World, National News Dominates Cover
The Suez Crisis (or Sinai War) was still more than five years in the offing, but the July 20, 1951 Jewish Exponent led with a wire service story about ongoing problems at the Suez Canal.
Israel was asking the U.N. Security Council to meet to discuss its complaint about an Egyptian blockade of goods bound for the country.
Abba Eban, Israel’s permanent delegate to the United Nations, said the blockage violated international law, including the Suez Canal Convention of 1888 and the Egyptian-Israel General Armistice Agreement.
Eban said the most serious action undertaken by the Egyptians was halting tanker traffic bringing crude oil to refineries in Haifa; he said 52 tankers had been blacklisted, which he called a “piratical act.”
The Suez news was part of a cover dominated by wire service copy: Six of the seven articles were from JTA.
Those articles included reports of Jews in Budapest being deported; communists — called “Reds” in the headline — instigating a brawl in Tel Aviv; $23.5 million in foreign aid for Israel awaiting the approval of Congress; criticism of U.S. Zionist leaders; and a New York court upholding the constitutionality of a New York City program allowing public school children to be released from classes for an hour per week for outside religious instruction.
The lone local article announced the naming of pension plan consultant Paul Rosenbaum as chairman of the Exposition Committee for the Golden Anniversary Exposition of the Federation of Jewish Charities.
