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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspe f
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VOL. XXIV
ATLANTA, GEORGl
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GiNEflAl IIDRARY
MAY 1R 1949
A. J. C. Reports Suppression of Judaism
United Nations Votes
Seat to State of Israel
LAKE SUCCESS—Israel Wed-i
nesday night was voted member- j
ship in the United Nations at the
General Assembly.
LAKE SUCCESS, (JTA)—The J
United Nations Ad Hoc Political j
Committee overwhelmingly ap
proved Israel’s admission to the
world organization this week by
a vote of 33 to 11, with 13 absten
tions. Under the circumstances it
is considered a certainty that the
General Assembly will approve
the Committee recommendation
by the required two-thifds ma
jority. The Assembly is expected
to take action on the application
this week.
Just prior to the final vote in
the Ad Hoc Committee on the Is
raeli application, the members of
that body defeated a Lebanese
resolution calling for a postpone
ment of consideration of the bid
until the next session of the Gen
eral Assembly, in September. The
vote on the Lebanese resolution
was 19 in favor, 24 opposed, and
12 abstentions.
The United States was one of
the seven states sponsoring the
application. The other six were
Australia, Canada, Haiti, Guate
mala, Uruguay and Panama. The
negative votes were cast by the
Arab and Moslem countries and
India.
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Charges that “there exists a common pattern
of suppression of all independent religious, cultural and communal
activities” in the Soviet Union and thfe countries of Eastern Europe'
were this week made by the American Jewish Committee in a state
ment issued here. The A. J. C. also stated that the “attack hits Cath
olic, Protestant and Greek Orthodox, as well as Jewish, religious
communities, and their cultural and welfare organizations.”
Churches and synagogues may still conduct services, the Committee
statement said, “but religious ed
ucation is being abolished” and
“cultural and welfare activities
are being pre-empted by the
states” It added that “religious
groups are required to promote
Communist policies; their leaders
are chosen by the Communist
high command.”
Independent Jewish organiza
tions in all satellite countries were
closed down or forced to disband
“voluntarily," the A.J.C. charged.
It added, "Jewish schools were
taken over by the state, usually
.with promises that the Yiddish or
Hebrew language of instruction
Metals & Waste Group Upholds Past
Record; Pledges Total of $44,000
Sum Boosts Total
Past $500,000 Mark
Responding to an address by
Joseph Shapiro of Baltimore, the
Metals and Waste Division of the
Atlanta Jewish Welfare Fund
raised $44,000 at their trade din
ner.
This was the same amount
raised by the men present at a
similar function last year. It- was
a magnificent demonstration by a
group of sincere undertaking
Jewish business men despite a let
down in their particular industry.
The Metals and Waste industry
has been among the leading
groups of contributors the past
Mr. Shapiro, who is in the waste
business in Baltimore, understood
years nationally and locally. They
built a tradition of leadership and
giving. They upheld that tradition,
the tradition of giving of the men
present. He understood the fine
group of men comprising his
audience. He recalled to them
how last year he made his first
address on behalf of the UJA be
fore this same group here in At
lanta.
It was their magnificent re
sponse that gave him the courage
to undertake the arduous task of
speech-making and fund raising.
He admitted that their business
had declined. But the need had
grown and is nbw at its peak. He
Youth Division Workers
To Hold Rally Sunday May 15
Reports, assignments, education
al movies, talks, refreshments . . .
all this and more will be the order
of the day at 2 p. m. Sunday, May
15, at the Temple House for the
workers in the Youth Division of
the 1949 Campaign.
Charles Spielberger, General
Chairman of the Youth Division,
will preside. He will call for re
ports fro mall the workers in the
Advance Gifts and Organizational
phases of the Youth Division. As
signments will be made for neigh
borhood solicitation.
The workers will see the film,
“Homecoming 1949” which tells
the story of the DP and Israel to
day.
Refreshments will be served.
The goal of the Youth Division
is $10,000. Every young person in
Atlanta between 6 and 25 is ex
pected to support the 1949 Exodus
Campaign. Chairman Charles
Spielberger promised that every
prospect will be seen and given
an opportunity to participate.
Atlanta Jewry Marks Israel
Independence Sunday Night
Atlanta Jewry Sunday night will celebrate the first anniversary of
Israel—the world’s newest democracy—and her recent admission into
the circle of the United Nations.
The program at 8 p. m. at the Ahavath Achim Educational Center,
will be sponsored for the Jewish community by the city’s Zionist or
ganizations, Atlanta Zionist District, Junior and Senior Hadassah,
Masada, I. Z. F. A. and Young Judaea, according to Sam Levy, chair
man.
Feature of the program will be a dramatic skit, “The Living Link,”
written by Rebecca Bloom of Atlanta and staged by Zionist youth.
The presentation is a dramatized letter from an Atlanta girl to a
former friend, now a citizen of Palestine. The script relates how the
Israeli ideal and achievements have affected American Judaism.
Besides the skit and Palestinian folk dancing, the program will in
clude brief messages from these Atlantians; Sol Benamy, president,
Southeastern Zionist Region; Mrs. Joe Benamy, president, Atlanta
Hadassah; Dr. Alfred Weinstein, president, Atlanta Zionist District;
Israel Katz, national Masada president, Sam Levy and Sam Eplan.
asked that they forget 1949 profits
and give out of capital to protect
the large investments they had
already made In the future of the
displaced Jew.
William Breman, co-chairman
of the Metals and Waste division,
presiding at the meeting started
the ball rolling by raising his pre
viously announeed contribution
more than 50 per cent. An ava-
Henry Meyer, Jacob and Morris
Frank, Jake Butler and others
either increased their 1948 giving
or held the line.
Barney Medintz, General Chair
man of the 1949 Exodus Cam
paign, said, “This was the most
thrilling dinner so far in the cam
paign. The boys really held the
line. They’re a great bunch. They
topped the first half million.
They’re given all of us the inspira
tion to go into the second half
fighting all the way to the goal.”
lanche of giving followed. The
Rittenbaum Bros., Pinctis and
David Koplin, Max London and
Sidney Feldman, the Cohen fam
ily,Harry Moscow, E. D. Rosen-
feld, Sidney Gulden, Jess Berk,
would be preserved. Subsequent
ly, the minority language was
abolished, the teaching of Jewish
history and literature discontinued'
or reduced to a minimum, and
Communist indoctrination made
the main purpose of education.
Jewish welfare institutions, hos
pitals, orphanages, etc., were
‘nationalized’. Jewish relief
agencies, which had contributed
great amounts of money for re
habilitation, were closed down.
Many Jewish religious and civic
leaders were jailed or forced into
exile.”
In Rumania, the American
Jewish Committee report stated,
the “Union of Rumanian Jews
was forced to merge with a left-
wing splinter group, and after
several months to ‘dissolve volun
tarily.’ The Federation of Jewish
Religious Communities was taken
over, without the benefit of an
election, by a new, proCommunist
leadership! Sixty-nine elementary
schools and 23 Jewish high
schools, with a total of 13,000 pu
pils, were ‘nationalized’ in the
summer of 1948. Resistance
against the nationalization of the
schools was considered a criminal
offense; ‘illegal’ religious instruc
tion is now prohibited and' severe
ly punished. Religious weddings
and other rites are subject to
special taxes.”
“In December, 1948, after a vio
lent campaign,” the statement
said, “all Zionist organizations
w<*re forced to ‘dissolve volun
tarily.’ In addition, the offices of
the Jewish Agency, Keren Haye-
sod and Keren Kayemeth, the
Southern Israelite
At New Address
Offices of The Southern
Israelite are now located at
312 Ivy Street, N. E., At
lanta 3, Ga., and corres
pondence should be direct
ed to this address. Tele
phones remain unchanged.
fraternal organization B’nai B’rith
the Joint Distribution Committee,
the ORT, and the OSE have been
closed by the police. Even the
religious funeral society, the
Dhevra Kadisha, has been dis
solved by the government. Finally
the government has ‘nationalized’
256 Jewish charity institutions,
including orphanages, children’s
homes, medical centers, and old
age homes,” the reported added.
“In Hungary, leaders of the
community were jailed for offen
ses ‘against the dignity of the
state.’ In the 1948 elections of
boards of Jewish communities, all
independent groups were forced
to withdraw their lists; Commun
ist-dominated bodies were ‘elect
ed’ on h single ‘unity list.’ The
later developments followed the
Rumanian pattern. On March 25,
the Zionist Federation of Hungry
announced its ‘voluntary’ dissolu
tion,’’ the report said.
“In Czechoslovakia, Jewish or
ganizations were allowed to de
velop rather freely until the Com
munist coup in February, 1948.
After that everything changed.
The president of the Association
of Jewish Religious Communities
in Slovakia, Emanuel Frieder, was
arrested, as was the president of
the Zionist organization of Czecho
slovakia, Oscar Krasnansky.” In
Poland, Jewish institutions en
joyed a certain degree of freedom
for several years. Recently, the
Central Jewish committee was re
organized to assure complete con
trol by the Communists, the re
port stated.
Chief Rabbi Herzog in “Salute to Israel"
ISAAC HALEVI HERZOG, Chief Rabbi of Israel, Addresses the “Salute to Israel” meeting
of B’nai B’rith-United Jewish Appeal workers in New York City on May 3 on the eve of the
first anniversary of Israel’s independence. Also shown from left to right are Maurice Bisg-
yer, of the B’nai B’rith professional staff, Lawrence White and S. Arthur Glizon. Atlanta
Jewry will hold its Israeli Independence celebration at 8 p. m. Sunday, May 15, at the A. A.
Educational Center.