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The Southern Ir ^agg ,fc
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry v ' ,/^j
XXXI11 ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 195- NO. 9
II. Golden’s Newspaper Office
Fire Kindles ‘’Miracle”
Atlanta Sets $1,455,000 Goal
In 1958 Welfare Fund Drive
Reprint from N.Y. Times
CHARLOTTE, N. C., Feb. 22
—Seldom does an issue of the
irregular “monthly” publication
called The Carolina Israelite go
to press without a sentimental
little success story entitled, "it
could only happen in America.”
The Israelite’s sentimental
editor is Harry L. Golden, 56-
year-old son of immigrant par
ents and a product of New York’s
lower East Side.
“Ah,” Mr. Golden often sighs,
‘‘it is a miracle. It could only
happen in America.”
This week the miracle oc
curred for the cigar-chomping
practitioner of first-person journ
alism.
The physical assets of The
Carolina Israelite, one of the
most widely quoted Southern
publications, were wiped out by
a fire February 17. However,
now Mr. Golden is back at work
on the next issue of the Israelite,
which will not be much later
than usual.
Help Comes Quickly
Rallying behind Mr. Golden
have been editors, friends, the
local police chief and others from
coast to coast.
The result may be a hefty in
crease in circulation and the
reaction has the philosophical
Mr. Golden almost at a loss for
words.
Just a shell was left of the
drafty old house that had been
stopping-off place for hundreds
of migratory journalists who had
come from all over during the
last sixteen years to talk with
the Southern liberal.
Mr. Golden learned of the fire
the next night in Newark, N. J„
where he was scheduled to speak.
“I am destroyed,” he said
when he first heard the news.
Gone were priceless books,
correspondence, cherished auto
graphed pictures, a barrel of
notes for future Israelite issues
—and his subscription list of
more than 15,000.
Numbered among Mr. Golden’s
subscribers are mill hands, house
wives, farmers, college professors,
politicians and such notables as
Thomas E. Dewey, Earl Warren,
Carl Sandburg, William Faukner
and Adlai E. Stevenson.
The long train ride from
Newark to Charlotte, however,
A gift of $100,000 to the At-
anta Hebrew Academy was made
by Israel Rogosin, noted New
York industrialist and philanth
ropist, at a dinner in his hbnor
attended by some 500 local mem
bers of the Jewish community
held Feb. 20 at the Progressive
Club.
Coming as a surprise, the gift
in cash followed an announcemnt
by Mr. Rogosin that circumstances
beyond his control has caused him
to cancel plans for his rayon
plant in Israel; and that his con
tribution to the local private
school was a “demonstration of
his faith in Atlanta’s community
leaders and in the integrity of
its people who believed in him
without knowing him personally.”
Presided over by Dr. Irving
Greenberg, president of the Aca
demy, the testimonial dinner was
attended by presidents or repre
sentatives of most Jewish groups
in the community, and represent-
calmed the excited little editor.
The next day he said: "I’ll sit
If some of our readers hap
pen to be among the subscrib
ers to Harry Golden’s Caro
lina Israelite, they are urged
to forward their addresses—
and doubtlessly the expiration
date of their subscriptions if
known—to Mr. Golden, Care
P. O. Box 2505, Charlotte 1,
N. C.
on the curb and write my paper.
They can’t burn me out.”
Klan Role Doubted
Mr. Golden, who writes every
line of the tabloid journal,
thought the new Klu Klux Klan
had a hand in the fire, but po-
ice officials doubt this.
And, Mr. Golden added, “the
trouble with us philosophers is
that we have to think about
such things as keys and sub
scription lists and insurance pol
icies.”
The thought of Mr. Golden
without an adequate audience
struck fear in the hearts of his
doting Tar Heel friends. One
newspaper sent a letter to edi
tors and friends on publications
all over the country asking that
they tell their readers to write
to Mr. Golden if they subscribe
to his paper. They urged a drive
to reconstruct his subscription
list.
The response was immediate.
Editorials appeared in papers
across the South, and letters ar
rived, some with old names,
others with renewals, many with
new subscriptions.
The biggest and most surpris
ing help came from the crime
laboratory of the Charlotte Po
lice Department. Chief Frank
Littejohn had his experts pull
the charred index cards from
the rubble. After two days they
had a list that was 80 per cent
the original.
Mr. Golden now sits in a local
hotel room surrounded by mes
sages and letters, and types the
finishing touches on his first-
person (most singular) Carolina
Israelite.
The lead article will tell about
his fire.
“Ah,” he says, “this one I’ll
call, “it could only happen in
America.”
ed one of the “finest turn-outs in
the history of the city.” The gen
erous gift, Dr. Greenberg de
clared, will be the kick-off for
a building fund for the Academy’s
new buiding to be erected in the
near future.
The scroll, presented to the
noted guest by Dr. Sidney Q.
Janus and composed by 'Rabbis
Emanuel Feldman and Rabbi
Sydney K. Mossman, was written
in Hebrew by hand by Rabbi
Joseph Cohen. It read in part,
as follows:
“. . . . In heartfelt testimony
of his deep and abiding interest
in the spiritual and material wel
fare of the Jewish people . . . his
life-long devotion to the upbuild
ing of Zion, and his unparalleled
dedication to the State of Israel
, . . his glorious service in the
cause of the brotherhood of man
kind and the rebirth of human
dignity ... his genuine love for
A combined goal for the regu
lar plus the emergency Rescue
Fund requirements of $1,455,000
for the 1958 Atlanta Jewish Wel
fare Fund Campaign was an
nounced by General Chairmen
Sidney Feldman and Nathan Lip-
ton this week. The ’58 campaign
is scheduled to open officially on
March 25th and run through
May 14th.
In relating the campaign goals
to the needs the chairmen stated:
"As is well known, the major
beneficiary of the contributions
made to the Atlanta Jewish Wel
fare Fund is the United Jewish
Appeal and its constituent agen
cies. This year, in view of the
emergency in rescue opportuni
ties which exist the United
Jewish Appeal adopted a goal of
$100,000,000 over and above the
regular requirements. Atlanta has
been asked to take the responsi
bility for saving 750 lives and
the cost of conducting this res-
Defeat of Ilaman
The defeat of Haman, an an
cient forerunner of Hitler, will
be celebrated in synagogues and
homes throughout the world
with the advent of the holiday
of Purim at sundown, Wednesday,
March 5.
As told in the Bibical Book of
Esther, the Purim story deals
with the attempt of Haman,
vizier of Persia, to have all men
bow down to him. All complied
except Mordecai, whose faith for
bade him to kneel to anyone but
Almighty God.
Hailed as perfect short story,
the Scriptural narrative tells
how Esther, cousin of Mordecai,
is elevated to the queenship in
a beauty contest and intervenes
with King Ahasuerus to save her
people threatened with annihila
tion by the despotic Haman.
Purim is celebrated by special
worship services which stress re
ligious liberty. The theme is also
the ideals of American democra
cy and her sacred freedoms . . .
his unceasing efforts on behalf
of Jewish learning throughout
the world . . . and his inspiring
generosity to the Hebrew Aca
demy of Atlanta, thereby insur
ing the perpetuation of the eter
nal ideals of Judaism . . .”
Dr. Janus, who heads the an
nual family membership drive
for the Academy, pointed out
that Mr. Rogosin’s magnificent
gift has meant much to the en
tire community and will give
added incentive to complete a
successful membership drive for
1,000 members and to build the
new school building so badly
needed by the Academy.
Chairman of the dinner was
Ben J. Massell who returned
from Miami for the occasion to
be one of the hosts to entertain
Mr. and Mrs. Rogosin and their
friend. Judge David Benjamin,
Justice of the New York Supreme
cue work is approximately $1,000
per individual.
“In view of the emergencies of
the situation and time elements
involved, as well as the desire
to give the Jews of Poland a
second chance, we of Atlanta
have agreed to set as our goal
for 1958 a $750,000 Rescue Fund
and a $705,000 regular fund.
“In aiming toward the fulfill
ment of this goal we are asking
contributors this year to make
the same pledge to the regular
campaign as they did in 1957-
and if possible, even more, and
then to make a substantial addi
tional pledge to the UJA Rescue
Fund. We ask this in the knowl
edge that every additional $1,000
means another life to be rescued.
Since for the first time in many
years doors of Poland have been
open to those who wish to leave
that country to make a new life
for themselves in other lands,
tressed in the liturgy and the
music of the day. During the ser
vice the Book of Esther is read
from the Megillah (scroll). The
holiday is also marked by gift
giving, mock beauty contests,
costume balls, bazaars, and dra
matizations of the story.
The holiday lasts one day. It is
not regarded as a major festival
calling for abstention from work
or public school. The word, Pur
im, is Hebrew for lots, referring
to the manner in which Haman
decided the day on which he had
hoped to destroy the Jews.
Illustrative of the Purim liturgy
is this passage from the Union
Prayerbook: “Strengthen us to
combat prejudice, injustice and
oppression when they strike not
only against us but men of what
ever race or belief. Let not divis
ions of blood and faith create
distrust and strife. Thus shall we
be united in a true covenant of
brotherhood and peace. Amen.”
Court, and Mrs. Benjamin, also
of New York.
Judge Benjamin, who spoke at
the dinner, pointed out that Mr.
Rogosin was taken into the hearts
of the Atlanta community and
that out of this mutual respect
for each other had come this
additional dividend to the Aca
demy. “Mr. Rogosin’s life,” he
continued, “springs from our
great religious heritage and it
has reached out and touched
many facets of American and
Jewish life. He is truly a states
man in lief; a social scientist who
believes that wealth comes to him
as a trust and he recognizes it
as such and uses it so.”
Lee Evans, vice mayor of At
lanta, representing the city and
Mayor Hartsfield, welcomed the
distinguished guests to Atlanta.
Letters and telegrams from peo
ple not able to attend were noted
by Dr. Greenberg who pointed
out the history of the school.
Founded in 1953, the school has
an enrollment of 112 students
and an outstanding general and
Hebraic educational program
through the fifth grade.
Among the many speakers at
the dinner was Nahum Astar,
consulate of the State of Israel
for the Southeast, who pointed
out that Mr. Rogosin’s gift to
the Academy confirmed
the noted industrialist’s impress
ive interest in the entire com
munity of Israel; and that on be
half of the Israel government he
hoped he would continue to carry
on his outstanding work for many
decades to come.
our contributors have within their
power to give the Jews in Poland
a second chance.
“Atlanta is indeed proud of
the fact that this is the 20th
year in which the United Jewish
Appeal has been included in the
Welfare Fund. In fact it has been
a major beneficiary of the Wel
fare Fund since the day of its
organization in 1936. Prior to the
formation of the United Jewish
Appeal the appeals were con
ducted under other names.
“In 1957 more than 80,000
Jews were rescued from oppres
sion by the Rescue Fund and of
these 70,000 were resettled in
Israel In addition to the regu
lar agencies of the United Jew
ish Appeal, the United Hias
Service, which resettles Jewish
immigrants in land other than
Israel, is a beneficiary of the
Rescue Fund.
“In 1958 the Rescue Fund will
concentrate on bringing Jews
from Poland as well as from
other countries of Eastern Europe
and North Africa to Israel to give
them a new start in life. In addi
tion to this task the Rescue Fund
must meet the cost of transporta
tion and resetlement of approxi
mately 10,000 other Jewish men,
women, and children in other
free countries.
“Besides aiding the United Jew
ish Appeal, the Welfare Fund
will include other overseas agen
cies, community relations agen
cies, national health and cultural
agencies and a variety of reli
gious and service institutions,
charitable institutions as well as
service agencies in our own At
lanta area.
“While the Welfare Fund is a
completely community wide ac
tivity, the major contributions
are made in the Advance Gifts
group. Top contributors are in
cluded in a group known as the
Advance Gifts I. Following estab
lished tradition, the two young
men who headed the campaign
in 1957, Bernard Howard and
Max L. Kuniansky, have accepted
the responsibility of heading up
Advance Gifts I for the 1958
campaign. Contributors included
in the Advance Gifts I are those
whose gifts range from $1,000
and up.
“Advance Gifts II, which in
cludes contributors in the $500
to $1,000 bracket will this year
be headed by four able co-chair
men: A. DeJongh Franklin, Sid
ney Gulden, Mendel Segal, and
Aaron Thai.
“The needs are great—the op
portunities are great. We believe
the pople of Atlanta will rcogn-
ize both needs and the oppor
tunities and that the Welfare
Fund will be thus enabled to
meet its goal ”
Rabbi Rubel
Is Honored
At Testimonial
MACON — Rabbi Charles M.
Rubel has been honored with a
testimonial dinner marking his
ten years as spiritual leader of
Congregation Sherah Israel here.
A silver samovar and tea serv
ice were presented to Rabbi
Rubel and his wife, who also
serves on the synagogue staff.
The rabbi’s work in the com
munity was praised in talks at
the dinner by Alvin Koplin and
Milton M. Marshall, Congrega
tion president. Other speakers in
cluded Mayor B. F. Merritt Jr.,
Judge Cecil Baldwin, Dr. King
Vivion, Rabbi Harold Gelfman of
Temple Israel, Nathan Gans and
Bert Struby.
Industrialist Rogosin Announces
$100,000 Gift To Atlanta Academy
Purim Holiday March 5 To Mark
An Ancient Hitler