2 Friday, August 1, 1980
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
Begin versus Carrington:
Disraeli Judgment Recalled
MENAHEM BEGIN
BENJAMIN DISRAELI
Pro-PLO statements by British Foreign Secretary
Lord Carrington which gave comfort to the enemies of
Israel drew stinging rebukes from Israeli government
spokesmen.
In his comments expressing resentment and seeking to
underline Israel's just role in Jerusalem, Israel Prime
Minister Menahem Begin said:
"Jerusalem was the capital long before London became
the capital of the United Kingdom."
What a kind and tolerant statement, in view of an
earlier historical record of a speech delivered more than a
century ago in the British House of Commons.
Benjamin Disraeli, in his reply to a taunt by Daniel
O'Connell, said, "Yes, I am a Jew, and when the ancestors of
the right honorable gentleman were brutal savages in an
unknown island, mine were priests in the Temple of Sol-
omon."
Even for the most hardened politicians there are les-
sons in their own recorded history.
Qaddafi-Inspired Billy
and the Growing Anti-Semitism
As the Qaddafi-inspired propagandist for hate, and
thus as a spokesman for Libya and its anti-Israel, therefore
anti-Jewish, aims to destroy the Jewish state, Billy Carter
was more than a clown: he was for several years the tool of
an expanding bigotry that has become menacing to Ameri-
can principles.
While Billy is an object for U.S. investigations, he is
now a major advocate of hate for Jews. This is nothing new,
and on several occasions President Jimmy Carter was
called upon formally to repudiate his brother. The New
York Times July 24 editorial, "Caesar's Brother" trekked
the road of many who believe the President was not firm
enough with his trouble-making kinsman when it declared:
In all the growing clatter and complexity about
Billy Carter, there is one question to keep most in
mind: Why did Libya give or lend him $220,000?
One needs no practice in Levantine intrigue t3
figure out the answer: influence. Libyan officials
think he has his brother's ear. Are they right? No,
says the White House. Even if his activities are
embarrassing, Billy Carter is his own man.
The trouble is that Billy Carter's answer is not
credible, and the White House explanations have
become contradictory. As a result, there is a
steadily more tangled appearance of influence-
peddling" at the top of the American government.
This appearance may be unjust — but the only
way to find out is for the facts to be laid out in an
orderly way. That is plenty of reason to hope the
Senate Judiciary Committee can put aside glib
partisanship and conduct a prompt hearing.
Billy Carter says he is independent. Yet his as-
sertion that he has no influence makes common
sense blush. Why would Libya wish to do a
$220,000 favor (with $280,000 more to follow) for
an unemployed Georgia service station operator?
Because a President's brother is likely to have the
President's ear.
The White House says the President "is not in a
position to make decisions for his brother with
regard to the way he conducts his life and busi-
ness." That is, if Billy Carter hustles up some un-
attractive business, that's not the President's re-
sponsibility.
Maybe so. But there remains the appearance of
influence-peddling and that surely is the
President's responsibility. He may not be able to
tell his brother whom he can represent. But he can
— indeed has a duty — to make it clear to Libya
that Billy Carter has no influence to sell.
There must be a dozen ways to send that signal.
(For one, the Justice Department might have
acted promptly to require Billy Carter to register
as a foreign agent.) So what signal did the
President send? The opposite one, it now turns
out. The White House asked Billy Carter to inter-
cede with a Libyan diplomat concerning the
American hostages in Iran. A Libyan official
A Begin Admonition to the British That Is Reminiscent
of an Historic Comment in the Parliament by Benjamin
Disraeli . . . Billy Carter as Inspirer of Anti-Semitism
could interpret that signal in only one way:
"Bingo! We were sure right. Look where Jimmy
Carter turns when he's really in a jam."
In truth, the Administration was trying every
avenue to free the hostages — and it was hardly
zany to think that an extremist like Libya's Col-
onel Qaddafi might have influence in Iran. That
might well have seemed more important at the
time than cavils about Caesar's wife, or brother.
But even if one makes that benevolent assump-
tion, eight months have passed. The President has
done nothing in the interim to clean up after him-
self, to strike down the idea that Billy Carter can
do $220,000 worth of favors for foreigners.
There are plenty of other questions in this af-
fair. Did someone tip off Billy Carter that the Jus-
tice Departihent had found out about the money?
Can it really be considered a loan? What was in-
volved in Billy Carter's commission arrangement
to seek more Libyan oil for the Charter Oil Co?
The public needs answers and the obvious way
to get them is through a prompt Congressional
hearing. The initial, coarsely partisan reaction of
Senate Republicans was not promising. But now
there is reason to think the Judiciary Committee
can do an orderly, credible job. It would be a
public service.
Several days before this was published the American
Jewish Committee implied similarly in a statement calling
upon the President to be firm with Billy.
The Billy-inspired issue grew into more serious dimen-
sions. In a column in the Detroit News, also on July 24,
George Cantor said about Billy:
By Philip
Slomovitz
As for climate of hatred, I think you'd have to be
blind not to see a growing acceptance of anti-
Semitism in this country.
It is expressed most commonly in the phrase:
"I'm not anti-Semitic but I am anti-Zionist." I
heard that one most recently when Billy Carter
was caught with his fist in the Libyan cookie jar.
Cantor then proceeded to expose the menace of a grow-
ing anti-Semitism evolving out of bigotries like Billy's and
he wrote:
It's a convenient sentiment, enabling bigots to
say that they don't have anything against Jews,
except for not liking them. Because any pre-
tended distinction between anti-Zionism and
anti-Semitism is spurious, a semantic quibble that
permits Jew-baiters to strike thoughtful poses.
The concept, in fact, orginated in the Soviet
Union to excuse continued religious repressi
for reasons of foreign policy. It then radia
outwards until given the approval of the Uni
Nations.
It is sad to record that the George Cantor view that
anti-Semitism is growing is not an isolated opinion. It
seems to be an acknowledged condition of the times. And in
measuring "the times" it should be stated that the hate-
mongering increased because of the bigotries that have
invaded the Third World, with the influence of the energy-
controlling Arab oil magnates, the Soviet Union and those
who have fallen either under their spell or under the pres-
sures that come with the greed for oil.
All of which proves that when hatred and bigotry gets
hold of the human mind, the Jew may be the first sufferer
and the entire world is endangered thereafter.
Merit of a 1949 Proposal
Scholar Suggests Re-Naming W. Jerusalem
By ABRAHAM I. KATSH
and personal success rather
than as a representative of
the Jewish people. Hence,
anti-Semitism did not dis-
appear.
With Israel as a sepa-
rate entity and as a na-
tion, it was the hope of the
Christian authorities, as
well as the Muslims, that
it would be easier to con-
vert the Jews if they were
congregated in one place
rather than spread over
the world.
When Israel emerged at-
tempts were made con-
stantly to sanctify
Jerusalem as a holy city for
other religions, namely
Christianity and Islamic,
but the Jewish oath given
centuries ago, "If I forget
Since Constantine in the Jerusalem, let my right
Fourth Century until the hand forget its cunning,"
present era, the Christian
world has been claiming.
that the Jewish people is a
religion only and not a na-
tion. The same applies to
the Muslim attitude toward
JERUSALEM — After 42
Judaism. It is for this reason
that attempts have been years of taking in immig-
made constantly to deprive rant Jewish musicians from
the Jews of any national scores of countries around
basis which would the world, the Jerusalem
strengthen its spiritual Symphony Orchestra is
input in the world, and it rapidly becoming one of the
also gave excuses for pog- world's great orchestras.
One could say it is the re-
roms and for activities
against the Jewish people sult of a long-standing
for being obstinate as a reli- gamble: that an orchestra
gious entity, and as a result can assimilate a variety of
musical styles and training
we have the Holocaust.
Even the French Revolu- into a cohesive, competent
tion which brought to the and inspired musical body,
people a hope of freedom and at the same time act as
and equality, was limited to a unique "absorption
a religious entity and not as agency," offering top Jewish
a nation like all other na- musicians from abroad a
tions. Actually, what it pro- rewarding home for their
vided was the freedom of skills.
In the last two years, the
worship as given to other
nations, and if the Jews suc- gamble has finally begun to
ceeded in occupying impor- pay off, as the orchestra has
tant positions in the land grown from 50 players to 96,
where they lived, it was the many of them new immig-
result of private initiative rants from England,
(Editor's note: In 1949,
Prof. Abraham I. Katsh
discussed the status of
Jerusalem with the then
Israel Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion. His
suggestions were incor-
porated in an article in
the Hebrew daily Davar.
This article gives the gist
of those suggestions. Dr.
Katsh believes that if his
proposals had been
adopted, many problems
affecting the status of
Jeruslaem would have
been solved.)
On the 21st day of
August, 1949, an article ap-
peared in Davar in Israel
pertaining to Jerusalem. In
it I wrote as follows:
DR. ABRAHAM KATSH
was constantly the hope of
Jewish salvation and rede-
mption, and the symbol of
Jewish feeling as a nation
and as a people.
In order to avoid further
complications and spell out
to the world that we were
talking about one city only,
and that, the city of
Jerusalem, I suggest the fol-
lowing: New Jerusalem,
which in a sense lacks the
sacredness and historicity
of Jerusalem proper, should
be given a different name,
the city of Salem, a name
which appears in Genesis
and in the Psalms. In this
way it would indicate that
the Jewish dream for
Jerusalem refers to the old
city and thus would indicate
to the world that we are
talking about a historic
place embedded in the his-
tory of the Jewish people
since time immemorial.
After all, it was the old
city that was taken away
from the Jews and it is that
part which should be re-
turned.
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra:
Home for Immigrant Musicians
Canada, South America, chestra."
One of the many imported
Russia, Romania, Poland
players is Richard Aaron,
and the U.S.
Founded in 1936 as a an American cellist who
chamber quintet, the or- joined the orchestra in 1978.
One of Aaron's col-
chestra was expanded 12
years later to become the leagues, Emile Adar, is a
house symphony of the Polish-born cellist
•
newly formed Israel spent World War II in a
Broadcasting Authority, centration camp. He
a function it has retained dered through Europe after
the liberation until sett'
to this day.
According to concertmas- in Israel in 1954. r.
ter Shimon Mishory, a 30- joined the JSO two decaueS
year veteran of the or- Ago.
The JSO has a predomin-
chestra, it bears little re-
semblance today to its pre- antly Russian string sec-
decessor: "We were smaller tion, bearing out the Soviet
in quantity and quality up Union's excellent reputa-
until a few years ago," he tion for training string
says. "In the last two years, musicians. One such player,
Alexander
we have brought many new violinist
players, especially from Katznelson from Gorki, is
Russia and the U.S., and quick to admit that his first
with the new talent, we now season with the JSO helped
have the potential to be a his assimilation into Israeli
world-class symphony or- life immeasurably.