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The
Southern Israelite
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r\ vy eeKiy in ■e-jgjoar) j Q Ausjcsatuh * Jewry
VOL. XXVII
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, SEPTEMBER 26, 1952
RAL LIBRARY
SEP 27 1952
UNlVtHsinr or sroRQU i 37
BIG to Seek Additional
Million U. S. Subscribers
ATLANTIC CITY (JTA)—Re
sponding to a call from Premier
David Ben Gurion to help Israel
achieve transition to economic
self-sufficiency, more than 1,100
delegates to the second National
Economic Conference for Israel
last week wound up four days of
delibrations with the unanimous
decision to enroll an additional
million Americans as subscribers
to the Israel bond drive, which
the Israel Premier characterized
as “an indispensable factor in the
young country’s efforts to achieve
economic stability.”
Mr. Ben Gurion, in a specially
filmed talk, which reached here
by plane yesterday, advised the
delegates that “your success in
the coming months will have a
direct bearing on the pace of our
development and our ability to
emerge from this transition pe
riod.” He expressed the hope
that every friend of Israel will
give his active cooperation to fur
ther the sale and purchase of
Israel bonds, which he added is
providing the resources needed
“to transform Israel’s potential
resources into actual assets.’
Mr. Ben Gurion informed the
delegates that Israel is already
“well on its way to its goal of
living on its own resources.” He
pointed out that since 1948 the
cultivated areas of Israel have
been increased four and one-half
times and added that “we shall be
able within a reasonable number
of years to be practically self-
sufficient in food requirements.”
He further said that “our economic
experts forecast the possibility of
our achieving a balance of pay
ments within the next six to ten
years.” However, he emphasized
that the “Israel bond drive is an
indispensable factor in helping
our people to maintain financial
stability and to achieve the trans
formation of our resources into
assets.”
t
Truman's Rosh Hashona
Message to American Jewry
WASHINGTON (JTA)—President Truman issued the
following Rosh Hashonah message through the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency:
“To all Americans of the Jewish faith, I extend con
gratulations on the occasion of the Jewish New Year and
cordial good wishes for the year ahead.
“In extending greetings at this time, I am mindful that
you have contributed greatly to our general welfare in
many ways. I know that all of you are determined to do
all that you can to see that our country continues free,
strong and prosperous. I am convinced that so long as we
maintain our common unity of purpose, our future is
secure.”
One Civilian’s Impression of Atlanta’s
Rosh HashonaWeekend for Servicemen
Yom Kippur Historiette
The Match making Custom
The Mishnaic book Taanit (IV.9) tells about the interesting custom
of matchmaking which was practiced on Yom Kippur, as well as on
the 15th day of the month of Ab, in the days of the Second Temple
in Jerusalem .
Jerusalemite girls would dance on those days while dressed in white
garments. Poor girls, in order not to be put to shame, would borrow
white dresses for the purpose. Their dancing would be in the presence
of unmarried assembled men and the girls would exclaim:
“Young man: lift up thine eyes and see what thou choosest for
thyself. Do not set your eyes on beauty but on good family. A
woman that feareth the Lord shall be praised."
Then the young men would reply with these words from Proverbs
(31.30-31):
“Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in
the gates.”
It is related that the young men on that day chose their brides
among the young dancing women and the two days on which this
tradition prevailed are said to have been the most joyous on the
Jewish calendar.
Greetings from
Mississi ppi’s Cover n <>r
The observance of Rosh Hashona during which
the people of the Jewish faith pause to take stock of
their spiritual resources, reaffirm their faith in the
Divine Being, and dedicate themselves to upright liv
ing is one which should serve as a guide to all people
all over the world. Certainly, at no time in our his
tory has the need for spiritual leadership and upright
living been greater.
The people of Mississippi extend their greetings
and express their appreciation for the part you have
played and are playing in developing a better under
standing between all men.
GOVERNOR HUGH WHITE
By AIXJLPH ROSENBERG
Army logistics, J. W. B. estimates and Atlanta hospitality
got a severe testing last week-end—with a battalion of holi
day-bent soldiers winding up their Rosh Hashona experience
with nostalgic expressions of “very
Center for the buses. Also on
hand — and doubtlessly more im
patient — were eight or nine
wives who had wed shortly before
their husbands had been inducted,
six or eight weeks ago. They
came from Boston, New York and
Maine to meet their Camp Gordon
husbands ir\ Atlanta. They were
not interested in home hospitality.
Husbands of a couple phoned the
J.C.C. to announce their arrival
downtown in a private car and
two attractive young ladies cata
pulted down the driveway, peril
ously crossed teeming Peachtree
Road and then had to slow down
to a halt until a trolley came
along.
At seven three buses arrived
and where suddenly there had
been no soldiers — now the cor
ridor teemed with milling men,
tired from travel, hungry and
hopeful they could be invited into
a private home, eager for a friend
ly word which did not have an
Army ring of authority or order
to it.
The valiant Atlanta volunteers
distributing addresses for the men
to contact seemed overwhelmed
. . . We wondered which two we’d
nice time.”
Advance indications — secured
by the practical expediency of ask
ing Jewish soldiers at the dozen
or so camps in the area whether
they would come to Atlanta for
the New Year weekend — indi
cated that home hospitality would
be needed for between 175 and
250. By the time it was over, offi
cials estimated they had given
complete or partial hospitality to
around 700 men away from camp
and home.
Accommodations iar the initial
250 soldiers were obtained by the
Atlanta Armed Services Commit
tee. And then the deluge began.
From Camp Gordon, Chaplain
Zion notified Leon Goldberg, JWB
field worker in Atlanta, that an
additional 150 would make the
trip.
The move gained the proportions
of a mass migration, with sol
diers descending on Atlanta on
trains, in buses, in automobiles
and some via the thumb.
By Friday afternoon, several
hundred had shown up unexpect
edly from Camp Jackson, Ft. Ben-
ning and some other camps. Most
of these were placed in homes.
And still at 4 p. m., as sched
uled, the Camp Gordon contingent
had not arrived. The convoys
were late — and one never ar
rived until around midnight.
The writer was among the
would-be hosts who waited impa
tiently at the Jewish Community
be assigned. They all seemed so
clean-cut, so keen. We grabbed
two at random—they wanted to
be together — and headed out of
the mob. Outside on Peachtree
five others were trying to thumb
a ride to the Little Shule. They
were headed however for Buck-
head and not for the Southside.
“Could you possibly tell us how to
get there quickest since it’s after
sundown.” “Is it too far to walk?”
Seven strapping, hulking sol
diers, together with weekend gear,
leave little room in our jalopy for
even a scrawny civilian driver—
but across town we headed and
the men were deposited at their
destination for prayer . . .
At the Ahavath Achim, at Beth
Jacob — wherever the men turned
up for services during the High
Holydays, they were welcomed
and many were invited afterwards
into private homes for meals and
sleeping. Many more would have
liked this pleasure, but they con
soled themselves with stopping at
downtown hotels or the Y. Some
came too late. There were not
enough homes volunteered any
way though anomolously all the
homes volunteered were not used
because the soldiers arrival threw
things out of coordination.
Sunday morning, special serv
ices were slated at the Temple for
servicemen, to be conducted by
(Continued on page 3)
ENGRAVING BY PICART, 1724, OF YOM KIPPUR SERVICE IN PORTUGESE SYNA
GOGUE IN AMSTERDAM.
Reparations Pact Not Atonement
From PARIS (By JTA-Radio)
The agreement signed in Luxemburg between Israel and
the Federal Republic of Germany is unique in the annals of
international relations. Our memory is still haunted by the -
campaign of mass annihilation carried on by the German
National Socialist regime against the Jewish people in which
were destroyed two out of every three Jews in Europe and
one out of every three throughout the world.
In the consciousness of our people, this fearful would re
mains open. Indeed, it is impossible to conceive of an atone
ment for millions of innocent lives cut down and for torments
so wantonly inflicted.
Together with all civilized mankind we can only hope that
the evil spirit which produced these horrors has been exor
cised for ever from the soul of the German nation. Today we
are faced with a tremendous departure. The Federal Republic
of Germany has pledged itself to make global recompense for
part of the material damage suffered by the Jewish people.
This act of reparation is of historical significance. It was
adopted in the exercise of free will and in obedience with the
call of moral responsibility. Its educative value for the Ger
man people and its importance as a precedent in world history
cannot be exaggerated.
The fulfilment of the obligation assumed will assist the
growth and consolidation of the economy of Israel, a country
which has absorbed such large numbers of fugitives from dis
aster and which keeps its gates open for all persecuted Jews
so that they no longer fall helpless victims to blind hatred
and dark prejudice.
By honoring its undertaking to Israel and the Jewish peo
ple, the Federal Republic of Germany will tangibly demon
strate its determination to redress in some measure a wrong
committed. Thereby it will also be given a chance of making
a distinctive contribution to the establishment of law and
justice in human society. —moshe sharrett
Foreign Minister of Israel.