The United States Defense Department gave notice today that, for the time being, it is not revising its official “Pocket Guide to the Middle East” in a manner demanded by the anti-Zionist American Council for Judaism. The notification was sent by Edward L. Katzenbach, Jr., Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Education, to Beinesh Epstein, vice-chairman of the United Zionists-Revisionists of America.
The “Pocket Guide to the Middle East” is provided to American military personnel serving in the Mideast region, to provide them with background information about the area. One statement in the booklet declares: “Through centuries of persecution and discrimination in other lands, the Jews remained spiritually united but without a country.”
The Council for Judaism, according to Mr. Epstein, intervened recently with the Defense Department, requesting a change in that formulation. Mr. Epstein protested that request, declaring that the sentence is “historically and factually correct and does not in any way reflect on the rights and duties of American citizens of the Jewish faith.”
In his reply today to Mr. Epstein, Mr. Katzenbach declared that no revision of the booklet is planned now since “the present stocks of this particular publication are sufficient to last for some time.” If the Defense Department should find it necessary to revise the booklet in the future, Mr. Katzenbach assured the Zionist-Revisionist leader, “be assured that your comments will be given every consideration.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
