The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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NEW YORK—I hope that all of us in the United States recognize the fact that Israel is the one state in the whole Near East that understands the meaning of freedom and democracy.

Great good could come to the people of that entire area if peace could be brought about between Israel and its Arab neighbors. For there is an organizing and administrative skill in Israel that could serve the Arab states well, and trade and neighborly contacts with the Arab states would serve Israel well.

It is my hope that the good offices of the U.S. would stress peace and cooperation in that area—a peace that can be attained only if there is recognition of the fact that Israel is here to stay.

These thoughts were brought to mind by the annual United Jewish Appeal breakfast I attended Sunday at the Grand Street Cooperative group here in New York. More than just a cooperative housing unit, this Grand Street project is really a complete community, with stores, a movie theatre, a library, etc.

The women there worked long and hard to turn their auditorium into a delightful restaurant, with every table decked with flowers and the windows and screens decorated, too.

Those attending the breakfast were there for a purpose—to help the people of Israel, and they did so generously. I was unable to stay through the entire period, but I could tell by the attendance and the warmth of feeling that Israel was well understood by these people as a necessary place of refuge.

There was another celebration of Israel's 10th anniversary in the afternoon, this one in the Polo Grounds. There the fates were kind, with the rain holding off.

The enthusiasm of the people crowding the Polo Grounds was real and warm. They appreciated the entertainment and the speeches were excellent. I think, however, that this stadium is not the most favorable spot for speaking. You get an echo that leaves you with a sense of not being close to your audience.

The previous evening I attended the American Jewish Committee dinner honoring former Senator Herbert H. Lehman. It was a happy occasion in which I was glad to participate.

As a celebration of Mr. Lehman's 80th birthday, it coincided with the 10th anniversary of the State of Israel, so it provided many opportunities for people to come together.

Many of us will want to send our deepest sympathy to Samuel Cardinal Stritch who, so soon after his arrival in Rome, has had to undergo such a serious operation.

It seems as though a single day cannot pass without a teen-age murder case being reported.

I am beginning to feel that it would be better to stop mentioning these cases in the newspapers and on radio and television. For many of these youngsters seem to think more of the publicity than they do of the serious consequences that follow their acts of violence. In fact, they probably do not consider the consequences at all and are impressed only with the publicity.

E.R.

(Copyright, 1958, by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, April 30, 1958

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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