Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1975-03-20

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LIBRARY,   OHIO   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY
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VOL. 53 NO. 12
MARCH 20, 197S - NISAN 8
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Iran Willing To Serve As Mediator
By Joseph Polakoff
WASHINGTON, (JTA) -
The Government of Iran, if
asked, would serve both as a
mediator in the Israeli-Arab
conflict and as a protector of
a settlement that would be
achieved, according to
Iranian Ambassador Ar-
deshir Zahedi. While Iran
supports Arab demands for
possession of Jerusalem, the
logic of the situation calls for
internationalization of the
Holy City, the envoy told the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
"How many Jews are there
in the world?" he asked the
reporter. "Let's say 15
million — say 50 million.
We'll give them 35 million
more," the envoy said.
"How many Moslems are
there?" he questioned
again. "Seven-hundred-fifty-
million?" he added, an¬
swering his own question.
"Let's say 500 million. We'll
produce the number. How
many Christians are there?
A billion two-hundred-fifty
million? Let's say a billion.
What's the logic? All three
have an interest in the city
(Jerusalem). International¬
ization is the answer."
Whether the Ambassador
was thinking of interna¬
tionalization in terms of
proportions of population of
the three religious faiths did
not develop in the course of
the short conversation. The
Zahedi interview followed a
luncheon with diplomatic
correspondents here at
which the chief guest was
Iranian Minister for
Finance, Husang Ansary,
after he signed a $12 million
trade agreement between.
Iran and the United States
here. •  •
Ansary's remarks prin¬
cipally concerned oil and
investments. However, in
response to a JTA request
for his assessment of the
Middle East situation,
Ansary, using direct plain
language, said that "we do
accept Israel's existence"
that UN Resolution 242 "is
Hillel Activists Question, Criticize Israeli Policies
by Bill Cohen  ,       ■ >
Chronicle Special Reporter
While most Columbus
Jews either actively defend
current Israeli government
policies in the Mideast,
conflict or remain silent in
the belief that public
criticism of the government
weakens Israel, a small
group of Jewish young adults
are calling on Israel to be
more flexible in negotiations
with the Palestinians and.
Arab governments.
In tiie past, young Jews
who were critical of Israel
were sometimes called
"self-hating Jews" or people
"with no Jewish identity."
But those labels are dif¬
ficult to pin on these young
Jews because they appear to
be proud of their Judaism,
and many are leaders at the
Ohio State University Hillel
Foundation.
Nor are they particularly
"pro-Arab." A small group
recently interviewed by The
Chronicle showed that none
of the young'activists sup¬
port the demand of the
Palestine Liberation
Organization for a
"democratic, secular state
of Palestine where Moslems,
Christians, and Jews could
live together.''
Despite their strong
Jewish identities and their
rejection of Arab demands
and tactics, these young
jews also believe that
current Israeli government.
policies constitute a partial
roadblock  to  a   Mideast
peace settlement.
"There  is   a   need, to
Announce No More Free Training
For Troops From Saudi Arabia
WASHINGTON, (JTA) —
Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman
(D. NY) announced March
10 that the Department of
Defense no longer will
provide U.S. training: free of
charge to Saudi Arabian
troops. Ms-. Holtzman said
she received assurance from
the chairman of the House
Subcommittee on Foreign
Operations, Rep. Otto
Passman (D. La.) that all
training from now on will be
• on a /reimbursable basis for
Saudi, trainees. Under the
legislation that had been
adopted, $220,000 was
available for grants to Saudi
Arabia to pay for Saudi
military training. Although
$38,000 of this amount has
.already been obligated the
remainder will not be spent,'
Congresswoman Holtzman
said: "U.S. training of Saudi
Arabian troops is a highly
questionablepolicy. If such
training is provided, cer¬
tainly It is sheer nonsense to
provide such assistance free
of charge.  Oil-rich  Saudis
Arabia   is   not,, an   im¬
poverished nation entitled to .
foreign, assistance" at the
expense  of  the   American
taxpayers.
During the debate on the
aid legislation last month,
Ms. Holtzman raised the
question of free U.S. military
training for the Saudians. At
her request, the chairman of
the House Appropriations
.Committee, Rep. George'
Mahon (D. Texas) agreed to
persuade the Administration
to work out a more ac¬
ceptable arrangements, Her
assurances from Passman
stemmed from that. The .
debate on free training of
Saudi troops was heated up
by the disclosure that the
Vinnell Corporation of Los
Angeles had obtained a $77
million contract to train the
Saudi Arabian national
guard to defend oil fields in
that country. The contract
was from' the Defense
Department, but the money
will be paid by Saudi Arabia.
recognize the Palestinians
as a sovereign nation," says
Barry Chesler, a member of
the Hillel Student Board.
Chesler, a 19-year old
Sophomore from Park
Forest, Illinois, believes
Israel should recognize the
P.L.O. because it is
recognized by others as
representative of the
Palestinian people and
"because it's too late for the
Israeli government to
recognize another group of
Palestinians."
Chesler says the Israeli
policy of stifling independent
Palestinian political activity
in the occupied territories
helped drive Palestinians
away from a possible
compromise and into the
sphere of the P.L.O.
He believes Israel should
give up the West Bank, the
Gaza Strip, and part of the
Sinai to form the nucleus of a
new Palestinian state, in¬
dependent of Jordan's King
Hussein, considered by some
Palestinians to be as great
an enemy as the Israelis.
Palestinian terrorism may
subside if a new Palestinian
nation is created, Chesler
says.
"Once they get their own
state, their own problems of
building' a  new country
(CONTINUED ON PAGE J)
the only solution for peace in
the area," that the
Palestinians "have a right to
exist" and that "Israel made
mistakes in the past" and
would have been better off"
to have engaged in
negotiations four or five
years ago. He praised the
U.S. for its "even-handed
policy" and wished
Secretary of State Henry A.
Kissinger "well on his trip."
Ansary also said that Iran
was never a party to any oil
embargo. It has been a
country tolerant of creed,
color and human beings for a
thousand years. "It
acknowledges the right of all
nations on earth to exist in
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 5)
Sen. John Glenn To Speak At
Dedication Of Resler Wing
Sol Morton Isaac,
Chairman of the Planning
Committee for the
Dedication and
Housewarming of the
Eleanor and Jack Resler
Wing, is pleased to announce
that the Honorable John
Glenn, United States Senator
'from Ohio, will be the
keynote speaker at the
Dedication Ceremonies to
take place on Sunday, April 6
at 1:30 p.m.
"We are honored that
Senator Glenn will lead the
outstanding list of govern¬
mental civic, and communal
leaders who desire .to honor
Heritage House on this
historic event," stated Mr.
Isaac.
Highlights of the
Dedication festivities' will
include special tribute to
Eleanor and Jack Resler on
the double occasion of the
opening of the Wing named
in their honor and their
Golden Wedding An¬
niversary.
Sen. John Glenn
Mr. Isaac noted that "the
entire community is fort¬
unate indeed to share this
communal milestone and the
personal joy of Eleanor and
Jack."
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 5)
Soviet Authorities Failure To
Deliver American Mail Probed
By Joseph Polakoff
WASHINGTON (JTA) -
The House Subcommittee on
Postal Service is in¬
vestigating charges that the
U.S. Postal Service is
lukewarm in protesting the
failure of Soviet authorities
to deliver mail sent by
Americans to Russian Jews,
the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency learned March 5.
Rep. James M. Hanley (D:
NY), the subcommittee's
chairman, has requested the
Postal Service to provide
detailed information on its
action with Soviet officials
over the failure of parcels
and Insured, mail to reach
their destinations in the
Soviet Union. The in*
vestigatlonjjtems from the
- demand in a letter to. Hanley
by Rep. Joshua Eilberg (D.
Pa.) that' "our postal of¬
ficiate  should  be   doing
everything they can to get
the Russians to deliver mail
which originates in this
country rather than giving
up after a minimum effort."
By seemingly "doing little or
nothing on behalf of U.S.
citizens who have been
refused" both the return of
their parcels or in¬
demnification for insured
mail, Eilberg wrote Hanley,
the Postal Service, "in ef¬
fect," is "cooperating with
the Soviet Union's policy of
persecuting its Jewish
citizens." Eilberg said that
he had forwarded com¬
plaints about Soviet policy to " /
the Postal Service and had
received in reply "a copy of \
the regulations which the
Russians are probably using
to stop delivery of the mail."
He  added,   "there   is   no
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)
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