,

2 Friday, October 6, 1918

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Purely Commentary

Vladimir Jabotinsky, the Prophet Who Predicted Israel's
Rebirth in 1938 . . . Camp David Symbolized End of Pessimism
and an Inspiration to the Media in Its Role for Justice

By Philip
Slomovitz

Vladimir Jabotinsky as Prophet of Statehood, Traditionalist

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

(Copyright 1978, JTA, Inc.)

Prophecy is not dead. It
gained immortality in an-
cient Israel, it assumed sig-
nificance for the 20th Cen-
tury in relation to Israel
Reborn.
Inevitability of Zion's re-
demption dominated
Prophecy. In modern times
it was more Hope than Re-
demption, except for the few
with vision who anticipated
an Israel rebuilt and Jewish
statehood reborn.
Chief among the Prophets
of Zion was Theodor Herzl.
He foresaw statehood 50
years after he began his
Zionist activities and had
called into being the World
Zionist Congress in 1897. In
his "Complete Diaries," sec-
ond volume, under the date
of Sept. 3, 1897, Vienna, he
predicted:
"Were I to sum up the
Basel Congress in a word
— which I shall guard
against pronouncing
publicly — it would be
this: At Basel I founded
the Jewish State.
"If I said this out loud to-
day, I would be answered by
universal laughter. Per-
haps in five years, and cer-
tainly in 50, everyone will
know it."
There was subsequent,
equally if not more impres-
sive, Prophecy that resulted
in Fulfillment. It was in the
vision of Vladimir

Jabotinsky, who, four de-
cades after Herzl, expressed
an augury that the Jewish
state would emerge in 10
years.
In 1938 Jabotinsky re-
ceived a letter from a South
African Jewish student who
contemplated suicide be-
cause of the manifestation
of anti-Semitism at his uni-
versity.
Jabotinsky's reply is a
classic in Jewish literary
annals. It attained two
objectives. It rejected any
thought of suicide. It in-
spired hope in the Zionist
ideal. It predicted Israel's
rebirth in a decade.
The text of that letter was
made available by the
Jabotinsky Institute in Tel
Aviv, Israel. The name of
the student was deleted.
Here is the text of this his-
toric document:
"Suicide is worse than
cowardice; it is surrender.
Try and analyze any great
or small Schweinerei in his-
tory or in life: you will al-
ways detect that its root was
or is somebody's surrender.
Surrender is the dirtiest
trick in creation; and
suicide, being the symbol of
all surrenders, is like a call
for universal betrayal.
"In the case of your gen-
eration, it would also be a
silly bargain. Your genera-
tion is destined to see mira-
cles and, collectively, per-
form miracles . . . Don't get

downhearted because of
butcheries going on; every-
thing, all forms of life and
death, are now converging
towards one end, a Jewish
state, and a great exodus to
Palestine. I think, on a very
conservative estimate, that
the next 10 years will see
the Jewish state of Pales-
tine not only proclaimed but
a reality; probably less than
10. It would be unspeakably
cheap and foolish to forego
all this because there are
Schweinereien at your uni-
versity.

"What to do? Forgive
me, but this question, al-
ways in my practice,
really means: "Can't you
suggest a way in which I,
• • • should at once be-
come a general with a
special mission of my
own?" We need privates,
doing drab commonplace
jobs, and your age (what-
ever your gifts) is a pri-
vate's age. Go to HQ and
ask for drab errands to
run. We all did it.
"Mon ami, I should be
thrilled every hour of my
wake and dream, if I had the
luck of being 20 today, on
the threshold of a redeemed
Israel and, probably, a re-
deemed world to boot,• no
matter what butcheries it
may cost."

Thus, the dissenter at
World Zionist Congresses,

the challenger of Chaim
Weizmann and David
Ben-Gurion, in Zionist
ideological controversies,
proved to be a Prophet in his
own right. At the same
time, he enunciated the

VLADIMIR JABOTINSKY

most vital ethical and social
codes, as in this document in
which he warned against
any thought of suicide. He
echoed the teachings of the
11th Century Spanish
Jewish moralist who stated
in Bahya, Hovot
HaLevavot: "A suicide is a
sentinel who deserted his
post." It is also the emphasis
to a rejection of suicide by
Baruch Spinoza who, in
"Ethics," 1677, wrote:
"Suicides are weak-minded,
and are overcome by exter-
nal causes repugnant to
their nature."

Pessimism and Cynicism Relegated to Background in New Ray of Hope

Pessimism predominated in the Middle East and the last
few months were marked by cynicism. The euphoria of
Camp David threatened to be short lived in some ranks.
The negative • aspects of an historic event began to gain
ground temporarily when a speech by Menahem Begin to
Jewish leaders, even when the framework for a Middle East
peace already carried the signatures of Israel's Prime
Minister and Egypt's President Anwar Sadat. Then came
the demonstrations in Cairo and the expressions of joy in
Israel, and the tasks for peace augur triumph for peace-
making.
Whatever may have been ascribable to the pessimistic
moods stemmed from the speculative commentaries on the
developments that resulted from the supervision of the
Camp David negotiations by President Jimmy Carter.
There were nearly two weeks of silence imposed on the
deliberations. That was the blessing that could be judged as
the chief aspect of the Camp David experience. The dif-
ferences that divided the contending forces were shielded
from notoriety. The negotiators were not hampered by pub-
lic debate. There was a kind of self-imprisonment adhered
to by the Israeli and Egyptian conferees. President Carter's
plan of action became workable in spite of the frequent
dissensions that could have interrupted the discussions.
It is apparent that President Carter's influence predomi-
nated.
It was an echo of the Versailles peace conference after
World War I. President Woodrow Wilson gained world at-
tention with his proclamation of his Fourteen Points and
his advocacy of "open covenanat openly arrived at." But
when the principles involved were to be debated there was
an enforcement of silence and prevention of public debate.
Behind closed doors the peace agreements were reached.
This is what occurred in 1918. It reappeared in September
of 1978.
However, the moment the media were free to act again
there was renewed evidence of despair in some ranks, of
pessimism and suspicion, of doubt and innuendo.
For a few days there was another heyday for news
analysts. Commentators began to warn of impending
crises, of collapse in negotiations. A speech by Begin once
again aroused anger. Jews of prominence were heard to
say, "Begin talks too much." It became easy again to attack
the Israeli leader: He had become a target for condemna-
tion. But, the historic decision was more effective than
rumor. The wisdom of concessions, of submission to reason,

predominates.
Let it be granted that Sadat has emerged as the great
statesman. He yielded. He is on the road to making peace
with Israel.
Like Sadat, Begin had spoken of peace with all the Arab
states. It is not materializing at the moment. Time will
provide the solution, just as it may contain healing. The
peoples of Israel and Egypt had spoken demonstratively in
support of their leaders. This is what counts.
It is not a mere assumption that the overwhelming sen-
timents will be in behalf of the leaders of the two nations
who will hopefully, reach an accord, will exchange dip-
lomatic representatives, will do business with each other.
In Egypt, the millions who greeted Sadat shouted for
peace; many asserted, "We are Egyptians first, Arabs sec-
ond." In Israel, there are the diehards who will not abandon
the hope for a Greater Israel to include. Judea and
Samaria. They are the minority battling against the over-
whelming forces of Israelis who say that for peace it is
necessary to make sacrifices.
Begin stated it clearly: he conceded to peace under terms
that caused pain in his heart. "Peace Now" is reaching its
triumph.
There still will be many in the media who may shout
"foul," who will be the prophets of doom. It is reasonable to
believe that the peoples affected, Israelis and Egyptians,
Jews and non-Jews who read newspapers and listen-to the
radio and to television programs, will be subjected to the
speculative views of defeatists. What has happened may be
a lesson to read such predictions, to listen to the pessimists,
with criticisms of their own.
There is a famous saying by Thomas Jefferson: "Were it
left to me to decide whether we should have a government
without newspapers, or newspapers without a government,
I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." This is
a basic principle of libertarians and adherents to truth. The
media has caused some damage in dealing with Israel. Out
of the muddied waters now must emerge respect for justice.
There has been an avoidance of censorship in dealings with
the press vis-a-vis the Middle East. Now the road is cleared
for such treatment of the issues. Just as there is hope for
peace in the Middle East, so may there also be the just
approach by the media. May these two ideals emerge for the
best in human relations by way of peace among embattled
nations and truth in the most powerful weapon for justice.

There was an epidemic of lose hope for a better fu-
suicides during the Nazi ture!"
Vladimir Jabotinsky's
years. Appeals to the con-
science of Jews rejected the memory emerges anew at
tendency. A noteworthy this time, on the occasion
document that has come of the 30th anniversary of
down from that era was the the destruction of the
so-called Cologne Public Irgun weapons-carrying
Appeal Against Suicide, ship, the Altalena. Al-
talena is an Italian wore,
which declared:
meaning "a swing,' de-
"Under the shattering fining swinging back and
impact of the events of forth. When Jabotinsky
recent weeks, during lived in Italy he used the
which suicide claimed word as his pen-name. He
victim upon victim within had written articles for
our community, we turn two Russian Jewish
to you, men and women newspapers and signed
of the Jewish community, them "Vladimir Al-
with the appeal:
talena."
That the current events
"Maintain your courage
and will to live, preserve should serve as credit lines
your confidence in God and for Jabotinsky's genius is a
necessary addendum to the
in yourself?
"The fate which has befal- story of a remarkable per-
len each one of us is a part of sonality. Jabotinsky was a
the great universal Jewish master of languages. He
suffering: Let us bear it to- translated the poems of
gether and help one another Hayyim Nahm an Bialik
fraternally! Advisory into Russian. He translated
boards of our Gemeinde as into Hebrew "Massa
well as the homes of all Nemirov," the Bialik
members of the under- classic. He translated into
signed bodies are open to Hebrew Edgar Allen Poe's
you — come to us with your "The Raven," Dante's "In-
spiritual and material ferno" and the French-
needs; we will advise and Italian works into Hebrew
help you as much as we can. poetry. He was the editor of
"Do not take the path into the first Hebrew geograph-
darkness from which there ical atlas.
The story of a literary
is no return. Think of those
whom you must leave be- genius relates also to the
hind in all their sorrow and vision of a man who
affliction; think of human prophesied the emergence
and Jewish destiny: do not of Israel.

A Road to Good Neighborliness

Israel, Egypt and the United States are being stymied in
their joint tasks for peace by the threats from Syria, Iraq,
Libya and Algeria. The hesitant in Jordan and Saudi
Arabia are obstacles to a certain peace.
Would that they could appreciate and welcome the oppor-
tunities inherent in peace for the entire area. The roads
could be opened for business relations, for economic oppor-
tunities, for cultural exchanges, for tourism that would
assure interchange of visits by all, including Israel's an-
tagonists.
Israel showed the way. Hundreds of thousands of Arabs
already have visited Israel and continue to visit the country
unhampered.
The facts about Israel's open door policy are presented in
a pamphlet "The Case of the Jews From Arab Countries: A
Neglected Issue," by Maurice M. Roumani, published by
the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries."
Here are the facts:
UN Resolution 194 (III) of December 11,
1948 says: "Those refugees wishing to return
to their homes and live at peace with their
neighbors should be permitted to do so."
By Dec. 19, 1948, Israel accepted 108,000
Arabs back into her territory. Since 1967, an-
other 14,000 Palestinian Arabs were resettled
in Israel, out of 25,000 applicants. Under a
Family Reunion Plan, 50,000 Arab refugees
have been repatriated in Israel since 1949.
Israel has also freed accounts and safe de-
posits of Arab refugees amounting to $10 mil-
lion. In contrast, Arab states confiscated,
nationalized or destroyed public and private
Jewish property estimated in the billions of
dollars.

Arab Visitors to the
Administered Areas

1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
Total

figures unknown

93,200
152,500
111,900
124,000
119,500
119,800
720,900