORSTER
obstructing Congressional action against the boycott.
tator
it was the only one—then both major candidates
Secretary of the Treasury William Simon shares i n
about $493 million or about 11 percent of South Afri- are under challenge to prove their adherence to a
these accusations. Therefore, the White House is
major American principle. Carter has affirmed that he
ca's total exports.
under suspicion and the rumors that President Gerald
The extensive study and documentary referred stands by Separation. Dare we doubt him? President -
Ford may veto the projected measure creates a real
issue for the nation, and such action could more seri- to by Dr. Hertzberg was done by an eminent re- Ford is yet to be heard on the subject. Can we afford to
ously damage the Ford image in the present political searcher, Dr. Moshe Decter, whose exposes of the pre- wait until he actually starts his campaign?
Meanwhile, there are other issues on the agenda,
campaign than any other of the obstacles confronted judices against Jews in Russia elevated him to a role of
one of the leading authorities on Jewish conditions in and the Middle East expectedly, creeps in—is dragged
by the Republican Party.
Administrative opposition to the pending mea- Russia. In his 17-page anotated article, "South Africa in even when the injection is unnecessary. But it is a
sure soon to be presented to the President for his sig- and Black Africa: A Report on Growing Trade- Rela- major issue and can not be avoided. Why the competi-
nature is explained as a caution not to harm U.S. rela- tions", Dr. Decter substantiated the definitive points tion over it when there is unanimity that the Ameri-
can -Israel friendship is as basic to this country as the
tions with the Arab states. That, of course, is a lot of advanced by Dr. Hertzberg:
According to the Economist of London (January most elementary aspects of justice, decency and
buncombe. This country is providing the Arab states
18, 1975), nearly 80 percent of South African mine humanism?
with so much ammunition, there are so many gifts and
The politicians would do American Jewry a favor if
labor is drawn from neighboring black states. And
concessions to the Arabs, that they know where the
their numbers are growing. In early 1975 the number they asserted in behalf of all concerned that Israel is
White House stands in the matter of retaining friend-
of foreign blacks working in South African mines was not a political issue, that she is on the agenda of an
ships with Arabs.
international friendship inseparable from
estimated at 296,000.
The Congressional action deals with a moral issue.
The case of black miners from Mozambique is Americanism and end it at that. Perhaps this would
The Arabs are seeking to harm not only all Jews, but
revealing and instructive. According to the also contribute to the elimination of the Jewish religi-
many Americans who do business with Israel.
Washington Post (April 16, 1976), the number of ous issue as a most unnecessary subject either for
The challenge to the President is, therefore, to
workers from Mozambique in South African mines debate or suspicion.
avoid being a partner in the Arab scheme to harm
Perhaps there is fault also on the Jewish side of
and industries has increased from less than 100,000
Americans, non-Jews as well as Jews. The immorality,
before that country's independence in 1975 to nearly the fence. Richard Nixon had gained Jewish support
the indecency of the Arab scheme to harm Americans
180,000 today. Mozambique mine workers in the which led to his victory over Hubert Humphrey in
economically because they are friendly to and with
Transvaal,
South Africa, bring in the largest chunk of 1968, and some Israelis spoke out of turn in selecting
Israel is being declared intolerable by Congress.
foreign exchange which Mozambique earns from any "their candidate." It was a "none-of-their business"
Jimmy Carter made a strong statement against
blunder. This is something to be avoided now. Yet the
source.
the Arab boycott.
The terms under which black laborers from Israel embassy gets an occasional drag-in into the cur-
It is inconceivable that President Ford, whose
Mozambique work in South Africa can best be de- rent political shibboleths. idote, for instance, an article
background is one of affirmed friendship for Israel,
Robert Scheer in New Times magazine in which he
, scribed by the American phrase "sweetheart con- by
could possibly act negatively on the subject.
deals
with "revelations." He states:
tracts"— except that in this case it is the Mozambique
The morality of basic decencies in American
The exact role of the Israeli Embassy in influencing
government rather than a labor union that signs the
economic and human policies must triumph and the
American presidential politics has always been some-
contracts for the workers.
President would do well to clarify his position quickly.
thing of a mystery. It has been widely rumored, for
* * *
Under the standard arrangement, the South Af-
instance, that the position of any presidential candi-
rican mining companies pay the Mozambique work-
Israel and South Africa:
date on the Mideast is "cleared" with the embassy,
ers 40 percent of their wages directly, in South Afri-
but the charge has been difficult to document.
Role of African States
can currency. The bulk of their wages — the remain-
However. I recently came across an internal
ing 60 percent — is paid by the companies not to the
in Matters of Business
memo
from the Carter campaign that gives some in-
black workers but to their government, in gold bull-
When Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin and John
sight into this process. The memo undermines the
ion. Not until the miners return home after their-con-
Vorster of Israel and South Africa met in Jerusalem
charge that Carter has been cool toward Israel, for it
tracts have expired does their government pay them
several months ago, the trade agreement they
reveals him to be very conscientious in checking out
the
60
percent
of
their
wages
that
had
been
withheld.
reached for their respective nations created a di-
his position with the embassy . It also establishes a
And then they are paid in local currency; Mozambique
lemma and continues to arouse controversy.
closer worki ng relationship than Carter was willing
retains the gold.
It was asked: How can Israel, as an opponent of
to admit to when I questioned him about this.
This
arrangement
gives
Mozambique
a
profit
of
apartheid, agree to do business with South Africa
Ieisn't difficult to create an issue, expecially in
over 200 percent on the labor of its citizens. It also
where the race issue is so extensive and tragic?
politics.
A simple question addresses itself to Scheer's
amounts to a subsidy paid by South Africa to the
Bayard Rustin, a confirmed friend of Israel, a man
Black African state for furnishing mine workers who "expose"? What's wrong with a candidatetor the great
without prejudices, an avowed liberal, who is director
— in order to find work — accept not only harsh office of President of the United States consulting a
of the Black Americans to Support Israel Committee,
working conditions but the status of veritable inde- foreign embassy on a matter involving the two na-
posed the most serious challenge. In a letter to his
tions? Would a President in office be expected to ignore
ntured servants.
friend and co-worker in liberal causes, Dr. Arthur
Apartheid is wrong and Israel remains in the high the foreign embassies? And if a President is expected
Hertzberg, president of the American Jewish Con-
ranks of its opponents. The Jewish community of to know the whys and wherefores of foreign relations
gress, he asked:
Not only I but every friend of Israel in the black South Africa overwhelmingly supports the progres- by contacting foreign powers, why shouldn't the can-
for that office?
community was chagrined by this news. Our support sives under the leadership of Helen Suzman in opposi- didates
What's at the root of the injection of unnecessary
of Israel has been based not merely on pragmatic tionto the existing prejudices. Israel's position fol-
lows
a
pattern
in
international
relations.
It
is
to
be
issues
like
religion into political debates? The answer
considerations nor even on what we may conceive to
hoped
that
Israel
will
not
be
penalized
by
friends
like
may
be
a simple one. Quest for sensationalism by
be the best national interests of our country but
rather on moral concerns, on our historic and deep Bayard Rustin for pursuing what presently appears to commentators, by news analysts, by politicians posit -
creates more trouble than all the proble
sense of solidarity with the Jewish people and our be an unavoidable trade policy with a nation with as experts,
affecting the American people. At least on the que.-
and does not agree.
appreciation of the state of Israel as a progressive whose race views it can * not
* *
tion of religion in politics it is time there was an end to
and democratic society.
sensationalism in news and exploratory analytical ex-
Religion
Politicized:
Can it be, we ask ourselves, that Israel is depart-
pertness.
The American voter, in the long run, gets
ing from its principles and character and repudiating Speculation and Malarkey
Speculation is rife in political discussions. Relig- wise to the shenanigans and knows best how to judge
its hostility to apartheid? We find that impossible to
* * *
believe. Nevertheless, we need an open and true ion has become a matter of puzzlement as well as the office seekers.
curiosity.
Suddenly,
the
Baptists
have
come
under
clarification of the facts.
Plaudits in Principle
Rabbi Hertzberg went into great detail in his re- scrutiny, in spite of the general admission that church for McCarthy and Dole
ply, in which he decried the hypocrisy of overlooking attendance (synagogues as well?) has declined and the
Eugene McCarthy, whose name may not even be
the fact that 19 African states are doing business with religious issues of the Presidential campaigns of 1928
alone
is
carrying
the
brunt
(Al
Smith)
and
1960
(John
Kennedy)
have
no
echoes
available
for Michigan voters on the Nov. 2 ballot,
South Africa while Israel
advocates changing the two-party system by the in-
of blame for a trade pact with the Vorster govern- today.
Yet, there was a religious factor when the ques- troduction of a third party.
ment. In a lengthy reply to clarify the issue, Dr.
Robert Dole, President Ford's running mate,
tion of the Church-State Separation Principle was
Hertzberg said:
under
question.
When
Jimmy
Carter
was
suspected
of
pleads
for retention of the two-party system.
In this connection, may I refer to the facts re-
Both have our blessings for these views. What
vealed in the attached study by the American Jewish favoring installation of prayer sessions in the public
Congress demonstrating the large and growing vol- schools, this commentator was among the critics. they propagate is retention of a more-than-one party
ume of trade between South Africa and 19 Black Afri- Sandy Levin's charming wife, told of the concern over for this republic. Else we'll be like Russia and Egypt
and Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
can states. Authoritative estimates indicate that Separation, was among the first to contact Carter, and Libya
As long as we have a choice and are not limited to
South Africa's annual imports from the rest of Africa during his campaign on the eve of the Michigan
are worth about $340 million, the wquivalent of 5 per Primaries, and she brought a denial from the Democ- dictatorial rule by one party, we'll be secure, no matter
cent of South Africa's total imports. And South Afri- ratic candidate. But this commentator was equally as how much stronger one party will be over the others on
ca's annual exports to the rest of Africa amount to critical of President Ford on this question when the ballot. Else, we'll really be in trouble.

Ford, Commerce 'Department
and Congress' Aim Jo Ban
Arab Boycott Immorality

