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h|* Four
III SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Friday, March 26, IMS
The Southern Israelite
FabUriied Weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, 190 Coart-
land St, N.E., Atlanta 2, Georgia, TR 6-8*49, TR. 6-8240. Entered
as second class matter at the post office, Atlanta, Georgia under the
Act of March 8, 1879. Yearly subscription fire dollars. The Southern
Israelite Invite*? literary contributions and correspondence but Is not
to be considered as sharing the views expressed by writers. DEAD
LINE is lldl PJL, TUE8DAY, but material received earlier will
have a much better chance of publication.
Gustav Oppenheimer, Margaret Merry man, Sylvia Kletzky
Karen Hurtig, Kathleen Nease, Jennie Loeb
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
I as S 0C 5’@ n
toiiuiLimmiga
Member
American Association
of English-Jewish
Newspapers
PURIM—ZOLL FREILICH ZEIN
Purim usually isn’t treated too seriously in the calendar
of Jewish holidays. Yet one preeminent Jewish thinker,
Moses Maimonides, held that even after the coming of the
Messiah, when all other holidays will have been shelved as
it were, Purim would remain.
Despite the levity, perhaps in part because of it, Purim
retains an extra-ordinary vitality, particularly in Israel,
where the gaiety of the year seems to reach its top in the
Purim “Adloyada” parade. The details of the parade vary
from time to time. Always of course there is a full comple
ment of masqueraded Mordecais and Esthers, but of late
many of the youngsters have taken to cowboy masquerades,
a practice whose derivative is our own American western
tradition. This is all in harmony with the holiday, for the
very word “adloyada” betokens a dropping of the ordinary
limitations. It is a time to be a little indiscreet—a time for
a little excess. And, besides, who shall say there is not a basic
harmony between hamantashen and cowboys. Certainly a
villain like Haman would never have gotten far in our west.
The indignant citizens of the town would have formed a
possee and made a hamantash out of him, making good use
of their lariats.
And speaking of Mordecai, American Jewish history
proudly points to a great Jewish pioneer, Abram Mordecai,
who back in 1785 before the Constitution was adopted, estab
lished the city of Montgomery, Alabdma. We are glad to say
that he lived to a ripe old age, missing the hundred mark
by a year, and not many years ago the Daughters of the
American Revolution erected a plaque in his memory.
So the lads in Tel Aviv who wear cowboy hats and uni
forms in the Purim parade seem at least to have history on
their side.
A sip, we understand, is good for the spirits every day
of the year, but without the “adloyada” measure Purim
would be no different from all the other days of the year.
If Purim indeed is to outlast all the holidays it is because
it is an occasion for unusual conviviality.
WHAT ABOUT ISRAELI PRODUCTS?
Familiar to our readers are the mass appeals of aiding
the State of Israel through philanthropy, the purchase of
bonds and such efforts which have been brought before us
dramatically and forcefully.
But another way exists and in the long haul of building
up the economy of Israel,'it cannot be overlooked. This is
through purchase of the various products which are being
imported into this country and which are on sale at places
readily accessible to most of us.
These products include delicious edibles and wines of
various sorts, as well as gift items, candles and the like
which could easily become a steady item in our daily lives.
Right now, many of the edibles are geared for the Pass-
over season but we will fail in meeting the need if we re
strict our purchases to a few matzos, pesachdiche candy or
sacramental wine for this limited holiday time alone. The
food is suitable to almost daily use and our readers, we feel,
should make a habit of acquiring some of the products regu
larly. It is not enough to make casual inquiry or spasmotic
purchases. We should try conscientiously to buy these items
regularly. In this manner, we will help create an increasing
demand for the items which that country can manufacture,
create and sell in the all-important world trade market.
Therein lies one of the surest ways to be of assistance.
We are happy to see several Jewish organizations not
ably Hadassah and various congregation Sisterhoods, through
their gift shops, begin to place emphasis on using Israeli
products. So far this emphasis has hardly passed the novelty
stage. The pace must quicken before the effect can have
permanent and significant value.
MOSCOW COMMENTS ON JEWISH
EMIGRATION FROM RUMANIA
MUNICH, (JTA)—A Moscow broadcast, quoting an article in
the Soviet newspaper Trud, organ of the labor unions, this week
criticised reports that about 250,000 Jews from Rumania will reach
Israel “within the next two or three years.” The articles stressed
that “according to the 1956 census in Rumania, there are only
146,264 Jews there.”
•
The article especially attacked the Israel Prime Minister, David
Ben Gurion. It said that the Israel n-ime Minister “is pleased when
anti-Semitism prevails somewhere, for it provokes emigration to
Israel.”
An attack on Israel has also appeared in Lvovskaya Pravda,
Communist daily newspaper published in Lvov, the Soviet part of
Galicia. The article said “bourgeois-nationalist propaganda” is be
ing spread in Jewish communities in the Lvov district “with the help
of reactionary circles in Israel.”
U. S. Science Suffers From Bigoted
♦ Immigration Laics, Says Lehman
KNOW THE BOOK
The Hebrew Scriptures
in the Making
by MAX L. MARGOLIS
Position of the Rabbis
The tripartite division of the
Hebrew Bible, so generally
vouched for, is remarkable if it
be remembered that for a long
time the collection existed in
thought only.
The five books of the Torah
had always formed a unit or a
single scroll, with a blank space
of four lines between oontigi-
ous books. In public reading, on
ly such a scroll might be used,
although for purpose of follow
ing the reader or for private
study single volumes for each
book (‘One Fifth’, homesh) were
permitted.*
In an ancient source in the
Talmud (Baba Batra 13b), the
teachers are divided in their op
inion as to whether the three
parts of the Scriptures may be
joined together.
According to Rabbi Meir (130-
160 common era), it is lawful to
combine the whole of the Scrip
tures in one volume. His con
temporary, R. Judah, demands
three volumes, one for each of
the three parts. The other scho
lars go still farther and require
a single volume for each sep
arate book of the Prophets or
of the Writings.
Rabbi Judah adduces in sup
port of his opinion a precedent
when a certain Boethus, by the
authority of Eleazar ben Azariah
(90-130), had the eight books of
the prophets in one volume. But
Rabbi Meir cites another prece
dent for bringing together all
the Scriptures in one scroll,
with proper blanks between
single books. The latter opinion
prevails.
The Torah clearly possesses a
higher degree of holiness than
the other two parts of the Scrip
tures.
Next Week; The Biblia Books
—Traditional Process
(From “The Hebrew Scriptures
In the Making." The Jewish
Publication Society of America,
222 N. 15th Street, Philadelphia
2, Pa.)
21 Youths Charged
With Vandalizing East
Harlem Synagogue
NEW YORK, (JTA) —Police,
using the clue of a school news
paper found on the scene, this
week rounded up 21 youths ac
cused of looting and wrecking
the interior of the Beth Hame-
drosh Synagogue in East Har
lem.
Religious scrolls were torn
and stolen, furniture was broken
and windows smashed in the
vandalism for total damages
estimated at more than $2,000.
Detectives found a newspaper
published at P.S. 72 which is
next to the synagogue.
They went to the school and
conducted an investigation which
resulted in charges of burglary,
malicious mischief and delin
quency against Angel Rodri
guez, 19 and Angel Bonet, 17.
Nineteen others, ranging in age
from eight to 15, were accused
of delinquency.
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Major
responsibility for the country’s
loss of the wide lead it once en
joyed in scientific attainment
was placed upon bigoted immi
gration laws by former Senator
Herbert H. Lehman this week.
“Bigoted immigration laws en
acted during the past generation,
climaxed by tne McCarran-
Walter Act of 1952, has contri
buted as much as any other
single factor to the deadly dang
er in which the qause of free
dom stands now,” Lehman told
200 community, resettlement and
philanthropic leaders at the 10th
anniversary dinner of the New
York Association for New
Americans. NY ANA, since its in
ception in 1949, aided 70,000
Jewish newcomer^ to establish
themselves in the Greater New
York area. It is a constituent
agency of the United Jewish
Appeal.
Sen. Lehman cited the contri
butions to nuclear physics of
Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi,
Leo Szilard and Edward Teller
and in the field of missies, Dr.
Werner von Braun, all of whom
werd admitted to the United
States before the passage of the
McCarran-Walter Act. “What
would be the future of the cause
of freedom,” he asked, “if the
totalitarians rather than the
free world had had the primary
benefit of the contributions of
these geniuses?
“I do not suggest that e^en
before the McCarran-Walter Act
our immigration laws were gen
erous and liberal,” he continued.
“Who can say how far ahead in
science we would be today if
Congress had not created so
many immigration barriers and
kept out of our country so. many
individuals of ability and prom
ise?’? He called upon Congress
and the Administration to work
together in a non-partisan man
ner to eliminate the national-
origins-quota system and dis
crimination measures against
naturalized American citizens
contained in the McCarran-Wal
ter Act.
Sen Lehman and Mrs. David
M. Lew, the first president of
NYANA, received inscribed sil
ver-covered Bibles in “apprecia
tion of their outstanding contri
butions in the fields of immigra
tion of newcomers into the
American scene.” Lester Gins-
hurg, president of NYANA, re
ported that the agency last year
aided more than 4,500 individ
uals. He estimated that during
the current year the agency
will aid a similar number of
JEWISH CALENDAR
•PURIM
Tuesday, March 24
•PASSOVER
Thursday, April 23
•SHAVOUS
Friday, June 12
♦ROSH HASHONAH
Saturday, Oct. 3
•Holiday begins preceding
evening.
Jewish newcomers arriving in
New York.
Summarizing the activities of
NYANA durng the past decade,
Mr. Ginsburg reported that 35,-
000 families were aided by the
agency’s family service depart
ment, while its vocational serv
ice department found jobs for
17,000 and helped 2,400 to re
ceive vocational training.
Tribute to BB Women
Paid in Congress
WASHINGTON, (JTA —Mem
bers of Congress paid tribute
this week to the B’nai B’rith
Women’s Organization, which
last week celebrated its 50th
anniversary. Achievements of
the group were lauded by House
Majority Leader John W. Mc
Cormack, Massachusetts Demo
crat, and Sen. H. Hubert H.
Humphrey, Minnesota Pemo-
crat. Both made remarks on the
floor of the Congress in praise
of the B’nai B’rith women, and
traced the group’s history.
Shearith Israel
Invites Public to
Annual Purim Ball
“Them that don’t come, s’gon-
na be sorry,” said Mr. Joe I.
Zimmerman, chairman of the
Entertainment Committee, in
speaking of the Twenty-sixth
Annual Purim Ball sponsored by
Congregation Shearith Israel.
The affair this year will be held
in the Social Hall of the Syna
gogue on Wednesday, March 25
at 8 p.m.
Mr. Zimmerman went on to
say, “This year we are planning
the biggest and best Ball ever.
We will have some of the best
acts we have been able to se
cure and the very danceable
music of Freddie de Land’s or
chestra.” •
“Good entertain ment and
danceable music.—all for the un
inflated price of $rH0 per per
son. Refreshments will be avail
able.”
Tickets may be secured in ad
vance from the Synagogue office
at 1180 University Drive, N. E.
or may be purchased aF the door.
menu
BY HENRY LEONARD
personalities ... a KOSHER one and a TREFE.'
Elaine Sandra Libowsky,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Irving
Libowsky of Atlanta, has been
elected Sweetheart of Tau Epsi
lon Phi fraternity at Universi
ty of Georgia, Athens. She is
a freshman and a member of
Delta Phi Epsilon sorority.
Elaine graduated from Henry
Grady High and was an active
member of B’nai B’rith Girls,
No. 176, serving on the Atlanta
BBG Council.
Nazi Gauleiter
Draws Death
VIENNA, (JTA)—Erich Koch,
Nazi gauleiter for parts of Po
land and the Ukraine, convicted
in a court at Warsaw last week
as a war criminal responsible
for the killing of at least 400,000
people, most of them Jews, was
sentenced by the Warshaw court
to death.
Koch’s sensation-filled trial,
during which he denied any
complicity in the many murders,
and, at the same time, sneered
and jeered at his accusers, lasted
four months. Among the many
witnesses brought by the Polish
Government to testify against
him were Jewish survivors from
Nazi death camps who had been
brought from a number of for
eign countries, including Israel.