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Palestine-born Prof. Judea Pearl leads 75th-anniv teaching about the UN partitioning British Palestine for Jewish & Arab states

November 29, 1947 the UN Gen. Assembly ratifies partitioning
British Palestine to establish both a Jewish and Arab state.

UCLA A.I. Professor Judea Pearl initiated a public U.S. commemoration of the 1947 U.N's Partition of British Mandate Palestine on its 75th anniversary. General Assembly Resolution 181h divided the geographical area west of the Jordan River into land for two states: a Jewish state and an Arab state.

The educational ceremony, coordinated with the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles, Rabbi Pinchas Dunner, and the Mensch Foundation's Steven Geiger was held with the participation of the Los Angeles Consulate Corps at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance.

Attending international diplomats from the Los Angeles Consular Corps (UAE 2nd from right)
join Israeli Consul General Hillel Newman (6th from left) and Rabbi Pinni Dunner (far right)

This documentary video was screened to explain the historic context of the declaration - including eyewitness testimony from those who were involved.

Dr. Judea Pearl, whose family resided in British Mandate Palestine, explains in this exclusive video interview why he feels 75-yrs ago today, November 29th, was so significant in modern Jewish history.  "It was the first international recognition of the right of the Jewish people to a state of their own. Here the word "State" is mentioned, unlike the Balfour Declaration, which mentions only a "Jewish National Home" and for good reason. There were only 60,000 people in Israel in the time of the Balfour Declaration - not enough to justify statehood. By the 1947, there were 600,000 Jews. The UN Commission could not say no to partition - for three reasons: First, the demography in Palestine. 



 

Second, the 250,000 Jews who were stranded in Displaced Persons' Camps. Third, the fact that Jews already had a state on the way - a medina ba'derech - a fully functioning state in Palestine - which impressed every committee that was sent to the area and made the idea of Two States as a viable option, ready for a vote. Without the last factor, they wouldn't have done it. That's why I'm stressing the role of the Yishuv - the Jewish community in the Mandate Palestine (pre-independent Israel) which called "the Yishuv". These these were the original Zionist pioneers who put together a state on their own initiative! Of course, with the help of world Jewry. They built roads, drained the swamps, created socialized medicine, built kibbutzim and moshavim, organized self-defense units, and established three top universities. I went to a high-school that was formed only one year before I enrolled!"


Jihadist-kidnapped reporter, Daniel Pearl

When in Jan. '02, Prof. Pearl's journalist son, Daniel, was kidnapped by Islamic terrorists, his last words "I am Jewish" shook the world.  Those words inspired a number of notable Jewish people to contribute essays about their identity for publishing in a book by that title.

Dr. Hillel Newman, Consul General to Pacific Southwest US addressed the UN Partition Plan for Palestine to the audience, which included community members, students from Shalhevet High-School, as well as his peers in the Los Angeles Consulate Corps. 

"The official recognition of the historical inherent rights of the people of Israel to their Homeland was at last endorsed by officials in the modern era. First in the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and then by the U.N resolution which are we are marking today. By that act, Israel was reborn into the family of nations. For that support we will be eternally thankful to the international community and those countries. We remember those who did justice unto us and justice unto history.
 

Well, we cannot praise the U.N for everything they do. In today's world the structure of the U.N does not allow impartiality and truth. The U.N suffers an ingrained majority-bias which expresses itself in resolutions against Israel in comparison" discrimination against Israel. If you just count the amount of resolutions against Israel in comparison bias is clear to see to all the nations of the world this bias is clear to see. Persecution of a Jew for being a Jew is . . .
Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez said himself that these actions are nothing less than modern day anti-Semitism. This is true. Classic anti-Semitism still exists and is even on a rise. Yet classic anti-Semitism - discrimination against the Jew for being a Jew - or persecution of a Jew for being a Jew - is in an anti-Zionism less-accepted today in official social practice. So many cloak their anti-Semitism in an anti-Zionism.  International Community including the . . . They attack the one and only majority Jewish state. We hope for the day when this bias will be eradicated from the world and no longer tolerated. My friends, when Israel was re-established it extended its hand in friendship and peace with the entire international community including the entire Arab and Muslim world Arab League endorsed its historical of Israel will find our hand extended in peace. Sadly,at the time this hand was rejected.

'Til today the majority of the Arab League and many in the Muslim Block in the U.N refused to even recognize the existence of the state of Israel. Yet the vector is positive. We have finally normalized relations with Egypt, Jordan, UAE (whose representative is here proudly), Bahrain, Morocco, and even with Sudan - where the Arab League endorsed its historical resolution of rejection of Israel. brought the votes to the world stage 75-years ago. There is a growing acceptance of Israel.

The biggest obstacle to peace has always been the rejection of Israel. Any country that comes to terms with the existence of Israel will find our hand extended in peace the same goes for Iran and the Palestinians. At this time, we should also remember that Israel's rebirth was of long labor. It was through the tireless efforts of individuals - Jewish and non-Jewish - from across the globe who never lost sight of the dream of a Jewish homeland and brought the votes to the world stage 75-years ago."

Israeli-American actor/director Mike Burstyn recites the context of the approval recommendation to separate the British Mandate territory of Palestine into two states – one Jewish and one Arab – with the city of Jerusalem to be governed by a special international regime. 

Steven Geiger, founder of the Mensch Int'l Foundation, reminded the Romanian diplomat of the Hungarian breeding  of Zionist pioneer, Theodore Herzl.  

Mr. Geiger spoke favorably of interfaith dialogue - and introduced Roman Catholic Reverend Alexei Smith.

At Museum of Tolerance ceremony, correspondent Scott Jacobs with fellow Mensch Awardees: Israeli Consul-General Hillel Newman, Israeli star Mike Burstyn, and Mensch Fndn Pres. Steven Geiger

Right Rev. Alexi Smith, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Officer of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles addressed the audience with the story of Angelo Roncalli (Nov 25, 1881 - June 3, 1963) who became Pope John XXIII between 1958 and 1963, recognized by many as “The Good Pope” and ultimately received canonizing by Pope Francis.
During the dark days of WWII, Roncalli felt the tragic plight of the Jewish people and set up working bonds with representatives of the Yishuv – the pre-state Jewish population – primarily with Chaim Barlas, who was then emissary of the Jewish Agency. Roncalli went out of his way to help alleviate the pain of the persecuted people. Without any instructions from the Vatican, he endeavored to facilitate certificates of immigration to Palestine. Roncalli also approached King Boris of Bulgaria, urging him not to hand over his country’s Jews to the Nazis. Thanks to his active help, Jewish children were transferred to their final destination in Palestine through Slovakian territory.

In 1947, following a request from Father Alexandre Glasberg, Roncalli met Dr. Moshe Sneh. Sneh went to the Vatican to convince its leaders not to interfere in the stance of many Latin American countries (deeply influenced by the Church) that otherwise were inclined to vote for the partition of Palestine in the UN, thus paving the way for the establishment of the Jewish state. Father Glasberg said that Roncalli had said to him, “Pope Pius XII had an excellent opportunity to atone for his lack of action during the Holocaust, and he did not embrace it.”

Eventually, Roncalli’s misgivings turned out to be unfounded, as most Latin American countries voted in favor of (or abstained from) UN Resolution 181, giving the go-ahead to the partition of Palestine and eventually the establishment of the State of Israel. In 1958, already as Pope John XXIII, Roncalli started a revolution in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jews, absolving the latter for the collective guilt of Jesus’s death.

On October 1, 1962, his successor, Pope Paul VI, closed the Second Vatican Council with the Nostra Aetate declaration, which was largely based on Roncalli’s doctrine, and opened a new era in the ecumenical dialogue. Among other gestures, Pope John XXIII ordered the removal of offending sentences in the Good Friday Prayer, which labeled Jews as “perfidious” and as “blind and obstinate for not recognizing Jesus as the Messiah.” He went further by declaring, “Whoever despises or persecuted the Jews, inflicts an injury on the Catholic Church.”
(Source: Baruch Tenembaum, Founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, in the Jerusalem Post.

1 comment:

DemoCaster said...

Looking at the newspapers from 75 years ago in the wake
of the UN Partition vote.
75 years ago: Jews in Arab countries in grave danger:
https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2022/12/headlines-from-75-years-ago.html
https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2022/12/75-years-ago-jews-in-arab-countries-in.html