Newspaper Page Text
Friday, November 11, 1949
Page Four THE
Th« Southern Israelite
Published weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, Inc., 312
Ivy Street, N. E., Atlanta 3, Georgia. WAlnut 0791-0792. M.
Stephen Schiller, 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.
From Our Bible
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament
showeth His handiwork.
Psalm 19: 1,2.
That Ben Gurion Statement
GUEST EDITORIAL
Several weeks ago, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
carried a report attributing certain statements to Prime
Minister Ben Gurion of Israel allegedly made to an Amer
ican delegation of Labor Zionists. That statement of the
Prime Minister did not make sense, and it was obviously
an inaccurate report. The Prime Minister was reported to
have said something to the effect that he hoped to see all
Jews of the world settle in Israel, which of course, is non
sense. The land under the best of circumstances cannot
accommodate ten million people or anything like that
number.
The Prime Minister was also quoted as saying that if
American Jewish youth did not come with the consent of
their parents, they would be induced to come without
such consent. This also is nonsense, for very obvious
reasons
But, that statement was picked up by a group in the
American Jewish community, and was used as a means of
anti-Zionism and anti-Israel propaganda. It was played
up as something that is definitely establishing the favorite
thesis of this particular group that‘to be interested in Is
rael and to support it is to cast doubt upon one’s Ameri
can loyalty.
Now it appears from a statement issued by the Ameri
can Jewish Committee, who communicated with the Prime
Minister of Israel, that Mr. Ben Gurion was misquoted
and that the published statement was a distortion.
Another statement was made by Mr. Monroe Gold-
water, President of the United Jewish Appeal of Greater
York, who had just returned from a tour of Israel, stat
ing that he was “authorized by the Premier of Israel” to
say that the report referred to above was inaccurate. Mr.
Goldwater added, “I am persuaded that at no time did the
Prime Minister say or give any reason to believe that Is
rael is interested in anything but free will immigration
of any Jews wishing to enter this country.” Morover, Mr.
Goldwater says, he had been authorized by the Premier
to say that at the meeting of the American Labor Zionist
Delegation ih Tel Aviv, he had expressed the hope “that
Israel might have the know-how and vitality and demo
cratic spirit that the youth and other American* Jews
might contribute to Israel.”
It now remains to be seen whether this hostile group
which has been so joyously reporting the previous mis
quotation of Mr. Ben Gurion, will have the decency and
the sportsmanship to make the necessary corrections in
the same manner in which it has publicized the inaccu
rate statement previously played up.
—JEWISH LEDGER, Hartford, Conn.
Moment of Silence
GUEST EDITORIAL
Today comes the moment of silence. •
Not much time, one might say. Not much time in one
quiet moment to do more than mourn the dead and pray
for the living.
But sixty seconds can be long as a dream—or a night
mare. In one brief minute, thirty-one years of bitter ex
perience may be re-lived: twenty-one years of cease-fire;
six years of global war; four years of uneasy peace.
Today’s pattern of events reminds us all too keenly of
the past.
Once again a defeated and disarmed Germany contin-
tinued to plague the victors. Once again, with the nation’s
armed might shattered, the German people still retain
their inner war potential. The old explosive doctrines—
militant nationalism, arrogant racism, contempt for hu
man rights—all stand untouched by democratic influence.
The old hatred, far from being quenched, flare under the
eyes of our occupation troops.
This unregenerate spirit is reflected in every official
poll of German opinion and in reports of experienced
observers.
In 1947, two years after VE Day and at a time when
denazification was seriously attempted, so difficult was it
to discover a “clean” German that 40 per cent of the civil
servant were known to have been Hitler followers. In
private industry, owners and partners who were former
Nazis constituted 30 per cent. These percentage have be
come greater with more denazification trials and more
ex-Nazis freed from temporary employment restrictions.
Even such notorious Hitler supporters as Fritz Thyssen,
Claude Domier and Hjalmar Schacht have now been
“denazified” and returned to activity.
Certainly we must restore German industry as an es
sential part of European recovery. A bankrupt nation is a
SOUTHER N I S RA E LIT E
Atlantan Launches U. J. A. Drives on 1 rips
To Puerto Rico and A irgin Islands
Move for B'nai B’rith Lodge Begun
BY ADOLPH ROSENBERG
Sam Eplan, indefatigable communal worker, is back in At
lanta after a recent flying trip to Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands in behalf of the United Jewish Appeal.
His visit to Jewish communities in these areas was to or
ganize and promote 1949 U. J. A. facturing Cevil Snyder, formerly
campaigns. of Baltimore, is a judge of the
From his observations, he con- Puerto Rican Federal Court
eluded, as reported to a group of
Atlanta leaders the evening of Oct.
28th:
1. Resistance and alibis to giv
ing seems to be on the same basis
among Jewish people everywhere.
2. Wholesome Jewish communal
life, including the attitude tow'ard
charity, is closely bound up with
the existence of such institutions
as the Synagogue, Centers, etc.
3. Responsibility as expressed
through the U. J. A. is a matter
of continuous education.
In populous Puerto Rico, the
Atlantan who has served for sev
eral years as chairman of U. J. A.
Quite a contrast exists in the
Virgin Island, Mr. Eplan noted.
Here there has been a closely-
knit group with a long continuity
of Judaism extending back to
three and four hundred years.
Many of America’s preeminent
early Jewish families, the Cordo-
zas and Brandeises for example,
had their origin here, the logical
stepping stone at the time for
Sephardic Jews fleeing Spanish
persecution.
Stones in the cemeteries date
back between 300 and 400 years,
he added, with a synagogue being
in existence almost that long a
for the state of Georgia, found
only between 150 and 200 Jews
among a total of 2,500,000. A num
ber of other Jewish interests are
represented in Puerto Rico be
cause of a lack of federal tax law
and cheap but inefficient labor.
There is little cohesion among
the Jewish people of Puerto Rico,
no house of worship or rabbi. Mr.
time. The steep hills where the
Shule is located, which resembles
more our idea of a mountain is
known as Synagogue Hill.
There were about 3,000 Jews in
the Virgin Islands a half century
ago, Mr. Eplan declared, though
the population has dwindled to a
few hundred because of the lack
of industry.
There is a rabbi here and a
shule which has a Sefer Torah
bearing a date showing it is 165
years old. There is a close feeling
among the Jewish community in
this area and the leaders are in
terested in instituting a B’nai
B’rith lodge.
Formal steps have been taken
and Mr. Eplan has suggested that
the new lodge, when it comes into
existence, adopt a project of trac
ing the early origins of American
Jewish families from this region.
Morris DeCastro, who can trace
his Virgin Islands ancestry back
as far as 200 years, has served as
assistant to the three territory
presidents during the last 25 years
or so. He is currently being boom
ed for the job of president him
self, Mr. Eplan revealed.
Leading Jewish family in the
Virgin Islands is that of Isadore
Piowansky, who arrived in 1898
and who monopolizes most of the
local businesses. Last year, the
local U. J. A. drive netted around
$20,000 which includes a gift of
about $10,000 from Sidney Kess
ler, of New York, who has distil
lery interests there. Mr. Kessler
is a close friend of Sam Rothberg,
national U. J. A. figure from Peo
ria, Ill.
What About That?
By Rabbi Sammuel J. Fox
and Eplan attended a briss while
on his brief visit there. The cere
monies had to be read by a for
mer German refugee.
The Jews, who live mostly in
San Juan, are aware of Jewish
people throughout the world but
are not in the habit of giving for
their welfare. A total of $25,000
was raised in the 1948 drive, $9,-
000 of this in a dignified mail
campaign from Christians, but
collections have not kept apace
with pledges because of interna
tion misunderstanding. Population
for the most part is occupied in
dry good stores, electrical engi
neering, dress and button manu-
QUESTION: Why is the tradi
tional afternoon service call
ed “Minchah?” (T. T., Brook
lyn, N. Y.)
ANSWER: The most common
reason given is that the af
ternoon service was ordained
to take the place of the original
afternoon sacrifice in the an
cient Holy Temple which was
called “Minchah,” hence the
service that takes its place to
day is likewise called “Min
chah.”
time for starting the Min
chah prayers?
ANSWER: There are several
periods of time during the
afternoon when the “Minchah”
afternoon prayers may be of
fered. The first period “Min
chah Gedolah”—the “large
Minchah”—when the day is
split into twelve equal seg
ments, begins after six and a
half hours of the twelve hour
day, or six and a half equal
sections have elapsed. The sec
ond period, “Minchah Ketahan”
—the “small Minchan”—starts
after nine and a half hours
have elapsed in a twelve-hour
day or when nine and a half
equal segments of a longer day
have elapsed. The accepted
custom is that Minchah may be
recited until sunset.
Truman Now
Has Ark for
Weizmann Torah
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—Presi
dent Truman expressed pleasure
this week as he received a gift
from President Weizmann, pre
sented by Israel Ambassador Eli-
ahu Elath. It was a highly-deco
rated silver-trimmed copper Ark
to hold the Torah given President
Truman last May by President
Weizmann.
The Ark was made in Israel un-
Jewish Calendar
HANl’KKAH
Friday, Dec. 16
(First Day)
Friday, Dec. 23
(Eighth Day)
PURIM
Friday, March 3
PESACH
Saturday, April 1
(First Seder)
Sunday, April 9
(Last Day)
QUESTION: When is the actual
Ballot Distinguished Service
Award - Gate City Lodge
MAIL TO
Mr. Alexander F. Miller, Chairman
Suite 305
II Pryor St., S. W.
Atlanta 3, Ga.
I recommend that the Gate City Lodge B’nai B’rith
Distinguished Service Award be presented to
breeding ground for the malignant economic and social
ills, including communism.
But in rehabilitating the German economy we must
guard against returning Nazi-minded men to positions
where, under cover of industrial and civic enterprise,
they can practice the same techniques of terror and cor
ruption which they used with such deadly effect in the
past.
More than that, we have give firm backing to liberal,
genuinely democratic elements in Germany which have
thus far suffered indifference and even ostracism. And,
no matter what the cost, we must intensify our campaign
to educate the German people—a mission which we neg
lected after World War I. We have paid dearly for that
failure; we dare not risk another.
Unless we see it through in Germany this time, there
may be few sounds to break the silence on Armistice
Days in the future.