THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, May 9, 1980 61
Fall of Begin Government Predicted by Members of His Cabinet
By MOSHE RON
The Jewish News Special
Israel Correspondent
TEL AVIV — Members of
Begin's Cabinet are sure
that the government will
fall and that there will be
early elections. They expect
the fall in May.
Important Cabinet mem-
bers like Vice Premier
Simha Erlich and Defense
Minister Ezer Weizman and
others are of this opinion.
The tense situation in the
Cabinet was created after
the government's decision
tr, re-settle the former
Jewish quarter in Hebron
with a yeshiva and army
school.
Public opinion all over
the world and in Israel de-
plored the decision when
the negotiations between
Israel and Egypt on the au-
tonomy settlement reached
a crucial stage. Vice Pre-
mier Erlich declared that
this decision annoyed the
U.S. government and Jews
all over the world alike and
completely isolated Israel in
the international arena.
It was foolish and un-
necessary decision that
handicapped the chances
for co-existence with the
Israeli Arabs and the
Arabs in the territories.
Vice Premier Yigael
Yadin declared after this
decision that there is a limit
to what he can digest as a
member of the government.
Defense Minister Weizman
said that such a step could
be the end of the govern-
ment.
In Herut circles, Weiz-
man's threats to resign are
being ridiculed. They say
that these threats started a
Guide Explores Lower East Side
Out of New York's East
Side have emerged many of
the very prominent Ameri-
can personalities. In that
area, which has attracted
worldwide attention, have
developed social and politi-
cal theories which later be-
came American and human
realities. The sons and
daughters of that famous
district provided cultural
gifts for America and hu-
manity. They served as
-guidelines for Jewish liber-
tarian idealism.
In "The Lower East Side:
A Guide to Its Jewish Past"
(Dover Publications),
Ronald Sanders and Ed-
mund V. Gillon Jr., tell the
fascinating story of the cen-
ter out of which had grown
the great social themes.
The historical, commer-
cial, political and social as-
pects of this colorful, turbu-
lent life and culture is
traced in the book's lucid,
authoritative commentary
by Sanders, author of "The
Downtown Jews," and in
Gillon's documentary
photographs of the bastions
of New York Jewish history:
The Forward Building; the
Yiddish theaters centered
on Second Avenue (the
"Jewish Rialto"), such as
the Orpheum and the An-
derson; institutions such as
the Henry Street Settle-
ment and the Educational
Alliance; the Shaarei
Shomoyim and Beth
Hamidrash Hagodol
Synagogues; Katz's Delica-
tessen and the Garden
Cafeteria.
There are views of the
heart of the Lower East Side
— Hester, Essex and Or-
chard Streets — and those
representative of its multi-
faceted character:
McSorley's Ale House,
La Mama Experimental
Theatre, Seward Park High
School.
Sanders' text establishes
the role of each in the life of
America's most famous
ghetto.
America's and Jewry's
most noted personalities
had their roles here.
Among those who grew
up in this area of distinc-
tion were Jan Peerce,
who is io this day among
the leaders in the world
of music; Samuel Gom-
pers, who fathered the
ideas incorporated in the
movement he created, the
American Federation of
Labor; Zero Mostel, Irv-
ing Berlin, Paul Muni,
Eddie Cantor, George
Burns, Jacob Epstein
and the scores who
created labor and Jewish
movements.
Although today the
Lower East Side houses a
mixed ethnic population, it
will probably always stand
as the core of the rich and
strong Jewish life and cul-
ture which is so vital a part
of the American makeup.
year ago. He repeats them
whenever the Cabinet
adopts a decision against
his vote, or whenever he
thinks that Begin does not
appreciate his political ac-
tivity and his success by
leading the campaign of
Likud during the last Knes-
set elections.
Weizman sometimes
criticizes the government as
not being successful, that
Begin does not govern and
function and that the gov-
ernment as a whole is losing
more and more poplularity.
Weizman threatens that he
will resign after he finishes
building his new home in
Caesarea in order to com-
pile his memoirs.
Such
declarations
create the impression
that for the first time
since the establishment
of the state there is a gov-
ernment which does not
function, suffers frm con-
stant quarrels among its
members and is criticized
in the international arena
even by friends of Israel.
Israeli industrialist
Yekutiel Federman estab-
lished a committee which
began to distribute a public
petition for early elections.
Many thousands have al-
ready signed, demanding
Begin to go to the president
of the state and resign.
The "Peace Now" move-
ment has increased its ac-
tivity, holding public
demonstrations along the
main roads of the country —
with placards and slogans
demanding Begin's resigna-,
tion. This movement con-
sists mainly of leftist cir-
cles, Labor, Mapam, young
kibutzniks and a, group of
moderate university profes-
sors, but it expresses with
the government among the
population.
The question is where are
the masses who supported
Likud during the last elec-
tions? Even the Herut
movement does not try to
call its members to demon-
strate in favor of the gov-
ernment. The Likud is in-
capable of organizing
counter-demonstrations.
The entire Israeli press
AJCommittee
Mum on Debate
SCENE ON HESTER STREET
WASHINGTON (JTA) —
The American Jewish
Committee's Washington
chapter which met last
week in extraordinary ses-
sion to discuss Israel's pol-
icy of Jewish settlements in
the West Bank has declined
to comment on its proceed-
ings. The meeting was open
only to members.
Brant Coopersmith, the
chapter's director, said that
the advance notice of the
chapter officers' criticism of
the policy was an "internal
matter" and "what we dis-
cussed is still an internal
matter."
He added that "whatever
happened will be made
known to appropriate
organizations" of the na-
tional Committee at the
plenary session May 15 in
New York.
is full of criticism against
the government. There is
no editor who dares to
write a good word about
it.•The Likud, comprising
several parties and 50
Knesset members, has no
newspaper of its own to
come to the aid of the at-
tacked government.
Many • ask thmselves:
What induced Menahem
Begin to push through a de-
cision for resettling the
former Jewish quarter in
Hebron? Some journalists
maintain that it was to
counteract President
Sadat's declaration that he
sees May 26 as the final date
for completing the au-
tonomy settlement, other-
wise a new situation would
arise.
Political - observers be-
lieve tht Begin might com-
promise about Hebron dur-
ing his talks with Carter.
During recent months
Begin adopted a more harsh
attitude in the peace
negotiations. He appointed
Interior Minister Burg of
Mafdal as chairman of the
autonomy talks team in-
stead of former Foreign
Minister Moshe Dayan. He
appointed Yitzhak Shamir
as foreign minister. Should
Weizman resign his post as
defense minister, the radi-
cal chairman of the Knesset
Defense and Foreign Affairs
Committee Moshe Arens
(who at the time voted
against the peace agree-
ment with Egypt) is slated
for this post.
Weizman feels he has no
communication with Pre-
mier Begin. Begin does not
consult him on important
matters. He has better rela-
tions with the radical
Minister of Agriculture
Ariel (Arik) Sharon.
In the Mafdal there are
many who do not believe
that the fall of the Begin
government and new
early elections could be
avoided. Some Mafdal
leaders lately held talks
with the chairman of the
Labor Party Shimon
Peres about the possibil-
ity of early elections.
They are of the opinion
that in case the goVern-
m en t would fall, the
majority of the Liberal
party would leave the
Likud and that there
would be a new central
list headed by the popu-
lar Weizman.
There is now a concrete
possibility that the next Is-
raeli government will be a
coalition between the Labor
Alignment and a moderate
central block headed by
Weizman and Erlich, which
would be joined by Mafdal.
*
*
Weizman to Quit
Upon Re-Election
of Premier Begin
TEL AVIV (ZINS) — De-
fense Minister Ezer Weiz-
man said that he is prepared
to serve in the same
capacity if the Labor Party
is returned to power in Is-
rael in the case of the fall of
the Begin government.
He said if Begin were re-
turned to the premiership,
he would withdraw from
politics and wait to be in-
vited to take over Israel's
top political post.
Meanwhile, specula-
tion in Israel is that
should Begin resign or be
voted out of his post, he
will be replaced by Yit-
zhak Shamir, current
foreign minister.
Sources said that Shamir
possesses, in Begin's mind,
the necessary requisites for
taking over the premier-
ship. In his youth, Shamir
was a member of Betar in
Poland, he was a member of
the Etzel and Lehi and after
the establishment of the
state, Shamir joined Herut
and with that demonstrated
his loyalty to Begin.
Tree Plantings
for Soviet Jews
PHILADELPHIA (JTA)
— The Soviet Jewry Council
of the Jewish Community
Relations Council (JCRC),
have announced a tree
planting program in Israel
for Soviet Jewish refusnik
families and Prisoners of
Jews Facing
New Challenges Conscience.
The trees will be planted
LOS ANGELES (JTA) — in Abu Tor, the Peace Forest
"The big news in Jewish life in Jerusalem.
today is that the Jewish
people is entering a major Arms Spending
new era with unprece-
LONDON (ZINS) — Is-
dented opportunities and rael spent $1,140 per per-
challenges," according to son for armaments last
Dr. Irving Greenberg, direc- year, according to the Lon-
tor of the National Jewish don Institute for Strategic
Resource Center in New Affairs. The U.S. and Soviet
York, in a speech at the Union were tied for second
opening plenary session of place at $560 per person.
the 1980 biennial confer- Egypt spent $54 per person,
ence of the National Jewish lowest in the world.
Welfare Board here last
Israel's expenditures on
Thursday.
defense amounted to one-
Greenberg, a member of third of her gross national
the President's Commission product.
on the Holocaust and its
former director, declared New Editor
that the new age in Jewish
NEW YORK — Marc
life "is shaped by the impact Jaffe, president of Bantam
of the Holocaust and the re- Books, was named execu-
birth of Israel. It is marked tive vice president and
by the challenge of sover- editor-in-chief of Ballantine
eignty and the exercise of Books and an executive vice
power on the one hand and president of Random House,
an open, more .secular Inc., of which Ballantine is a
society on the other."
subsidiary.
V
.