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The Southern Israel* A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — E:' Vol. XXXVII ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 1962 6\ -J.0 .5,^ oO NO. 17 Potofsky Condemns Russia For 'Blow' at 3 Million Jews Record Influx of * ourists Joins Israeli Passover Celebration NEW YORK (JTA)— Jacob S. Potofsky, president of the Amal gamated Clothing Workers of America, strongly condemned the Soviet Union last weekend for its efforts to eradicate Jewish culture and its outrageous blow” at 3,000,000 Jews of the USSR by severely restricting this year their right to bake and obtain matzohs. Mr. Potofsky addressed the traditional Third Seder,” con ducted by the National Commit tee for Labor Israel, the Amer ican fund-raising arm of Hista- drut, the Israel Federation of Labor. More than 2,000 guests at tended the festivities at the Wal dorf-Astoria Hotel. A number of United Nations Ambassadors par ticipated, including Israel’s UN delegation chairman, Michael S. Comay; Ambassador U On Sein, of Burma; and Ambassador Ger- shon Collier, of Sierra Leone. Citing this year’s Soviet ban on matzoh-baking in state fac tories as one of the anti-Jewish steps taken by Soviet authorities, Mr. Potofsky said: “I condemn this effort to eradicate Jewish culture and tradition from the heart of Russian Jewry, even if that culture and tradition is sa turated with the ideals of free dom which the Soviets apparent ly exalt as their ultimate goal. The Soviet regime has gone to ex tremes to cut off normal contact between the Jews of that coun try and their fellow Jews every where even by the crude device of prohibiting the import of matzoh which have been offered as a gift to those families behind the Iron Curtain who wish to preserve their heritage. This is not a sim ple curtailment of religious tradi tions but an outrageous blow at an expression of man's hope for liberation from bondage, contem porary as well as ancient.” In another address. Dr. Sol Stein, executive drector of the National Committee for Labor Is rael, cited the progress made by Israel during the past 14 years “This has been not only physical growth and a population explos ion due to the influx of more than a million immigrants, but a vast cultural and political up surge that has given us a stable democracy in the Middle East, Israel has demonstrated that' backwardness is not a chronic disease but a malady for which there is a remedy s ' Other speakers included Isaiah Avrech, American representative of the Histadrut executive; Aha ron Becker, general secretary of Histadrut; and Yehoshua Levi, the Federation’s treasurer. A cable was read from Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, President of Israel, ap pealing for increased aid to Is rael’s pioneering forces. A highlight of the “Third Seder” was the lighting of six candies in memory of the six mil lion Jews who died during the Hitler regime, and the chanting of the Russian poem “Babi Yar,” which denounces anti-Semitism. TEL AVIV (JTA- — Angry words, stormy arguments, and wide disagrements marked the opening session today of the 20th annual convention of the Israel Authors Association. There were disputes between the modern writers and the younger genera tion, criticisms against the Gov ernment for not doing enough for Israeli writers, and a disagree ment regarding the principal goal of Israel’s writers today, with Minister of Education Abba Eban lined up in opposition to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Mr. Ben-Gurion had written a letter to the association, read at the opening ession, saying that authors should pay more atten tion to the vast immigration into Israel, which the Premier saw as the “central epic of our genera tion." As one of the principal speakers at the opening session, greeting the writers officially on behalf of the Government, Mr. Eban took issue with his Prime Minister on that point. “Creation is the author’s only mission,” said Mr Eban. “If he writes on JERUSALEM (JTA;—A record influx of some 20,000 tourists poured into Israel by sea and air to join the Jews of Israel in cel ebration of the Passover holiday. A large number were Amer icans and many of the tourists planned to remain in Israel to celebrate Israel’s Nth anniver sary on May 9. All hotels of all classes were fnled to overflowing and hun dreds of the visitors joined friends and relatives as sedorim were held in various types of collective settlemens. More than 500 persons attend ed sedorim conducted at the Zionist Organization of America immigration or the integration of the immigrant in our society, so much the better. But writing, is, in itself, important.” Two famous Israeli authors, Haim Hazaz and Yehuda Burla, took out at both the Israeli pub lic and its Government. Mr. Bur- la chided Israelis for not reading enough books. “We are known as the People of the Book,” he noted, “yet unlike the Jews out side Israel, who patronize many books, the people of Israel have turned to the material life, do not possess books.” Mr. Hazaz complained that the Government does not etend enough help to authors and poets, alleging that this fact is another illustration of Israel’s turn toward the material as against the spiritual. Writers of the older genera tion attacked the young, modern authors for their “modernistic” approach and method, while the younger men defended them selves and accused the earlier writers of failure to react to the life of today. The younger writers also demanded representation on the association’s executive. House at Tel Aviv. During the ritual services there, special blessings were recited for the Jews of Russia who, this year, were forbidden to obtain rhat- zohs through a government ruling banning the baking of matzohs in state factories. All of Israel’s army and other military installations conducted sedorim for personnel in the armed services. Field kitchens had been made kosher for Pass- over under the supervision of chaplains. A special Haggadah had been prepared by the office of the Army’s Chief Chaplain, incorporating both ancient texts and special versions of the Pass- over narrative employed by vari ous Jewish communities. Israel did not forget those cit izens who are on duty atop Mount Scopus, an Israeli enclave inside of Jordanian jurisdiction A special convoy was sent up to the mountain, carrying Passover foods for the personnel there. A rabbi accompanied the convoy, so Dedicate First Israel Reform Temple JERUSALEM, (JTA) — Is rael’s first Reform temple was dedicated in ceremonies held here April 14 at a former pri vate home which now serves as the country's only liberal synagogue. About 200 persons attended the services, actually held in the garden outside the house of worship. Rabbi Jerome A. Unger, of Los Angeles, conducted the services. Since 1960, he has been representing here the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Among those attending were Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Wish- nik, of New York. Their chil dren and grandchildren pur chased the former dwelling, presenting it to the Reform congregation as a gift honoring Mr Wishnick’s 70th birthday. Rabbi Jay Kaufman, vice president of the Union of American Hebrew Congrega tions, also addresed the con gregation. that he could preside at the seder on Mt. Scopus. Two Arabs figured in the news here on I>assover eve too. One was Ahmed Abughos, of Abigosh, a village near Jerusalem. Theo retically, Abughos was “the rich est man” in Israel. Government authorities had "sold” to Abud- hos all non-Passover foods in their possession. On the evening of the last day of Passover, he was to formally re-transfer own ership of those goods and prop erties to Israel — for a fee amounting to 70 Israeli pounds (a little over $23). Another Arab in the news was Salim Hussary. A baker, with a small store in the former Greek colony here he is the only man in Israel officially permitted to bake and sell bread during Pass- over. Israeli Violinist Places Second In Soviet Contest CURBED BY CENSOR TEL AVIV (JTA) — Shmuel Ashkenazi, young Israeli violin ist, won second place in the Tchaikovsky contest just con cluded at Moscow but, in spite of being an honored guest of the Soviet Union, was not permitted by the Russian censors to talk about the subject of matzohs, it was learned here Monday. The story was told by the even ing newspaper Maariv. A reporter for Maariv placed a telephone call to Moscow to interview Ash kenazi. The Israeli musician men tioned that he had been the guest of the Israeli Embassy at Mos cow for the Passover seder. Since Soviet authorities had severely restricted the use of matzohs this year, by banning the baking of matzohs in state factories, Ash kenazi was asked where the mat zohs at the Embassy’s seder had been obtained. At that point, the Russian censor cut the telephone conversation. Later, when Maariv placed a second telephone call, the con versation went on uninterrupted since the subject of matzohs was not mentioned. Ashkenazi said he had been invited to play as solo ist by the philharmonic orches tras of Moscow and Leningrad. Jessel to Highlight Greenville Israel Bond Dinner May 8 Stormy Arguments Mark Convention of Israeli Authors Chicagoans Proud of Block's Action on Steel Issue George Jessel, one of the all- time greats of American show business, has accepted the invi tation of the Greenville, S. C , Is rael Bond Committee to highlight the 1962 Israel Bond Drive at a Decade of the Negev" dinner on Tuesday, May 8, at the Jack Tarr-Poinsett Hotel, it was an nounced this week by Stanley Brown, chairman of the Green ville Committee. Mr. Jessel, who has announced his retirement from show busi ness to devote his time to Israel and Israel Bonds, has just com pleted one of the most extensive night-club tours which brought him into the public eye, from California to New York, and from Montreal. Canada, to Mi ami. Mr. Jessel, who has given prodigious amounts of time and talent to countless charitable af fairs, is a leading star of tele vision, radio and the Broadway stage. He has also appeared ,in many motion pictures and has GEORGE JESSEL produced dozens of movies. Born April 3, 1898, in New York City, the son of Joseph and Charlotte Jessel, young George entered the public school sys tem without a thought of show business. When his father died in 1908, however, he was forced to leave school to earn a living. He got a job singing with a trio at the Imperial Theater A year later he was hired for a vaude ville act called School Boys and Girls ” From there he went into the Gus Edwards’ Song Revue." which launched his success in the theater, and then teamed up with Eddie Cantor in an act called “Kid Kabaret,” which toured from coast to coast. n 1918, Mr. Jessel developed his famous “telephone conversa tion with Mama" routine, which established him as a solo enter tainer During the next twenty years, he produced and appear ed in scores of Broadway shows. In addition, night clubs called on his services, and he acted in sev eral motion pictures. He also wrote a series of short stories, among them the successful "Be fore I Die,” which Ben Hecht used as a springboard for the movie, “Angels Over Broadway.” CHICAGO. (JTA) — Chicago ans, Jews and non-Jews alike, felt very proud this weekend of the fact that Joseph Leopold Block, prominent American in dustrial leader, who has been president of the Jewish Federa tion here, was the principal fig ure—as chairman of the board of the Inland Steel Company— whose resistance to raising the price on steel has brought about the capitulation of other steel companies to President Kenne dy’s request that they rescind their increase in the price of steel which would have affected the entire economy of the coun try. Mr. Block, who hag been active in Jewish charitable work here for many years, is president of the Chicago Community Fund and vice-president of the Chi cago Chamber of Commerce. He has been president of the Young Men’s Jewish Council and took an interest in Jewish communal affairs all his adult life. During World War II, he served as a “dollar-a-year-man” as a mem ber of the War Production Board in Washington. Inland Steel was founded in 1893 by a group of industrialists headed by Joseph D. Block, grandfather of the company’s present head. Joseph Leopold Block, who is now 60, graduated from Cornell University and entered the family business, be coming president in 1963, later progressing to the board chair manship.