2 Friday, June 15, 1984
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
PURELY COMMENTARY
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Recha Freier gave reality
to the Youth Aliyah
rescue movement
at the instigation of Fidel Castro, added concern is now on Academic achievements . . .
the , agenda. The anti-Israel and often anti-Jewish policies
beckoning for recognition
dictated by Castro will now be associated with the attitudes
of the Rev. Jackson, who has also been labeled an anti-
Perhaps it is a lack of good judgment to be critical of
Semite. Therefore, the judging of Jackson on the eve of
Recha Freier is a name that will remain indelible in another move towards comradeship with an enemy of Israel foreign correspondents who keep probing the negatives in
Jewish history as one of the most distinguished women in becomes a very painful means of judging the intensified Israel and do not give proper attention to the achievements
all mankind as the founder of the Youth Aliyah rescue elements of an approaching election for President of the which continue to inspire admiration for the creative forces
in the Jewish state. -
movement. Her recent death at the age of 92 in Jerusalem United States.
Visiting reporters in Israel seem to be drawn for study
served as a reminder of her notable contributions to Israel
In their anticipated embrace, Jackson and Castro will and comment to the West Bank. They are intrigued by the
and to mankind.
be emulating their individual expressions of approval of
Her book; properly entitled Let the Children Come: The the terrifying role of PLO chief Yassir Arafat, who had the irrational in extreme religious ranks who emulate the
among their non-Jewish neighbors and are terroriz-
Early History of Youth Aliyah, published in 1961, gave an affectionate embraces of both the American and Cuban worst
ing whoever they differ with.
account of what began as a command of conscience based on leaders. Even if Jackson were to deny that he was a PLO
They are an honest and important element in the
personal tragic experiences.
supporter and was merely advocating the Palestinian
A native of Norden, Germany, Recha (Schweitzer) cause, the two severe critics of Israel share the endorse- media. If there are terrorists among Jews, they should be
Freier sounded a call for action. She went to Henrietta ment of the worst in anti-Israel terrorism in their comrade- "limelighted." When there is a battle ideologically relating
to Jewish settlers in areas bordering on an Arab state, the
Szold, the founder of Hadassah, who was at the time in ship with Arafat.
facts should be studied and never ignored.
charge of the Women's Zionist Organization activities in
The Jewish experience in Cuba is worth taking into
When American Jews who have made aliyah to Israel
Palestine, with a plea for action to rescue the Jewish chil- account under these circumstances. Under Batista, there
dren by settling them in the developing Jewish National was a thriving Cuban Jewish community numbering close become exceedingly critical of the governing elements in
the land they have adopted as loyal Israeli citizens, it is
Home.
to 13,000. When Castro gained contol of Cuba, he appeared
That was in 1932, in a period of some hesitancy for both friendly even to Zionism. Then commenced the decline and much more than curiosity: it invites interest on a national
vigilance and action. But within a year Miss Szold. was at present less than 1,000 Jews remain there. There are U.S. scale.
Nevertheless, when such reporting is all on the side of
still some synagogues, there is a measure of.Jewish func- the negatives which are agonizing a nation struggling to
tioning in limited schooling for the children. But the senti- . remain secure, there is a bit of regret that the many posit-
ments that were generated by the Soviet influences pre- ive achievements in Israel are not given a measure of prior-
dominate and the Castro attitude is in the top ranks of the ity in reporting from abroad.
venomous element advocating Israel's destruction.
Hardly a week passes without some important an-
The current record of Cuban anti-Israelism which nouncement coming from one or more of the major educa-
merits condemnation as anti-Semitism was compiled in an tional centers in Israel revealing positive results in scien-
important pamphlet, Castro, Israel and the PLO by David J. tific research. The entire world has been enriched
Kopilow. The important Kopilow analysis of the Cuban
technologically by the results of studies conducted by Is-
situation was distributed by the Cuban American National
rael's scientists in many fields of endeavor. From many of
Foundation.
Israel's academic quarters have come resulting contribu-
Proof is provided here to show how the PLO assists the tions towards the advancement of efforts to elevate the
guerrillas spreading the Communist policies in many aims of eliminating diseases, of curing ills, of making the
lands. The Russian influence in the anti-Israeli campaign, environment a healthier place to live in.
in which Castro is a leader, predominates.
Technion, Weizmann Institute, Hebrew University,
In fact, every step traced in the Castro attitude on Bar-Ilan, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Ben-Gurion universities and
Israeli and Jewish-related areas is traced to the Kremlin their associated technological research institutes, includ-
domination. The Castro-PLO alignment emerges as one of ing ORT and cooperative agencies, keep enriching knowl-
the most hateful and thoroughly destructive of every ap- edge and• mapping roads toward human improvement.
proach to amicability.
These are accomplishments not to be ignored. They are
Therefore, the added concern over the existing dip- worth some attention.
lomatic controversies when an American with an embrace
When foreign correspondents reach Israel, perhaps
for Arafat covets a similar hug with a world leader far from there is a way of imbuing them with an aim not to overlook
friendly with the United States, who also pursued the affec- the positive aspects in the aims of a nation whose sover-
tions of the terrorist.
eignty has been activated only 36 years ago. Israel's crea-
What a confab!
tive forces merit such recognition.
Recha Freier pushed for the Youth Aliyah rescue
movement in 1932.
•
.
Hussein's unearned credibility:
Goldberg's expose of falsified
claims, emphasis on negotiations
convinced. She helped to inaugurate the Youth Aliyah ob-
An element of truth has just been registered to clarify
ligations in 1933, and in that year the World Zionist Con-
gress made it part of the movement's platform to conduct the record of Middle East history.
Arthur Goldberg unveiled the documentary facts re-
the rescue aims as proposed by Recha Freier.
A teacher of folklore, attaining wide recognition as a lating to United States involvement in United Nations
folkloristic scholar, she also gained an important role as a decisions on policies involving Jordan and its King Hussein
musician. She was the founder of the Israel Coinposers and the background of attitudes, which became actual
Fund in 1958 and assisted in fostering original music com- policy-making, on the eventually sensationalized West
positions. She proceeded in such efforts by establishing the Bank.
Goldberg's revelations regarding those decisions and
Testimonium Scheme in 1966. It is described as a project for
recording major episodes in Jewish history in words and the policies that were pursued at the behest of President
music. She encouraged the use of basic authentic texts in Lyndon B. Johnson are incorporated in an important arti-
this widely acclaimed project.The fact that she authored cle in the Jerusalem Post. The important record analyzed
texts for two musical plays, Massadah and Yerushalayim, therein deals with the events at the UN when Goldberg was
is emphasized in the all-too-brief account of her work in the the U.S. ambassador to the world organization, the as-
Arthur Goldberg
King Hussein
sumption of which necessitated his resigning from the U.S.
Encyclopedia Judaica.
Supreme
Court.
That
transfer
of
authority
became
a
necessity
for
him,
when
the
request
stemmed
from the President.
Some 150,000 children were provided with transporta-
In that important reminder of the actual U.S. diplomatic approach to the m aj or Middle East issues, Goldberg
tion to Palestine and were integrated into the Jewish com-
munity's agricultural training centers. Such is the glory denounces King Hussein's claims that every U.S. administration, including the present, had assured him that such was
attached to the name of Recha Freier, whose vision for mass this government's policy — and keeps treating it as a pledge to him — to compel Israel to withdraw from the West Bank.
Goldberg points out that Hussein's declarations ignore any approach to negotiations and his emphasis is that negotiations
rescue efforts was turned into reality.
are the basic policy approaches by this government, with approval having been rendered for them by the UN Security
Council. His outright rejection of the Hussein contentions are fully explained by Goldberg in his Jerusalem Post
A Jackson-Castro confab:.
diplomatic analysis. The following lengthy quote from it is so vital to the issues, with special relevance to the West Bank
settlements, that it must be called to popular attention. The emphasis given to the obligation to negotiate is thus defined
meaning of an embrace
by Goldberg:
Jesse Jackson will be meeting with Fidel Castro: what
King Hussein's charge is without foundation. I wish to set the record straight, and, in light of the king's
a vision for the international concerns for an era already
remarks, feel compelled to present some facts which have received scant, if any, public attention.
filled with many tensions!
In 1967, I was the permanent representative of the United States in the United Nations. In that capacity,
The American sensitivity of a politician's role as a
I met with King Hussein in New 'York during November 1967 on four occasions. These conversations, as
maverick defying his country's diplomatic decisions in pur-
described in the reporting cables on file with the U.S. Department of State, foreshadowed the United States
suit of an alliance with the Cuban leader must be left to the
drafting of, and concurrence in, United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 of November 1967.
judgment of his fellow citizens and the nation's policy- ,
In the course of these meetings, I made it clear to King Hussein that I was speaking at the express
makers. Except for the fact that Jackson is a candidate for/
authorization of President Lyndon Johnson. It was, I stated, the U.S. view that in light of the fact that
the Presidency and is, therefore, in a vulnerable role, he
Jordan had entered the 1967 war after Israel had urged it not to do so, and had been defeated, that the
won't be the first American to be courting Cuban friend-
United States could not guarantee that the West Bank would be returned to Jordan. The most we could do,
ship. But he will be the first candidate for the highest office
I made`clear, would be to use our influence to help Jordan get the best deal possible.
in the land to be tempted into conferring with one of this
I did say that we did not visualize a Jordan limited only to the East Bank. This is a far cry from a
Ration's leading antagonists.
commitment to Jordan that we would guarantee Israel's withdrawal rpm the.West Bank. The statement in
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