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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Panorama by David Schwartz
Friday, October 2, 1952
The Southern Israelite
. . Ivy 5
3, Georgia. WAInut 0791 - 0792. Entered at second class matter at the post office, 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 12:30 P. M., TUESDAY but material
received earlier will have a much better chance of publication.
Member t American Association of English-JewisH Newspapers
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Margaret Merryman Mildred Hershberg
MEMBERS OF ADVISORY BOARD
Gustav Oppenheimer
Meyer Balser
Sol Benamy
Dr. Nathan Blass
Dr. Jack Bleich
Joe Cohen
Reuben Cohen
Frank Gorson
Abe Goldbera
Dr. Irving Goldstein
Harry Harrison
nyrnan Jacobs
Edward Krick
Sam Levy
Irving Libovytky
Thomas Mokover
Ben Massed
Barney Medmtx
Hyman Morris
Eugene Oberdorfer
Gustav Oppenheimer
iiorry Rittenbaum
Meyer Rosenberg
*hil Schwartz
Dave Slann
Harry Spitzer
A 6. Srochi
Kalman Sunshine
Sam Weinberg
Arthur Weiss
Paul V»olkin
Editorial NEWS and VIEWS
By MAX SIMON
Indignation over the walkout of the B’nai B’rith Anti-
Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee from
the National Community Relations Advisory Council at Atlantic
City continues to mount in the columns of the nation’s Knglish-
Jewish newspapers.
“We don’t believe that B’nai B’rith members are happy
about their national president, Frank Goldman, leading the ADL
on a walkout . . declares the Intermountain Jewish News
(Denver). "We may lx 1 wrong but we don’t believe that Ben
Briths would approve of making this walkout permanent.
“This act of independence and assertion of autonomy may
sound good in a speech before a BB meeting, but it runs counter
to the entire development of American Jewish life during the past
decade toward more unity, more cooperation, more co-ordina
tion and more harmony. We don’t believe that ADI, and AJC
can successfully swim against the tide. F.fforts of the ADL and
AJC thru their Joint Defense Appeal to stage separate drives
have not been crowned with success, and we doubt il they would
get widespread support in separate campaigns should they de
cide to go it alone.’’
The Maclver Report, the paper admits, is not easy for these
two leading defense agencies to accept. “It means diminishing
their activities. Yet it is inevitable that the Maclver recommen
dation for more integration and coordination of defense work will
be carried out. In the end, it will be public opinion which will
achieve this objective.”
Also disturbed by the walkout was the B’nai B’rith Mes
senger (Lop Angeles).
The Messenger states: “With Irving Kane, chairman of NCRAC
we are persuaded to voice our distress at the action of the rep
resentatives of the American Jewish Committee and ADL in
walking out of the conference, and threatening to advise their
organizations to sever connections with NCRAC.
“Cooler heads in these organizations will no doubt see the
futility of this gesture. It was a walkout by the American Jewish
Committee that destroyed the American Jewish Conference- the
only democratically conceived and effective force for unified
Jewish action ever created by the American Jewish Community.’’
This “I won’t play unless you plav my way” attitude will
mean the disintegration of the NCRAC, next to the American
Jewish Conference, the best factor for the unification of the
American Jewish community today.
Succoth is a harvest festival.
Long ago, the Jews were just
plain farmers. We liked it so
much that even when circum
stances forced us to change we
continued to observe these farm
holidays. It seems we always in
tended eventually to close our
clothing stores and get back to
the farm.
This is what they are doing in
Israel. Even the soldiers in Is
rael must spend some of their
time in agricultural pursuits. At
the recent Israel bond conference
in Atlantic City I heard how the
Israeli soldiers raise all their
own food. If the other people of
Israel did as well as the sol
diers, there would be no need for
austerity.
This innovation in the Israeli
armv, scarcely noticed by the
world at large, is really revolu
tionary. It ushers in the day
foretold by the Hebrew prophet
when the sword will be turned
into the ploughshare. In Israel,
this has been accomplished. Ev
ery soldier must plow as well as
fight. To be sure, the sword has
not been entirely discarded in its
grimmer aspect, fit would be
foolish for Israel to do that with
their Arab neighbors grimmac-
ing at them, but it certainly is a
step forward—a great step for
ward when agriculture becomes
a part of military trnining.
I would like to see the other
armies of ithe world doing the
same thing—marching with guns
and ploughshares. If they did, it
might not be long before they
would be discarding the guns al
together.
They might find it is just as
much fun fighting potato bugs as
Succoth
fighting people. At bottom, per
haps, the real cause of w*ar may
not be what the deep thinkers
give out. The deep thinkers say
that the causes of war are all
economic ideological.
I am not a deep thinker but I
throw out the idea—if you want
to you can throw it out too—that
the real bottomost cause of war
is that we can’t think of anyone
more pleasant or interesting to
do. Some man, let us say, walk
ing alongside of me, says some
thing nasty at me and tries to
start a fight. Ilf I am doing noth
ing else, well, I may accept the
defiance—if he is not too big—
and fight him. But suppose I am
going to a show’ or there is a
pretty widow around the corner
waiting for me—I won’t bother
(to waste my time scrapping with
the chump.
Abraham Lincoln, in Congress,
once told of his military exper
ience. He had served in the Black
Hawk, an Indian war. Lincoln
said he didn’t see any Indians,
but that he had had many bloody
encounters with the mosquitoes
and the wild onions. Fighting
the wild onions can be as inter
esting perhaps as fighting In-
dions. I am sure that many a sci
entific farmer would say it is
more interesting.
I have great hopes that Israel
may lead the way in this. Maybe
we need another harvest festival,
a kind of world Succoth to em
phasize the idea. If we do, I am
sure Israel will not hesitate to
call one into being. That’s one
thing that has always amazed me
in Jewry—our total lack of in
hibitions about creating new
holidays. The Jews are never
afraid that they won’t be able to
think up the necessary prayers
for any new holidays. To be sure,
of late, we are a little negligent
in observing our many holidays.
Someone has said (that the dif
ference between a Reform Jew
and an Orthodox Jew is that the
Reform Jew does not keep one
day holiday, while the Orthodox
Jew does not keep two days holi
day.
But at least we have the holi
days to keep!
The Quiz Box
By RABBI SAMl'EL J. FOX
QUESTION: Why is it customary for a woman ivho has
just become a mother to visit the Synagogue on the Sabbath
when she has fully recovered?
ANSWER: A number of interesting explanations are of
fered for this custom. Some trace it back to the ancient Biblical
3<&u£ijsfvp
Calendar
—
•SUKKOTII
Saturday, October 4
(First Day)
(Second Day)
Sunday, October 5
*SHEMINI ATERETII
Saturday, October 11
•SIMHATH TORAH
Sunday, October 12
•HANUKAH
Saturday, Dec. 13
Saturday, Dec. 20
•HOLIDAYS BEGIN
Previous Evening
command which required the mother to bring a sacrifice to the
Temple. .Usually a woman in the course of childbirth feels such
great pains which she expresses as regret of her role of mother
hood and even goes as far as vowing that she will never have an
other child again. After the child is born she regrets these sen
timents as she makes her peace with nature. This calls for some
means of atonement. Hence 'the sacrifice in the days of the Tem
ple, or the visit to the synagogue in moderh- times.
Some find in this custom the desire to thank the Lord for the
gift of the child or the miracle of birth. Others simply say that
getting over childbirth is comparable to getting over a serious ill
ness. Getting over such an illness would thus call for a prayer of
thanks to the Lord for recovering from a dangerous experience.
Hence the sacrifice and later the visit to the synagogue.
QUESTION: Why is the husband called to the Scroll
for the reading at that time?
A NSW ER: In the case of the male who is obligated to atone
or offer thanks, he himself is called before the Scroll. Since it
is not customary to call women before the Scroll, the husband
represents the wife. In addition, it leads the husband into as
suming responsibility for his wife’s experences and the family
welfare. Thus he too offers thanks for the miracle of birth and
the well being of his spouse.
Engraving
By Picart
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