SCRIBE JOURNAL OF BABYLONIAN JEWRY PUBLISHED BY THE EXtLARCH'S FOUNDATION
No, 31 FEBRUARY 1989 Est. 1971
Mufti Asks Ban Arabs and the Hel ecaust on Jewish Emigration The creation of the State of Israel was brought about to a great extent by the post-war feeling of horror and shame at the enormity of the Holocaust. However, as Gesture te Arabs the Arabs and their apologists often ask, why should the Palestinians pay for what Berlin, July 27, 1944 Hitler did to the Jews? To the Reichsffiehrer SS and Minister of the The fact is that, unlikely as it may seem, the Holocaust was aided and abetted, Interior, H. Himmler, Berlin even engineered, by Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular. Reiehsfiihrcr: In the thirties, Arab nationalists were greatly attached to Hitler and Nazism In my letter to you of June 5, 1944, 1 and, during the war, Arab sympathies were mainly with Germany. The notorious referred back to our conversation in which I Mufti of Palestine, Amin Huseini, came to Baghdad in 1941 where he engineered reported to you on the inclusion of Jews in both the Rashid Ati revolt against the British and the Jewish pogrom of June 1941 the exchange plan of some Egyptians living in Germany. that followed. I asked you, Reichsfiiehrer. to take all the With the collapse of the revolt, Rashid Ali and his entourage, together with the measures to prevent the Jews from going. Mufti, fled to Berlin and established themselves there for the duration of the war. These measures would also be in accordance They were given official recognition by the German government. In November with German policy in general, especially 1941, the Mufti had a long meeting with Hitler at which Hitler explained that with the Declaration of the German Govern- merit on the occasion of the anniversary of fighting the Jews was his top priority. Up to that time Hitler was thinking in terms the Baifour Declaration on November 2, of deportation rather than extermination, but the Mufti warned him that letting 1943, which stated "that the destruction of the Jews leave Europe and probably end up in Palestine would incur the wrath of the so-called Jewish national home in Pales- the Arabs, who wanted te support Hitler. A madman like Hitler needed little tine is an immutablepart of the policy of the greater German Reich" and that "the Natio- persuasion in this regard, and so "the formal decision to annihilate the Jews... nal Socialist movement, since its inception, was taken at the Wannsee interdepartmental conference on January 20, 1942, two has inscribed on its banner the battle against months after the Mufti's landing in Berlin." "There is abundant first-hand world Jewry", as you. Reichsftiehrer, said in evidence of the part the Mufti played in making foolproof the ban on emigration." your telegram on the same occasion. "When the German minister to Bucharest formally objected to an order to allow In the meantime, I have learned that the Jews, nevertheless, did leave on July 2, 194-4,, the emigration of 80,000 Rumanian Jews, he did so in accordance with our and it is to be feared that further Jewish agreement with the Mufti." groups may leave Germany and France "The Mufti had repeatedly suggested to Hitler, Ribbentrop and Himmler the under the plan for exchanging Palestinian extermination of European Jewry. He considered this as a comfortable solution to Germans. This exchange of Germans would encourage the Balkan countries to send their the Palestine problem." Jews to Palestine too. Furthermore, after the "The Mufti was one of Eichmann's best friends and constantly incited him to Declaration of the German Government, accelerate the extermination measures, and accompanied him incognito on a visit such a step would be incomprehensible to the to the gas chamber of Auschwitz." "The Mufti and the F~ehrer" by J. B. Arabs and Moslems, and it would create in Schechtman. them a feeling of keen disappointment. It is for this reason that [ ask you, Throughout the war, the Mufti was active in preventing Jews from being Rcichsfiiehrer. to do everythingnecessary to allowed to leave Europe, and these Jews inevitably ended up in the gas chambers. prevent the Jews from emigrating to Pales- The Mufti appears to have been given an important say in the genocide policy, tine, and in this way you would give a new and because the Arabs themselves are Semites (they rank below the Jews in Nazi practical example of the policy of the natu- ideology), that policy was not carried out on racial lines, but rather on political rally allied and friendly Germany towards the Arab Nation. and religious prejudices - both Christian and Moslem. Yours, etc. As was recently pointed out in the Jewish press, the Karaites, who, of course, were racially Jewish, were not subjected to the Nazi genocide policy. That attitude apparently originated from a high authority. The Karaites were spared Jews of Arab llands because they were not Zionists and because neither the Christian Church nor'the In a recent speech to Ta'ali in London, Moslems had a grudge against them. The Karaites had rejected the Talmud, Justice Arthur Goldberg, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., said that the new which was equally denounced by Mohammed as a wilful distortion of Scriptures U.S. Administration should compensate by the rabbis. Indeed, Karaite and Koran derive from the same verb - "to read" Jewish refugees from Arab lands in the (literally). amount of one and a half billion dollars, The Holocaust fails to be explained as the act solely of the Germans. The Arab equivalent to the amount paid by UNWRA factor provides the missing link. to the Arab rcfugccs who left Israel in 1948 Why have the Palestinians suffered for what Hitler did to the Jews? Those who when the State was established. "Just sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind. because Jewish refugees havc net engaged Although the Mufti was violently anti-British, both he and the Foreign Office in terrorism does not mean that thcir just were united in their desire to frustrate the establishment of the Jewish national claims should be overlooked", hc ob- home in Palestine. The destruction of European Jewry was an indirect way of served. He expressed the hope that a Bill would be presented in the U.S. Congrcss achieving that aim. to this effect and suggested that a similar After the war, in spite of repeated demands in the House of Commons, the Bill be introduced in the House of Com- Foreign Office, under the anti-semite Ernest Bevin, refused to take any action to mons to •focus attention on the less of bring the Mufti to justice for his war crimes against the Jews, and especially for his property experienced by Jews of Arab direct involvement in the liquidation of the Jews in the Moslem areas of Bosnia~ lands~ P.S.G. Deepest appreciation for The Scribe. I I find The Scribe makes for reIaxed am the grandson of Hakham Yosef Shrem reading, both the informative editorials who used to visit Baghdad regularly. Three and various titbits of local news. If it is not books have been published on his activities asking too much, I would like to receivc I enjoyed reading the recent issues of for the past 100 years for the welfare of the previous 23 issues, as well as to be put The Scribe, finding their contents quite Jerusalem JewryO Joe Shrem on your mailing list of future issues. As a interesting. Tel Aviv Industrial Engineer matter of information, the Iraqi commun- I must congratulate you on this fine ity of Fort Lauderdale, which numbers a achievement which will no doubt contri- I find The Scribe very informative and score or so on a year-round basis, swells to bute to strengthening the ties between very interesting, and so very well written. several hundreds during the winter months world Jewry in general and Babylonian You can count me among your enthusiastic with people coming from New York, Cana- Jewry in particular. reader~O da, Great Britain, etc. As you stroll on the I hope that this remarkable journal will Bat-Yam, Israel Judith Dattner beach you constantly hear the clatter of continue to be strong, keeping its success tawli and ArabicO and prosperity in the futureO Fort Lauderdale, Florida J. Sion Tel Aviv Sateh S. Basri I like your article "Kurdish Genocide" (Jan. 89). Kol Hakavod! Hats off to you[ Really. Why should Israel keep siIent? I find The Scribe most interesting, keep- Israel should promote a military alliance Jordan in Palestine ing me informed of the happenings of the with the ten million Kurds to stem Arab In your January issue, a short note by Iraqi Jews after their exodus from Baghdad expansionist policies in the region. P.S.G. asserted that King Abdullah dropped and other cities of Iraq. For years I believe There is and there has always been a the name "Palestine" from the title of his that you foresaw the solution for the sympathetic connection between Israel and newly cstablished kingdom (the Hashemite Middle East problem: a confederation of the Kurds. The role the Kurds played in Kingdom of Jordan), because the Foreign the various countries and ethnic minorities the years 1945-1950 in assisting the fleeing Office prevailed upon him to do so. This who reside in the area. I think this would Jews in their illegal escape and immigra- comment was meant to contradict a previous be the time to expound your ideaO tion to Israel can never be forgotten, israel assertion made by myself that the name Montreal Yusuf Meer is indebted to them for this great help, Palestine was dropped because of Israeli which can only be compared to the good pressure. I have recently seen a copy of your Christian families that offered refuge to the British intervention, strong as it may have excellent Journal at a friend's house and poor European Jews in the Nazi Hitler's been, does not exclude the fact that Israeli was much impressed by its contents and period. leaders used their direct contact with King what it represents. As a member of the More about the Kurds and Kurdistan Abdull~da to achieve the same result. It is a Babylonian Jewish community, I greatly can be learnt from my book in Hebrew, My known fact that Moshc Dayan, in one of his appreciate the initiative and the effort Friends, the Kurds, published by Yessod secret meetings with the King, "pleaded required to publish such a journal, which Publishers, Tel Aviv and highly recom- most vehemently not to use the name fills a void that existed and which I have mended by the Ministry of Education and Palestine in the new title." (This was coil- personally felt for a long time. I would very Culture of lsraelO firmed by Mr. Ezra Danin who accompanied much like to receive your Journal on a P.O. Box 1779, Tel Aviv Emil Murad Dayan.) regular basisQ By the same author and obtainable from him: In a hand-written note to 'Arif al-'Arif (a Ramat Gan David Birshan Babylon in the Underground; Deep into the Soul, most prominent Palestinian historian) detail- Israeli novel in English; In Search of Light, ing the content of that particular meeting, Wc both enjoy reading The Scribe and English and Hebrew poetry. King Abdullah was convinced that "the hope to read it for many years to come. We lsraclis arc so serious about the name, that learn so much from ire Your latest issue of The Scribe, No. 30, to go against them would jcopardise the Lexington, MA Bess and Fred Ezekiel has given me so much interest; 1 love entire plan." It was on the suggestion of the everything that has been put in there and said 'Arif al-'Arif that the name Jordan Thanks a lot for what you are doing for for your information I pass the papers to came into existence. There is enough evi- our communityO many of the Iraqi Jews of my community. dence to show that King Abdullah was far Moshav Talmei Menashe H.E. Dangoor Your latest publication refers to 180 more coileerned with Israel's opposition victims killed in June 1941 at the hands of than with British negative advice. I was interested to learn from reading the followers of the Nazi collaborator Had the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan The So'ibe what a vital intellectual com- Rashid All. Among the dead was my been called the Hashemite Kingdom of munity the Babylonian Jews are. It was young brother as well as some of my Palestine as King Abdullah wanted it to be also heartening to note hew fiercely loyal father's family. My brother was a young called, the present day problem of the and attached to Israel the British and man at the time, a British subject and a Palestinians' aspiration for a homeland American branches of the community citizen of the U.K. No compensation was would have been perceived by the outside areO given by the Foreign Office when our world as an internal issue concerning the Savyon, Israel Sharon Gutman lawyer, David Marshall, wrote to them, nature of the rdgime within an existing just before the war came to the Far East. Palestine (i.e. today's Jordan), rather than My parents recently returned from Lon- Another article mentioned the death of a problem questioning the nature and don with a copy of The Scribe. I was very Mr. Anthony Meyer, a grandson of the [ate legitimacy of Israel. impressed with your publication and am Sir Manasseh Meyer of Singapore, a good My forthcoming book My Talks' with interested in receiving future copies. As a friend of my father at the time, well "Arifal-'Arif will bc published soonQ mother now, 1 would like to make sure my advanced in textile business. I was at the University of Profe~sur Rony Gabbay children know about their roots and have funeral of the late Manasseh Meyer in Western Australia pride in the fact that they arc part of one of Singapore and a special Rabbi from Israel the oldest Jewish communities. Your pub- conducted the burial service. A special P.S.G. writes: Jordan was regarded as part lication enables me to share this informa- family plot of ground was reserved for the and parcel of the historic Palestine as tion about our paste Manasseh family, following the tradition of envisaged in the League of Nations man- New York Susan Masri Lawi our ancestors. Personally, l met Mr. Man- date and reaffirmed on various occasions asseh during his lifetime in Singapore, by the present King Hnssein. "The Jorda- I read the last volume of your newsletter being the head of the Jewish community nian Option" formulated by the Eshkol with great pleasure. It's a great cultural since the first World War; he was government in Israel after the 1967 war contribution to the Iraqi community. My appointed by the British governmenf to be takes account of this fact. It is also inherent family and I would very much appreciate responsible and guarantee that all was well in the basic policy guidelines of Israel's receiving The Scribe on a regular basis® with the Iraqi communityO present Likud-Labour government issued Los Angeles Ourite Assia Dianella, W. Australia K.S. Reuben in Jerusalem on 22 December 1988. Page 2 I have just returncd from a trip to Israel with the JIA Solidarity Mission, after an extended stay to watch current develop- ments. Our enemies have cleverly manocuvrcd world opinion into believing that the Mid- die East conflict is between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs and that its solution can only be found in an accommodation between these two factions within the old mandated area. This scenario has been implieitly accepted by world Jewry and by Israeli leaders. As a result, Israel now finds itself fighting with its back to the walI. The truth is that the conflict is not with the Palestinians, but with the neighbouring Arab countries which relentlessly waged war on Israel, incited the Palestinians not to come to terms with the Jews, encour- aged the Nazis in the Final Solution, financed terrorism, persecuted and expel- led their Jewish populations. There can be no peace in the Middle East unless these same Arab countries are made parties to an eventual settlement, bearing their share of the refugee problem and the cost of their settlement in their areas. Even King Hussein has now run away when he realised that there was no mileage in his claim to the West Bank. But Jordan cannot stand isolated from an eventual settlement, for Jordan was and is Palestine, as a result of the partition of 1922. It is typical of the Arabs to yearn after the status quo ante, for they cannot come to terms with reality. After the Second World War they refused to allow in Jewish re- fugees. After the UN partition resolution they offered to accept refugees without a Jewish State. After the War of Independ- ence they favoured the partition plan. After the Six-Day War they opted for the 1967 borders. Now they want to revive the partition plan. As far as Israel is concerned, the right decision would be to annex the West Bank, declare its Arabs as Jordanians and apply land value taxation throughout Israel to ensure that the land of Israel remains in the ownership of the Jewish people for all time. Tomorrow, the Arabs may realise that Mr. Shamir's current terms were not that bad after allO Naim E. Dangoor (Versions o[' the above letter appeared in The Nation, Tel Aviv, and the JewL~h Chronicle, London.)
Dear Mr. Dangoor, Kol Hakavod for your letter in the Jewish Chronicle. In dear sentences you showed that the surrounding Arab coun- tries are the real trouble makers in this part of the world. Your view on the right decision for Israel regarding the West Bank is so good that the entire world would condemn us if we did it. Your hint to the Arabs that they should take what they can get today, because tomorrow Kristallnacht Memorial Meeting Christians and Jews ExtracL~ from the address by the The 1988 Lambeth Conference of the tion of pagan tenets and unacceptable Archbishop of Canterbury Anglican Church unanimously passed a dogmas. Resolution whereby it commends thc 4) Christians want to convert the Jews to I recognise that wc did not go to war to document: Jews, Christians and Muslems: prove the validity of their religion. close down the concentration camps. In- The Way of Dialogue for study, and en- 5) "God the father of Jesus"? Neither we, deed we, and most other nations, had courages the churches to engage in dia- nor the Moslems for that matter, could closed our frontiers to all but a small number of those seeking asylum. The loguc with Jews and Muslims on the basis swallow that in a million years! of understanding, affirmation and sharing. desperate search for visas led, literally, to a 6) The death of Jesus at the hands of the The document recogniscs that, whilst dead end. Romans is only one instance of the dialogue with all faiths is highly desirable, The Munich agreement was but one sign crucifixion of the Jewish people by the Christianity, Judaism and Islam have a of a great conspiracy of silence and com- common relationship to Abraham, the forces of evil for the sake of the plicity which leaves its legacy of shame. father of the faithful, the friend of God, Kingdom of God. Without centuries of Christian anti- and have a particular responsibility to work 7) Before there can be anything like semitism, Hitler's passionate hatred would for the well-being of the human family, and ecumenism, Christians will have to ncver have been so fervently echoed. the peace of the world. shed quite a bit of their creed, includ- Nazi barbarism resulted in the construc- So far, so good. ing attempts to convert Jews. tion of" the death camps in which six million The document, however, goes on to 8) Since 325, when Christianity was Jews perished. stress an even closer relationship between adopted by the Roman Empire, many The travesty of Kristallnacht and all that Christians and Jews. It strangely refers to Jews have been converted by persecu~ followed is that so much was perpetrated in the Common Era as "the era common to tion, by force and by torture. What Christ's name. Neither inside nor outside Jews and Christians"!; and adds: "Some validity can such conversions have? Germany did the churches rccognise this. Jews have become very aware of Jesus as 9) Just as Communist attempts to convert And even today there are many Christians part of their own history." " . . . there other nations by force and plans for who fail to see it as self-evident. Without would seem to be no reason why a new world revolution are condemned as the poisoning of Christian minds through understanding should not develop, based on aggressiiJn and unacceptable, the centuries, the Holocaust is unthinkable. a reconsideration of what originally drove Christian attitude to the Jews is like- The Jewish people form part of God's Christianity and Judaism apart." wise aggressive and contrary to basic plan for His world, and it is our responsi- "There are those Christians whose human liberties. bilitY not merely to ensure their survival - God has done that - but that they are prayer is that Jews, without giving up their l(I) In 1944, at the height of the Holocaust, Jewishness, will find their fulfilment in a papal nuncio is reported to have said, honourcd and respected and Ioved. Jesus the Messiah. Indeed some regard it as "All Jewish blood is guilty. You have The Jewish people are the people of God, those who bestowed on us the their particular vocation and responsibility to die. This is the punishment that has Hebrew scriptures, who gave the Christian to share their faith with Jews." been awaiting you because of deicide." world so much of its heritage of faith. The above approaches are most alarm- The Christian Church uses the false Jewish wisdom and Jewish prophecy have ing. If the Council of Christians and Jews accusation of deicide as a rod to beat endorses these sentiments then the result us with so that we agree to convert. been a light to us and will continue to be a light to the nations. will be not more understanding but re- Otherwise, if we were guilty of dcicidc, Many Jews know that it was Christians newed friction between Christians and why should they bother to convert us? Jews. It appears that Christians cannot get who pushed them into the gas chambers. It 11) In the main, Christian attitudes have away from their intention to convert the is no good saying they were not real not changed. There has been no re- Jews. Christians, any more than we should say pentance of the Holocaust. Anti- The purpose of dialogue is not to bridge that those who did not go regularly to semitism now masquerades as anti- the religious gap between various faiths, synagogue were not real Jews. In the light Zionism or anti-Israel. but to respect each other's religion. In the of all that, how can we in our generation go words of the Koran: "We have our reli- 12) The road to the Kingdom of God is not to the Jewish people and say, without gion, and you have yours!" through religious bigotry but through shame, "we have the truth, listen to us." We tell Christian leaders, "I_cave us religious toleration. A Persian king We cannot pretend that recent history has alone; keep at arm's length; we don't want once declared, "It is fitting that a great not happened. your bear hug, your tight embrace." empire should contain many kinds of The planned destruction of the Jewish As lung as the Church of England has an opinions and ways of living"Q N.E.D. peopie did not succeed. Out of suffering, organisation called "The Church's Ministry God brought a new-found liberty. He has among the Jews" (CMJ), there can be no "Tolerance... is Reverence" brought new-found liberty for Jews in Israel. dialogue, especiaIly as the Archbishop of The words of Dr. Robert Runcie. Canterbury has refused to step down as its Our love goes out to the ancient and president. As Canon Jim Richardson, On racial and religious bigotry I wilt young nation of Israel, tc the people of the national Executive Director of the Council never be prepared to compromise. Holy Land, Jews, Moslems and Christians of Christians and Jews remarked, "CMJ's Bigotry is a disease which is no respecter alike. proselytising policy is, to say the least, of religions. Whether in India or the The Lord our God is One, to be loved insensitive. You cannot have a dialogue Middle East or in Ireland or in England. with all our mind and heart and soul, and within a relationship of trust AND mission- Let it never be thought that religious and our neighbour as ourselfl ary activity." racial tolerance is some sort of woolly, To the points raised in the "document" feeble-minded notion. We arc not tolerant we reply as foltows: because we have little regard for our own The Scribe comments: opinions or because we think other opin- These are noble words from Dr. Robert 1) Jesus grew up as a Jew. His name ions are as good as our own. Tolerance is Runcie, but there has been no true repent- ceased to bc connected with Judaism the expression of reverence for others, a ance by those who made the Holocaust when he was made posthumously the reverence only held sccure in our rever- possible. Christian God. ence for God. According to Newton's Law, for every 2) Christianity is not the religion of Jesus We cannot create tolerance merely by action there is an equal and opposite but a religion about Jesus. . telling pcople to be tolerant. It needs reaction. In the case of the Jews, the 3) Judaism and Christianity parted ways submission to divine law and divine lovel Holocaust was followed by the establish- when the new movement was taken (Extrac~ from The ArchbS'hop of Canterbury's ment of the State of Israel. What will the over by Gentile Christians and was Speech at the Fund Rai~ing Dinner of.the Council. future hold for Europe and Christendom, completely transformed by tbc addi- of Christians and Jews at Lambeth Palace). perpetrators of the Holocaust? Page 4 finitions, were: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current Who is a Jew- What is a Jew? English: "Jew - Unscrupulous usurer"; by N.E.D. The Shorter English Dictionary: "Jew - a A rational analysis can solve the problem. person of Hebrew race, an Israelite, ap- plied to a grasping or extortionate usurer, In the modem world a person has themselves as Jews by religion, while or a trader who drives hard bargains and three main identities - nationality, the majority, secular Jews, will be deals craftily."; religion and citizenship, in that order. formalIy recognised as Jews by natio- The Oxford English Dictionary: "Jew - to A person can also have other loyalties - nality. This problem would not arise if cheat or overreach in the way attributed to family, friends, political party, trade there were separate words to describe Jewish traders or usurers. Hence Jewing." Mr. Shtoimovitz stated, "These defini- union. On the accusation that Jews have Jewish religion and Jewish nationality. dual Ioyalties, Churchill once re- tions were obsolete, archaic and past usage. marked: "What, only two loyalties? A The Law of Return Dictionaries should not perpetuate pre- person can have any number of loyalties The Knesset passed the Law of judice but should educate the ignorant." without harm." I heard Lord Goodman Return in 1950; it was the first law Although publishers of other dictionar- once state that he owes allegiance both passed by the State of Israel. This laid ies had no difficulty in finding a comprom- to Britain and to israel; and, if a conflict down that every Jew has the right to ise formula to satisfy all parties concerned, the defendant publisher refused to amend arose between them, he would side with immigrate to Israel, In 1970 the Law his definitions, hiding behind the letter of Isracl as she would need him more than was amended by defining for the first Britain. the Law. We recentIy consulted these time a Jew as "A person who was born dictionaries and found that the offensive In ancient times, however, a per- to a Jewish mother or who has con- definitions remain the same. Wc have son's three main identities were usuaI- vetted to Judaism and does not sub- looked up tt~e Oxford Dictionary and find ly roiled into one. The term "Egyp- scribe to any other religion," The that the apt phrase to describe the writer of tian", "Babylonian", or "Persian" Orthodox, however, require a stricter these definitions is "dirty dog" - "a despic- gave a full description" of a person's definition as conversion "according to able person". nationality, religion and citizenship, theHatacha" or even "according to What is morally wrong should not be which he retained for life. The confu- the Shulhan Aruch". Some 'religious legally right, But then, the Law is an ass, allowing many wrong deeds to be commit- sion over "who is a Jew" arises from factions ask for the Religious Sects ted undcr the cloak of justice~ the fact that this term still applies both Ordinance (Conversion) of 1927 to be to nationality and religion. It is time to tightened; others require a legal de- have a separate word for each compo- The Tirnbre of Miriam finition of "Who is a Rabbi". These by Percy S. Gourgey nent- "Jewish" for religion and "Heb- ideas are ill-conceived. A democratic The prophetess, /vliriam, was known as row" for nationality. State must not be involved in sectarian While religious factions can be left one of the three parnassim tobim with her religious matters; likewise the Law of two brothers, Moses and Aaron. It was she to argue among themselves on points Return must not be defined on reli- who has set an example to all the women of of I-Iatacha, and recognise or not ree- gious criteria. Israel when at the miracle of the crossing of ognise one another, the Law of Return During our visit to Israel in Novem- the Red Sea, in which the fleeing Hebrew should be based not on religious criter- ber, we were distressed to note that slaves were saved from their pursuing ia but only on nationality. The right to while the Arabs were making interna~ Egyptian oppressors, she picked up a return to Israel should be conferred on tional political headway, a strong gov- timbrel and led the women in song and all "Hebrews". ernment could not be formed because prayer to the Almighty for their salvation. For a law based on Orthodox reli- of disagreement on the definition of Rabbinic commentators have said that one of the reasons for freedom from slavery gion would exclude all Hebrews who who is a Jew. Because of strong and are not "Jewish" according to the after two centuries in Egypt, lay in the determined pressure by the Diaspora, virtue of the Hebrew womenfolk. Shulhan Aruch. What right have we a lame-duck coalition government had But this whole episode stresses both the got to exclude from the in-gathering to be formed which may not be able to privilege and respensibility of Jewish the lost Ten Tribes who would not pass follow a strong policy regarding the women in educating and rearing their the Orthodox test? They and others problem of the Palestinian Arabs. children and maintaining a good Jewish like them must be let in, and then the WhiIe the State of Israel must re- home. Of the four main influences in the Orthodox can work on them. main founded on Judaism as the life of a child, the school, the club, the What about converts? Just as Islam embodiment of our culture, there synagogue and the home, the most impor- tant is that of the home. When Pharaoh's is regarded as the liberation movement shouId otherwise be a complete separ- of the Arab nation, Judaism is the daughter picked up thc baby Moses from ation between State and religion® the bulrushes, Miriam, his sister, liberation movement of the Hebrew Abuse of language approached the princess, suggesting that nation. A Jew is anyone who identifies she should get a Hebrew woman to help with the Jewish people by accepting 16 years ago, Marcus Shloimovitz failed in the High Court to stop the publisher of rear him. The princess agreed and Miriam their culture, which is embodied in three Oxford "English dictionaries using brought Moses' mother who taught him Judaism - any form of it. In fact, the "derogatory, defamatory and wholly de- Jewish values. What fruit this bore subse- Talmud defines a Jew as anyone who plorable" definitions of the word Jew. The quently. renounces idolatry! In this connection, judge held that hc had no maintainable In order to teach, women (and men) it is time that we welcomed our Christ- action, as the matter complained of did not must first learn: "lilmod ve-lelamed (lish- ian and Muslim brethren with open refer to him personally. The judge added, mor ve-laasoth)" in the words of the prayer arms, and reeognised their religions as "There arc many very fine persons who are preceding the Shema. In many synagogues versions of Judaism. Jewish by birth or creed, persons of the and at many religious occasions, they regrettably do not participate. Thus, they The confusion over what is a Jew utmost integrity, honesty, reputation, skill do not equip themselves with the where- has surfaced in Hungary, where every and ability. If there he Jews who do not in fact measure up to that standard, there are withal to transmit Jewish values to their Jew is now required to define his or many people not Jews who are just as bad children. Assimilation and intermarriage her status. A Jew will be regarded as or worse." "I am pleased to have this can best be combatted through education. either a Magyar of the Jewish faith, or opportunity of paying a public tribute to Who will pick up the timbrel of Miriam as a Hungarian citizen of Jewish natio- the Jewish race and creed." and lead the Jewish women in prayer, song nality. Orthodox Jews will define The dictionaries named, with their de- and study of Torah?O Page 5 Salmonella Egg Scare (Mrs. Edwina Currie, a Jewess who by Alice Shashou married out, had to resign as junior Health Minister because of her re- marks that most British eggs produc- Iraqi Helawa tion is contaminated with salmonella.) Ingredients: About 5 tablespoons mazola oil Iraqi Eggs 1 cup flour Sir, 3 cups water To those who are bored with hard-boiled 2 cups sugar eggs, I recommend Tbeet or Hamin eggs. 2 tablespoons rose water In Iraq, these were left to cook overnight cardamom in powder for Shabbat breakfast. They can be duplicated by boiling eggs Dissolve sugar in water without heating. for two hours in a pressure cooker. Cover Warm the mazola oil in a small frying with water and add a few onion skins to pan. Take out of the fire. Add the flour enhance the colour. The result is a healthy, and mix constantly on low fire till dark tasty and safe eggO beige. It takes about 15-20 minutes. Watch (Jewish Chronicle) N.E. Dangoor the colour. Let it cool completely. Now pour the cold syrup over the cold Egg gauntlet flour mixture stirring all the time. Con- Ex-King Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, who claims descent from the lsraelitish tribe of Sir, tinue stirring over a low fire till thickness At the risk of offending my friends desired. It should have no lumps. Take Benjamin, is expected to play a leading part in establishing a stable government in among the Iraqi community, I must dis- away from fire and add the cardamom to agree with Mr. N. Dangoor when he your taste and 2 tablespoons of rose water Afghanistan, after the departure of the Soviet invaders. advises us to eat eggs cooked in the Iraqi and mix well. Hamin way as if it was a revelation. He is seen above, deposed, Pour in a serving bowl. before he was I had the good fortune to be raised on Decorate with halves of blanched cordially welcoming Mr. Mordechai Avgar, Israeli Ambassador to Nepal. the Moroccan dafina which has no com- almonds. parison on earth. It is usually served with pitta bread. The Having tried Ashkenazi chotent, and Helawa is most attractive when it is the Middle Eastern hamin, it is undeniable right colour. Not too dark and not too that the Moroccan dafina is vastly superior paleO in every respect, including the eggs. What a Shabbat lunch it makes! Tips I challenge Mr. Dangoor to a culinary Moussaka Paulista - To bring out the flavour of any vegetable contest on Shabbat diet, hopefully to be add a lump of sugar whilst cooking. judged by Mrs. Edwina Currie. It will also This is a recipe without meat and is good - Prevent jacket potatoes from bursting by help her to see what she has missed all as a party dish. slitting the skin before baking. these yearsO Ingredients: - No tears! When peeling onions, chill well (Jewish Chronicle) Sydney Assor 31bs aubergines (egg plants) peeled in before slicing. strips, cut in slices i/,,, thick, then left in a - When cooking green vegetables, add a sieve or colander in layers, sprinkling each pinch of bicarbonate of soda to maintain a I gladly take up the challenge and accept layer with salt. This will remove the bitter- good colour. the good choice of referee. In accordance ness from them. Leave for about one hour. - Add one tablespoon oil to water when with established rules, I have the choice of boiling pasta to prevent water boiling over. venue and weapon, which I hope will not Take out and dry on kitchen towel and - Do not over-bake a cheesecake. If the be necessary in this case. The contest fry in mazola oil till golden. Drain on centre does not quite set, remember it between Iraqi tbeet and Moroccan dafina absorbent paper and use to line pyrex or will be arranged in aid of a charitable oven-proof dish about 13" to 9". becomes solid as the cake cools. - To keep watercress fresh, keep it wrap- catlse. In the past I had the opportunity on The Filling: ped in damp newspaper and keep in fridge. - To take the peel off frozen broadbeans, several occasions on foreign travel to 7oz each of grated cheddar cheese, grated defrost first. The peel will come off easily. sample out of curiosity such things as mazarella cheese and cream cheese. - Soaking lentils is not necessary; but it couscous and merguez, although I have not 2 large eggs, beaten reduces their cooking time. come across dafina. I am convinced that Plenty of black pepper to taste - When making salad, tear lettuce with Moroccan cuisine is no match for the Salt to taste your hands. Never cut with a knife. civilised and varied cuisine of Iraqi JcwryO 2 level tablespoons chopped parsley - Wine must be cooked. Wine is added to a N.E.D. Mix altogether stew at the beginning of the cooking. Dear N.E., last week politics and this week cook- The Topping: - If you peel potatoes when raw, put them immediately into a bowl of cold water to ing!! Wow![ That's just great. Keep it upO 2 large eggs, slightly beaten keep them from changing colour. Tel Aviv Murray Bomzer 2 cups grated cheddar cheese - To melt chocolate, grate it or cut it into Now arrange layers in your pyrex. One small pieces. When it starts to melt, stir it. layer aubergines, one layer cheese mix, This will keep it glossy when it dries. The ultimate weapon? one layer aubergines, one layer cheese - Cooked food taken from the fridge mix. should either be served cold or thoroughly Put in preheated oven 400°F or 200°C for reheated, not just warmed through, but I Mosul,in the about twenty minutes, then take out of brought to the boil. shape of a oven. - Fish smell: cold water, instead of hot, missile, as Pour over the beaten eggs and sprinkle must be used when cleaning pans and depicted on an frying pans in which fish has been cooked. with the grated cheddar cheese. Iraqi postage Put back in oven for another I0 minutes, The smell will linger in the pan if it is but no moreO washed with hot waterO li~[~ ~itA~ stamp. Page 6 MIDRASH ON club king and four diamonds to leave this 3-card position. Leadership 4*-- One of the main things which we have to The 0-- beseech God to grant us in His mercy is a ~AI0r good leader. Deadly Squeeze 4*-- ~ 4*,r Gideon was to his generation in leader- ~J ~9 by bridge builder O-- O-- ship what Moses was to his; Samson was to •l~QJ 4*9 his generation what Aaron was to his. An extra trick can be made by declarer: However lightly you may think of someone a) by finessing; - once he has been chosen to leadership, b) by establishing a 4th card;
Ezekial Moses, or Sunny to his friends, is giving new hope to children in India. The Noranda man is an Action Aid sponsor. His generosity has provided edu- cation for several underprivileged children living in India. He is sponsoring a 10-year-old boy called Billal Hossain, who lives with his mother and two older brothers. Thanks to Sunny, Billal is now attending primary school. Several years ago, Sunny sponsored a young Indian girl called Isabella D'Souza and was responsible for giving her an education and helping her rcalise her dream of becoming a doctor. Sunny came to Perth from England in 1981. Sunny was an active supporter of Action The largest single mission ever undertaken brought 700 JIA supporters to Israel to launch the Aid in the United Kingdom and has con- 1989 Campaign. tinued this by becoming the group's repre- During that extraordinary 2-day visit the group was given royal treatment, visiting places of sentative in Perth. interest and having dinners with the President and the Prime Minister. His efforts will be centred around the The above picture shows Haya Pesker (centre) who was the life and soul of coach No. 10 promotion of Action Aid to involve West with, from left, Ann Haruni, Matt Haruni, Sonia Phillips, Sailm Soffair, Mareeile Soffair, Australians in the programmeO Haya Pesker, Roanie Musry, Violet Musry, Renie Dangoor, Naim Dangoor. Page 7 ! t -i
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A solemn service was held on 25 January The picture shows the candles lit in at Bevis Marks Synagogue to commemorate memory of the victims with, from the left, Outlook for Israel 1989 the brutal hanging in Baghdad of 9 innocent Davis and Morris Zilkha, Eric Moonman 1ews 20 years ago. (senior vice-president of the Board of Dep- Extracts from Lord Weidenfeld's The service was conducted by Rabbi Dr uties), Naim Dangoor, Dr Lionel Kopelo- Address to the Board of Deputies Abraham Levy, Dayan Dr Pinhas Tole- witz, (president of the Board of Deputies), dano and Rabbi Abraham Gubbay, and Meet Basri, Rabbi Levy, and relatives of In 1989, our challenge wilt be to fight was organised by Percy Gourgey. the victims. against the danger of an independent Palestinian State and for the return of Jordan into the arena. It is one thing being courageous with a Terrorism vs Democracy clear plan. It is another to protest and In the twenty-year confrontation between Arab terrorism and Israeli demo- procrastinate without a vision. We need a bigger package setting the fate of the whole cracy, terrorism appears to have won. That is why Ararat can now afford to geographic Palestine on both sides of the pretend moderation, in order to collect the fruits of his victory - namely, a Jordan and not a "little Palestine solution". Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, joined by a corridor. That would be It:must be the task of Israel's friends to the first step on the road of Israel's ruin. convert the new American administration Since the Six-Day War, successive Israeli governments have been paralysed to a larger plan and to nip in the bud the into inaction, for fear that annexation of the West Bank might dilute the Jewish Third State solution. character of the State. It was said that Israel cannot annex the West Barrk and Mrs. Thatcher's "Europe of Nations" remain a democracy. If that is the case, then why not give up democracy, if that allows its leading states to pursue a necessary? largely independent foreign policy, is much Since 1967, various abortive plans have been put forward - the Allon plan, the more in Israel's interest than one in which there is a majority vote in regard to world Roger plan, the Camp David plan, the Reagan plan. Now the new coalition problems, regional conflicts and notably government is putting forward the Shamir plan, which likewise has no chance of the Middle EastO being adopted. If by June no progress is made on the future of the occupied territories, then the honourable thing for the government to do would be to step down, and let others with better ideas take over. Arab conquests In the present circumstances, democratic rights for the Arabs is a luxury Israel "The Arab invaders from the desert can no longer afford. We would annex the West Bank and Gaza and deny the brought with them no tradition of learning, Arabs any voting rights, until an overall Middle East settlement is reached with no heritage of culture to the lands they Jordan and the other neighbouring countries - a settlement that will ensure equal conquered . . . When we speak of 'Arab rights for the Kurds and other minorities and remove Arab monopoly of the medicine' or 'Arab philosophy" or 'Arab mathematics', we mean that body of know- Middle East. ledge enshrined in books written in the The Middle East conflict in its complexity can be regarded as a quadratic Arabic language by men who flourished equation. As such, it has two possible solutions: one is the easy, obvious, but chiefly through the caliphate and were negative and useless answer, namely, give in to pressure, make concessions and themselves Persians, Egyptians or Ara- end up with an emaciated and vulnerable Israel; the other is the less obvious, but bians - Jewish, Christian or Moslem. positive answer of turning the tables on the adversary and asking for more, not Indeed, even what we call 'Arabic literature' less. was no more Arabian than the Latin litera- The wicked bombing of the Pan Am jet demonstrates that Arab terrorism will lure of the Middle Ages was Italian . . .'O continue to flourish regardless of what Ararat says. When will the free world from "History of the Arabs" by Professor realise that terrorism is not just a criminal act but that it is an act of war? It can Philip Hitff. only be dealt with by waging war relentlessly on all terrorist organisationsO Published by The Exilarch's Foundation, 20 Queen's Gate Terrace, London SW7 5PF. Editorial Adviser: Percy S. Gourgey, MBE. Printed by Freedman Bros. (Printers) Ltd. London NWll. 01-458 3220