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THE SO UTHERN ISRAELITE f oge Four Friday, April 24, 1953 The Southern Israelite #vfell»h«d WwWjr by Sovttom Nowti E*»«rpri»o«, loc., 312 Ivy $troo* N. f., AllortNi ____ . ...w»pop*< KnH/priiM, Ine., 312 Ivy 3 ___ | Georgia. WAJrn/t 0791 - 0792, Entered os second class matter ct the post office, Atlanta, Oeoraia, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Yearly subscription three dollars. The Sou there ttroelite Invites literary contributions and correspondence but Is not to be considered os flooring the views expressed by writers. DEADLINE Is 12i30 P. M., TUESDAY but material fsolved earlier will have a much better chance of publication. Member, Amorieon Attociafion of Engli$h-Jmwith Newspapers Adolph 8a$onborg. Editor and Publithor ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Gustav Oppenheimer Margoret Merrymon PANORAMA by David Schwartz Thinking Machine Machines that think and Rabbithking machines. Akiba Eger! Dr. Weiner, a professor of ma- They are the new thing. Newer j thema tics at the Massachusetts than three dimensional films. We j i nst itute of Technology, is the man THOUGHTS ON ISRAEL'S FIFTH BIRTHDAY GUEST EDITORIAL pie or church, we will hear a ser mon by machine. Could a machine think up a bet ter sermon than Rabbi Akiba Eg er? Why do I happen to mention Rabbi Akiba Eger? He was a rab bi of Prague—a distinguished rab bi—who lived about a hundred years ago. The first time I ever heard mention of Rabbi Akiba Eger was in an anecdote about the rabbi who succeeded him at Prague. The story ran that this rabbi was a man of many striking quali fications, “that he was like God’ Recent events behind the Iron Curtain, especially Stalin s death, have sent a tremor of fear throughout the Eastern World. Even the peace rumors are suspected because of ulterior desigsn ascribed to them. Yet these crises, to mention but a few powder kegs in the world today, were in themselves born of fear. The tragic truth is that all fear tends to bring about the very situation that it dreads, until what were once theoretical dangers become concrete ones. Fear, with its accompanying evils, has such a de structive potential and creates such a vicious circle that before long even liberal governments can find themselves in a position where moral values and righteous considerations must lx* sub ordinated to military and political expediency, occasioned by fear ftiid its corrolary the threat of war. Witness the Uniferl States loss of face because of the McCarran Walter Act which is breed ing fear, hysteria, and suspicion and sets up insurmountable immigration harriers for those wishing to enter the land of the free and the home of the brave. Not so many years ago the late President Franklin D. Roose velt told Americans facing serious domestic problems that we tiave nothing to fear but fear itself.” Ironically enough, the world today stands in dread of the explosive power of the atom, but tlie atom cannot he ignited unless nerves explode first. This war of nerves must he brought to au end. Whatever* philosophy we may |>elievc in there is none which strives for the suicide of the hu man race. But it may be asked how about ideological differences?] Akiba Eger couldn’t speak Ger- Can communism and free enterprise live in the same work!? It m i '>* s ° this othe r rabbi couldn t. ghould he apparent even to the casual student of history and gvorld affairs that ideological conflicts also prevail within nations. There are clashes of interest within the United States, within the British Empire, within Canada, ves, within the Soviet Union too. But those conflicts do not normally degenerate into internal rev olutions. for the very reason that domestic problems within the above countries are submitted to law and governmental regu lation. What is good for the United States with its many races, for the British Empire which traverses continets, for the Soviet Union with its manv nationalities, for Canada with its bi-racial approach, should also be good for the United Nations. We dare liot despair of human reason and its ability to build tip an inter national authority, and law capable for abolishing war. It is to l»e deplored that not only cynics and war mongers, hut morally Sincere and religious leaders have helped to spread that despair. Some would argue that man is bv his very nature selfish and greedy. Since nations consist of human beings, the contention is that there is therefore no hope for peace. This view tends to Stress the dreary side of man’s nature. Yet on the other hand we must admit that men are not en tirely given to destructive negative impulses. In our dailv lives we assume that human beings are sensible, cooperative and freedom loving. If we really have faith in Cod. it is up to us to see in the positive side of human nature a manifestation of the Divine, and to predicate all of our peace seeking efforts on this emphasis. We can stop the drift to war and eliminate fear by mak ing the World War taboo, by exciting the imagination of na tions and people to think only in terms of peace. We must make the United Nations a United Mankind. Knowing war is the absence of law we must create a law of humanity and exalt it alwne national laws. Let us settle our conflicts in the spirit of reverence for life, and thereby effect the humanization end achievement of universal peace. saw a demonstration of them last election night. The machine was “fed’’ certain data and asked to predict whether Eisenhower or Stevenson would win. Some day, maybe the President instead of having a Cabinet, will just have one of those machines to advise who coined the name for the new science “cybernetics.” I discover from reading his autobiography that he is a descendant of Rabbi Akiba Eger. The book mentions this fact only incidentally. Dr. Weiner is better known as one of the most him. Perhaps when we fo to tern- , {amous child prodigies . when he was ten years old, he was deliv ering lectures on higher mathe matics. His father, Dr. Leo Wei ner, was a professor at Harvard. Among the other things his father did was to write a history of Yid dish literature. I am old enough to remember the days when Dr. Weiner was a boy prodigy. At the time, he was not the only Jewish boy so fea tured. There was also another youngster, William James Sidis, son of Prof. Boris Sidis, who was hailed in the newspapers for sim ilar precocious achievement. Many like Moses, bnd like Rabbi Akiba vears later 1 met Sidis - He had Eger.’, "He is like God, because he is no man. He is like Moses, because he has an impediment of speech as Moses had, and he is like Aki ba Eger, because just as Rabbi That story was my first acquain tance with Rabbi Akiba Eger. La ter I heard many others. A great personality naturally becomes the pivot of many Stories. I mention Rabbi Akiba Eger in connection with thinking ma chines, because I have just been reading "Ex-Boy Progidy,” the become an operator of mimeo graph machine and collected trol ley car transfers as a hobby. He resented all the studying and dis ciplining imposed by his father in the course of creating him a child progidy. Happily in the case of Dr. Weiner, there was not this sharp ly hostile reaction, but I think Dr. Weiner would agree that the creation of boy progidies is a very precarious undertaking and should be practiced with extreme care. Coming back to Rabbi Akiba Eger, I recall two other stories which I think are worth retelling. One was about a mean and stingy had never contributed to the Jew ish community’s charities. The community, on his death, demand ed more for his burial plot and the family of this mean Jew had Rabbi Akiba summoned to court to justify the higher charge. “It is this way,” Rabbi Eger ex plained to the Czech officials, “we charge rent for the burial ground for the time it is occupied. Most of the Jews buried here will rise on the great day of Ressurection, but according to Jewish law a us urer will not participate in the resurrection. He therefore will oc cupy the ground for all time, so we must charge him more.” The other story about Rabbi Ak iba Eger that I would like to tell is the night a poor widow came to him - crying that she was to be evicted the following day for non payment of rent. Rabbi Akiba Eager went down to the Kehilla offices, but none of the leading Jews were there. He thought he would try the Spots Club and there sure enough he found all the leaders playing cards. When they saw the rabbi, they stopped playing. “Hold,” said Rabbi Eger, “the game must go on —but the proceeds I will take to pay the rent for the poor widow who is threatened with eviction tomorrow." , What I would like to say to Dr. Norbert Weiner, master of the sci ence of thinking machines is "Doc tor, you can create machines that think—machines that have brains —but can you create a machine that has a heart that will be mov ed by the plight of a poor wid ow?” autobiography of Dr. Norbert j Jew of Prague. He had made a Weiner, the great authority on fortune by usurious interest and BETWEEN US by Boris Smolar Israel's Fifth It is in this sphere of thought and operation that the State of Israel looms like a refreshing oasis in an otherwise crisis ridden world. On the 5th of Ivar, this year, April 20, Israel’s Independence was celebrated. This constitutes the fifth anniversary of Israel’s Statehood. For a people which has known fear and persecution the last 2.000 years, the Jews in Israel have proved conclusively to the world that democracy can exist and flourish in the middle east, no matter how staggering and overwhelming the odds.. Yet we Jews living in countries outside of Israel dare not permit any diminution of our support for the hard pressed state through the medium of the United ewish Appeal, by purchasing bonds for Israel and by keeping alive an interest and giving moral Support to our people in Israel. In a world torn asunder by power politics and the specter of war, let us hope that the cfav will soon lie nigh, when we may witness and realize Micha’s famous prophetic enunciation, “But they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his fig tree ami none shall make them afraid." RABBI NORMAN N. SHAPIRO Beth Tzedec Congregation Toronto.. Out., Canada Israel’s Fifth Anniversary is now being observed by Jewish com munities throughout the world, in cluding the United States. Those who want to know to what extent the United States Government — and especially former President Truman—was responsible for the establishment of Israel, shpuld read "State in the Making,” just published by Knopf. It is a book by David Horowitz, until recently Director General of Israel’s Finance Ministry. The author, who actively partic ipated in theUnited Nations ses sion at Lake Success at which the partition decision was voted five years ago, partly lifts the curtain on behind-the-scene activities at that historic session. He reveals fascinating facts which have not been made known till now. One •SHEVUOTH May 20, 31 •ROSH HASHONA Sept. 10, Thursday •YOM KIPPUR Sept. Id, Saturday •SUKKOS Sept 24, Thursday Oct 2, Friday •HOLIDAYS BEGIN Previous Evening SIMCHAS TORAH of the most interesting revela- Ncgev at Lake Success. The Am erican delegation, influenced by the British, had decided against the inclusion of the Negev in the Jewish State. And the head of the U. S. delegation, Herschel John son, was in the midst of breaking the sad news to Moshe Sharett in the delegates’ lobby some 30 min utes before announcing it to the U.N. session. While Johnson was speaking to Sharett, one of his aides told him he was wanted on the telephone. Johnson refused to break off his conversation with Sharett at this delicate moment. But, he quickly changed his mind when his aide whispered to his ear: “The Presi dent, sir”. After spending 20 min utes in the telephone booth, John son emerged and indicated to Sha- | rett that the U. S. delegation would vote to support Israel’s claim to the Negev. Israel’s struggle for its frontiers at the United Nations thus ended in victory due to a timely ! telephone call from Truman who had promised Dr. Weizmann that the Negev would be part of the Jewish state. There were other critical mo ments for Israel at the United Na tions during which Truman per sonally stepped in—against the will of the State Department—and saved the situation. Mr. Horowitz also has much to reveal about the stand of the Soviet delegation on the issue of voting for the estab lishment of a Jewish State in Pal estine. And he tells very interest ing and hitherto unknown details of how it came about that Moscow surprised the world by voting in favor of the historic partition res olution which brought about the creation of Israel. QUIZ BOX BLESSING OF SUN by RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX QUESTION: What is meant by j the “blessing of the Sun”? ANSWER: The “Blessing of the Sun” is the name given to a cus tomary benediction made when the sun reaches its original posi tion and begins a new solar cycle. This time is called the beginning of the “vernal equinox" and takes place only once in 28 years. The ceremony usually takes place at sunrise or after the morning pray ers. QUESTION: What is the origin of this custom? ANSWER: The custom is men tioned in the Talmud (Berochoth 59b). Among the reasons advanced for this custom is that the sun reaches the original position where it was placed at the time of cre ation. The day of the week like wise corresponds to Wednesday, which is the day upon which the Bible tells us that the sun was cre ated. The general idea behind this custom is quite self-evident. Jew ish tradition always paid respect to the various forces of nature which give benefit to man in the universe at which man looks with awe over their majestic display of the powers of the Almighty. The sun, which i sone of mankind’s greatest aids in life certainly de serves the blessing of mankind for its great powers. QUESTION. Why are weddings prohibited during the period be tween Passover and Shavouth? ANSWER: Several reasons are advanced for this custom of re fraining from having marriages performed in the period between the Passover and Shavuoth fes tivals. Generally, this is considered as a means of mourning because it was in that period when thousands of the students of the great Rabbi Akiba were slaughtered. Others claim that the custom pevailed be cause of the pilgrims who were busily engaged in their travels to and from the Temple. Since they had to return home and then come again to the Temple between the two holidays, marriages were post poned lest they interfere with their return to the Temple in time.