56 Friday, November 12, 1976
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Labor Factions Struggle for Premiership
BY MOSHE RON
Jewish News Special
Israel Correspondent
TEL AVIV- — The Is-
raeli Labor Party is in the
midst of a controversy,
deciding who will be its
candidate for the Pre-
miership after the Knes-
set elections in October,
1977.
Leading members of
the party, including Pre-
mier Rabin, debated the
issue in the Tel Aviv
apartment of Finance
Minister Yehoshua
Rabinowitz. The question
arose of how to arrange a
"peace-agreement" be-
tween the three leading
members, Yitzhak Rabin,
Shimon Peres and Yigal
Allon, who represent the
three factions comprising
the Labor party — Mapai,
R afi and Achdut
HaAvoda.
members
Cabinet
Yehoshua Rabinowitz,
Chaim Zadok and Ab-
raham Ofer favored an
SHIMON PERES
early agreement between
the three to increase to
four again the party lead-
ership. They wish to avoid
a personal confrontation
between Rabin and Peres
about the future pre-
miership. Ofer tried to
mediate between Rabin
and Peres to persuade
them to keep their pre-
sent positions in the gov-
ernment which will be
formed after the next
Knesset elections.
Author Writes From the Heart
in Books on Jews and Israel
nian Orthodox Episcopate
By HEIDI PRESS
of America,.who is under
Raised by an atheist fire from the National
mother, even though her Council of Churches and
parents were born the Immigration and
Jewish, author Peggy Naturalization Service for
Mann writes on Jewish his anti-Jewish activities
topics because "that's in Romania during the
where my heart is."
Nazi era.
In Detroit recently to
The Trifa article came
speak on children's books as a result of a meeting
at the Detroit Free Press with New York dentist
Children's Book Fair, Dr. Charles Kremer, a na-
Miss Mann discussed her tive of Romania, who has
interest in Israel and the been conducting a cam-
Holocaust.
paign in this country to
"I went to Israel and bring Trifa to justice. The
left with a feeling that I article, appearing in the
summer 1974 issue of
Present Tense, deals with
Dr. Kremer's persistence
and frustration in seek-
ing the ouster of Trifa
from the U.S.
Her new book, "The
Secret Ship," is an adap-
tation from "The Last
Escape." Written for
children, it details the
journey of one of the il-
Miss Mann
legal immigration ships
wanted to do something to Israel.
for Israel." She's pursu-
Currently, she is work-
- ing that task in her writ- ing on another Holocaust-
ing. In the past, she has related story. It is about
written travelogues on the true experiences of a
Israel. Her book, `Golda," Holocaust survivor, yet
written for young adults will be written as a
on the campus who were novel. The book is tenta-
being inundated with tively titled, "Watch the
Arab propaganda, was Children.'-'-
written to publicize facts
Among the 30 books she
about Israel. "I wanted to has written are many
make people understand children's books, includ-
why Israel should exist," ing "King Laurence the
she said.
Alarm Clock," "My Dad
Another of her books on Lives in a Downtown
a Jewish topic, "The Last Hotel," "The Street of the
Escape," which deals with Flower Boxes" and "The
the story of Ruth Klueger, Club House." Aside from
who led an illegal Jewish being an author in her
immigration movement in own right, Miss Mann has
pre-Holocaust Europe, been a television
earned national acclaim. It scriptwriter and copywri-
also led to an important ar- ter. She has made 12
ticle on Bishop Valerian research-writing trips to
Trifa, head of the Roma- Israel.
YITZHAK RABIN
Minister of Justice
Chaim Zadok, who is a
strong supporter of Rabin,
said in a press interview,
that a member of the
Cabinet, who wishes to
compete with the active
Premier for office, must
resign his Cabinet post.
Zadok believes that the
question of the premier-
ship should be decided by
the party before its con-
vention in February, 1977,
because any postpone-
ment could damage the
chances of the party in the
next Knesset elections.
Peres has reacted
sharply to Zadok's prop-
osal. Peres has main-
tained, there is no legal
question concerning
cabinet members who
wish to pursue the post of
premier. He is ready to
give examples from
former Israeli adminis-
trations, when any
Cabinet member could
fight for the premiership.
The partisans of Rabin
maintain their positions,
that if a member of the
Cabinet should decide to
compete for the premier-
ship, he must resign his
cabinet post. Rabin was
asked what would happen
if Peres would refuse to do
so, and Rabin answered,
"This would not be fair
from a political and social
point of view.
"I have been elected by
the party central commit-
tee to form a Cabinet. The
election in the committee
was secret. Whoever
wishes to undermine its
outcome, must explain,
why the party should now
express its lack of confi-
dence in the present
Prime Minister."
A debate has also
started in the press, as to
whether Peres must leave
the government if he
wishes to compete for the
premiership. It turns out,
that there is a tacit agree-
ment between Peres and
Abba Eban, that both will
put forward their candi-
dacy for the premiership
in the central committee
and thus create a situation,
where Eban will attract
votes which would have
gone to Rabin, thus giving
Peres the nomination.
In central committee
voting two and a flair
years ago, Rabin defeated
Peres by only a small
majority. Pinhas Sapir
had then influenced
many Mapai members to
vote for Rabin, but now
the situation has
changed. Sapir is dead
and the old guard of the
Mapai has lost its influ-
ence with younger lead-
ers leaning toward Peres.
The personal con-
troversy between Rabin
: and Peres has influenced
all political life in the
country. Golda Meir ex-
pressed her opinion, that
each member of the party
has the right to put for-
ward his candidacy for
any post, including the
premiership. Abba. Eban
has already announced in
public that he will be a
candidate for the pre-
miership. Peres met
Rabin and asked outright
if Rabin demands his res-
ignation as Defense
Minister. Rabin denied
any such demand.
Minister of Communi-
cation, Gad Yaacobi
mediated between Rabin
and Peres in an attempt
to restore a peaceful co-
existence but the tension
has remained. Rabin
announced in a cabinet
meeting that in the fu-
ture he would show more
interest in the activities
of the occupied ter-
ritories, which are pres-
ently entirely under the
control of the Defense
Ministry.
Nobody knows when
the final standoff be-
tween Rabin and Peres
will come about, but
everybody in the Labor
Party knows that the con-
frontation is inevitable.
Navy Signalmen Hoist First
Jewish Worship Flag on Ship
U.S. Navy Signalmen hoist the first Jewish worship
pennant in the U.S. Navy aboard USS GUAM in Norfolk,
Va. Until now, there has never been a Jewish pennant
flying when Jewish worship services were conducted.
The idea for a Jewish pennant came from a Catholic
priest — Rear Admiral John J. O'Connor, chief of chap-
lains, U.S. Navy. It was endorsed and the design was
approved by the National Jewish Welfare Board Com-
mission on Jewish Chaplaincy, the body which accredits
and serves Jewish chaplains and military lay leaders.
The Christian Church Pennant and Jewish Worship
Pannant are the only pennants ever allowed to fly above
the U.S. national flag.
Attorney General Levi Echoes
Sentiments of His Grandfather
BY JOSEPH POLAKOFF
(Copyright 1976, JTA, Inc.)
During America's cen-
tennial in 1876, Rabbi
David Einhorn stood in
the Touro Synagogue in
Newport, R.I., and asked
whether the words,
thoughts and examples of
America's founding
fathers are "still today
the guiding stars which
determine our people's
thoughts and feelings,
our actions and our fai-
lures to act?"
A hundred years later,
on Sept. 12, 1976, Rabbi
Einhorn's great-
grandson, Edward H.
Levi, the Attorney Gen-
eral of the United States,
asked the same question
at America's oldest
Jewish place of worship in
an address marking the
synagogue's bicentennial
observance.
"If the past is to have
meaning now, as we de-
sire it to have, this ques-
tion always must be
asked, and it is not to be
obscured because the
light of history makes the
noble qualities more ap-
parent by recognizing
imperfections as well,"
Levi said.
"When we have doubt, as
often we must, we still
must recognize, particu-
larly in this bicentennial
year, that we have had and
still have these, guiding
stars which have helped to
create the world's best
hope."
Levi, first Jew ever to
be the Attorney General,
described the "inspired
message of loyalty and
hope" expressed by the
Touro Congregation in
1789 to the federal union
and its leaders shortly
after the Republic's
founding and President
Washington's response to
it as "treasures for man-
kind."
Stamps Depict Archeological Finds
The three stamps depict archeological discoveries in Jerusalem, including a
staircase from the scond Temple (First Century BCE); an arch from the Temple; and a
Byzantine building dating from the Sixth Century CE. The two stamps at right are
symbolic of the Israeli interest in chess. The multicolored stamps were issued this
month by the Ministry of Communications, Philatelic Services division.