2 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 Continued on Page 10