The People Israel Lives Happy 31st Birthday, Israel. Israel's Historic Legacies: The Prophecies and the Hope for Peace . THE JEWISH NEWS A Weekly Review Commentary, Page 2 of Jewish Events VOL. LXXV, No. 8 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833 $12.00 Per Year: This Issue 30c Battle for Israel's `Heart' Remembered on State's 31st Anniversary Special Feature Page 56 April 27, 1979 Begin,Yadin Support Capital Punishment for Terrorist Cruelty fheclaration of Independence . May 14, 1948 Eretz Yisrael was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books. After being forcibly exiled from their land, the Oeople kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom. Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every successive generation to reestablish themselves in their ancient homeland. In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma'apiliin ("illegal" immigrants) and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew lan- guage, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community, controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country's inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood. In the year 5657 (1897), at the summons of the spiritual father of the Jewish state, Theodor Herzl, the First Zionist Congress convened and proclaimed the (Continued on Page 2) JERUSALEM (JTA) — Premier Menahem Begin told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday that he supports the implementa- tion of the death penalty for terrorists in cases of "extreme, cruel behavior," and noted that he will ask the- government on Sunday to propose legislation to that effect. The issue of the death penalty for terrorists aroused renewed interest in Israel following the terrorist attack Sunday in Nahariya, in which four persons, two of them children, were killed. While the death penalty is included in Israel's legal rulings, a standing governmental order prevents it from being implemented. The legislation suggested by the Premier would involve altering this 1954 ruling. It was reported that Deputy Premier Yigael Yadin also supports the im- plementation of the death penalty,.not only -in cases of terrorist acts, but in any act involving extreme aggressive behavior. The death penalty was proposed Sunday by Knesset Speaker Yitzhak Shamir. - Proponents of capital punishment say that its absence encourages the terrorists to commit revolting crimes against civilians. The terrorists know they will only go to jail if caught and stand a chance of being released in exchange for hostages, those in favor of the death penalty say. They cite the recent release of 75 terrorists in exchange for one Israeli soldier, Avraham Amram, who was captured by terrorists last year while on an unauthorized tour in south Lebanon. There are still many, however, who oppose • the death penalty. They argue that it would From Chaim Nachman Bialik's "Al only make martyrs of the killers and create Hashehita — "On the Slaughter" — sympathy abroad for the Palestinian cause. quoted by Menahem Begin at the fun- eral of the victims of the terrorist Some security officials are also opposed. They murders at Nahariya on April 23. say terrorists would be less likely to surren- der if they knew they were to be executed and Ir1K1 !DP4 • 7 7 less likely to provide valuable information rv?pa ,nrO? ;17?*1.22 WR 1 1 . 7 .7 Cl under interrogation. According to senior security sources, the — in*r rt -)9 - xl? -riv gang that attacked Nahariya planned to take hostages and hold them in Lebanon for the ac- Who cries Revenge! Revenge! release of terrorists imprisoned in Israel. cursed be he! That disclosure gave impetus for demands for Fit vengeance for the spilt blood of a child (Continued on Page 5) The devil has not yet compiled .. . Allied Jewish Campaign Closing With Another Generosity Record As this issue goes to press, final reports on the progress of the 1979 Allied Jewish Campaign, which were to be finalized last night, give assurance that last year's gifts will be exceeded and that a new accomplishment of generosity is assured for the current year. The anticipated total for 1979 is expected to exceed $18 million, matching last year's Cam- paign gifts of some $15.6 million and including $1.5 million for Project Renewal. The total Detroit income for Project Renewal for the five-year project period is expected to exceed the $5 million mark. The 1979 Allied Jewish Campaign, which was conducted under the co-chairmanship of David Handleman and Irving Seligman, concluded with a function at Cong. Shaarey Zedek last night. Israel Ambassador to the U.S. Ephraim Evron was to be the guest speaker.