Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 3 June 1960 — Page 9

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1'he National Jewish POST ana OPINION

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The question of aliyah from America is a difficult and complicated matter, made more difficult and more complicated by Amen can Zionists and Israeli leadership. Each group needs psycho-

analyzing.

American Zionists contrive by a series of Freudian devices — deliberately or unconsciously — to present aliyah from America as an experience not intended for ordinary, normal human beings. Aliyah is a good thing, they say, provided, you don't claim that it is necessary for a good Zionist to be an oleh and provided you first whip yourself into a frenzy of superhuman readiness for self-dedica-tion—or something of that sort. Fortunately, American Zionist leaders do not have the influence they think is their due, so a few hundred perfectly normal and likeable American Jews do come to Israel to setle each j'ear. TO SAY THAT Israelis are ambivalent in their atitudes on American aliyah is to be guilty of an oversimplification. But it is a good starting point: they want you and they don't want you. You’re a slacker and a gross materialist if you stay in America; you’re a damn fool for coming to be an idealist when idealist is out of fashion anyhow. You’ll get the red carpet rolled out for you if you’re a millionaire tourist, but you’ll be put through the third degree if you're an American Jew coming to settle without being a million

aire—something must be wrong with you if you’re an American who never made money. So stay in a maabrarah, or get your rich relatives to buy you a home and go through all the sufferings whicha newcomer used to go through 40 years ago, when we, the builders of Israel, who are quite comfortably situated today, were idealists and drained marshes. UET ME hasten to say that i myself never experienced such attitude in such gross form. Bu I heard many Americans complain of such an attitude, and they are, as I know, perfectly reasonable people. At any rate, they think that is the attitude Only the other day, an American engineer, a life-long member of the Labor-Zionist movement in the United States, published an article in the Mapai paper Davar listing an “unfriendly attitude” as one of the handicaps to the integration of Americans in Is-

rael.

WHETHER such an unfriendly attitude is real or only exists in the imagination of the American candidate for aliyah, it is a handicap. Some olim overcome it, others don’t and go back. You cannot overnight educate the Israelis into a more friendly attitude towards American settlers. But better leadership by the leaders in Israel and an organized effort to help the oleh overcome such a handicap might go a long way. The leaders have the same stock answers to all these problems as they have had for years: first, preach, preach, preach; second, scold, scold, scold, and third, send more slihim. more shlihim, more shlihim. Israeli leaders and Israeli parties, the government and the Jewish Agency and other organizations

—they all vie with one another, not as to the best way to help Americans integrate themselves once they get here, but as to who can do better in preaching,' in scolding, in sending shlihim. Recently, General Moshe Dayan blossomed forth with a statement that the old fogies don’t know how to handle immigration from America, but that he would know (Don’t forget he’s been to America twice already!). His remedy is: just let me send to America 300 or his own kind shlihim—youg officers, etc. Ho was told that if 300 of his kind of shlihim were to be sent to Amer ica, 200 would never come back to Israel and the rest would so antagonize the Americans that aliyah would decrease rather than increase. SINCE DAYAN’S method has never been tried as yet, it is hard to say whether he is right or his critics are right. But so far. neither the old fogies, nor Dayan or any other of B.G.'s bright young men has ever said one word about what to do to help the Americans who are here already and no government official or agency official wants to really listen to the program of the American Association. Here is the latest: several hundred Americans who had every intention to settle in Israel may have to return because they refuse to give up their United States citizenship. They can stay in the country, all

right

But they cannot hold on to. their jobs because of the new law recently passed. Now, from the point of view of any country, it may be pex-fectly logical thaii people engaged in the practice of law or occupying certain sensitive positions, should either become citizens or not be allowed to practice or work. But Israel is different. Israel wants to attract American citizens of the Jewish faith. Some may be ready to change their citizenship, othei’s may not—or not yet. If you give them a free choice, some of them will eventually become Israeli citizens. Even those who W'On’t will appreciate the freedom of choice. But if you start bullying them, you’ll lose them. Do you want them or don’t you want them? Any country which needs and wants immigration allows the immigrants freedom of choice it would not allow if it did not want them. The United States and Canada were much less strict about the requirements of citizenship when they tried to fill their empty spaces than later when these countries felt their empty spaces had been filled and they could afford to be restrictive. Until Israel has acquired at least 100,000 olim from the United States, she has no business being so strict wdth them. NOW, THERE is the question of housing. In Isi'ael, you can’t just rent a house or an apartment; you have to buy one or pay a large amount in key money. That is nobody’s fault in particular—it is a situation due to housing shortage and credit shortage. The financing of special housing projects for Americans and Canadians in Israel by the Israel Government or the Jewish Agency might create some ticklish problems. It is much better for Americans to handle the matter themselves And here lies the greatest flop of the Zionists In America—they haven’t done a flung about it!

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Do Normal American Jews Consider Moving to Israel?

3Jy M. Z. FRANK

AN,T1-A?ARTHE1D

South African Jews Still Held in Jail

JOHANNESBURG (P-O) — A number of Jews are among the approximately 95 whites jailed under the Emergency Regulations imposed by the South African Government. About 1,700 persons in all have been jailed. The list includes:

communal affaix*s or the Zionisf Movement, The London Jewish Chx-onicle reported. A NUMBER of Jewesses ara among 21 white women jailed under the Emergency Regulations in Pretoi'ia have threatened to go on a hunger strike. o

Harry Bloom, Cape Town author; Yetta Barendblatt; H. M. Basnei*, a former Natives repx'esentative in the Senate; Mrs. Myrtle Gei'man and her husband, a Johannesburg business man; David Montague Berman; Mrs. H. Bernstein and her husband, I. Bernstein; Dr. Pei'cy Cohen; Mrs. Gertrude Cohn; A. H. J. Friedland; G. Gelb; Vic Goldbei'g. chairman of the banned Congi'ess of Democi-ats; F. Goldblatt; S. Horwitz; J. L. Isacowitz; A. Isael; I. C. Joffe; Mi's. Helen Jo seph, president of the S. A. Fedei*ation of Women; K. Kalk; M. J. Kalk; R. Kaplan; J. Levy; I. Lewitton; Dx\ Ronald Press; Eli Weinbei’g and Mrs. Violet Weinbei'g, a National Executive member of the Congress of Demo crats; Hai'old Wolfe, and I. Woolson. NONE OF the detained Jews, who were prominent in Leftist circles, were active in Jewish

When 30 children, white and non-white, demonstx*ated outside the Johannesburg City Hall, with banners demanding the release of their parents, two of them, Toni Bernstein, 17, and Mark Weinbei'g, 16, entered the hall to present a petition to the Mayor of Johannesburg, Alec GorsheL Both of Toni's parents are detained and Mai'k’s father is also being held. Goi'shel, who is Jewish, promised to send an urgent telegi’am to the Minister of Justice.

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