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THE JEWISH NEWS
A Weekly Review
Editorial, Page 4
of Jewish Events
'The Torah:
A Modem
Commentary'
by Reform Jewish
Scholars
Reviewed by
Dr. Richard C. Hertz,
Page 72
Copynght © The Jewish News Pubhs/sng Co
VOL. LXXX, No. 13
17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 424-8833
$15 Per Year: This Issue 35` November 27, 1981
Jewish Concerns Expressed
on Danger to Peace Process
Real Tally' Missing
in Vote Counts at UN
By REV. FRANKLIN H. LITTELL
National Institute on the Holocaust
PHILADELPHIA — On Nov. 13, 1981, the UN Gen-
eral Assembly again took a highly partisan and wrong-
headed vote to condemn and isolate Israel. The time has
come when one must ask the question whether anything
done in the UN is worth the attention and comment of
sensible people. But this particular vote, 109 to 2 with 34
abstentions, reveals something more interesting than that
body's routine resolutions against the Jewish state.
The vote was taken in reference to the June 7 strike of
the Israeli air force, a strike which with surgical precision
and virtually no loss of life removed a mortal threat to the
people of Israel.
No reference was
made in the resolution,
sponsored by 36 Third
World countries, to the
fact that Iraq has a long-
standing declaration of
war against Israel. No
reference was made to
the fact that Iraq has
joined in previous sud-
den military attacks on
Israel, a member nation
of the UN. The resolution
calls for the condemna-
tion of a "premeditated
and unprecedented alt of
aggression," demands
REV. FRANKLIN LITTELL
that Israel pay compen-
• sation, and calls for sanctions "to illkevent Israel from
further endangering international peace and security
through its acts of aggression and continued policies
of expansion, occupation and annexation."
In the meantime, no UN attention has been directed to
the destruction of the Lebanese republic by the PLO and
Syrian invaders — nor even to the genocidal actions of
those contingents and their allies, which killed or made
refugees of several hundred thousand Christian Lebanese.
(Continued on Page 5)
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Reagan made a major effort last Thurs-
day to try to allay the fears that have arisen in the American Jewish community
in the aftermath of the debate over the sale of AWACS surveillance planes and
other military equipment to Saudi Arabia.
But at the end of the day, during which the President met with two groups of
Jews, Howard Squadron, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations, said that while he was "satisfied" that Reagan
was "sincere" in wishing to allay the concerns, there would have to be "tangible
things" done before these fears would go away.
Specifically, Squadron said that while Reagan reiterated his support for the
Camp David peace process, there should be a "more active part in the Camp
David process" by the Administration, "pushing harder for autonomy."
Reagan also expressed his concern over the emergence of anti-
Semitism during the AWACS debate, Squadron.said. But the Jewish
leader said the President should express his concern, not just to Jews,
HOWARD SQUADRON
but to a more general group.
Squadron made his remarks to reporters after had had led a delegation of more than 20 representatives
of the Presidents Conference to the meeting with Reagan. The group first met with Vice President George
Bush, White House Counsellor Edwin Meese, National Security Adviser Richard Allen, and Elizabeth
Dole, a special adviser to the President for public liaison, before they were joined by Reagan. A similar
scenario took place in the morning when some 30 Jewish Republicans met with Reagan.
At both meetings, the Jewish leaders expressed their concerns "strongly and firmly," Squadron said.
He noted that the President gave basically the same response at both meetings.
Argentine Prisoner
Releases Spur ADL
NEW YORK — Signs that the Argentine government
is accelerating its prisoner release program were under-
scored by the release of four Jews recently, according to the
Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith.
Those liberated after being held for years without
being charged include Deborah Benshoam, now 20, impris-
oned at 16; Raul Oscar Nudel, a science student jailed in
1974; Pablo Klimovsky, a mathematician incarcerated for
three years; and Jorge Gustavo Sal ischiker, a lithographer,
held for two years after completion of his sentence.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL's associate national
director and head of its international affairs depart-
ment, said that the release of the prisoners indicates
that Argentine authorities are "registering some
achievements" in moving towards therestoration of
(Continued on Page 5)
Jacob Stein, the President's special liaison to
the Jewish community, said that the meetings
were an "important step in setting the record
straight" and were "a forward movement" in
clearing up relations with the Jewish commu-
nity.
It was learned that a great deal of the time
at both meetings was devoted to . the con-
cern by the Jewish leaders with the favora-
ble view the Reagan Administration has
taken toward the eight-point plan proposed
by Crown Prince Fand of Saudi Arabia.
Squadron said Reagan reiterated his support
for the Camp David process as the means for
achieving peace in the Mideast. He said that
Reagan felt that the Fand plan showed "some
hope" and demonstrated a "less belligerant atti-
tude" than earlier Saudi calls for a "jihad" (holy
(Continued on Page 12)
Klutznick Article on Saudi M.E. `Unreasonable' Set of Demands
Peace Plan Criticized by Decter Prevents Israeli Unity Coalition
An Op-Ed Page article in the Nov. 15 Washington Post by Philip Klutznick,
president emeritus of the World Jewish Congress and Secretary of Commerce in
President Carter's cabinet, entitled, "Let's Listen to the Saudis," has drawn endorsement
-• from anti-Israel Congressman Paul Findlay (R-Ill.) and
criticism in Jewish ranks.
In his article, Klutznick said the Saudi plan could form
a basis for further negotiations towards a Middle East
peace.
Moshe Decter, writing in the Near East Report of Nov.
20, tears apart Klutznick's statement:
"A recent trip to Arab lands seems to have per-
suaded Klutznick to accept unquestionably the
peaceful protestations of the Arab leaders he met. He
passes along without challenge the cynical historical
distortion of Arab propaganda that the Palestinian
Arabs are 'a special people in the Arab world, in some
ways like the Jews were in the West following World
War II.'
PHILIP KLUTZNICK
"This is a sinister canard whose unequivocal intent is
to vilify Israel by equating the fate of the Palestinian Arabs
(Continued on Page 20)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Premier Menahem Begin said Sunday that he would like to
invite the opposition Labor Party to discuss the possible formation of a national unity
government but the conditions demanded by Labor were "unreasonable" and unaccept-
able.
Begin made his remarks at the Cabinet meeting after a flurry of speculation in
recent weeks that a national coalition might be under consideration. The speculation was
touched off by the activity of Education Minister Zevulun Hammer who raised the idea in
private talks with Begin and Labor Party leaders and by former Premier Yitzhak Rabin
who said, in a published interview last week, that he would favor a Labor-Likud alliance
provided the government thus formed established new guidelines.
Begin said that it was "a pity" Hammer was unable to elicit a positive
response from the Labor Alignment. He said Rabin's conditions — that Labor
have veto power over new settlements on the West Bank, that basic policy lines
be revised and that all parties pledge to hold new elections in one year — were
absolutely unacceptable to Likud. Rabin, as "a serious politician" should have
known this himself, Begin said.
He added, however, that he would like to see a unity government established and if
Labor agreed to enter negotiations without pre-conditions, "I would be happy to invite
them."
Begin has made such offers in the past. Labor Party chairman Shimon Peres told a
press conference in Tel Aviv last week that Begin had no intention of forming a coalition
with Labor as an equal partner.