Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Pace Foot THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE Friday, December 27, 1957 The Southern Israelite Published Weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, 390 Courtland 8t„ N. E„ Atlanta 3, Georgia, TR. 6-8249, TR. 6 8240. Entered as second class matter at the post office, Atlanta, Georgia under the Act of March 3, 1879. Yearly subscription five dollars. The Southern Israelite invites literary contributions and correspondence but is not to be considered as sharing the views expressed by writers. DEAD LINE is 12:30 P.M., TUESDAY, but material received earlier will have a much better chance of publication. Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher Gustav Oppenheimer, Margaret Merryman, Sylvia Kletzky Karen Hurtig, Kathleen Nease NATIONAL EDITORIAL . Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers ASSOCIATION 1 ^ U KJ ... What the Press Is Saying A Digest of Writers’ Opinions NATO and the Threat to Israel Even this great conference which is supposed to re-assert the unity and power of the West is not going to be allowed to forget about the desperately dangerous issue of Israel versus the Arabs plus the Soviets. The Turkish delegation has come to the NATO meeting with the intention of asking the United States and the other Western powers to support a move to force Israel back to the frontiers laid down in the UN partition of Palestine in 1947. This amounts to pro posing an amputation of present Israel rather more severe than the amputation of Czechoslovakia at Munich. In this manner, a chain of events set in motion by the Kremlin has menancingly reached into the midst of the grandiose NATO meeting. The problems of the Middle East may end by being shoved under the rug at this particiular gath ering. The American delegation is shoving hard. But the simple fact of the Turkish intention indicates a new tempo and a new explosive ness in the whole world situation. JOSEPH ALSOP. N.Y. Herald Tribune (from Paris) The Xmas Problem This is the time of the year when many of our pseudo-sophisticat ed Jewish parents, who throw up their hands in horrow at the mere mention of Jewish day schools because they abhor “Parochialism,” suddenly "see religious observances in the public schools. Jewish homes throughout this area (Chicago) will resound to voices singing ‘‘Silent Night, Holy Night . . .” and other Christmas carols. Soon af terwards in public schools—our children will be largely preoccupied with rehearsing Christmas pageants planning nativity scenes. All this, of course, is completely contrary to the Constitution of the U S. which specifically and deliberately imposes the separation of Church and State. The Bill of Rights provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .” Teaching of any religious dogma or practice . . . about the nativity of Christmas, the crucifixion at Easter time in public schools are violations of the doctrine guaranteeing separation of Church and State which is so basically a part of our American heritage. That is why we feel that this whole issue goes far deeper than the mere mat ter of whether or not Christmas ought to be observed in the public schools. It goes to the very heart of American democracy itself. If we consider it of little moment it will not be too long before the other bastions of freedom crumble away with it. We Jews have the greatest stake in preserving the right to be different—and yet equal—in this beloved land of ours. J. I. FISHBEIN, The Sentinel, Chicago The American Synagogue The oldest congregation on this continent is Shearith Israel, founded in New York in 1654, and located today on Central Park West in Man hattan. From 1730 to 1825 all New York Jewry worshipped in the 35- foot square Mill Street Synagogue, the first Jewish house of worship in America. Until 1850, when the first synagogue was opened in the then independent city of Brooklyn, Jews rowed across the East River to spend the Sabbath with their brethren in Manhattan. The next five congregations to be founded were: Savannah, Georgia (1734); Phila delphia (1745); Charleston, S.C. (1750); Touro Synagogue, Newport, R.I. (dedicated 1763); Richmond, Va. (1790). All these congregations received letters from President George Washington which strongly championed tolerance and understanding. Until 1815, most Jewish settlers in the U.S. were descendants of Jews from Spain and Portugal. In the mid-nineteenth century, new comers, fleeing from anti-Semitism in Germany, arrived to lay the cornerstone of the American Reform Judaism. Between 1880 and 1920, over two million Jews came here from Eastern Europe. They brought old world customs, warmth and feeling to the American synagogue. A large proportion of American synagogues belong to synagogue or ganizations. Some 720 are affiliated with the Union of Orthodox Jew ish Congregations of America; 600 belong to the United Synagogue of America (Conservative); 540 belong to the Union of American He brew Congregations (Reform). EZEKIEL SCHLOSS, World Over Atlanta Rites Jan. 5 To Memorialize Six Million Nazi Victims Memorial services for six mil lion Jewish victims of Nazism will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5, at Anshe S’fard Synagogue, under auspices of Mizrachi Men and Women’s Organizations of Atlanta. Rev. P. S. Clein and Mrs. Ben Auerbach who head the two groups announced that the ser vices will be addressed by a number of civic, cultural and re ligious leaders of Atlanta. The sponsors invite all Jewish groups of Atlanta to join in the services: Special memorial services will be held also on the program for the late Dr. Pinkos Churgin, pres ident of the Bar Ilian University in Israel. The date was selected as a re sult of notification by the chief rabbinate of Israel that the 10th day of Tebeth, the Hebrew month which falls between December 24 and January 21, has been chosen as the date for the commemora tion of the six million Nazi vic tims. The Israel rabbinate has designated the 10th of Tebeth as a religious fast day. Their action marks the first time that such a definite date had been designated in an effort to avoid the wide variance in ob servance, the sponsors announced. BEHIND UN SCENES “Don’t Push”—’58 UN Slogan By DAVID HOROWITZ UNITED NATIONS, (AJP — Despite efforts by Turkey and some Arab states with the support of the Soviet Union to force a solution of the Palestine question at the expense of Israel, the ma jority of UN members — Asians and Africans included — appears to have accepted the view of Secretary General Hammarskjold that the year 1958 will be no time “to push anything on any body.” Mr. Hammarskjold made this point crystal clear at a press con ference before he left New York for Gaza and Egypt. In reply to a question by your correspond ent on the possibilities of “tran slating the Armistice Agreements into permanent peace settlements at this time," the UN head said: “I know one thing, and that is that patience is the first virtue in handling these matters. And the second thing is that the situ ation is in some respects more satisfactory than we have seen it for a while. That is good in itself; but let something grow, and let us agree not to push any thing on anybody.” There can be no doubt that Mr. Hammarskjold, who is in constant touch with all delegations, made this latter remark about not pushing anything on anybody,” in the full knowledge of the pend ing intrigue within the UN to resurrect the 1947 partition re solution on Israel. His designa tion of Francisco Urrutia, Ambas sador of Columbia to the UN, as his personal representative to im plement the compromise he ach ieved in his erstwhile trip to Jordan and Israel over the latter’s right to carry gasoline to Mt. Scopus, fits in with this objective. Urrutia’s task is limited to the Mt Scopus issue. For this particular assignment, the scholarly, shrewd and amiable Colombian — a career diplomat with frontier experience in the Greek-Balkan border war—would appear eminently fit. But it must be remembered that diplomatic casualties run high in the lab yrinth of the ten-year Palestine dispute. Like every good negotiator, Ur rutia never reaches for Utopia. He believes, however, that even the smallest accord reached in this area could begin a chain re action for peace, given the prop er “climate.” Of course, with Mr. Hammarskjold and the majority Jewish Calender PURIM Thursday, March 6 PASSOVER Saturday-Saturday, April 5-12 SHAVUOS Sunday-Mondav, May 25-26 •Holiday begins previous evening of UN delegates, he is fully cog nizant of the fact that, as far as the reality of the present situa tion is concerned, the 1947 par tition resolution is a dead issue. Yet, with the powerful little “partition clique” working fev erishly behind the scenes, the threat and danger remains alive and there is no telling yet to what extent the U.S. will go in appeasing certain NATO and Baghdad Pact allies. Thus, as this writer sees it, everything will de pend on what position Washing ton will take. It was not too pleasant to have heard recently that the President would do nothing in the Middle East with out first consulting the Arab states There was no mention of Israel. It appears to this writer that both Ike and Dulles are tak ing the Jewish State for granted and exploiting its idealism and constant pleas for peace on the basis of the present Armistice Agreements. Perhaps Israel should pursue a new policy — a policy that both the Arab states and the U.S. couldn’t fail to understand: re vive the Balfour Declaration and the League of Nations Mandate which adjudiciated historic Pal estine — both sides of the Jor dan — as the National Jewish Home. In pressing such a policy, Israel might at least be let alone and the turn would come for the Arabs to demand a peace settle ment on the basis of the present frontiers. 1958 might be a good year for Israel to embark upon such a policy, namely, demand the maxi mum and get the minimum — the present Armistice borders and a peace settlement. FRANKFORT, (JTA) — The Federal Bureau of Criminality released this week what was be lieved to be the first nation-wide report in modern German History’ of desecration of cemeteries. The report revealed that while Christ ian as well as Jewish burial places have been violated, proportionate ly far more desecrations have taken place in Jewish cemeteries. The study, covered the period of January 1, 1948 to May 1, 1957, was motivated, the bureau said, by the “sharp” public re action to the desecration of the Jewish section of the Salzgitter- Lebenstedt cemetery last April. The report showed that 203 of the violated cemeteries were Christian and 171 Jewish. Dama ges were reported in four ceme teries having both Jewish and Christian sections. Denver Rabbi Nixes Inter-Dating DENVER, (JTA) — A Denver Reform rabbi has expressed pub licly his opposition not only to intermarriage but also to inter dating. Rabbi Earl Stone of Temple Emanuel, speaking at a Universi ty of Colorado Hillel meeting on the subject, said there was usual ly some attraction between two people if they date each other at all. He said even a slight attrac tion could easily lead to involve ment. He said that social contacts be tween Jewish and non-Jewish groups in high schools and col leges was a good idea provided friendships within the groups did not lead to individual involve ment. FIRST CHRISTIAN CONVERT IN RED RUSSIA IN ISRAEL JERUSALEM, (JTA —.The first and possibly the only Christ ian who has been converted to Judaism in Russia since the Bol shevik revolution has arrived in Israel. Daniel Zagayski, the convert, is a 70-year-old white-bearded man who has spent most of his time since his arrival in a Jerusalem synagogue, reciting the Psalms in gratitude for being in the Holy City. Zagayski, who came to Israel from Umman, where he was a shoemaker, said he converted to Judaism under the impact of the teachings of the Breslaw Rebbe, whose tomb is located in Umman. The convert said that before World War II, an entire village of Ukrainians near Umman con verted to Judaism and that all of the converts were exterminat ed by the Nazis. 54 per cent of all Christian ce meteries were desecrated and 45 per cent of all Jewish burial plac es. However, it emphasized that any inference of greater desecra tions of Christian than Jewish ce meteries would be inaccurate be cause there were only about 1,700 Jewish cemeteries in Germany. Proportionately, the report stated, many more desecrations have taken place in Jewish cemeteries. A much higher percentage of desecrations of Jewish cemeteries were solved because police in vestigated such outrages more thoroughly than the Christian vi olations, the report said. The more intensive police action was due to charges that Jewish desecrations were political acts The report, however, listed only one violation as a proven “political demonstra tion.” Children under 14 were respon sible for the desecration of near ly 70 per cent of violated Jewish graves, leading authors of the re port to comment that “The Jew ish cemetery seems to have a mag ical attraction for children and youths.” Most of the cemetery damages done by the children were ascrib ed in the report to “what in crim inological evaluation must be termed ‘gross mischief.’ ” Other motives listed were profit-seek ing, mental distrubances and drunkenness. Montreal Hospital Accepts Community Check on Kashruth MONTREAL, (JTA) _ David Kirsch, president of the Jewish General Hospital, announced this week that an agreement has been reached with the Montreal Jew ish Community Council for super vision of Kashruth at the hospital. The Council, also known as the Vaad Hoir, was established in 1922 by leaders of Montreal’s Or thodox Jewry to organize the af fairs of Orthodox Jews, partic ularly of Kashruth, on a syste matic basis and to assure that the proceeds of Schechitah would be devoted to the maintenance of Jewish educational institutions of all types. The report noted that nearly BY HENRY LEONARD " ..V.w. • * It say*, 'GIVE TO THE JUDAEAN WELFARE FUND'/' *- Copr. 1*57. Leonard PrlUUa 171 Jewish Cemeteries Desecrated In Germany Since 1948. Govt. Reports