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The Canadian Jewish News, Thursday, May 19; 1983 - Page 3
Statements a
WOLF BLITZER
WASHINGTON
A group of promhieiit AmericanJ[ewish critics of the IsraeU govemment has publicly apologized ^ to israePs former Foreign Minister, Abba Eban, for using his name in a mass fund raising mailing without liis permission.
The Committee of Con ce rn ed A me ri can Jews (CCAJ), a new organization led by Stanford University professor Seymour Martin Lipset, issued a statement ex-, pressing its "sincere regret" that Eban's name had been used in the mailing.
The original letter, sent Out to Jews around the United States, noted that one major purpose of the new organization was to help those groups
in Israel who oppose Prime Minister Mena-chem Begin's West Bank policies (CJN, May 5).
"And that is why it"1s critical that wejn America, who have experience in non-partisan citizens' organizations, provide the benefit of our experience — as well as grants of. financial support — to those in Israel working for change through community, charitable, and public interest organizations," the letter said.
The mailing also included a supposed "memorandum" from Eban to the CCAJ — written on Knesset stationery — which outlined the former foreign minister's longstanding position in support of dis-isent in the American Jewish community as far as Israeli governmental
Abba Eban
positions are concerned.
Eban told me that he had never given the organization any permission to use his name in the mailing. He said he had strongly protested the action in a telephone conversation with Alan Baron, a well
known Washington political consultant who is active in the organization, y-''::-
In a separate letter to Lipset, Eban charged that the organization's behavior was with "no precedent in my experience. I have never sought and do not desire any contact with the CCAJ and it is out-rageousfor you and your colleagues to construct this imaginaiy assocla-tion."
Eban said the committee had ' 'fabri^cated note paper with a letterhead: Abba Eban, The Knesset, Jerusalem, so as to give the impression that communications under that letterhead emanate from me; I have no such note paper and have never seen it before."
He said the memorandum was addressed from
PARIS —
A United Njations conference scheduled to tajce place in Paris from Aug. 16-27 is being planned als "an extravaganza 'for the PLC," says Harris Schoenberg of B'nai B'rith's Interna-tioiial Council.
S. H. Hoffenberg, a French member, of the International Council, claims the conference will "strike a blow at the very existence" of Israel. .: '
The conference, which will desd with the Question of Palestine, is scheduled to be held at
Song
fest
prize
MONTREAL —
The Samuel Jacobson Foundation for Jewish Culture will award $2,000 in prizes in the 1983 edition of the Worid Jewish Song Festival.
The contest will be held in five languages: H eb re w, English, French, Yiddish and La-dino. All types of songs on a Jewish theme are acceptable: lullabies, love songs, T)alladi, songs about peace, Israel , religion, history, destiny, personal feelings and Holy Days.
Ten finalists" will be chosen to gather at the Expo Theatre. : The deadHne for submission of songs is Aug. 31. For application forms or information, write to the World Jewish Song Festival, c/6 Peter Smolash, 5025 Plamon-don Ave., Montreal, H3W lE9.^Telephone is (514) 342-0441.
UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and the United Nations has reportedly allocated $5.7 million for its use.
Schoenberg, in a newsletter, warns that "the transparent purpose of the conference is to mobilize world opinion on behalf of the PLC, a coal iti o n co m posed largely of terrorist organizations that refuse to alter their commit-rnent to the destruction of Israel."
The official objectives of the conference, he says, are twofold:
• To increase international awareness of the facts relating tO the Palestinian problem.
• To attain governmental and non-governmental support for effective ways to enable the Palestinians to exercise their ' * in alien able rights" in Palestine on the basis of UN resolutions.
Hoffenberg, who is a permanent delegate to UNESCO, says the real objectives of the conference are to "stop the process of peace and to
invalidate the Camp David agreement."
In addition, he adds, cdiiference participants will try to istrike a blow at Israel and attempt to break **the historical ties between Judaism a^nd the Land of Israel and Jerusalem."
He adds: "Thus, it may worsen the situation of French Jews and encourage anti-Semitic movements...."
He urges Jews to write their elected representatives, to launch an advertising campaign, to organize " cultural demonstrations," and to send facts to UNESCO on the true meaning of the conference.
According to B'nai B'rith, the conference's secretary-general is a Jamaican woman, Lucille Mair, who "achieved a certain notoriety" in 1980 "by working behind the scenes on behalf of the PLO" at the women's conference in Denmark.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, Schoenberg says B'nai
B'rith is distressed to learn that some NGOs (non-government organizations) will be excluded from the Paris conference.
Schoenberg says that conference organizers decUled to exclude NGOs which do not subscribe to UN General Assembly resolutions. This is a concept that is discriminatory, he said.
Eban to the CCAJ. "No such memorandum has ever been drafted by me. I liever heard of the Committee Of Concerned American Jews until my attention was drawn to this fabrication," he said.
The Labor Member of Knesset, a vocal critic of the Israeli government, said the memoranduin consisted of "words that I have published in The Jerusalem Post and in communication with other organizations and presented them falsely as communications to your organization.''
Finally, Eban said, the mailing "solicited funds from addresses in a manner that gives the impression that I endorse arid advocate such donations. I do not endorse or advocate any
such activity."
In a statement issued by the CCAJ's Washington Office, the organization said: "We sincerely regret any implication that: 1. CCAJ intends to play a role in' Israeli politics whatever, and 2. Mr. Abba Eban or any other non-American Jew has played or will play any organizational role in CCAJ whatsoever."
It said the "records" of the individuals involved in the committee have provided it with. ' 'public credibility,'' and nOt' *the positibns of Mr." Eban or other Israeli individuals or organizations with whom members of CCAJ share cer-
tain values."
CCAJ's initial mailing, the statement went on to say, "included two statements by Abba Eban, republished in a 'memorandum' format." Those two statements came from Eban's article last year in The Jerusalem Post and in a separate communication he gave to American friends ofthe Peace Now
organization last year.
According to Eban, ^ Baron later had explained to him that repackaging those separate statements in the new form of a memorandum to the CCAJ was "common practice" in the United States when used in mass mailings.
But Eban, deeply upset by the entire incident, did not accept that explanation. The entire matter had become politically explosive in Israel after Israeli newspapers charged that Eban was encouraging American Jews to interfere both politically and financially in domestic Israeli politics.
Lipset, in a separate reply to Eban, blamed the Washington office of the CCAJ for "manufacturing" the memorandum without Eban's permission. Baron, for his part, simply said there had been a big misunderstanding.
Other Jews involved in the formation of the committee incl ude David Cohen, the former president of Common Cause, the liberal citizens' ac-
tion lobby; Jpcelyn Wurzburg, a member of the social action commission of Reform Judaism; and Jonathan J. Cohen, founder and president of the New Israel Fund.
Baron, in his statement, said that CCAJ is ai non-profit, non-political organization and "is prohibited by U.S. law from political activities in either the United States or in Israel.
' 'Because many CCAJ leaders have expertise in organizing non-partisan, citizen movements, it is CCAJ's intention to make this expertise available, at no cost, to non-partisan citizen movements in Israel which share the basic values of CCAJ," his statement said, in an apparent reference to Peace Now and other similar groups in Israel which oppose the Israeli government's West bank policies.
Baron noted that the "use of American expertise is no innovation in Israel where both the Labor and Likud parties have retained political consultants, such as David Garth and David Sawyer."
In addition, he said, the CCAJ's "major activities will be focused on educating American Jews as to the diversity of opinions expressed concerning options available in solving the problems facing Israel, America and the Jewish community."
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
for the Saidye Bronfman Centre Branch of the YM-YWHA & NHS of Montreal
The Saidye Bronfman Centre is a major educational and cultural centre in Montreal providing programs in fine arts, performing arts and adult educatjon., We are looking for'a. dynamic and creative iridivid-uain<nowledgeable in the fields, of public affairs, arts, politics and entertainment.
The right candidate will be able to use^his/he'r background and skills to maximize the use of—the Saidye Bronfman Centre" facilities with, programs in the above-mentioned areas. This is an executive "position in a large association which serves some 13,000 members.
All replies will be strictly confidential.
■ ■ '.', " Write, enclosing a resume to:
Mr. Maurice Nayer --^ Executive DirectoV
YM-YWHA & NHS of lyiontreal
5500 Westbury Avenue
Montreal, Que. H3W 2W8
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