2 Friday, October 10, 1980
-THE -DETROIT -JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
By Philip
Slomovitz
`Jewish Renewal' in Paris Calls for Solidarity
in Jewish Ranks Against Emerging Anti-Semitic
Attacks ... the Arabs in a Jihad Aimed at Israel
The French Connection ... the Horror of Anti-Semitic Revivals . . . The 'Jewish Renewal'
The tragic aftermath of a series of anti-Semitic outbursts in Paris emphasizes the
warnings that have been repeated in recent months of a revival of campaigns aimed at
harming the Jewish state and the supporters of Israel everywhere.
The neo-Nazis are charged with responsibility for the French Connection. The Arab
hatreds- are accountable for much of it. The new Hitlerites could never have gained the
credibility they claim had it not been for the encouragement they have from the anti-
Zionists in the UN, the Arabs who are bent under the PLO leadership to destroy the aims
of the Camp David negotiators for peace, those who would undermine the Begin-Carter-
Sadat approaches to amity.
They have much to do with the submissions to pressures from the oil magnates, else
there would not have been a diminution of friendships for Israel among the European and
Latin American nations.
The diplomatic geniuses who have buckled under in the energy crises must be held
responsible for a spreading hatred for Jews.
When the first of the series of anti-Semitic outrages were committed in Paris, young
Jews, with the aid of compassionate Christians, organized the first demonstration
against the bigots. It was held prior to the bestial attack on the synagogue grounds that
resulted in the death of four. The youth organized under the slogan "Jewish Renewal." It
is a symbolic term that sends forth a message calling for Jewish unity. That which
happens to Jews in Paris affects kinfolk in Detroit and Chicago and London and
Copenhagen. The Parisians are not the only targets. It is the Jewish people that is being
attacked. When one community is assailed, the entire people is harmed. There is a
kinship not to be denied. Therefore the slogan Jewish Renewal applies to all Jews. It
calls for solidarity. It asks for unity in Jewish ranks never to abandon our fellow Jews.
Just as the Hitler outrages called for unified condemnation, so does an occurrence in
Paris, or anywhere else.
By the same token, terrorism aimed at Israel's destruction demands world Jell
concern and a reply in the form of unity in Israel's defense.
There is no single form of action against anti-Semitism. The single 'mandatory
defense that must be recognized and encouraged is solidarity. In time of crisis, and in all
efforts in defense of that which is implicit in the French slogan, now abused, of Liberte,
Egalite, Fraternite, divisiveness must never be permitted.
The Jihad That Is Aimed at Israel and Is Now the Symbol of Arab Fratricide
At a time when the Arab ranks are themselves split, and there is a fratricide among
them, the hatred for Israel persists.
Syria and Saudi Arabia spoke the same language, calling for a Jihad, a Holy War,
against Israel. In a most ridiculous proposal to oust Israel from the United Nations,
where only the United States remains a vocal friend, they repeated the call for a Holy
War on Israel.
It's the old story — of hatred for Israel uniting the Arab world, whose membership
would destory one another in their own quests for power, for ascendancy as oil magnates.
Amidst such incredulities, Jordan joined forces with Iraq, and even used the term
Jihad against another Moslem state, and Saudi Arabia gave Jordan encouragement in
this alignment against Iran.
If it were not so serious, threatening a world crisis, it would be the hugest interna-
tional joke, and the world powers are cringing out of the necessities for oil.
And in the process, no matter how unjust an action against Israel, those who cringe
do not hesitate to cast votes for resolutions that would destroy Israel if Israel were not so
Who Are the Forsaken?
A Challenge to the Almighty
As Fodder for Cynicism
An unbelievi r, an athiest, a secularist, is provided
with encouragement for an Hallelujah as a complement to
the sensationalism of Rev. Bailey E. Smith, president of the
Southern Baptists, who said: "God Almighty does not hear
the prayer of a Jew."
What could Jews have said in challenging the Al-
mighty in the era of Chmielnicki, during the Crusades,
during the Kishinev pogrom, in the era of persecutions in
Poland and Romania, in the Hitler era?
The instances can be multiplied by the thousands, the
tens of thousands. Yet faith persists.
This is too sacred to be subjected to the form of scrutiny
that apparently is denied by the Southern Baptist leader.
But the Baptist spokesman, who fails to get over-
whelming support in his warning to Jews in behalf of his
deity, is surely fully aware of the teachings in his own faith,
of his Lord Jesus who is quoted in his New Testament as
pleading with God for having been forsaken.
Turn to St. Matthew 27:46:
adamant in rejecting proposals that she commit suicide. And even the one friend often
votes sympathetically, also hesitatingly, as an action that required a veto ended in a
destructive abstention.
Indeed, there is the demand for a Jihad, while its perpetrators are themselves in a
Jihad, and they do not even express gratitude to Israel for uniting them.
For Hussein of Jordan this is a time to pay the benefactor, to compensate Iraq for the
financial backing it is receiving. Jordan is paying tribute by urging a Jihad against
co-religionist Moslems. In process, however, there was an attack on Israel with an
accusation that the Israelis are backing Iran.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia renewed the canard about "racist Zionists" in the
call at the UN for Israel's expulsion. That's the game now being played. It is clear, in the
spirit that Parisian young Jews mobilize for "Jewish Renewal," that the counter-slogan,
in the form of the button that was circulated three years ago, the reply by every Jew
should again be in the form of "I Am a Zionist."
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud
voice, saying E-li, E-li, la-ma sa-bach-tha-ni? that is to say,
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Surely, Southern Baptist President Rev. Smith need
not be reminded, as recorded in New Testament records,
that his Lord Jesus, when on the Roman cross, cried out in
Hebrew, from Psalm 22:
`2151P :to'?
vrOxv v-tt •I'vntim "rri
My God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken me,
And art far from my help at the
words of my cry?
For Rev. Smith's Jewish fellow citizens there is greater
comfort in the knowledge that while temporarily forsaken
the Jew does not lose faith.
Exemplary is the very popular song "Eli, Eli Lama
azavtani . . ." which recounts the many trials and tribula-
tions through which Jews have been led in the fires of
hatred and torture. Yet even a popular folk song concluded
with the "Yitgadal, v'yitkadash .", the affirmation of
faith.
Else, how could the Jew have survived? Could he have
come through the miseries imposed upon him if in the
ultimate there was a God-inspired identification that de-
fied the hells of oppression, the martyrdoms of the ages?
There is a Jewish devotional that defies despair in time
of need. The popular folk song in which Reb Levi Itzhak of
Berditchev challenges God for permitting sufferings for
Jews ends with the devotional, the reaffirmation of faith.
The Hasidic sage, the Baal Shem Tov, had comment on
the subject when he said: "In the struggle with evil, only
faith matters . . . When God wants to punish a man, He
deprives him of faith."
For the secularist there may be a guideline in a saying
by Mendele Moher Seforim (Shalom Jacob Abramovitz),
1837-1917, himself a notorious secularist:
"Faith is a Jewish commodity. With faith our father
Jacob crossed the Jordan, supported only by a staff. With
faith Jews opened big stores. Everything you see here is
built only on faith."
Some of this may sound like cynicism. In Jewish life it
ends as it begins in faith.,Faithfully, the Almighty may
respond to the Jewish prayers. Finita la comedia.
Jewish and Arab Women Take Surprising Stances on Middle East
By MOSHE RON
The Jewish News Special
Israel Correspondent
A Christian Arab of
Jerusalem, Vidar van de
Haven, and her husband, a
priest from Holland, Jon
Willem van der Haven,
have protested against the
decision of the Hague gov-
ernment to transfer its em-
bassy from Jerusalem to Tel
Aviv. They have returned
from a visit to the Scan-
dinavian countries where
they held a series of talks
about the injustice done to
Israel by the Western world.
They have also visited
Holland and protested
against the decision of their
government.
Willem's parents are liv-
ing in Holland and they are
friends of Israel, whereas
the parents of Vidar live in
Khartoum, Sudan and are
unhappy with the activity of
their daughter for Israel.
They refuse to visit Israel
and meet their daughter
only in Greece or elsewhere
in Europe.
On Nov. 29, the PLO
and some European
countries are preparing a
special memorial day for
the PLO. On the same day
(on which the UN assem-
bly in 1947 voted for the
establishment of the state
of Israel) Vidar and her
husband intended to be
in Finland to speak out
against the terror acts of
the PLO against Israel
and its population.
The Van der Haven
couple have sent a cable to
the Dutch foreign minister
in which they wrote: "As
Christian and Arab we ap-
peal to the government of
Holland not to give in to
Arab pressure with regard
to Jerusalem. Such a capitu-
lation would prove to the
Arabs that blackmail and
extortion are successful."
* * *
The fact that the elder
daughter of the former
Mayor of Tel Aviv and Is-
rael Interior Minister, the
late Israel Rokach, works
for several Arab and ultra-
left organizations in Italy
and America and makes
propaganda against Israel,
is a tragic case.
Livia Rokach is also a
grandchild of the late Shi-
mon Rokach, who was born
in Jerusalem and was one of
the founders of the Neve
Zedek quarter just outside
of Jaffa which was one of the
earliest quarters of the first
new Jewish city in the world
— Tel Aviv.
Livia became a journalist
and worked for some time
for the General Zionist
Party newspaper Haboker.
When Israel Rokach, who
was one of the leaders of the
General Zionists, died,
Livia had many personal
disappointments and got in-
to conflict with her mother,
Hadassa. Livia decided to
live in Italy.
For some years Livia
was the Italian corre-
spondent of the Israel
newspaper Davar and Is-
raeli Radio. Afterwards,
she got entangled with
the ultra-left circles in
Rome and Milan and
began publishing anti-
Israel articles in leftist
Italian newspapers and
publications.
When some Jewish
youngsters in Israel were
put on trial for espionage for
Syria in 1973, Livia Rokach
published articles in the
Florence newspaper "II
Ponte" praising the accused
as opponents of the im-
perialistic reality in Israel.
Lately, Livia engaged in
anti-Israel activity in
America. She is active in
the Organization of Ameri-
can Arabs, who have
finished their studies in
universities. This organiza-
tion wages strong anti-
Israel propaganda cam-
paigns. Livia translated for
this organization excerpts
from the diary of the late Is-
raeli Foreign Minister
Moshe Sharett with her own
commentaries.
The publications of this
organization serve the
propaganda interests of the
Arab countries. They claim
that Israel applies terror
methods against the Arab
population on the West
Bank and 'Gaza and also
against Arabs outside of Is-
rael — ever since the days of
Sharett.
The selective excerpts
from Sharett's diary cho-
sen by Livia Rokach for
translation into English
deal with the polemics of
Sharett against David
Ben-Gurion and Pinhas
Lavon (when he was de-
fense minister), how to
react against Arab terror
action (of the Fedayeen),
which caused many
casualties among Jews.
Sharett was for restricted
actions of Zahal, whereas
Ben-Gurion and Lavon
advocated strong actions
in order to prevent
further infiltrations and
murderous actions of ter-
rorists.
The publication The
Holy Terror of Israel" intro-
duces Livia Rokach as an
Italian journalist and
writer of Palestinian origin.
* * *
At a time when a Chris-
tian Arab fights for
Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel and against Arab ter-
rorists, the daughter of a
late Israeli minister and
mayor, member of one of thP,--
noblest families in Israe'
fights in Italy and America
for the Arab terrorists.
Dual Citizen at U. in Cairo
NEW YORK — Because
he holds a dual (American-
Israeli) citizenship, Gilead
Kapan's application to the
American University in
Cairo was rejected last May.
Kapan, a Brandeis Uni-
versity sophomore spe-
cializing in Arab language
and civilization, contacted
his congressman (Rep.
Mario Biaggi D-N.Y.) after
being told by a university
official that "the Egyptian
Government has advised us
that no university in Egypt
may accept Israeli citizens
as students."
After a summer-long
battle between Rep. Biaggi
and the university, Kapan's
application will be proc-
essed on the basis of his
American citizenship alone.