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T H I SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Friday, November 20, 1959
Page Four
The Southern Israelite
Published Weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, 390 Court-
land 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 March 3, 1879. Yearly subscription five dollars. The Southern
Israelite invites literary contributions and correspondence but is not
to be considered as sharing the views expressed by writers. DEAD
LINE is 5 P.M., FRIDAY, but material received earlier will have
a much better chance of publication.
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
—■ ■ r— \
as^ocJT^tQn
STT2JT03
Member
American Jewish
Press Association
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher
Gustav Oppenheimer, Sylvia Kletzky, Karen llurtig,
Kathleen Nease, Jennie Loeb
WHAT THE PRESS IS SAYING
Toynbee’s Second Challenge to Jewry
. . . All this time the Jews have been inhibited by their concern
for their communal self preservation from throwing themselves,
heart and soul, into the accomplishment of their true mission—a
mission that is not political, but religious. This has been a long 1 time
for the Jews to have held back from sharing their priceless spiritual
treasure with their fellow human beings; and this delay has already
twice led impatient Gentiles to take the law into their own hands.
Twice, by now, Gentiles have run away with the Jewish vision of
God and have embodied it in two successive deviationist Judaic
religions, Christianity and Islam. Is not the Jews’ own missionary
work overdue? As I see the Jewish future, this lies in preaching to
mankind, at long last, the religion of Deutero-Isaiah in its original
purity. This means receiving Gentile converts into the Jewish com
munity as full members of it; and that means transforming the
world-wide Jewish Diaspora into a world-wide religious association
transcending the ethnic distinction between Jew and Gentile. Would
not this be the true consummation of Jewish history?
ARNOLD J. TOYNBEE, THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
Israel and Cyrus—Parallel Path
The courses of Israel and Cyprus have run a parallel path in
many respects, setting up a bond of sympathy that will make today’s
delegation of six mayors from the island doubly welcome. The es
sential, perhaps unique, link is that Cyprus, like Israel, is an un
developed country from the economic point of view, while a large
proportion of its population has grown un in an advanced and
sophisticated culture. It was this disparity that made both these
territories exceptionally difficult for a British Colonial Office to
comprehend and administer successfully, thereby hastening the
inevitable progress towards independence, with an interval of bitter
struggle and bloodshed . . . When Cyprus reaches its independence,
it will have added one more to the ranks of the non-Arab countries
of the Middle East. If it is to maintain independence as more than
a fiction, and not to descend to the political serfdom of a state like
Lebanon, it will have to guard its freedom jealously and determine
from the outset not to be drawn into the blackmail, boycotts, in
trigues and threats which Nasser endeavors to spin around each
country in the area.
THE JERUSALEM POST from an editorial
A Christian Views Israel’s Progress
Here in Israel there is a great deal of admiration for the people
of Holland, as well as the Scandinavians, who aided the Jews so
valiantly during the regime of Hitler and especially during the
Second World War, when often at great personal risk they provided
shelter for thousands of Jacob’s posterity who had to flee the
advancing Nazis, Since the establishment of the State eleven years
ago, the relationship between the new Jewish nation and Holland,
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, has grown even stronger
... It has been revealed that half of the Israel bond purchases in
the Netherlands during the last quarter of 1958 and the first quarter
of 1959 were made by Gentiles. If this same ratio were to apply
to all the countries of the world where Israel bonds are sold, the
Jewish State today would be in a most flourishing condition . . .
CASIMIR LANOWICK, The Restitution Herald, from Israel
Max Nordau’s Tribute to Her/.l
On July 3, 1904, Theodor Herzl closed his eyes forever. On the
day of his death he had exceeded his 44th year by only two months.
The loud outbursts of dismay, the long paroxysm of grief, which
were the thousand-fold echoes of his demise, were the measure
of what he was to his people. At thirty-five years of age quite un
known to the Jewish people, nine years later he had become
its pride and hope. That he was able to attain this place in Jewish
thought and feeling is one of the wonders of his wonderful life. He
had waded far in the waters of assimilation even through the
depths that almost completely immersed him. In the sunniest years
of his life he was completely taken up with interests that showed not
a spark of Judaism. He devoted himself completely to artistic labors,
to literary work . . . Nothing drew him in the direction of his real
life-work. Nothing attracted his mind to deal with Jewish Questions
till the day came when the situation of the Jewish people made him
powerfully conscious of his own Judaism . . .
Max Nordau, from his address on Herd’s death, Israel Today
Rubor on Israel-Arab Peace
. I belong to a group of people,” Buber once wrote Gandhi,
“who from the time Britain conquered Palestine, have not ceased
to strive for the concluding of a genuine peace between Jew and
Arab. By genuine peace we inferred and still infer that both peo
ple should together develop the land without the one imposing its
will on the other . . . Where there is faith and love,” Buber con
cludes, “a solution may be found even to what appears to be a
tragic contradiction." In his attitude toward Arab-Jewish relations,
toward the relations of the German people to the Jews who were
killed and those who survived, and toward the conflict between
the great camps in the cold war . . Martin Buber has been an
image of the peace-maker, out of the covenant of peace.” (Having
only taken into account the biblical passages on peace, Buber, in
his philosophy entirely overlooks those passages which speak of
“judgement” against the evil powers seeking Israel’s destruction.
—Editor)
MAURICE FRIEDMAN, Hada.ssah Newsletter
Prinz Sees Jewish Survival
Dependent on Cultural Response
NEW YORK The survival of
the Jewish people and its herit
age depends to a large degree
upon their ability to respond in
Jewish terms to the spiritual,
cultural and artistic needs of
our time, Dr. Joachim Prinz,
rioted rabbi and president of the
American Jewish Congress, de
clared here last week.
Addressing the biennial meet
ing of the Jewish Music Council
of the National Jewish Welfare
Board (JWB) held at the Har
monic Club, in New York City,
Rabbi Prinz, spiritual leader of
Temple B’nai Abraham, New
ark, N.J., said that “survival is
not merely the continuation of
a time-honored and well-tested
tradition. It is the creation of
viable Jewish living, contribut
ing out of its own spirit to the
very best in all fields of human
endeavor of our time.”
Theme of the Council meet
ing, chained by Rabbi Emanuel
Green, Council chairman, was:
“Commission a Jewish Musical
Work.” fn the past three years
the Council has encouraged the
commissioning by local Jewish
organizations of more than 60
new Jewish compositions. Mahy
of these were given their pre
miere performances during Jew
ish Music Festival, which is
celebrated nationally each year
under the Council’s auspices.
Performance of excerpts from
three recentl y-commissioned
works was a highlight of the
meeting. A panel discussion on
methods of commissioning was
another feature of the Council
meeting. Dr. A. W. Binder, vice-
chairman of the Council, and
chairman of the Council’s com
missioning committee, introduced
the musical works heard. Julius
Shatz, director of community
studies of the American Jewish
Congress, was pane) discussion
leader.
To stimulate Jewish art in
every possible form, Dr. Prinz,
said, “is -one of the great oppor
tunities of the present Jewish
day and age. The large building
program of synagogues and Jew
ish Community Centers all over
the country has afforded one
such opportunity. Jews in whose
midst the creative thinker, scho
lar and musician always had an
honored place, h^said, “must
now assume thei™responsibili-
ties to the contemporary artists
whose roots—conscious or other
wise—lie in the Jewish commun
ity into which they were born.
This is no longer merely the re
sponsibility of the patron of the
arts but rather of every Jewish
community, congregation and
organization committed to the
positive continuity of the Jew-
The Jewish Music Council
meeting heard performances of
excerpts of these three works:
“Sons of Aaron,” an opera
composed by Siegfried Landau,
and commissioned by the West
chester Opera Theatre. Soloists
were Howard Rosenberg and
Ray Smolover. The composer
was at the piano. The libretto
was by Mr. Smolover.
“Ode to the King of Kings,”
a choral cantata commemorating
the dead of Israel’s War of Lib
eration, composed by Abraham
Ellstein, and commissioned by
Congregation Sharey Tefillo,
East Orange, N. J Excerpts
were performed under the com
poser’s direction. Soloists were
Rita Wynne and Norman Atkins,
cantor of the new Metropolitan
Temple, New York City, and
Average Family
Income In Israel
Rises Each Year
JERUSALEM, (JTA)--The an
nual income of immigrant fami
lies in Israel rises in direct ratio
to the length of time the im
migrant family is in this country,
and there is no marked differ
ence in this respect due to an
immigrant’s country of origin, ac
cording to a report issued today
by the State Bank of Israel.
The report noted that, in 1957,
an average Israeli family’s in
come was 2,800 pounds ($1,540),
an increase of an average of 600
Israeli pounds ($330) by com
parison with 1955. There was a
further average increase of 400
pounds ($220) by 1958, bringing
the average family’s income in
1958 to about 3,200 pounds ($1,-
760).
According to the report, the
average urban family in Israel
saves about six percent of its in
come. Ninety percent of Israeli
private savings have been invest
ed in pension funds, insurance
and mortgages. In addition to
income from earnings, four per
cent of Israel’s population has
benefited directly from West
German reparations, receiving
personal restitution payments
from the Germans.
Israel’s population increased
by 55,^718 in 1958 to a total of
2,031,672, according to the Aug
ust issue of the Anglo-Israel
Trade Journal out today. The
Journal noted that 67.6 percent
of the population hw in 30
cities of over 10,000 population,
16.1 percent in 73 towns with
populations between 2.000 and
10,000, and 17.3 percent in 798
settlements and villages of less
staff member of the New York
City Center. Text of tin* cantata
was by Shmul Yosef Agnon,
and the English translation by
Dr. Samuel II Dresner.
“A Time for Choosing,” a
Purlin operetta composed by
Charles Davidson and commis
sioned by the National Women’s
League of the United Synagogue.
It was performed in part by
members of the Sisterhood Chor
al Group of the Wantagh, L. I.,
Jewish Center. Ray Smolover
wrote the libretto, which was
based on a story idea by Mrs.
Ben Zion Bokser. The composer
directed the performance in
which the soloists were Frances
Davidson and Rena Roth.
George B Perry, staff mem
ber of JWB’s Bureau of Public
Information, and consultant to
the Jewish Music Council, was
the recipient of a citation for
his efforts on behalf of the Coun
cil for the past 16 years.
Physicians Hear
Report on Medical
Progress in Israel
NEW YORK, (JTA) Life ex
pectancy in Israel today is 71
years for men and 73 for women,
Dr. Moshe Prywes, associate
dean of the Hebrew University-
Hadassah Medical School of
Jerusalem reported at a dinner
sponsored by the American Phy
sicians’ Committee, medical arm
of the American Friends of the
Hebrew University. For the
Arab citizens of Israel, life ex
pectancy “is about twice as long
as that in the neighboring Arab
countries,” he added.
Dr. Prywes expressed regret
that Israel’s achievements in
health and medical education
cannot be applied in the neigh
boring Arab countries, “which
reject all kinds of cooperation—-
even in this field.” At the same
time he voiced satisfaction that
“new horizons have recently
opened with respect to other
new and emerging nations in
Africa and South Asia.” “Israel,”
he said, “is doing its best to
assist the efforts of these coun
tires in the fields of health and
medical education, as in other
spheres.”
Describing Israel as "an island
of health in the Middle East,”
Dr. Prywes stated that “during
the last few years we have suc
ceeded in eradicating or in bring
ing under control all the infecti
ous diseases which are endemic
in this region.” He reviewed the
role of the Hebrew University-
Hadassah Medical School in
achieving these results. He fur
ther reported that the Hebrew
University-H a d a s s a h Medical
School now has an enrollment
of approximately 800 students,
while 400 full-time teachers and
research scientists are on its
staff.
The Hebrew University’s signi
ficant contributions to under
developed areas of the world
were also emphasized by Ber
nard Cherrick, executive vice-
chairman of the board of gover
nors of the Hebrew University.
He reported on the growing
number of students from Afri
can and Asian countries who are
studying at the university. “They
will apply the knowledge and
skills acquired in Jerusalem to
the progress and welfare of
their respective lands,” he de
clared. “This may well prove to
be one of the significant cultural
developments of this area, since
it holds the promise of a brighter
future for generations still un
born.”
In reviewing the activities of
the American Jewish Physicians’
Committee in behalf of the He
brew University since 1921, Dr.
John Garlock, president of the
committee, stated that “at the
moment every effort is being
exerted to supply the university
with the necessary funds to
finish the Medical School build
ings. The future efforts of the
American Jewish Physicans’
Committee will be in the direc
tion of enlarging the program of
postgraduate education in the
State of Israel, and of lending
encouragement to the develop
ment of medical research activi
ties in the Medical School.”
Dr. Israel Wechsler, honorary
president of the American
Friends of the Hebrew Univer
sity, laid particular stress on
the importance of furthering
the medical research program of
the university. Dr. Wecnsler is
a noted American neurologist.