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 — .-. 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 — - 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- - 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-