THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

56 Friday, May 5, 1978

The Nazis Would Not Understand Thomas Jefferson

By DAVID SCHWARTZ
(Copyright 1978, JTA, Inc.)

Up in Skokie, Ill., a group
calling themselves Nazis
want to stage a parade.
I was wondering how
these anti-Americans got
into the country.
Sometimes I think that if
the p resent state of Israel
had existed in Hitler's time

at the time there was
only
y the -beginning of the
settlement — Israel might
have launched a kind of
Entebbe incident in Ger-
many and shut up big
mouthed Adolf and the
world might have been

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the introduced the first bill for Another Levy, Commo-
States, but he didn't want next boat back to
religious equality. His bill dore Uriah P. Levy, was
that written on his Fatherland.
man who after Jeffer-
Perhaps these Skokie for religious freedom be- the
tombstone, not that he
son's death presented the
came a model for all states.
didn't appreciate it, but he Nazis should be the ob-
As President, he extended statue of Jefferson now
thought the idea that he had ject of our compassion.
proclaimed all men equal The sages of the Talmud the principal of equality. in the Capital in Wash-
said, He who has no Even the furniture had to ington to the country. By
was more important.
the way, he might have
d this belief became compassion is not of the serve the same idea. The ta-
An
bles at his social functions taken a more physical
course in matters with
the
badge
and
symbol
of
seed
of
Abraham."
In-
one
th
fighting them were oval so that no
America — it was this stead of should try to could be said to be at the Nazis. Uriah P. Levy was
the fighting type. He not
democratic idea which gave educate
maybe we
them, if that is head of the table.
only fought in the Navy,
America its pre-eminent possible. Perhaps it
Of course the Skokie
fought a number of
position in the world.
would be wise to Nazis couldn't understand he
duels.
Some 40 years back a prescribe a course of this at all. To understand it,
Jefferson died a poor man
German anti-Semite came reading for them that is, if not only does one require financiall y, and after his

JEFFERSON
the basic American doe- to New York and sou g ht the y can read. A reading some brains
which the
trine, incorporated in the permission to expound his course in Jefferson's life Nazis have not too much — death his estate, Monticello,
would no doubt have been
Declaration of Indepen-
and also some ethical integ- broken up, but another
the street corners. might be very good.
dence. This is the an- poison
on
Jefferson's entire life rity and moral sensitivity.
Fiorello La Guardia was
ng.
spared much suffering.
Levy saved the situation.
tithesis of the Nazi doc- then mayor of New York. might be said to have been
After all, what is the dif- trine.
Jefferson had many Jefferson M. Levy acquired
He allowed him to harangue dedicated to the principle of Jewish
estate and made a gift of
ference between Idi Amin
friends.
Jews
the
-Jefferson thought so and gave him police protec- equality. As a member of
and Hitler except the mus-
Levy seem it to the nation, so Mon-
tache. Amin is probably a much of this principle that tion. He assigned a corps of the Continental Congress with the name
ticello was preserved as a
in
he wanted the fact that he Jewish police to guard the he enunciated the doctrine especially prominent
little smarter.
national landmark to ever
of political equality. Earlier his story. He wanted to
It was Jefferson who had written it mentioned in German, but the anti
name a Philadelphia remind us of our American
wrote "All men are his epitaph. He had been Semite found this very un- in his life, as a member of Levy Attorney General. ideals.
created equal." This is President of the United comfortable and took the the Virginia legislature, he

THOMAS

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Faltering Israel Information Policy Helps Arabs

PRIME product of the state's in- ments have directly to do
formation policy, and with Israel's security.
(copyright 1978, .rrA, Inc.)
(Editor's note: Terence that information policy Moreover, they were
Prittie, a former diploma- should never be in con- carved out of the desert.
tic correspondent for the filet with Israel's inter- The idea has been aired
Manchester Guardian, is ests, but should be the — then dropped — of of-
the director of Britain projection of them. Inter- fering desert farther to
and Israel Office, ests and image are corn- the south, in the Negev, in
member of the executive plementary, not in oppos- exchange for them. But
board of the Anglo-Israel ition. the idea was dropped,
Association and the
while an aura of mystery
Israel's currently poor
author of several biog-
began to invest Israel's
image, then, is partly the
raphies.)
earlier and more definite
product of a confused and offer to return the whole
LONDON — Seen from constipated information
London, there is ii.. doubt policy. But it has suffered, of Sinai to Egyptian sov-
that Israel's image is suffer- too, from diplomatic fail- ereignty. Such confu-
ing severely during the pre- urea. These have been con- sions of thought and ex-
sent crucial phase of peacecerned far less with sub- pression are gifts to the
-, negotiations. In the last stantive failures than with enemy.
Then there was the tim-

By TERENCE

months, the British press failures in the presentation
ing of statements that the
has, for the first time, be
of Israel's diplomatic diffi-
were being
come very nearly united in culties.
r
reinforced
and expanded.
condemning so-called Is-
raeli "intransigence" and in It must be for the Begin Such was the timing that
blaming the Begin govern- government and the people the outside world inter-
ment for the deadlock in the of Israel, rather than for the preted it as a deliberate slap
bilateral Israeli-Egyptian Jews of the Diaspora, to de- in the face for Sadat, the
talks. cide whether Israel needs man with whom, after all,
Old friends like the Daily Yamit, can for the moment Israel had entered into
Telegraph and Yorkshire offer no more than "au- dialogue. The news that
Post have expressed ex- tonomy" to the Palestinian work on the Sinai settle-
treme disillusionment. Old Arabs, and will stick by its ments was to be pushed
enemies have raised their own interpretaiton of UN ahead was first denied, then
voices again after a period of Resolution 242. But the reconfirmed, then denied
deep distress arising from presentation of Israel's again. Inevitably, the sec-
the Sadat visit to "case" is quite another mat- and denial forfeited much of
Jerusalem, the deep split in ter. The Jews of the Dias- its credibility.
Looming in the back-
the Arab ranks and the vir- pore, and all other friends of
tual effacement of the PLO. Israel, are intimately and ground has been the profit-
less
and indeed unnecessary
The first reason for the acutely involved
Seen from London, there controversy over Palesti-
setback of Israel's image is
that far too little trouble is have been blatantly obvious nian "self-determination."
taken over it in the place failures in presenting Is- Israel's offer of Palestinian
autonomy has not been ex-
which really matters — Is- rael's case. For instance:
The Sinai settlements plained for the benefit of the
reel itself. Even so sophisti-
cated a politician as Abba issue has become badly outside world, which has
Eban confessed, in his blurred. The straight been far more impressed by
memoirs, that he found Is- statement of the need for what appeared to be a flat
rael's image and interests them would explain that Israeli rejection of self-
often in conflict — and that they seal off the ,gouthern determination. The positive
in such a situation interests end of the Gaza Strip, which in Israeli thinking was neg-
has been used in the past as lected, the negative
come first.

There is a fatal misun- a terrorist base and a stressed.
derstanding of what "im- launching pad for the inva- The outside world has
age" is. Basically, it is the sion of Israel. These settle- remained unaware that au-

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4• !

i ir ■ 114 .1 01. 6 tt S MA*.i i il..

tonomy is a natural first standing, instinctive mod- ing daily better at stating
step along the road to self- eration, ability to corn- their own case and have
determination, that Israel promise and a deep desire massive funds available for
has proposed a thorough re- for peace. that purpose.
A good information policy
view of the situation in five
Whatever Israel's friends
years, and that the Palesti- can never be in conflict with
than Arabs are in no posi- Israel's vital interests for its do to help in a place like
tion to move any faster first task is to explain those London cannot compensate
interests to friends and foes for a failure to speak with
towards their goal.
Here an additional fail- alike. A good information the voice of sweet and corn-
in
reason
ure of presentation was in- policy, finally, is needed be- pelling
cause the Arabs are becom- Jerusalem.
volved:
Instead of participating
in fierce controversy, it Forgotten Refugees:
should have been the
easiest thing in the world
for the Begin government to
explain that the future of
the Arab countries date
By LYNNE IANNIELLO
the Palestinian Arabs could
ADL Bulletin
back to 586 BCE. Although
not, in any event, be decided
There are more Jewish their lot was never easy,
by Israel and a single one of refugees from Arab coun-
they managed to survive
its former Arab adversaries, tries than Arab refugees
and some even prospered.
Egypt. The time for their fu- from Israel. Their flight But after the Balfour Decla-
ture to be discussed is when from terrorism and persecu- ration and particularly
bilateral Israeli-Jordanian tion constituted the largest
re-
after the e UN partition re-
talks begin — both geog- wave of refugees in the solution in November, 1947,
raphy and race postulate modern history of the Mid- life became increasingly
this. This argument can dle_East.
more unbearable.
still be used as a lever to
T he property and per-
While not all of the Arab

The Jews from Arab Lands

bring Jordan into the sonal possessions they left countries were equally
peacemaking
process. one behind were confiscated by harsh, in some there were
The Egyptians,
the countries from which anti-Jewish riots. Overt
learns, are now engaged they fled. While many were anti-Semitism prevailed in
in a campaign to win left virtually penniless, the Arab press and schools,
hearts
minds
in U.S.,
the they have not been compen- while Jews suffered from
United and
States.
In the
sated for their losses.
economic, cultural and re-
thinking on the Middle UN Resolution 242 calls ligious oppression.
East dispute is shifting a for "a just settlement of the
Between 1948 and 1951
little most of the time. In a refugee problem" — but the alone, Israel airlifted to
1968 public opinion poll, history
ry and plight of these _ safety almost the entire
92 percent wanted their Jewish refugees have been Jewish communities of
government to side with nearly forgotten, their
Israel A short time ago, needs, rights and claims Yemen and Iraq. The
62 percent said that it overshadowed by the years total
number
of Jewish
refugees,
according
to
should not take sides at of propaganda in behalf of WOJAC, is 821,150:
all.
the Palestinian Arabs.
From Morocco, 240,000;
American economic, mili-
Since 1948, more than Al geria, 139,000; Iraq,
tary and political support
remains crucial to Israel, 800,000 Jews fled their 135 ,650i Tunisia, 103,000;
however brilliant its mili- Arab lands, as against Egypt, 74,650; Yemen,
tary commanders, however the 600,000 Arabs who 54,000; Libya,
38,000;
brave its soldiers. Carthage left Israel during the War Syria, 25,650; Aden, 8,000;
died alone, because it lived of Independence. Unlike Lebanon, 3,200. Most went
alone, many of the Arabs, al- to Israel and now constitute
percent of the Israeli
A good information policy most none of the Jewish
means a well-informed refugees vvish te return to population. The rest, in-
domestic
domestic press, not one their countries of origin. eluding 50,000 living in the
What they want is recog- United States, make up 12
which is easily diverted into
and nition and reparations as percent ofall the Jews in the
sensationalizing
scare-mongering. It means part of any Middle East world.
the most careful and clear peace plan. And they will Change of Heart?
briefing of the press of the press for "a just settlement"
outside world. It means a through WOJAC, the World LONDON — A 1967 peti-
conscious effort to display Organization of Jews From tion of British film stars
those qualities of mind Arab Countries founded as who pledged their support
which Israel does in fact their spokesman. to the state of Israel in-
Jewish =ciiiiiiitianitiei ih' • citilrell Agthrfeimizi RedikrEivie: “ " 1 ,
posiess -- human under-