“The dangers facing Israel are graver than most people realize,” Dr. Maurice N. Eisendrath, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, told a press conference here today following his return from the Jewish State where he had led a pilgrimage of 30 American Reform Jewish leaders.
Dr. Eisendrath warned that the survival of Israel will require greater aid than it is now receiving. “The shortage of food and vital raw materials plus the neverceasing menace of her neighbors seriously impair the very future of Israel,” he reported. “The single most important factor in the survival of Israel is the remarkable spirit of determination which characterizes its people,” he emphasized.
The leader of American Reform Jewry said that Israel’s chief desire is peace. He took issue with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles who reported that the Arab nations fear aggression from Israel. The contrary, he said, is the case – it is Israel which fears a “second round” initiated by the Arabs.
Expressing hope that a Middle East defense pact will include Israel, Dr. Eisendrath warned Americans “not to mistake the real nature of the Israel problem.” Israel, he declared, is not only safeguarding Jews, but the cause of democracy. “Its preservation is as vital as the preservation of South Korea,” he pointed out. “Its fall would be as catastrophic as the fall of Greece, Turkey or Italy.”
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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.
