THE JEWISH NEWS
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Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the eighth day of Av, 5737, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22. Prophetical portion, Isaiah 1:1-27.
Sunday, Fast of the Ninth of Av
Lamentations is read Saturday evening. Sunday morning Pentateuchal portion, Deuteronomy 4:25-40. Prophetical portion,
leremiah 8:13-9:23. Sunday afternoon Pentateuchal portion, Exodus 32:11-14; 34:1-10. Prophetical portion, Isaiah 55:6-56:8.
VOL. LXXI, No. 20
Page Four
Friday, July 22, 1977
Too Many Trouble Spots
Argentina has been a trouble spot for Jews
for some time, and the seriousness of it emerg-
ed full force when the American Jewish Com-
mittee found it compulsory to recall its repre-
sentative from that country.
This step some days ago was reminiscent of
an earlier incident, in Poland, where the Joint
Distribution Committee operated and con-
ducted vocational services for the training of
unemployed young Jews. In the early 1960s the
increased anti-Semitism and the government's
prejudiced attitude forced JDC out of that land
where the pre-Nazi Jewish population of more
than 31/2 million had been reduced to the pre-
sent 6,000 or 7,000.
There are dangers for Jews n many other
lands, in addition to those dominated by the
Muslims. There are the dangers in South Africa
and Rhodesia. These are tense times for the
Jews in Quebec, due to the Francoization lan-
guage-wise.
The deteriorating freedoms are major causes
of emigration from the lands either of oppres-
sion or of declines in basic freedoms not for
Jews alone but for all the citizens of the coun-
tries involved. Even where there is no pre-
judice the agonies that are suffered due to the
declines in opportunities create an urge for a
scapegoat, and what better one is ever avail-
able than the Jew?
Evidenced on the horizon, therefore, are in-
creasingly troublous times. That which dis-
tresses a Jew in Argentina or in Rhodesia or in
an Arab-dominated country also affects the
Jews everywhere. Therefore, the hope that
when kinsmen are troubled help will be avail-
able and the kinsmen of the harmed will be in
a position to be rahamim bnai rahamim, the
merciful sons of a merciful people. Israel cer-
tainly is available as an ingathenng sanctuary
for Jews from everywhere. With all-too-many
trouble spots in the world, it is to hoped that
the sun will shine where there are clouds now,
and that the pending global menace will vanish
speedily.
When a Community Stands Firm
Changing neighborhoods are not new occur-
rences in American life. True: especially in
rural districts among farmers and where fam-
ily pride has kept generations rooted to their
family abodes there has been stability. Never-
theless, in urban experiences, the constant
changes in neighborhoods has been a rule
rather than an exception.
When differing elements, involving the racial
and the ethnic factors, come into play, the
changes have been more frequent, unfortu-
nately more rapid.
When a community acts in unison to retain
its established standards and seeks to dis-
courage flight resulting in drastic changes,
often in real estate financial losses, there is
-
hope for the desired stability.
Oak Park is emerging as a symbol of the de-
sired unity in retaining the desired stability.
The fact that the city council, the rabbinate,
newly formed movements of blacks and whites
are working in harmony towards that end is
cause for optimism.
Perhaps Oak Park is more fortunate in its
aims because the citizens are so strongly
linked with the religious institutions and a pro-
gressive school system.
This accounts especially for successful ef-
forts in the direction of retaining the entity of
cooperative elements. What Oak Park is doing
and experiencing may serve as an example for
others to follow.
Jewish Center as Tower of Strength
Metropolitan Detroit Jewry's pride in its Jew-
ish Community Centers had a temporary set-
back in recent months due to certain curtail-
ments and obstacles that apparently were occa-
sioned by architectural deficiencies which
needed renovations.
Perhaps it was due more to the vast increas-
es in services resulting from a doubled mem-
bership in the new facilities that a drop in en-
rollment was evidenced as a measure of criti-
cisms.
A renewed spirit of confidence expressed by
the Center's directorial forces must serve as en-
couragement to the Greater Detroit Jewish pop-
ulation that traditional programming will not
suffer and the services so vitally needed will
not be affected by some obstacles which now
are proving solvable.
The Detroit Jewish Center has a gained a na-
tionwide reputation for pioneering in many cul-
tural projects. These are being abandoned. The
Hebrew studies are proceeding, the Book Fair
remains a source of •inspiration and the numer-
ous other factors in the educational aspects are
gaining new strength.
The explanatory statement published last
week should be heartening to those who had be-
come skeptical kbout the Center and its activi-
ties. The advanc planning for the Book Fair al-
ready indicates that the best known authors on
vital Jewish subjects again will be the guests
of this community. The Hebraic studies have
proven most valuable for many who wish to
keep abreast of events in Israel and especially
for prospective settlers in Israel and the many
tourists who are visiting the Jewish estate.
The exhibition of art works by Israeli chil-
dren during the past weeks was proof of the
value of the art exhibitions at the Jewish Cen-
ter. In the coming months one of the most
deeply moving exhibitions of photographs from.
Jerusalem, which is currently a great attrac-
tion at the Jewish Museum in New York, is
soon to be brought to the Jewish Center from
originals from John Phillips' "A Will to Sur-
vive," reviewed in last week's Jewish News,
will be on exhibition. These are markedly im-
pressive services which must be valued and
deeply appreciated.
Such is the image of a valuable Jewish com-
munal agency. Temporary errors do not mar
its importance. A great Center has been built
and its existence must be respected and pro-
tected.
The services in the branch facility, the 10
Mile Road Center, are not and must not be ig-
nored. The elderly and the young both need it
and must be provided for. With the cooperation
of those who are served there is need for reten-
tion of confidence that the community will ben-
efit in both Center structures.
Combined, the two buildings are a tower of
strength for Greater Detroit Jewry. It is as
such that it must be treated.
Ira Hirschmann's 'Questions,
Answers About Arabs, Jews
Ira Hirschmann has a long record of leidership in clarifying Is-
rael's role in the world and m defending Jewish rights. As an emis-
sary of the Roosevelt Administration to help in refugee rescue ef-
forts, his activities date back to the earliest era of struggle to refute
libels and to advocate justice for Jews and for Israel when the state
was reborn.
Added to several of his books on Israel and the Middle East is a
paperbacked book published by Bantam Books in which he refutes
untruths and presents the facts about the current Middle East situa-
tion. In "Questions and Answers About Arabs and Jews" (Bantam)
he deals with every conceivable issue affecting the two peoples. He
touches upon the territorial question, refugees, the Jews exiled from
Arab lands as well as the Russian involvement.
This paperback has special merit because of the
many maps inserted to add to an understanding of
the emerging problems.
Hirschmann, who often lectures here on Middle
East questions, adds to his question-and-answer
text a resume of the Middle East developments
and he states - in part:
"The problem involves more than a small state of
three million Jews fighting against 125 million
Arabs for its right to survive and co-exist. It con-
stitutes the severest test, whether a system of de-
mocracy can exist as a neighbor in the vast Mos-
,
Hirschmann lem region.
"Is there any visible progress in building a bridge of co-existence
between Arab and Jew? Israel's olive branch, scorned by the extrem-
ist Arabs backed by the Russians—is nevertheless held out to her
neighbors with a firm and unwavering hand. In this hand is a new
solution, not derived from _military might or diplomatic pressures
from outside powers which to date have failed, but from nature in
the form of water anc sunlight. The advances made by Israeli scien-
tists will enable the unleashing of floods of purified, desalinated
water to irrigate the sands in the Arab world, as well as in Israel,
and provide that long sought break-through for peace."
Hirschmann's work is not only a splendidly compiled set of griev-
ances against those defaming Israel: addressed to Arab scientists it
formulates an appeal to them to end hostilities, to collaborate with
Israel, to benefit from joint efforts to provide economic blessings for
the entire Middle East. In the process of such an appeal, the follow-
ing excerpt will indicate the effectiveness of this book:
"Are there any joint U.S.-Israeli projects in progress? On June 2'7,
1975 a joint agreement was made between the two countries 'for the
design, construction, testing and operation of a large-scale prototype
desalting plant...with a production capacity of approximately
10,000,000 gallons per day at Ashdod, Israel.' The expressed
poses of this agreement are lo contribute materially to low
desalination in all countries,' to extend cooperation and exchange de-
salting technology between the two countries, and 'to make fea-
sible...the large scale production of desalted water for use in arid
and semi-arid areas of the two countries.'
"Will the Arab nations, among others, benefit from the U.S.-Israel
joint development of desalination? The terms of the agreement pro-
vide that Israel's experience in desalination would be made available
to other nations with similar water-supply difficulties.
"Are any cities in Israel now living on desalinated water? Eilat, the
southernmost city in the Negev (population' 14,900), with the least
rainfall, uses only desalinated water. Three large distillation units in
Eilat and four units at Sharm el Sheikh in Southern Sinai supply the
local population with its water. The seawater desalination plant in Ei-
lat (designed and manufactured by Israel Desalination Engineering)
distills 1,000,000 gallons of fresh water per day. The heat for the nec-
essary steam is acquired from the local electrical power station. Ei-
lat's only other means of obtaining fresh water would be by bringing
it down from the north, a distance of 150 miles."