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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry
Established I 92 5
VOL. XXII
ATLANTA. GEORGIA. FRIDAY, JULY 4, 1947
.GENERAL LIBRARY
JUL 7 194?
UN.r/;*nsiTY Of GEORGIA
No. 2T
Reform, Conservative Rabbis Consider Proh
Conversion of Synagogue Into Center
Urged at Rabbinical Assembly Parley
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WORLD CONGRESS
NEW YORK < JTA ) —A program
of action to convert the Conserva
tive Synagogue into a synagogue-
center to combat the growing ten
dency of large sections of the Jew
ish population to regard the syna
gogue solely as a house of worship
was outlined here by Rabbi Israel
M. Goldman, of Providence, presi
dent of the Rabbinical Assembly
of America.
In his presidential address to
the 47th convention of the Assem
bly. Rabbi Goldman said that the
rise of the Jewish center has weak
ened the role of the synagogue in
the community and has resulted In
a view of Jewish life as ethnic-
cultural in character, rather than
based on Judaism as a religious
faith.
Rabbi Goldman suggested the
following program to revitalize the
synagogue as a community insti
tution: Appointment of a com
mittee to formulate a pronounce
ment on the central. position of
the synagogue in American Jewish
life. Conversion of the synagogue
into a synagogue-center through
the construction of synagogue
buildings that provide adequate fa
cilities for meeting the varied
needs of the Jewish community.
Exansion of the synagogue staff
to include an executive director, a
director of Jewish education, a di
rector of youth and club activities
and a director of social and recrea
tional programs.
Rabbi Goldman reported that
plans were under way to convent
at an unspecified date a conference
of all national rabbinic and syna-
gogal bodies to discuss ways and
means of insuring the unimeded
progress of the synagogue. Such a
body, he added, could also study
means of bringing the Jewish
ohaplaincy under the aegis of re
ligious agencies, as Is the cause
with the Protestant and Catholic
churches.
A resolution supporting the
Stratton Bill was adopted by the
Assembly. The group also adopt
ed a resolution favoring the es
tablishment of a Jewish homeland
in Palestine and supporting the
demand for free H | ■
announced by Rabbi Bernard Se
gal. executive vice-president. The
move. Rabbi Segal said, is in line
with the Assembly’s policy to im
plement its national work on a
local scale. The branches will be
opened in Boston, Hartford, New
York, Philadelphia, Chicago and
Los Angeles.
Rabbis Israel Goldman of Prov
idence. R. I., and David Aronson
of Minneapolis. Minn., were re
elected president and vice-presi
dent for the coming year.
BUENOS A1KICS <JTA>— More
than 30.000 persons jammed
Luna Park to capacity at the
formal opening of the I.atin-
Ameticun Conference of the
World Jewish Congress.
Dr. Nahum Goldman, who was
the principal speaker, said that
concessions will have to be made
to secure a solution of the Pal
estine problem, but added that
the Y'ishuv is sufficiently strong
“to prevent the exclusion of
Jewry from the world's agenda."
»nce
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Opposes Released Time' in Public Schools
MONTREAL (JTA) — A state
ment expressing strong opposition
to “released time" by public
schools for religious instruction
was adopted at the 58th annual
convention of the Central Confer
ence of American Rabbis, held
here.
The statement emphasized that
"to participate in any form of co
operation of this type—mild or
even harmless as it might seem—
positively means to consent to a
compromise on the principle of
Last Minute JTA News Dispatches
UNSCOP REBUFFED
JERUSALEM (JTAI—Tile Pal
estine Government lias rebuffed
efforts of the United Nations Spec
ial Committee on Palestine to visit
the jails and detention camps in
this country, it is reported by the
Hebrew press this week.
The reports say that the admin
istration claims that the question
of jails and detention centers are
matters of internal security within
the sole jurisdiction of individual
governments, and that an inquiry
into the prisons is not included
within the committee's terms of
reference. Despite the govern
ment’s stand, several UNSCOP
members are continuing their ef
forts to visit the jails, the papers
add.
CASE DISMISSED
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The
United States Court of Appeals
this week dismissed the govern
ment's case against 26 men and
women charged with sedition.
Among the defendants were some
of tiie leading anti-Semites in the
U. S.
The trial, which opened in 1944.
was dismissed in the U. S. District
Court in Washington last Decem
ber on the grounds that the Jus
tice Department had not prose
cuted it diligently. The appellate
I court’s decision was based on the
same grounds.
_ immigration of ,
*»» Palestine. SPECIAL COURSE
The establishment of six region- LONDON (JTA)—A special six-
N branches of the Assembly was I weeks summer course foTjewtah
SCOPE OF EINSTEIN'S AUTHORITY CAUSE
students from many European and
other counlries throughout the
world will open at Brighton, a sea
side resort, later this month under
the auspices of tire Inter-Univer
sity Jewish Federation, it was un
announced her*.
UP GO PRICES
HAIFA (JTA)—A ten percent
increase in the price of petroleum
went into effect this week to cover
“large-scale destruction by Jewish
terrorists of certain oil installa
tions In Haifa," it was announced
this week.
YOUTH KIDNAPPED
JERUSALEM (JTAI—The kid
napping of a Jewish youth in Tel
Aviv this week and the attempted
kidnapping of several Jews earlier
highlighted the fact that the un
official police reign of terror is
continuing.
EX-MVPTI RECORDS
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The
State Department's documents on
the war-time pro-Axis activities
of the ex-Mufti of Jerusalem are
being examined and translated by
American - British - French teams
of historians and will be publish
ed at some future time, it was an
nounced by Secretary of State
George C. Marshall.
MEETING AT LAST
JERUSALEM (JTA) - Tht
Jewish Agency decide* this week
that the oft-postponed meeting
of the Zionist Actions Commit
tee wHI convene in Zurich on
Aug. 24.
the Synagogue Council for Ameri
ca for the ensuing year, it was
announced here. The Council is
composed of representatives of tire
Union of American Hebrew Con
i’legations, Central Conference of
American Rabbis, Rabbinical As
sembly of America and Rabbinical
Council of America.
UJA FIELD DIRECTOR DIES
NEW YORK (JTA).—M. Robert
Herman, national field director of
the United Jewish Appeal, and one
of the key figures in the organiza
tion’s current campaign for $170,-
000,000 for overseas relief and re
construction, died in Midtown
Hospital of a heart attack. He was
53 years old.
SCHWARTZMAN REVERTS
TO STATUS OF SCHOLAR ...
AGAIN—FOR SUMMER
Louis Schwartzman who as ex
ecutive director has sparked At
lanta's vital Bureau of Jewish Ed
ucation program tills past season
is turning scholar again.
Me has enrolled at Dropsie Col
lege for several post-graduate
courses from July 14 to August 15.
He will be away from his office
after July 4, spending a vacation
in Baltimore with his family be
fore resuming his studies. The
Bureau office at 44 Vi Marietta
Street wHI remain open in his ab
sence.
separation of church and state,
which may finally jeopardize the
very basis of American life, for no
principle is more fundamental to
the maintenance of a free demo
cratic American life than this
principle."
The movement in America for
creating good will between Jews
and Christians was reevaluated at
today’s session by Rabbi B. Bene
dict Glazer of Detroit and Rabbi
Alnahani L. Feinberg of Toronto.
Kabbi Glazer criticized the Jew
ish defense agencies for “compe
tition. conflicts and duplication."
He said that they are using “a
scare technique" for fund-raising
purposes and made "excessive
claims” of success in fighting anti-
Semitism.
His major criticism was direct
ed against the National Confer
ence of Christian!) and Jews. This
organization, lie said, "does not
involve Itself In any social action
and takes no sides on questions
which deal wittf legislative action
and efforts to eliminate prejudice
and discrimination, such as fair
employment practices, restrictive
land covenants and discrimnatory
quotas in our educational system."
Rabbi Feinberg agreed with this
criticism, but said that to be syn-
ical about the good will movement,
despite all signs of weakness and
omission, is "to acknowledge the
bankruptcy of prospects for a
healthy, extroverted American Ju
daism.” He argued that the good
will movement "embodies the hope
of constructive reapproachment
with Christianity."
The American Jewish Commit
tee and the American Jewisrti Con-,
ference were urged to meet Joint
ly "to the end that American Jew-
ry and other groups be united and
speak as one voice for all of Jewry
before the United Nations,’’ in a
resolution adopted here by the
convention.
The convention also adopted a
resolution endorsing the Stratton
Bill to admit 400,000 displaced per
sons to the United States. Another
resolution urged the National Jew
ish Welfare Board to set up a Jew-
(Continued on Page Four)
INQUIRING REPORTER IN ATLANTA
Palestine Conversation
Brandeis University Rift
NEW YORK (JTA).—The ques
tion of whether Prof. Albert Ein
stein should be given complete au
thority to select a president for
the projected Brandeis University
was the major cause lor the split
in the university's board, it was
stated here by George Alpert, pres
ident of the board.
The split resulted in the resig
nation of S. Ralph Lazrus and
Prof. Otto Nathan from the board
and in the withdrawal of Prof.
Einstein from the university’s
fund-raising foundation which
bore his name. These resignations,
Mr. Alpert told a press conference,
will in no way impede the prog
ress of the university.
He emphasized that plans are
being made to open the Liberal
Arts section of the university in
1948, with 500 students, and to
bring the total to 2,000 students at
the end of four years. About $2,-
000,000 in pledges have been se
cured up to now, he stated. Mr.
Alpert revealed that the Einstein
Foundation will be renamed the
Brandeis Foundation.
He said that the board of the
Einstein Foundation, without se
curing the agreement of the uni
versity's board, voted to authorize
Prof. Einstein to select a presi
dent for the university and sug
gested the appointment of Prof.
Harold Laski, British economist.
The board’s action, and particu
larly the naming of Prof. Laski,
was strongly opposed by him as
president of the university’s board,
Mr. Alpert declared, whereupon
Mr. Lazrus and Prof. Nathan told
the board that they must end their
association wiUi the university
The opposition to the appoint
ment of Prof. Laski was based to
a great extent on the fact that
Laski is not an American, Mr. Al
pert stated, adding that he would
continue to insist that the presi
dent of the university be an edu
cator of high standard; an Ameri
can, if possible; a person loyal to
the principles of American democ
racy; and a good administrator.
An Educational Advisory Coun
cil which will make recommenda
tions regarding the selection of a
president is now being formed by
Prof. Max R. Grossman, the uni
versity’s provost, Mr. Alpert an
nounced.
WISE CRITICIZES
“HURTFUL SQUABBLES”
AT BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK (JTA).—The
“hurtful squabbles’ that have de- !
veloped in connection with the
resignation from the board of di
rectors of Brandeis University of
Prof. Einstein, Prof. Otto Nathan
and Mr. Lazrus were strongly
criticized today by Dr. Stephen S.
Wise in a statement issued here.
“One may rest assured that
these eminent supporters of the
Brandeis University would not
have simultaneously announced
their withdrawal, if it had been
possible for them to remain within
it on the terms of self-respect,"
Rabbi Wise said. He emphasized
that “the association of the names
of Einstein and Brandeis was
freighted with finest promise" and
charged Mr. Alpert with “destroy
ing all that."
YIDDISH REVIVAL
NEW YORK (JTA) — The
launching of a drive to raise $1,-
006,000 for an educational cam
paign to strengthen and expand
Yiddish culture was announced
here by by the Organizing Com
mittee for A World Congress on
Yiddish Culture.
Cooperating in the committee
are the Jewish Labor Committee,
Workmens Circle, Jewish National
Workers Alliance, Jewish Writers
Union, Jewish Pen Club and other
groups. The funds collected will
be devoted to publishing Jewish
books and sending teachers to
Jewish camps and communities of
Europe which are being rebuilt.
RE-ELECT ROSEN6LUM
NEW YORK (JTA)—Rabbi Wil
liam F. Rosenblum of New York,
has been re-elected president of
The Palestine question Is pro
viding Atlantans with quite a var
iety of conversation material and
controversial opinions.
Here are results of interrogat
ing ten Atlantans selected at ran
dom from the list of Southern Is
raelite subscribers:
Mrs. Robert Travis, a prominent
figure in Hadassah circles, de
clared, “In the past I was In favor
of waiting until a Jewish state
could be formed as the Jews were
promised, but now the need for im
migration is so acute I’m in favor
of a just plan where Jewish immi
gration would be controlled by
Jews and they could develop the
land without artificial obstacles in
their way.”
“Palestine should be partitioned
into two separate divisions,” Mrs.
L. S. Horowitz said, “with the
Arabs and the Jews having Juris-
ATLANTAN IS PRESIDENT
B’nai B’rith Women Elect
District Grand Lodge 5 of wom
en’s B’nai B’rith elected officers
for the coming year at a conven
tion held at the Poinciana hotel
on Miami Beach June 7-11.
Those elected were Mrs. Louis
Piassick, Atlanta, president; Mrs.
Nat Levy, Washington, D. C., first
vice president; Mrs. Manning
Bernstein, Charleston, S. C., sec
ond vice president; Mrs. Irving
Becker, Miami Beach, third, vice
president; Mrs, William Black,
-Lakeland, Fla., treasurer; Miss Ed
na* Bloomberg. Washington, D. C.,
corresponding secretary; Miss Bet
ty Ann Weintrub, Miami Beach,
mailing secretary; Mrs. Jack Sha
piro, Hagerstown, Md., historian;
Miss Sara Grossman, Washington,
D. C.., counsellor, and Mrs. Joe
Goldstein, Galax, Va., youth com
missioner.
Supreme Council representa
tives include Mrs. Laurence
Koenigsberger, Washington. D. C.,
Mrs. Harry Gordon, Miami; Mrs.
Maurice Bisgyer, Washington, D.
C., Mrs. Joe Goldstein, and Miss j
Sara Grossman. They are all past
presidents of the lodge.
direction over their own areas."
One reader was rushing to patch
a bus and had no time to discuss
the matter. Another refused to
express an opinion.
Allan Salzman, a member of the
younger set, thinks that without
British interference the Arabs and
the Jews could live peaceably to
gether. “The Jews should keep
fighting for the principles of the
Balfour declaration and a Jewish
state," he said.
“The Arabs have been in Pales
tine longer than the Jews; there
fore, the country should be divid
ed between them equally." Mrs.
O. Lifchutz said.
Mrs. Joseph Loewinsohn feels
that the Jews should definitely
have a "homeland,” nevertheless,
the Arabs have a right to some
part of the country. Mrs. Loewin-
soim believes the land should be
divided but the governing power
should be in the hands of the
Jews.
“It is essential for Palestine to
be opened for displaced persons.”
Mrs. H. Cohen said, “The only way
the Arabs and Jews can live peace
ably together is if Palestine is par
titioned.”
Mrs. M. J. Daniels said that the
Jews should always hope that
something will be done, but at the
present time the problem doesn’t
seem to be any closer to a solution
,than five years ago.
Mrs. Nathan Goldstein stated
that the Jews are using too much
force. Too many innocent people
are suffering by the underground
movements, she believes. If the
Jews would only be patient, a Jew
ish state could be formed peace
ably in the near future.