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Page 4 - The Canadian Jewish News, Friday, December 16, 1966 ,
THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY ,
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in advertisements.
Beattie And The Courts
A CHAUENGE TO THE NATION
The ruling last week by Toronto magistrate, Charles Opper — that Toronto's Board of Control had no right to prohibit agitator William John Beattie from disseminating race hatred in the public parks — thus places this problem again before the public.
The judge's decision — that freedom of speech, its application, is not for municipal authority — will be taken up as a challenge by every free thinking resident of thjs city and the nation at large.
If true that "the Government of Canada is the only legislative authority competent to deal with the matter", then the issue becomes clear: the Cohen Report, now before the Senate, and the adoption of its recommendations to
amend the Criminal Code against bigots must be dealt with — otherwise there soon will be new demonstrations and counter demonstrations, possibly new riots.
No one in a democratic country ruled by law will criticize the decision of a judge though the City of Toronto has the right to appeal this ruling and may do so. On the other hand, it must be remembered that public incitement against a particular religious' ethnic or national group in a city park must stir up hatred, as the judge admitted.
Of course, the city also has the right to prohibit Beattie's spectacles. But at this moment this solution seems less important than the problem per se: to place Nazi propaganda outside the law.
A New Milestone In Education
HAiHILTON'S FINEST HOUR
The dedication exercises of the Stanley Sobol Educational Building, the most recent addition to the campus of the Hamilton Hebrew Academy Zichron Meir, signifies a new milestone in the almost miraculous development of this institution.
This coming Sunday Hamilton-ians and Torooionians interested in the promotion of Torah schools, together with eminent guests from many other cities, will assemble to mark this new phase in the growth of the Hebrew Academy which, in its relative'ly short existence, has contributed so much to the cultural progress of the Hamilton community.
Only a few years ago it sounded unbelievable that Hamilton would be able to secure the existence of a Jewish all-day school of such high scholastic standing. Now the vision of the late Max Hoffman has become a reality and the school itself the envy of many a larger community. '"
A day»«!BChool in pneeent day North America is the symbol of a dedicated traditional Jewish community. Thus the leadership Of young Rabbi Morton Green and the loyalty of the lay leaders of this community who labor incessantly for the development of the Hebrew Academy should be recorded as an example of selfless service to Judaism eternal.
The Beth Tzedec Institute
OUR DIALOGUE
ISRAEL
Toronto's Beth Tzedec, Canada's leading Conservative congregation, will hold a weekend of dialogue dedicated to the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora. The weekend, scheduled to begin on the Sabbath morning and conclude Sunday afternoon, is dedicated to a problem the discussion of which is of utmost actuality.
While the lecturers and participants in the panel at the Beth Tzedec Institute will dwell mostly on the spiritual aspect of the relationship between the people dwelling in Zion and the Jews outside Israel, we believe that the political and economic issues are not les3 important at this moment.
Israel now is undergoing a very serious economic crisis which, in our opinion, constitutes a greater menace than even its political problems involving the ne ghbors. This crisis has produced an exit from Israel of a substantial number of young men and women born and raised in the Jewish state.
The problem of why such emigration is possible should be discussed openly by all of us. Only recently Maariv reported that university graduates, especially many engineers and architects employed
in the buildmg trade, are leaving the country. One of the leading writers in this Israeli daily asked whether Israel can afford the los3 of such blood. It has reached a point where people there wonder whether it is their duty to train professionals for the United States and Canada.
According to official figures, at least 600 Israeli physicians now are settled in the United States and Canada. Another 2,500 professionals are active in North America in other fields open to university graduates. Between 250 to 300 Israeli trained professors and instructors are teaching in North American universities and colleges. Isn't this a problem to be discussed openly? Shouldn't this be a "Zionist" issue?
We are certain that the debate which will be held at Beth Tzedec this weekend, though limited to the spiritual ties between Israel and the Diaspora, also will touch upon this issue.
Perhaps, in the redefinition of our rapport with Israel and in a possible reevaluation of the role of our institutions and organizations dealing with the Jewish state, we should begin to discuss the totality of the {wroblem.
IMPORTANT A
NO
■EMENT: ,
OUBLE
TAXATION; CANADA. ISRAEL DEAL
Ottawa, (CJN) - The Se- countries by an enterprise cretary of State for External of the other country. This Affairs, the Honourable Paul purpose is achieved by an Martin, announced fliat he exenjption from income tax had-met with the Ambassadors-given by the country in which of Israel, His ExceUency the income has its source,
The Agreement is effective with respect to tax-ation years commenciiy
on and after January ist,
1965. Copyright. Hw Canodioa Jtwiih Niws
Wronfiow, Aufbou, New Yotk
NPO: I am the cupid who brought together Kiesinger vith Brandt.
Gershon Avner, to conclude an exchange of notes constituting an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation of income between Canada and Israel. This exchange of notes brings the agreement into force, effective today.
The purpose of the Agreement is to avoid the double taxation of income derived from the operation of ships or aircraft in one of the
thus leaving the country of residence of the enterprise as the sole taxing jurisdiction.
The taxes included in the scope of the agreement arc the Canadian federal income tax and aU other income taxes imposed by the Government of Canada, and the Israeli income tax and all other taxes on income imposed by the Government of Israel.
ISRAEL EttUALS U.S.S.R. AS FRANCE'S CUSTOMER
Paris, (JCNS) - Well over 200 million people in the Soviet Union have not bought more French ejgwrts than two million Israelis, a Gaul-list M.P. for Paris says, quoting trade returns for the first five months of 1966.
M. Rene Sanson reveals in a report of the Finance Commission of the French Assembly that French goods ordered by the U.S.SlR. dur-
ing this period were wort U3,313,000 francs vdiile Israeli purchases, not including military supplies, amounted to 108,576,000 francs.
He also states that between 1959 and 1955, France's pro-nt firom her trade with Israel "amounted to $450 mfl-lion about 10 per cent of all French reserves of gold and foreign currency."
tv Torontoer Zeitung Perserveres in Sin:
THE UNREPENTANT BERMilN
On November 25th, in a front page story The Canadian Jewish News revealed that a local German I language weekly, the Torontoer Zeitung, ei^oused I the cause of the extreme nationalistic West German opposition to the Bonn government The Torontoer : Zeitung did this in a front page story in its issue, November 18th.
This shocidng story, a complete reprint of a chauvinistic anti-Allies article in a German weekly, called the present democratic leaders of Germany the vassals of the Allies and insulted the democratic press and political pairties there as the lackeys of the Westera powers.
In the reply to this story which resulted in communitywide indignation, the editor of the Torontoer Zeitung sent us a letter which we print in fUll together with a follow-up of the editors of this newspaper.
We believe Mr. Lichter's e}q)lanation confirms even more than the original story in the Torontoer Zeitung the veracity of our report.
WE ARE SORRY THAT SUCH DANGEROUS JABBER IS PRINTED IN CANADA
HIS PAPER CALLED BONN REGIME LACKEYS OF ALLIES; IS NOT SORRY
The reply to the frontpage story printed in the November 25th issue of The Canadian Jewish News could be dismissed with just a few
Fortunately for the Germans themselve.§j--the Neue Poiitik is not (yeO the expression of German public opinion; it is not, as Mr.
KEEP SMILING
words were it not for the ychter suggests, the only serious problem this attitude independent pubUcation in presents.
Mr. ' Tilman Lichter, editor of the Tqi^ntdGerman language weekly, Torontoer ' Zeitung, not only forwards his own comments but, as proof ofourwrongevaluation of the position of his news-paper, also attaches a photostatic copy of a letter to the editor (in the Toronto Telegram, December 5th) of a certain "Mr. Oppenheim."
To be sure, Mr. Lichter knows this letter does not represent the opinion of the Telegram but, rather, seemingly represents the opinion of Mr. Lichter foi'he endorsed it
This "Mr. Oppenheim" comments: "The hysterics some U.S. and Canadian Jews show over tlie German elections are not only unwarranted interference with the internal affairs of a foreign country but politically most-unwise.
"There are good and bad elements in every people, Jews included, and if you condemn a whole nation and insult all its people you do yourself harm by driving tiiose forces which try their best to make friends with you into the hostile camp."
It is superfluous to continue quoting this impertinent letter to the editor. First, it is obvious that the author makes an effort to mislead public opinion by presenting the tremor fliroughout the Western world following the NDP victory as "Jewish hysterics."
Both tiie anonymous author of the letter to flie editor and his sponsor, the editor of Toronto's German language weekly, know very well that the reaction to the NDP victory was not an expression of "Jewish hysterics" but one of interna-;tlonal public opinion in both ;East and West of the Iron Curtain. It also was the! oiMon of Germany's fore-f most independent inagazine I which in its own evaluation
Dear Editor:
I must admit I was very much surprised to receive complaints about the Torontoer Zeitung's leading article of Friday, November 18th. I didn't think that the report by Mr. Wolf Schenke, taken from the weekly magazine he publishes in Germany, could, in any sense, be mistaken for a campaign for any kind of extreme right or left government in Germany; on the contrary.
However, since the fact has been brought to my attention that many in Canada have received this impres--.ion, I am gratefid for the opportunity to clarify the reason for our printing this article.
I am aware of thedifScul-ties behind the effort to understand the present German policy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Canada. Information is insufficient and the various political currents which are, for many
UNFULFILLED Husband and vyifewewf vacationing. She suspected hier meandering spouse of carrying on, with one of the wait-resses. . ' / - ■ "!I warnyou", she sen ed.Viryou don't stop%M^ ing and running after every
SOLUTION
Said she: How can I have beautiful hands?.
Said he: Deal yourself plenty of aces. _
-THE LADIES HAVE IT Some^say it's a woman's world. VVhen a man is born.
Qjjj ,| of the elections sta:ted in the
. ^ "Maic", imparted one ffel- I /concluding p«ragr^: ^
low, "left Las Vegas with I j j*"' ^""''"m*'2'
$50 000 " 5 NDP. The problem is the
"I know", said the other, j XJermans whoelectedthem." "but he went there with f
Woman yqil see, I'll throw the first qpie^ people ask
myself into the (pool and ?. "How is. the mother?' drown myself." - . ../ Vhen he marries, people •'Promises, promises"; iisajfj-. "Wliat a beautifiij snickered the^ : husband.^brfdel'irWhen he dies, thej "tiiat's all I ever "getj^>'^^'*»"How much didheleave ■promises,'?;-'^'A
$100,000.^'
. STATEMENT A Texan received a statement ifrom his bank coricem-ing a check he had recently deposited. VThe no^ re Insufficient^ fUnds, . v .not yours. Ours! ■ / ■
(Der ^iegel, November 28, 1966, page 41^^^-^
Mr. LlchteVtrieS to haW\ litate his newspaper which
represeirta-tive dfflie derman C^ainadian community if he espouses the cause of the extremist German pro-NDP group.
Those of us who read German are aware of the existence of such publications as the Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung and other leading German independent dailies including- the flourishing mass-circulation Der Spiegel. However, the paper so dear to the heart of the Torontoer Zeitung, Die Neue Poiitik, still is a very small and insignificant publication in West Germany, supporting the NDPpariy which the Wests German Minister of Interior openly termed a neo-Nazi movement Of course, the Torontoer Zeitung has the right to become the Canadian e^^onent of this German group here but it definitely espouses the cause of the most dangerous WestGerman political Organization, according to all public opinion including th6 impression of those who sincerely hope for a German democratic and moral rebir^.
According to WestGerman philosoirfier Karl Jaspers, today tiie p luo b le m of Germany essentially is that of ethical and moral renaissance. Those like that Herr Schenke or whoever he is, who attack tte present West German leaders as traitors because they cooperated with the AUies, not only are preparing the ground for a neo-Nazi revivalbut those abroad who e)5>loit the natural helmatsehnsucht among Germans in the wrong direction' are boft misleadingtheOef-mans here and creating again this kind of dangerous romanticism which was the undoing of Germany before.
The chief enemies of German rebirth iire some Germans themselves. For only those blind ignore the essential facts of the postwar era: , Germany was beaten and destroyed in 1945; it was revived only because of the aid of its enemies who gave it-another chance. Without the Marshall Plan, without-Churchill's magnanimity, where would Germany be today? . Furthermore Germans should never forget
reasons, in opposition to the _______ ______,
(dScJff'Bonn jwlhtTjrwer'iriaV jufSfi^
features the view'of the Neue that at a time of complete Poiitik as the prevalent opin- quarantine of Germany it ion oh West Germany that in- was Ben Gurion who helped, troduces it to the poor, unin->^enauer with public opinion formed Michel and Greta who 'in'America by expressing his interpret his paper as the
nation artificially. From the very beginning, however, this was not likely to be achieved.
(A good example as to what could have been done after 1945 might be tiie decision Austria made after the war. There wUl be some opposition, I guess, if 1 state that Germany never should have engaged itself so closely with the former enemy but should have remained neutral, like Austria, as it might have been the most adequate thing to do for a country after having been defeated by most of the world.)
Such a divided Germany always would be prone to political slogans demanding national unity and independence after a certain time had passed. Schenke knew it, as well as every dedicated and intelligent politician. The recent events in Germany (the considerable victory of the National Democratic Party of Germany in the elections in Hesse and Bav-[tion. try
to make politics Sl^ly by blaming Conununism for every evil in the world and considering the Americans the only true and unselfish friend of West Germany — more so, since by this, seventeen million German people in the "wrong" part of the country suddenly became enemies too.
There had to be a backlash and it came when the Christian Democratic government was forced to realize that the USA wasn't such an unselfish friend after all, but had attempted to settle with Russia despite all the trumpets blowing in West Germany to stand up and fight Communism wherever it mi^t appear.
There had to be a backlash after the German people realized that thek government had.acted on a completely unrealistic basis for years and years, believing firmly hi ^ situation which didn't exist
The Torontoer Zeitung printed Wolf Schenke's article because it says what every German should know: tiiat file time has come for Germany to get off the backs of both the USA and Russia and try to make its own politics. Seventeen years of deluded belief in a Germany as an American ou^st on tte continent have brought -the danger of a permanent separation between the two parts of this countryandwitti it the danger of permanent discontent of its pebple.
If the United States really left Germany alone this time and showed decreasing interest in West German Issues, the present govem-menV if it didn't change its program drastically, would face a political chaos re-sulthig in its collapse.
To call Wolf Schenke's ar- ; tide a far right opinion , seems almost ridiculous to . all people who lawwandread his magazine. In fact, he of- ■< fers no ideology at aU but | tries to.be the voice of the i'-opposition hi the West Ger- . man democracy, pohithigout i mistakes in the government's . . policy. Isn't it quite under-standable that he calls the complete breakdown that which it is—JUi opinion he , shares with the Economist '
more, agamst the government of Chancellor Ludwig Erhard and the uiheritance of failures taken over from the years before.
To hiterfere now with this process of becoming aware of Germany as a nation is
own problems.
This is the opinion of the Torontoer Zeitung too. Therefore, to eiqilain this to the German people in Canada, we printed this article. We shall continue doing so and already have done so
mood in West Germany.
Conthiued on Page 8
i^couhtry; -
This seems to be the case with the magazine, Neue Poiitik (New Policy), which has been for many years the only really and completely Independent news magazine in Germany outside, perhaps, Der l^iegel.
Wolf Schenke, its publisher, has tried for quite some time to point out to the German people that everything about the present (\Vest) German government is not right He has tried to show tiiat democracy as practised in (West) Germany is not what it should and could be; that, m fact, it is not the political system based on tiie free decision of the people, as it should be.
Schenke's opinion — and not only his — is a result of a most profound knowledge of postwar Germany. He says that the government on both sides. East and West, was imposed upon the Germans by Oie Allied Forces. 1 don't wish to discuss its merits now. It is superfluous in connection with what I'm trying to say.
Wolf Schenke merely indicates the weakness or hi-dignation of German politicians not connected with the atrocities of the Third Reich — which would obstruct the same sellout of German national interests that brou^t dictatorship to Germany.
The destruction of the German nation, its division hito three differentparts under^ different ideological ruleTmay have been suited for the victorious Allies in die first postwar years. It turned out, however, that Instead of obliterating a possible danger, the divided Germany became the front for a cold war whichfocused the world's interest once more on this country hi the heart of Europe.
What Schenke tried to say —and in my opinion quite clearly—is, German politicians didn't do anything to change this; they supported tiie/movement for suprana-tional associations on both sides. This meant ihe end of Germany ais a nation shice both sides associated themselves with different politi-. cal systems.
Such a situation, considering the- very strong feeling of England? . ,' Germans have for their na-^ True, there.were riots in ; tioii, couldn't last unless the Germany agahist the Nation- | governments of the two Ger- al Democratic Party; biit > manies tried to create anew there were riots too, and
most dangerous if done with with an interview of theGer-slogans like "Neo-Nazis man magazine, Der Spiegel Take Over Agam" or "Ris- 0 hope this time we shall tag Danger m Germany", not be blamed for printing Despite all problems and a far left article) and one of crises. West German dem- the leaders of the NPD. ocracy is very sfarong and an we thhik it the duty of a ideology firmly imbedded in free press to show as many the people. It is by nomeans aspects of one problem as comparable to the weak sys- possible m order to allow tem of the Weimar Repub- the readers to form ttieir own
\off Schenke beUeves, as °P^°"^"f^7^^^ ^ most Germans do„that Ger- ^"^^ many ib strong enough to ^ I,
take care of and solve its ^Torontoer Zeitung
Sermon of the week
Living With The Times
Our people has always been a minority people, one way or another. We have, therefore, throughout our long history, always been su'bject to the inexor^le law of as^i-lation. What is, however, often overlooked is -that there are two kinds of assimilation — the good and the bad.
Bad assimilation is permitting ourselves to be influenced by the worst aspects of the dominant cultural outlook. The assimilation of those Hellenistic Jews who chose to absorb the more vulgar aspects of Greek culture — the comics," chewing gum and cheap movies and literature aspects, to use a contemporary analogy — was bad. In the modem world this is instanced by the all too easy absorption by Jews of the more cross and indulgent materialistic aspects of our technological society with its emphasis on creatiu-e comforts.
But there is good assimilation also. The inexorable law of assimilation may tell us that a minority will always be influenced by the majority. It does not, however, ordain what the nature of that assimilation shall be. To some extent, through its spiritual leaders, a minority people may elect to adopt the more ethical aspects of the majority culture-A man must eat wholesome rather than injurious foods.
So it is that when we view the history of our people we see example after example of good assimilation. The Bible, from a literary and sometimes even from a theological viewpoint, has absorbed some of the more creative aspects of ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Pharisaic-Itebbinic Judaism, despite its origin in a clash with Hellenism, ultimately shows evidtsSee^iilhaving absorbed some of the more elevating o! Greek culture.
The transformation is radically adaptive, as when a concept such as paideia becomes Talmud Torah, but the influence is undeniable. Similarly, Philo assimilates, in the best sense of that term, Platonism. Likewise Saadia and Maimonides, Aristoteliahism. Likewise Herman Cohen, Kant; and Ahad Ha'am, Herbert Spencer.
The dominant idea system of a generation may be ignored. It can nevej be avoided. In each generation in pre-modem Jewish history good assimilation occurred almost unconsciously. We who have eaten of the fruit of the tree of modem knowledge can no longer operate as if we still lived in a Garden of Eden of unwitting assimilatory innocence. We must decide as theretofore — but this time a little more consciously — how we will respond to the spirit of the age.
This spirit can be used constructively if we put our minds to it. The dominant theine of the best of moderii thought — but the totality of reality is an evolutionary process and that the proper study of mankind is man
— cannot'but enrich our spiritual lives. The humanisUc trend in Jewish tradition which is echoed in the^dialogue between God and Abraham before Sodom and Gomorrah, and later carried forward in Rabbinic Uterature
— can ground modem insights in ancien*^ adumbrations. /■ \. . /,
/In the last resort our metaphysical and theological hypotheses are less real than the spiritual phenomena they attempt to accoun for. Justice, righteousness, love, / mercy, humility, charity — like the proverbial rose
— by any other name would smell as sweet
'1'