Newspaper Page Text
Put Four
Friday, February 21, 1958
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
The Southern Israelite
Published Weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, 390 Courtland
St., 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 IVIarcIi 3, 1879. Yearly subscription five dollars. The Southern
Israelite invites literary contributions and correspondence hut is not
to be considered as sharing the views expressed by writers. DEAD
LINE is 12:80 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 tpitoniai American'Association
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Newspapers
WELCOME ATLANTA DELEGATES
In every community fortunate enough to have a Hadas-
sah Chapter, the name of Hadassah is magic. It is an organ
isation which serves at once to grip its members with dedi
cation and devotion and to inspire them to a degree of serv
ice which is marvelous to see in action.
Hadassah women spend selfless hours to achieve the
multi-goals of the group, developing and demonstrating a
drive and success which makes them valuable adjuncts of
their home and community. Indeed, the inspiration which
brings out their development and talents in behalf of causes
in Israel are available as well in their activities as home
makers and good citizens equally devoted and dedicated to
good citizenship and the American scene.
Members of this group in South Carolina and Georgia
will center in Atlanta this weekend for their annual con
ference and a renewal of the well-springs of inspiration they
will take back to their own communities.
The Southern Israelite is pleased to bid the conference
delegates and visitors welcome and to salute publicly their
splendid organization.
Atlanta JWV to honor Communal Worker
It is to the credit of members of Post 112, Jewish War
Veterans, that they have selected a communal worker as the
recipient of their “outstanding citizen’s award for 19f>7.”
The honor they will give Edward Kahn this weekend
is at once a recognition of the profession through which he
has served his community, as well as for his individual
contributions to the many movements in the Jewish and
broader community.
One of the most respected individuals in his field, Mr.
Kahn has carved out a record of devotion to professional
standards on the local, regional and on the national scene
as well.
The long-term goals for which he has labored have been
approached with caution and determination, taking into con
sideration the complete community picture—the abilities
and limitations of the leadership, the capacities and needs of
the complex community itself and the necessity of develop
ment of facilities and materials on hand.
He has literally been a pioneer in the field of Jewish
communial work. His more than a quarter of century in
Atlanta alone has coincided with the community’s transition
from individual action as an answer to social welfare prob
lems to group action and organization. In this capacity, he
has helped create an Atlanta community which has been
able to serve its own needs, to provide guidance through
sharing of talents and capacities with other Southern cities
and area, to take a place positively in the nation’s organized
Jewish community and to marshall resources for the maxi
mum aid of overseas and national Jewish causes.
As the professional who guided this expansion and de
velopment, Mr. Kahn has demonstrated a sincerity of pur
pose and dedication which has not deviated through compro
mise from the high standards as he saw them. Naturally
along the way, there have been times when his opinion
differed with others and sometimes he was overruled and
outvoted. This role is often a lonely one and the fate of the
top professional who at times stands against the popular
current in the integrity of his standards.
In honoring Mr. Kahn, the Atlanta war veterans have
succeeded in pointing up the field of social work whose dedi
cated members labor anonymously and most of the time
unrecognized to give character and direction to the group or
cause they serve.
Our congratulations to Mr. Kahn and to Post 112.
Review of Mid-East Merger Implications
Plain Talk
I Decorate A Lady
An incluswe sea p/ opin
ion continues to well up over
the effects of the two merg
ers of the four Arab nations
upon the State of Israel.
In one quarter, Western in
formants at the United Na
tions were of the opinion that
the move to bring Iraq and
Jordan together might have
been engineered by the
United Arab Republic of
Egypt and Syria. Several
separate states are dependent
on the United States for mil
tary aid, and a merger, the
informants hint, would not
be permitted by Washington
to use its military strength
for an attack on Israel.
Some UN diplomats were
conceding that Israel was in
danger nevertheless, since if
one of the Arab blocs did
attack Israel, the counter
bloc would be sorely tempted
to display Arab “unity’’ by a
similar aggressive action on
by ALFRED SEGAL
1 don't know her name, don’t
know even what she looks like.
I guess though, she may look
like mama ... a soft-faced,
gentle looking lady. She looks
that way to me because of a let
ter I had from her, unsigned,
El Al Nixes Plane
Kashrut Supervisors
JERUSALEM, (JTA) — El Al
Airlines has agreed to set up a
kosher kitchen at Lydda airport,
but has rejected demands of the
Israel Chief Rabbinate for a
Kashrut supervisor at foreign
airports and for a guarantee there
will be no Sabbath flights, it was
reported here this week.
In response to these demands,
submitted by Rabbi S. Efrati for
the Chief Rabbbiniate following
complaints from both local and
overseas sources, El Al officials
denied Sabbath flights were made
except in emergencies, or that
non-kosher food was provided at
foreign terminals. The company
said it could not agree to permit
a rabbinical supervisor to fly
with El Al planes.
Calendar
A4U
PURIM
Thursday, March 6
PASSOVER
Saturday-Saturday, April 5-12
SIIAVUOS
Sunday-Monday, May 25-26
'Holiday begins previous evening
another border. These same
diplomats, however, were of
the opinion that a Western-
orient eti Iraq-Jordan could
be kept in check.
A spokesman for the French
Foreign Office in Paris ex
pressed the belief that Israel
could only benefit from the
Jordan-Iraqi merger. Such a
merger, he stated would re
store the equilibrium upset
by the Syrian-Egyptian merg
er.
In London, Commander A.
H. P. Noble, minister of State
for Foreign Affairs, said in
Commons the British Gov
ernment does not doubt
Israel's ability to defend her
self against one Arab state
or combination of Arab states,
as has recently been asserted
by Israeli personalities. Com
menting on the Egyptian-
Syrian union, Noble saw no
immediate reason to believe
that the new state would
have any greater military
capacity than the two old
states separately
Meanwhile the mergers
were being cautiously ob
served by Israeli officials in
Israel which already has had
to take action against fer
ment the situation has en
couraged. Trouble provoked
among Israel’s Arabs by Arab
Communists has forced the
Israel Government to post
pone further plans to ease
military government restric
tions on Arab-populated sec
tions.
Apparently revitalized by
the Egyptian-Syrian union
proclamation, extreme Arab
elements in Israel reportedly
started a whispering cam
paign at intimidating Israel
Arabs who cooperate with
and accept the benefits of
Israel development projects
for its Arab minority.
The realignments may in
time appear in some salutory
aspects though for the pres
ent the tensions and dangers
apparently continue.
from far out West. (“Please,” she
wrote, “don’t mention my ad
dress.”)
And, besides her other attrac
tion she’s a lady with quiet
laughter, and beautifully Jewish.
All in all, I feel compelled
herewith to nominate her to re
ceive a degree of some sort in
June when the Hebrew Union
Colege — Institute of Religion
hands out degrees to deserving
Jews, such as rabbis and others
who are Jewishly understanding.
Of course, since I know her
only in spirit, I am not sure I
can get her to the college on the
day of presentation ... to march
down the center aisle . . . pomp
ously ... in cap and gown . . .
but, really, isn’t it more beauti
ful for the decorated spirit to
march unseen?
But to get to the story back
of all this: I had a letter from
the lady; she began it: “I’ve just
had a big laugh at myself and
all the people who have no use
for others of religions other than
their own or who have complex
ions that differ from their own.
I laughed and laughed.
"Well, to start with, there’s go
ing to be a Christian church
built right next door to our own
house. And what should we do
about it? A Presbyterian church,
in fact, with a cross on top . .
right next door!
“I found out about this when
the chairman of the church’s
building committee called on us
to show us the architect’s de
sign and, by way of being polite,
to ask what we thought of a
church next door to us, a Jew
ish family. He said, *1 thought
you should know your new
neighbor and my calling on you
is by way of introduction. I
hope you won’t mind.’
“What should I answer him?
I had to think quick and I start
ed my thinking with laughter
deep inside. Should I pretend to
bo like others in our land who
despise any association with
others of different religions or of
color? I was thinking of some
Christian communities I’ve read
about. Some neighborhoods even
have gone to the courts to keep
synagogues away next door to
them. I was thinking of com
munities around the country
that can’t tolerate dark-faced
kids in their schools.
"Yes, I thought, I shall pre
tend to this man that I am an
other one of those hate-filled
bigots such as push Jews off and
have no use for some complex
ions. I may teach this man a
lesson.
"He interrupted my unheard
laugh . . . ‘Madam, of course we
want a friendly neighbor and we
hope you’ll like us when we get
here.
"I replied, ‘But, oh, we've been
so Jewish . . . Jewish all the
way from Sinai, in fact ... all
the way from Abraham’s time,
I guess.’
“ ‘Oh, lady!’ he exclaimed.
That seemed about all he could
say. I resumed my inside laugh
ter. Yes, it would be a big joke
on him if I behaved toward
these Christian neighbors as a
lot of Christians do toward Jews.
He’d carry it all back to his
congregation and maybe, there
by, a lot of Christians would
learn something for their own
good.
“ ‘I got to think about this,’ I
told him. ‘You know it’s a big
problem . . . having other kinds
of people next door.’
“He exclaimed it again: ‘Oh,
lady . . . but!’
‘The man looked deeply hurt
. . . ‘You know,’ he finally man
aged to say ‘we of our church
really are mostly nice people,
too . . . like the Jews . . though,
I guess there are some not so
good among us, just as among
the Jews. We’d like to be ac
cepted by our neighbor!”
"Well, that was the kind of
talk I had been waiting for from
him, and I reached out and shook
his hand . . . ‘Yours sir, is a
spirit like that of many of us
Jews. We, too, know that every
group of people contains good
and bad . . . good Christians and
some awful ones, if you don’t
mind my saying that . . . good
Jews and some Jews I myself
don’t care for. We Jews don’t
reject Christians because some
Christians are in the peniten
tiaries. We respect the Christian
people by reason of the many
decent ones among them.’
“I went on to tell him that
we, our Jewish family, would
welcome his church next door to
our house ... to be our neigh
bor. We welcome you here in
the name of our Father . . .
God, I mean . . . Father of you
and us, I said.
“The man thanked me hearti
ly, said he liked the way I spoke
. . .‘You’ve given a good lesson
of true religion. I’m going to tell
our people in the congregation
all about you. What you've said
to me makes a good Christian
lesson for all of us, though it’s
Jewish out of the heart of a
Jewish lady. We shall be proud
to be your neighbor.’ ”
The lady’s letter was asking
me what I thought of it all and
I reply by nominating her to be
Doctor of Hebrew Letters (as
above) by grace of Hebrew Union
College—Jewish Institute of Re
ligion ... or, maybe, even for
Doctor of Divinity, a title a lot
of the rabbis carry.
She behaved so beautifully
Jewish, even though she has
never been in a Yeshivah or
other theological seminaries. And
more: I can recommend her also
to a degree in any Christian
theological school . . . that is to
say, a Christian seminary that
is endowed with the essence of
brotherhood, as she is.
'7N
BY HENRY LEONARD
CONGREGATION
CAPPELA JUDAISM