Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Isr*'
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Es ■e% 01
XXXIII
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, JULY 4, 1958
Rabbinical Council “Indignant"
Over Neturei Karta Demonstrations
NEW YORK, (JTA)—The Rab
binical Council of America, cen
tral body of Orthodox rabbis
throughout the United States, ex
pressed its indignation this week
over recent picketing and dem
onstrations in front of the White
House protesting the building of
a swimming pool for mixed bath
ing in Jerusalem.
The Council statement said it
was “unfortunate” that the Net
urei Karta pickets were Ortho-.
dox Jews, but insisted that they
were a “most irresponsible
group.” Their action, the state
ment added, had drawn the op
position of the entire Jewish re
ligious community of the United
States. It had discredited Israel
and Orthodox community in this
country, the Council said, call
ing on Orthodox Jews to end all
relations with “this irresponsi
ble element.”
New Orleans Jews Fight Law
Requiring Elections Saturday
NEW ORLEANS, (JTA)—An
emergency committee of board
members of the Jewish Federa
tion of New Orleans hacded by
Label A. Katz, president of the
Jewish Welfare Fund, began an
uphill fight this week for repeal
of a new state law requiring the
holding of all state primary elec-
Reform Rabbis D if f er In Opinion
(*n Religion In Public Schools
tions on Saturday. The measure
was passed by both houses of the
Louisiana legislature without
fanfare and signed immediately
by Gov. Earl K. Long.
It was not until after the Gov
ernor signed the measure into
law that the Jewish community
became aware of it. Rabbis and
lay leaders protested without
success. In a letter signed by Nat
Friedler, president of the Fed
eration to Gov. Long, it was
pointed out that Saturday was
a religious holiday to Jews and
to “Christian citizens who are
members of the Seventh Day
Adventists church.”
The letter asked for new leg
islation either to change the day
of primary elections “or grant
the privilege of advance absen
tee voting by persons whose re
ligious convictions require them
to refrain from voting on the
Sabbath or on a religious holi
day.” In his reply, Gov. Long
denied any intent to discrimin
ate and said the bill had been
motivated by a desire to exped
ite voting by rural residents
who could best go to the polls
on a day they did not spend in
the fields. Most Louisiana farm
ers bring their produce to mark
et on Saturday.
Klutsnick Declines to Run For Third
Term as B 9 nai B 9 rith President
CHICAGO, (JTA) — Citing
widespread evidences of “prac
tices which transgress the spirit
if not the letter of the First
Amendment with respect to the
establishment of religion, the
Commission on Church and State
of the Central Conference of
American Rabbis warned this
week that the "principle of sep
aration understood by an earlier
generation is being progressive
ly undremined.”
The report, presented by Rab
bi Edgar E. Siskin of Glencoe,
Ill., to the 69th CCAR conven
tion here, asserted that “in no
area of national life is the trans
formation more apparent than
in the sphere of public educa
tion.” While predicting that pres
sure for an enlarged program
of religion in the public schools
will rise in the future, the report
stated that resistance also will
increase.
The report said that while there
was agreement among virtually
all members of the CCAR that
the Conference continues its 66
years opposition to religious leg
islation at least on “the gresser
violation of the principle of
separation” of church and state,
“there is what appears to be a
groundswell of feeling that our
historic policy should be more
reslient and flexible with regard
to other aspects of the issue.”
The specific issue on which some
Florida To Check
K. K. K. On Dynamite
TALLAHASSE, (JTA)—Gov
ernor LeRoy Collins said last
week he expected the Florida
Sheriffs’ Bureau to move im
mediately to investigate reports
that the Ku Klux Klan is stor
ing dynamite, arms, and ammu
nition with the intention of fight
ing integration with violence.
Chile To Probe K. K. K.
SANTIAGO, CHILE, June 30.
(JTA)—The Chilean Supreme
Court has ruled that the judge
at present charged with investi
gating the activities of the Chi
lean Ku Klux Klan, including
anti-Semitism, must continue
with the case. The judge had
disqualified himself previously,
suggesting that the matter should
be dealt with by military justice.
Reform rabbis would like to see
modification, the report contin
ued, is CCAR opposition to reli
gious education in the schools.
Advocates of modification feel,
the report reveals, “that the
CCAR stand of unremitting op
position to the teaching of moral
and spiritual values in the public
school may be a mistaken policy.
Their own experiences in the
rough and tumble of the church-
state controversy have convinced
them that the Conference atti
tude in this sphere is what they
variously term ‘negative, sterile,
inadequate.’ ”
Presentation of the Commis
sion report was followed by ad
dresses by Rabbi Arthur Gilbert
of New York recommending
modification and Rabbi Joseph
L. Fink of Buffalo calling for
retention of the treaditional
policy. The convention voted to
initiate a mail canvass of mem
bers' views which will be re
corded, analyzed, and studied by
a committee to be appointed by
the CCAR president. The com
mittee will meet in midwinter
to prepare recommendations
based on the survey’s findings
for action at next year’s conven
tion. This is the first such na
tional view of church-state poli-
Comedian to Help
liabbi in Education
MILWAUKEE, Wis., June 24
(UPI)—Comedian Danny Thom
as has promised to help finance
the medical education of a rabbi
studying at the University of
Marquette, a university official
revealed.
Business .manager James Quin
lan of the Marquette Medical
School said Monday Thomas
learned of the financial plight
of Rabbi Abraham Twerski, 28,
Milwaukee, during a weekend
meeting with Quinlan.
Quinlan said Thomas, a Roman
Catholic, was “very interested”
when the subject of Rabbi Twer
ski came up in conversation.
Quinlan estimated it would cost
$3,500 to send the young rabbi,
who is the father of three chil
dren, through medical school.
“Danny planned to contact a
number of Jewish friends and
ask them to contribute to the
fund. He promised to make up
whatever additional money was
needed above the amount col
lected,” Quinlan said.
cies initiated by the Central
Conference since it was estab
lished in 1889.
Bigotry which places Jews or
other minority peoples under
special disabilities are obstacles
to American leadership in the
world, Rabbi Jacob P. Rudin,
president declared at the open
ing session of the convention.
American world leadership,
Rabbi Rudin continued, must be
based on brotherhood, not on
the threat of bombs. “It is either
the explosion of love in the
world or the explosion of the
atom bomb in the world. We
can’t have both. It is one or the
other,” he declared.
LONG BEACH, Calif., (JTA)
—The Jewish Community Coun
cil of Long Beach was assured
this week by the Superintendent
of Schools that Jewish teachers
and pupils would be excused
from attendance on the opening
day of the fall semester which
this year will coincide with the
first day of the Jewish New
Year.
Announcement that the fall
opening would be held on Sep
tember 15 led the Community
Relations Committee of the Coun
cil to meet with the School Su
perintendent, Douglas A. New
comb, to discuss the problem.
Newcomb said no Jewish stu
dent or teacher in either Long
Beach or neighboring Lakewood
would suffer any difficulties be
cause of absence.
He said students would be ex
cused upon a written note from
parents. Students at City College
will be able to obtain a proxy
form at the time of registration
to be assured of gaining admis
sion to the courses they choose.
The School Superintendent ex
pressed regrets that no other
date in September was feasible
and added that the Los Angeles
and San Diego schools also will
open on September 15. He also
said that “our Board of Educa
tion and the boards in the State
of California have really done
their best to avoid unnecessary
conflicts from year to year."
Max Wisot, chairman of the
Community Relations Commit
tee, said that the rabbis and
CLEVELAND — B’nai B’rith
president Philip M. Klutznick re
sponded with a decisive “no”
last week to a proposal that he
accept a third term as president
of the 400,000-member organiza
tion.
The proposal came in the form
of a resolution introduced at the
annual convention of B’nai
B’rith’s District 2 here and en
thusiastically adopted by accla
mation by the 750 delegates.
The resolution memorialized
other B’nai B’rith districts to
join in “a genuine draft” of the
popular leader.
But Mr. Klutznick—who ar-
other members of his committee
“fully anticipate that Jewish
students and teachers will attend
religious services on Rosh Has-
honah.”
Rabbi Says
Judaism Offers
World Sanity
ST. PAUL, (AJP) — Dr. W.
Gunther Plaut, Rabbi of Mt.
Zion Hebrew Congregation, has
told the members of his Tem
ple that Judaism is “a religion
that can offer to the world
sanity, the balanced approach
it needs stripped of false mys
teries, stripped of those things
in which so many cannot be
lieve.”
Stressing the universality of
the Decalogue Faith, Dr. Plaut
queried: “Is not ours a religion
of hope in a world of despair?
Is not ours an anti-authoritarian
religion, one that glories and
revels in the freedom of thought,
that allows even an Abraham to
question God and a Berditchever
to argue with God’s justice? Is
not ours a religion which exalts
study as a mode of worshipping
God himself? Is not ours a re
ligion which places action and
deed in the center of man’s
thought and life, a faith which
emphasizes social justice?”
rived at the convention for a
banquet speech a day after the
resolution had been adopted—
said it would “violate my own
principles of the need for ex
panding leadership in Jewish af
fairs” if he were to continue in
office.
He also told the delegates that
he would voice “no personal pre
ference” for his successor who
will be elected at the next B’nai
B’rith triennial convention,
scheduled for May, 1959, in Jeru
salem.
“There are many able persons
among B’nai B’rith’s vast mem
bership who are qualified to
serve in its highest post of
leadership,” he said. “The ulti
mate selection will be a deci
sion of the triennial delegates,
not mine.”
At the last triennial conven
tion in 1956 the B’nai B’rith
president had personally urged
a two-term limitation for the
national officers. His proposal
was then adopted—except that
the convention delegates voted
down his request that it be
made retroactive to include his
own first term. B’nai B’rith’s by
laws, therefore, make him eligi
ble for an additional three-year
term as president.
The limitation on terms of
office is a departure from B’nai
B’rith tradition. When first
elected president in 1953, Mr.
Klutznick was only the 13th
person to hold that office in the
115-year history of the organi
zation.
He told the delegates here
“your confidence as expressed in
the resolution is the finest honor
I have ever received.” But he
gave two “conclusive reasons”
for his decision to abide by a
two-term limitation:
“After six years, the president
of an active, major organization
who has been working at it
ought to be tired and ready for
replacement. If he isn’t tired,
chances are he hasn’t been put
ting in the required effort and
doesn’t deserve being retained.”
His second reason: “A leader
ship that constantly perpetuates
itself tends to become master of,
rather than servant to, the mem
bership. The tendency toward
oligarchic leadership has been a
common tragedy in Jewish or
ganizational life.”
School Board Wont Change Fall
Opening Date From Rosh Hashona
Protest New York Post Office Ruling Barring Sabbath Observers
NEW YORK, (JTA)—A Metro
politan New York Post Office
ruling, stemming from the large
number of Sabbath-observing
Jewish postal workers, requires
new postal employes to agree to
work on weekends on request.
The ruling was under protest
this week by the Rabbinical
Council of America, national
association of Orthodox rabbis.
A delegation of the Rabbinical
Council met with Acting Post
master Howard Koenig to pro
test the new rule and was told
that the rule was deemed neces
sary because of the heavy mail
ing activity on Friday and the
corresponding need for extra
manpower.
Applicants are required to
sign a declaration of willingness
to work on Saturday as part of
their five-day week, a ruling
which includes other Jewish
holidays as well. The new policy
does not affect postal workers
already employed.
The rabbinical delegation said
it would carry the fight to the
new postmaster, Robert K.
Christenberry, and that “no civil
service worker should be re
quired to violate his religious
convictions or suffer discrimina
tion because of such a policy.”
The new policy is also related
to seniority provisions which
give postal workers with the
most seniority the option of
choosing days off in their five-
day schedule. To assure adequate
manpower on weekends, which
are least acceptable to postal
workers, the new ruling estab
lishes in effect that those with
least seniority must agree to
work on weekends.
A Rabbinical Council spokes
man said he did not know of
any prior ruling of this kind any
where else in the United States
post ofice system and that the
New York metropolitan ruling
could establish a precedent na
tionally which would present
Jewish candidates for post of
fices jobs with the choice of
violating the Sabbath or being
barred from postal employment.