Newspaper Page Text
Friday, January 23, 1953
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Page Seven
How Will the “McCarran Act” Affect Our Life?
The writer of this article was tortured by the Nazis in 7 con
centration camps. Ghettos and hard labor in Germany, and enslaved
by the Soviets in 4 prisons, as well as in Siberia. As a refugee and
former displaced person, he studied law in Atlanta, in the John
Marshall Law School, where he received his Bachelor and Master
degrees of Law. As a practicing lawyer in Atlanta, specializing in
problems of immigration and international laws, he has made an
exhaustive study concerning the new Immigration and Nationality
Law, known as the “McCarran Act”, and of the Final Report of
the l nited States Displaced Persons Commission in Washington, D.C.
In a series of three articles, written for The Southern Israelite,
the w riter brings to the attention of our readers the main problems
of that new Act and Report. ’ ’ THE EDITOR
By LEON S. ROZEN
The new “Immigration and Na
tionality Act” (known as the “Mc
Carran Act”) became effective on
December 24, 1952.
There was a general demand for
fundamental changes in the pre
vious Immigration Act of 1924, and
a revision and liberalization of the
county's basic laws, especially, in
view of the cataclysm of World
War 2. One such step was the
passage of the Displaced Persons
Act of 1948.
According to unofficial statistics
the McCarran Act will involve the
status of eight million naturalized
citizens, 3 and a half million aliens
in the U. S., and 450,000 native
born and naturalized Americans
now living abroad. Congress over
rode President Truman’s veto to
enact this legislation.
Throughout the whole country
there are protests against the “Mc
Carran Act.” All Jewish organi
zations, as well.as most of the
democratic, liberal, civic and re
ligious bodies in the U. S., labeled
the Act as discriminating, unjust
and anti-democratic. They char
acterized the Act as “racist in
character and reactionary in in
tent.” In some circles it was de
scribed as “reminiscent of Nazi
legislation.” In Cathlic periodicals,
the bill was attacked as “alien to
the American traditions,” and cal
led for its defeat. Even President
Eisenhower, Governor Stevenson,
the Attorney General himself, the
American Academy of Science,
etc., asked for a revision of the
Act. Senator Lehman of New York
proposed a counter bill in view of
the finest American traditions of
humanity and welfare, “and, in
conformity within the American
principle of fairness and equality
of all men, regardless of race,
creed and national origin, and that
all men are created equal and are
endowed with inalienable rights.”
He proposed an overall quota to
be admitted according to a sys
tem of preference on individual
worth and need, rather than of
national pedigree. Pres. Truman
appointed a special commission to
investigate and gather public
views on possible modification of
that Act. There are promises of
modifying or changing the Act,
but, until that time, the Act will
be in full force.
The new Act is very complicat
ed. Millions of Americans had no
interest or idea about it, until in
the last presidential election cam
paign it became an issue. Let us,
therefore, give to the Jewish read
ers some explanation concerning
the Act, which contains 120 pages
of small print, over 700 para
graphs, divisions and subdivisions
(besides future regulations and ex
planations) and known officially
as Public Law 414—82nd Congress.
WHOM WILL US ADMIT—12b
There are two categories of
aliens privileged to come to the
United States: 1) Immigrants ac
cording to quota permission, and
2) Immigrants according to the
non-quota regulations. The prob
lem of the non-quota immigrants
has not been questioned until
now, the main issue is the prob
lem of the quota regulation. The
principle of the quota measure is
that there are two standards of
applicants: one for the Nordic
master race (British, Irish'' and
Germans), and the other for the
common run of mankind. This
principle is based upon the super
iority of the Nordic races over all
others.
The immigrant qubta is limited
to 154 thousands a year. But, the
quota favors natives of Anglo-
Saxon countries, and discriminat
ing against natives of Southern
and Western Europe. Almpst a half
of the total quota during the years
1930-1948 was not utilized, be
cause Britain and Ireland did not
take advantage of it. Permission
for applicants from small quotas
countries were not allowed to use
the unused portions of the large
quotas. Nothing in the quota reg
ulations is in favor of the needs
of the refugees, Displaced Persons
and victims of War, Nazism, Com
munism, ets. Nazis and Fascists
could be admitted to the United
States, while victims of their out-
ragers could be excluded.
According to Sec. 203 of the Act,
visas for quota immigrants shall
be allotted in each fiscal year as
follows: The first 50 percent shall
be made available for the issu
ance of immigrant visas “to quali
fied quota immigrants whose ser
vices are determined by the At
torney General to be needed ur
gently in the United States be
cause of the high education, tech
nical training, specialized experi
ence, or exceptional ability of such
immigrants and to be substatially
beneficial prospectively (o the na
tional economy, cultural interests,
or welfare of the United Staes”;
the next 30 percent shall be made
available for the issuance of im
migrant visas to qualified immi
grants who are the parents of citi
zens of the U.S.”; the remaining 20
percent, plus any portion of such
quota not required for the issu
ance immigrant visas to previous
2 classes, shall be available for
“the spouses of the children of
aliens lawfully admitted for per
manent residence.” Brothers, sis
ters, sons, or daughters of citi
zens of the U. S. shall be entiled
to a preference of not exceeding
25 percent of the immigrant visas,
if the previous three categories are
not fulfilled.
Section 206 says that “The At
torney General may, at any time,
frtr what he deems to be good and
sufficient cause, revoke the ap
proval of any petition approved by
him . . .” In addition, Sec. 221 (i)
says that “After the issuance of a
visa or other documentation to any
alien, the consular officer or the
Secretary of State may at any
time, in his discretion, revoke such
visa or other documentation.”
If a sufficiently large demand
exists among aliens entitled to pre
ference status, no quota numbers
would be available for non-prefer
red immigrants.
Taking into consideration the
fifty provisions prescribed in Sec
tion 212 for classes of aliens who
are “ineligible to receive visas and
excluded from admission,” there
arises the very serious question,
who, of the aliens, especially, not
QUIZ BOX by S. J. Fox
Cremation
QUESTION: Wliy is Jewish tra-
dition so adamantly set against
cremation for the dead? (I. M.
Boston, Mass.)
ANSWER: There are several
reasons for this strict prohibition.
Basically, there is a positive state
ment in the Bible which is taken
for an express command to intern
the body in the earth from whence
humanity was originally created.
“Dust thou art and unto dust shalt
thou return” (Genesis 3:19) is
the classic commandment of the
Bible.
Cremation would obviously de
stroy the possibility of fulfilling
this commandment. According to
some interpretations cremation ia
considered an imitation of idola
trous worship, tracing it all the
way back to the early idol wor
shippers who burned human sacri
fices to the gods. Others consider
such an act of open denial in the
faith of the resurrection of the
dead, since the cremation destroys
the body and indicates the lack of
confidence in its future revival.
Some consider it to be an in
sult to the body which is to bo
considered the "image of God."
Therefore any disfigurement would
constitute a rebuke of the heav
enly image, as well as its crea
tor. So Btrong is this restriction
that the Rabbis have denied any
burial for the ashes of a cremat
ed body upon a Jewish cemetery.
They havo even gone as far ua
denying the deceased the right to
have a candle lit for him in the
synagogue or to have Kaddish re
cited for him. Such is the general
attitude although there may havo
been certain exceptions made un
der certain specified circum
stances.
QUESTION: Why is it that
upon some occasions more than
one scroll -is taken out of the
Holy Ark for the Torah reading f
(TR — fleul York, N. Y.)
ANSWER: While it is true
that all the large scrolls in the
ark contains the same scriptures,
e. i. the Five Books of Moses,
upon occasions when the Sabbath
coincides with the beginning of,
the New month, or upon a festi
val when more than one section
is read from the Scroll, a special
Scroll is used for each individual
section. The reason for this is
obviously so that the congrega
tion be sipared the hesitation of
the interval of time necessary in
order to roll the scroll from one
section to the other. The custom
to use several Scrolls is mention
ed in the Talmudic as well as in
the Post-Talmudic literature. It
is certainly an indication of the
effort exerted by the early Rab
bis to facilitate the proper deco
rum at the services in the syna
gogue.
QUESTION: Why is it custo
mary for a Levite to wash the
hands of the priest before the
traditional’ ceremony of the
Blessing of the Priests that
takes place in the synagogue dur
ing. holidays f. (TH—Brooklyn,
N. Y.)
ANSWER; This custom is
found in the Zohar Commentary
on the Bible (Zohar :-Noso)
where the KaJbbalist writes: “The
priest who is about to spread
forth his hands needs an inflow
ALIEN ADDRESS REPORT—NOTICE
Who?
The law requires that every alien who is in the United States on January 1, of each yea rshall report
his address during the month of January. Any alien who is temporarily absent on January 1, shall re
port his address withing ten (10) days after his re-turn to the United States.
How?
1. In January, go to any United States Post Office or any Immigration and Naturalization Office
to obtain the Alien Address Report Card.
2. Read the instructions on the back of the card before you fill in the answers on the front, and sign
card. If you do not understand the instructions, ask the postal clerk or an employee of the Im
migration and Naturalization Service for help in completing the card.
3. When you have completed the card hand it to a clerk in any Post Office, or Immigration and
Naturalization Office.
When?
You must hand in your Alien Address Report, Form 1-53, during January. You will assist the Immi
gration and Natuarlization Service if you do so asearly as possible in January.
Penalties
An alien or his parent or legal guardian in the United States who wilfully or inexcusably fails to re
port is liable to be taken into custody and deported. Furthermore, imprisonment or fine may be levied
before deportation.
To United States Citizens
If you are a citizen of the United States this notice does not apply to you. However, you will
be assisting your Government, and any of your friends or acquaintances who are not United States
citizens, if you will remind them of their responsibilities concerning the Address Report.
Argyle R. Mackey
Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization
United States Departmentof Justice
Washington, D. C-
having the chance to be included
in the above four categories, will
be fortunate enough to receive a
visa?
It seems that it will be almost
hopeless and impossible for vic
tims of Nazism and Communism
to come to th eUnited States. Their
misery and tragedy cannot end,
except by miracle, or . . . death.
Policy
of holiness in addition to his
own, he must therefore have his
hands washed by one who is in
himself holy, e.i. a Levite of
whom it is written “And thou
shalt sanctify the Levites.” The
Priest cannot have his hands
washed by another Priest be
cause the latter would be incom
plete in this instance since he
too needs purification. It is in
teresting to note that the priests
were taught a great moral les
son with this custom. No man,
even the priest, could achieve a
degree of holiness all by himself.
He must have the assistance of
others. Thus the Priest had to
receive the water from the Levite
before his hands were washed.
Letter to the Editor
(Continued from page 6)
TENSE ANTI JEWISH dc
cere acceptance of its traditional
symbols is just as genuinely Jew-
as the true spirit of Hanuka and
the sincere acceptance of the Me-
norah, or the true spirit of Yom
Kippur and the now so seldom
heritage argue against all three and
have found in each instance that
they have never experienced the
true religious spirit of these holy
days, more, that they have never
tried to find it. By the same token,
he who eats trafe when he knows
inside of him that he should not,
is just as un-Jewish as he who
keeps the kashruth as a meaning
less habit only, or to please his
family . . .
I do believe that Rabbi Feld
man will ' agree that today
more than ever we need spiritual
leaders who emphasize that which
unites us all, and not that what
makes us different. Even when it
pertains to a Christmas tree.
—WILLIAM H. SACHS
“LETTERS TO TIIE EDITOR”
MUST BF, LIMITED TO 300
WORDS OR THEREABOUT AND
SO ONLY A PART OF MR.
SACH S MESSAGE IS REPRODU
CED. RABBI FELDMAN HOW
EVER WAS NOT THE AUTHOR
OF TIIE ARTICLE. THE ONLY
TRANSLATED THE MATERIAL.
—THE EDITOR
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