54 Friday, October 21, 1977
THE DETROiT JEWISH NEWS
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
. .. and Me'
Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1977, JTA, Inc.)
THE JEWISH PREDICAMENT: Jewish organizations
engaged in fighting anti-Semitism and protecting civil
rights are now in a predicament. The question before them
is: should they endorse physical fighting with the Nazis
appearing In Jewish populated sections of a city in their full
regalia to march under Nazi banners, or should they accept
the argument of the American Civil Liberties Union that
curbing Nazi demonstrations violates the First Amendment
of the U.S. Constitution which guarantees freedom of
speech and of assembly.
The ACLU has vigorously defended the rights of Nazis in
their recent attempt to demonstrate in uniform and under
the Nazi flag in Skokie, a Chicago suburb.
Jewish organizations, which usually do not encourage
physical encounters, found themselves besieged with
demands for aggressive action against the American Nazis
following the Skokie affair. Leading in these demands were
former inmates of Nazi concentration camps who witnessed
the annihilation of their relatives in the Nazi gas chambers,
who fought the Nazis in the besieged Warsaw Ghetto and in
ghettos in other cities. But, in addition to them, there was a
-new element of Jewish militants who demand physical con-
frontation with Nazis. This new element consists of young
American Jews.
A SECOND LOOK: Aware of the mounting grass roots
dissatisfaction of the lack of support by Jewish agencies for
Jewish street resistance to the Nazis—and convinced that
with or without the endorsement of Jewish organizations,
future physical confrontations with the Nazis appear to be
inevitable—the American Jewish Committee, which does
not believe in violence, now decided to take a "second look"
with regard to its tactics against the Nazis.
The traditional strategy advocated by the AJCommittee
and other Jewish organizations is to give the American
Nazis the "quarantine treatment," which means that
actions which may help them to get publicity should be nor-
mally avoided. This usually worked well in former years in
reducing the publicity for hate-mongers in their life
time. However, it became clear to AJCommittee leaders
that the increasingly militant mood now of significant seg-
ments of the Jewish community makes it highly improbable
that quarantine can be effectively employed as a weapon
against Nazi demonstrations.
In some cities there are Jews who seek local legislation
proscribing Nazis. They argue that most Nazi activity is
beyond the pale of any constitutional sanction. In the past,
Jewish organizations, including the AJCommittee, have
argued that attempts to restrict most Nazi activity by stat-
ute are in the long run not in the best Jewish interests
which are best served by strengthening and protecting First
Amendment guarantees. They preferred to combat organ-
ized hate groups by exposing and discrediting the bigots.
This position is now being challenged by the militants as
a "do nothing policy" which ignores the lesson of the Nazi
Holocaust.
AJC POLICY MODIFICATION: In considering the Skokie
developments—especially the stand taken toward the
Skokie affair by the American Civil Liberties Union which
the AJCommittee always supported—the leadership of the
American Jewish Committee has now formed a sub-
comittee to more sharply define the organization's position
on Nazi rights under the First Amendment. This will
include a definition of the parameters of permissible activ-
ity in openly countering Nazi activity in the United States.
The subcommittee will also develop new legal strategies
to counter Nazi programs. Recommendations to this effect
will be brought for discussion to the AJCommittee National
Executive Council which meets in Atlanta at the end of this
month. It can be predicted that the recommendations will
suggest that :
• The organization should now support a narrower con-
struction of what is permitted under the First Amendment;
• The organization should participate in appropriate
demonstrations where it feels court remedy is inadequate;
• Where a community enacts legislation restricting Nazi
activity, the American Jewish Committee should not pub-
licly oppose such legislation;
• The AJCommittee considers that recent neo-Nazi and
other comparable activities suggest a broader problem of a
revived anti-Semitism which must be addressed.
The suggested innovations in the AJCommittee policy
indicate that the organization is prepared to be more ame-
nable to promoting non-violent counter-demonstrations—as
distinguished from confrontations—on the assumption that
mass public demonstrations against the Nazis are an
important educational tool reminding American that Naz-
ism and bigotry still exist in this country.
Non-Jews Back
Israel With Bonds
NEW YORK (JTA)—Non-
Jewish support for Israel
was expressed in concrete
terms last week when more
than $3.5 million in Israel
Bonds was mobilized to
honor Thomas M. Macioce,
president and chief execu-
tive officer of Allied Stores.
Corp., at a national Israel
Bond dinner at the Waldorf-
Astoria Hotel.
More than 800 friends and
associates of Macioce gath-
ered to witness the presen-
tation of the Prime Min-
ister's Medal, Israel's
highest civilian service
award, to the department
store executive "for his
staunch support of Israel
and the Bond Organiza-
tion." The medal was pre-
sented by Simha Dinitz,
Israel's ambassador to the
United States, who was a
principal speaker.
Several hundred persons
gathered together at the
Plaza Hotel last week to pay
tribute to Morry Axelrod,
senior vice president of
Thrifty Drug Stores, at
another national Israel
Bond dinner. Axelrod
received the Prime Min-
ister's Medal.
Weizmann Fund
Chairman Picked
TEL AVIV (JTA) )—Dr.
Amnon Goldenberg, justice
minister-designate, has
been elected chairman of
the board of directors of the
Weizmann Institute Memo-
rial Foundation (Yad Chaim
Weizmann), succeeding the
late Meyer Weisgal who
died last month.
Goldenberg was elected to
the office several days
before Weisgal's death, but
the announcement was with-
held until completion of the
mourning period. President
Ephraim Katzir is honorary
president of the foundation.
randeis U. Chair
Holder Is Named
WALTHAM,
Mass.
(JTA)—The first incumbent
of a new academic chair for
Judaic studies at Brandeis
University is Prof. Alfred L.
Ivry, a specialist in Islamic
and Jewish philosophy.
The chair was funded by
the estate of Walter Hil-
born, of Los Angeles, who
died two years ago at 96,
providing in his will for the
Walter Hilborn Chair in
Judaic Studies.
Prof. Ivry has taught at
Ohio State, Cornell, Tel
Aviv University and the
Hebrew University in
Jerusalem.
Observer -Denied
LONDON—Amnesty
International has protested
the Czechoslovak decision to
prevent one of its observers
from attending the trial of
five defendants connected
with the Charter 77 human
rights movement in Czecho-
slovakia. Two of the five
defendents are Jewish.
Dulzin Calls
Begin 'Uplifting'
BUENOS AIRES (JTA)-
Leon Dulzin, treasurer of
the Jewish Agency and
World Zionist Organization
Executives, said here that
there has been a noticeable
uplift in the spirit and hope
of Israelis since the govern-
ment of Premier Menahem
Begin took office.
At the same time, Dulzin
told a press conference it is
difficult to see concrete
changes so soon after 29
years of Labor rule
although there are fewer
strikes and he hopes that by
the end of the year inflation
will be reduced from the
present level of 39 percent
to 29 percent.
However, Dulzin, a leader
of the Liberal Party wing of
Likud, said the political sit-
uation is difficult due to the
insistence by the United
States that the Palestinians
be represented at Geneva.
He noted that the con-
frontation with the U.S.
started after the Six-Day
War in 1967, but had been
shelved up to now, when it
can no longer be
disregarded.
Dutch Back Israel
in Red Cross Rift
AMSTERDAM (JTA) )—A
total of 130 Dutch medical
doctors have formed an
action group, "Recogni-
tion," to urge The Nether-
lands Red Cross to insist at
the International Red Cross
conference at Bucharest
that Israel should be admit-
ted as a member.
It calls the continued bar-
ring of Israel on the grounds
that Israel does not use the
Red Cross emblem but the
Red Magen David absurd
since the Arab Red Cres-
cent and the Persian Red
Lion societies have been
admitted.
Opposition Bloc
Goal of Labor
TEL AVIV (JTA)—The
Labor Alignment is trying
to build an effective opposi-
tion front in the Knesset.
Party leader Shimon Peres
said talks are continuing
with the Democratic Move-
ment for Change (DMC) to
form a solid Knesset bloc
with Labor. He said agree-
ments have been reached
with Civil Rights Movement
and Independent Liberal
Party representatives for
cooperation in the Knesset.
Argentina, Saudis
Have Cargo Pact
BUENOS AIRES (JTA)-
Argentina and Saudi Arabia
are establishing a joint ship-
ping company to carry
cargo to the Middle East, it
was announced by Abanan
Kashoggi, one of 17 Saudian
financiers who arrived here
aboard a privately owned
Boeing 727 jet for talks with
Argentine officials.
The Talmud says: "Be
pliable like a reed. not rigid
like a cedar."
I
Henry A. Manson
Readers Forum
Materials submitted to the
Readers Forum must be brief.
The writer's name will be
withheld from publication
upon request. No unsigned
letters will be published. Ma-
terials will not be returned
unless a stamped, self-ad-
dressed envelope is enclosed.
Holocaust Studies
Editor, The Jewish News:
The assertion of George
Page, president of the Ger-
man American Committee
of Greater New York, that
there was "no real proof the
Holocaust ever happened;"
the scribbling of a "profes-
sor" denying the Holocaust;
and the scrawling of
another "professor" that
Hitler, the foremost crimi-
nal in the history of. man-
kind, wasn't aware of the
crimes he masterminded,
remind me of Frederick the
Great of Prussia who
boasted: "I take what I
want. There will always be
plenty of professors to jus-
tify what I do."
I would propose that the
Michigan Jewish schools
follow the example of the
New York Board of Educa-
tion and introduce the study
of the Holocaust on all
levels in all their depart-
ments: primafy, secondary
and adult.
Allen A. Warsen
Walk-Out Is Seen
If Israel Excluded
WASHINGTON (JTA )—
The chairman of the U.S.
Olympic Committee
(USOC), Robert J. Kane,
has pledged that if Israel is
excluded from the Olympic
Games in Moscow in 1980
the American committee
will not participate in them
either.
Strongly denying that
such an attempt by the
Soviet Union is underway,
Kane has declared that if
the exclusion of Israel takes
place "I'm certain that the
U.S. Olympic Committee—
and I would hope, all the
free nations in the world—
would not take part, and
that would be the end of the
Olympic Games."
Kane's pledge is in a con-
fidential letter he wrote
Aug. 15 to Sen. Richard
Stone (D-Fla.) who had
written him that he had
seen American Media
reports that the Soviets
would exclude Israel.
Population Trend
JERUSALEM (JTA)-
Twenty-one percent of the
world's Jews live in Israel.
This figure, correct at the
end of 1975, was published
by Israel's Central Bureau
of Statistics.
The bureau sets the over-
all world Jewish population
at 14 million.
It notes that the percent-
age living in Israel shows a
consistent upward trend
over the years: five percent
in 1945, 15 percent in 1961,
and 18.5 percent at the end
of 1970.
Henry A. Manson, a
retired gauge inspector at
the Ford Motor Co.'s Rouge
Plant, died Oct. 18 at age 77.
Born in Russia, Mr. Man-
son was employed by the
automobile manufacturer -
from 1933 to 1963. He was
one of the oldest ushers at
Tiger Stadium. Known by
the nickname, Elmer, Mr.
Manson worked at the sta-
dium from 1935 to 1970.
He served in the 32nd Red
Arrow Division during
World War I. He was a
member of the Hannah
Schloss Old Timers
Mosaic Lodge of
Masons.
He leaves a brother, Max
of Los Angeles, Calif. ; and
two sisters, Mrs. Theodore
(Sara) Isaacs and Mrs.
Samuel J. (Anne) Caplan.
Pessa h Burstein
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Pes-
sah Burstein, a survivor of
Auschwitz and author of
many books on the
Holocaust, died Oct. 11 at
age 68.
Mr. Burstein, who was
born in Bialystok, Russia,
arrived in Palestine in 1947
and helped organize the
She'erith Hapleita, an
organization of survivors of
Nazi persecution.
At the time of his death he
was chairman of the
national organization of for-
mer Nazi death camp
inmates and partisan fight-
ers and of the world organi-
zation of Nazi death camp
prisoners.
Herbert Koshetz,
NY Times Writer
NEW YORK—Herbert
Koshetz, an assistant to the
business-financial editor of
The New York Times until
his retirement in August
died Oct. 14 at age 70. _
Mr. Koshetz was a spe-
cialist in reporting and writ-
ing about the textile, appa-
rel and retailing industries.
He was honored by the Ital-
ian government in 1957 "for
his contributions to the
development of better Ital-
ian-American relations."
Joseph Rich, 83
Joseph Rich, owner of
Joseph Rich Real Estate
Co. in Southfield, died Oct.
12 at age 83.
Mr. - Rich was affiliated
with the-real estate business
for 53 years. He was a
Perfection
member of
Lodge of the Masons, (
cent Shrine Club, Yeshivitan
Beth Yehudah and Pisgah
Lodge of Bnai Brith. He was
a World War I veteran.
Mr. Rich, who resided at
24720 Manistee, Oak Park,
is survived by his wife,
Lois; two sons, David of
Israel and Stephen Car-
pman; three daughters,
Beatrice of New Yo:k City,
Mrs. Michael (Shayna)
Stern of Coral Gables, Fla.,
and Mrs. Arthur (Cidnie)
Harold; a brother, Ralph of
Savannah, Ga. ; and four
grandchildren.