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The Southern Israelite
GENERAL LIBRARY
1 -
VOL XXIX!
AUG 23 1954
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Premier Greets U. S. Jewry
On Tercentenary Celebration
NEW YORK, (JTA)—American phere of religious tolerance in the
Jewry was greeted this week by
Prime Minister William Drees of
the Netherlands, on the occasion
of the Tercentenary celebration of
Jewish settlement in this country,
which will start next month. In
a statement released through the
Netherlands Information Service,
Dr. Drees said:
“The 300th anniversary of this
Community recalls historical as
sociations of which both peoples
may be justly proud. The first
group of Jews to arrive in Nieuw
Amsterdam, though they came
from Brazil, were of Dutch origin.
They sought and found an atmos-
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry
Established 1925 (
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1954
o* &*&&& _
00*0
No. 33
Dutch community of Nieuw Am
sterdam.
“Both the American and the
Dutch people have continued in
their history to strive for — and
where necessary to fight for —
freedom in matters of religion,
not less than in other spheres of
human activity. Less than 15
years ago the Dutch people were
horrified and incensed at the per
secution that befell the Jewish
community of the Netherlands
under the German occupation. The
history of those days tells of the
solidarity of the people with their
suffering Jewisfi brethren.”
20 Major Organi. .„.is Issue Joint
Call for Jewish Education
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Jewish
parents throughout the Untied
States were urged to enroll their
children for Jewish education,
and to participate actively in the
educational programs of their own
Time Not Yet Ripe for Arab-Israel
Peace, Says Hammarskjold
- UNITED NATIONS, ..(JTA) —
The opinion that the time is not
yet ripe for peace between Israel
and the Arab states was expressed
here by United Nations Secretary-
General Dag Hammarskjold, in
his recent annual report to the
member states. Emphasizing that
the United Nations “has a special
responsibility in the Middle East,”
bit. Hammarskjold said:
“During the past year, the situ
ation in that area has deteriorated.
Efforts to improve conditions
have been made in the Security
Council, but so far without re
sult. As Secretary-General, I
have also offered my services to
the parties in order to facillatate
negotiations aiming at the solution
of certain practical problems of
limited scope.
“I feel that it should be recog
nized that the time is not yet here
lor a peace settlement between the
Arab States and Israel. But this
should not render impossible the
elimination of many points- of
friction which do not raise any
questions of principle. In the
meanwhile, it is the duty of the
countries concerned to put an end
to actions of reprisal which, in
a sinister series of attacks and
counter-attacks, have cost many
innocent lives and have embittered
the relations between the peoples
of the region.
“The situation has been further
complicated by steps which have
reduced the opportunities for the
United Nations organs in the field
to render their impartial services
to the parties concerned. The
existing situation is a matter of
deep concern. In the effort to
build up the authority of the
United Nations as an agent for
peace and justice, the co-opera
tion of the governments of the
members in the area is essential.”
our lives, but they also charge us
with responsibilities. In the first
place, we have the obligation to
see to it that the great spiritual,
ethical and cultural traditions
which they, among others, brought
communities, in a "Call to Jewish to this country, will be maintain
Parents" issued last week by the led and cherished. In the second
American Association for Jewish 'place, we of this generation have
Education. The call was endorsed the duty to lend meaning and dig-
by the heads of more than 20 of nity to our existence here by
Southeastern Z. O. A. to Hear
Burson, May at Jacksonville
the major national Jewish organi
zations.
Organizations endorsing the call
include the American Zionist
Council, American Jewish Commit
tee, American Jewish Congress,
B’nai B’rlth, Congress for Jewish
Culture, Council of Jewish Federa
tions and Welfare Funds, Zionist
Organization of America, Hadas-
sah, Jewish Labor Committee,
Jewish War Veterans of the U. S.
A., Mizrachi Organization of
America, National Council for
Jewish Education, National Council
of Jewish Women, Jewish Wel
fare Board, and others.
“The beginning of the school
year .this Fall, will coincide with
the opening of an historic cele
bration — the observance of the
300th anniversary of Jewish
settlement on these shores,” the
appeal says. "During the Tercen
tenary, American Jews and their
fellow-citizens of all faiths will
commemorate the arrival of the
first Jews as the beginning of
three centuries of creative Jewish
life in this country. During these
years, Jews have contributed
significantly and generously of
their talents, their energies, and
their labors toward the growth
and development of this great
land.
“The accomplishments of the
Jews who settled here ennoble
forging new weapons in behalf of
American democracy, our own
community and Jews in other
lands, including the State of Is
rael;
"There is an indispensable
method by which we can discharge
these responsibilities, now and
for the future. Through a prow
gram of effective Jewish educa
tion, we can forge the links with
the generations that have passed
and with the communities of
Jews in all parts of the world.
“Jewish Education Month will
be observed this year from Sep
tember 12 to October 10. During
this period we must create tha
conditions of community interest
and participation — in the Fall
enrollment — in a program of
Jewish education for youth and
adults, girls as well as boys, that
will guarantee a future in keeping
with our past, yet attuned to
present-day conditions and chal
lenges.”
Jewish Groups Worried Over
Fate of Jews in Morocco
JACKSONVILLE — Friday eve
ning services will mark the open
ing of the Southeastern Zionist
Region Convention to be held in
Jacksonville, Florida, September
3 to 5 These worship services
will take place at the Jacksonville
Jewish Center on Friday, Septem
ber 3, at 8 p. m.
Cantor Abraham A. Marton,
this year’s convention chairman,
has announced that the guest
speaker during these services,
dedicated to the Zionist Organi
zation of America wiy be Leo R.
Burson, President of the South
eastern Region.
Mr. Burson, a young prominent
Memphis attorney, was elected
President of the Region at the
16th Annual Convention held in
Memphis, Tennessee on October
16, 1953. He is the youngest Zion
ist ever to have been elected
President of any ZOA Region. He
has been a key figure in Regional
and National activities for the
past thirteen years, and at the re
cent National Convention of the
Zionist Organization of America
in New York City, was elected to
the National Executive and Na
tional Administrative Committees.
He was also named Associate
Treasurer of the National Board
of ZOA.
Mr. Burson, a native of Mem
phis, is a graduate of the Univer
sity of Michigan and received his
law degree from the St. Lawrence
University of New York. He served
as past president of the Hardwig
MORTIMER MAY
. . . BANQUET SPEAKER
Peres B’nai B'rith Lodge.
Upon his recent return from Is
rael, where he and his wife, the
former Josephine Wainman,
visited during the month of
March, Mr. Burson in a report
stated: “We must help secure a
peace between Israel and the
Arab States, otherwise, all our
efforts will go by the wayside.
Israel cannot afford another war.
It is the duty of all Zionists to
keep the subject alive and speak
of peace, peace, peace.”
Principal speaker at the Sun
day night banquet, will be Morti
mer May, Nashville, recently
elected national Z. O A. president.
USNA and HIAS
Merge This Month
NEW YORK, (JTA)' — The
United Service for New Ameri
cans, major Jewish resettlement
agency in America, and the He
brew Immigrant Aid Society, 70-
year-old Jewish migration agency,
are scheduled to be merged
August 24 into a single national
and international Jewish migration
and resettlement agency, to be
called “United HIAS Service,
Inc.” An Interim Committee is now
arranging the final details of the
consolidation, which will include
the overseas migration services of
the Joint Distribution Committee.
The memberships of both organ
izations have unanimously, ap
proved the- consolidation plans,
which have been in the process
of formulation for nearly two
years. All that remains to be ac
complished before the board of
directors meets on August 24 are
formal legal steps, which are ex
pected to be completed shortly.
AN APOLOGY
Inadvertently, the names of
Mortimer May and Arm and
May were switched in last
week’s newspaper and a cut
appeared with the wrong cut-
tine. Our apologies to both of
those honorable gentlemen.
—THE EDITOR
PARIS (JTA) — Jewish organ
izations here are seriously worried
over the continued outbreaks in
French Morocco, in which Jews
are being murdered and their
property looted in the fight be
tween Moslem nationalists, who
insist on the return to Morocco of
the former Sultan, Sidi Mohammed
ben Youssef, and the followers of
the present French-appointed Sul
tan, Sidi Mohammed ben Moulay
Arafa.
Although the Jews are not in
volved in the political fight now
raging in Morocco, they are in
mortal fear, especially in the small
towns where incited crowds are
utilizing the tension to loot Jewish
stores .Several Jews who made
an effort to protect their property
were killed by rioters last week.
The situation is reported here to
be especially precarious for Jews
in Fez, where Jewish families
prefer to be confined to their
nomes and not to appear in the
street. *
Jewish organizations here are
also watching the developments
in Tunisia, where a new all-Arab
Cabinet was formed today with
power to negotiate a self-govern
ment agreement with France,
There are more than 250,000 Jews
in Morocco. In Tunisia, there are
about 100,000 Jews scattered in
about 25 towns, with 60,000 of
them in Tunis,
Zachariah Schuster, European
director for the AJC, flew from
Paris to Tunis earlier to confer
with leaders of the Jewish com
munity there, and to meet with
prominent French and Moslem
personalties. The fundamental
problem, Mr. Schuster said before
departing, is assurance “that Jews,
as individuals, will receive the
same and equal rights granted all
other Tunisians, with no discrimi
nation because of religion.”
Another concern, declared Mr.
Schuster, is the status to be given
under the new regime to the net
work of Jewish religious and com
munal institutions, which must be
permitted to function freely if
Tunisian Jews are to be able to
have a meaningful life as Jews in
this perdominantly Moslem coun
try-
“We must inquire,” the AJC
representative said, “about the
new regime’s recognition of Jew
ish marriage rites and Jewish in
heritance customs which have
been regulated by Rabbinical
courts backed by enforcement
regulations always provided by
Tunisian authorities. The Tunisian
Jews have also developed a Fed
eration of Communities, now
recognized by the government,
which sponsor valuable social
welfare and educational work.
Several treaties between Franca
and Tunisia, some going as far
back as 1857, assert that there
shall be no discrimination as be
tween Jews and Moslems in Tu
nisia. We want to make certain
that these treaties are reaffirmed
in the new conventions now being
drawn for the governing of Tu
nisia.”
In addition to the 80,000 native
Jews in Tunisia, there are also
an estimated 20,000 French Jews
living there. However, the French
Jews will be protected by special
conventions now being drawn
with regard to all French citizen*
residing in the old protectorate.
U. S. Groups May ;
Get $3,000,000 i
Heirless Property
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—A con
ference committee of the House
and Senate is processing a bill
which would make available to
Jewish organizations up to $3,000-
000 In heirless German Jewish
property now held in the United
States by the Alien Property
Custodian.
The bill would empower the
President to designate certain
organizations to act as heirs, and
to use the funds for the benefit
of persecutees of Jewish faith.
Certain safeguards are established.
There is a limit placed upon tha
amount of property which may
be turned over. The limit i*
$3,000,000.
In explaining the bill, R«|fc
Arthur G. Klein said, “many o|
these people whose property was
taken from them" died during tha
pending of legal proceeding* and
could not get their money or prop
erty returned. Their heirs were
entitled to it, he explained; Hit
ler’s extermination of Jews wiped
out so many family groups that
no heirs were left in numerous
cases. Therefore the property is
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