Page 25 - HaShofar 5709 1948

Reprint. of Letter Which Appeared _in National Jewish Post
EDITOR, NA'.['IONAL JEWISH PosT:
I am one of the many who were painfully .
stricken by the realization that in. history's most
crucial moment for Israel, Zionists in Pittsburgh
found it possible to engage in "maneuverings" and
"machinations" that could possibly lead to "A
Blow-hy-Blow~Account of Opposition and -Down-
fall." (N. J. P., July 2). I wonder if, after the
more than 20 columns you gave to this Z.O.A.
Convention, and in view of your reputation for
fairness, you would permit me a column or two
for a "glow-by-glow" report of a National Conven-
tion that took place in Hurleyville, New York, at
the very same time that Z.O.A. met in pittshurgh.
I refer to the Annual Convention at Hapoel Ha-
mizrachi of America, where approximately 600
delegates assembled for deliberation on prompt
and effective assistance to Israel.
Hapoel Hamizrachi, as readers should know, is
the organization which supports the building of
religious colonies in Israel and advocates an Israel
based upon the principles and practices of our
people's traditions. It feels that the least it has
the right to expect, ii:i keeping with Democratic
principles, is that Religious Jews coming to Israel
shall also find their place there. Perhaps it may
he shocking to average American Jews, even those
who are not themselves religious, to learn tha~
with the exception of Hapoel I{amizrachi's 38
colonies, and with the exception of only a few
others, _the overwhelming majority of colonies in
Israel do not have kosher food, do not observe
the Sabbath, and do not give their children a re-
ligious education.
They wo1,1.ld, perhaps, be shocked, also,· to learn
that many thousands of Jewish orphans who are
now coming into Israel will get no religious edu-
cation whatsoever if they are placed in the colonies
of certain major organizations. This despite every-
body's awareness that the murdered parents of
these children would "turn over in their graves"
were they to have some way of knowing what is
being done with their children.
In a visit to some of these colonies last year, I
saw a youngster who hadn't eaten for two weeks be-
fore he made peace with the idea that in order to
remain in Israel he must eat "Tarfuss." Hapoel
Hamizrach-i does not yet have the support it needs
and deserves from American Jews to make avail-
able facilities for all these children of religious
background who should be in their colonies or
Youth villages.
But getting back to our Convention .of Hapoel
Hamizrachi of America, I am happy to report that
our delegates at Hurleyville sensed, th:roughoo.t '
the four days of sessions, the seriousness of the
moment and the sacrndness of •the opportunity for
service to Israel. I am happy to report, also, that
though in earlier years our Conventions also suff-
fered from politica~ tapeworms tq.at ate the heart .
right out of our Conventions, we rose to the occa-
, OCTOBER, 1948
sion this year and emerged from four days of de-
liberations cleansed from politicaf sin and re-
freshed in the purities of "A Cause that Refreshes."
M. Z. Frank, had he attended our Convention
and had he heard the city-by-city report of activi-
ties and pledges for application to the task com-
mensurate with the crisis of the moment, would not
have had to "pinch'' himself to realize that "the
peace an·d ultimate fate of Palestine lay in the
balance."
Nor would Carl Alpert, had he seen the prom:
inent .role played at our, Convention by ·Youth,
seen "no outlets for their ability and no opportuni-
ties for harnessing their creative energy." He wou_ld
have seen a situation diametrically opposite to the
one where Zionist Youth was "eclipsed and elim-
inated by the monopolization of convention ma-
chinery by the oldsters." He would have witnessed,
rather, hundreds of young people dedicating them-
selves -to the determination to rebuild Kfar Etzion,
Ein Tzurim, Massuot Yitchak, Nevey Yaakov, Kfar
Yavetz, :Kfar Darom, and any of the other Hapoel
Hamizrachi colonies that were either destroyed
after heroic Maccabean defenses or evacuated by
Haganah orders.
He would have heard eye-witness reports of the
militaristically incredible defeat inflicted by our
Tirat Zvi on invading. Arab hordes. He would have
heard the report of a new colony now being set
up in Beth Shean Valley, by a group of religious
boys and girls from New York and Chicago who
recently left for Israel, and an expressed determina-
tion by all to help them in every conceivable way
to succeed in this historical undertaking.
Nothing that is said here is intended to cast com-
parative disparagement upon Z.O.A., which, in
political -Zionism, has major accomplishments to
its credit. We of Hapoel Hamizrachi, however, q.o
assert that while Z.O.A. is obviously in need either
of reorientation or reconstitution in terms of its
objectives at this time, Hapoel Hamizrachi not
only is not in need of reorientation but sees the
clear and unmistakable necessity for renewed
efforts, with greater determination and vigor, to
present to Jewry the meaning of its now-even-more
valid original orientation since inception.
If my presentation of C!ur Convention proceed-
ings mistakenly gives the impression of semi-arro-
gant pride, the tone ·of this presentation must be
forgiven as the "Nachess" felt by one who saw a
large group of young co-workers rise to the occa-
sion and resolutely set aside all "Yetzer Hara"
inclinations of conducting a "Politics-as-Usuar'
Convention in favor of selfless and non-political
consideration of the needs of our Chaverim in
Israel.
We hope and pray that all future Conventions
of the various Zionist groups will surpass us in
this direction.
RABBI HAROLD P. SMITH, Chicag-;;-.-
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