THE JEWISH NEWS USPS 275 020 Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issue of July 20, 1951 Copyright © The Jewish News Publishing Co. Member of American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, National Editorial Association and National Newspaper Association and its Capital Club. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Postmaster: Send address changes to The Jewish News, 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offices. Subscription $15 a year. PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher ALAN HITSKY News Editor CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager HEIDI PRESS Associate News Editor DREW LIEBERWITZ Advertising Manager Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the 12th day of lyar, 5741, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Leviticus 25:1-26:2. Prophetical portion, Jeremiah 32:6-27. Friday, May 22, Lag b'Omer Candle lighting, Friday, May 15, 8:27 p.m. VOL. LXXIX, No. 11 Page Four Friday, May 15, 1981 CAMP DAVIE, OPTIMISM Pessimism often expressed over the fate of the Camp David agreements for an approach to peace in the Middle East are primarily at- tributable to the failure of Arab states to join in the process. Frequent expressions of despair over the slowness of the agreements to assure fulfill- ment of the peace hopes are heard again and again. They echo in Israel and receive some emphasis in diplomatic quarters. When, therefore, there are the positive .emphases on the Camp David introductory plans for a peace between Arabs and Jews, they must not be minimized. It is encouraging to hear the optimistic com- ments from top leadership, especially those ut- tered by Egypt's President_Anwar Sadat. In his important message to his nation, on May 2, Sadat said, inter alia, that because of his actions at Camp David, where the peace program was forged, he had become the whipping boy for the "mistakes and blunders" of the Arab world. _ Camp David, he said, was the antitheseis of the havoc in Lebanon. Was it Camp David that occupied Lebanon_ with a Syrian Army? he asked, his voice rising. Is it Camp David that is the cause of the mas- sacres in Lebanon?" These are the views of one of the three chief architects of the Camp David peace plan. There has never been cause to fear that either Israel Prime Minister Menahem Begin and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter would underrate the decision they helped formulate, and there is reason to believe that President Ronald Reagan will labor towards acceleration of efforts in sup- port of the peace moves. The tragedy is that the Arab states are not cooperating, and this has caused the bitterness with which Sadat has spoken of the instructions by the Arab states, none having joined* him in the process. These experiences should be lessons for those who would place blame on the slowness of the peace process on Israel. Israel and Egypt must have other nations to collaborate with them, else the realization of the peace hopes will con- tinue to meet with regrettable delays. Those who offer agendas that sound as if Arab-Israel agreements could be reached if,the Israelis only wished them fail to admit that while Israel pleads for cooperation Egypt remains the only Arab entity thus far to have responded posi- tively. Peacemaking in all their aspects, taking into consideration the mounting obstacles, occupies the major obligation of students of foreign af- fairs, yet they have not gone very far — for the very onesidedness which makes it so difficult for Israel to secure Arab cooperation. One very ex- tensive study of the peacemaking needs, ap- pearing in the current issue of Foreign Affairs magazine, is proof of the inadequacies. Study- ing the many problems, Shai Feldman, research associate at the -Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, offers a basis for negotia- tions in these conclusions to his essay in Foreign Affairs: "The Israeli-American strategic dialogue should consist of a thorough analysis of the fun- damental interests of both nations, and of the ways in which they may be accommodated. A mutual understanding should be reached on three central issues. First, on the construction of the new national security package allowing for Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank. This should also include a discussion of the measures needed to gain European and pro- Western Arab support of the package. "Second, a common understanding with re- gard to the political steps to be taken _toward a more comprehensive Middle East accord. In this framework, a common approach should be adopted regarding the ways of eliciting a Pales- tinian or Jordanian-Palestinian partner to the settlement, under either of the aforementioned options. "Third, a mutual understanding should be reached on the general principles for a solution to the problem of Jerusalem. The solution should provide for the city's continued unity, while allowing a measure of Arab jurisdiction over some of its parts. In this context, the fun- damental religious concerns of parties as di- verse as Saudi Arabia and the Vatican could be accommodated. "Only after Israel has gained the support of her staunchest ally, the United States, on all three issues, will she be able to initiate the difficult steps toward a comprehensive Middle East settlement." These may not be effective as a basis for Is- raelis' consent to final action, but they basically offer an approach to deliberations. Here, too, however, it is questionable whether the partici- pation of responsible Arabs, on an official basis, is possible. A threat to the peace and to the Camp David decisions remains from the hawks of Egypt. They have threatened to join Syria in the event of a war with Israel. Hopefully this will not materialize. It is in the best interests of world peace and the U.S. involvements in the area that the Camp David agreements should not be obliterated. It is to that end that all must labor. It was hoped that Sadat would get some sort of Arab collaboration. It is slow in coming. Ex- tremists say it may never come. Nevertheless, as long as the triumvirate holds forth its convic- tion of the Camp David applicability, hope per- sists. Sadat encourages that hope and Israel and the United States are in the planning stage for the program's realization. That's why optimism has a role in peacemaking. CONGRESSMEN WITH A SENSE OF JUSTICE In his address to the celebrants of Israel's 33rd anniversary, at the Civic Center in South- field, Congressman William Brodhead had a message of cheer. He spoke for a majority of the Michigan MEMBERS OF Congress who are op- posing all efforts to arm Israel's enemies and are supporting the aid needed for Israel's security. Rep. Brodhead fortunately represents a sense of justice, an encouragement to the Israel-U.S. friendship and rejection of whatever is inhuman in international relations. Dr. Raphael Patai's Classic Volume of Jewish Legends Wayne State University Press enriches its Judaica bookshelf with a most impressive work that is certain to be classified among the modern classics in Jewish anthological writings. "Gates to the Old City: A Book of Jewish Legends" by Dr. Raphael Patai is an _encyclopedic work on the vast variety of subjects covered under the general title of legends. As one of the most note0. Bible scholars and anthropologists, Prof. Patai has assembled for this volume legends from the Bible, Apoc- rypha, Talmud, Midrash, Kabala, Hasidism and the vast field of Jewish folklore. Utilizing the sources provided by the Agada, Dr. Patai covers every conceivable subject in the 800-page volume. The seven parts of the volume denoting the sources for this immense work are preceded by background notes. The first portion, devoted to the Bible, com- mences with an essay that defines the Scriptures, indicating that the Bible comprises works dating from some 12 centuries, the 13th to the Second BCE. He explains: "It is written in Hebrew except for parts of Ezra and most of Daniel which are in Aramaic." The portion of the Patai volume de- voted to Bible sources deals with legendary selections from the narra- tive parts of the Bible. The same procedure is followed with other sections of the book, and the reader is provided with knowledge about the rich storehouse of Jewish folklore. - Because Dr. Patai had already dealt with the subject of the Messiah in his "The Messiah Text," published earlier by Avon, this is one subject to a limited degree. Because he had made it a point to compile only legends that have not RAPHAEL PATAI been published previously, all the stories he utilized were translated anew by him from the 'original Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Yiddish or German sources. The only exception is the story "The Six Days and the Seven Gates" by Yitzhak Navon, president of Israel. This appears as a prologue to Dr. Patai's "Gates to the Old City." Not only the legends, but the informative introduction as well as the explanatory notes to each section of the book assist in making this encyclopedic work a genuine classic in Jewish literature. The very definitive comment on the origin of the legend, derived from the Latin Legendus, and its modern application, is additionally interesting in Dr. Patai's treatment of his subject. He shows that it iF now utilized as a traditional narrative handed down for generations _ and popularly believed to be true, although not always verifiable. The subjects included in the rich heritage of Jewish legendary writings deal with myths, magic, theosophy, mysticism, demonology, medicine, and practically every aspect of human experience. Some of the legends deal with the miracle worker, a theme ex- pressive of experiences in Jewish life during periods of oppressive suffering. Dr. Patai points out in his introduction that the legends present "a curious mixture of self-pity and self-conceit, of full cogni- zance of the Jew's physical defenselessness and the unshakable con- viction that their protection against the Gentiles and their onslaught is the prime concern of God acting through his elect, the Tzaddik or the saint." Dr. Patai's anthology of Jewish legends will fascinate the reader. The immense volume is informative and is replete with historic data, adding to its importance as a literary enrichment.