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Paijge 4 -The Canadian Jewish News, Friday/September 13,1968 ;
THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS
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DOROTHY C.NURENBERGEB Associate Editor VOL. IX; NO. 37 (503) SubKriptions$5.00p«r year/$12-3 years; U.S.A. $7.50per yew^ $18.00 ■ 3 years; All other countries $10 per year. $24 • 3 years.
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CANADA'S LEADING JEWISH NEWSf^APER IN ENGLISH
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Germans and Jews
INTERFAITH
• WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWED TO CARRY THINGS ON SHABBAT? IN WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES ARE WE ALLOWED TO DO so? s The basic .text here is; . "And bear no.burden on the Sabbath day." (Jeremiah 17, 21-22). The rabbis make a distinction between a "burden" (niassa) and an "adornment" (tachshit). Thus it is. forbidden to carry a parcel, etc., because this falls under the former heading, but It is permitted to wear rings, gloves, etc.
• COULD A'crisis OF AUTHORITY ARISE WITHIN JUDAISM SUCH AS HAS DEVELOPED IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH? IS THERE A CENTRAL AUTH-
-a JCNS
ORITY WHICH JEWS ARE EXPECTED TO OBEY EVEN IF THEY DO NOT. AGREE WITH IT?.
* The authority recognized as binding by Jews of every persuasion is theTorah. Opinions have differed as to what is comprised in "Tbr-ah". Thus the Karaites submitted only to the authority of the Bible to the exclusion of later rabbinic teaching. Latter-day Reform/and Liberal movements accept the authority of the Bible and the rabbis with varying degrees of reservation, the elenient of "continuing revelation" entering into the picture.
According to the Pentateuch (e.g., Deuteronomy 17, 9) and - on the whole - the ■Prophets (e.g., Malachi 2,7)
letters fo fhe editor
by Max Goody
ZIONIST LEADER DEFENDS HIS ORGANIZATION
One of the most remarkable appearances at the Conference of Christians and Jews held here last week was the participation of the German delegation-West, of course, since East Germany now is engaged in the war against the "Zionists". Among the members o f this delegation were a rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Protestant layman.
It was interesting to observe how these men and women labored for bringing to the attention of representatives of many countries that never experienced Fascism or Communism the dangers of antisemi-tism.
In the UnHed States
Democratic Germans know from bitter experience the price a country pays if it follows political maniacs vvho exploit racial and religious prejudice to promote their career. Germany still is suffering retribution for Hitlerism. Yet therie are many in the West who refuse to see the result of allowing bigotry to become a factor in political life.
We hope the conference here inspired all delegations from wherever they came to remember: tolerance and compassion may sound oldfashioned to some in the modern world nevertheless they are necessary in order to fashion aninrial called man into a social being.
THE GUERILLAS
Everything that affects the United States indirectly influences our way of life and our society here. Thus it is understandable that the recent, violent agitation south of the border be followed with concern here.
Moreover it seems to us there is basic a-greement between the Humphrey and Nixon forces that the recent wave of violence in the United States is more than a local explosion of dissent. None other than Vice President Humphrey called the throwing of fire bombs and the effort to discredit America a "trend toward guerilla bands" operating within the United States. Vice presidential cahdUjaite;]^^ that the rioting in Chicago definitely was conducted by some agitators who had received instruction from Communist leaders throughout the world, even if some
followers were led astray.
Mr. Humphrey and Mr. Nixon apparently agree that this trent towards civil war and the arming of guerilla bands must be stopped. But what is uppermost in the mind of the free world is, how long does it have to take till a democracy will decide to defend itself against this fifth column operated from without? How long will North Americans fail to see one hand guilding the conspiracy in Vietnam, the Middle East, yes, in North American cities for the purpose of disrupting our democratic society?
In every movement of this kind there are tK(Ke innocents misled by politicai gangsters. However society has a duty to defend itself against such conspiracy; it must not allow the loosening of our defense belt against totalitarianism.
In Czechoslovalda
THE INTELLECTUALS
Vienna (JCNS) - Reports of mass arrests of Jewish writers in Czechoslovakia by Soviet officials in Prague are not true, according to reliable sources here. On the contrary, these officials have allowed an unlimited exit permits to such Jews to
leave the country, these sources say.
Most Jewish intellectuals left Czechoslovakia in the last few days. They prefer to remain unnamed. Ladislav Mnacko, the Czech non-Jewish poet who fled to Israel last year in protest against
his country's severance of. relations with the Jewish State, and rehirned this year, arrived here, last week. Professor Goldstuecker, the president of the Czechoslovak Writers' Association, who is a Jew, i§, said to be safe.
Dear Editor,
To some extent, the Jewish people hais reconciled itself to attacks against Zionism and Zionists bv Israel's political enemies, coming largely from non-J e wish sources and, to a lesser extent, by a fringe eleinent of American Jews yirhocannot reconcile Jewish statehobd with their American citizenship.
With anti-semitism generally becoming less fashionable, we have watched its practitioners g r oping 1 y s w itch toan anti-Zionist theme as a vehicle to give vent to their anti-Jewish feelings.
We have yet to adjust to the spectacle of responsible Jewish sources inveighing a-gainst Zionism with such vehemence as have characterized two recent editorials which have appeared in The Canadian Jewish News.
I know the editor of the Canadian Jewish News to be knowledgeable in Zionist history and admire his great attachment to the State of Is-raeL I do not know him to be an active Zionist at present and, other than his familiarity with its obvio u s and acknowledged shortcomings, I do not believe he has any intimate knowledge of the role which Zionism today is playing in many distinguished communities throughout the world. I further find him guilty offailing completely to analyze and assess the problems of a movement which already has earned its place in J e w i s h history, in its struggle to adjust to rapidly changing times in the midst of a word undergoing paroxysms of turbulence iand tur-moiU
One of the best measures of a movement's intensity is the degree to which its detractors and enemies direct their attacks against it The extent of anti-Zionist propaganda would attest to the fact that its defamers still consider it to be the organizational force behind the support for the State of iSraeL And, notwithstanding its fallings and failures, it still is the only Jewish organization which has as its sole function the survival of thie Jewish people through the centrality of the State of Israel and the promotion of the Hebrew language.
The e d i t o r uses as his prime weapon o f attack what he considers to be the out-
dated party system. Divisions in Jewish life began shortly after the exodus and have continued throughout the centuries; they have and still do manifest themselves in educational systems, political and religious life. Despite anyone's remohstra-tions they* will continue to exist; in such matters the Jews have no e xc 1 u s i v e claim. But it matters not that we havev differences only whether or not we can be tolerant of those differences.
I do not denounce the party system. Herzl's political Zionism differed from Weizr-mann's territorialism which in turn differed from Ahad Ha'am's spiritual Zionism. A.D. Gordon introduced Socialist Zionism and each philosophy has factions within it These ideologies express an individual's concept of the type of state he would like to see develop, and in a democratic society there is room for all. I s r a e 1 will likely develop in some form which blends many of these ideologies. It is no more contradictory than to have a free enterprise government in Canada introduce Socialist legislation or a variety of other ordinances which express diverse ideologies but which nevertheless are inherent in all democratic systems.
The editor, 1 am sure, would not criticize openly religious denominations for the simple reason that it is a fact of life that different Jews relate to their Jewishness in their own way. They are all valid and the individual can only say that for tum his particular persuasioil is the right one. He never can justify saying that all others save his own are either inappropriate or unnecessary.
Up to this point I am reasonably confident that there would be no disagreement The point to be made would be that political parties belong only in Israel and not in Diaspora Zionism. Not so. Some Jews in the Diaspora who work for Israel promote t h o s e activities which are in consonancewith their particular ideological conviction and no one can deny them this right. A doctrine cannot be confined to geographical boundaries. If it is vital it will have adherents everywhere people are granted freedom of expression.
The Zionist Organization of
Canada always has recognized this privilege. However, it has consistently taken the position that Israeli party politics should not control the World Zionist Organization or impose its rule on the Jewish Atohcv. The Z.O.C. delegation at the World Zionist Congress, in a letter to the editor of the Jerusalem Post, openly condemned this stranglehold which the Israeli parties held on the affairs and decisions of Congress. We declared that in our opinion the Congress should be the forum wherein world Jewry could deliberate freely its relationship with the State of Israel. We do not denounce the party system, even in the Diaspora; we just do not want it to dominate and dictate in the decisions of the World Z i 0 n i St Organization. Neither the locad Zionist movenients nor the Jewish Agency can function in the best interests of Israel if restrained by s u c h a straightjacket. But we do not demolish nor denounce the movement on this account—rather we seek to change it. America today is an ailing society, but none other than the demented or dissident would recommend its demolition; it simply needs to adjust to a new role in a rapidly changing world. I never heard Dr. Goldmann refer to the W.Z.O. as obsolete. He pleaded for the same thing to which I adhere. Neither he. Prime Minister Eshkol, Yaacov Tsur nor
and vibrating with the need for adjustment The second change was the resolution calling for territorial Zionism in the Diaspora. While this is not designed to do away with the party system, it does call for ato-tal, united Zionist position in the communities,outside Israel. This may not come easily since organizational change is slow; but this is the trend and i t will come.
Where the editor fails is in his misunderstanding of the impact of the fo r c e s of change as they affect organizational life. Organizations or groups come into existence as a result of some environmental need and generally are designed to ensure survival. Some cause propels them into existence and its resultant success will depend upon how large a group is affected and the intensity of its effect upon them as well as the c 0 m p e t e n c e of its leadership. Following the failure of Haskolah to solve the Jewish problem all the ingredients for the rise of the Zionist movement existed. But our environment is in constant state of change and flux and the rate of change is rapid. Groups are faced with the need to adjust to the new challenges or cease to function altogether if its goal have been reached. Organizations, of course, die very hard and, if found to be irrelevant, will attempt to retain their positions by creating new goals. Zionism has been caught up
many 'other prominent Is- this great vortex which is, raelis called for dissolution of the Zionist movement; they proposed change.
There were signs of change at the Congress, two which I believe to be significant
The most prominent was the appearance of the youth who made their presence felt in considerable measure. They gained voting concessions and a formidable representation on the Actions Committee. Their presence was felt in virtually every committee at the Con g r e s s. There is a ferment and restlessness among the younger generation which the W.Z.O. will not he able to deny and, given a sensible and not ex-ciessively revolutionary approach, they will, I am confident transform the Zionist movement Of,course, they will not do it alone for the Organization itself is stirring
SOUTH OF THE BORDER: ELECTION TIME
By Richard Yaff<
IF American Jews were to vote, as Jews, or at least according to their fondness for Israel, ^, they always do in spite of disclaimers, there is no doubt as to who will be their choice for President in November—Hubert Horatio Humphrey, the Democratic nominee, . Not that his. opponent, Richard Milhouse Nixon, has a bad record on this score. It is good. It is only that Mr, Prumph-rcy has been so emotionally. ■ involved with Israel's cause that his record looms so much larger, Bciore becoming Vice-Presi-dent lie was America's favourite speaker on the " lox and bcigel" circuit though his speaking activities have beep bolli curtailed .and circumscribed - by olTiclal considerations during the; past four years as Vice-Presi-denl. Nor has lie boon able to
Vi(c-Pi'csiilen( lltnnpiiiVy
Ho lanic to the .Soniilo in
mentor to follow in this, since Mr. .fohnson has been the host frieiul Israel has evtM'h;i(l in Iho White House.
With Mr; Johnson. Mi Humphrey has said llial thorc nuisl be no going back lo pro Juno .'i days iii the Middle East : " A stable peace oaniU)t l)o buii!
simply by re-oreatingtlie situation that existed i)elorc hostilities began..
EbuHieht. talkative, iriendly. encr.uetie and in perpetual motion! .Mr. Humphrey lias done inuch to endear liimsoli Ht liberals.Jle was an early lighter for civiirrights. ji eupluuiiism for the Negro struggle. Ho lias coni-
,• ,• . , , piled aiVamazing focord of paco-
l{)4i) and unmedialoiy sponsoi-ed Jetting legislative . proposal?:
legislation to challenge the Arab bo.vcolt xigainst IsraeK He co-spon.sorod legislation in 1951 lo appropriate a grant , t() Israel and fQuglU every move in (Nin-
go.as far and promise as much propos
shl^ientlrilS^Ai^K^^ to do as a nuMc Senatoi. .'aiid has strongly urged America Position
among them a Hill lor hospital care for the aged. The Youth Gdnservation Corps to |)rovido employment lor young pooiile was his idea and it was he who posed the Poiioe (-orps.
Je
heart
r.
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Intelligoni. a qiiick. learner _and a (lueni speaker on any topic; Mr. Humphrey always did his liomeworlv and came, pre-; piirod to give iiis Jewish, audi-enoos .wlial thCy expected. Here was a goy, it has often been said. . with a Jewish hearl; , .
It. is fhard . lo iinagino Mr. Jlumphrey^csptiusmg causes in' w'hi'.;lr'h'e did not Imlievo. or lor purely polJlica! gam or ambitions.' He t.'OJiios l]()in a Stale;'. Mliinosota. .Ill 'whiyir there are . n(.il enoii'.'Ji ..louvlo alTccl his poll lien I fuliih
to redress tsVaors imbalance of power. In H).")? President Klsen-; : iiower and liis Secretary (if Stale. Mr. Dulles.drew Humphrey's fire when 1 iioy threatened sanctions agfiiu.sl Israel if she did not witiulraw from the Sinai reninstilaaud-daza Strip. . :
Mr. Iluinphre.v) was also eo-sponsor of a.re.sbliilioh calling for United .Nations action lo prevent border ■ iuciileiUs and the /'losing pi'/the Suez Canal !»
Position on Vietnam
As early as lie rallicil •support for a resolution tO; ban . nuclear tests in the alnvpspUere. undersea :or in 'outer space- Ilu-forerunner ol Ihe lesi h.iii treaty.
His position (»:v the war, in Vietnam, however, has iipsel llie. doves, among whom so" many-American Jews find llieinselves. Loyalty being one of. >i>^
rorinn' Viti'I'icsidcnt ,Ni.\<in
no belter, and as (he campaign
Erogresses It niavbe found to e worse. " ■ Mr. Nixon, either in the Senate or as President Elsen-hq.wer's Vice-President, did little as far as Israel was con-eerned. When he^ stood for President in; lOfiO, however, he stressed that the preservation of Israel was one of the essenlial goals of U.S.A. foreign policy, lie called fof elTorts to establish Ireedoni of naviyation for; Israel through the Suez Canal and lor iiu-rea^cd support, to Israel.', He.thought that livin.^ -standards should be raised in (lie Arab world and thai Ihe
• absence of an elToctive American counter-policy."
American response to this Soviet challenge has been " hall-ing and lame and ineffectual." Tills country's " Urst urgency is not to allow the balance of power to shift in favour of the militant Arab States ben} on a new war, , . ." Thus. America must " see to il that Israel's military strength is never at a level ris-a-vis Ihe Arab mililants."
Mr. Nixon, who has Israel, said he came from tlierc convinced that "the one thing it values more highly than the yeace she so desperately seeks s her: freedom and national independence." When this is assured, then America must seek to strengthen its tics with the Arab vvorld. and "reestab-
The leaders who pioneered the movement are reluctant to give way to new leadership and the new ideas required to fulfill the original purposes. But the goals have not been reached and the Zionist movement cannot "close shop," as the editor suggests, without leaving a gapingvoid in community efforts on behalf of Israel This process of change within Jewish organizational life perhaps is slower than the times demand but this inno way negates its usefulness. Older leadership wiU give way and there already is "room at the top"; more revolutionary i-deas are taking hold and changes are t)eing wrought. The editor's impatience with this process constitutes his misappraisal of the nature of change within a movement particularly as if affects Jewish life. One legitimately niay castigate it for slowness but not sacrifice it The Zionist movementdoes not need to be defended/only explained; but a fewiacts as to its usefulness are in or^ dei-. The Z.O.C. alone has a youth organization of 2,000 : inembers and while this may not seem like a great number it is an elite group of young hoys and girls who still believe that the. Zionist ideal is more important than the niany aberrations which attract youth today. Should anyone imagine that the a-mdunt of money being spent ' . on youth activities is exces-vkMori sive, let him consider the va-■ — ^ lue to Jewish-life should these youth groups, yield just one even approximating the stature of a Weizmann or z BenGurion* ; The only group activity plro-motlng the specific study of modern Hebrew through its Ulpanim, Chugim a n/'d : Hebrew liectures is the Keren Hatarbut a. department of the
lish its position on the side of
all of Ihosie, Arab and .few. who _ .
are appalled at llie prospect of. Zionist Organization,
wasting resources on another The Zionist Office, through,
wan" its Public.Relations Depart-
.ment reaches scores of non-Haunted by past Jewish service groups rela-
■nut Richard Nixon is a; nian gfiJ^^f^^ hnunled by his past. He made keeS Je^^^^^^
tee on .. Un-American Affairs, l^e,pres^
Israbli shippijig. All in all. {in strongest characleristics-.-lier'has.
iii)i)i:essive record.'.; : ' hot departed from President
His most roceiil Views, given .Tohnsnii's position on ilii.s if.
this ve;M- alter he aniiouneed' indeed^ he/has wanted Iddo so.'
ilial ho would sliiud for Prcsi- IJut thi.V is hoi llie dilomnia
(lout foiloued in llio^ tiiaiiiMhosc fdr I lie doves lhal It might June
of Pre.sidenI .Johnson not a bad boon, Mr. Nixon's posi.lioiTvJl.
Arab jofimees should he re- •Whci\ hlsambitions led him to
seek a .seat in the Senate, hi.-; sui'oo.ssful eleelion campaign against Mrs. Helen Gahagan Houglas was considered as low and nast^'-as-a.ny. campaign can gel lor its unpriticlplcd red. biiiling and generalllliberalisni. . Lik■ tional
settled. He praised Isr.-iol highly , for the technical assistance she was giving lo .\siiin and African Stales.. .•
His latest stiilemoni on Iho subiecl to ''Near East lU'porl.". mil do after he bee
anie a candi-dalV for the Republican nomina-tict: blamed tlip Soviet Union for/the (hnu'er lo (he peace in Middle liast as woH as the
rael and the Jewish world, Zionist participation in campaigns is felt, strongly and particularly is this true outside the metropolitan a-reas. Zionist offices conduct all the UlA campaigns hi the , regions and smaller dommu-
long ^
(Copyright JCNS & Th« Canadian JewlilfNewf)
..(ho dicphsnl, the tradi- ""'^s. To say that these peo-symbol of Ni.von'J Ilepul). would work in UIA cam-.
i'aitv lewlsh volets have Palgns, even if no Zionist
lemiiri's volcis June movement existed, ln;howay
i{uuu.K.v nullifies the fact of its par ti-
iwuH-Newf) .(fipatlon, not to niehtion that
many of the campaign leaders received theu: grounding and motivation through years of activity in the Zionist movement. While work in Aliyah has been slow in developing, the Zionist movement operates an Aliyah committee, has staged an Aliyah seminar, is organizing chugim and has developed an imaginative "Canada Town" project to settle Canadian Jews in Israel.
The Zionist Organization operates a Zionist information library in Toronto as well as a Zionist Book Club which has placed thousands of Jewish books into Jewish homes which, in many cases, would otherwise not have access to them.
One could hardly say that these activities are inconsequential and to argue that most of these activities or functions could be performed if no Zionist Oirganization existed would only suggest that some other organization .would have to Ije created which, in the long run, still would call upon the same people to perform them—for they are the committed.-
this Priests and Levites were the custodians and authorizr ed Interpreters of the Law. The rabbis of the Mishnah and Taliriud, whodetermined the mainstreani of Judaism from the days of the Pteirl-sees onwards, traced theh: authority as embodied in the Oral Law, by direct deisceht from Moses (Abot 1,1 - Authorized Daily Prayer Book, new edition, p. 251). In the classic period, ;iauthority to apply and interpret the Law was vested in the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and the local Courts (Batei Din).
When the process of ordination ceased, at the tinie of Bar Kochba theestiablish-ed rabbinical Jschools and courts claimed to be the ;in-heritors of religious authority. Since the codification of the Law which culniinated in the Shulchan Aruch by Joseph Caro (1488-1575), the Codes have become the basis of Orthodox religious authority. The application and further interpretation of the Codes is vested in the local rabbi (Mara d'Atra) who will however refer points of difficulty to a rabbi of uniyer-. sally recognized erudition. Such a one need hold no official rabbinic position(such as the late Chazon Ish, to whom ieven Mr. David Ben Gurion deferred whenPrime Minister of Israel).
"Within the rabbinic hierarchy," the democratic principle of majority decision was rigidly adhered to, based on the rabbinic interpretation of Exodus 23, 2("thou Shalt incline after the multitude"). In a famous Halachic dispute (Baba Metzia 59b) the rabbis overruled the " heavenly voice" (bat kol) which intervened in support of the majority opinion of Rabbi Eliezer b. Hyrcanus).
While Orthodox (and to a large extent Conservative) Judaism upholds the authority of the rabbis to lay down the Law, Reform and Liberal rabbis claim to act largely only as guides, leaving the individual to exercise his own moral responsibility for his acts.
Sermon For The Week
the sensethat it requires a., transformation of purpose.
The Cry Of A Child
This week there occurs the 18th day of the Jewish month of Elul, the birthday of the two founders of the Chassidic movement -Rabbi • Yisroei Baal Shem Tov and Rabbi Shneur Zaiman of Lladi.
It is no wonder that this day took on a special significance among Chassidim. Special meaning was read into the number 18, so popular because its Hebrew equivalent spells "CHAI" (Alive). Thus this day became known, and is still referred to, as "Chai Elul," and is interpreted as the day which brings life and significance into Elul, making the whole month alive and meaningful.
Rabbi Shneur Zaiman is know to posterity as the "Alter Rebbe" (Old Rabbi) and there is an episode from his life that has a great and pertinent message for al I of us.
The Old Rebbe shared his house with his oldest married son. Rabbi Dov Ber (who later succeeded him as Rebbe and leader). Rabbi Dov Ber was known for his unusual : power of concentration. Once, when Rabbi Dov Ber was engrossed in learning, his baby, sleeping in a cradle nearby, fell out and began to Cry. The infant's father did not hear the baby's cries. However, the infant's grandfather, the Old Rebbe, who was in his study on the upper floor, and who was also engrossed in his studies at t^at time, did hear the baby's dries. He interrupted his studies, went downstairs, picked up the baby, soothed it and replaced it in its cradle. To all this, the infant's father remained quite oblivi- . ous.
Subsequently, the Old Rebbe admonished his son: "No matter how engrossed one may be in the most lofty occupation, one must never remain insensitive to the cry of a child."
This episode characterizes one of the basic tenets of the ChabadLubavitch movement -to hearken to the cry of our distressed Jewish children. The "child" may bean infant in years, a Jewish boy or girl of school age, fallen out of the "cradle" of Torah-true Jewish education. Or it may be an adult in years, yet an "infant" insofar as Jewish life is concerned, an infant in knowledge and experience of the Jewish religion, heritage and way of life, the souls of these Jewish "children" cry out in anguish, for they live in a spiritual void, whether they are conscious of it, or feel it only subconsciously.
CEvery Jew, no matter how preoccupied he may be with any lofty cause, must hear their cries: For to help bring back these Jewish children to their Jewish cradle has a priority over all else. ):.''•::■
—(Adapted from tho Habraw original otC RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON, tho Lubavltchar-Rabbe, by y.M. Kagan) ■
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