Newspaper Page Text
Tho Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Established 1925
XXXIV
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 1959
NO. 31
Plan for Single Chief Rabbi
In Israel Draws Heavy Fire
House Group Would Strengthen
FBI's Hands Against Bombers
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—A plan
to revamp the Chief Rabbinate
of Israel and have one Chief
Rabbi instead of an Ashkenazic
Chief Rabbi and a Sdphardic
Chief Rabbi as at present, drew
fire this week on its Mapai and
General Zionist advocates.
The proposal was aired short
ly after the death of Dr. Isaac
Halevi Herzog, the Ashkenazic
Chief Rabbi. Supporters of the
plan contended that the institu
tion of a dual Chief Rabbinate
in effect gave legal recognition
to the division within the Is
rael community.
The Mapai and General Zion
ist advocates of the plan sug
gested that Rabbi Yitzhak Nis-
sim, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi,
become the sole Chief Rabbi
under their new plan. The Na
tional Religious and Herut
Parties immediately challenged
the sincerity of the proposals
and charged they were aimed
at “wooing the Sephardi vote”
in the November general elec
tions.
Haaretz, independent daily,
editorially supported the present
system, declaring that its aboli-
Appointed...
Dr. William Wexler
tion would not “bridge the
gulf” between the two communi
ties and would create new
problems.
An informal campaign for
Rabbi S. Y. Zevvn, editor of the
Talmudic Encyclopedia, as suc
cessor to the late Chief Rabbi
led Rabbi Zevvin this week to
repudiate the unauthorized ef
fort on his behalf. The move
enhanced the prospects of Chief
Chaplain Shlomo Goren and
Tel Aviv’s Chief Rabbi, Isar
Yehudi Unterman.
Though Israel is now official
ly in mourning for Rabbi Her
zog, partisans of Rabbis Goren
and Unterman are discussing
their qualifications for the post.
Rabbi Goren’s “liberalism” on
interpretation of Jewish religi
ous law was considered offset
by his youth—he is 44—and
Rabbi Unterman’s scholarship
by his age; he is 74.
Another facet of the discus
sion on Chief Rabbi Herzog’s
successor is consideration of
establishing a minrmun and
maximum age for Chief Rab
bis—50 years and 70 years.
Friends of the two rabbis have
been pointing out that neither
has made any move to seek the
post. Chaplain Goren is abroad
on a United Jewish Appeal mis
sion. Rabbi Unterman is main
taining a scrupulous policy of
inaction.
WASHINGTON, (JTA) — The
House Judiciary Committee
voted this week to broaden pro
visions requeusted by President
Eisenhower to protect synago-
Admit Mexican Jewish
Children as ‘Parolees’
To Attend Camp
SAN FRANCISCO, (JTA) —
The United States immigration
laws can be tempered with
kindness and understanding, 11
Jewish youngsters from Mexico
have learned.
The children live in Tijuana,
Lower California, and were in
vited to attend the summer day
camp sponsored by the San
Diego Jewish Community Cen
ter.
According to the Jewish Com
munity Bulletin here, which re
ported the episode, "it didn’t
take an act of Congress, only
an agreement with the U.S. Im
migration and Naturalization
Service of the Department of
Justice.”
To comply with all the form
alities, the paper said, the Immi
gration authorities solemnly gave
the youngsters status as “par
olees’’ on a multiple entry
basis.
gues, churches, and schools from
terrorist bombing. The Commit
tee considered the White House
request as being inadequate.
The Committee decided to
write a new provision into the
Eisenhower Civl Rights Bill as
a substitute. The substitute was
described by committee mem
bers as one that would provide
the FBI with wider powers to
fight the bombers of synago
gues.
The new measure would make
it a Federal crime to cross a
State line to avoid prosecution
for either bombing or burning
any type of property. The FBI
could arrest fugitives who fled a
State after bombing or setting
fire to any type of building or
vehicle, specifically including
private homes, synagogues,
churches, community centers,
and religious and educational
institutions, either public or
private.
The Administration proposal
was broadened also in another
way although the Administra
tion had not requested it. The
committee decided to make it a
Federal offense to flee a State
to avoid giving testimony about
a bombing or fire.
Today’s amendment was spon
sored by Rep. J. Carlton Loser,
Tennessee Democrat. It was ap
proved by an overwhelming
voice vote at a closed session of
the committee and was incoro-
orated into the Civil Rights Bill.
Both Southerners and North
erners voted to adopt the strong
er anti-bombing provisions.
Jewish organizations had pre
viously testified before Congress
to urge the stronger measures.
Rep. Loser said the revised pro
vision would prove “very effec
tive in obtaining services of the
FBI in any b'pe of bombing
case” involving flight across a
state line. Violators of the pro
posed law could be tried in
Federal Court and sentenced up
to five years and fined as much
as $5,000.
Vandals Desecrate
Montreal Synagogue
MONTREAL, Police reported
this week that vandals broke
into an Orthodox synagogue
during the week-end ana de
stroyed scrolls, prayer shawls
and books and smashed silver
ware and other religious items.
Canadian Officials Reassure
Soviet Jew Saves Day for U.S.
Moscow Exhibition Opening
WASHINGTON — Dr. William
Wexler of Savannah has been
named national chairman of
B’nai B’rith’s Membership Cam
paign Cabinet, Label A. Katz,
president, announced here this
week.
Mr. Katz also appointed Har
ry Yudkoff of Detroit as na
tional chairman of the National
Fund Campaign Cabinet.
The Savannah leader, long ac
tive in B’nai B’rith activities of
his city, state and district, has
served with many of the order’s
national committee. He was vice
chairman of the Membership
cabinet.
Mr. Yudkoff was elected to
the International Board of Gov
ernors at the recent B’nai B’rith
triennial convention in Israel,
the first Detroiter to hold this
office in the 102-year history of
the organization.
Frederic Solomon
FORT VALLEY, GA. — The
Board of Governors of the Fed
eral Reserve System, Washing
ton, has announced the appoint
ment of Frederic Solomon, form
erly of Fort Valley, Ga., as di
rector of the Division of Bank
Examinations, effective August
1.
This division examines the
Federal Reserve banks and
supervises examinations of state
banks that are members of the
Federal Reserve System.
Mr. Solomon has been asso
ciated with the legal division of
the Federal Reserve Board since
1935. He is a graduate of the
University of Georgia and dur
ing World War II served with
the Marines. He is a lieutenant-
colonel in the Marine . Reserves.
He is the son of Mrs. Mose
Solomon and the late Mr. Solo
mon of Fort Valley, Ga.
NEW YORK, (AJP)—A So
viet Jew, engineer V. Abramov,
is directly responsible for the
opening of the American ex
hibition in Moscow on time, ac
cording to a Soviet Embassy re
lease entitled, “The American
Exhibition in Moscow.”
The USSR release, among
other things, reveals this story:
“An interesting situation,
wherein the Soviet builders
helped their American collea
gues ‘get out of a fix,’ is de-
scribea by O. Kurganov in his
article in Stroitelnaya Gazeta.
It happened at the construction
site of the cupola-shaped pavil
ion, which the Americans call
a geodesic cupola. According to
the American blueprints, the
Soviet builders produced and
assembled a cupola. Special
structures were supposed to
hold the cupola on a set of
FRANKFURT, (JTA) — Trial
of 11 persons charged with
terrorizing a Jewish family in
Koeppern early this year will
start on October 8 before an
extended Frankfurt jury court,
the Frankfurt Office of Prose
cution announced this week.
The defendants will be tried
on charges of libel, bodily in
jury, property damage, misde
meanor and coercion and dis
turbing the peace. One of the
defendants may also be tried on
a charge of public condonation
of Nazi crimes.
The indictment was based on
a systematic boycott of terror
ization of Kurt Sumpf, an Israel
foundations. But when the
workers started to assemble
them, it turned out that the
supports did not fit into the
foundations . . . The Americans
themselves acknowledged that
there was an error in their blue
prints. The situation which had
developed could have delayed
the construction of the cupola
and consequently the opening
of the exhibition.
“It was then that Soviet engi
neers, particularly V. Abramov,
suggested a new variant for the
distribution of the foundations.
This variant not only put things
right but accelerated the con
struction of the pavilion. At
first the American engineers
did not believe that the variant
could be realized. But when it
became an accomplished fact,
they praised the skill of the
Soviet engineers.”
citizen, by youthful hooligans
after he opened a cafe last year
in Koeppern, a small town in
the T a u n u s Mountains. Mr.
Sumpf had charged that Koep
pern police had not only failed
to protect him from his stor-
mentors but had stood by ap
provingly as three of the de
fendants assaulted him.
Recently he closed his cafe
and moved to Frankfurt. He
said he had done so because his
eight-year-old son had come
home from school one day and
asked his father: “Is it a crime
to be a Jew?” The father said
he feared his son might be in
jured by schoolmates.
11 Germans to Face Trial for
Terrorizing Family in Small Town
Jews on Slaughter Law
MONTREAL, (JTA)—The
Canadian Jewish Congress has
been given “ample assurance”
by Canadian officials that Can
ada’s new humane slaughter
law will be administered in a
way to “protect fully” the in
terests of the Jewish communi
ty, Saul Hayes, executive direc
tor of the CJC, said this week.
Both Houses of Parliament
approved the measure after
studying a Parliamentary Com
mittee report which made a
distinction between Shechita,
which was specifically describ
ed as a humane form of slaugh
ter, and pre-handling of food
animals, which was not so de
scribed.
In adopting the measure,
Parliament omitted all refere-
ences to Shechita and to pre
handling, leaving it to the Min
ister of Agriculture,-D.S. Hark-
ness, to implement the new
law. Mr. Hayes said that the
CJC had asked for an appoint
ment to meet with Mr. Hark-
ness to present the Jewish com
munity viewpoint on the new
law.
The Minister of Agriculture
has not given any indication of
when he intended to begin im
plementing the new law. No
date has yet been set for the
meeting requested by the Cana
dian Jewish Congress with Mr.
Harkness. It was expected that
Mr. Harkness would include, in
his examination of data to guide
him in that implementation, the
report of the special Parlia^
mentary committee. Mr. Hayes
indicated that this was one of
the reasons why the CJC was
seeking a meeting with the
Minister of Agriculture.
The CJC leader said the as
surances had been received
from “Cabinet Ministers, from
statements in the House of
Commons and from the authori
ties in general that the regula
tions which will be promulgated
by the Minister of Agriculture
will fully protect the interests
of the Jewish community. “In
fact, we are advised that the
declaration that Shechita is a
humane method of slaughter
will be included in the regula
tions,” he stated.
Mr. Hayes also disclosed that
a study was under way under
Jewish auspices on problems of
pre-handling, including shack
ling and hoisting. He said the
view of the CJC was that “there
is no scientific proof that shack
ling and hoisting is inhumane
but if it is so proven, then the
Jewish community will have to
find other ways.” While the
study is being made, he said,
“we intend to continue press
ing our views to insure that the
practical aspects of Jewish rit
ual slaughter and the desire of
the Canadian Parliament to
eliminate inhumaneness will
merge into common findings
and regulations.”
American Israelite
Begins 106th Year
of Publication
CINCINNATI, (JTA) — T1 „•
American Israelite, the oldcit
English-Jewish weekly in the
United States, entered this week
on its 106th year of consecutive
publication.
The paper was founded in
1854 by Dr. Isaac M. Wise, pio
neer of Reform Judaism in this
country.
British Weekly Finds Anti-Semitism There Is Economic, in America, Social
LONDON, (JTA)—Anti-Semi
tism is primarily economic in
Britain and social in the United
States but in both nations “it
is no longer permissable to avow
it openly,” the Spectator, Bri
tain’s leading Conservative
weekly, asserted this week in an
article comparing such prejud
ice in the two English speaking
nations.
The weekly said “active anti-
Semtism” in Britain is “most
virulent” and open among busi
nessmen who feel the pressures
of free enterprise and “put a
Jewish name or a Jewish face
on the competitor, or creditor,
or employer who exercises’*
such competitive pressures.
In an open society, the Spec
tator declared, "exclusiveness
takes on an almost magical sig-
nifance. To be exclusive, you
must exclude someone—Negroes
are automatically banned, Jews
are ignored on key occasions
and in key groups, first genera
tion Americans with East Euro
pean names are expected to
keep in the background.”
“The one cheerful sign on
this unpleasant landscape, ’ the
weekly asserted, "is that, al
though anti-Semitism still ex
ists in both nations, it is no
longer permissable to avow it
openly. The insecure and frus
trated cohorts of race snobbery
are in retreat.”
Another comparison deals
with the impact of the “exag
gerated respect for written con
stitutions” in the United States
as against the situation in Brit
ain where written rules hardly
exist. In the United States, the
Spectator declared, “there are
few institutions from the top
universities to the bottom poker
club which do not have an
agreed quota for Jews.” In the
British way, most organized
carefully have no written, or
even spoken, agreement on the
subject,” the weekly reported.
"It simply happens that Jews
are not elected.”