Oregon daily emerald., October 22, 1973, Page 7, Image 7

Israel was vulnerable to
attack, says columnist
‘ ‘There is no need for a nation to survive if there
are no people,” said Dr. Ralph Kaplan, a foreign
affairs analyst, in a speech at the Temple Beth
Israel, Thursday on the celebration of the Jewish
holiday—Simchas Torah.
Kaplan, a syndicated columnist and former
College Dean at Tel Aviv University, advocated
support for the Israeli people: Israel is a very small
country, but it is situated in a very important
location, especially because of the Suez Canal. It
has had to defend itself against attack in the war of
1967 and again in 1973 because of this reason. For
example: A Russian oil tanker now must travel 60
days by the Persian Gulf to reach its destination,
where it would take only 12 days if they had the use
of the Suez Canal.”
/ ‘‘The war was begun by the Arabs with perfect
timing,” stated Kaplan. He went on to explain that
‘‘fighting began on the Jewish holiday, which is a
day where the Jews ask forgiveness and forgive
others. Only a small force was assembled for
protection because of this holy day.” Israel had also
planned a hotly contested election to take place at
the end of the month.
It was also harvesting time in Israel, which can
give an advantage to any country that attacks at
that time. The fighting in the Mideast began at a
time when the United Nations was in recess, and the
United States was preoccupied with Watergate and
Agnew. ‘‘Israel was in a poor position to be at
tacked, and the Arabs took advantage of this
situation,” said Kaplan.
‘‘Israel is a nation that stands alone. It has no
pacts, no treaties or alliances with any other nation
in the world,” he noted. “Israel does not even have a
defense pact with anyone else in the world. For
tunately, the interests of the U.S. run parallel with
Israel.”
Kaplan also stated: that the United Nations is a
forum which is “deaf on Israel. There are 15
members of the Security Council, five of which are
permanent members. It takes two permanent
members to have the power of veto, which includes
the countries of Russia and China. Seven members
of the Security Council refuse to acknowledge that
Israel exists. Israel’s only friend in the United
Nations is America. America itself canjot do
anything positive in the forum, it can merely soften
the blow.”
Israel remains alone, with its people in poor
financial straits, due to the war in 1967. That war
placed a great financial burden on the people. The
taxes placed on the Israelis to pay war damages is
extremely high. A man making $720 a month, comes
home with $220 after taxes.
“The cost of one jet engine is equal to the cost of
constructing a 35-50 unit apartment building,” said
Kaplan. “One battery of air missiles is equal to the
cost of 6000 college students’ education up to a
bachelor’s degree. Women and children are star
ving because there is no one to work in the fields or
the factories. We must realize that one third of the
population of Israel are immigrants and came to the
country destitute; yet at the same time they have to
maintain the most destructive war in history. Never
has so much been destroyed in so short a period of
time.”
Kaplan stated that 1200 lives have been lost in
this war,which is proportional to 120,000 lives in the
United States. Furthermore, 15,000 have been
wounded, which is proportional to 1,500,000 lives in
the United States. “If that ever happened in the
United States, we would have civil war,” said
Kaplan.
Simchas Torah was not celebrated in Israel
because of the war that is now raging. Kaplan
pleaded for financial support to the Israelis to help
“curb the heartache of death, injury, and starvation
among loved ones of the Jewish people.” He said:
“They are your brothers. And they have never •
needed your help more. For, if Israel does not come
out of this war in one piece—she won’t come out at
all.”
Kaplan fought as an officer in the Israeli War of
Independence in 1948. He lost his entire family and
many close relatives in World War II.
Read the Oregon Daily Emerald
WiVWKw
No/ jo long ago
at the U of O
By JOYCE BOLES
Of the Emerald
•imv.w.mv.v.v.v.'
These nuggets were mined from back issues of the
8 EMERALD.
This week in 1928: An organization called the Eugene
| Federated Church Brotherhoods made its first moves to deprive
S students registered to vote in Eugene of their franchise. A major
| issue in the upcoming elections was whether to permit the
£ showing of movies on Sundays in Eugene. Hie Emerald
i: editorialized that the “ministers” might be afraid the numerous
•: student voters would pass the measure. Hie legal issue was the
•; definition of “place of residence.” ...Also that week, a
£ University student received two post-cards from Germany
> which had traveled via the Graf Zeppelin on her maiden flight,
ij The Emerald took note of the postmarks and the several days
£ less the mailing took during this, “the first time regular mail
* has been carried across the Atlantic via the air route.”
This week in 1937: Masses of triumphant Beavers from
* Corvallis, having beaten the Ducks at their own homecoming
game, swarmed into Eugene to “lord it over the vanquished” on
:j: the Monday after the game. A contingent of sheriff’s deputies
met the Beavers outside of Eugene to warn them “no rough
stuff.” More than 50 Beavers were trapped in Seymour’s
!• Restaurant on Willamette St. About 200 Beavers were
‘‘millraced.” All intersections around the campus were blocked
< as the Oregon Ducks searched passing cars for Beavers. Law
students repelled “the invaders” with fire hoses at the corner of
; Thirteenth and Kincaid. Students on both campuses were
>: forgiven by their deans for violating the curfews and skipping
classes.
This week in 1946: The State Board of Higher Education
:•! voted to establish separate graduate schools at both OSC and
:j UO. ...“The purpose of a University,” opined the Emerald, “is
to develop each student’s personality to an extent where he can
:j adjust himself to the problems of living.” ...“Women are never
■: more lovable,” mused the editor the same week, “than when
•i they are ‘feminine,’ and many a man is made ill by indications
of their becoming less so.”
This week in 1956: A discemibly conservative Emerald
endorsed Eisenhower for president over Stevenson, conceding,
however, that “Both candidates for President are basically high
class men.” ...During this week, the Hungarian Uprising then at
its height got about 12 column inches in the Emerald. Contests
for Sweetheart of Sigma Chi and Homecoming Queen got,
between them, about 145 inches, a difference that may be
construed as indicative of where college students’ interests lay.
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