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JEWISH WESTERN BULLETIN
Friday, Ji ly 27, 1962
The Arab seminar
at UBC
It was to be expected, when representatives of six Arab nations met at U.B.C.'s International House last week that there would be among all the Arab topics at least some reference to Israel. What was surpi-ising was what was not said and who did not say it.
This was a week-long seminar sponsored by the university as part of the sixth Summer school on Public Affairs. Participants included not only such Arab leaders as ambassadors to Washington and Ottawa, but propaganda specialists who are the directors of Arab Information offices in North American cities.
It was a sequel to last summer's seminar which featured such prominent Israelis as Ambassador Yaacov Herzog. I am told that when the Arabs learned of the Israeli event, they asked why they too could not have their say and were .told they would have to wait until next year. Last week then, next year had arrived.
According to the colorful brochure prepared by the Extension department, the area of discussion would give the speakers full reign. It would deal with the "political, economic and cultural developments" in the part of the troubled M/ol-ld" known geographically as Western Asia.
The r0st6i* of participants read like an Arab League roll call: there were representatives from Saudi Arabia', Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. The representative of Iran, Dr. Mostofi, was also scheduled to spieak.
But there was one glaring omission: the representative of Egypt was not listed as one of the pdrticipaffhg Arab countries nor was a U.A.R. d^i^gate there itt person to provide the seminar with a better understanding of the one Arab nation whose dictatorial leader has so often voiced his pretensions to the throne of an all-Arab empire. Without direct U.A.R. participation, whatever the i-easoh, the entire Arab program Was destined to be somewhat perfunctory. It was like holding an executive meeting without the president.
The first two days were devoted to general discussion of such topics as history, religion and economics in the Middle East area. Then on the third day came the specifics with speakers from each of the countries represented delivering a paper on their respective states.
I was able to attend this session and hear all of these papers except those of Iran and Lebanon which were delivered the following day. Accordingly, my remarks are limited to the few sessions which I observed personally and are not intended as an all-embracing critique.
Most commendable in my opinion was the high level of discussion; most deplorable were the considerable references to Israeli imperialism and the evil of political Zionism.
The Arab myth of "unity" received a number of setbacks especially during the discussion periods when questions by Arabs in the audience were obviously intended to embarrass the Arab speaker.
And speaking of embarrassing moinents, Dr. Khadra, member of the Saudi Arabian delegation at the U.N. and cultural "counsellor" to the U.S., found it rather difficult to sound convincing on such topics ds slavery, illiteracy and political freedom. For example, to a female spectator's question, "Have you taikeri any steps to eradicate slavery?" he replied: "it was in a sense oultawed by the government." (Later he acknowledged the virtual m^css existence of slavery: by saying: "I don't think that in the confiitig decade that we will hear about slavery any miore.") Would that we could share his optimism about the evolutionary advancement of the Arab people in that part of the world.
Protect Yoar Va!uab!es"
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HAL" ZLOtNIK
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Letters to the Editor
Amige writes
Dear Mr. Kaplan:
I was horiofed by you in your recent editorial and since it is customary in my country to express appredation, I v/ant to thank you, and through you, the entire Jewish Community as well. I have great respect for you and others who have supported me and helped me in carrying out rriy duties. I will long remember all of you as friends of, Israel whose feelings go deeper thairi banquets, dinners, teas and Bonds.
I found here a warm and active Jewish Community that has ' a successful future ahead and promises great expansion. I would like to take this opportunity to thank publicly all my friends and their families, all my pupils and their parents, all my adult students and the members of the Chug, plus a few communal leaders whom I have already thanked personally.
—I. AMIGE.
Describing the government of Saudi Arabia^ Dr. Khadra referred to King Ibn Saud as a "benevolent monarch" and said his country's form of government was a tribal dembfcracy, with anyone having direct aiccesis to the king himself. When asked, hoWever, if tliere were any opposition party to the goverhmieht, hfs answer was: "Not to my knowledge."
for next year
There was discussion also of the kingdom's
relationship with the U.S. oil company, Aramco,
and how the vast oil profits were distributed
between the oil companies of the West and the
monarchical despot. I wondered if there would
be any mention of tlie anti-Jewish policies of Saud who bars all persons of the Jewish faith from entering the country including U.S. Jewish airforce personnel slated for duty at Dharan and Jewish oil technicians formerly employed by Aramco.
Apparently the only Jewish person in the audience present, I asked the Saudi Arabian speaker if it were true that his country did in fact practise discrimination against Canadians and Americans of the Jewish faith. He replied in the negative. (If King Saud learns about this, it could cost him rriore than some embarrassment!
Most violently anti-Israel was the Jordanian speaker, His Excellency Yusuf Haikal, ambassador to Washingtbn. Dr. Haikal brought down from the shelf the customary array of dusty accusations against the State of Israel. There was the Arab Refugee question, the refusal of Israel to abide by U.N. resolutions and atrocities committed during the War of Liberation against Arab settlement^ such as Deir Yaseen. There was no mention 6f Arabs attacking Jewish settlements, of the Fedayeen who bombed nurseries, or Arab refusal to accede to U.N. demands that the Suez Canal be opened to Israeli shipping, or for that matter, the original U.N. resolution of 1957 to partition Palestine.
With regard to Israel, it seems, the Arabs v/ould continue the propaganda campaign to win a sympathetic Western ear, even if historic facts were changed or omitted in the process. This might be expected in a broadcast by an Arab radio station or a speech before a crowd of Arab nationalists. But it's hardly acceptable in
erudite college company, no matter how liberal On subjects other than Israel and politica Zionism, which, 1 would emphasize, were no dealt with by all the speakers and did not comprise the greater part of their fiapers, the Ai-abs did display a great deal of interest ih socia progress.
Dr. Mohammad Mehdi, director of the Arab Information Centre in San Francisco, said you can not compare the Arabs with W^^tern civilization without taking into account the fact that Western development has occurred over hundreds of years while the Arabs have only within the past 40 years begun their social ahd political reform. "Six revolts in Syria are peaniits ih the eomplex process of learning self-goverriment," he said.
There was considerable discussion on such positive problems as education, health a«d government and during the final summation period the speakers illustratively described the customs, traditions and religion of their people. The close ties between the individual and his family and village were stressed, events in the individual Arab's life — happy celebrations or sad occasions — being shared by the entire surrounding community. The process of raising his living standards to a level comparable with 20th century civilization has to be related to centuries-old traditions, it was pointed out.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that this study and frank appraisal of problems has contributed somewhat to a better understanding of the Arab people. It would seem a logical'corollary now, when planning next year's seminar, for the University officials to consider bringing together in a similar forum the representatives of both opposing factions that are Israel and the Arab countries. It may not resolve the impasse that is preventing a peace settlement between the two sides, but it could serve as a small beginning in that direction.
Baftn de Htrsch ceiiteritiiidt y^cir
Dear Mr. Kaplan:
May I take some of yoiir valuable space to share, with your readers some of our pli^nsrfor *he :daron de Hirsch Institute's Centennial Year celebrations next Spring. This aigehcy wi^ll be observing 100 years of cohtiniioiis. unbroken service to the Montreal Jewish community, a record of service which parallels the growth of Canada.
4 In plannifig some of our written material, we are aware that many of your readers themselves or their relatives or friend^ may have in one way or aribtheir en-cjOuritered the ageiicy's work in the past. During the past 100 5'ears the Bsirbn de Hirsch Institute conducted programmes of colonization, of Free School, of immigrant reception and adjustment work, sewing groups, cadet corps and so on. . Our writers are very much interested in learning from such pei'sbns or their friends or relatives whether there are materials existing such as souvenir journals, awards and documents, annual reports, newspaper releases as well as personal reminiscences which iwe might obtain. These materials would be acknowledged, carefully preserved and returned.
Any reader who might help us in x)ur purpose of collecting and organizing as comprehensive a record of our agency's growth and services over the past 100 years would be contributing as well to the annals of Canadian listory. Such persons are invited lo write the undersigned at 493
Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, DAVID WEISS, Executive Director Baron de Hirsch Institute
NCJW expression
Dear Mr. Kaplan:
May I, through the pages of the Bulletin, express deep appreciation, on behalf of myself ahd the Board of Directors of the National Council of Jewish Women for the Whole hearted response and support of the patrons and members to our recent Angels Ball.
During' the past weeks, the eominuriity has reverberated with echoes of praise for this riiosit i^lamoroHs event. Its sttc-cess, as you know, will be evidenced concretely throughout the coming year with the extension of our community services, particularly that of the Golden Age Club which will have an expanded program with the opening of the New Community Centre
No small measure of the success of this effort has been due as y^e have stated previously, to the wonderful help and co-operation you have given in The Bulletin to piiblicize this project.
FLORI BROWN, Co-Ordinator. for Angels' Ball,
Ihdmationi Cmied
ik&ir Centre rnnd-ralslug; Hostess Knncb ...... Jnly 31
Habonim Zion. Soc. Ann. Campaifirn .....AUflf. 15-Sept. 16
Z.B.T. Prat. Coffee Party Aog-. 16 Med. Aid to Israel Tea .. Anff. 29
S. T..Sisterhood Ann. Bmncb .............. Sept. S
M'ew Centre Wo. Anz. Hair & Style Pash. Shpw____Sept. 19
I^. Preiman Cli. Hadassab
"STiskor-tea ...... ..... Oct. 3
Vane. Had. Conn. Baz. . Oct. 23 24
Ampal Tdgf. Corp. £os Attgreles, Cal. Comm. Ueetingr .. Nov. 11
Welzmann Ch. Had. lOth Ann. Tea ----.............. Nov. 28
Hemmbet the IN.F.
CANDLE-LrGHTJNG TIME
Presented courtesy of JEWISH NATK)NAL FUND
July 13
8:38
August 3 8:29
August 10
8:17
The Jewish Wesfem BuKefin
July 17, 1962
Pftblished weekly eveiy irrlday at 2675 Oak St.. Vancouver 9, B.C
SAM KAPLAN Publisher and Editor
Official Organ of Vancouver Jewish Community Council
WILLIAM GELMON President
LOUIS ZIMMERMAN Executive Director
DR. J ZACK Pubfications Chairman
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