The Phoenix Jewish news., 1961-09-08
The Year In Israel
Eichmonn Trial Top Event:
3 Scientific Feu+s Scored
The Yeor In Israel
BY ELIAHU SALPETER
(Jewish TeIegraphic Agency

Traditionally, Rosh Hashanah is
the time for reviewing the deeds
of the year passed. Israelis, look
ing back on the IL months of the
Jewish Year 5721 will feel that
there is more on the credit side
than on the debit side of events.
This was the year of the Eich-
mann trial, certainly one of the
most important events, not only of
the past IL months but also of the
1S years that have passed since
establishment of the state. The peo-
pie of Israel, ever since their dis
persion after the destruction Of the
Independent Jewish State 1000
years ago, have been the passive
victims of persecution. This year,
for the first time, the Jewish peo-
pie are judging one of the persons
held chiefly responsible for the
murder of million Jews in Eu-
rope.
THERE WAS NO sign of hy-
steria or vindictiveness, only the
revival of the enormous feeling of
sorrow as witness after witness re-
called the horrors of the tragedy
that cost the Jewish people a third
of its members.
For Israel and the Jewish people,
and also for the world at large, the
importance of the Eichmann trial
soon became quite evident. 1t gave
to the young generation and to the
hundreds of thousands of immi-
grants from Oriental countries an
acute awareness of the holocaust
and strengthened the spiritual links
with the glorious past of the de-
stroyed Jewish communities of Eu-
rope.
ALONG THE borders and in the
political field, some rather omi-
nous clouds were gathering. Colonel
Nasser continued to obtain more
and more modern arms, particular
ly from the Soviet Union. Recent
ly he admitted what Israelis have
known for some time, that he al
ready has supersonic MIG-19 jet
fighters. Israel was doing its best
to keep up.
Israel also faces a major test at
the forthcoming General Assembly
of the U. NJ, when there will be an
extensive discussion of the Arab
refugee question. The mandate of
the U. N. Refugee Relief and Work
Agency expires next year and the
General Assembly will discuss the
fate of the Arab refugees. In the
last General Assembly the Arab
countries managed to obtain a ma
jority for an anti-ISrael resolution
on this matter, and only strenuous
efforts by Israel prevented the re-
quired two-thirdS majority in the
assembly. There is no doubt that
Arabs will make an increased eff
fort this year.
Israel reiterated its position that
it would not take back any Signifi-
cant number of refugees since what
has taken place since 1948 was ac-
tually an exchange of populations.
ISRAEL COULD take pride in
three significant scientific achieve
ments. Having learned of Col. Mas
ser's success in obtaining rockets
for high altitude meteorological
shootings from the U. S., and hav-
ing failed to obtain such rockets
from America, Israel developed it's
own high-altitude rockets. Israeli
scientists solved a most important
problem by developing solid-fuel
propellent from local materials.
The cornerstone was laid in Eilat
for the first desalination plant un-
der the Zarchin process which will
produce fresh water from S a
water at the lowest price possible.
And quite recently, Israel DEM
onstrated the first model of solar
power package which will convert
the energy of the sun into electri-
city by some entirely new methods,
making ii economically suitable for
producing electricity for isolated
areas