Newspaper Page Text
P« f e F our
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
The Southern Israelite
PublUned weeKly ov Ooutnern Nowhphpci Ericerpniieti. Inc. Suite
201-205 Glenn Building. Atlanta 3, Georgia WAlnut 0191-0792 M.
Stephen Bchlffer, publisher; Adolph Boeenberg. ^editor; Willy Pela,
ouMiieM manager Entered as second clan* matter at the post office,
Atlanta Georgia, under the Act of March 3 1879 Yearly subscrlplon,
three dollars The Southern Israelite invites literary contrlbutlone and
correspondence but la not to be considered as sharing the views ex
pressed by writers All material should be received by Wednesday noon
*r, insure publication In Issu* of that week.
*
A bout B 'nai B ’rith
Arrival of A.Z.A. members in Atlanta this week-end
for the annual District 5 convention is a timely reminder of
the many faceted program of B’nai B’rith.
The youn^ men will assemble from many southern
states—for a new-type convention, described by members
themselves as ‘‘the most complete” in the history of the
junior order in this region. Changes will enable delegates
to attend during vacation time, which means more delegates
can be present for the stimulating aspects of the program.
There hardly seems a period in the round-the-year
community program when the strong influence of B’nai
B’rith is not felt through the several aspects of its over-all
picture, which in Atlanta as in other cities and areas has
been replete this last season with glowing cause for praise.
We cite:
The stimulating and thought-provoking lodge meetings,
with the significant discussion group innovation.
The growing Hillel Foundation at Athens.
A.D.L.’s sustaining and long-range fight against subver
sive elements. v
The splendid youth organizations which have furnished
year-long inspiration for teen-age boys and girls.
Tlx* Auxiliary’s inspirational prison camp project,
baby clinic and Hillel Library projects.
The special services rendered at the Federal Prison,
Milledgeville and Gainesville Military Academy.
To the success of these projects must be added the
staunch support givert by the lodge to numerous community
movements. The leaders of B’nai B’rith are to be congra
tulated.
South American Jewry
OiiOi LUl A. VAAVAJ iiu
The immigration of European Jews to Latin American
countries during the last fifty years has wrought far-reach
ing changes in the economy and social customs of that con
tinent and in the lives of the Jews themselves, Ilya Trotzky
asserts in an article in the ORT Economic Review-—excerpts
of which follow:*
After Hitler’s accession to power the “once wide-open
doors” of the Latin American countries “began gradually
to shut, and in some countries access to new immigrants
was altogether barred. ... It goes without saying that the
Jews have suffered most. True, the Latin American govern
ments have emphatically denied any particular discrimina
tion against Jews. Argentina, Uruguay, Chile,, and Brazil,
claiming to be democratic, put forth the principle of equal
ity of races, nations and religions as a veil for anti-Jewish
immigration practices. On the other hand, Bolivia and
Paraguay openly admit that they consider persons of Jewish
origin to be undesirable immigrants, excepting those who
are converts to Christianity. Likewise Brazil grants a cer
tain preference to immigrants holding baDtismal certifi
cates . .
'. . . iii rtTgenuna, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile, thanks
to Jewish initiative, there grew up a whole network of in
dustrial enterprises. Some of them are still exclusively in
Jewish hands as, for instance, lumber, leather, and textiles.
Moreover, in Uruguay it was the Jews who founded the
tourist industry; it was they who a quarter of a century
ago opened the eyes of the Uruguayans to the natural
beauty of "their sea beaches an^ Hia national
economy . .
“In an etiort to make a livnig, .. . .mmigrants
were led to take a path that was in a sense pre-determined.
Rsai ' r ■ o c potentiality of the average con-
sun; - y v peasants, the Jews perceived
that they eou.d Win i. _i.. customers only by offering
them easy conditions of payivu:»t. . . . He, thd^ peddler, the
ambu’ int merchant, taught the South American peasant,
the gaucho ar-' to cloth*' feed *.*'4 fo h'niso
him:"
. _w'S, gi'»ng u’duc; anu in
dustry a powerlul impetus. W.iat the poor and backward
Eastern European immigrants had planted by dint of hard
work and untiring efforts, the new German immigration
developed and extended. ... Despite the untiring efforts, the
new Gentian immigration developed and extended. . . . De
spite the warmth, generosity, and hospitality with which
the Eastern Jews have received their exiled brothers from
Western Europe, so far it has proved impossible to achieve
a national symbioses.
“Only a sprinkling ot nauonaliy-minued, Zionist Ger
man and Italian Jews have found the path leading to their
Eastern brothers. The majority have remained loyal to the
assimilationist ideology. . . . They regard Nazism or fascism
as a temporary disaster. .. . Especially among German Jews
there are patriots who consider themselves the bearers of
Germen culture, who carefully preserve the purity of the
German language, and who expect the Jewish problem to
be solved bv assimilation or social recolution . . —BER-
.ARD LERNER.
Friday, June 27, 1947
Between
Us
By Boris Smolar
THE AMERICAN SCENE
The best answer to those ap
posing the passage by Congress
of the Stratton Bill to admit
400,000 displaced persons to the
U. S. within four years has been
given in Cleveland. ... At the
convention of the International
Ladies Garment Workers Union
there it was revealed that the
‘needle trade" unions, which
were established and developed
by Jewish immlgraatar are the
best unions in the United States
from the viewpoint of American
democracy. . . . They have had
no strikes since the outbreak
of the war. . . . They have se
cured a high standard of living
for their membership through
quiet negotiations. . . . They
have acquired tens of millions
of dollars in assets and in re
serve funds. . . They conduct
unique welfare programs for
their members, including sick
benefits. . . . They have accum-
V ??????????? V???
C* " s3
Quiz Box
° By Rabbi Samuel J Fox
v v ? ? v ? > ? y y v
y ? ? ?
QUESTION: What is the or
igin of the practice of Clreum-
elsion?
ANSWER: Whether the Jews
were tiie first people to practice
the ritual is rather questionable
in view of historical data point
ing to the practice of circum
cision in many primative cul
tures. The Jews are generally
regarded as the first to stand
ardize tiie custom into a regu
lated national procedure. Our
own sources for this custom are
tiie verses in Genesis (especially
XVII, ID that regard the matter
of circumcision as a sign of tiie
Covenant between the descend
ants of Abraham and G - d.
Kohler has gathered evidence to
show that circumcision in its
most primitive form was con
nected with marriage and that
the primitive societies gener
ally selected the age of puberty
for the rite.
QUESTION: What arc the
reasons and advantages of this
rite that make it so imperative
in Jewish observance?
ANSWER: We have stated in
answer to the previous question
that tiie Bible looks upon tiie
rite as tiie symbol of the Cove
nant between G - d and tiie
people of Israel. This seems to
be tiie basic Jewish reason.
Through the ages, however,
. (Continued on I“age Five)
ulated tens of millions of dol
lars for health-and-vacation
benefit funds, to which the em
ployers contribute. . . . Their ed
ucational and social activities
are superior to those conducted
by most unions in the country.
. . . They contribute huge sums
to various relief projects. . . .
And their relations with the
employers are normal and
friendly since tiie manufactur
ers are mostly Jewish immi
grants also. . . . Tims, they have
proven that immigrant workers
can lead tiie way for American
workers in making democracy
work. . . . Not to speak of the
oilier Jewish immigrants who
helped to build and develop
America s economy as employers.
. . . The opponents oLthe bill
to admit 400.000 displaced per
sons into the United States will
also have their fears allayed by
Secretary of State Marshall
and War Secretary Patterson.
. . . These members of the Cabi
net will testify at the Congress
ional hearing that U. S. econo
my can absorb tiie displaced
persons without any disruption.
TESTING LEADERSHIP
A large number of very inter
esting and encouraging devel
opments in tiie area of Jewish
community organization are
now taking place. . . . And they
are extremely well analyzed by
Herman M. Pekarsky, executive'
director of tiie Jewish 9ommun-
ity Council of Essex County.
New Jersey, in a paper lie pre
pared for tiie National Con
ference of Jewish Social Welfare.
. . . Communities are becoming
more and more aware of the
importance of a strong, effec
tive and responsible central
community instrument. . . . And
experiments point toward the
development of a representative
type of Jewish communal organ
ization which is in keeping with
the concept of democratic liv
ing. . . . One of the most im
portant features is the testing
of leadership abilities. . . . The
excitement of multi-million dol
lar campaigns in local com
munities has made more Jews
conscious of their communal
responsibilities. Pekarsky says.
... In every community, recruits
for communal work have been
obtained through the expand
ed fund-raising programs of the
last few years. . . . Their lead
ership abilities are now being
tested with a view of conserving
them once the appeal for over
seas funds is toned down. . . .
In the years to come, many of
these men will grow to be
leaders of local communities,
not only on the basis of their
understanding of overseas needs,
but also of local programs and
objectives. . . . That is one con
tribution of importance which
the United Jewish Appeal is
making to American Jewry. . . .
It also indirectly helps to train
young Jewish leadership. . . . Pe
karsky predicts that tiie day is
bound to come "when that taint
ed, naughty subject of national
advisory budgeting’ will become
a necessity in American Jewish
life" ... He claims that anarchy
exists today in the planning of
national services . . .
JFWISH CALENDAR
5707
TISHA BOV
Sunday. July 27.
5708
F.RFV KOSI1 IlOSHONAll
Sunday, September 14.
ROS1I HOSHONAH
Monday, September 15.
F.KFV YOM KIPPUR
Tuesday. September 23
YOM KIPPUR
Wednesday. September 24.
Capitol
Spotlight
By Beatrice Heiman
Publicly the Department of
State is stating nothing on Pal
estine. This policy was adopted
at tiie close of the special United
Nations session on Palestine,
reason given is t lie desire to af-
ford tiie UN Inquiry Commit
tee a chance to make its report
before injecting the views of a
UN member.
Privately, the subject is re
ceiving plenty of attention in
tiie flossy new building which
now houses tiie Secretary, the
Under and Assistant Secretaries,
JULY 4, 1776 -JULY 4, 1947
and most of the political divis
ions of the Department. One of
the more recent visitors to pre
sent the Arab viewpoint to Sec
retary Marshall was Azzam
Pasha, secretary of the Arab
League and the Arab Office who
has been in the United States
for three months. Brandies of
this latter organization function
in Washington. London and
Cairo, and new ones are sched
uled for Paris and Geneva.
South America may soon be
served with the possible opening
of an Arab Office in Brazil.
4| ,# * p Bl
"WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE
SELF-EVIDENT. .
Azzam Pasha, talking with re
porters before he entered the
Secretary's office, said that the
Zionis s were using the “senti
mental upheavel about the dis
placed persons” to further their
political aims in Palestine. When
he emerged from the £e re-
tary's high-ceiiinged office a
half-hour later, he said that Mr.
Marshall spent most o' his time
listening.
To .hose waiting in the re
ception room, the passing pa
rade can sometimes give a hint
as to what is under considera
tion on floor five. That is where
the Secretary and Under Secre
tary have their offices. It
caused a raising of eyebrows
When officials known to be
closely concerned with the ques
tion of displaced persons were
seen to walk briskly along the
corridor, at the s^pte time that
Azzam Pasha was in with Mr.
Marshall. There was even con
jecture as to whether these offi
cials might have been called in
to participate in the discussion.
But. since the Department is
working actively on the DP
problem, these officials were
more likely planning strategy
to persuade Congress to look
favorably on admissio i cf 400 -
000 DPs to the Uni e 1 as
proposed in the Str:
Secretary Marshall ..ad
an impressive array of Cabinet
members who are sceduled, early
in July to testify in favor of the
measure before the House Sub-
c : tie on Immigration. He
»u i.e joined by Secretary of
War Paitedson, Attorney Gen
eral Clark, and possibly Secre
tary of Commerce Harrimac-