Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 November 1950 — Page 12

TUT NATIONAL JTWTSH POST

Friday, November 10, 1950

OJV THE OTHER HAND ISRAEL AS JEWISH AS ENGLAND IS ENGLISH-WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

By SIDNEY WAIXACH

CON SI' t.TAMT TO THE AMKHICAN COCKCTL FOR JUDAISM T | AHE economic crisis in Israel is so overwhelming in its impact .1. that it seems to throw' consideration of the meaning of Zionism and of Jcw'ish- nationalism into an academic shade. This column, how’ever, is available to me for comment from an anti Zionist, anti-Jewdsh-nationalist point of view'. Whatever my personal preference for a wider range, for an opportunity to comment on various developments of Jewish interests as I see them, I am here

sticking to my assignment.

The difficulty is that we are dealing with a problem that must, in the first instance, be identified and agreed upon. That, unfortunately, has not yet happened. The question of taking sides is complicated by lack of coherence as to what it is we are taking sides about. Perhaps, therefore, a useful point of departure will be to examine the Zionist

shibboleth used by Dr. Chaim Weizman 30 years ago, by Dr. Abba Hillel Silver a few years ago and by lesser lights in the intervening period, and today. That shibboleth has been phrased that “Palestine (or Israel) is to be as Jewish as England is English, as France

Is French."

Superficially, this has a nice sound and something of glamour about it. It has become part of the rhetoric of the Zionist exposition of its case. Perhaps it would help if I examined and reflected on its meaning, naturally from my point of view. “Israel is to be as Jewish as England is English; as France is

French."

IT IS HOWEVER, character^tic of countries such as England or France or* the United States, that the overwhelming majority of its nationals live within the country. Take the example of France. It is true that there are Frenchmen who reside temporarily or permanently in other parts of the world but overwhelmingly those who regard themselves as Frenchmen, reside in a country called France. How, therefore, can there be an analogy with a “Jewish state" when by the most optimistic estimates of the Zionists, it can, at best, hold a minority fraction of all of he Jews of the world, not only today but in the foreseeable future? The inherent fallacy can perhaps become more apparent when we examine those Frenchmen who live outside their native land. They conform to tw r o distinct pat- ———— ■ terns. Some are, and remain, and participation in American natioftlands of their temporary domi- al affairs. Is the glittering Zioiv plan to remain, aliens in the ist analogy to apply to Jews of cile. In this country, for example, the United States in this manner? there are Franchmen living here The obvious answer is no. And Its aliens and without voice and so we come to the second pat-

WALI.ACH

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tern that is applicable to Frenchmen in the United States and, by analogy, to those of the Jewish nation. A number of Franch nationals who live outside their motherland and who prefer to remain where they live, go through the process of a change of national status. By that procedure, they cease to be members of the French nation. If, for example, they are in the United States, they become Americans, members of the American nation. This, of course, does not mean that they need sever all emotional and sentimental attachments to the land of their origin; but it does mean that they have given due notice that they do,.not regard themselves as part of the French nation and that they are prepared to entrust their future to the traditional American trend. This means th^t while they began as Frenchman who live in America, adopted American citizenship and became Americans of French birth, they expect to move into the status of Americans of French descent, in a process that will thin out their original identification over a period of time until this origin, to all intents and purposes, dsappears and plays a negligible part in their lives. Is this, then, the alternative status that, by definition, the Zionists have in mind for Jews in the United States? By analogy are they to be Americans of Jewish descent, sympathetic to the Jewish nation but like the naturalized Englishmen or Frenchmen, gradually thinning out their original identity (in this case the Jew in them) to the point of dissipation?

•

THERE IS ANOTHER consideration that deserves to be held in mind. The Jewish State, Palestine or Israel, is to be “as Jewish as England is English or as France is French." But a democratic country, again we take France, for illustration, takes no particular account of the religion of its citizens. One may be a Jewish Frenchman, a Catholic Frenchman, a Protestant Frenchman or an atheist Frenchman. Again, turning to the Zionist statement, is this to be applicable to the nationals of a Jewish state? Are its nationals to be “Jewish' Jews. “Catholic Jews, “Protestant" Jews, “Moslem Jews, “atheist” Jews?I do not venture to answer for the Zionists. I merely adduce these considerations to show that behind the glittering phrase, there may often be either a vacuum of thought—or, worse still, the deliberate use of a slogan,, however misleading, so long as it can be made to sound appealing. Home Grown Correspondenta The National Jewish Post

I THINK AS I PLEASE WHY NOT SOMETHING FROM ISRAEL INSTEAD OF LIQUOR THIS SEASON? By CARL ALBERT T TAVE you ordered those cases of liquor yet? Xi If you are a business man, salesman, manufacturer, distributor, or are engaged in any other occupation or profession in which you value and cultivate the friendship and goodwill of your customers, clients and associates, you may be among those who each December—in token of the “Holiday Season"— present a bottle of liquor with your best wishes to one of these. The custom has been growing in popularity, and all the better advertised and more expensive brands of Scotch, Rye and other drinks ‘are purchased and distributed in profusion. Such presentation is today considered one of the necesALPERT sities of business relationship to help maintain customer goodwill. I have no wish to curtail either sales or profits of American liquor companies; those who are deeply steeped in the habit should continue. There may be many who feel that only a bottle of the strong stuff will serve to convey the season’s greetings. For those who may be receptive to other ideas, however, I offer an alternative suggestion: This year, instead of liquor, make your gift a useful or decorative item selected from the large stock of imports from Israel. Read on, and see.if you do not agree that this policy can serve your own best interests.

•

FIRST OF ALL, you*« will be an unusual gift. When the muchwooed customer reviews the collection of bottles he has received from your competitors and wonders where on earth he is going to find room for all of them, your gift will stand out because of its uniqueness and originality. From an advertising point of view, what more could one ask? Second, long after the wines and the whiskeys have been consumed and the empty bottles tossed on the trash heap, your beautiful gift—costing no more than a pint of good liquor at case rates —will still be around to remind the recipient of your thoughtfulness and of your desire to serve him. Gifts like these do not have to be a brass plate bearing your firm name attached. Their beauty need not be disfigured by advertising. The very fact that they are utterly different from anything else will suffice to keep them permanently identified with you. • THIRD, THERE is a splendid jsh colleagues and associates. Bevariety of such gifts available, fieve me, your non-Jewish statable for the office or the friends will be thrilled and imhome. To mention but a few, pressed by a Yuletide gift from there- are ash trays, letter open- the Holy Land, ers, paper weights, cigarette • boxes—and two of my favorites, EACH GIFT MAY be accom a beautiful, single pipe stand and panied by a brief note saying, in an attractive dinner bell. Practlc- effect: “Season's Greetings! In ally all of these items have Is- token of our appreciation for rael design and motif and all are your valued patronage during the executed by master craftsmen in year please accept this symbolic Israel’s Shops. gift imported by us from Israel, Fourth, the purchase of such the land in which my people are gifts will substantially and ma- once again making history". The terially help Israel’s economy, thoughtful business man may From your own internal business wish to vary or improve upon point of view this may not be a the wording I have suggested, major consideration, but I be- Since I have gone this far, I lieve that American Jewish busi- shall go one step further. If you ness men are interested in help- are in New York you may visit ing Israel—are willing to go out the ZOA Book and Gift Shop, of their way to help Israel—and Room 600, 41 East 42nd Street, will of a certainly take necessary and see some of the gifts availsteps to help Israel—if, at the able for you. If you will not be same time, they are serving their New York, drop me a card, at own interests as well. Presenta- th » same address and we shall tion of seasonal gifts of this kind be glad to send you an illusttrawill serve both purposes. ted catalogue. I refer to “seasonal gifts" and • “season's greetings" deliberately, NOTE TO RABBIS: If you for while much of the gift giv- agree with the sentiments exing within the Jewish commun- pressed above and would like to ity is based on the Chanukah help along as well, please retradition, it is no secret that many print this column or pertinent Jews make such presentations as parts of it hi your Temple bulle Christmas gifts to their non-Jew- tin.

KENTUCKY STRAIGHT •OURSOM WHISKEY tONDEO too rtoor

L.A. FEDERATION END CONTRACT W ITH RED-RUN OFFICE UNION LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Federation of Jewish Welfare Organization has notified the Stalinist-controlled United Office Workers Union that It is ending its contract with the union. The Los Angeles Jewish VOICE, local Anglo-Jewish weekly, reported that the Federation informed the union the contract would be terminated on Dec. 31, in aecordance with contract terms. that 80 per cent of the employes The contract termination not- covered by the contract had afice was the latest move in a long ftrmed their membership in the fight by Jewish organizations • in union. They charged that the Los Angeles to end contractual contract termination was an atrelations with the union, which tempt to deprive workers of the was ousted by the CIO recently, right to a union of their choice. The Federation notified the UOPWA that it does not repre- There are about ll0r ooo jews sent all of the Federation's em- j n Rj 0 Janeiro, San Paulo and ployees and noted that when the Porto AU egro in Brazil contract was signed, the union was a member of the CIO but is Get The News First In not now.

Mina-Yreua Pisnuiif . lowsrnq, ky. Union representatives replied

The National Jewish Post