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Friday, April 6, 1984
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
`Delegitimizing Israel
challenges diplomats, with
Jerusalem as a target
Long before the rebirth of Israel, hypocrisy already
predominated in diplomcatic circles. As the expose pub-
lished in London by Detroiter Daniel Silverfarb revealed,
the craving for oil was already a factor in the quest for
power, with emphasis on the Middle East, and the British
Foreign Office and its related government agencies were
plotting to undermine the Zionist movement.
Prof. Silverfarb's revelations are of schemes long sus-
pected. His researched documentaries show how the
British, a decade before the proclamation of Jewish state-
hood, were already playing up to Saudi Arabia, then insig-
nificant even in Arab ranks. The gestures to the Saudis
and, inter alia, to all the Arabs were then, as they continued
thereafter, to undermine the Zionist ideal and the Jewish
dreams for fulfillment of Prophecy. There was then already
a spelling out of betrayals of the British pledge to the
Jewish people for the re-establishment of the Jewish Na-
tional Home.
Prof. Silverfarb's researched facts pointed accusingly
at the British pledge-breaking. As he indicates in his essay
in the prestigious Middle Eastern Studies:
In April 1938, the War Office agreed that Ibn
Saud's attitude towards Britain would be gov-
erned in large measure by events in Palestine.
And in February 1939, the standing official sub-
committee for questions concerning the Middle
East of the Committee of Imperial Defense also
maintained that the most important measure
which Britain could take to influence Saudi
Arabia and other Arab states would be to imple-
ment a more pro-Arab policy in Palestine.
Responding to this pressure, in May 1939 the
British government issued a White Paper which
placed severe limitations on Jewish immigration
into Palestine and Jewish land purchases within
Palestine. According to the terms of the White
Paper, Palestine would, after 10 years, become an
independent state under the control of its Arab
majority. The adoption of this new policy, which
effectively terminated Britain's efforts to create a
Jewish national home in Palestine, was almost
certainly influenced by the British government's
desire to gain the friendship of Ibn Saud.
The horronof it is the attempt to "deligitimize" Israel,
in this era of Israel's sovereignty. It has similarities to the
plot to deligitimize Zionism in the years of recorded pledg-
ing of statehood for Jews who were homeless, dispossessed.
They survived as a warning to the world that what was
suffered from the Nazi Holocaust is mankind's indictment.
Therefore, the need to accept as political realism the
efforts of legislators like Senator Daniel Moynihan and
itepresentative Tom Lantos and their associates — 37 in
the U.S. Senate and 220 in the U.S. House of Representa-
tives, advocating the transfer of the U.S. Embassy from Tel
Aviv to Jerusalem.
Rep. Lantos defined the controversy that has arisen,
with the State Department attempt to squelch the issue,
when he pointed to facts and figures:
The United States maintains diplomatic rela-
tions with 136 nations. In 135 of these countries
our embassy is located in the capital city. As a
routine matter, when a capital is moved, we move
our embassy. When the government of Brazil de-
cided to move its capital from Rio de Janeiro to
Brasilia, the United States moved its embassy to
the new capital. When the government of Saudi
Daniel Moynihan
Tom Lantos
Arabia, which until recently declined to have em-
bassies located in its capital, indicated that it
would like to have embassies in Riyadh, the
United States government followed traditional
diplomatic practice and began construction of an
embassy building in Riyadh. This is as it should
be. An embassy should be in the same city as the
government to which it is accredited.
Equally effective is the explanatory letter by Con-
Legitimacy Growing as a Diplomatic Problem,
With Jerusalem Threatened in Delegitimizing
Schemes ... Progress in the Maccabiah Planning
gressman Bill Green of New York, published in the March
27 New York Times, in which he stated:
Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to
Jerusalem need not involve the international law
complications you suggest. It merely requires
that we act with the same civility toward Israel as
we do toward the Communist government of East
Germany.
We have never accepted that the East German
government has the right to make Berlin its capi-
tal. Yet because that government is in East Berlin,
our embassy is in East Berlin. If that works in
Berlin, why not in Jerusalem? Do we regard our
friend and ally Israel less highly than a Warsaw
Pact country?
Delegitimizing Israel's just rights to Jerusalem, bet-
raying the legitimacy of Israel and Zionism, spell deligiti-
macy of decency. Therefore, the satisfaction that stems
from knowing that so many are rejecting such tactics and
are on the side of truth and civilized diplomacy.
Leib and August: both
earned spots in local history
Two recent losses to this community merit mention as
a plus to their biographies.
Samuel W. Leib was so important to B'nai B'rith here
that he gained national invitations to the inner circles of
the movement and to the most important planning sessions
of the movement.
Especially to be noted in his close friendship with
Eddie Jacobson, who was Harry Truman's haberdashery
partner before Truman became U.S. President. Leib always
insisted that Jacobson had very much to do with Truman's
pro-Israel role and the friendship that developed with
Chaim Weizrnann, thus strengthening the foundations for
the America-Israel friendship.
Herman August was
properly described as "ver-
satile and dynamic." He
rose high in legal ranks and
he was always remembered
for his prominence in debat-
ing and oratory on behalf of
the University of Michigan.
He participated on U-M de-
bating teams in competi-
tions in Ann Arbor and at
many other university
campu8es.
His brief career in jour-
nalism serves as a reminder
about one of the early local
newspapers, the now de-
funct Detroit Journal, and
Herman August
leaves an understandable
impression about a keenness that led him to a deep under-
standing of community problems.
The Leib-August community associations call atten-
tion to the movements both were associated with and
thereby assist immensely in the search for the chronicled
record in compiling data for the planned Metropolitan De-
troit Jewish history.
By Philip
Slomovitz
tan Detroit Jewry. The Jewish Community Center and the
Sports for Israel Committee functioning from there are 1
awaiting the enrollment so urgently needed for the oncom-='
ing games.
Let's pray!
Accompanying "A Postscript on Prayer" on the Wash-
ington Page of the March 30 New York Times was this
cartoon and story:
Washington
— The day after
defeating the
proposed Con-
stitutional
amendment to
allow officially
sanctioned
prayer in public
schools, the Se-
nate began its
session as usual,
with a prayer by
the chaplain, the Rev. Richard C. Halverson.
"Gracious, Mighty God, God of Abraham,
Isaac and Israel, God of Jesus, the Apostles and
the Church, God of nations, Lord of history,
Father of us all, the Senate has worked its will,"
Mr. Halverson began. "After hard study and great
debate under intense pressure, the Senate of the
United States has spoken. Thou are still on the
throne. Thou hast not abdicated."
The prayer over, Senator Howard H. Baker
Jr., the majority leader, a chief sponsor of the
prayer amendment, observed:
"Mr. President, once again I commend the
chaplain on his prayer. It sounded to me as
though he is trying to reassure the Lord. But I am
sure that was only the impresion of one who was
on the losing side of that issue."
What else is new about prayer? Isn't there a memory'
about a popular song, "Praise the Lord and Pass the
Ammunition"?
This does not erase the dream of the Founders of this
nation, spelled in this fashion: This is a Christian country,
and a Jewish one, and Moslem — and all pray according to
their conscience: not as a melting pot but as adherence to
the conscience that every American has the right to pray,
no one can stop a citizen from resorting to prayer, and he
and she does it in freedom, without interfering with anyone
else's just rights.
Let's pray — the American-human way!
Romanian Seder
Sports as a unifying
force in Jewish life;
support urgent for Maccabiah
Metropolitan Detroit Jewry has a privilege in store,
with the approaching Maccabiah Games to be conducted
here in August.
There is something very unique in the very substance
of the games. They serve as a unifying force for American
Jewry.
Hitherto, it was the philanthropic aspect of Jewish life
that linked communities into a single purpose. Now, more
importantly, it is sports.
The report on the progress made in preparation for the
games shows that some of the smallest Jewish com-
munities, population-wise, will be represented in the
games.
Jewish communities with less than half a dozen
minyanim have registered participants in the variety of
planned games.
From North and South Dakota, the Southern states as
well as from the major Jewish kehillot, young athletes will
be gathering here for the events.
These are addenda to the nearly a score of countries
that will send youthful devotees to the Detroit-based Mac-
cabiah.
There is one problem: homes are needed to host the
athletes. Less than 150 have already been pledged to ac-
commodate some 300 guest athletes. Homes will be needed
for 500 more. Therein lies an obligation on the community
to fulfill the need.
As the host city, the preparation for the games and for
welcoming and hosting the athletes must be assured early.
That's where the duty arises from the citizens in Metropoli-
This Seder in a Romanian home for the aged in Bucharest is
aided by the American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee. The JDC provides Passover foods and money
where necessary. The JDC is aided in its overseas relief work
with allocations from. Detroit's Allied Jewish Campaign.