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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
The Southern Israelite
Pub4ith*d W««kly by Southern Newipaper Enterprise*, Inc., 312 Ivy Street N E., Atlanta
3, Georgia. WAInut 0791 - 0792. Entered as second class matter at the post office, Atlanta,
Georaia, 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 os
sharing the views expressed by writers. DEADLINE it 12:30 P. M., TUESDAY but material
received earlier will have a much better chance of publication.
Member, American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publithjr
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Gustav Oppenheimer Margaret Merryman Mildred Mershberg
MEMBERS OF ADVISORY BOARD
Meyer Balter
Sol Benamy
Dr. Nathan Blass
Dr. JncV Bleich
Joe Cohen
Reuben Cohen
Frank Garson
Abe Goldberg
Dr. Irving Goldstein
Harry Harrison
Hyman Jacobs
Edward Krick
Sam Levy
Irving Libowtky
Thomas Makover
Ben Massed
Barney Medintz
Hyman Morris
Eugene Oberdorfer
Gustav Oppenheimer
Berry Rittenbaum
Meyer Rosenberg
Phil Schwartz
Dave Slann
Harry Spitzer
A. D. Srochi
Kalman Sunshine
Sam Weinberg
Arthur Weiss
Paul Wolkin
Pulpit Gems— from ° ur bible
A soothing tongue is a tree of life; But perverseness therein is a
wound to the spirit.
—Proverbs, 15:4.
STRIKE ONE
Without exception, our Georgia readership will want to take
a united stand against the enactment of “Amendment One,” which
will Ik; voted on in the November 4 election.
It is most regrettable that the Governor of the state is taking
the lead in pushing passage of this amendment which, to put it
mildly, is one of the most un-American documents lately to be of
fered in Georgia. In essence the amendment perpetuates the county
unit system in such a way as to oppose the very foundation of dem
ocratic principles. In the ardor of his campaigning, the Governor
who .should be a symbol of all the citizens of his state has sought
to inject the issue of racial discrimination into the campaign. We
are happy that responsible elements of the state rallied by the Geor
gia League of Women Voters and many Jewish groups concerned
with decent, clean government have called attention to the section
of the national platform of both Democrats and Republicans ban
ning the ogre of racial and religious discrimination from this cam
paign.
Decent voters of Georgia will not be fooled by the obscuran
tist tactics of those who want Amendment One and we urge all
om readers to “strike one” when the time comes.
INSTITUTE TIME IN ATLANTA
We feel that our readers are being given rather short notice
nlKtut the line institutes which are annually offered the public in
Atlanta each fall.
The Bureau of Jewish Education and the cooperating organi
zations have, however, given a great deal of advance planning to
this activity and only the press of holidays, we are sure, has kept
Hie final plans from congealing earlier.
No matter, special sessions will lie held during the daytime
lor women and on Wednesday evenings for both men and women
and we know from experience that a wonderful experience in men
tal enrichment and personal satisfaction is available just for the
taking. It will Ik* necessary to act quickly to get in on the start of
the sessions. Those who can should fill out coupons found else
where in this issue, hut latecomers may register at the door.
SALUTE JULIUS SELTZER
Guest Editorial
The historic Massachusetts town of Lexington, closely asso
ciated with the American ideal of freedom, is writing another
chapter in the saga of man’s advance on the road to equality.
Just as in 1775 the Lexington Minutemen struck the blow
that led to liberty, so in 1952 the citizenry of this community
is demonstrating to the world that in this cradle of liberty
democracy thrives.
l/exinglon’s evidence will be displayed next Wednesday eve
ning when the entire community honors a beloved Jewish
tailor, Julius Seltzer, with a testimonial dinner in celebration
of his 78th birthday. A penniless immigrant who settled in
the town in 1905, Mr. Seltzer has demonstrated a brand of
American patriotism and civic and charitable consciousness
which him inspired bis townfolk.
May the boom of Lexington’s salute to Julius Seltzer sound
ftwother message around the world!
Boston Jewish ADVOCATE
“A LOVELY LADY”
lliere is an organization in our midst, the thought of which
brings to my mind the vision of a lovely lady.
lady-like, she goes along doing her work consistently, year
w and year out, without being conspicuous about it.
She is young in years, but wise in experience.
Her smile can cheer the loneliest of hearts.
tier eyes see for those whom God has seen fit to blind.
tier hands work tirelessly for those who are unable to do
for themselves.
►She runs for those who cannot walk.
Her heart is warm and kind and like a mother, she is full
af compassion for those to whom life has ceased to offer a
meaningful and glorious future.
Her soul is a slave to anyone in need, especially a veteran
•r liis wife and child.
She is every member of the Jewish War Veterans Ladies’
Auxiliary, trying to do her part to bring a little hope and
comfort to those, who gave of themselves, so that all of us
may live, in a free world.
—FLORENCE BERGER
Friday, October 17, 1952
PANORAMA by David Schwartz
BOOK LOVERS
The State Department has made
an arrangement with the govern
ment of Israel which will make
American books very much cheaper
in Israel.
This is a great development.
Books and the new Israel are
Siamese twins. Tel Aviv was
named after a book. Schmaryahu
Lewin once wrote of a dinner he
had at the home of Dr. Joseph
Sachanowitz, the great Russian
Zionist and physician. The entire
dinner consisted of two courses—
milk and bread. Sachanowitz vir
tually starved himself in order to
provide money for the founding
of the Jewish National Library in
Jerusalem. Whenever he went to
see a patient, he kept his eyes
open for any book he might take
for the Jerusalem collection.
Yes, we Jews are great lovers
of books. They once asked the rabbi
of Kotzk why he didn’t write a
book. “What’s the use of writing
B book,” he said. "What will hap
pen if I write a book? Some Jew
after the big Sabbath cholent will
take up my book to read and fall
asleep over it.
“But is that an answer? I re
member my dear father—a great
lover of Hebrew books, and he
used to say that as soon as he
began reading the big folios of
the Gemara, his eyes would begin
to close.
“But isn’t it much better to fall
asleep over a book than by taking
sleeping pills?”
The late Chocham, Dr. Moses
Caster was once importuned by a
friend for the loan of a certain
hook in his library. Caster refused,
saying he never lent books. The
man persisted, giving manifold
assurances of the return of the
book.
Finally Caster invited the would-
be borrower to his home and
showed him his library.
“What do you think of it?”
asked Caster.
“Marvelous, it’s big enough for
a public library," said the man.
"I borrowed every one of these
books,” said Caster.
Yes, we Jews are very fond of
books. We like to put them on our
shelves. We even like to write
them. Many a Jew will go to as
great an expense to publish his
own hook as another person might
to get himself a car. Prof. Neu-
mark, of the Hebrew Union Col
lege, used to say: “Boys, it’s not
enough to write a book, it’s not
enough to pay for printing them.
Be sure also to read them too.
Don’t depend on your friends to
read them.”
Some of us are not so good at
reading them. We will do exery-
thing for an author except to buy
his book, or read it. “We already
got a book, you know. Why should
we buy them ?” But if we will not
give the author any cash—we will
give him all the credit—of a moral
Calendar
*HANUKAH
Saturday, Dec. 13
Saturday, Dec. 20
*HOLIDA YS BEGIN
Previous Evening
*PUR1M
March 1
*PAS90VKR
March 31
(First Day)
April 7
(Last Day)
*SHEVUOTH
May 20, 21
kind, very generously. We will pay
him every honor. Chaim Machman
Bialik, the Hebrew poet, on his
visit to America had many a laugh
on this score. They gave him many
banquets on his visit to America,
at which those who presided, if
they knew nothing of his works,
still insisted on showering him
with praise. Once the chairman
introducing Bialik called him Dr.
QUESTION: Why is it that no
special benediction is made
when giving charity when so
many religious acts are intro
duced with a blessing? (H. D.
New York City)
ANSWER: A number of inter
esting reasons are offered. One
states that a benediction is in or
der only when the individual is
completely happy when perform
ing the deed and one is some
times embarrassed into giving
charity. Some claim the reason to
be the desire to have the charity
offered with no introductions lest
’t le tco late or too emharrassing
to the recipient. 0 >ers claim that
Bialik. The poet irritated by this,
nudged the chairman by the sleeve.
The latter thinking that perhaps
Bialik felt that more honor was
due him, corrected himself. He
began calling him Professor Bialik.
We will honor the writer. We
will call him Doctor, Professor,
Professor Extraordinary, but that
a writer should be paid, that is
something some of us cannot quite
grasp.
“I am a writer,” said an Ameri
can once talking to a small town
Russian Jew. “Und fon vas macht
ihr a leben?” asked the latter.
in Jewish life charity is a debt;
not a privilege, such being the
idealistic interpretation. Others
claim that charity requires two
people to be involved—the donor
as well as the recipient, and that
one has no more right than the
other in making the benediction—
especially since the recipient may
be embarrassed by not having the
privilege; thus neither makes it.
Some point to the fact that this
displays Jewish tradition as dem
onstrating that one of its greatest
ideals is carried on without cere
mony, thus emphasizing deeds
over rituals.
Odovtie61n JewuH Life
^RET HARTE. THE
FAMOUS WESTERN
writer was Jewish/
^MILE THE JEWS COMPRISEO
17. OF THE WESTERN WORLD
THEY HAVE CONTRIBUTED
OF THE NO0EL PRIZE
WINNERS - OR WITH HALF r
JEWS, 12%
MOST WERE DISTINGUISHED
IN MEDICINE, NEXT FOR
PEACE/
FRENCHMAN,
FRANCOIS T1SSARD AT
THE BEGINNING OF THE
16* CENTURY WROTE OF
A*DISGUSTING HABlT'OF
A JEWISH TEACHER'WHO
WOULD PUT A PIECE OF
CLOTH TO HIS MOUTH TO
REMOVE HIS SPITTLE
..INSTEAD OF EXPECTORATING
ON THO GROONO LIKE
A oeceNT Christian / *
t>A»AA FEATURES
Tfhfaiiette^
MATTHEW ARNOLD, FORGOTTEN WRITER
An American Jewish Press Feature
Many men of letters, whose writings dominate a historical pe
tod, pass into oblivion so that their names convey little or nothing 1
a generation or two after their death. Such a figure of the lai
Victorian age was Matthew Arnold, who died in 1888.
A great poet, Arnold’s verses were invested with a'strong strai
of Hebraism, but it was to Greek models and thought that he turne
for both style and inspiration. He was thus a link between the tv
great sources of human moral and intellectual power.
Arnold wrote two works dealing with the Bible. The first “Li
erature and Dogma,” was an attempt to free the Bible from tY
theological net that enmeshed it, to give it to the people as a grei
literaly and moral treasure. His second work, “God and the Bible
contrasted the decline of Greek religion, as Greek national greatnei
declined, with a very different story as far as Hebrews were cox
cerned.
, . “™ e Hebrew people and Hebrew history, when thev begh
begin like the Hellenic people and like Hellenic history, with a r.
ligion of soberness and righteousness. And the after-decline of thi
religion in Greece we have seen. But in Judea, at the close of th
national history what do we find to be the condition of this religion
out 3 of m?nd e ’ n ” d ’ haS 11 ?r0Wn ° bS0lete ’ has h fallen out of si g h t an
‘‘ S .° far /^ it ’” write? Arnold - “ tha t it has grown into a
enthusiasm, turbid, passionate, absorbing and all-pervasive to brin
in everlasting righteousness.”
QUIZ BOX by Rabbi S. J. Fox
Blessings for Charity