Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 15 July 1949 — Page 7

Friday, July 15, 1949

THE NATIONAL JEWISH POST

Fineberg Called In To Make Refutation Bid To Stop Talks To Non-Jews By Local Council Head Hits Snag Hational Jewish Post DETROIT—A quiet but intensive campaign to persuade the president of the Pontiac chapter of the American Council for Judaism to stop making anti-Zionist speeches before non-Jewish groups ran into a snag this week. Norman Buckner, whose speech last month before the Pontiac

Kiwanis-Lions club created a minor storm in Pontiac and Detroit Jewish circles, had reached a tentative agreement with local Jewish leaders to stop making such speeches. Buckner, who is a national director of the anti-Zionist group, said he had made the promise contingent on satisfaction of his demands that the Council in Pontiac and Detroit get an opportunity to present its viewpoint to Jews in the area and assurance of fair coverage in the local An-glo-Jewish press for Council activities. The speeches by the sprightly, white-haired anti-Zionist brought a rush call for reinforcements. In response, Dr. S. Andhil Finel>erg, chief of community relations service of the American Jewish Committee, appeared before the same group addressed by Buckner. An unofficial group of Pontiac and Detroit Jewish leaders, meeting informally with Buckner, had persuaded him to agree to halt those speeches, in exchange for their promise to seek to meet his request for opportunities to get the Council viewpoint before Detroit and Pontiac Jewry, plus local coverage. JCC Says No Buckner subsequently was informed that the Detroit Jewish Community Council, which was informally represented in the negotiations with the anti-Zionist, would not use its influence to obtain publicity for the Council’s viewpoint in Detroit. He thereupon informed Abe Srere, top Detroit Zionist and communal leader, that the issue of continuation of anti-Zionist talks “will be a matter for our group to decide upon the course we will now follow.” He said he was sending a copy of his letter, taking that position, to Rabbi Elmer Berger, national executive director of the Council, indicating that the national office had been kept informed of developments. Buckner Has Answer Before the rejection by the Detroit JCC of the proposal that it seek to win backing for Buckner’s proposals, the Pontiac Couneil leader told The Post, in a telephone interview, that his speech before the Kiwanis and Lions, contained no reference to dual loyalties. The Council is the only organization in the U. S., Jewish or otherwise, to assert that support of U.S. Jews for Israel involves the possibility of dual national loyalties, a charge which has been bitterly attacked by both Zionists and non-Zicnists. An examination of the text of Buckner’s speech indicated he was correct in saying he had not made the charge. The speech contained the customary Council insistence that Jews were to be defined by religion only, that it was basic Zionist doctrine that all Jews were homeless outside of Israel, and that American Jews had no obligations to Israel that "Americans of other faiths” had not. The speech was reported briefly in the Detrot FREE PRESS, which has shown gtrong evidence during the past two years of an-ti-Zionist attitudes. Following publication of the speech, reports emerged that many leading De-

* * *

S. ANDHIL FINEBERG For A Special Problem

troit Jews were greatly disturbed by the alleged effect of Buckner’s talks. Reports followed that Buckner was being ostracized at the Franklin Hills Country Club, at the Jewish Standard Club in Detroit and that the issue of silencing him was getting the attention of some leading Detroit Jews. Buckner told The Post that three Jews were present for his original talk. They were Irving Steinman and Abe Lapides of Pontiac, and a third person. Not His Talk Buckner charged that it was not his talk but the version spread by the three Jewish listeners that caused all the excite-

ment.

After he finished his talk, Steinman, a Zionist, stood up and said he had a statement to make. He told his astonished listeners that Buckner’s speech was full of lies and misrepresentations and that they had heard a Jewish an-ti-Semite. Abe Srere subsequently suggested to Buckner that a quiet meeting to discuss the whole matter would be desirable. The meeting which was held near the end of May at the Standard Club, was attended by Buckner, Srere, Abe Levin, a prominent Detroit attorney, Boris M. Joffe, executive director of the Detroit Jewish Community Council, and Henry Weinman, another Jewish communal leader. Also present were two Detroit Council members, Julian Wolfner and Louis Frank. Buckner told the group he was willing to stop making anti-Zion-ist speeches on his conditions. Buckner had sent a copy of his speech to Srere, Levin and Wineman In advance of the meeting of the Standard Club. He said the three men all told him that the versions they had received of the speech differed materially from the text. Fineberg’s speetch on July 5 before the same Kiwanis group was quoted at considerable length in the Pontiac DAILY PRESS. Fineberg dealt indirectly with Buckner’s charges by jlbinting out that Americans have always been interested in foreign nations, particularly those with which they had a bond ethnically. Many loyalties Possible “American citizens have a right to be loyal not only to their own country, but loyal to their family, loyal to their faith, and loyal to their kith and kin,” Fine-

berg told the Kiwanis-Lions meet-

ing.

He also urged sympathy for the tremendous problems with which Israel was struggling in solving the Jewish Displaced Persons problem, "a herculean undertaking such as no other infant nation has ever attempted.” He emphasized that he was a non-Zionist and that the American Jewish Committee was a non-Zionist organization. Buckner said he had been out of town July 5 and did not hear Fineberg’s statement. But judging from the report in the Pontiac daily, he said it was a fair statement, “though colored from the Zionist viewpoint." He said he did not regard the Fineberg speech as a refutation of the speech he had made before the same group. All Is Friendly Fineberg and Lapides visited Buckner at his home the night of July 5 to discuss the problem. Buckner said he made no specific pledge of any kind at the meeting at his home. Commenting on the rumors of ostracism, Buckner said, “If I am being ostracized, I haven’t noticed it. “I have heard there has been discussion about ousting me from the Franklin Hills Country Club. One or two members have made such suggestions, I’ve been told. I don’t know if it has gone beyond that." He said there “may have been” similar talk about his membership in Detroit’s big Reform Ternpie Beth El but that he hadn’t beard of. any. Buckner insisted he did not think his anti-Zionist »speeches were harmful to Jews. No Harm Meant “I don’t want to do anything to harm Jews,” he said emphatically. He was then asked Whether he considered the Council charge of dual loyalties, when made before non-Jewish groups, as harmful to Jews. Citing the text of his Kiwanis talks as a reminder that he had not made that charge in that particular talk, he said, “But I don’t think it is harmful.” He was asked w hat he thought of the contention of Council critics that there was no evidence to indicate that non-Jews were aware of the possibility of dual loyalties, except in cases where Council speakers had informed them of the alleged possibility. “You’re underestimating the intelligence of Americans” Buckner retorted. "Dont you think they understand what it means when they hear of American Jews singing Hatikvah?” He was asked about rumors that several members of the Pontiac Council chapter had resigned in protest against his speech. He said only one of the 12 members had resigned, a non-Zionist. Buckner said that member resigned on grounds that such speeches should not be made to non-Jewish groups. Buckner was asked specifically If he would accept any more invitations to make speeches before non-Jewish groups. He replied that his understanding was that if the Jewish lead-

ILGWU Gives $5,000 For Arab DP Relief NEW YORK—The International Ladies Garment Workers Union announced this week a donation of $5,000 for the relief of Palestinian Arab DPs. President David Dubinsky, in a letter to Clarence E. Pickett, executive secretary of the American Friends Service Committee, said the gift w*^ made in response to appeals from union members who were “descendants of Arabic-speaki ng peoples.”

ers with whom the arrangement was made “can work out an opportunity for presentation of the Council viewpoint to Jewish groups, I will certainly not continue.” A Suitable Deal He was asked what he would consider evidence of a suitable arrangement. He said, "invitations to the Council to present its viewpoint, in line with its proportion of membership in the Jewish community, and fair coverage in the local Jewish press.” “While the negotiations are underway, I won’t accept any

further invitations to talk to nonJews on the subject, but if th« negotiations collapse, we of the Council will be free to present our viewpoint to any audience that wants to hear us,” he said. He was asked how long he would be willing to wait for a definite conclusion of the negotiations. “I’m in no hurry,” he said, "but I won’t be pushed around.” Who Called Him? It was not learned at what level the decision was made to call in Fineberg to refute Buckner’s speech. It was reported that the local Anti-Defamation League sought to take action but desisted when Pontiac Zionists objected. Rabbi Milton Rosenbaum if Temple Beth El in Pontiac commented that there were too many Jewish experts involved and that all the investigation would only do service to the Council.

MEDICAL CHIEF DIES DENVER—(JTA)—Dr. David D. Feld, 44, medical director of the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society sanitor’um, died of a heart attack. He was formerly acting medical director of the Los Angeles Durate sanitorium.

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