Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 6 September 1963 — Page 15
Zionist Ideals and Jewish Philanthropy
By M. Z. FRANK The Fulbright investigation of the Jewish Agency raises the question of the difference between Zionist ideology and mere Jewish phi1 a n t h r opy. S o m etimes the distinction is simple and easy to recognize. Sometimes one merges into M. Z. Frank the other. It is my considered opinion that there is very little difference today between active Jewish philanthropy and Zionist ideology as the latter is understood by American Zionists. There used to be a marked difference years ago. There was a time when Jewish communal leaders in America haggled over the dollar raised here for overseas as to whether it was more important to use it for destitute Jews, say, in Poland, or for building Jewish settlements in Palestine. In the one case it was a matter of helping a needy Jewish community already in existence for hundreds of years. In the other case it was a matter of helping to create a new Jewish community according to a Zionist blueprint. NATURALLY, Zionists were interested in getting as large a share of the dollar as they could for the blueprint. The pure philanthropist was not interested, his aim was to help needy Jews wherever they were, without taking sides about the kind of Jewish life they represent. He reckoned only with facts, or so he claimed. There was constant haggling be-
By CARL ALPERT HAIFA — A visitor entered a men’s clothing store here not long ago and looked over the dis-
play of shirts. He fingered the material, eyed the price and selected what he wanted. He picked the exact change out of his pocket and offered it to the busy sales
“That’s too much,” she said. ‘‘All prices are marked down 20
per cent.”
Unknowingly, our visitor had walked into the middle of an Israel institution known as “End of the Season Sale.” THE UNIQUE THING about these sales, which are held twice a year, is that they are conducted simultaneously in all reputable stores and under the supervision of the Retailers’ Association. The sales begin in all stores on the same day, last for the same period of time and terminate simultaneously. Even the amount of discount is fixed by agreement. One is held at the end of the summer to clear out summer merchandise, and the other at the • , y i
tween the United Palestine Appeal and the Joint Distribution Committee, both of which formed and broke and reformed the uneasy alliance of the United Jewish Appeal. But that was yesterday. Today it is different. THE MORE the Zionists managed to create new facts in Palestine, the more the non-Zionist philanthropists felt compelled to take part in the aid. In the first stage, the philanthropists refused to discriminate in favor of Palestine, especially since the endeavor was so costly and bound up with so many dangers. Its success so uncertain— and, besides, who needed it anyway? Why not use the same money to help Polish Jews come to Latin America instead of to Palestine? In the second stage, the philanthropist, being essentially a decent fellow, refused to discriminate against Jews in Palestine, once they are there already, why not help them? BUT JEWISH history, changed all that. In the past 15 years, or even more, all roads of Jewish mass migration lead to Zion. Jews in distress — unless they are rich or helped by rich relatives — have nowhere else to go than Israel. Theoretically, the philanthropist is helping them in the same way as he would be ready to help them if they had to go to the Argentine or to Australia. But in fact, the average Jew, even if he never was a Zionist, is thrilled by the idea that these Jews he is helping settle in Israel are building a new Jewish state in the ancient Land of the Bible.
tail end of winter to close out stocks of winter goods. In between these two sales, the stores will not hold any private, independent price-cutting ventures. THIS SOUNDS like a far cry from rugged individualism and the virtues of competition. Yet defenders of the system claim that it operates to the best interests of both merchant and customer. The public can be assured that a sale really means a sale and that the discount offered is genuine. Those perpetual sales which appear to claim that the store is about to go out of business, or use misleading slogans which give the same impression, are not common here. Neither can a shrewd and unscrupulous merchant get rid of a lot of defective or otherwise unsaleable merchandise by loudly proclaiming a sale with slashed prices. The Retailers’ Association itself polices the approved sales to assure that the proper discount is given on merchandise normally in stock. The result is that the housewives h: - e confidence in the retail cutlets, and the merchants themselves are protected against unfair competition. TO BE SURE, here and there one finds a little cutting of corners. An eager salesman may add
THERE HAVE BEEN many factors since the end of World War II to involve the Jew emotionally in the cause of Israel: the tragedy of European Jewry; the struggle against the British blockade; the Declaration of Independence; the war with the Arabs; the ingathering of the exiles; the building of the Negev; the Hebrew University; the Weizmann Institute; Israel’s role in Africa; the rapid Hebraization of the immigrants and the revival of Hebrew; and, last but not least, the constant threats by the Arabs, especially Nasser. The average giver to the United Jewish Appeal today helps Israel not only because it is a fact he cannot help but accept, but also because it is a development he considers desirable; he is happy it is there. That brings him pretty close to the Zionist who wanted a Jewish homeland and planned for it before it took shape. IT IS NOT always easy to draw a hard and fast line between UJA money spent in Israel for purely philanthropic purposes and that used to advance the implementation of the Zionist ideal. The only relatively pure philanthropic endeavor in Israel I can think of, which is supported by UJA funds, is Malben, operated directly by the Joint Distribution Committee. It is a home for incurable old people. The inmates of Malben are not likely to contribute to Israel’s defense or to the development of Israel’s economic and cultural life. Malben raises the percentage of old and sick people in Israel, which is not part cf the Zionist dream. On the other hand, the very fact that Malben is situated in Israel helps
an extra five per cent to clinch a big sale. My wife reports that when she hesitated about buying some needed clothing before the official opening of the sale, the storekeeper voluntered to jump the gun and give her the 20 per cent discount which was to go into effect a few days later. Even the signs which the stores display have a certain degree of uniformity and standardization. Otherwise, competition is rife and the purchaser can shop around to compare basic prices, quality and service. NO MAJOR MERCHANT has yet dared to buck the Association and strike off on his own. Indeed, the public is warned that it buys during unauthorized sales at its own risk, and there is no guarantee that the merchandise is first rate or that the reductions are bona fide. Under this system there are big stores and there are little stores. There are stores that specialize in quality goods and stores that handle an inexpensive line. There are stores where the clerks are polite and friendly; there are stores where the saleshelp pay attention to you only if you insist. And during the End of Season Sales all the stores seem to thrive.
establish Israel as a world Jewish center in the popular mind and besides, the money is spent in Israel. But the last two factors signify less today than they did a few years ago. There are today plenty of world conferences going on ui Israel. The tourist trade is growing and Israel is not short of cash. AT THE OTHER END of Malben is a border settlement under the muzzles of Syrian guns. It is not a philanthropic project, yet its deficit is covered partly by UJA funds. Those young people, established anywhere else in Israel, could easily make a good living without incurring any deficits. On the whole, however, in the projects in Israel financed by the United Jewish Appeal, the purely philanthropic is identical to the Zionist objective. Thus, in Country X there are so many social, economic and ethnic upheavals that as many Jews as possible ought to be gotten out in time. The place where most of the Jews can best be established is Israel. But X does not recognize Israel. So the Jews are taken to Y, kept there for a while and then sent to Israel. All that costs money — philanthropic money. But while
Book Reviews By THE BACKGROUND OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, by Esther Kellner, $4.95 (Doubleday). An impressive study, portraying the locales, beliefs and customs forming Che milieu of the events and personalities of the Bible. Photographs, notes and a good brief bibliography. Unfortunately the book cites the Christological misinterpretations of Isaiah and other books which invalidate its Jewish and scholarly appeal. ONLY HUMAN - THE ETERNAL ALIBI, by Milton Steinberg, $6.50 (Bloch). Dr. Bernard Mandelbaum herein continues his editing of the homiletic relic of the late great Rabbi Steinberg. The sermons appear in the original outlines; they cover a number of the weekly portions and some general topics, such as science, ethics, rabbis and laymen, Americanism and distinguished men of the past. AN INTRODUCTION TO PHILO JUDAEUS, by Erwin R. Goodenough, $4, (Barnes & Noble). The huge tomes Prof. Goodenough has written on Philo as philosopher, mystic and political thinker are here epitomized in a second edition. Every detail of the great Alexandrian’s life and thought is presented. The writer’s thesis is that Philo, who lived in Jesus’ time, was essentially a Hellenist, imbued with the ideas of the Greek version of the Bible, and that early Christianity built on the Judaism he portrayed — going, of course, far beyond the pious philosopher’s creed. THE ALPHABET OF CREATION, by Ben Shahn, $4.95 (Pantheon). A limited edition, with special typography and Shahn’s drawings, recounting one of the famed legends in the Zohar. All the letters of the Hebrew alphabet ask to begin the Torah; beth is finally chosen, as the initial of “baruch” (blessed). HE WHO FLEES THE LION, by J. Klein-Haparash, $7.95 (Atheneum). A tremendous novel of &e 1939-
some people consider this incidental and others consider it basic, Jews settling in Israel help realize the Zionist ideal. THE ZIONISTS created a situation which draws the philanthropists in whether they like it or not. But sometimes philanthropists may start a project which the Zionists later utilize. Here is an example: In 1907, a German Jewish gentleman by the name of Paul Nathan traveling in the Middle East decided that the German Jews could help their poor co-religion-ists in the Turkish Empire by founding for them a modern trade school. The gentleman in question was the director of the Hilfsverein den deutschen Juden (German Jewish Relief Association) — the equivalent of the American Jewish Committee. Nathan picked Haifa as the place for the proposed school because it was close to Syria so the school W'ould serve the Jewish communities of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. SUCH, in a nutshell, is the origin of the famous Haifa Technion, which, in time, played a very important, though unpublicized, part in Israel’s War of Independence. I leave the rest of the story to Carl Alpert.
Burstein 1940 period when the Nazi-Soviet' rapport destroyed Poland and extended the rule of despotism and barbarity. The author lived through many of the events and conditions of the time; born in Rumania, he now lives in Israel. With all its historical import, the story is in itself one of the most fascinating to e m e r g e out of World War II. Boyar Alda is the Rumanian householder who crosses into Soviet-held territory to become a head of a Russian commune. The smuggling, deceits, strategems of life in the commune are remarkably pictured, and the cliffhanging escape of the major characters back to Rumania is a spectacular climax. WHITTEMORE ASSOCIATES pamphlets: Hymn Writers of the Christian Church, by M. C. Whittemore, containing portraits and referring to many titles in the general religious domain (60 cents); and Prophets and the Problems of Life (75 cents) by S. A. Weston, an impressive unit for adult and adolescent discussion, with only incidental reference to the New Testament. STICK YOUR NECK OUT, by Mordecai Richler, $3.95 < Simon & Shuster). A spoof of current fictional styles and plots by a well known Jewish writer in Toronto. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes extreme and tragic, full of Jews and Jewish allusions, the story mainly concerns an Eskimo "poet,” Atuk, who somehow manage to speak in Jewish terms of racial prejudice. MOM AND POP, by Lester Cohen, $3.75 (Chilton). A noteworthy memoir of a distinguished American novelist, devoted largely to his youth in Chicago. In its course it portrays the variegated character of three generations of Jews, religious, secularist and rebellious. YOUNG ISRAEL, by Roy Pinney, $3.25 (Dodd Mead). A book of excellently chosen photographs, with text, of “children of Israel at work awi *t play.”
I Write as I Please Every Israeli Store Adheres To a Strict Uniformity in Sales
Alpert