SERVING NEBRASKA, IOWA Vol. LXII No. 31
Omeha, Neb., Fri., March 30, 1984
By Congressman Tom Lantos Editor's Note: Congressman Tom Lantos (D-California) is the ranking majority member of the Europe and Middle East Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the author of H.E. 4877, the Jerusalem Bill to move the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The United States maintains diplomatic relations with 13G nations. In 135 of these countries, our embassy is located in the capital city. As a routine matter, when a capital is moved, we move our embassy. When the government of Brazil decided to move its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia, the United State moved its embassy to the new capital. When the government of Saudi Arabia, which until recently declined to have embassies located in its capital, indicated that it would like to have embassies in Riyadh, the United States government followed traditional diplomatic practice and began construction of an embassy building in Riyadh. This is as it should be. An embassy should be in the same city as the government to which it is accredited. ' In one case, however, our embassy is not located in the capital city — despite the expressed desire of the host country that this be done. Although Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, our embassy is located in Tel Aviv. The State Department — in a futile attempt to curry •favor with Arab state — has refused to move the embassy to Jerusalem and is vigorously opposing efforts in the Congress to do away with this particular form of appeasement. Refusal to move the embassy to Jerusalem has not accomplished this purpose, however. Prostituting our principles only backfires. The argument that the United State should not move our embassy to Jerusalem because the United Nations adopted a resolution calling upon member states to remove their embassies from that city is a farce. When the United Nations condemned the U.S. and called upon us to remove our troops from Grenada, the State Department ignored
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By Suri Wieselman Jacknis Lincoln Federation volunteer The Lincoln Federation is , hosting its annual dinner and meeting at the Cornhusker Hotel on Sunday night, April 1. Cocktails will be served at 6p.m:and dinner will follow at' 6:30. The meeting will be chaired by President Harry Allen and will include end of the year reports by committees as well as a current evaluation of this year's campaign. The guest of honor will be Allan Greene, executive vice president of the Omaha Federation. Mr. Greene will lead UB in a discussion about the possibility of an OmahaLincoln Federation cooper-
ation in expanding services to Lincoln.' The meeting will also feature reports on agencies funded by the Federation, including the Nursery School, Young at Heart, and the Community Relations Advisory Committee. This last committee will elicij;. community comments and feelings.on the issue of prayer in the Lincoln schools in order to clarify where our community stands. "We hope that, like our Shabbaton, which was wellattended, informative, and spirited, this event will-also be a very positive communal experience," said Mr. Allen. • The Lincoln Federation Women's Division held a special coffee at the home of
and denounced the resolution. Why then should we observe a U.N. resolution that requires us to violate a universal principle of diplomatic practice and affront our only democratic ally in the Middle East? Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since 1949. Even Harold Saunders, the Carter Administration's top Middle East official and an avowed opponent of moving the embassy to Jerusalem, recently stated, "Two Presidents of the United States, five Secretaries of State, and each American Ambassador have.done4>usiness with the Government of Israel at the seat of that government in west Jerusalem." No less a figure than President Sadat of Egypt addressed the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem during his historic visit in 1977. Moving the U.S. Embassy to west Jerusalem does not affect any of the issues surrounding peaceful resolution, of the Arab-Israeli conflict. West Jerusalem has been an integral part of Israel since 1949 and this has been recognized by all nations with whom Israel maintains diplomatic relations. • ' " • The analogy with East Germany and the status of Berlin is particularly appropriate. East Germany claims East Berlin as an integral part of its territory. The United States, however, does not recognize this claim and maintains that East Berlin and West Berlin have a unique status guaranteed by the four occupying powers — the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain, and France. Nevertheless, when the U.S. established diplomatic relations with East Germany, we located our embassy in East Berlin. At that time the State Department affirmed: "The United States Government proceeds on the basis that the locations and functions of an American Embassy in East Berlin, where it will be convenient to the government offices with which it will deal, will not affect the special legal status of the Berlin area." If we are broadminded enought to enunciate and observe this rational principle for dealing with a communist dictatorship, should we not follow that same rational principle in dealing with a democratic ally? ' The special status of Jerusalem as a holy city for. many
Mrs'. Dorothy Grant recently. The coffee was attended by members of the "Century Plus" Club of women who have been substantial contributors and vital supporters of the Lincoln Federation. -.. An open discussion about the participants' experiences of Israel engaged the group in a lively interchange which helped everyone present renew their commitments to Israel and the Federation, said chairman Marsha Plotkin. .. "We are pleased with the progress of the Women's Campaign and looking forward to an equally successful last few weeks of the Campaign," said Ms. Plotkin.
Rabbi Michael R. Zedek, rabbi of Con- Brooks, "and we will take a look at the fungregation B'nai Jehudah, Kansas City, Mo., damental theological and social hallmarks will he the guest ~~ ~ ~~~ of Judaism and Christianity. Let us talk to" getfierabout our theological and ritual praclecturer at the 44th ticesj their origins and effects on the current Annual Institute thinking of church and synagogue." on Judaism for the Christian Clergy at Rabbi Zedek will address the group in the Temple Israel on morning with his topic being "Back, to March 30, beginbasics . . . a study in Jewish-Christian rening at 10 a.m. ligious thought." This will set the tone for the afternoon study and discussion semiIn extending in' nars when Rabbi Zedek will lead one group vitations to cleron Ritual topics, and Rabbi Brooks will lead gypersons in this the other group on Theological topics. community and adDuring the Sabbath evening services at jacent areas Rabbi 8:15 p.m. Rabbi Zedek will oocupy the pulpit Sidney H. Brooks — ._ —_ at Temple Israel and bring a Shabbatmesstated that "it is Rabbi Zedels the 32nd. year it has been my challenge to sage to the congregation. The service is direct this Institute". "I would title it "Back open to the community. A special reception to basics . . . the real ones!", said Rabbi will be held following services. 1
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different groups should likewise not be an issue. The Israeli government — unlike the Jordanian government during its stewardship — welcomes people of all religions to Jerusalem. As President Sadat found during his visit to Jerusalem, Moslems are free to pray at al Aqsa and any otViei Mostero religious site in Jerusalem. In contrast, during 19 years of Jordanian rule, Jews were denied access to the Western Wall, their holiest of shrines. The area atout\d \\. NN&S a\lowed to deteriorate into a slum. Even Christian and Moslem citizens of Israel were not allowed to visit any of their holy places while Jordan controlled east Jerusalem. No w\e stands in the way of the Saudi king's expressed desire to pray at the al Aqsa Mosque. It is strange, however, that the Saudi rulers, who now seem so anxious to pray in Jerusalem, did not bother to go there to pray during the 19 years that the city was under Jordanian control. The Administration has sought to avoid discussing the merits of this question by arguing that Congress is exceeding its constitutional authority in expressing itself on the location of the U.S. embassy. While it is true that the Executive Branch is .charged with the "conduct" of United States foreign policy, Congress has a long-standing and universally acknowledge responsibility to share in the formulation of foreign policy. The Administration's consistent refusal to follow established diplomatic practice by locating of our embassy to Israel in a city other than the capital is a matter of policy — not conduct. Support for my legisjation (H.R. 4877) to move the embassy to Jerusalem has been totally bipartisan. My colleague Senator Pat Moynihan's bill in the Senate (S. 2031) enjoys the same bipartisan support. House Democratic leaders Jim Wright and Tom Foley and House Republican leaders Trent Lott and Jack Kemp are among the 180 current cosponsors of the Jerusalem Bill. The original Republican coauthor is Congressman Ben Gilman of New York. My colleagues Tony Coelho and Guy Vander Jagt, the chairmen respectively of the Democratic and Republican Congressional Campaign Committees, are also cosponsor• ' (.continued on page 5)
Happier times? The signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt brought together the Carters, the Sadats and the Begins five years ago — a milestone in Israel's history.
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There was not a sustained unified effort on By Yitzhak Rabi 1 NEW YORK (JTA) — A report to the the part of the Jewish organizations to save American Jewish Commission on the Hol- the Jews of Europe." Finger, and Rabbi Moshe Sherer, presiocaust, to be released at the beginning of April, concludes that American Jewish or- dent of Agudah Israel of America and a ganizations were faulty in their efforts to niember of the Holocaust Commission, also save-the victims of'-the Holocaust because told the JTA that a story in the New York they were not united. Times on the report was "incorrect," rfiainly The author of the report, Prof. Seymour because it failed to point out that the report Finger of the Graduate School of the City is not the Commission's report but a report University of New York and the Commis- submitted to it by FingerAccording to Finger, the main points of sion's director of research, said in-a telephone interview^ with the Jewish ' the report are that "Hitler was the arch Telegraphic Agency that "the American criminal who was responsible for the HolJewish organizations, fed, relatively little ocaust and that the Allied governments had power (during the HolocaUsJjtfEurope) but the power to do something to rescue the tbe$ did" try -to'^£^&§g||fe£hey I tried, Jews of Europe but were unwilling to divert (continued on page 5) but they were h a m p e r e U ! 1 S ^ J ^