Conceding that “grave and difficult issues remained unresolved” in the effort to bring permanent peace to the Middle East, Arthur J. Goldberg declared that he nevertheless welcomes the interim agreement between Egypt and Israel as “a positive achievement.”
Observing that “perhaps the most accurate description of the agreement is that ‘it gives peace a chance in this area,’ the former U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Ambassador to the United Nations told a dinner audience here that “giving peace a chance implies what is obviously the case–that peace is not at hand. “But neither is war,” he added. “And to give peace a chance, and to provide the basis for further negotiations is not an insubstantial achievement.”
Addressing guests Sunday night at the Academic Award Dinner given in his honor at the Beverly Hilton Hotel by the American Friends of Tel Aviv University. Goldberg had praise for Egypt and Israel, and President Ford and Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. “Egypt and Israel,” he stated “are to be commended for accepting risks for the sake of further movements toward an overall settlement. President Ford and Secretary Kissinger are also to be commended for their roles; they have also taken risks in the interest of achieving peace and stability in the area.”
Prof. Haim Ben-Shahar, president of Tel Aviv University, who flew in from Israel to confer the university’s honorary Doctorate of Philosophy on Goldberg, told the dinner audience that there is a need for institutions of higher learning to go beyond academic training in preparing young people for their futures. “To help a youngster get his degree, preferably with honors, is in my opinion, only one of our functions,” Prof. Ben-Shahar said. “It is equally important that we should send him into the world as a full person with spiritual roots and high moral principles. How to do this effectively will be one of our tasks in the coming decade.”
Victor M. Carter, chairman of the international Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University, president of the American Friends of the university, and a member of the Board of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, chaired the dinner program. In his remarks, Carter said that “the phenomenal growth of Tel Aviv University is almost matched by the supportive organizations which have increased at a most gratifying rate.” Since the university was formally established less than 12 years ago the student body has increased from 1700 to more than 17,000.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
