YEHUDA ELKANA
apc RE Sar

—
July 31st , 1975

Professor J. Lederberg
1431 Pittman Avenue
Palo Alto, California
U.S. A.

Dear Josh and Marguerite,

It is summer vacation at the University and instead of a peaceful
research summer, the mounting tension in what is happening around Israel
is becoming so unbearable that some of it has to be shared with you.

Although I myself am torn between the hours spent in rriting a book,
which I am still trying to do, and being active on the Israeli scene this
letter will not be of the usual contemplative style, weighing of pros and
cons. I intend to talk with you about the pending U.N. disaster, and thus
my letter will strike a dissonant chord rather than a harmonious academic
argument. Since you know my other letters and my usual approach to these
issues, I hope I can afford to turn “wild" this time. Still, do not hesitate
to correct me if you think I am wrong.

Irrespective of what anybody open-minded and honest thinks about the
Arab-Israeli conflict - and I do take into account that a fundamentally
open and honest person can be, and is often pro-Arab - Israel's expulsion from

the U.N. is a-frightening crescendo towards a possible third world war
and/or a possible new holocaust. The meaning in legal and in moral terms
of such an expulsion is that international law, international sanctions,
the judgement of the world community is suspended on any issue which has to
do with Israel. It means that the Nazi strateqy to create a concept of
Mensch and Untermensch will now be legitimized. It means that whoever
and whatever wants to do to Israel provided the necessary forces available
is permitted to do. It is almost as if most irresponsible acts were invited
and encouraged. This has nothing to do with '67 or even '47 borders. This
has to do with the fact that the most moderate Arab leader, Sadat, at the
very same time that negotiations are being conducted which should lead to
peace describes Israel - Israel in any borders - as a"dagger in the back
of the Arab nation." What can we expect then of fanatics, like the King
of Saudi Arabia, recently adapting himself to the religious enthusiasm of
his predecessor , or of Arafat, not to speak of the admittedly non-moderate
Georges Habash et company. I do not have to tell you what the relations
between such a potential holocaust and a potential third world-war are, but
I do have to raise the following question. Is there not a contradiction
between the fact that I am appealing to all open-minded fair people
irrespective of whether they are basically friendly or unfriendly to Israel,
and the fact that I am talking about a Jewish holocaust. The answer to
this question is firmly negative. A holocaust, even if it does not lead
to a third world war but only to an "uneventful" annihilation of Israel
YEHUDA ELKANA

and its Jews is not a Jewish problem, is not on the level of being pro-Arab

or pro-Israeli, is not a question of borders or territories. It is a

problem of all open-minded and fair people in the world; even those who will

not acknowledge it to-day will carry the moral burden of it for generations,
just as it is a problem for all of us that the atrocities of Biafra, Uganda: and
Bangla-desh could have taken place. To those of you or to those whom you will
hopefully approach, and who may say that this approach is hysterical, since
surely the Arab nations mean the expulsion of Israel just as a punishment
exercise, and being keen on their own economic development they do not mean what
they say in their hot-headed rethoric, I am afraid that the only answer could

be historical; invoking history is not a watertight argument : I recall Gertrude
Stein's famous quote "let me recite to you what history teaches : history
teaches". Yet, how many people took Hitler's "Mein Kampf" seriously? Even in
1940-41 the open-minded fair people, many among them Jews- at least those who
were still alive - had the same tolerant disbelief of what was coming. I do not
think that I am too emotional about it; having been through concentration camps
I travel in Europe everywhere and I do not even ask about every German of fifty
or more ,"Wwhat did he do in the war ?". 1 certainly do not share George
Steiner's thesis that there is a pagan undercurrent in vorld culture which
calls for the ever-renewed destruction of the Jews. What I sense is an immediate,
possible and real danger. We, the "doves" in Israel - you know I am one of

them - often use the argument that Israel should meet Sadat more than half way,
because even if he doesn't really mean peace now, the very dynamics of the
process , if it starts once, can turn the tide to the better. But the same
argument works in the other direction too. Even if possibly the Arabs are not
planning a holocaust now, the dynamics of the process once it starts by
stigmatizing the Israelis as "different", as non-people to whom international
law does not apply, can turn the tide to this way.

My-our-pleas to you is to approach your governments, parliaments and
congress, civil-servants, media, academic friends and the general public, with
the demand that if Israel is expelled from the U.N. your governments leave
unconditionally the U.N. immediately; let it become clear that the U.N. has
lost its meaning ; let Idi Amin and Arafat have their own private party. This
will have enormous impact, even beyond the financial collapse of the U.N. ,
for it will be a moral collapse; but more than that, it will prevent the
creation anew of the concept of the Untermensch to whom the laws of the others
do not apply. In addition call on yourhistorical and legal resources to remind
your governments and media of what happened betreen the demise of the League
of Nations and the horrors of Hitler.

But in order to conclude on a lower key : some of you may think that
this is a political issue which has nothing to do with academics ; that when
you intervened in the Unesco affair it was in order to prevent politization of
Unesco and it vas not a political intervention on your part. To those of you »
I say: this is not a political matter. On the immediate level itis an attempt
YEHUDA ELKANA 3

to prevent a disaster which is beyond politics. On the abstract level

it is an attempt, again apolitical, to save the universal character
of the United Nations.

This letter was.not easy to write. Forgive me.

Your
Yelrucka
ee yu SFeey ' .