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p*f« Four
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Friday, June 10, 1949
Th« Southern Israelite
Published weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, Inc., 312
Ivy Street. N. E., Atlanta 3, Georgia. WAlnut 0791-0792. M.
Stephen Schiffer, publisher; Adolph Rosenberg, editor; Willy Pels,
business manager. Entered as second class matter at the post of
fice,Atlanta, Georgia, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Yearly
subscription, three dollars. The Southern Israelite invites literary
contributions and correspondence but is not to be considered as
sharing the views expressed by writers. Deadline is 9:00 a. m.
Wednesday but material received earlier will have a much better
chance of publication.
A Welcome Move
Decision of the directors of the Council of Jewish Fed
erations and Welfare Funds to extend its Institute on
. Overseas Studies through 1950 is a welcome one.
The Institute has already rendered splendid service
through its keen analysis and reporting on the validity of
overseas claims and conditions. In the report on the In
stitute's achievements since it was begun in 1947, the fol
lowing aspects were spheres of influence in which part
was taken: securing refunds from the International Re
fugee Organization to Jewish agencies for costs of trans
porting DP’s to Israel, reducing multiple campaigns,
eliminating mass commodity drives, revision of land pur
chase policies in Israel, pointing up areas of duplication
in overseas emigration services, and analyzing overseas
budgets.
For the balance of 1949 and 1950, the Institute program
will be geared to three main phases: 1. To report objec
tively to communities on the needs, fiances, programs,
and relationships of overseas agencies; 2. To make sugges
tions on policies and programs to the overseas organiza
tions; 3. To suggest means by which inter-governmental
agencies can give aid to the Jews needing assistance in
Europe and in Israel.
A change in fund-raising philosophy can be expected in
American communities within the next few years and
it is well to have the soundness of the Institute reports to
aid in charting new courses of planning and action.
Qive Israel ‘Religion Time
Guest Editorial
Many persons are prematurely disturbed about religion
in Israel. Our learned colleague, William Zukerman,
writes as if Israel is irrevocably destined to be a Theo
cracy because of the insistance of the Rabbis on religious
observance in public institutions and because of Rabbini
cal supervision over marriage, divorce and matters of
the family. Another eminent colleague, Robert Gamzey,
editor of that excellent newspaper, the Intermountain
Jewish News of Denver points out that there is little re
ligious observance in Israel outside of the orthodox set
tlements and centers. One naturally expects that a Jewish
State in the ancient Homeland would retain certain
religious controls in addition to nationalistic observance
of the festivals. The Sabbath must inevitably be respected
ir\ a Jewish State and some Rabbinical control over family
subjects is to be expected. Yet, it should not be assumed
that the Rabbis are so dominant in the political field that
Israel will be turned into a nation of medievalists and
fanatics. Rabbinical spokesmen agree that there will be
alterations consistent with the needs of our age.
In this issue, we have a statement of Premier Ben Gur-
ion's recognizing the spiritual significance of the preser
vation of religious tradition. His labor party, he said,
would have insisted on Kashruth in public institutions
and a strict observance of the Sabbath by governmental
departments and officials even had the Rabbis never de
manded it. Ben Gurion is well aware of the fact that Is
rael, too, is a melting pot; that it is in a critical stage of
change and flux. Out of the amalgam of Israel’s new
people and ideas, out of the experiences of Statehood, out
of respect for the beautiful and rational in tradition and
the rejection of the inconsistent will come a practice of
Judaism in Israel that will not disturb our brethren here.
—From DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE.
MAX KUN1ANSKY
Worker of the Week
Max Kuniansky has been selected Worker of the Week for the At
lanta Jewish Welfare Fund 1949 Exodus Campaign.
Mr. Kuniansky is chairman of the Construction industry which to
date has reported an increase over 1948. Cards representing $26,000
in this industry in ’48 pledged $27,000 in 1949.
PANORAMA by David
Rabbi Wise-
Something which I wrote
Dr. Wise was, I believe, one of
the last things to receive his
attention. I had recalled a story
of a visit once paid to Sigmund
Freud by Dr. Wise, and he sent
a note correcting the story in
some minor details.
That story, as some readers
may recall, told of a question
put to Wise by Freud, to wit:
“Whom do you regard as the
four greatest living Jews?”
“Well,” Wise replied, “I
would put you. Dr. Freud, and
Einstein as the first two, and as
for the second two, I think I
would name Weizmann and
Brandeis.”
To which Freud returned,
"And what about yourself. Dr.
Wise ”
“Oh, no, no, no, no,” thun-
dred Dr. Wise.
“I think you protest too
much,” commented Freud.
Dr. Wise, telling the story,
added: “So you see, I got a free
psychoanalysis from the master
himself!”
And so, perhaps, it was. But
it was also something of an
analysis of Dr. Freud, too. The
fact that Freud put this ques
tion to Dr. Wise shows that he
thought there might be some
ground for including Wise
among the very greatest Jews.
This indirectly expressed
opinion coming from Freud is
highly significant. Wise had
not brought any new concepts
in science, in philosophy, even
in Judaism, into the world. And
yet the great Freud felt that
there was a quality in Wise
which bracketed him with the
elect.
This distinction or greatness,
if you will, in the case of
Rabbi Wise was a blend of
many things. We think of him
perhaps first of all as a great
orator. He was that, even
though his son, James Water
man Wise, wrote of him that
his published utterances “are
singularly unmoving.” A good
oration is perhaps seldom good
reading. Something which we
read must be addressed pri
marily to making us think, but
an oration is designed to make
us feel. The orator appearing
before a great throng is not
expected to contribute any fun
damental new thought. Like
Anthony, he “but tells you that
which you yourselves do know,”
but he tells it in such a way
that all of the individuals in
the audience feel as if they
were solidified by the speaker
expressing best what was
burning but inarticulate in
themselves.
In any Jewish emergency,
one always expected Dr. Wise |
to rise and state the Jewish
case, and every Jew knew that
he would do it and was confi
dent that he would do it well.
I think he gave Jews a sense of
Swartz
Gladiator for Humanity
BETWEEN US by Boris Smolar
Rifkin Report
Now that peace has been
achieved in the ranks of the
Zionist Organization of America,
efforts will be made by the new
administration to improve rela
tions with the White House . . .
It has been no secret that while
Truman was actively aiding the
cause of Israel, he nevertheless
maintained a cool attitude toward
the Z.O.A. leadership . . .
Incidentally, the message of
greetings sent by Truman to the
Z.O.A. convention last week was
not discovered until a day after
the convention was over ... It
was among a batch' of letters
which reached the Z.O.A. head
quarters on Friday, but the letters
were not opened until Monday...
This explains why Truman’s mes
sage was not read from the plat
form at the convention . . . The
big question among Zionist leaders
now is what to do with the Rifkind
Report which recommends a basic
reorganization in tile structure of
the world Zionist movement . . .
The abolition of the shekel,
which the report favors, will be
one of the major issues in the
forthcoming discussions , . .
Serious opposition is also ex
pected to the recommendation that
the present practice of giving the
Jews of Israel representation at
twice the ratio given Jews from
other lands be abolished . . .
Other features of the report are
also ticklish and will be the sub
ject of animated debates in the
Zionist movement for many
months to come . . .
RABBI WISF.
pride. His statuesque appear
ance, his fine baritone voice
lent impressiveness to anything
he said. His language was like
a flowing stream. He could
burn with prophetic wrath or,
on other occasions, could reveal
a delightful vein of humor.
There are those who say that
an actor was lost in him when
he took to the rabbinate. And
there are those who say that
the actor in him was not lost.
Anyway, we Jews may be
thankful for this quality in
him.
I think one of the most dis
tinctive of his qualities, of
which perhaps the least has
been said, was his great hu
manity. He was entitled to act
with all the eccentricities of
the prima donna, but no man
was more approachable than
Rabbi Wise. Louis Lipsky who
often contended with him pub
licly and privately once said to
this writer: “Wise likes to do
things for people.” He seemed
to know every detail in the
lives of every one of his stu
dents at the Jewish Institute
of Religion.
There is the old Chasidic
story of one Jew who says to
the other, “I love you.”
“Do you know my pains?”
asked the second.
“No." replied the first.
“Then how can you love me?"
Wise knew their pains well.
Despite the multitude of his
activities, which sent him to the
State Department, to the Free
Synagogue, to the seminary, to
the Z.O.A. and to other places,
he had time for any individual
who wanted his aid in smooth
ing out some personal difficul
ty. They came to him in droves
and he did not turn them away.
Everyone felt this genial
to congressmen. Christian as
of St. Patrick of Bridgeport
(Calendar
S HA VIOL'S
Friday, June 3
(First Day)
Saturday, June 4
(Second Day)
TISHAH B AY
Thursday, August 4
ROSH HASHONA
Saturday, Sept. 24
(First Day)
Sunday, Sept. 25
(Second Day)
YOM KIPPl'R
Monday. October 3
scccos
Saturday, Oct. 8
(First Day)
Sunday, Oct. 9
(Second Day)
Saturday, Oct. 14
(Eighth Day)
HAMKKAH
Friday, Dec. 16
elected Dr. Wise, who was born
on the same day as the Irish
sunshine in him. He would stop
Akiba that he was the first to
greet another. Of the same pat
tern was Wise.
The quality of humor is an
essential characteristic of this
humanity. We in America like
to remember Lincoln and others
of his type and think of humor
as one of the earmarks of the
American. The Jew, I think,
shares this same opinion of
himself. Anyway, Wise had it
in great measure. Sometimes
his humor was a little unortho
dox. as when the collection
plate was being passed around
at the Free Synagogue and he
would roll forth: “It is a sin to
carry money on Shabbos.
Empty your pockets here.”
And then there was the time
some fifteen years ago, when a
well known Zionist returned
from Palestine dispirited. To
day Israel has a plethora of ex
perts of all descriptions, but at
the time, it was quite different.
This noted Zionist, at a Zionist
gathering, bewailed the paucity
of skilled labor in Palestine.
“Why”, he remarked, “even
about such a thing as buying a
horse, they are likely there to
call in the rabbi. He is the best
experts they have.”
Wise, who was presiding in
terested: “Well, maybe that's
better than it is over here,
where the behemoth often
choose the rabbi.”
There have been other great
Jewish religious leaders in
America. There was the famous
Isaac M. Wise of Cincinnati, the
“father” of Reform Judaism in
America, there were the schol
arly Kohler and Emil Hirsch of
the Reform wing, there was the
great Schechter of traditional
Judaism. Stephen Wise's con
tribution was not like theirs.
His fame, it seems to me, will
derive not so much what he did
for Judaism, but for the Jew.
He fought for the Jew, for
America, for humanity. In his
first pulpit in Portland, Oregon,
he stumped the state for wo
man’s suffrage, and Oregon
was one of the first states to
grant the ballot to women. As
a young man, he was offered
the richest pulpit in the coun
try, that of Temple Emanuel,
but a clause in the contract of
fered him, provided that the
board of trustees would have
the power of censoring his ut
terances. Wise, the fighter,
would not stand for that, so he
organized the Free Synagogue.
He fought the Judge Garry’s
of the Steel mills, knowing full
well what it would mean to
him. An hour after he had de
livered a scathing attack on the
tyranny of the steel tycoons, he
remarked, “I see my new syna
gogue going up in smoke.” And
so it was, the rich men would
not give money for the new
building.
The cry of the distressed
Jew came to his ears and he
was one of a first handful of
American Jews to respond to
the call of Theodor Herzl, giv
ing a life-long devotion to the
cause of Zionism.
Heinrich Heine once wrote
that he did not know what pos
terity would think of the poe
try he had written, “but lay a
sword on my coffin, for I have
ever been a gladiator in the
fight for humanity.”
Such a sword we may lay on
the coffin of Stephen Wise.