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.