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Page 11
The Southern Israelite
A physician sends me the following:
' Pear Mr. Joseph:
“Your recent comment on the
Gottheil Medal Award of the Zeta
Beta Tau fraternity occasions this
letter. It may interest you to
know that the Phi Lambda Kap
pa fraternity, a strictly Jewish
medical fraternity embracing 40
chapters and 1,100 members,
awards each year a medal to the
Jewish man of medicine who con
tributes to or rather has accom
plished the greatest advancement
in scientific medicine for the pre
ceding year. I>ast year Dr. Solo
mon Solis-Cohen of Philadelphia,
was awarded the honor. The next
award will be made in Pittsburgh
in December. You may also be
interested to know that our fra
ternity is a combination of the old
Aleph Yudh He and the Phi Lamb
da Kappa. All you have to be
to become a member is to be a
Jewish student in any Class A
Medical School. To my knowl
edge ours is the only Jewish fra
ternity in the country, and
strangely enough I feel rather
proud of it!”
I am inclined to think that my cor
respondent is going to be challenged
in his statement that the Phi Lambda
Kappa is the only Jewish fraternity
in the country.
Just after I had written the fore
going paragraph I received another
letter from a physician in Philadel
phia calling my attention to the an
nual medal award by the Phi I^ambda
Kappa and suggesting that it is an-
nther evidence of a desire on the part
of a national Jewish fraternity to do
something more useful than being just
socially ornamental.
Here is a communication from the
Secretary of Temple B’nai Israel, of
McKeesport, Pennsylvania. It shows
evidence of goodwill and the case in
point is quite unique. I am sure both
Jews and Christians will find the fol
lowing incident of interest:
“My dear Mr. Joseph:
“Last Sunday morning—Easter
Sunday—our Rabbi, Dr. Isadore
Rosenthal, having been tempted
by the beautiful Spring weather,
was out for a walk in our resi
dential hill district. When pass
ing the First Methodist Episcopal
( hurch, the largest in the city,
he noticed a crowd entering for
the Faster service. As he had not
been inside of a church for more
than 20 years, curiosity impelled
him to enter, and being ushered
to a seat, apparently unknown to
anyone, sat there quietly during
the service listening to the beau
tiful music and the eloquent ser
mon delivered by Reverend L. D.
Spaugy. You can well imagine
his surprise and consternation
when just before the conclusion
of the service, Reverend Spaugy
arising to give the benediction,
said, ‘If I am not mistaken, I see
Dr. Rosenthal of Temple B’nai
fael in the audience. Will he
kindly step up and deliver the
benediction?’ There was created
a spectacle perhaps unique in the
world of a Jewish rabbi delivering
the benediction in a Christian
church on Easter Sunday. ‘It was
a gripping experience and thor
oughly appreciated,’ as Rabbi
Rosenthal puts it, a manifestation
of goodwill and fellowship. Inci
dents like these touch the heart
and go a long way towards mak
ing all religious kin.”
“I am sure that you, to whom
all people carry grievances, will
be pleased to hear of such an in
stance of good fellowship.
Verv truly yours,
TEMPLE B’NAI ISRAEL,
Harriet Gene Farkas, Secy.”
A reader writes to ask if I think
that anti-Jewish feeling in this coun
try is decreasing. Well, there are so
many angles to that question that it
is difficult to answer “Yes” or “No.”
In my judgment social discrimination
is on the increase to an alarming ex
tent. It is really becoming irksome for
a sensitive Jew to travel. Wherever
he goes he finds evidence of intense
anti-Jewish feeling. And only if he
has the hide of a rhinocerous is he
able to ignore the slings and arrows
of prejudice. The situation in the
South during the winter months is be
coming increasingly serious. Hotels
are shutting their doors in the faces
of Jewish applicants. Apartment
houses go so far as to have one price
for non-Jews and a higher price for
Jews—a hint that is as forcible as the
kick of a mule. There is another place
where anti-Jewish feeling exists hut
because of the public nature of the
enterprise it is kept carefully under
cover and at this time I have no desire
to bring it in the open. If I were to
do it, it would make a great many of
our people quite uncomfortable and
deprive them of a certain amount of
pleasure. In this case where ignor
ance is bliss it would indeed be folly
on my part to put them “wise.” In
all my years of journalistic experi
ence I have never known anti-Semi
tism in a social way to be as boldly
displayed as at the present time. I
could write a great deal more on the
subject but it would lead to an endless
controversy and if I spoke my mind,
I would probably have to flee the
country to save the peace of that very
mind.
I cannot publish the letter I re
ceived from Dr. Louis C. Stern, of
Sauk Center, Minn., because I feel it
is a bit too intimate to be spread be
fore the hundreds of thousands of
readers of RANDOM THOUGHTS.
But I do want to take the opportunity
publicly to express my appreciation of
the friendliness of his letter, and to as
sure him that I appreciate the confi
dence he places in me. There is noth
ing that gives me quite the satisfac
tion or more completely compensates,
me for the time and labor spent on
this column than to know how many
thousands of Jews scattered over the
country feel that I am a friend though
I probably will never have the oppor
tunity to meet them personally. But
their letters are most welcome even
though they be freighted with their
problems.
Here come a letter from the Chair
man of the Social Service Committee
of District Grand Lodge No. 3 Inde
pendent Order B’nai B’rith:
“Dear Mr. Joseph:
“I note your statement in a re
cent issue of the Philadelphia
“Jewish Times” suggesting that
the dedication of a chapel at the
Ohio State Penitentiary by the
B’nai B’rith was the second of the
kind in the country. May I in
form you that a Jewish chapel
was erected under the auspices of
the B’nai B’rith Council of Phila
delphia, at the Eastern State Pen
itentiary some nine years ago.
And that under the auspices of
the Pittsburgh Lodge a chapel
was dedicated five years ago at
the Western State Penitentiary
(Continued on page 15)
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