4 Friday, August 17, 1984
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
THE JEWISH NEWS
Serving Detroit's Metropolitan Jewish Community
with distinction for four decades.
Is `Hatikva' song too Jewish
to be Israel's national anthem?
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LIFE IN ISRAEL
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Marlene Miller
Dharlene Norris
Phyllis Tyner
Pauline Weiss
Ellen Wolfe
BY CARL ALPERT
Special to The Jewish News
Haifa — The song "Hatikva,"
which is sung at Zionist and Jewish
meetings the world over, is recog-
nized as the official anthem of
Zionism. Many believe it is also the
anthem of the State of Israel. This is
PRODUCTION:
not so, and when Pinchas Goldstein,
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES:
Donald Cheshure
a Likud member of the Knesset, in-
Lauri Biafora
Cathy Ciccone
troduced a bill not long ago to give it
Rick Nessel
Curtis Deloye
formal recognition as the national
Danny Raskin
Ralph Orme
Seymour Schwartz
anthem, he ran into objections.
,c) 1964 by The Detroit Jewish News (US PS 275-520)
The proposal stimulated a meet-
Second Class postage paid at Southfield, Michigan and additional mailing offices. Subscription $18 a year.
ing of Arabs who claimed that the
wording of "Hatikva," which speaks
VOL. LXXXV. NO. 25 of a Jewish soul and the 2,000-year
CANDLELIGHTING AT 8:13 P.M.
longing to be a free people in Zion,
fails to take note of the fact that
Arabs also live in Israel. They ob-
jected to "Hatikva" and called for a
national anthem which would be ac-
ceptable to both Arabs and Jews.
Amidst all of the other happenings in the Mideast of late, most notably
Jewish
leaders of left-wing parties
the Israeli elections and the Red Sea mines, a disturbing incident has gone
agreed with them and decided to
virtually unnoticed. We are referring to the Reagan Administration's
fight the proposal with ridicule.
apparent acceptance of Syria as the dominant force in Lebanon, indicated by a
Newsview magazine noted that
State Department spokesman's statement that Syria is playing a "helpful"
this was the first bill ever presented
role in restoring "stability" in Lebanon.
to the Knesset with a musical score in
That's what Richard Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State for the Near
its text. Shulamit Aloni commented,
East, told a stunned subcommittee on House Foreign Affairs recently. The
in opposition, that since the exact
members sharply questioned him about the Administration's apparent shift
music score would become part of the
in attitude but Murphy stuck to his statement, which defies logic.
law if adopted, anyone singing it off-
Have we forgotten that it was Syria that was implicated in the
key would be technically liable for
assassination of Lebanon's President-elect Bashir Gemayel and the
prosecution for violating that portion
truck-bombing of Marine headquarters in Beirut which killed 241
of the law which called for punish-
Americans? It was Syria that sabotaged the American-arranged
ment of up to a year in jail for "disre-
Lebanese-Israeli troop withdrawal agreement and took control of the
spect" to the anthem.
Lebanese government.
Another Knesset member, also
This is helpful?
against the proposal, offered an
Only a few months ago President Reagan said "Syria is trying to lead a
amendment: that "Hatikva" be
radical effort to dominate the region through terrorism and intimidation."
played only in F-sharp major, to
"Times change," said Murphy. So does Administration policy it seems.
make
it more difficult.
Another unfortunate example of Washington's policy of illusion which lacks
The Labor Party members pre-
the staying power to support one's allies and criticize those who would destroy
sent were united in their opposition.
them.
They claimed a law was unnecessary,
and would deprive "Hatikva" of its
spontaneous, sentimental aura.
Further, it would exacerbate Arab-
Jewish relations.
When the vote was taken, only
Already tested, and proven workable, a program of guidance for the
37 of the 120 members of the Knesset
handicapped to become their home masters as homemakers raises high the
standards of services performed by the Jewish Association for Retarded
Citizens.
While group homes predominate, the ability of persons with minimal
handicaps to care for themselves has inspired the procedures which are
already proving workable.
In the name of the Aaron and Helen L. DeRoy Independent Apartment
Program, a remarkably progressive project has been made possible with
funds provided by the DeRoy Foundation, with the encouragement of the
Jewish Welfare Federation.
The training program for independent skilled living and independence
for those fitting into the projected undertaking is to the credit of the
movement which has become a widely accepted ideal in behalf of the retarded,
the handicapped who need the support for human approaches with fellow
citizens. While the Federation gives the movement encouragement, JARC's
functions are in themselves fully autonomous, while benefiting from
Federation and Jewish Center cooperation. The Jewish Association for
Retarded Citizens — JARC — commenced with a handful and now has
thousands of members. Many more thousands owe respect to communal
conscience to uphold the hands of those who have established group homes for
those who need the enlarged comforting and those who display ability for
measures of independent action who benefit from the Aaron and Helen DeRoy
Independent Apartment Program.
Detroit Jewry's standards for services to the less fortunate in the social
spheres have been raised by JARC, under whose direction they earn
admiration. Much is yet to be accomplished in this field of human endeavor.
for it must be given on a high scale.
JARC qualifies for the task. Support
.w r..• ,
'a
`Helpful' Syria
Courage for disabled
if *ft.
g16,11•
4.8
26 11...4...b
were present. Likud members were
conspicuous by their absence, and the
bill was defeated 25 to 12. The hope
was expressed that some day twc
composers, a Jew and an Arab work
ing together, would present a trulk
national anthem which all could sink
without reservation.
Did anyone consider that thi
was not merely an idle debate over
song, but a confrontation with a fun
damental question: Is Israel a Jewisl
state? If so, there could be no objet
tion to "Hatikva." And if not, why ar
Jewish holidays given state statu;
The Knesset was placed in
the humiliating position
of voting against Israel's
de facto national anthem
and why is Hebrew the primary lat
guage and why are Jews urged I
come here? It would appear thl
many of the opponents of the bill, i
their eagerness to turn down an:
thing suggested by a Likud membe
have commited a major faux pas, ar
have in effect denied Jewish rights 1
be in Israel and to establish a state
Likud members who failed to 1
present to support the bill are no le
guilty than their Labor colleague
who voted against. Their excuse th,
they could not imagine that Lab
would ever vote against "Hatikv
does not exempt them from criticisn
There is also another una
swered question. When Goldste
realized that his bill was doomed
failure, why did he press ahead wi
it, placing the Knesset in tl
humiliating position of votii
against its de facto national anther
whatever the reasons.
Though denied legal statu
Continued on Page 6