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?Ht SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Friday, February 7, 1941 «
The Southern Israelite
Published weekly by Southern Newspaper Knterprisw. • Sulto217-218
Palmer Building. Atlanta. Georgia. Walnut 0791-07M. M. Stephen SchIffer,
publisher; M. S Miller, managing edttor. Entered nn Mcond cUss mBttrr
at the post office at Atlanta, Geori{ia. under the Act of March 3.VB19.
Yearly aubscription. Three Dollars The Southern Israelite Invites literary
contributions and correspondence, but Is not to be considered as sharlng
the views expressed by writers. All material should be received by Wed
nesday noon to ln*ure publication In Issue of that week.
General Assembly in Retrospect
Even as this is being printed, the last staff worker
is returning to New York from Atlanta and the vivid
gathering which will go through history as the eighth an
nual General Assembly of the Council of Jewish Federa
tions and Welfare Funds is at an end.
For three brief days the delegates listened to speeches,
asked questions, took notes and deliberated—that was the
formal General Assembly proper. But a General Assembly
does not suddenly come into being and as suddenly ter
minate. Months in advance, plans and factors which
reached a climax in Atlanta February 1-3 began to form
and as that designated time neared, the General Assembly
became nearer a reality.
As the time grew even shorter, the program was
planned and then printed, delegates left their homes as
far away as the West coast and traveled to Atlanta. The
dissolution of the United Jewish Appeal hurled down the
greatest gauntlet for the delegates, furnishing the basis
for a threatening break in the Jewish community.
And then the General Assembly was in full function,
its staff, local committees, visitors, delegates, attendants
occupied at the program while leaders formulated the ac
tion and ideas which emerged from the convention.
Was anything accomplished at the General Assembly?
Is anything ever accomplished at a meeting or conven
tion?
The answer might be in the negative if the convention
is isolated from everything that went before and all that
followed. Such however is generally not the convention
picture; to regard it thus would bo to sever the delegates
from the views and groups they represent.
From the general picture of the General Assembly
comes what can be termed pretty definite results.
Foremost was the dissatisfaction over failure of the
U. J. A. to continue this year and the pressing desire on
the part of most delegates for the agencies to continue
U. J. A.—if not this year, then in 1942. This indicated
a clear call for much needed unity in order together to
face the modern challenge.
Next was the decision precipitated by the question of
a national budget service and here council administrative
heads pulled a coup in submitting the budget proposal to
a referendum vote. This in a measure checked forces who
declared the Council Board’s approval of a budget system
had been reached too hastily. What is most significant
it gives the participating agencies the chance to consider
their attitude on the subject which admittedly will have
tremendous influence on future fund-raising in this
country.
From the General Assembly standpoint those two
situations—demand for unity and the budget referendum,
offer tangible proof of accomplishment.
Another approach to the Assembly’s value is found
in the exchange of ideas and impressions which grew out
of the general and separate meetings of the program.
There were great leaders and thinkers present. There
were significant discussions of pressing and far-reaching
topics and from these will emerge definite influences to
bear weight on the future of American Jewry.
From the vantage point occupied by this paper ap
peared encouragement and hope for the solving of major
problems and issues now facing us.
We like particularly the attitude of attacking those
problems directly, without subterfuge, the demonstrated
willingness to arbitrate rather than to be headstrong.
We are especially proud of the fine reception Atlanta
gave the Assembly and add our praise for the efforts of
local persons extended in making the event notable.
Full Fledged—and Only Sixteen
Sixteen years ago, a dozen men assembled at Ahavath
Achim Synagogue to begin an undertaking which surely
must have grown beyond their fondest expectations.
They felt that the community needed some way of
enabling the small man, the person just starting out in a
community, or starting life anew, as it were, to secure
funds without having to pay the interest demanded at the
formal institutions.
Result of the meeting was the creation of the Chevrah
'fehilim and Free Loan Association which for the past 15
10,000 on Way to Palestine, Dr. Joseph
Asserts at U.P.A. Meeting in Atlanta
Legal Advisor to Jewish Agency Informs Communal
Leaders and Social Workers that Mass Immigration and
Colonization in Palestine Is Solution to Refugee Problem
at End of Present War.
ATLANTA, Monday, Feb. 3—Dr. Bernard Joseph, noted Pale
stinian leader and Legal Adviser of the Jewish Agency for Pale
stine, today told a meeting of communal leaders and social workers
from every part of the country assembled at the Atlanta-Biltmore
Hotel that American Jewry must give its fullest support to the
$12,000,000 War Emergency Campaign of the United Palestine Ap
peal in order to make possible the mass immigration and coloniza
tion in Palestine of Jews from European lands at the end of the
present war.
Dr. Joseph, a Canadian who
fought in the first World War un
der General Allenby, flew 17,000
miles from Palestine to the United
States to enlist the assistance of
the Jews in this country for a
broad program of reconstruction
settlement and defense in Pale
stine through the instrumentality
of the United Palestine Appeal.
Declaring that even in time of
war Palestine continues to be the
foremost haven for refugees from
Nazi-dominated Europe, the Pale
stinian leader reported that more
than 10,000 Jews are now on their
way to Palestine from Central Eu
rope and from the Baltic and Bal
kan countries and that thousands
of others will enter the country
during the current year despite the
transportation difficulties created
by the war. He described alter
nate routes now being taken by
refugees seeking to reach Pale
stine. While no boats are now
making direct crossings of the
Mediterranean, small vessels are
being used which follows a course
along the coast to avoid enemy
ships and subarines in that region.
Special emissaries of the Jewish
Agency for Palestine have been
stationed in Turkey and other
countries enroute to help Jews
reach Palestine. Dr. Joseph re
ported that up to December 1940
more than 1,500 Jews from Ru
mania reached Palestine since the
collapse of the Rumanian Govern
ment and that 5,500 refugees from
Lithuania and other countries are
now in possession of immigration
certificates for entry into Pale
stine. Many thousands of others
eagerly await the issue of certifi
cates to them. Many refugees
have gone to Palestine from Lith
uania by crossing Russia and pass
ing through Japan. From Tokyo
they have sailed for Bombay and
then proceeded through the Per
sian Gulf to Iraq and Palestine.
Large numbers have used the
overland route through Turkey
and Syria.
Discussing the need for a solu
tion of the Jewish problem at the
end of the present conflict, Dr.
Joseph said:
“The world must make up its
mind once and for all that the
time has come for a radical solu
tion of the Jewish problem. The
persecution that Hitler has spread
has done much lasting damage. In
the new world order built on the
ruins of Nazism there will be no
place for the anomaly of anti-
Semitism and Jewish persecution.
There will be many hundreds of
thousands of Jews in Eastern and
Central Europe for whom a more
suitable home will have to be
found. There is only one country
in the world that can solve the
problem of the Jews and that is
Palestine.
“Dr. Herzl said that every Jew
ish immigrant takes with him his
anti-Semitism in his valise. There
is only one country where that
does not apply—Palestine. Only
when a Jewish refugee is settled
in Palestine is his problem perma
nently solved, and only by mass
colonization of Jews in our ancient
homeland will the Jewish prob
lem be solved. We must once and
for all make the peoples of the
world realize that the injustice
done to our people for so many
centuries must at long last be
righted; that we must be given
an opportunity of working out our
own destiny as a people in our an
cient homeland.”
In on the Know
LETTERS AND ART: David
Ewen, well-known writer on musi
cal subjects, has just published a
comprehensive reference book de
voted exclusively to modern vir
tuosos of music. . . The book, pub
lished by H. W. Wilson Co. in New
York, proves eloquently what an
important role Jewish musicians
are playing in our time. . . Of the
500 musicians reviewed in this
book, more than 150 are of Jewish
birth. . . The greatest representa
tion is among the pianists, of
whom forty are Jewish. . . Thirty-
eight Jews appear among the
world-famous conductors. . . more
than half of the violinists included
in the book are Jews. . . The book
also includes Jewish sopranos,
tenors, baritones, bassos, ’cellists,
clarinetists, harpsichordists, viol
ists, two piano teams, and even a
Jewish performer on the lute (Suz
anne Bloch, who is the daughter of
the famous composer, Ernest
Bloch). . .
A fine little book has just been
published by the Zionist Organiza
tion of America. . . It carries the
title “Undefeated” and is written
by Dr. Solomon Goldman. . . It is
dedicated to retired Justice Louis
D. Brandeis. . . The book contains
the complete texts of the three
most famous addresses delivered
by Dr. Goldman during the past
two years. . .
GENEVA (JTA)—The Nazi au
thorities in Belgium have expelled
some 40,000 Jews from Antwerp
and West and Blast Flanders and
interned them in concentration
camps at Hasselt in the Limbourg
province, it was reported here.
Courtesy, Th« National Jewish Monthly
Patriotism purchased with freedom is
the - chea pest defense of a nation.
years have furnished this particular form of help to liter
ally thousands of applicants, enabling them to support
themselves and their families.
Money behind the marble doors of formal lending in
stitutions is often too unattainable and sometimes a man
without means is a man without credentials to place in
trust, without friends to whom he can appeal for endorse
ments if he wants to secure capital and attempt tc estab
lish himself. Perhaps the sum he wants is too small for
a large institution to consider.
At first the Association extended only small loans
from $25 to $50. Then gradually this range was increased
and in 1940 aid was extended in 114 loans from $50 to $200
each and totalling more than $13,000,000.
Several of the recipients have been refugees.
Repayments are made in small bits, often as little as
fifty cents a week and Joel Dorfan, president, reports
that the annual loss is so small as practically to be dis
regarded altogether.
On February 23, there will be a banquet of the Asso
ciation to raise support since even with the praiseworthy
growth so far there is a limit on the number of recipients
circumscribed by the amount of funds available for loans.
If there were more money available, the scope of the As
sociation work would expand to include greater numbers
and with this in mind officers have directed an appeal to
the public for patron memberships, starting at $3 a year
for an active member, $5 for contributing members and
$10 and up for sustaining members. Oscar Gershon is the
^treasurer.