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Friday, November 20, 1059 \
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
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Balser Chosen President of
Brandeis U. President, Dore Schary Speakers
Southern Section, J W B
for November 29th Anniversary Dinner
SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 9—Mey
er L. Balser, prominent Atlanta
tive and dedicated communal
leader, was unanimously elected
president of the Southern Sec
tion, National Jewish Welfare
Board, at its 14th Annual Con
ference here on November 8.
Delegates from every major
city in the eleven Southern
States, which encompasses the
Southern Section, met in a
plenary session at which time
Mr. Balser was elected to the
presidency.
Also elected to serve with him
were David M. Blumberg, Knox
ville, honorary president; David
S. “Rocky” Goldberg, Charles
ton, president-elect; Mrs. Milton
Sirkin of Miami Ervin Donsky
of Dallas, I. L. Kunian of Nash
ville, and David Packler of New
Orleans, vice presidents; A. Budd
Cutler, Miami, secretary, and
Mitchell Bush, Chattanooga,
treasurer.
In addition, the following were
elected to the Board of Gover
nors; Leon Beck, Houston;
Charlie Browne, San Antonio;
Max Feldman, Atlanta; Efraim
H. Gale, Miami; Murray Garrett,
Tampa; Sam. Hatow, Nashville;
Leon Kaplan; Miami; Paul Kape-
low, New Orleans; Frank Lich
tenstein, San Antonio; Ben
Marks, Corpus Christi; Norton
Melaver, Savannah; Bernard
Olasov, Charleston; James Per-
mutt, Birmingham; Daniel
Schlanger, Houston; Nat Shul-
man, Charleston; Isadore Simko-
witz, Miami; William Sussman,
Miami; Philip Vogel, Dallas;
Mrs. Simon Wener, Memphis,
and David H. White, Houston.
Mr. Balser, honorary president
of the Atlanta Jewish Commun
ity Center, served as its presi
dent for more than a decade.
Under his leadership, the Cen
ter achieved growth and de
velopment commensurate with
the unusual growth of Atlanta’s
Jewish community, which cul
minated in a new Center build
ing of unusually fine design and
complete facilities. A native of
Atlanta, Mr. Balser often refers
to himself as a product of the
Center, having been a partici
pant as a boy, a volunteer lead
er and an officer of its board.
In addition to his great devotion
to the Center movement, he has
held office and leadership posi
tions as chairman of the Atlanta
Jewish Welfare Fund, Commun
ity Chest, Red Cross for Atlanta
and Fulton counties, National
Conference of Christians and
Jews, ZOA, B’nai B’rith and
the Jewish Home for the Aged.
He is a member of The Southern
Israelite Advisory Board.
As Section president, he comes
to this post with many years of
active service on the board of
the National Jewish Welfare
Board, as well as key leadership
roles in the work of the South
ern Section.
In commenting on his election,
Mr. Balser indicated that the
vitality of Jewish life depends
on the enlightened leadership of
the institutions serving Ameri
can Jewry. In the area of con
structive leisure-time, which in
cludes wholesome recreation, in
formal education and phys-ed,
the Center takes its rightful
place to serve American Jewry
and to strengthen Jewish identi
fication.
Ho and the other officers of
the Southern Section look for
ward to working with leaders
from all over the Section and
to strengthening the Section as
a vital arm and instrument to
the Centers within the Region.
QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
FROM THE ISRAEL
INTERNATIONAL
BIBLE QUIZ
69
Q. Some people in Bible times
used the term “dog” to describe
themselves, either because they
were offended at the attitude of
others, or because of humility.
Name four such people and
quote occasions on which they
spoke in this manner.
A. Goliath to David: I Samuel
17:43. David to Saul: —“After
whom dost thou pursue? After a
dead dog?” I Samuel 24:14. Ab
ner to Ishbosheth:— “Am I a
dog’s head?” Mephlbosheth to
David. “Such a dead dog as I
am.” II Samuel 9:8. Hazel to
Elisha. “What is thy servant?
A dog?” II Kings 8:13.
70
Q. The Bible tells of five men
and two women, as well as a
group of people, who disguised
themselves in order not to be
recognized. Who were they?
A. Jacob disguised as Esau:
Genesis 27:—. David Feigned
madness: I Samuel 21:13. One
of the prophets before Ahab: I
Kings 20:38. The woman of
Tekoa before David: II Samuel
14:—.The wife of Jeroboam (be
fore her brother Ahiyah of Shi
loh).: I Kings 14:2. The Gibeon-
ltes before Joshua: Josh 9:-
When Israel’s famous Inbal Dance Theatre members arrived In
New York for what has become their second triumphal tour of
America, they found a dock strike in progress. Instead of being
stymied by the lack of stevedores, they brought their luggage ashore
in their own inimitable fashion, (above). The dancers will‘appear
on the Dinah Shore (NBC) from 9 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22.
Dr. Abram L. Sachar, presi
dent of Brandeis University, and
Dore Schary, famous motion-
picture producer, director, and
writer, will be featured speakers
at the university’s eleventh an
niversary dinner on Sunday,
Nov. 29, at the Standard Town
and Country Club. The announce
ment was made by dinner chair
men Louis Aronstam and Ben J.
Massell.
A Fellow of Brandeis Univer
sity, Dore Schary has a long and
distinguished career in Holly
wood and the legitimate theater.
His prize-winning play, “Sun
rise at Campobello,” based upon
the late President Roosevelt’s
NCRAC Plan For
Safeguarding Rights
Of Religious Groups
NEW YORK, (JTA)—The Na
tional Community Relations Ad
visory Council, coordinating
body of six national Jewish
organizations and 48 local Jew
ish community relations coun
cils, has made public a coordi
nating program adopted by its
constituent groups with regard
to advancing equal rights and
safeguarding the rights of reli
gious groups in the United
States.
The program scores Congress
for “inaction on civil rights.” It
terms the Civil Rights Act of
1957 as “inadequate,” and says
that “the experience of the Civil
Rights Commission and the Jus
tice Department demonstrated
that additional federal legislation
is imperatively needed, if the
aims of the Civil Rights Act of
1957 are to be realized.”
The NCRAC plan charges
“legislative apathy” toward fed
eral civil rights legislation,
noting that this apathy “was but
a reflection of the general pub
lic apathy.” It warns that segre
gationist intransigence mean
while remains unabated, adding
that “there is grave clanger that
this intransigence may so dismay
and alarm other parts of the
nation as to intimidate them into
a withdrawal from the strug
gle.”
Outlining recommended actions
for “facilitating integration in
the public schools,” the plan
calls for “participation by in
dividuals in representative citi
zens groups to preserve the pub
lic schools and to encourage ac
ceptance of compliance with
law” and “common planning
among organizations and groups
concerned about orderly compli
ance with the Supreme Court’s
rulings.”
Racial segregation in public
schools is not limited to the
South, the plan comments. In
many cities in other parts of the
country, it says, “pupils attend
ing many public schools are
drawn overwhelmingly from
single racial, ethnic or religious
groups.”
r The plan commends New York,
Chicago and other cities for
“experimenting with various
i procedures designed to make the
pupil composition of schools ap
proximate more closely the com
position of the community as a
whole and to integrate school
facilities.” It urges support of
such measures as “creative re-
districting and integration of
teaching staffs.”
Noting that there is a shortage
of teachers and aministrators
“adequately trained in the means
and methods for fostering equal
ity in the public school setting,”
the plan calls upon the cooper
ating Jewish organizations to
work for more and better in
struction in intergroup education
principles and techniques in
teachers colleges and in-service
training programs for teachers
and other school personnel.
The six national organizations
affiliated with the NCRAC are
the American Jewish Congress,
Jewish Labor Committee, Jew
ish War Veterans of the U S.A.,
Union of American Hebrew Con
gregations, Union of Orthodox
Congregations of America, and
United Synagogue of America.
The NCRAC program was made
public by Judge David Ullman,
chairman, who stressed that “the
54 constituent organizations of
the NCRAC differ markedly in
resources, and the local bodies
have many different local pro
grams and responsibilities. Each
is expected to adapt the overall
joint plan to its particular situa
tion.”
DORE SCHARY
affliction with polio, and his
current Broadway hit, “Majority
of One,” have won for him a
commanding position In the
world of entertainment.
From 1932 to 1940 Schary con
stantly wrote for the screen, ac
cumulating some thirty-five mo
tion picture credits at various
studios, including such films as
Edison the Man, Young Tom
Edison, and Boy’s Town, which
won an Academy Award. At
MGM he produced Joe Smith
American, Journey for Marga
ret, Lassie Comes Home, Lost
Angel, Bataan and others. In
1943 he left MGM to join the
Selznick Organization where he
produced I’ll Be Seeing You,
Till the End of Time, The Spiral
Staircase, The Farmer’s Daugh
ter, and The Bachelor and the
Bobby-Soxer. The success of
these films led to his becoming
head of all production at RKO
and while there he was respon
sible for several fine films, in
cluding Mr. Blanding Builds His
Dream House, The Window, The
Set-Up, and the much discussed
Crossfire. In 1948 he returned
to MGM as vice-president in
charge of production where un
der his guidance such highly
successful films as Battleground,
American in Paris, Seven Brides
For Seven Brothers, Executive
Suite, Black-board Jungle, King
Solomon’s Mines, Mogambo, and
Father of the Bride were made.
In addition he personally pro
duced Go For Broke, Bad Day
at Black Rock, The Swan, Tha
Designing Woman, and an un
usual documentary called The
Hoaxters which is used today by
the FBI in alerting trainees to
the strategy of Soviet Commun
ism.
The recipient of over one-
hundred awards, Dore Schary
has contributed articles and
stories to the New York Times,
The Herald Tribune, Saturday
Review, This Week. Sports Illus
trated, Red Book, Pageant, Thea
ter Arts, The Reporter and The
Atlantic Monthly. He has also
authored a book, entitled, “Case
History of a Movie.”
Highly admired among thous
ands of Atlantans, Dr. Sachar
has been president of Brandeie
since its founding, and has a
long and distinguished career am
historian, educator, lecturer, and
leader of the nationwide Hillal
Foundation. Over the past eleven
years he has traveled a million
miles winning friends for the
Brandeis concept of non-sec
tarian higher education.
Dr. Sachar received his under
graduate education at Washing
ton University in St. Louis and
pursued graduate study at Cam
bridge University in England,
receiving there his doctoral de
gree in history. While on the
history faculty of the Univer
sity of Illinois he helped pioneer
the Hillel Foundation which is
now established on more than
200 campuses throughout the
country. For many years he was
national director and from 1948
to 1955 he served as Chairman
of the National Hillel Commis
sion. Upon his resignation in
1955, he was made its Honorary
Chairman. He is the author of
several volumes, the most popu
lar being “A History of the
Jews,” now in its 17th printing.
He is a Fellow of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences,
and the recipient of seven hon
orary degrees, the most interest
ing of which is the degree of
Doctor of Humanities from Illi
nois Wesleyan University—a tri
bute to the impact he made on
Christian students who attended
his courses at the University of
Illinois in “Personality in His
tory” and “Books that Changed
our Thinking.”
Atlanta leaders at a luncheon planning the Nov. 29 observance
of Brandeis U. Anniversary.
Grant Refuses Public Repudiation
of Bias Allegation
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—Gen
eral U.S. Grant, 3rd, who had in
dicated a change of mind on anti-
Jewish material he had distribut
ed, has refused to make public a
promised report on the matter.
The issue arose several motnhs
ago, when Gen. Grant, com
mander of the Military Order of
the Loyal Legion, descendants of
Civil War veterans, issued the
defamatory material in the or
ganization’s publication. After
much discussion of the issue.
Gen. Grant on Sept. 7 promised
the Jewish War Veterans he
would report on the "probable"
falsity of the anti-Jewish article
at an ~Oct. 8 convention of the
Loval Legion.
Asked for a copy of the report,
Gen. Grant stated that it was “an
internal matter for our organiza
tion only, and not available to
the press.” He would say only
that he read into the record his
letter to the JWV stating that the
controversial material was “prob
ably false.”
The Anti-Defamation League
of B’nai B’rith has charged that,
since Gen. Grant endorsed and
distributed the article, "Abraham
Lincoln and the Rothschilds,” it
has been exploited by profession
al anti-Semites. Gen. Grant’s im
portant position as chairman of
the U.S. Civil War Centennial
Commission has been cited as
lending authority to the anti-
Jewish attacks.
An issue was raised ae to
whether Gen. Grant made an
adequate repudiation. Herman
Edelsberg, Washington ADL di
rector, has stated that “the sad
fact is that a notorious anti-
Semitic canard, which until re
cently was circulated anonymous
ly in the gutter, is now being
circulated by professional anti-
Semites on the authority of Gem.
Grant”