Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Establish*' 1
.9^
XXXVI
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1961
NO. O
Kennedy Receives Torah
From Reform Leaders
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—Presi
dent Kennedy was presented
with a Torah by a delegation of
250 Reform Jewish leaders rep
resenting the convention of the
Union of American Hebrew Con
gregations, which took place
here. The Torah originally be
longed to the late Rabbi Isaac M.
Wise, founder of Reform Judaism
in the United States, and was en
trusted to the Reform temple in
Cincinnati bearing his name.
The presentation ceremony
took place at the Rose Garden
of the White House. It was ar
ranged by Secretary of Labor
Arthur J. Goldberg, who was
elected to the UAHC board of
trustees. The presentation was
made by Rabbi Maurice N. Eisen-
drath, UAHC president. Presi
dent Kennedy, in accepting the
Torah, said that the ceremony
“symbolizes the happy relations
which exist between our religi
ous groups, and must continue to
exist in this country if we are
worthy of our heritage.”
In making the presentation,
Rabbi Eisendrath declared: ‘This
parchment contains not only
sacred words but words for which
men had sacrificed their lives.
This nation was established on
these words and the immutable
truths which they express. These
truths remain our most potent
weapon in today’s great struggle
between those who have staked
their lives and their future on
the value of the human spirit
breathing free in a universe
guided by divine laws and those
who seek to bring the creative
human personality under the
awesome weight of a juggernaut
tyranny. You, Mr. President, are
the inspired and inspring leader
of those committed to the moral
mandate set forth in the words
of this sacred parchment.”
President Kennedy in replying,
declared: “The significance of
this ceremony is not merely a
gift of an ancient document but
that in a very real sense the great
issue today is, as Rabbi Eisen
drath stated, the supremacy of
the moral law which is initiated,
originated and developed in the
Bible and which has special ap
plication here today.
“I have never felt that we
should attempt to use the great
impulse towards God and to
wards religion, which all people
feel, as an element in a cold war
struggle. Rather, it is not an arm,
it is the essence of leadership—
not the organization of economy
so much but as the supremacy of
moral law and therefore the
right of the individual, his rights
to be protected by the State and
not be at the mercy of the State.
“In the inaugural address
which the rabbi mentioned, I
said that the basic issue was that
the rights the citizen enjoyed did
not come from the State, but
rather came from the Hand of
God. And it is written here. And
it is written here. And it is writ
ten in the Old and in the New
Testament.”
Inter Ashes of 3,000
Nazi Victims in NY
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Ashes
of 3,000 Jews from the town
of Drobnin, Poland, who were
gassed and cremated by the
Nazis at Auschwitz during the
Second World War were in
terred Sunday on the burial
grounds of the Drobnirer Bene
volent Society. Special services
were held at the cemetery. All
Drobfdnen were killed at Aus
chwitz, except those who were
fit for heavy labor.
One of the survivors, Rabbi
David Feffer of the Jewish
Theological Seminary, return
ed to Auschwitz recently and
arranged to have the ashes
from the crematories sent here
for burial at the foot of a
monument erected in memory
of the Drobniners.
Descendants of Maccabees and Foes
To Join in Hanukah Service
STAMFORD, Conn., (WUP)—A Greek Orthodox Priest, the Rev.
George Poulos, and members of his church plan to witness the ob
servance of Hanukah on the 2330th anniversary of the Maccabean
■prising. Over 2000 years ago, the forefathers of these Greeks, under
the tyrant Antiochus, were locked In deadly combat with the Judeans.
Today, relations between Jews and Greeks are cordial. In Greece,
Jews enjoy complete equality, and in Israel many Greeks work hand
in hand with Israelis. To dramatise the reconciliation between the
two peoples who once regarded themselves as adversaries, the Rev.
Poulos and his flock will join Rabbi Samuel M. Silver and his con
gregation Temple Sinai here on December 8, 8:30 p.m. for the Han
ukah festivities and service.
During the unique event. Rev. Poulos will present Rabbi Silver
with a stone which he obtained from Mt. Sinai on a recent pilgrimage.
The stone. Rabbi Silver explained, will be used as a symbol in the
new Temple Sinai sanctuary soon to be erected.
Soviet General Ile[> , on
Situation of Jews in Russia
PARIS, (JTA) — Lieutenant
General David Dragunsky, a
Jewish Army officer who is one
of the most decorated Soviet
heroes of World War II, declared
here that “vestiges of anti-Semit
ism still exist in the Soviet
Union” but said that the Soviet
Government “is about to liqui
date the last traces of racism and
popular anti-Semitism” in Rus
sia.
General Dragunsky came to
represent the Soviet War Vet
erans Federation at the Warsaw
Ghetto exhibit, which is being
held here at the Memorial for
Unknown Jewish Martyrs. He
made his comment on Soviet
anti-Semitism in a wide-rang
ing press conference, during
which he also asserted in fluent
Yiddish that Russian Jews did
not want to emigrate nor did
they want Yiddish publications.
"Not more than 100 Jews of
Russia, mainly old people living
in the past, would choose to emi
grate if a referendum were
held,” the stocky, fair-haired
tank commander asserted. “Rus
sia is our home, the land of our
ancestors and of our future. It
is more than ever so now that
it had been flooded with Jew
ish blood by the Nazi oppressors.”
The son of an itinerant tailor,
the general asserted that anti-
Semitism in Russia was a left
over from the wartime German
occupation and Nazi propaganda.
He called the publication of the
Yiddish monthly, Soviet Home
land, a “political gesture,” assen
ting that “few Jews were in
terested in reading Yiddish pub
lications.” He claimed, as evi
dence, that Shalom Aleichem’s
works in Yiddish “barely man
aged” to reach 30,000 circulation,
while a far larger number was
sold in Russian translation.
He also declared that “there is
no demand for Jewish schools”
and said “what would a young
ster who has studied in Yiddish
do after his graduation? Where
would he find work?”
Discussing the widely debated
poem, “Babi Yar,” about the
slaughter by the Nazis of 40,000
Jews of Kiev, by the noted So
viet poet Eugen Yevtechenko,
and the criticism of the poem by
Soviet editor Starikov, the gen
eral said: “I think both of them
are right and wrong. Yvetechen-
ko is in the wrong for having
diminished the role played by
the Russian people in saving
Jewish lives. Starikov is wrong
for the violent language he used
in denouncing the poet.”
In support of his argument
that Soviet officials were doing
their "utmost" to liquidate popu
lar anti-Semitism, he said: “I was
a delegate at the last Communist
Party Congress. With me were
countless other Jews—generals,
physicians, scientists and engi
neers. A Jewish general is in
command of the Far Eastern re
gion, other Jews command other
military areas, divisions, whole
fronts. Can things like this hap
pen in the United States, Eng
land or France?”
He declared that the fight in
the Soviet Union against anti-
Semitism was considerably ac
celerated after the fall of La-
vrentia Beria, Stalin’s secret po
lice chief, who was liquidated by
Khrushchev, “When I myself was
promoted from colonel to major
general, and then to lieutenant
general. Other Jews carry still
higher rank in the Soviet forces.”
He estimated that more than 100
Jews hold the rank of general in
the Soviet Army.
On the subject of Israel, he
said: “It is most painful to me to
see that Israel has become a base
for the forces of aggression. It’s
just as painful to see pictures of
Ben-Gurion shaking Adenauer’s
hand and to hear that Eichmann
may finally die of old age in
(Continued «s page 8)
Russia Closes
More Shules
NEW YORK, (JTA)—The New
York Herald Tribune reported
this week that five more religi
ous leaders of Jewish communi
ties in the Soviet Union have
been closed down in at least a
dozen cities in the USSR.
The five Jewish leaders re
portedly removed, on orders of
the Ministry at Religious Cults,
are: Mr Bardokh, Kiev; Mr.
Fried, Minsk; Mr. Kaob, Vilna;
Mr. Yeruzalinsky, Tashkent; and
Mr. Zilberman, Riga.
The synagogues freshly closed
down, according to the report,
include houses of worship at
S t a 1 i n o, Kaszviurt, Kobulsti,
Saratov, Rezinak Kremenchssg,
Poltava, Viliki-Luki, Soroka,
N o v g orod-Volinski, Kalinovitz,
Tukkum (near Riga) and Czerno-
vitz.
Warm Glow Midst Ice and Snow
The Jewish chaplain and his assistant, well-clothed against the
icy winds at a IJ.S. Air Force Base in Alaska, illnminate the Mena
rah for Hanukah. Around the world, in the tropics as well as in the
Arctic regions, and at bases in the U.8., GIs and their dependents
observe the Festival of Light, as they observe all Jewish holidays
through the programs of the National Jewish Welfare Board. Mare
and more young men, coming Into the service as the nation builds
up its military strength, will look at JWB for Its traditional day-by
day religious and moral activities.
Jews “Are First Americans. Not Natives of Israel
95
Ike Says U.S
NEW YORK, (JTA) — Presi
dent Eisenhower has indicated—
in a coast to coast television net
work program—that he feels that
the voting in the 1956 Presiden
tial election proved that Ameri
can Jews “are first Americans
and not natives of Israel.”
The former President made
that comment in a discussion of
political pressures associated
with 1956 elections which took
place shortly after Israel’s Sinai
campaign. He made the com
ment in the second of a series on
his views on the presidency
taped by CBS Television. Walter
Cronkite, the interviewer, intro
duced the subject with this
question:
“The Israelis claim that the
Sinai campaign, as they called
this operation, was to eliminate
Soviet stores of arms in Sinai
that they believed Nasser was
about to use against them. Now,
here is a specific question where
foreign policy had very distinct
and immediate domestic reper
cussions in the great support that
Israel has in the United States.
Now, what were the pressures
brought on you at that time?”
General Eisenhower replied:
“The pressures weren’t so much
as I felt immediately as I was
sort of warned by different peo
ple, some of them great friends
of mine. They said the election is
just coming up and if you do so
and if you don’t go along with
Britain and Israel, you will lose
the election Certainly, you’ll lose
New York State.”
Mr. Eisenhower continued:
“There was a—one of the Am
bassadors — Israel Ambassadors
just returning to his country
for conference with Mr. Ben-
Gurion and I called in Mr Dulles
and I said ‘you please tell this
ambassador, and in no uncertain
terms, just exactly these words:
that I hope he is not making the
mistake of thinking that any con
cern of mine about the national
election year will change my de
cision with respect to the use of
troops that had not yet been used
in any way’.”
Abba Eban was then Israel
Ambassador to the United States.
The late John Foster Dulles was
then Secretary of State In the
Eisenhower Administration. The
former President then said about
his conversation with Mr. Dulles
that he had told his Secretary of
State that "Because frankly, it’s
of no great moment to the United
States whether I’m elected or re
elected, and it is of great mo
ment to the United States that
we do the right thing.”
Mr. Eisenhower then added:
“Well, I was called up, I even
remember, by a friend of mine
in New York who said, ‘Well, you
lost New York State.’ Well, the
fact of it is that I don’t think
New York State went for any
national ticket on a large ma
jority than it did in 1956 for the
ticket that I headed. So I don’t
think that sometimes these pro
phets are very accurate, because,
after all, I think the Jewish vote
there Indicated that after all they
are first Americans and not na
tives of Israel."
A HAPPY HANUKAH TO ONE AND ALL