Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 5 October 1962 — Page 25

Friday, October 5, 1962

The National Jowith POST and OPINION

Life in Israel is Just a Big Balagan

By M. Z. FRANK "Well,” I said to my fellowtraveler on the El A1 plane,” it is nice to see those Hebrew letters floating all over the world.” He agreed; it is his first trip to Israel. We had gotten on the El AI plane together in Zurich, and had stopped in Rome for half an hour where the above remarks were made. Such a fine plane, such fine service, and such fine pilots. Such achievements in such a short time. My fellow - traveler was terribly ex - cited. I tried to dampen his enthusiasm a bit, to tell him that M. Z. Frank there were faults in Israel, but he was simply in a trance. We first ran into the big balagan 15 minutes before landing. THE PILOT called on^he passengers to have their passports and their vaccination certificates ready. , Vaccination certificates? This is my seventh trip to Israel and the first I ever heard of it. I knew I was required to show it on returning to America, and we had them — tucked away in a valise. (We had not been asked

for vaccination certificates in Europe either — Belgium, England, Holland, Switzerland.) What a mess this was going to be — opening the bags at customs inspection to try to fish out the certificates. And to crown it all, the plane had been heavily loaded and the staff at Lydda undermanned — and confused. Not mean, "blind you, very friendly and even charming, but undermanned, overworked and confused. And here was a big sign hanging in the hall, with red letters in Hebrew and in English, warning the passengers about vaccination certificates. As we were slowly advancing in the queue, sweating and fuming before reaching the inspection desk, I turned to one of the airport hostesses and asked her in Hebrew, “Since when is that?” — pointing to the sign with the red letters in Hebrew and in English. SHE GAVE ME a very charming smile. “Oh that?” she said “It was just a short-time emergency regulation. There was an epidemic. The regulation has been now abolished. No need for vaccination.” No use asking her why the sign was still there and why the pilot had not been informed. Balagan is balagan. “Balagan” is a Russian word el Tartar origin which means a huge tent inside of which are

held annual fairs and circuses. It is a noisy place, where everybody is running, trying to find something but where nobody knows where anything is and what the other fellow is doing. The word has passed into Israeli colloquial Hebrew and denotes the kind of coordination I just described between the fellow who issued the regulation about vaccination certificates and the guy who neglected or forgot to take down the sign and notify the pilot. A COUPLE of days later I came into the branch of a bank in the neighborhood of the office of the Association of Americans and told the clerk I wanted to open an account in Israeli pounds. “You can’t,” he told me. “Your passport says you’re a tourist.” “What of it?” “A tourist is not permitted to have a bank account in pounds, only in dollars.” I knew he was all wet. I knew I could take the money to another branch in another bank and find a clerk who has a different version of the law. But that was more trouble than puting up an argument, which knew I was going to win, anyway. “WHAT AM I TO DO when I want to buy a paper or soda water — pay in dollars?” I asked. “Well, you convert a small sum each time and use pounds, like any tourist.”

I WRITE AS 1 PLEASE Ten Major Israeli Problems Include Arabs, Water and the Role of Religion

t)y CARL ALPERT HAIFA — This is the time of year when the good Jew takes spiritual stock. He looks back upon the errors of the past year and he vows to mend his ways, as necessary. With renewed confidence he can look ahead to the problems which he knows will face him in the coming 12 months To his collection of perAlpert sonal difficulties, the Israeli can add a set of national worries which confront the entire state collectively. While we are still in this mood there may be some value in recapitulating those perplexities which, in my opinion, are the major problems facing israel in the year ahead: 1. PEACE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS. What progress will be made in breaching the wall of animosity and antagonism with which Israel is surrounded? Israel must be strong, well-armed and vigilantly alert for any military emergency, but the national goal is for ultimate establishment of peaceful relations with the Arab states, and the solution of differences by reasonable discussion and mutual good will. This is without doubt Problem Number One! 2. THE ROLE of religion in the state. It becomes increasingly clear that the closest Israel may come to a civil war will

be as a result of the clash between those who wish the state to be administered according to orthodox Jewish law, and those who rebel against religious compulsion. Infinite wisdom and patience will be required to solve this and avoid terrible consequences. S. WATER. Solutions have been proposed and steps are being taken, but the fact remains that fresh water in sufficient quantity, in the proper places, at the right time of year is a need without which national viability may be at stake. 4. INTEGRATION of the communities. This is the problem of what has come to be called the two Israels: on the one hand the Israel of Ashkenazim, European Jews, with high educational level, monopolizing the top brackets in government, society, industry. On the other hand is the Israel of the Sephardim, Asian and African Jews, of lower economic class, who are under-privileged and as a consequence feel frustrated. The dilemma is serious but not insoluble. 5. THE UNFAVORABLE balance of trade. As German reparations come to a halt, and gift money from abroad slows down, Israel must reduce its imports, expand its production for overseas markets and bring about some degree of economic independence. 6. ALIGNMENT in the EastWest conflict. With all its natural affinity for the free and democratic world, Israel may be compelled to do some hard and courageous thinking about its attitude toward Russia and .

toward the United States. Where would Israel stand if a new, neutral bloc were to be formed? 7. HOW TO PRESERVE the old sense of idealism? Success and a growing bourgeois spirit seem to have led to a weakening of the moral and spiritual fibre in Israel. Where is the pioneering spirit of old? It is obvious that values and standards have changed in Israel, though not all observers will concede that the change has necessarily been for the worse. S. HOW MUCH power to the Histadruth? The role of the country’s great Federation of Labor in laying the foundations of the state and in molding the character of the national economy and society is under reexamination in terms of today’s realities, not only from critics on the right, but also from soul-searching patriots within the labor movement itself. 9. RELATIONS with Diaspora Jewry. Will a common language be found, or will there still be recrimination and misunderstanding, leading only to a widening of the gap? What should be the nature of the' bridge? 10. RELATIONS with Germany Sooner or later Israel will have to face up to political realities and establish diplomatic relations with Germany. The first steps will be limited and qualified; opposition within Israel will appear to be intense, but the problem can not bear postponement much longer. These, then, are the 10 major problems ahead as I see them. One year from today, how much closer shall we be to solutions?

“But I already converted dollars into pounds at the head office of your bank, with instructions to you to open in my name an account in pounds.” “Sorry, the law is the law.” “I was warned at the head office yesterday that once I converted dollars into pounds, I could not reconvert them into dollars.” I said, “Must I carry around on my person a couple of hundred pounds? What are banks for, anyway?” “You are right, sir, but the law is the law. Smarter people than I have written it.” “I am not so sure of that,” I said. “Anyway, why don’t you phone the head office, and refer to this document?” “All right, if you insist.” HE CAME BACK from the phone and told me it was all right for a tourist to have an account in pounds (I knew it all along) provided the pounds represent converted dollars. I decided to enjoy my argument further: “Look,” I said, “I am a journalist. Sometimes I get a check from New York in dollars, sometimes I get a check from Tei Aviv in pounds. I want to be able to cash them here, where I have enough money to cover it — both kinds of checks.” “Well,” he said, “you’re certainly allowed to cash a check in dollars. As for the pounds, I am not the guardian of the law. You can have somebody else cash it for you and nobody will ask questions. Suppose your name appears on the back and then someone else’s underneath it. It does not say who is a tourist.” I am looking forward to the next Israeli check, which I intend — just for fun — to present at this bank. I FOUND MYSELF a library to work in, which I like as much as the Zionist Library in New York. It is the Bet-Liessen, put up by the American Histadrut Campaign, right next to the Is-

aac Hamlin House. It is part of a very attractive building which houses also the Jewish Labor Archives, an auditorium and a fine restaurant. I found a fine, erudite young librarian, who has been very helpful to me in seeking out the material I need. I asked him if the library had an index, where you could look up any articles written on tne subject ot your interest. No, they haven’t — he is my index for the time being. Making up an index, he explained to me, is a question of manpower. MANPOWER, my eye! Maybe, there are not enough employees in the Liessin Library to spare one for making up an index. But the . ole country, the Histadruth offices included, is crawling with superfluous officials. Why not spare one from one office to make up an index? My guess is that if such a request were made, it would result in a year’s paper work in many offices and dozens of meetings, taking up the time of dozens of busy executives, without a single line having been started on the index. I noticed a new public pay phone in front of the Hamlin House. In Israel, to use a public pay phone, like in some places in Europe, you must have a token. You can get tokens in any post office. The nearest office to the Hamlin House is several large blocks away. I went into the Hamlin House. “Do you have tokens?” I asked Zalman. “DID YOU HEAR about t’le Wise Men of Chelm?” Zalman countered. “You should write about them. They installed a public telephone in front of our entrance without notifying us, and now we are being pestered by passers-by for tokens, which we haven’t got. Here, use Jean’s telephone!” Israel is the only country in the world where Jews can be stupid and get away with it

Book Reviews By Burstein

THREE DAYS, by Zeev Sharef, $4.95 (Doubleday). This work covers the period that marked the British withdrawal from Israel and the establishment of the Mandate’s ending, the immediate conflicts, and the High Commissioner’s somewhat emotional departure. OF DIVERS ARTS, by Naum Gabo, $7.50 (Bollingen-Pantheon). This Russian-born artist, now an American citizen, delivered the Mellon lectures in the fine arts, 1959. He is a leading authority on modern artistry. Some of the reproductions are in color; among them are self-portraits of the famous and church architecture. THE FIGHTING GHETTOS, translated and edited by Meyer Barkai, $6.95 (Lippincott). This book, comprising hidden diaries and narratives discovered in Europe and now housed in Haifa, gives the lie to those who today wonder why the Jews under Nazidom offered no resistance. In the ghettos, the camps, and the woods, they fought, sometimes escaped, and gave a valiant account of their. resistance. THE WOODCUTS OF JAKOB STEINHAKPT, edited by Leon Kolb, $10.00 (.IPSA). The septuagenarian genius now -

residing in Israel is the most talented master of the woodcut in modern times. An appreciative biography by Haim Gamzu precedes the treasury of 440 reproductions. They are mainly illustrations of the Bible story or Jewish history and ritual, but there are a number of scenic reproductions and a large self-portrait. THE FAMILY MAN, by Sidney Sulkin, $5.95 (Robt. B. Luce; David McKay). Harry Allman, East European product, comes to Boston and engages in ruthless business activities. Sulkin shows some knowledge of Judaism, with such solec»sms as "Avas Sholom” (for Ahavas). An interesting novel, with profound dissections of character, but little Judaic character. EVERYONE’S GUIDE TO ISRAEL, by Joan Comay, $5.U0 (Doubleday). The wife of Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has written a most thorough guide with a full history of Judaism and Zion. The emergence of the new nation, the character of the population, international relationships, government, economics, are subjects that precede description of the land its localities, and information for the traveler.