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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Friday, October 10, 1952
The Southern Israelite
PuMuhrt J Weekly by Southern N«wipaper Enterprises, Inc., 312 Ivy Street N. E., Atlanta
3, Georgia. WAInut 0791 • 0792. Entered as 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, American Association of Englith-Jewish Newspapers
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher
• ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Gustav Opponheimer Margaret Merrymon Mildred Hershberg
MEMBERS OF ADVISORY BOARD
Meyer Balter
Sol lenamy
Dr. Nathan Blase
Dr. Jack Bleich
Joe Cohen
Reuben Cohen
Frank Gdrson
Abe 'Goldberg
Dr. Irving Goldsteiit
Horry Harrison
Hyman Jacobs
Edward Krick
Sam Levy
Irving Libowsky
Thomas Makovor
Ben Massed
Barney Medintx
Hyman Morris
Eugene Oberdorfer
Gustav Oppenhelmer
berry Rittenbaum
Moyer Rosenberg
Phil Schwartx
Dave Slann
Harry Spitzer
A. D. Srochi
Kalman Sunshine
Sam Weinberg
Arthur Weiss
Paul Wolkin
Pulpit Gems-from
Belter ii dry morsel and quietness
feasting with strife.
our BIBLE
therewith, than a house full of
*■ Proverbs, 17:1.
COMMUNITY CHEST AND U.S.O.
()ur readers need little urging to respond to the pleas of the
Community Chest in whatever city they reside.
Social minded and well aware of the value of performing com
munal services through a united fashion, our readers have long
been among the forefront of supporters of the Community Chest.
In many areas, the U.S.O. has again appeared in the public
appeal for funds through the Community Chest. The growing num
ber of men and women in uniform makes it Imperative that gifts
till., year he greater than usual.
Costs for operating specific agencies are up too and in such
communities as Atlanta, defense programs and industrial expansion
have brought more people, making greater demands on the Com
munity Chest organizations. For this reason, budgets of specific
agencies are understandably higher than before.
We know that our readers will recognize tin's greater deed and
give more.
Director Hilda Stegall checks the steps of a trio who will take
jjtarV in the program at lladasmh Annua! Donor Luncheon. Tin
choroustcrs (l to r.) arc Mrs. Nathan Adelmav, Mrs. Harold Wrinkle
and Mrs. Merlon Levin.
REMEMBERING THE BIBLE
GUEST EDITORIAL
Christians throughout the country and for all we know, per
haps in other parts of the world as well- are celebrating the 5(X)th
anniversary of the printing of the Gutenberg Bible. More than
three thousand communities in all states have arranged special cele
brations in connection with this historic event. Exhibits of Bibles
are being displayed in churches and in public libraries, including
the library of Congress. A special thrce-cent stamp was issued
Just week to commemorate the anniversary of the printing of the
Cutcnheig Bible. The occasion also marks the appearance of new
Bible translations for use in Catholic and Protestant homes. The
Committee for Catholic Bible week has urged upon Catholics that
displays of old and new Bibles, posters, charts and children’s color
and picture books on Bible themes be shown in all their schools
ami churches.
As the people who gave the original of this Book of books to
the world, it cannot he out of place for us to utilize this occasion
to remind our people of the place the Bible should, if it doesn’t al
ready, occupy in their homes. It is difficult to think of a Jewish
home without a Bible. Yet, regrettably enough, there are such
homes.
Thanks to the Jewish Publication Society, we have a very fine
English translation of the Bible, prepared by a group of the fore
most Jewish scholars living at the time it was first published in 1917.
This Bible is available at a nominal price—less than the price of
an ordinary novel.
More recently, the Family Heirloom Bible has been finding its
place in Jewish homes and in Jewish institutions throughout the
land This Family Heirloom Bible deserved much wider distribu
tion.
We can think of no better time that the festival of Simchat
Torah, <o be observed by Jews all over the world next Sunday
(October 12), for bringing this thought to the People of the Book.
Panorama by David Schwartz
The Rabbi of Fiddlum
"I’ve been reading in the pa
pers,“ said Abe, “some rather bi-
aarre statements hy a rabbi con
nected with the Council for Juda
ism.*’
"What are they up to?” asked
Joe.
"Well, their rabbi says that the
Council in its religious school is
going to teach the children to have
tolerance and respect for those
Jews who keep kosher.”
"That’s mighty white of them,”
aai>l Joe.
’find the rabbi of tbe Council
is also quoted as saying that since
they cannot find suitable material
for the text books for the religious
school in Jewish sources, they are
going to take some from church
text books.”
“Well,” said Joe, “that’s broad
minded.”
“Yes,” said Abe, “I am afraid
it’s a little too broadminded. When
you remove the things that are
distinctive in a group, it’s like hav
ing a picture without a frame to
fence it off.”
“Just exactly what does the
Council for Judaism mean by Ju-
da ! sm, I wonder?” asked Joe.
“What do they mean?” retorted
Abe. “Did you ever hear the story
A Columbus Day Historiette
'NOT JEWELS-JEWS': COLUMBUS DAY STORY
An American Jewish Press Feature
The story of the Jew in early
American life is entwined with
the very beginnings: the per
iods of discovery and coloniza
tion. That Columbus’ expeditions
were possible only because of the
financial support of two Spanish
Marranos, Luis de Santangel,
counselor of the King, and Ga
briel Sanchez, treasurer of Ara
gon, is well known. As one histor
ian put it: “Not Isabella’s jewels,
but her Jews, were responsible.”
Columbus likewise owed a debt
to Jewish scientists, especially
Judah Crescas, the “map Jew,’
and Abraham Zacuto, the astro
nomer. Five of bis sailors were
converted Jews and it seems that
one, Luis de Torres, an interpre
ter, was the first to go ashore.
Although Spain at that time
forbade all non-Catholics, and
even new converts, from going to
her colonies, such laws could not
have been rigidly enforced, for it
was deemed necessary to estab
lish the Inquisition on the Amer
ican shores, as well. This terrible
institution preyed on Marranos
seeking freedom. It claimed its
first Jewish victim in Mexico
City in 1574, and many through
out the subsequent century. The
secret Jews of Brazil therefore
welcomed the conquest of that
country by the •liberty-loving
Dutch in 1631. Many openly re
turned to Judaism. The recon
quest by Portugal, however, dis
persed the large Jewish colony.
Although many fled to Holland,
some joined the free Jewish set-
THE SOM os
a Poor cantor
be Rum wrote h<S FIRST tome at
THE AGE OP /9. HE COT
for HIS SECOND saWG.
COULPNT READ OR WRITE ~
MUSIC WHEN HE STARTED HIS
MUSICAL CAREER, IN FACT
HE STILL WRITES MOST OF
HIS SOKGS in THE SIMPLE
KEY OF f SHARP
Y HADE OVER
WW.VS! 50,000 DOLLARS
y ON GOD BLESS
AMERICA^WHICH HE
TURNED OVER To Y0U1
and patriotic
ORGANIZATIONS
of the rabbi of Fiddlum who was
summoned by the president of the
congregation?”
“Docto^, sit down,” said the
president of the schul when the
rabbi arrived. “Have a cigar, doc
tor. The rabbi recognized signs of
trouble. You know they always
give a condemned man a good
meal before they execute him.”
“Doctor,” said the president,
“you like Fiddlum, don’t you?”
“Why shouldn’t I like Fiddlum,”
asked the rabbi. “You know the
story of the rabbi of Vitebsk. He
was always very frankly telling
the members of his congregation
what a terrible town Vitebsk was.
When he finally decided to settle
in Palestine, the members of the
congregation, in the traditional
manner, escorted him to the out
skirts of the city. As he came to
the city limits, he looked back
and paid a glowing tribute to Vi
tebsk.
“But rabbi,” said members of
his congregation, “you were al
ways saying that Vitebsk was the
most terrible place you know."
“To be sure,” said the rabbi,
“that was when you were all
there, but now that all of you are
out of the city, it’s a fine place
indeed.”
“Ha, ha,” laughed the President.
“That’s a good story. That’s what
I like about you, doctor. You’ve
got a sense of humor. I always
like a man with a sense of humor.
And we don’t want to lose you.
But your sermons lately are hard
to take.”
“Just what did you find objec
tionable in my sermons?” asked
the rabbi.
“Well now, last week you
preached on Jew ish education. You
know, doctor, we have no time
here for Jewish education. The
public schools are good enough
for us. Take my son, Seymour, he
goes to the public schools, then
he has a basketball practice. He
has no time to learn those things
about what the Kambam said or
the Baal Shorn Tov and things
like that.”
“And the Sabbath before, you
preached on Sabbath and holiday
observance. It’s all very beautiful,
hut you know this isn’t the old
country. We can’t keep any Sab
bath and holidays here.”
“I see,” said the rabbi of Fid
dlum. “I must not preach on Jew
ish education or observance of the
holidays. On what topics may 1
prea.-n ?”
“Just preach on Judaism—Juda
ism,” said the president of the
schui.
“I suppose,” said Abe, finishing
his story, “that the Council for
Judaism believes in preaching on
Judaism—Judaism. But one thing
I am sure of, is that any group
which finds it necessary to borrow
from other religious sources, con
fesses thereby its own lack of in
ner vitality.”
tlement in Dutch Guiana, where
they prospered in trade and the
cultivation of sugar. Others en
tered the Jewish quarters of Cu
racao in the Dutch West Indies,
or of Jamaica, which had been
recently taken by the British. It
was from these various colonies
that the first Jews came to North
America. )
A f5ifr ceptury book of the as
tronomical 'fhbles used by Chris
topher Columbus in his later voy
ages, and mentioned by him in
his diary, was on exhibition re
cently at the Museum of the
Jewish Theological Seminary of
America in New York.
The tables are the work of
Abraham Ben Samuel Zacut (or
Zacuto), a Jewish astronomer of
Salamanca, and the copy exhibit
ed in the Museum of the Semi
nary is the edition of 1496 of his
“Great Composition,” one of
about fifteen extant in the world
today. This is the edition which
Columbus owned. On his voyage
of 1504 to the New World, when
he and his crew were in danger
of starvation and the hostile In
dians had prevented them from
provisioning the ship, Columbus
invoked an eclipse of the moon
(after consulting the tables of
Zacut) and scared the Indians
into feeding his marioners.
This edition of 1496 is an
abridgment of the original work
by a pupil of Zacut’s, Joseph Vi-
cenho, and appeared in both Lat
in and Spanish. It was printed
by the famous- Porteguese Jew,
Abraham D’Ortas, at Leiria, un
der the title “Almanaeh Perpe
tuus” and was used by Columbus
and other navigators of the time.
Abraham Zacut was horn in
Salamanca abot 1450 and studied
mathematics at the university
there. He wrote his “Great Com
position” for his patron, the Bis
hop of Salamanca, Don Gonzalo
de Vivero, between the years
1473-1478. Don Gonzalo in his
will, in 1480, asks that the works
of Abraham Zacut be preserved
in his church because of their
usefulness.
When the .Tews were expelled
from Spain, Zacut turned to Por
tugal and became the astronomer
to John II and then to King Man
uel. He was consulted during the
preparations of Vasco da Gama’s
expedition “to the Indies” and
constructed a new iron astrolable
for him, the first to be made in
metal.
Upon the expulsion of the Jews
from Portugal, Zacut went to Tu
nis where he composed his “Book
of Genealogies” which gives him
a permanent place in Jewish lit
erature as a great Talmudist and
chronicler. He was yet to go to
the East before his wanderings
were over, and he died shortly
after 1522 in Turkey.
That Columbus was much im
pressed by the works of Zacut is
evidenced by the discovery of two
of his astrological treatises in
Columbus’ library, now in Seville.
The manuscripts, which were in
Spanish, were published about
ten years ago.
Ul§
Calendar
*SHE MIN I ATERETH
Saturday, October 11
• SIM HATH TORAH
Sunday, October 12
•HANUKAH
Saturday, Dec. 13
Saturday, Dec. 20
• HOLIDAYS BEGIN
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