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Friday, July 12, 1985
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
PURELY COMMENTARY
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
When Gromyko And Baruch Went Fishing After Assuring Israel Reality
President Andrei Gromyko of the
Soviet Union played an important role in
the rebirth of the•State of Israel and in the
positive decision on the subject reached by
the United Nations General Assembly on
May 14, 1947.
This fact must be associated with the
announcement that was made on July 2,
1985, that Mr. Gromyko has been elevated
to the presidency of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics.
May 14, 1947 was an historic day for
this columnist as well. As an accredited
United Nations correspondent covering
the so-called Palestine situation and the
debates on the partition of the country, I
was in the U.N. Delegates' Lobby and hap-
pened to be with Gromyko who had just
returned from a fishing trip with Bernard
Baruch. There was a lot of joking about fish
and fowl as we stood there — a group of us
with Gromyko and Baruch. Not a word was
spoken about the impending debate which
resulted in the establishment of the mod-
ern State of Israel.
The facts soon became known. Baruch
and Gromyko had discussed Jewish Pales-
Andrei Gromyko:
Early interest in Israel.
tine and the Zionist ideal, and they were
full of smiles. Baruch had a great role in
securing the support of Latin American
countries in behalf of the Zionist aspira-
tions.
Baruch left the U.N. quarters: there
was nothing else for him to do. Gromyko
went into the assembly where he regis-
tered his YES for the Israel-to-be.
It was on the way to the assembly hall
that the then young Zionist delegate Abba
Eban, on the way to his seat with the
Jewish delegation, told this correspondent
in the press section, "Slomovitz, you are
here on an historic day!"
Therefore, the recollection of what
Andrei Gromyko, now President of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, had to
say about the Jews and their aspirations,
Regrettable Error
"The Ritual Murder Libel" by Philip
Slomovitz on Page Two of last week's De-
troit Jewish News was erroneously mis-
dated. The article was from Commonweal
Magazine, the scholarly Catholic periodi-
cal, dated March 5, 1937. Commentary on
that page, linking the 62-year-old article
with the courageous and justice-inspired
priest in the Austrian Tyrol closing his
church to prevent the spreading the Blood
Lie, specifically referred to by the editor of'
this page as having appeared in the Com-
monweal issue of March 5, 1937.
their needs and the world's obligations to
them. Quoting from the Gromyko speech of
May 14, 1947, at the United Nations:
In considering the question of
the tasks of the committee which is
to prepare proposals on Palestine,
our attention is inevitably drawn
to another important aspect of this
problem. As is well known, the as-
pirations of an important part of
the Jewish people are bound up
with the question of Palestine, and
with the future structure of that
country. It is not surprising, there-
fore, that both in the General As-
sembly and in meetings of the
Political Committee of the Assem-
bly a great deal of attention was
given to this aspect of the matter.
This interest is comprehensible
and completely justified.
The Jewish people suffered ex-
treme misery and deprivation dur-
ing the last war. It can be said,
without exaggeration, that the suf-
ferings and miseries of the Jewish
people are beyond description. It
would be difficult to express by
mere dry figures the losses and
sacrifices of the Jewish people at
the hands of the Fascist occupiers.
In territories where the Hitlerites
were in control, the Jews suffered
almost complete extinction. The
total number of Jews who fell at
the hands of the Fascist hangmen
is something in the neighborhood
of six million. Only about one and a
half million Jews survived the war
in western Europe.
But these figures which give an
idea of the losses suffered by the
Jewish people at the hands of the
Fascist aggressors do not give an
idea of the situation which the
great mass of Jewish people find
themselves after the war.
A great many Jews who sur-
vived the war in Europe have
found themselves deprived, in
their countries, of their shelter and
of means of earning their liveli-
hood. Hundreds of thousands of
Jews are wandering about various
countries of Europe, seeking
means of livelihood and seeking
shelter. A great many of these are
in camps for displaced persons,
where they are continuing to suffer
great privations. This was clearly
stated in the discussions of the
General Assembly's Political
Committee by the representative
of the Jewish Agency for Palestine.
It may be asked whether the
United Nations, considering the
very serious situation of hundreds
of thousands of Jews who have
survived the war, should not show
interest in the situation of these
people who have been uprooted
from their countries and from their
homes.
The United Nations cannot,
and should not remain indifferent
to this situation, because such an
attitude would be incompatible
with the high principles which are
proclaimed in our charter — the
principles which envisage the de-
fense of the rights of men, irrespeC-
five of race, religious convictions,
and sex. This is the time to give
help, not in words but in deeds. The
experience of the past, particularly
during the time of the second
world war, has shown that not one
state of western Europe has been
in a position to give proper help to
the Jewish people and to defend its
interests, or oven its existence,
against violence that was directed
r i and
against it by the Hitle tes
their allies.
This is a very serious fact, but
unfortunately as all facts it must be
recognized. The fact that not a
single western European state has
been in a position to guarantee the
defense of the elementary rights of
the Jewish people or compensate
them for the violence they have
suffered at the hands of the Fascist
hangmen, explains the aspirations
of the Jews for the creation of a
state of their own. It would be un-
just not to take this into account
and deny the right of the Jewish
people to the realization of such
aspirations. It is impossible to jus-
tify the denial of this right to the
Jewish people, particularly if one
takes into account the experiences
of this people in the second world
war.
Consequently, a study of this
aspect of the question and prep-
aration of the corresponding pro-
posals should also be part of the
important task of the committee.
Among the best known of the pub-
lished plans regarding the future
structure of Palestine, the follow-
ing must be noted: 1) creation of a
single Arab-Jewish state with
equal rights for Arabs and Jews; 2)
one Arab state and one Jewish
state; 3) creation in Palestine of an
Arab state, without due regard to
the rights of the Jewish popula-
tion; 4) creation in Palestine of a
Jewish state, without due regard
to the rights of the Arab popula-
tion. Each of these basic plans is
accompanied by different methods
to regulate relations between
Arabs and Jews, and settlement of
a few other questions.
There is much to be said about the
Gromyko Four-Point Program. Had the
Arabs cooperated, there might have been
peace on that basis. It might have meant a
"Ghetto State of Israel" in a very limited
area that could hardly accommodate even
a fraction of the Jews escaping from the
Nazi terror. The Arabs waged war. There is
a continuing war. Hopefully the wars will
end.
On the basis of the Gromyko U.N.
background vis-a-vis Palestine, Israel and
the Jewish people, he can contribute im-
mensely toward such an achievement.
There is a reminder of the Gromyko origi-
nal position on Jewish Palestine in the
hope that Gromyko will truly become an
emissary for peace.
Max Sheldon
single delegate, will have the distinction of
being recognized as the country with the
smallest representation. Additionally,
Zaire and Gibraltar will be represented
and Yugoslavia's delegation will mark
that country's return to the Maccabiah
games after a 50-year absence.
Yugoslavia, incidentally, will be the
first Eastern Bloc country to be a partici-
pant in the Israeli competitions since
World War II.
While the games, opening on Monday,
will be centered in Ramat Gan, the events
will be held in all parts of Israel, housing
for participants having been arranged in
14 localities. With an attendance of 50,000
anticipated for the opening Ramat Gan
event, an equal number is clamoring for
admission to the closing functions set for
July 25 to take place in the Sultan's Pool
Stadium in Jerusalem.
The return of Yugoslavia as a Mac-
cabiah participant after an absence of 50
years emphasizes the long-range program
of events that were inspired by such noted
leaders as Dr. Max Nordau, Theodor
Herzl's closest associate in the formation of
the World Zionist Organization and the
World Zionist Congresses toward the end
of the last century. The movement had its
inspiration in the need for a "Muscular
Pride And Dignity: Israel
Maccabiah On World Scale
Tragedies lurking in many spots of the
world, the hijackings and the bombings,
evoke the concerns and sympathies of
civilized mankind. They affect the inner-
most feelings of Israelis. But life must go
on and activities are unceasing, in this
country as elsewhere. Therefore, the
events in Israel, as in this country, are
uninterrupted. Indeed, life goes on and in a
matter of days athletes from 35 countries
will meet in Israel to share in sports events
that emphasize well-being and endorse-
ment of the health- and strength-inspiring
aspirations of all peoples.
It is noteworthy that the quadrennial
event will have some 4,000 participating
athletes, that 603 are registered as partici-
pants from the United States — 11 from
Michigan. The largest contingent, some
800, will compete in the many events as
Israel's representatives. Monaco, with a
Dr. Max Nordau
Judaism," as Dr. Nordau described it, and
in the urgency of assuring means for
Jewish self-defense in the bitter years of
growing and shameless anti-Semitism:
With Israel as the inspiring medium
encouraging and activating Maccabiah
aims, the idea became an ideal for
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