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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, November 1, 1g85 101
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Former Envoy Lewis Sees Israel
Working To Transform Bleak Image
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For Samuel Lewis, the former
U.S. Ambassador to Israel, tele-
vision news in recent years
paints a bleak picture of life in
Israel — Israel is seen as a
country unsure of her moral
purpose, her -political life, her
Arab population and her
economy. TV would make it
seem that Israel is continually
needing more U.S. aid. •
"That image is wrong," Lewis
told a group of major con-
tributors to the Allied Jewish
Campaign on Tuesday. "Israel
has demonstrated all of these
elements over the last four-to-
five years but it is only one side
of the coin."
During his eight years in Is-
rael, Lewis said he and his wife
Sally saw "many ups and
downs" including Israel's first
peace with an Arab nation
(Egypt), the war in Lebanon, the
triumph of Likud, Menachem
Begin's resignation and "the
unique experiment" of the na-
tional unity government.
The period left Israel's people
troubled and uncertain, accord-
ing to Lewis' assessment, fearful
and feeling that their political
leaders have failed them. The
Israelis retreated into privatism,
concentrating on self and fam-
ily.
"This slide has now been re-
versed," Lewis said. "The people
are now looking to the future
with optimism." He gave credit
for this new attitude to the turn
around in Israel's economy, "the
serious glimmerings of the peace
process on the horizon," and the
growing, long-term strength of
the U.S.-Israel alliance.
The eight-year ambassador to
Israel said that the unity gov-
ernment "deserves good marks
now" for its role in improving
the economy. He said the tough
actions of budget cutting were
taken in recent months after
initial moves failed to turn the
economy around. he said the
economic moves and the
pullback of Israeli troops from
Lebanon were made possible by
the unity government, which
gave the formerly-reigning
Likud a face-saving way out.
"The U.S.," he said "took a
counseling, hand-holding role,
assuring a safety net of aid."
Other factors according to Lewis
were Israeli economists' high es-
teem for U.S. Secretary of State
George Shultz and the ac-
ceptance by the Israeli people of
real pay cuts. "In other coun-
tries, a strong man is brought in
to cure an ailing economy. In
democratic Israel, the cure was
accompolished quietly."
Lewis was skeptical that re-
cent peace overtures would
quickly reach their goal, but he
obliquely applauded Peres and
criticized Menachem Begin and
Yitzhak Shamir when he said,
"Israel has lacked in recent
years a way of putting its case
before outsiders that would
_make it sound possible." He said
previous Israeli leaders would
say things aimed only at Israeli
and American Jewish audiences.
Shown at the Campaign meeting are, from left, Daniel Honigman,
Ambassador Samuel Lewis, Dr. Joseph Jacobson, Mrs. Lewis and
Joseph Orley.
Peres' speech at the UN, he
said, contained few differences
from the past. "But the little dif-
ferences can make a big dif-
ference. The little ambiguities
in the peace proposal aid King
Hussein of Jordan, while at the
same time assure the Israeli
Cabinet that little has changed."
Lewis held out hope that
peace talks could be underway
by early next year, but then ex-
pressed skepticism because "the
time doesn't seem quite right
yet."
He described the U.S.-Israel
alliance as genuine on the lead-
ership, military and economic
levels and being in-
stitutionalized at a fast pace. "I
don't think any future U.S.
President can draw back from
the intimacy we have achieved,"
he said, adding that a strong al-
liance is a psychological neces-
sity for any Middle East peace
negotiations.
"Somebody asked me if there
will be peace in the Middle East
in the next 30 years," Lewis
said. "There hasn't been for
5,000 years. But I'm convinced
that there will be a strong Is-
rael, closely tied to the U.S."
Lewis left the podium at
Knollwood Country Club for the
announcement of Campaign
pledges, but later returned to
discuss his personal experiences
during Operation Moses. With
Israeli leaders, he met a flight
of six C-130 U.S. Air Force
planes which brought Ethiopian
Jews from Sudan to southern Is-
rael. "Wearing their thin Afri-
can cottons and carrying their
ragged bundles and their Bibles,
they got off the planes in the
rain and kissed the ground. You
could see the exhultation in
their faces.
"It is something I will never
forget, and I'm proud that the
United States was part of this
ingathering of Jews."
Lewis mentioned the role
played by world Jewry in aiding
Israel, and said that support
must continue at a high pace in
the near term as Israel strives
for self-sufficiency.
The Knollwood meeting,
coupled with other major gifts
meetings in recent weeks,
brings the 1986 Allied Jewish
Campaign total to $9,662,000.
The next major gifts meeting
will be held in December,
featuring nationally-syndicated
columnist George F. Will.
Yael Dayan Speaks
To Women's Forum
Yael Dayan will address the
$500 section of the Jewish Wel-
fare Federation Women's Di-
vision at a meeting on behalf of
the 1986 Allied Jewish Cam-
paign at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in
the home of Doreen Hermelin.
Miss Dayan's latest book is
My Father, His Daughter. She is
a reserve officer in the Israel
Army and a graduate of the He-
brew University.
Ellen Bean and Annie Cohen
are chairmen of the $500 sec-
tion. Beverly Liss and Sandra
Schwartz are associate chair-
men.
For information, contact Fed-
eration Women's Division, 965-
3939.
Corrections
Because of incorrect informa-
tion supplied to The Jewish
News, a telephone number for
tickets to the Aesculapian
Pharmaceutical Association
dinner - dance in last week's edi-
tion was in error. For tickets,
call Betty Karbal, 255-1254.
The story appearing in last
week's Jewish News about
Rabbi Shmuel Betsalel should
have identified him as a
member of Young Israel of
Oak-Woods and a former
teacher at Akiva Hebrew Day
School.
The price for tickets listed in
last week's advertisement for
the Balalaika Orchestra of De-
troit concert should have read
$3.50.