Israeli Statesman Abba Eban at Beth El in 1974

Searching Beth El’s former bulletins, the Archive Committee recently came across accounts of a major historic event that took place at our synagogue. On October 20, 1974, Israeli statesman Abba Eban delivered a lecture at Beth El. Mr. Eban had previously served the State of Israel in several capacities, including ambassador to the United States, representative to the United Nations, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and was widely recognized as one of the foremost orators of his era.

Reprint of photo appearing in the November 1974 Bulletin

Israeli statesman and former Foreign Minister Abba Eban 
addressing a record crowd in Beth El’s Main Sanctuary on October 20, 1974.

Over 1,700 people, the largest crowd ever to attend a nonreligious function at Beth El, heard Mr. Eban’s address entitled “Prospects for Peace in the Middle East.” Before a spellbound audience, Mr. Eban delineated lessons learned from the Yom Kippur War, which had occurred only one year before.

Reprint of photo appearing in the November 1974 Bulletin
Beth El’s Rabbi David I. Golovensky (left) exchanging views with Mr. Eban

Despite the passage of nearly thirty-four years, it is striking how relevant Mr. Eban’s observations remain today. Mr. Eban described the problem confronting Israel as “‘classical anti-Semitism’ transferred from individuals as its target to a collective identity, namely Israel.” He argued that, unlike other international rivalries, where the two antagonists accepted each other’s sovereignty, the Arab world totally denied the very legitimacy of Israel and its right to exist in the community of nations. Mr. Eban also bemoaned the world’s dependence on Arab oil and urged oil-consuming western countries to develop alternative energy sources. Finally, Mr. Eban stressed the importance of both the American government’s support for Israel and Jewish solidarity worldwide, which he characterized as “ Israel’s secret weapon.”