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A Niece Writes to Her Uncle
A Personal Passover Report
By JACK J. ROSS
Director, Institutional Relations, Israel Government
Tourist Office
Jack J. Ross was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1913. He
received his education in Poland, and was graduated from
the Rabbinical Yeshiva as Rabbi and later from the Poly
technic Institute in Cracow with the degree of Civil Engin
eer. Mr. R oss, after being imprisoned in Russia for two and
one-half years, arrived in Teheran in April 1942 where he
immediately started to work with the local Jewish Agency
office, of which he was the first secretary in Teheran. In
1943 Mr. Ross took over the position of Assistant Manager
of the American Joint Distribution Committee office in Jer
usalem and continued to work with this organization later,
in Stockholm and London, until his arrival in the United
States in May 1946. After a few years in private business,
Ur. R,, joined th> Israel Government Tourist Office as
Director of Institutional Relations. Mr. Ross, who is mar
ried and has two children, is a<
ITrilh on a national level, in the
erica, and in local civic organi:
Having recently come back
fr_m Israel, my impressions are
still quite fresh. I could, there
fore, go on and report on the sit
uation there as I saw it. Howev
er, a communication which has
just reached me from my sabra
niece Dora expresses so much
my own feelings that I felt it
important enough to share it
with you.
But, before I let Dvora speak,
I would like to point out that
whenever I address some group,
I always try to convey to them
the following:
How much they will gain in
every respect by going to Is
rael;
How much they will enjoy it
as a tourist adventure;
How much they will enrich
their spiritual life by visiting the
places which have become so
Holy and cherished by everyone,
independent of what religion
they belong to;
How much they will enrich
their human experience by see
ing this new'est democracy at its
beginning, when it is building
and cvercoming its problems.
I always have the same feel
ing when I address a group of
Deople: They think, in a way,
that I came and I want some
thing from them, while I know
very deeply that I came to give,
help give, and Israel has so much
to offer. It makes me sad when
I suddenly hear a remark that
someone may not go to Israel
now, because cf the present po
litical situation. What is the
meaning of a political situation?
Israel has been living in this
situation for the last eight years.
But the everyday life of the peo
ple goes on. and the beautiful
sight of the country is there, and
I sincerely believe that no one
should miss this .pportunity but
take time by its horns and see
Israel now.
And now let us see what Dvora
has to say:
Dear Jack,
‘I cannot tell you how good it
is to receive your letters, to read
about your werk and to see how
much involved you are in it; it is
The Southern Israelite
five in the American H’nai
Zionist Organization of Ani
mations. — EDITOR.
very hard for me to comment on
your remarks that as a result of
the attention Israel’s political sit
uation is lately drawing, some
people are postponing their visits
to this country. There always
were clouds on the political ho-
r /.on. as there are all over the
world. We became used to them.
They don’t disturb us as they
don’t disturb our everyday life
and they certainly should not
disturb anyone who plans to vis
it Israel.
"As you know, in my work I
travel all over the country. I
just came back from my routine
tour which took me across the
entire length of the country, from
the north to Eilat. Spring is in
early this year; we already feel
it in the air, we feel it in the
warmth of the sun, we see it in
the people’s faces. There is step
ped-up movement all over; the
renovation and building of new
hotels is going on at a tremen
dous tempo; we know that Pass-
ver will bring thousands of our
friends to Israel and we are all
looking forward to them.
“I was very happy to hear
from you that your film
”... And They Met in Galilee”
is meeting which much success:
and no wonder. After all it
shows the beauty of our Galilee.
It may be funny. I was born in
this country and spent my whole
life here, and still every time I
see the sun rise over the Sea of
Galilee I again and again re
member the saying: “Jehovah
created the Seven Seas, but Kin-
nereth He made for His own de
light.” On my way back I spent
a few hours with our friend Nor
man Lurie in the Dolphin House
—what a pleasure! I have never
been in the United States and all
I know about it is from what you
always tell me, but I really can
not imagine anything better than
this m:st beautiful luxurious re
sort hotel. I splashed and swam
in the royal blue water of the
Mediterranean sea, and absorbed
the wonderfully warm sunshine.
He took me around and showed
me all the improvements. But
one, at least, was not his. He
showed me the newest excava
tions right near the hotel where
A Mark Of . . .
QUALITY FOODS
^~Jranh Cjrah am C
ejCinco(n - lllercury
SALES
SERVICE
600 YV. Peachtree St., N. W.
ELgin 8231
SAM FINLEY, Inc.
ASPHALT PAVING
Driveways — Parking Areas — Streets
Roads — ESTIMATES INVITED
292 North Ave., N. W. Phone EL. 7353
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