Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 9 August 1963 — Page 4

Hie National Jewish POST and OPINION

Friday, August 9, 1963

Foreign Agent Registry Being Urged Upon AZC

Israel Sit-In Protest On Bnei Israel Bias'

JERUSALEM — The United States is not the only country today in which sit-in demonstrations are being held to protest discrimination. In Jerusalem, members oi the Bnei Israel community from India are sitting in outside the Jewish Agency office in protest oi directives issued by the Chief Rabbinate concerning the legal purity of members of the Bnei Israel community. Some 25 families (110 people) decided on the protest demonstration after the Knesset Law Committee and the Jewish Agency committee to which they had appealed on the matter had failed tc take any action. The directives call for a thorough investigation into the ancestry of Bnei Israel Jews when they wish to marry, an investigation not called for with other Jews. The community views this as an affront to their racial origin. As the Jewish Agency had facilitated their coming to Israel, the members of the Bnei Israel community now are holding them responsible for taking steps to withdraw the directive. They say that if action is not taken, they want to be sent back to India at the Agency’s expense. While the entire Bnei Israel community opposes the Chief Rabbinate’s directive, it is split on the sit-in demonstrations. The Bnei Israel Council, the official spokesman of the community, condemned the sit-in after a leaflet was issued by the strikers demanding an end to alleged discrimination against members of Bnei Israel in employment, job

PRAGUE — An unwillingness to stir up debates over Zionism, Titoism or the Middle East, is •een here as the reason behind a special case of “discrimination” Against an Israeli. The Israeli is Mordechai Oren, a former left-wing labor leader who was arrested by the Czechs •bout 10 years ago at the height •i the last Stalinist purges in which prominent Czech politicians Were implicated. Many of the leading Czechs were eventually executed for their part in an alleged WIZO Sees Drop In Income Abroad JERUSALEM — \ decrease in funds from federations abroad was attributed to *he decline in estimated income to the Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) by Mrs. Tonie HauserZeissler, chairman of the fundraising department at a meeting of the World WIZO executive here. Mrs. Hauser-Zeissler estimated the mcome budget from federations abroad at $2,055,000, calling the drop attributable to the steady drop of the value of the currency in certain Latin American countries and the ban on currency transfer from South Africa. She was optimistic, however, on increased contributions from Mexico, Canada, Britain and several other European countries. A budget foi the 1963-64 years of $4,385,000 was approved by the executive.

training, housing and other areas. It was believed that the Council was prepared to support the demonstrations before the leaflet was issued. The Council urged the sit-ins to return home to work coordinateiy against the directives. It stated strongly that it doubted tde sincerity of the sit-in as its leaders had failed to attend a joint meeting to discuss them when invited. It also condemned “any idea of repatriation to India as a solution to the problem.” The 25 families remained adament, however. Their leader, Samson Moses, threatened the start of a hunger strike if their demands were not met. They have also threatened to address an appeal to all foreign diplomatic missions in Israel and to Indian Prime Minister Nehru unless action is taken against the directives. Moses said that the appeal to the missions would declare, in addition to other matters, that “Hitler has been born in Israel.” He said Prime Minister Nehru would be urged to tell the Indian ambassador to the United Nations to present the Bnei Israel case before the body. The Jewish Agency appears set to ride out the sit-in, apparently unswayed by the new, direct tactics. It knows that while the Bnei Israel strikers can make all the demands they want under threat of calling for repatriation, they do not have a legal leg to stand on. In 1952, the Jewish Agency brought over 160 Bnei Israel im-

“Zionist - imperialist - Titoist” plot. Oren, who was visiting Czechoslovakia at the time, was sentenced to a long prison term but released in the first post-Stal-in wave of reform and returned to his kibbutz m Israel. Now the Czech government is reported taking legal action to “rehabilitate” all those implicated in the original plot. The only exception is Oren who, it is claimed, “needs no rehabilitation because he is a foreigner.” Left-wing socialists from a number of Western countries and, it is rumored, some satellite countries too, have worded unofficial requests to the Czech government asking that Oren be included among those to be rehabilitated. Saud Shows Gratitude To a Jewish Doctor NICE — There have been expressions of Jewish - Arab cooperation and gratitude but perhaps never one involving such a top Arab as King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia. When King Saud was stricken with a stomach ailment several months ago, giving rise to talk anout his imminent death, he was treated at a British-American hospital in Nice by Dr. Georges A. Rosanoff, a Jew. Fully recovered, the King recently showed his gratitude for Dr. Rosanoff’s services by presenting him with a; platinum . I watch. > j v < t

migrants to Israel, but shortly after it returned them to India at their insistence and its own expense. Since then, all Bnei Israel immigrants have been made to sign a paper which states that they are aware of the different conditions they might expect. It also states that should they ever wish to leave Israel, they are prepared to do so at their own expense “without applying to the government or the Jewish Agency for assistance for repatriation. In such an event,” the document further states, "I (the immigrant) also undertake to repay the Jewish Agency for the cost of our transportation from Bombay to Tel Aviv as well as other expenses incurred in connection with our immigration to and stay in Israel. . As the strike wore on, it seemd evident that there might be ulterior motives behind it as contradictions arose. For instance, several days before the issaing of the leaflet demanding the ending of the alleged discrimination in certain fields, Moses categorically denied that the sit-in had any connection with a desire to be given jobs.

WASHINGTON, DC (P-O) — The US Justice Department is continuing its discussions with the American Zionist Council in trying to persuade it to register as a foreign agent for Israel. These discussions are going on, it was learned, despite the fact that AZC has closed up all its Midwest and Far West regional offices and has directed in a memorandum that all business be sent to its office in New York. A Justice Department spokesman said that discussions with AZC were continuing, following charges made at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that AZC hao been used as a “conduit” to carry out political and cultural activities for Israel in the United States. Sen. J. W. Fulbright brought out in testimony that the Department of Justice had not fully been notified of these activities as required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. AZC was said to receive more than $5 million m subsidies channeled first through the Jewish Agency for Israel, Inc., and then through the Jewish Agency-Amer-ican Section, Inc. In testimony before the Committee, Isadore Hamlin, executive director of the

Jewish Agency-American Section, said that his organization underwrote more than 80 per cent of AZC’s budget until this January. At that time, AZC "resolved not to take any more funds from the Agency,” Hamlin said. “They were advised by their attorneys to take this action because a problem of their registerability under the Foreign Agents Act arose.” The Jewish Agency, which is registered as a foreign agent, must make a detailed report of its expenditures and activities to the Justice Department. The Senate Committee found that the Agency put up money to have AZC take over some operations in its own name for the purpose, Sen. Fulbright said, of avoiding to have that activity fall under the authority of the Justice Department. “It seems to me that you are just using the American Zionist Council as a conduit so you can avoid registration,” Sen. Fulbright told Hamlin. Hamlin said this wasn’t so and that the Agency’s expenditures had been reported to the Justice Department. He said, ho./ever, that they had not been individually identified but were covered with a lump sum entry under designations such as “allocations and grants to affiliated organizations.” A Justice Department spokesman said that hn doubted there would be any disciplinary act taken against the Jewish Agency but that the Department would continue to talk to AZC about registerwg. The worse that could happen if AZC refused to register, he said, is that it might be indicted, although he said there was no immediate indication this would be happening. The material gathered at the hearing will be used to help amend the Foreign Agents Act, a spokesman for the Senate Committee said. Some of the matters to be reviewed might include the determination of when one organization actually controls another, at what point a party becomes a foreign agent and when does a contribution become a subsidy, the spokesman said.

Jewish Agency Lists Groups OK'd to Raise Funds for Israel Work NEW YORK — The Jewish Agency here has released the names of 12 organizations which it has authorized to conduct fund raising campaigns for respective programs in Israel during 196364. They are: American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science; American Friends of the Hebrew University; American-Israel Cultural Foundation, Inc.; American Red Mogen David for Israel, Inc. (membership campaign only); American Techmon Society; Federated Council of Israel Institutions, Inc. Also, Hadassah; Jewish National Fund (for traditional collections); Mizrachi Women’s Organization of America; National Committee for Labor Israel (Histadrut campaign); Pioneer Women; and Women’s League for Israel, Inc. (New York area only).

Czechs Won't Rehabilitate Oren, Israeli Accused in 'Zionist Plot'

Current Mystery Person Contest Coes Into Fourth Week Unsolved

The current Mystery Person contest goes into its fourth week still unsolved. This ties a mark set in two other contests since the Mystery Person contest was reinstituted. Only Soviet poet Ilya Ehrenburg and philosopher Martin Buber have stumped our readers through four weeks. This week’s clue is: The Mystery Person has been praised for work done in one particular field for more than 50 years. Last week’s clue was: A Britisher, probably more well known to the general public than the Mystery Person, replaced the Mystery Person in a job for which the Mystery Person was highly praised.

The second clue was: A large part of the Mystery Person’s achieved in the Mystery Person’s birthplace.

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The first clue was: The Mystery Person, known for work in a particular field, has recently shifted into a related field. The rules are: The Mystery Person must be a living Jew who has been in some way identified with the Jewish community. It may be a man or a woman living anywhere in the world. If the Mystery Person is identified after one clue the winner receives $25. As additional clues are added each week, the prize money is reduced $5. In the event of a tie, the prize money is equally distributed. All entries must be submitted on the official entry blank below, must be accompanied by the mailing label from the current week’s issue and must be postmarked no later than the Wednesday after the paper is published. Only one entry may be submitted by any one reader weekly.

MYSTERY PERSON CONTEST National Jewish Post and Opinion 29 E. 22ndSt.,New York, 19, N.Y. The Name of the Aug. 9 Mystery Person is: I am attaching the address label from this week's copy of the Pos* and Opinion

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