2 Friday, September 10, 1982
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
Nahum Goldmann the 'Irritant'
Who Was Hailed as `Nordau
Redividus' by Stephen Wise
Recollections of Associations With Nahum Goldmann, the Genius
Who Negotiated the Reparations Secured from Western Germany,
Who Had Many Qualities as a Secularist Emerging Eminently
The Threat of an Erosion:
Sen. Percy to the Rescue
It would be too much to expect that there should be no
Nahum Goldmann was one of the very remarkable obstacles on that glorious road of Israel-U.S. cooperation.
men of the century. Yet, as evaluated in the obituaries, he Under stress, especially in a time like the present, the
threat of a partial erosion is conceivable.
is depicted as having been "an irritant."
Yet, the friendship is so deeply rooted, marked by so
It is because he was both creative and challenging as
many precedents that have always been emphasized by
well as the critic. He was the master in all categories.
The fact that the tributes that have piled up in his amity, that fears begin to vanish. Noteworthy is the speed
memory include the very movements he antagonized is an with which U.S. Senator Chailes Percy of Illinois refuted
an accusation that Israel was resorting to germ warfare. In
indication of the recognition he gained while shooting darts
a letter published in the Chicago Tribune on Aug. 26, he
of destruction at them.
stated:
He was not always the maverick, the opponent. When
An advertisement in the Aug. 6 Tribune car-
he first appeared on the American scene, in a welcome that
ried the frightening and misleading headline
was granted him by an audience that packed Carnegie Hall
"Germ warfare in Lebanon" in an effort to mag-
in New York, this commentator recalls it as having been in
nify the consequences of the Israeli siege of Be-
1940, he was hailed by Dr. Stephen S. Wise as the genius
irut.
who is "Nordau Redivivus." Anyone likened to the great
There have been no reports of germ warfare
Max Nordau had to possess qualities of genius. Nahum
in Lebanon, and it is irresponsible to give the false
Goldmann had them in full measure.
impression that Israel would engage in it.
The master of at least six languages, which means he
It is because, in his role as chairman of the Senate
understood additional ones, Dr. Goldmann was an eloquent Foreign Relations Committee he was rated as aligning
interpreter of Jewish and world events. His speeches with Israel's antagonists, that this message serves as sort of
sparkled with metaphors and he was superb as a story- an exoneration.
teller. He loved to tell stories, and they were always
In the long run, it is still anticipated- that the U.S. will
entertaining and descriptive of the topics he tackled. He remain Israel's staunchest friend and that erosions will be
was able to transform the most tragic into the human averted.
factors, and the anecdotes applied to them added substance
to the issues at hand.
Romanian MFN Controversy,
Was he always an "irritant"? He certainly did not Rabbi Rosen's Rescue Plea
discriminate in that respect. He was in conflict with David
Romania is in the limelight, and its desire for Most
Ben-Gurion, he criticized Golda Meir, Menahem Begin was Favored Nation status to be granted by the United States
not a pal.
triggered a controversy. Such glorification met with pro-
It is no wonder that he glorified Dr. Stephen S. Wise tests. Objections were based on the charge that Romania
and spoke of him as the only one who listened to his warn- imposed restrictions on Jews seeking exit visas to go to
ings of an approaching Nazi terror. But he had himself Israel, and some of the protests were based on claims that
confessed that he was also slow-moving in facing up to there were restrictions on those seeking family reunifica-
Hitlerism.
tions in the United States.
Stephen Wise virtually gave him leadership by select-
Rabbi Moses Rosen came
ing him as his successor. Therefore, the glory Goldmann
to the rescue of his govern-
gave to Wise was well earned.
ment. He appeared before a
Dr. Goldmann referred to himself as a "Goy," explain-
Congressional committee
ing: "I am not stubborn, I am not fanatic. I am flexible, I
defending his government,
understand the other fellow's point of view, I am tolerant,
which he has served with
and that's not the Jewish character."
distinction as a sort of offi-
cial Government Rabbi and
That could be interpreted as a bit of conceit. So defined,
as a member of the Roma-
was he the only "Goy" in Jewish ranks? How about all the
nian Parliament. He also
great secularists who were nevertheless devoted Jewish
defended his government in
patriots? Was he declaring superiority?
a New York Times Op-Ed
A Jewish genius like Goldmann is not assailed in a
Page article, which was
tribute several days after his death. But the criticisms are
curiously entitled "Using
in the nature of sentiments he had himself inspired.
Romanian Jews."
Therefore another recollection: We were with him at
Since the accusations
the World Jewish Congress sessions in Stockholm in 1957.
that Romania discriminates
The sessions were held in the Swedish Parliament build-
against Jews desiring to
ing. We were planning to go to the main synagogue to
RABBI MOSES ROSEN
leave their native land are
attend the Sabbath morning services. We were to be led by
the late Zalman Shazar, who still had the name marked by firmness, often bordering on bitterness, Rabbi
Rubashov and who would later become third president of Rosen's views are of importance. The facts he presented
Israel. We asked Nahum Goldmann if he'd join us, and his relate to the issue. So do the statistical facts he presented to
reply was: "If I do not go to shul in Jerusalem, would I go in the Congressional committee.
In his NYTimes article, he stated among other things:
Stockholm?"
Romanian Jewry is not an isolated community.
Yet, for political purposes in behalf of the Zionist
It has strong links with the organized structure of
cause, when he was leader and not the critic, he dominated
world Jewry while internally it has been given
the platform even in synagogues.
full opportunity for cultural and religious expres-
(It was an interesting experience that Sabbath morn-
sion. Hence, the Federation of Jewish Com-
ing in the Stockholm Great Synagogue. All who were ho-
munities in Romania is a full member of the World
nored with aliyot were together on the bima in the center of
Jewish Congress and I, as a member of the Con-
the synagogue and remained standing until after they were
gress's governing board, attend all of its impor-
accorded their assigned honors. President-of-Israel-to-be
tant assemblies. The American Jewish Joint Dis-
Zalman Rubashov Shazar was honored with Aliya Shlishi,
tribution Committee maintains a full, active pro-
always chosen for the highly cultured.)
gram of social service in our community. There
It was at the Stockholm World Jewish Congress meet-
are at present 120 synagogues in Romania.
ings that Dr. Goldmann encouraged the establishment of a
world organization of Jewish journalists which now func-
Since 1979, at the request of the State Depart-
tions as the World Confederation of Jewish Journalists.
ment, the Romanian Government and the Confer-
Shortly thereafter he performed another important
ence of Presidents of Major American Jewish
deed. He rescued the Jewish Telegraphic Agency from col-
Organizations, I have accepted the responsibility
lapse by initiating efforts to assist the world Jewish news
of maintaining a proper count: Every Romanian
agency to wipe out its debts.
Jew who wishes to emigrate can register with the
Thus, he was always the "Jew," certainly to the world,
community so that an accurate picture of Jewish
even if he chose the designation "Goy."
emigration can be drawn. Since the initiation of
One who was so critical of Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir and
this procedure, I have regularly reported the
Menahem Begin, who was so bitter in his treatment of the
names and addresses of all registrants to the
Hebrew press in Israel, as it incidentally was to him, might
United States Embassy in Bucharest.
not have tolerated recollections that lead to criticism of
Here are the relevant figures. The number of
him.
Jews receiving approval for emigration in the
Admittedly, admiringly, he was a great man. Would
first half of this year was 1,204 as compared with
that he had not been so antagonistic to certain aspirations
394 in the comparable period last year, and 667
for Israel and Jewry. His achievements in securing repara-
during the same span in 1980. Last year, 1,067
tions from West Germany as well as many other creditable
emigrated as compared with 1,119 the year before
accomplishments assure an indelible spot for him in Jewish
and 833 in 1979. By the end of this July, 555 per-
and world history. Therefore, even critically, this acknowl-
sons had emigrated.
edgement of his genius. He was among the greatest per-
The challengers have not abandoned their criticisms.
sonalities of this century.
Nevertheless, the statistics here enumerated are of value to
-
By Philip
Slomovitz
the historian.
The claim that Romanian Jews continue to represent
an element able to continue its legacies has much merit.
Whatever can be rescued should be perpetuated. At the
same time, those seeking a way out in order to join relatives
in Israel or elsewhere must not be handicapped.
It is to be assumed from Rabbi Rosen's defense of his
government that obstacles to emigrants will be abandoned
and that the type of friendship which he has created will be
adhered to on a civilized basis of understanding and coop-
eration between peoples.
Retention of the MFN status by Romania is ascribable
in the main to the effectiveness of Dr. Rosen's appeal to the
Congressional committee.
Romanian Jewry is among the largest of the pre-war
Jewish communities which is now reduced to a fraction.
Regardless of Rabbi Rosen's optimism, there is not much to
expect from a community whose numbers of its youth have
been drastically reduced.
Black-Jewish Aspect Injected
in Harvard Law School 'Protest'
Prof. Jack Greenberg of Harvard University Law
School is the target of a black student& protest against his
role as teacher because he is white. He is a veteran civil
rights attorney and the prejudice toward him aroused the
indignation of prominent blacks.
Greenberg's defenders included Bayard Rustin,
chairman of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, who, in a
letter published in the New York Times, registered indig-
nation at the-action of the Black Student Coalition and the
Harvard Third World Coalition, and stated in part:
According to your article, the objections to Mr.
Greenberg are that he is white and that he serves
as director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Edu-
cational Fund.
The latter, it would seem to me, is more a qual
ification than a basis for objection.
Indeed, during his 20 years as head of the fund,
Jack Greenberg has shown himself to be one of
our country's most effective fighters for racial
justice and civil rights. Over many years he has
directly participated in many of the important
civil rights victories. It would indeed be difficult
to find anyone more_ qualified to participate in
such a course.
The objection that Mr. Greenberg is white is
nothing more than blatant racism.
Today many young blacks perceive aretreat by
our government from a commitment to social and
racial justice. Today black Harvard Law School
students feelfrustration at the fact that their less-
privileged counterparts in the ghetto are suffer-
ing unemployment rates approaching 50 percent.
It is therefore entirely understandable that
these students would seek to make their voices
heard. It is regrettable, however, that their mili-
tancy and sense of social responsibility manifests
itself in this fundamentally destructive and irres-
ponsible way.
Blacks, as victims of racial discrimination,
should be the first to reject the view that race can
disqualify one from any particular pursuit . . .
Of special interest is a similar protest, in a syndicated
article, "Harvard's Blacks Are Wrong," by Carl Rowan. In
this article, Rowan stated:
I know that these are times of racial polariza-
tion in America; of strains in the old civil-rights
alliance between blacks and Jews; of spreading
class conflict; and of hostility between "real
Americans" and immigrants, legal or illegal. This
recession brings emotional and economic stress
to all but the richest of Americans.
Is this comment relevant to the issue? Undoubtedly, it
is, else Rowan would not have resorted to it. Therefore the
concern over the "black-Jewish" involvement.
Especially in the unfortunate application of it to the
Arab-JewiSh problems, "black-Jewish" is repeatedly be-
coming a most regrettable factor. A black Michigan Con-
gressman recently went so far as to threaten acceleration of
the issue when he proposed a black-Arab partnership in the
battle against Israel. Why?
Traditionally, as Bayard Rustin wrote about Prof.
Greenberg, all Jews, as a functioning element in American
society, have been and remain staunchest in the task to
assure civil rights for their black fellow citizens. Why the
antagonism to Israel and to Zionism, in which Carl Rowan
plays a leading role?
Isn't it always a time to aim for friendships? Why the
animosity to Jews? Hasn't the positive approach of Bayard
Rustin and his handful of concerned black associates made
a serious effort to eliminate rancor.
It's a matter of fair play in the American tradition that
animosities should be erased. It is high time that divisive-
ness be abandoned, that emphasis on true American
neighborliness be cemented. It must be emphasized in Con-
gress. Enough of rancor!
_