The Southern Israelite. (Augusta, Ga.) 1925-1986, April 15, 1929, Image 11

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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) .1. P. ALLEN & CO. announces that The Beauty Salon Is Now Under New Management It has been newly equipped in the most modern manner, and will be known from now on as THE VANITY BOX, Allen’s Beauty Salon. Complexion Treatments will be an exclusive service in our Beauty Salon! Nowhere else in Atlanta can you obtain these I reatments, that may be anything from a soothing relaxation for tired muscles to a stimulating, youthifying process that awakens new beauty in your skin . . all according to your needs! Piero Paris Permanents another exclusive service that commends the New Beauty Salon to women of discernment. Attendants specially trained in this French process adapt it to the contour of the head and to the personality. The Contour Boh —seated in the most comfortable chairs you ever sat in, before a mirror, you see your bob assuming smart lines, under the clever fingers of one of our Contour Haircutters. A corps of these artist- craftsmen will be in attendance. On The Mezzanine