2 Friday, April 25, 1980

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Purely Commentary

Jean Paul Sartre Had an Impact on a Generation That
Was Plagued with Anti-Semitism ... Astrology as Test
for Sadat-Begin Friendship ... Settlements Defined

Jean Paul Sartre, Israel's
Friend, Evaluator of Anti-Semitic
Trends Affecting Hater and Victim

It was on anti-Semitism, in analyzing and defining
both the hater and the need for resistance by the hated, that
the views of Jean Paul Sartre command most serious atten-
tion.

Jean Paul Sartre, the French existentialist, the agnos-
tic Marxist, who died in Paris on April 14, left an interest-
ing legacy relating to Jews and Israel. He was a leftist who
defended Israel. He pleaded for concessions to Arabs, but in
the main he was a defender of just rights for Jewry.
His views are expressed in a volume, "Anti-Semite
and Jew," which was published by Schocken in an English
translation by George K. Becker. The proceeds from the
book were given by Sartre to a Jewish orphanage in Al-
giers.
Sartre made the
comment that "if the
Jew did not exist,
the anti-Semite
would invent him."
It is worth noting
his definition that
"anti-Semitism is
passion without
provocation." He
added: "The nega-
tion of love, i.e.
anti-Semitism, has
chosen hate because
hate is a faith; at the
outset the anti-
Semite has chosen to
devalue the concept
of realism. How
entirely at ease he
feels as a result."
After World War
II, in a literary sa-
lon, he heard an
Sartre at age 50.
anti-Semitic remark
by a woman that was considered fashionably witty. He
walked out, declaring, "I don't discuss human values with
murderers."
Satre was more realistic than many Jews in viewing
the anti-Semitic dangers. He warned against reasoning
with anti-Semites. He states, as quoted in "Anti-Semite
and Jew":
In a word, the inauthentic Jews are men whom
other men take for Jews and who have decided to
run away from this insupportable situation. The
result is that they display various types of be-
havior not all of which are present at the same
time in the same person, but each of which may be
characterized as an avenue of flight.
The anti-Semite, by collecting and assembling
all these distinct and often incompatible avenues
of flight, has traced out a monstrous portrait
which is supposed to be that of the Jew in general;
at the same time he explains these free efforts at
escape from a painful situation as hereditary
traits, engraved on the very body of Israel and,
consequently, incapable of modification .. .
The moment he ceases to be passive, he (the
Jew) takes away all power and all virulence from
anti-Semitism. The inauthentic Jew flees Jewish
reality, and the anti-Semite makes him a Jew in
spite of himself; but the authentic Jew makes
himself a Jew, in the face of all and against all. He
accepts all, even martyrdom, and the anti-Semite,
deprived of his weapons, must be content to yelp
at the Jew as he goes by, and can no longer touch
him.
At one stroke the Jew, like any authentic man,
escapes description. The common characteristics
we have attributed to the inauthentic Jews ema-
nate from their common inauthenticity. We shall
encounter none of them in the authentic Jew: he is
what he makes himself, that is all t ut can be said.
In this isolation to which he has consented, he
becomes again a man, a whole man, with the
metaphysical horizons that go with the condition
of man.
On matters relating to Israel, Sartre was ideologically
akin to the Mapam. At one time the movement was consid-
ered totally Communist, echoing the Kremlin. Factually, it
is extremely leftist but while it is Marxist it is not the tool of
the Kremlin. He visited Egypt and Israel, two weeks in
each country, in 1967. He came to the conclusion that
refugees should be returned to their homes, that Israel's
right to exist should not be interfered with. He was
criticized by Arabs as well as Jews, but in the main his
attitude always remained pro-Israel.
It is clear that the Sartre attitude on Israel was influ-
enced by the radicalism and the pressures that stemmed
from concerns for the refugees. Perhaps he had not been
reached by others than the Mapam whose policies dictated
extreme concessions. In matters of Jewish survival, how-
ever, Sartre, like Mapam, would not yield to anything that
might have affected Israel's existence.

Astrological Realities:
Sadat and Begin Like Each Other

Svetlana Godillo, Washington Post astrologer,
analyzes Menahem Begin and makes predictions in one of
her recent columns.
Pointing out that the Israeli prime minister, who was
born Aug. 16, 1913, has his "sun in Leo," she predicts that
"the burden of government will weigh more heavily on his
shoulders," and she advises that he watch his health more
carefully than ever.
Then she advises:
Begin would be better off negotiating with
President Sadat directly and alone, not because
their charts are so well aligned, but because there
is a genuine liking for one another. Despite their
bitter differences and Begin's stubbornness, two
of them alone could go further for they respect
and trust one another. But still I do not see in
charts that they will come to any agreement, since
this is put aside due to eruption of some hostilities
(not against one another).
There is something very realistic in this comment. Old
animosities seem to have been reduced in what is not con-
sidered a mutual liking between two world leaders, -Sadat
and Begin. The "No More War" slogan that has grown out of
it is among the most comforting of recent developments.
Perhaps it all leads not only to cementing Egyptian-Israel
relations but also to encouraging better responses from
other Arab leaders in the near future.

Settlements: Applying an American
Lesson to the Muddied Issue

"Settlements" have become an ugly word. An admira-
ble aim to build on neglected soil and to create homesteads
has become a crime in the views of political motivations.
Jews created settlements in many parts of the ancient
Holy Land for a century. Arabs sold them the land to build
upon.
Now settlements in some areas bordering on Israel and
Arab lands are vital to Israel's existence. But the hatreds
that emanate from an anti-Israel spirit have created con-
troversies.
Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau
wrote an article for the New York Daily News in which he
tested the case on the basis of the West Bank being on the
banks of the Hudson. He makes the point:

How would the United States react to a UN
resolution demanding that it immediately pull out
of South Korea, the Panama Canal Zone and
Guantanamo Bay, and agree to autonomy for New
Jersey, the West Bank of the Hudson? The reac-
tion of the government is difficult to predict these
days, but I suggest that the reaction of the Ameri-
can public would be one of bewilderment and
anger, similar to that of the Israeli government to
the UN resolution calling for the dismantlement of
Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and East
Jerusalem and the granting of immediate au-

By Philip
Slomovitz

tonomy to these areas which comprise the so-
called West Bank.
The UN resolution is not consistent with the
Camp David agreement, the subsequent
Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, or with Israel's
legitimate security requirements. At Camp David,
Israel agreed to the eventual dismantlement of its
Sinai settlements. Not a word was written in those
accords, however, about dismantling the settle-
ments in Judea and Samaria — nor of course,
about the housing developments in East
Jerusalem and its environs. Similarly, there was
no discussion or agreement about dismantling the
homes and settlements of the more than 600,P'
Arabs who live in Galilee, Tel Aviv and ot_
parts of Israel.
At Camp David, Israel did orally agree to a
three-month freeze of new settlements. After that
period, Israel began again to build settlements
and, while this caused consternation in some sec-
tions of the Carter Administration, it surely did
not overly concern the Egyptians, who thereafter
signed the peace treaty with Israel that made no
mention whatsoever of the settlements. Indeed, as
her settlements have progressed, so have the for-
mal relations between Egypt and Israel.
Has there been any indication the the King of
Jordan would enter the autonomy negotiations if
only Israel would, stop building settlements? Or
the PLO? Or any other representative of the
Palestinian people? To the contrary, all of these
parties and non-parties have steadfastly refused
to recognize Isarel, regardless of its borders or its
settlements policies, and the PLO remains adam-
ant both in its charter and its desire to see Israel
itself dismantled.
Morgenthau reaches a conclusion:
Whether or not we all agree with it, there is a
serious military-security argument for the settle-
ments. Standing on the top of the hills of Judea
and Samaria, you can see 60 percent of the Jewish
population, the flags flying atop the buildings of
Tel Aviv, the planes taking off from Ben-Gurion
Airport. It is only nine miles from the western
border of the West Bank to the Mediterranean
Sea, about the same distance that it is from the
Palisades to the East River.
Perhaps, as Gen. Ariel Sharon forcibly argues,
there is no substitute for people on the spot when
it comes to security. Others may differ, but cer-
tainly the Israelis have a right to decide these
life-or-death questions for themselves. So far,
they have decided in favor of the settlements.
And who can blame Israel for doing what they
believe to be necessary for their own security and
for not having a blind faith in the direction and
consistency of United States policy and the will of
our government to back up that policy? In this,
Israel is not alone; its concern is shared by many
of our allies, not to mention our Foreign Service
personnel around the world.
It may not do much good, but authoritative statements
defending Israel's role are a necessity. Therefore, the
Morgenthau view is worth disseminating as widely as
possible.

Gilboa Underscores Israel's Achievements

In a message issued on
the occasion of Israel's 32nd
anniversary, Moshe Gilboa,
Israel's consul general for
the Midwest, emphasized
Israel's achievements in re-
claiming the land, building
a modern society, integrat-
ing immigrants into its life
and making the country a
model for other nations.
Gilboa comments, inter
alia:
"The renaissance of Is-
rael, and the return of the
Jewish people to their an-
cient homeland after 2,000
years of dispersion and
exile, is a unique
phenomena in the hisotry of
mankind. It has been
achieved through the vis-
ion, faith, dedication, de-
termination and hard work
and heavy sacrifices of the
dreamers, builders and de-
fenders of Zion, who were
helped by their Jewish and
non-Jewish allies abroad.

MOSHE GILBOA

From 6500,000 Jews
who lived in Israel in 1948
it grew 500 percent in less
than two generations and
has more than 3.2 million
Jews living there now
(37,000 of them immigrat-
ing to it only last year).
Israel absorbed more
than 1.5 million Jewish
refugees and immigrants
from Hitlers concentra-

tion camps, about 700,000 and consumer goods when
Jews from Arab Islamic they founded their country,
countries, more than have become exporters of
150,000 from the Soviet agricultural products to
Union and tens of Western Europe, Africa and
thousands from Iran, Asia and its agriculture is
South America, Africa, one of the most mode •ed
Asia and became the in the world, tir, re-
home of pioneering and juvenating the contact bet-
idealistic Jewish youth ween the People of Israel
from Western Europe and the Land of Israel
"Israel's industrial,
n-
and America.
"The land of Israel was tific and technologicai ac-
deserted, ruined and poorly complishments are not less
cultivated and had only impressive, despite the
small strongholds of enormous resources, ener-
pioneering and agricultural gies and manpower which,
settlements when it was es- unfortunately, have to be
tablished. Since then hun- diverted towards building
dreds of new kibutzim, up and maintaining the
moshavin and outstanding necessary network of self-
pioneering settlements, as defense.
Israel, again, as in the
well as many new
cities
and past, is the inspiring central
development
areas,
were
founded in the midst of the focus for Jewish survivabil-
desert, on rocky mountain- ity providing Jews through
the world with a sense of
ous
and
on virgin
land. areas
Israel's
citizens,
who continuity, identity and be-
lacked basic agricultural longing.

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