f(; „ THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, November 1, 1g85 101 To: The Jewish News NEWS 20300 Civic Center Dr. Suite 240 Southfield, Mi. 48076-4138 I Former Envoy Lewis Sees Israel Working To Transform Bleak Image Staff Report I U From Acct. # NAME ADDRESS CITY I STATF 71P enclose old label T o: I I U U Please allow 4 weeks Effective Date SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO The Jewish News MI MO MO I= MI MI MIIM111•11 INE MIMI= Orn AIM I= To. The Jewish News I T o : 20300 Civic Center Dr., Suite 240 Southfield, Mi. 48076-4138 Please send a year's gift subscription to: NAME I ADDRESS 1 I CITY 1 FOR 1 FROM STATE state occasion 1 year - $21 — 2 years - $39 — Out of State - $23 — Foreign - $35 Enclosed $ am wrontorals win mi mail am ow um Mb Ail la la In is vs imb 1 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.