64 Friday, May 25, 1979

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

New Begin Biography Cites Deir Yassin Distortions

„„.

By the early afternoon, sin, they did not dismiss it ,, - 1
". . .the Irgun-Sternist
Menahem Begin is de- the demands the Irgun when British officials delib-
picted, in another new biog- leader made for caution and erately ignored the warn- force was met by Arab gun- the battle was over and Deir as enemy propaganda but
raphy, not only as a fighter for human considerations. ing, so that over 100 civi- fire from every house, so Yassin was in Jewish gave it credibility by de-
Bans lost their lives, Begin savage that neither the Ir- hands. But the Jews were nouncing the 'terrorists' for - , 1
for freedom and as a devoted They state:
was
deeply shaken. The gunists nor the Sternists shocked to find, side by side the 'massacre they had per
Zionist striving for his"Until quite recently few
people's independence, but Israelis — including even purpose of the Irgun raids could get close enough to the with fallen Palestinian and petrated.
also as a leader who sought Begin's followers — would on British installations was buildings to use their guns Iraqi soldiers, the bodies of
"On the day after the
t
Probabl
to Abivilians
Arab civilians.
Probably battle, David Shaltiel, who
fftil much h l
unity in Jewish ranks in ef- have described Begin as a not to kill Englishmen, but effectively,
killed, had officially endorsed the
killed
bt 200 had b
about
hth or not t th
forts to avoid divisiveness.
man of peace. Yet, through to hamstring the British notice i whether
In "Menahem Begin: the five years he had served administrative machinery were any civilians among including 90 Arab irregu- operation as important for
-1
From Freedom Fighter to as commander of the Irgun so completely that Britain the Palestinian and Iraqi lars who had defended the Hagana's Deir Yassin and
village.
(The
total
popula-
denied
that
he
had
e
, --:
-
Statesman" (Shengold Pub- Z'vai Leumi, his strategy for would eventually realize it fighting men inside.
"It took the Jewish fight- tion of the village had been viewed the village as az
Ushers), Gertrude Hirschler revolt against the British was not worth the price in
and Lester Eckman refute overlords was governed by frustration and loss of in- ers two hours to reach the about 1,000.)
ject of strategic value."
"The fact that, despite all
the charges that had been one overriding considera- ternational prestige to re- center of the village, and by
The new Begin biog-
the time they arrived there, the precautions taken, civi-
leveled at the present head tion: that human life was main in Palestine."
on
based
The
incidents
relating
to
many
of
their
men
had
gone
Bans
had
been
killed,
was
a
raphy,
of the Israel government precious and that he would
documented material, indi-
that during the Altalena not permit the men under the Altalena are thoroughly down. Altogether, the Jews source of real distress to the
cates the effort that was
tragedy he aimed to gain his command to commit the covered and therein the suffered 41 casualties, in- Irgun leadership, particu-
control of the Israel gov- indiscriminate killings reader finds the defense of cluding four killed. Among larly Begin. 'It was tragic made by Begin to avoid un-
necessary bloodshed even in
ernment. He is completely usually associated with the Irgun leader and the the wounded was their and painful,' he was to write
the bombing of the King
in
his
letter
to
the
London
contention that he opposed leader, Ben-Zion Cohen.
vindicated in the Altalena revolutionary armies.
David Hotel in Jerusalem,
"In the end, Yehuda Times in 1971.
matter, as he was in the
the
British having ignored
The Irgun Z'vai Leumi, civil strife and sought secu-
"Hagana and the Jewish
Lapidot, who had taken
biography by Frank Ger- popularly known simply as rity and unity for Israel.
his advance warnin g.
over
from
Cohen,
decided
Agency,
on
learning
that
vasi published by G. P. Put- Irgun, was perhaps the only
Begin's experiences in the
The claims of Hirschler that under the circum- Arab civilians had lost their
nam's Sons and reviewed in fi
fighting force in the world to an d Eckman correspond
stances
house
to
house
lives
at
Deir
Yassin,
reacted
Russian
prison, the murder
The Detroit Jewish News' issue advance warnings, at with those of Gervasi.
fighting had become too much as they had after the of his family by the Nazis,
April 13 issue.
the risk of losing the advan-
Expecially noteworthy is costly in Jewish lives. He explosion at the King David his ' religious devotions
There is emphasis in the tage of surprise, so that in- the account in the new biog- therefore sent word to Hotel two years before. and his Betar and Irgun
insistence of Begin and his nocent civilians — British, raphy of the Deir Yassin Raanan at nearby Kibutz They still regarded the leadership receive thorough
associates in the Irgun on Arab and Jewish — might tragedy. Deir Yassin has Givat Shaul to send up hand Irgun as terrorists even as attention in this excellently
avoidance of civil strife.
have time to take cover and been a major argument grenades and other explo- they did the Stern Group personalized story of the
against Israel by her accus- sives to throw into the win- and were prepared to as- man who was written off by
At the very outset of their escape injury.
-.
"Such a warning was gi- ers. Therefore, the Deir dows from which the firing sume the worst about them. his opponents and neverthe-
account of Begin's aims to
injury
to
innocents,
ven,
among
others,
prior
to
Yassin
account
in
the
Begin
came.
Toward
the
end
of
the
"Thus,
when
they
heard
less
rose
to
leadership
of
his
prevent
while fighting a revolution- the much-debated bombing biography is especially vi- fighting, a unit of Palmach an hysterical broadcast over nation. It will be rated
ary battle against the of Brisith headquarters at tal. For the record, the ac- men, equipped with two- the Arab radio reporting the among the most important
British, the two authors of the King David Hotel in count merits extensive quo- inch mortars, came to the slaughter of hundreds of in the list of Begin biog-
the new biography point to Jerusalem in 1946, and tation: aid of the Irgunists. Arab civilians at Deir Yas- raphies.

Coming Home to Zion Photographs Show Immigration to Palestine

only because of the many Russia to move to a new col- Jew replete with mustache Lord Balfour at the opening
rare and exquisite photo- ony called Rishon le-Zion or and fez: he is David Ben- ceremonies of Hebrew Uni-
Gurion. A 1921 photograph versity in 1925 are all reve-
graphs throughout this "First in Zion."
Shulman's volume covers of Golda Meir at Kibutz aling and fascinating to be-
236-page book, but also be
cause the author had visited the first three aliyot, i.e. the Merhavya is not flattering. hold.
various archives and 32 years between the land- Moshe Sharett's photo as a
"Coming Home to Zion,"
museums to gather this ing of first group of young Turkish officer, a
written and photographic "Biluim" at the port of Jaffa photograph of Chaim deserves an important place
material which will surely until the outbreak of World Weizmann in an Arab in the library of every
delight every reader. War I — though fewer than headdress, and England's Jewish home.
"Coming Home to Zion" 90,000 immigrants (scat-
spells out the fact that the tered through a few dozen
settlement of Mikve Israel settlements and towns),
was not a Zionist dream. In- their significance is beyond
deed, the rigors of working comprehension in terms of
Authoritative Halakhic
in this agricultural settle- the modern state of Israel.
The chapters on "Holi- studies serving as guides for
ment prompted many
"Biluim" members from days" and "Theatre and Conservative Rabbis are in-
Art" are brilliant delinea- eluded in an impressive
I.
tions. The author is espe- volume, "A Guide to Jewish
cially sensitive in his chap- Religious Practice" by
ter on "Renewing the Holy Rabbi Isaac Klein (Ktav).
Language in the Holy Conceived in 1960 by Dr.
Land" — Shulman himself Louis Finkelstein, then
being a noted Yiddish Jewish Theological Semi-
writer and editor. The first nary chancellor, this impor-
Palestine-born, Hebrew- tant volume originally ap-
speaking child, we are told, peared in a series of pam-
was the son of Eliezar phlets authored by Dr.
Ben-Yehudah (1858-1922), Klein, who is an acknowl-
father of the modern He edged authority on
Halakha.
brew language.
Jewish
Traditional
The chapter "Jews and
RABBI KLEIN
Arabs in Palestine" is sources, Bible, Talmud,
Codes
and
Responses
are
bath
and
other liturgical
pragmatic and offers no
factors are thoroughly de-
solution. (Since the vol- the bases for the texts.
All important aspects fined. In viewing the holi-
ume ends with the year
days and their observances,
1914 no solution was then of Halakha applicable to
the interests and needs of special attention is given to
on the horizon.)
Shulman depicts Tel Aviv the modern Jew are Passover and the Days of
as a "unique" city — "it under consideration in Awe, while the other festi-
Immigrants from Romania in route to Palestine are shown in a Jewish Daily didn't have the holiness of these studies. Kashrut vals receive due attention.
Proselytization is also
Jerusalem, the exoticism of and making and keeping
Forward photograph.
Tiberias, or the mysticism Jewish home kosher, discussed. There are chap-
of Safed." Tel Aviv, pure proper observance of ters on laws of mourning,
and simple, "became ar- holidays in home and family purity and a score of
chitecturally a Mediterra- synagogue, laws relating related subjects.
While the volume may
nean city inhabited by the to marriage and divorce, -
restless spirit of eastern births, adoptions and have been intended as a
Europe." One photograph of conversions, prayers and guide for Conservative rab-
a desert scene bears the blessings for many occa- bis and students, the lay
subscription, "This later be- sions are among the sub- reader will be greatly
• jects under considera- enlightened by the volume
came Dizengoff Street."
so splendidly compiled by
On Page 110 there is a tion.
Observance of the Sab- Dr. Klein.
photograph of a Turkish

By WARREN FREEDMAN
In 1903, British Colonial
Secretary Joseph Chamber-
lain offered Herzl for Jewish
settlement the • town and
area of El Arish. A commis-
sion of the Zionist Organ-
ization actually investi-
gated the area and was
definitely interested, but
the Viceroy of Egypt, Lord
Cromer, refused to permit
the transfer of water from
the Nile River for irriga-
tion, and so the project
never materialized.
Moses Hess, the Hegelian
philosopher and former col-

laborator of Marx and
Engels, had called for the
revival of the Jewish state
years before Her21. His book
"Rome and Jerusalem,"
published in 1862, pleaded
for a Jewish homeland.
These interesting facts
are but a few of the many
fascinating incursions
into the birth of the state
of Israel recorded by
author Abraham Shul-
man in "Coming Back to
Zion" (Doubleday).
His pictorial documen-
tary of the formative years
of Israel is fascinating not

Halakhic Rules Are Defined
as Guide for Conservatives

-