A Unique Burst of Giving

In Chicago a woman in her late 80s who lives in an old-age home contributed her entire savings of $100. In New York City a nurse walked across the street to the United Jewish Appeal with a $1,000 check from a patient who was waiting to be examined. In Paterson, N.J., a woman came into the U.J.A. office to say that although her husband had given, she was donating her engagement ring. In Miami 92-year-old Mayshie Friedberg spent 100 hours during the week selling bonds. In Portland, Ore., children went out into the streets to hawk buttons and bumper stickers proclaiming: LET ISRAEL LIVE! In Boston some 50 donors a day offered blood to the Red Cross, even though no plea had been made. Said Herb Seplis, bloodmobile coordinator: "There are rivers of blood if Israel needs them."

American Jews are giving as never before--their money, their blood and it may be, in some cases, their lives. No event since the Nazi holocaust has so shaken them, so convinced them that it is now or never for Israel, for Judaism, for themselves. "The Auschwitz theme is back again," says Marc H. Tanenbaum, director of the Interreligious Affairs Department of the American Jewish Committee. "The issue of Jewish survival is again at stake. You can't have Judaism without Jews. The war assumes a metaphysical importance beyond the importance of individual Jewish lives." Clifford A. Straus, who is organizing bond rallies in Miami, made the same point: "We're scared as a people. How many times can David beat Goliath?"

David is receiving Goliath-like contributions. Israel Bonds, which normally collects about $25 million on Yom Kippur, doubled that figure this year. Since the outbreak of war, $175 million has been pledged, of which $100 million has already been given in cash. At a meeting last week between officials of Israel Bonds and Israel Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir, a goal of $642 million was set for March 1974. The United Jewish Appeal announced a campaign to raise $750 million for Israel; the U.J.A. of Greater New York collected $25 million in one 48-hour period in the first week of the war.

Donations are running way ahead of collections during the Six-Day War in 1967. "It took us less than ten days to exceed by far the figures of the 30-day campaign for the Six-Day War," says Gerald Schwartz, a Miami fund raiser. "When word of the war came we went around much like Paul Revere, from synagogue to synagogue. By nightfall of the first day, we had over $1,000,000 in bond sales." In Chicago $20 million in bonds has been sold, or nearly four times the amount received during the 1967 war. Says Bond Chairman Harry Zaidenberg: "The mood among Jews is one of grimness and determination."

Rallies, marches and meetings are being held everywhere. In Los Angeles, 2,000 people turned up at the Century Plaza to hear their favorite Gentile champion, Senator Henry Jackson. The Chicago Civic Center was jammed with 5,000 people who applauded an enraged Mayor Richard Daley: "Go ahead, Israelites. Be sure to remove every Arab from the soil of Israel." The same night, 70,000 showed up at temples and synagogues for a fund-raising effort that included an appearance by Senator Edmund Muskie.

Younger Jews are lining up to go to Israel, where they will fill in at kibbutzim to release Israelis for military service. So far, some 350 people between the ages of 18 and 30 have flown from New York to Israel on charters organized by Sherut La'am, a department of the World Zionist Organization. "We have literally thousands of calls," says Nahum Remen, who is handling volunteers in Boston. "Some of the older people who call give me hell when I tell them they can't go." Volunteers are carefully screened by psychologists and social workers to weed out drug users and cranks. "We want to make sure they are committed to the Jewish situation and social justice," says Naomi Seligman, a psychiatric social worker at Brooklyn Community Counseling Service. "We don't want them because they are adventurers, although that may be a factor in the motivation of many acceptable candidates. I'm very impressed with these kids. It's good to see that there is still idealism."

Parents who only yesterday were worried about their kids' boredom and indifference are now frantic about their commitment. Alan Weisberg, 21, president of the Jewish Student Union at Brooklyn College, was urged by his parents to stay home. What about school, law boards, the danger? Replied Weisberg: "How can you equate a job or profession with the survival of the Jewish people and Israel?" Discussion ended. Stuart Rosenberg dropped out of Indiana's Earlham College to return to the country where he spent a year studying. "My going over," he said, "doesn't really matter a drop in the bucket, but ultimately I have to answer to myself."

While most Jewish groups were soliciting direct aid to Israel, others tried to bring pressure on the U.S. Government. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a registered Jewish lobby, poured out a stream of appeals by mail, telegram and telephone. Jews were urged to contact their Senators and Congressmen to support prompt military and diplomatic aid to Israel. Committee Chairman Isaiah ("Si") Kenen, known as Israel's man on the Hill, called a meeting of some 30 Jewish leaders, after which they urged Congress to pass a resolution accusing the Arabs of starting the war and demanding more military weapons to be shipped to Israel. To date, 67 Senators and 236 members of the House have agreed to co-sponsor such a resolution.

But lobbying was almost superfluous, considering the spontaneous outburst from the Jewish community. A Jewish leader in Washington had no trouble whipping up enthusiasm; on the contrary, he found he had to calm people down. "We had a delicate time last week," he admits. "People were getting hysterical. They were saying: 'The Russians are sending the Arabs everything they need. What in hell is this goddam Government doing?' I told New York not to get excited. I told them not to harass the Government. The help was coming. I sensed it."

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