Newspaper Page Text
vCA
The Southern 1st .«elite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Established 1925
XXXV
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1960
NO. 42
German Court Hears
Testimony on Tossing
Jews Alive in Fire
FRANKFURT, (JTA)—A Dus-
seldorf court heard testimony
today in the trial of two former
Sachsenhausen camp guards that
hundreds of Jewish inmates were
tossed alive into the camp fur
nace.
Dr Walter Adamets, testifying
for the prosecution, described
this horror. He testified that
August Hoehne, one of the de
fendants, took part in sending to
their deaths all 4,000 sick Jewish
members of a convoy.
Another former inmate said
that Otto Boehm, the other de
fendant, strangled a Jewish pris
oner when the inmate stole one
carrot. Hoehne, former deputy
commander of the Sachsenhaus
en concentration camp, admitted
responsibility during his trial in
the shooting of 80 persons in
February 1944
Albert Layer, 56-year-old mer
chant and former SS guard in
the Gross Rosen concentration
camp, was on trial in Hanover
today on a variety of charges of
murder and complicity in the
murders of camp inmates.
He was accused of killing 14
prisoners and abusing 27 others
who died from their injuries. He
also was charged with complicity
in the slaying of at least 261
other inmates, mostly Russian
prisoners of war. In pleading not
guilty, the defendant said, “I have
not committed any crimes. I am
much too soft for that and I am
not a sadist.”
Rrandeis U. Dedicatee
Judaic Center
WALTHAM, Mass., (JTA) —
Brandeis University has dedi
cated its Golding Judaic Center,
one of three facilities in the new
$2,500,000 quadrangle, which
also includes a humanities build
ing and an American Civilization
Center. The Judaic Center, which
will provide facilities for the
university’s graduate and under
graduate programs in Near East
ern, Judaic and Mediterranean
studies, is the gift of the family
of the late Joseph Golding, a
New York industrialist and his
wife Dora
The new facility contains a
150-seat lecture hall, classrooms
and seminar rooms and faculty
and administration office space.
An outstanding feature of the
Center is the Biblical Garden,
exhibiting plants and herbs in
digenous to the land and times
of the Bible.
Brazil Says *No*
To Citizenship Bid
RIO DE JANEIRO, (JTA) —
The bid of Herbert Cukurs, a
former Latvian SS officer ac
cused of responsibility of the
death of 32,000 Jews in Riga
during the Nazi occupation, for
Brazilian naturalization has been
flatly rejected by President Ku-
bitschek, it was learned this
week.
Naturalization also was reject
ed for Cukurs’ wife and children.
Cukurs, who fled to Brazil after
the collapse of the Nazi regime,
applied for Brazilian citizenship
in July and his application was
rejected by Justice Minister
Armano Falcao.
Eisenhower Appoints
IVlaurice M. Bernbaum
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—Pres
ident Eisenhower this week ap
pointed Maurice M. Bernbaum as
Ambassador to Ecuador.
Mr. Bernbaum, a 50-year-old
career diplomat, served since last
year as counselor and deputy
chief of mission at the American
embassy in Argentina. He joined
the foreign service in 1936, after
being a social worker as a young
man. He has been assigned to a
number of posts in Latin Amer
ica and elsewhere.
A native of Illinois, Mr. Bern-
baum. attended Harvard, North
western, and the University of
Chicago. His nomination will go
to the Senate for confirmation,
when Congress reconvens in Jan
uary.
Golda Meir Challenges Nasser at
UN to Meet With Ben-Gurion
U N IT E D NATIONS, N. Y., which is before the Assembly,
(JTA) —- Golda Meir, Israel’s
Foreign Minister, Monday chal
lenged President Gamal Abdel
Nasser of the United Arab Re
public to “meet and negotiate”
with Israel on peace ‘or at least
an agreement on non-aggres
sion.”
"On behalf of my Prime Min
ister,” she affirmed, “X) say he is
prepared for such a meeting
without any pre-conditions, here
or at any other place proposed
to him.”
Deliverng her foreign policy
address before the plenary ses
sion of the General Assembly,
Mrs. Meir included in her offer
of peace talks not only the
President of the UAR but laso
King Hussein of Jordan and the
Prime Minister of Lebanon, both
of whom had addressed the As
sembly earlier. On behalf of Is
rael, she also:
1. Endorsed Secretary General
Dag Hammarskjold’s actions in
the Congo, which have been at
tacked violently here by the
Soviet Union’s Premier Nikita
S. Khrushchev.
2. Called for “complete dis
armament of Israel and the Arab
States under mutual inspection
and control.”
On the subject of disarmament
☆ ☆ ☆ National ☆ ☆ ☆
NEWSPAPER WEEK
NEWSPAPER...
FREEDOMS
GUARDIAN
OCTOBER 15-21/ 1960
Birmingham’s Mesch to Mark
25th Anniversary on Oct. 17
BIRMINGHAM — Members of
Congregation Beth-El here will
mark on October 17 the twenty-
five years of spiritual leadership
of Dr. Abraham J. Mesch, long
an outstanding leader in the
Southern Conservative move
ment.
During his 25 years here, Rab
bi Mesch has seen his congrega
tion triple in number. H now
represents some 2500 men, wo
men and children. To accommo
date this growth and looking to
the future, the synagogue under
the rabbi’s guidance has added,
adjoining its sanctuary, a two-
story brick educational building
which includes 15 classrooms, an
auditorium, and playground fa
cilities.
In addition to serving his con
gregation, the Rabbi is promi
nent in the community at large
because of his interest and acti
vities in the broader Jefferson
County Community. He has been
a Chaplain of the Jewish faith,
ministering to all faiths at
Fort McClellan. He has been a
leader in the Lions Club, in
many other civic organizations,
the Zionist organization, and
the Jewish Community Center.
Rabbi Harry H. Epstein of At
lanta will be principal speaker.
It was Rabbi Epstein who in
stalled Dr. Mesch, when he first
asumed the pulpit here.
Rabbi and Mrs. Mesch have
two children. Their daughter,
Nissah, now Mrs. Merle Matteson
of Chicago, has a son. Their son,
Barry, is now studying in New
York
Mrs. Meir said: “One of the
planks in the Israel Govern
ment’s program is complete dis
armament for Israel and the
Arab states under mutual inspec
tion and control. We are not im
pressed by lofty speeches on
world disarmament and peace
by leaders who do not practice
at home what they preach
abroad. Ours is a troubled area
and an underdeveloped one.
Neither Israel nor its neighbors
can afford an arms race; the
needs of the men, women and
children of all our countries cry
out against it.”
In challenging Nasser and
rulers of the Arab lands to meet
with Ben-Gurion on Arab-Israel
peace, Mrs. Meir said: “We again
call most solemnly to the lead
ers of the Arab states: Let us sit
down in a free, not pre-condi
tioned conference, to discusss
peace. We are convinced that
that is the only realistic ap
proach. And when there is peace
between us, let us with united
strength develop the entire re
gion for the welfare of all peo
ples.”
Stressing that Nasser still
maintains his boycott against
Israel, and the Suez blockade,
she stated: "Since, if the United
Arab Republic is not prepared
to implement the Security Coun
cil’s decisions on' the question of
shipping in the Suez Canal, then
how will it base its right, if
elected to the Security Council,
to tell others that there must be
no war or threat of war and all
questions must be resolved by
peaceful negotiations, and that
Security Council decisions must
be observed.”
Mrs. Meir’s reference to the
Security Council alluded to the
fact that the UAR is now a can
didate for election to Council
membership as successor to the
seat on the Council held now
by Tunisia.
The Israel Foreign Minister
referred in her address also to
the Arab refugee problem which
has been discussed with bitter
ness by the Arab leaders in this
year’s Assembly. Those refugees,
she stated, “did not go into
strange lands. Why are they not
absorbed?” she asked.
Israel, Mrs. Meir pointed out,
has absorbed not only many
Jewish refugees from Europe
but also a half-million Jews who
had to leave Arab countries. Is
rael, furthermore, she pointed
out, is today housing and find
ing employement for 240,000
Arabs in Israel.
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y (J-
TA)—Jordan this week opened
the threatened Arab League of
fensive in the United Nations on
Israel’s alleged “diaCrfmination”
against Arabs living in Israel.
Addressing the General Assem
bly’s Social, Humanitarian and
Cultural Committee, Dr. Muham
mad H. El-Farra, Jordan's repre
sentative, complained that “Arab
students in Israel are not given
the opportunity to know their
own culture or history.”
Mrs. Tamar Eshel, Israeli rep
resentative, told the committee
that Israel "does not accept
these allegations.” She added
that, in due time, she will reply
fully to the Jordan attack
Estimate Community Center
Membership at 650,000
NEW YORK. Oct. 10, (JTA) -
The average annual growth of
13,600 in membership of Jewish
Community Centers and YM-
YWHAs recorded since 1948 was
exceeded in 1958 when the. gain
was 14,000, bringing the total to
608,000, according to a report
published today by the National
Jewish Welfare Board. The 1960
membership was estimated at
nearly 650,000.
The continued membership
growth was attributed to the
opening of new Center buildings
resulting in membership gains in
those Centers, and to improved
Center programs and services
and greater participation in
Center activities. Another con
tributing factor was the trend
toward family membership and
away from individual mem
bership. One out of every three
Jewish Community Centers and
YM-YWHAs affiliated with the
JWB now enrolls members only
on a family basis because Centers
are rapidly becoming family-
oriented and providing more
programming for the family unit
and for every age group in the
family.
An increase in the proportion
of self-support over community
support was a significant change
between 1957-1958, the JWB re
port declares. Center revenue
from membership due* and serv
ice fees rose by 10.5 percent be
tween 1957 and 1958 while re
ceipts from Jewish Welfare
Funds and Federations and Com
munity Chests and United Funds
rose by 7.5 percent. In 1958 Cen
ters secured an average of 57
percent of their income from in
ternal sources compared with
55.7 percent in 1957 and 45.9 per
cent in 1956.
TJ.S. Deports Hungarian
Charged With Atrocities
NEWARK, N. J„ (JTA) —
United States Immigration Au
thorities ordered FYiday, the de
portation of Laszlo Imre Agh,
former lieutenant in the pro-Axis
Hungarian Army, on charges of
atrocities against Jewish and
other conscript labor under his
command in 1942.
Agh, now a 52 year-old ac
countant for the National State
Bank of Newark said he would
appeal to the Board of Immigra
tions Appeals Office in Washing
ton within the ten-day limit. He
and his wife both came to this
county in 1947. His wife’s citi
zenship is not affected. He was
charged by tjie government with
“participating a«d performing ac
tivities contrary to civilization”
while serving at the Frigyes Bar
racks near Kamorom in Hungary
The Immigration Service said
Agh had tried to conceal the war
crimes and that the alleged atro
cities were discovered by Federal
agents during an investigation of
his citizenship application of 1952