Separation of
Church and State:
Is Basic American
Principle
Defied by
Carter, Reagan?
THE JEWISH NEWS
A Weekly Review
Commentary, Page 2
I of Jewish Events
VOL. LXXVI, No. 23 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075
424-8833
Sakharov's
Nobility
of Spirit
a Book for
All Mankind
Editorial, Page 4
$15 Per Year: This Issue 35c
February 8, 1980
U.S. Report on HumanRights
'Scrupulously' Judges Israel
A Jewish Presence
in Hebron Is Sought
After Student Death
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Long-standing demands by
nationalist and religious militants to establish a Jewish
presence in Hebron received powerful impetus from the
murder of a yeshiva student in that West Bank Arab town
Jan. 31. The Cabinet is expected to take up the issue at its
regular meeting on Sunday. Knesset sentiment seemed to
be overwhelmingly in favor of such a move Wednesday and
the coalition majority easily defeated motions by three
opposition factions that would have barred Jews from set-
tling in Hebron.
Defense Minister Ezer Weizman, who has frequently
angered his Herut colleagues by his circumspect approach
to the settlments issue, took a hard line on Hebron in the
Knesset. "No power on earth can uproot our security
presence and our dwelling in Judea and Samaria," he de-
clared. "We have returned to the city of the patriarchs
(Hebron). Our right to live there is anchored in our religion
and history." He promised that the government would beef
up security on the West Bank to protect Jewish settlers and
ensure their safe movement throughout the territory.
The militants, especially the residents of Kiryat
Arba, the Gush Emunim stronghold adjacent to Heb-
ron, are demanding that the government take over
homes and public buildings in-Hebron that had be-
longed to Jews who were massacred or forced to flee
during the Arab uprising in 1929 and turn them over
to Jewish settlers.
Yossi Sarid of the Labor Alignment warned in the
Knesset that "such a decision will cause even more tension.
It will affect negatively the progress of the peace negotia-
tions and will harm the prospects of autonomy. It will be
one of the main obstacles on the way to peace," he said.
Former Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan, an indepen-
dent MK, supported Sand's view up to a point. He warned
that Jewish settlement of Hebron would be a serious mis-
take. But he advocated strengthening Kiryat Arba and the
Etzion Bloc of settlements. Dayan joined the opposition in
the vote on motions by Shai, the Independent Liberals and
the Civil Rights movement that would have banned return-
ing Jews to Hebron.
(Continued on Page 6)
Jewish Population
Figures Updated
in 1980 Year Book
NEW YORK (JTA) — Continuing a
pattern orrecent years, the Jewish popu-
lation of the United States is moving in
increasing numbers from the Northeast
to the Sun Belt — the southern and west-
ern parts of the country. This trend is
demonstrated in demographic reports
that appear in the 1980 edition of the
American Jewish Year Book. The new
edition, Volume 80 in the annual series,
has just appeared.
The American Jewish Year Book is
published jointly by the American Jewish
Committee and the Jewish Publication
Society of America. Its editors are Milton
Himmelfarb and David Singer. Morris
Fine is editor emeritus.
Figures on world Jewish popula-
tion in the Year Book show an in-
(Continued on Page 7)
By JOSEPH POLAKOFF
WASHINGTON (JTA) — In its annual report to Congress on human rights conditions in
154 countries
which was released Tuesday, the State Department again divided its
treatment of Israel into two parts
"because of the sharply differing political-social environment in Israel and in the Arab territories Israel
has occupied since the 1967 war."
The 854-page report, the most comprehensive ever issued by the department, devotes
to
Israel, more than any other country except the Soviet Union and Argentina which each receives 14 15 pages
pages.
The Soviet Union is among 39 countries that were not in previous reports which had been restricted by law
to those redeiving United States assistance. In the past year, the law was amended to include all countries.
By comparison with reports on Israel in other years, the current one appears milder in its
treatment of Israel's practices in "occupied territories" and more scrupulously balanced in terms
of allegations and responses, but it persistently points out that "East Jerusalem" is under
"occupation" and is treated as such in its discussion of "occupied territories."
Besides Israel, the report contains discussions on Jews and emigration to Israel in several other
countries, including the Soviet Union, Romania, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Unlike other years, too, general media reports on the volume did not stress Israel in dark colors.
Instead, this time the media seemed to put emphasis on countries not mentioned in previous reports such as
the Soviet Union, Cambodia, Rhodesia and South Africa.
"Israel is a parliamentary democracy with high standards of justice and human rights," the report
said. "These standards are applied fully inside Israel proper. Under the military regime that governs the
occupied territories, however, certain of the normal human rights guarantees that are taken for granted in
Israel proper have been suspended on security grounds. This dichotomy poses a dilemna that will be
probably resolved only in the context of a final peace settlement between Israel and its neighbors."
Nazi Unit Banned
by West Germany
BONN (JTA) — A neo-Nazi paramilitary organiza-
tion active in south Germany was banned by the
government last week as unconstitutional after a
police raid on its headquarters yielded a quantity of
military equipment and propaganda material. Inter-
ior Minister Gerhart Baum said the group, known as
the "Wehrsportsgruppe," masqueraded as a sports
organization while it planned to overthrow the demo-
cratic system by force.
The "Wehrsportsgruppe," said to have 400 mem-
bers, was described as the largest neo - Nazi militant
organization in West Germany.
Police who searched its headquarters in a castle
near Nuremberg found a quantity of small arms and
ammunition and an armored vehicle used for train-
ing. Additional arms and ammunition were found in
the homes of 32 members raided by police.
Regarding Israel proper, the report said,
"Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment is not
sanctioned in Israel and law enforcement is car-
ried out without the excessive use of force." It
also said that "arbitrary arrest or imprisonment
is not practiced and there are strong guarantees
against it."
"Israel is a welfare state whose economy is or-
ganized along the general lines of the Western Euro-
pean mixed economies," the report said. "Income dis-
tribution in Israel is relatively egalitarian." The re-
port stated that "all Israelis are guaranteed good
health care and housing for the poor is modestly sub-
sidized."
It also observed that "since 1948, Israel has
taken in well over one million largely-impoverished
Jewish refugees from Europe, the Soviet Union, the
Middle East and North Africa and has worked to
integrate them into its society and economy."
All Israelis between the ages of five and 16 are
(Continued on Page 5)
Keren Hayesod Anniversary
The Israel Government Coins and Medals Corp. has issued this bronze medal
to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the United Israel Appeal - Keren
Hayesod in 1980.
Begin Denounces
Church Vandalism
Around Jerusalem
JERUSALEM I JTA ■ — Premier
Menahem Begin has denounced as "in-
tolerable" acts of vandalism against
Christian institutions in Jerusalem and
pledged that "the authorities will do the
utmost to prevent" their recurrence.
The statement, issued by the premier
on Monday, referred to a series of recent
incidents of vandalism by Jewish milit-
ants. They included the breaking of
stained glass windows at the Benedictine
Dormition Basilica on Mt. Zion: smearing
a bookstore selling the New Testament
and Christian writings with the Hebrew
words, in red and black paint, "mis-
sionaries get out" and "bloodsuckers";
and the smearing of anti-Soviet slogans
on the Russian Orthodox church in
downtown Jerusalem.
(Continued on Page 8)