Newspaper Page Text
Emphasis
On UJA
rrs LIKE IMS ALL OVKK
AGAIN—Some 160, MO Jewish
refugees from North Africa have
poured Into France in recent
months. In 1963, the Joint Dis
tribution Committee must meet
a large part of their dally needs,
with funds supplied by UJA,
main beneficiary of the Jewish
Welfare Fund campaign in At
lanta and similar campaigns
now underway in many other
Southern communities.
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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Established 1925
Vol. XXXVIII ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1963 • NO. 11
S. African Orthodox Rule
Against Recognition of Reform
COJO Criticizes USSR
On Bias Against Jews
JOHANNESBURG (JTA)— A
decision of the Beth Din (rab-
binicial court) that no Orthodox
rabbi should attend any commun
al function also attended by a
Reform rabbi threatened this
week to unleash a inter-religious
war in the South African Jewish
community.
The ruling followed an Orth
odox-Reform press controversy
which began shorlty after Rabbi
Ahron Opher, formerly of Chica
go, took office several months
ago as Chief Minister of the
Johannesburg United Progressive
Jewish Congregation. Rabbi Oph-
er’s statements about the classi
cal Reform attitudes of opposition
to the Jewish dietary laws, skull
caps and related Orthodox sanct
ities sparked Orthodox charges
that Reform was undermining
Judaism.
At a meeting of the South Af
rican Jewish Deputies, Chairman
Teddy Schneide appealed to both
religious groups for moderation
and avoidance of a communal
schism. A similar appeal was
made by Sidney Walt, chairman
of the Cape Jewish Deputies
Council, at a Capetown meeting.
Despite these appeals, the
Johannesburg Beth Din issued its
decision and sent a delegation to
Capetown in an effort to per
suade Chief Rabbi Abrahams and
the Capetown Beth Din to follow
suit. The mission reportedly was
successful. The Jewish Deputies
Board was exerting efforts to
resolve the deadlock and avoid
a rupture of South African re
ligious Jewry into two opposing
communities.
NEW YORK (JTA) — The
World Conference of Jewish Or
ganizations, representing leading
organizations on five continents,
criticized the Soviet Union this
week for not allowing Jews the
"same rights and facilities grant
ed other religious and national
groups” in the Soviet Union.
At the same time, COJO ex
pressed the hope that the “recent
implied condemnation of anti-
Semitism by Premier Khrushchev
—in a letter to philosopher Ber
trand Russell—would “exercise a
restraining influence” on those
responsible for the closing of
synagogues and other prejudicial
acts against the Jews.
In a second resolution approved
by the 65 delegates, concern was
expressed about “the anti-Sem
itic manifestations and activities
which have occurred in certain
La tin-American countries,” which
“cause particular concern” be
cause there was evidence that
“the local anti-Semitic groups
and parties are stimulated and
inspired by external forces link
ed together through internation
al networks aimed at the des
truction of the very foundations
of the democratic way of life.”
The conference urged all govern
ments, the United Nations and
other international bodies, as well
as national, religious, social and
educational institutions to act to
counter this danger.
The resolution of the Soviet
Premier said it was hoped that
Khrushchev’s letter, and its pub
lication in the Soviet press would
restrain “manifestations of na
tional prejudice and religious and
cultural intolerance” in Russia
and on publicity “calculated to
make it appear that Jews are
primarily responsible far eco
nomic offenses.” The resolution
also urged the Soviet Union to
facilitate the reunion of families
through emigration.
As the delegates were taking
this action, word came from Paris
of another death sentence on a
Russian Jew, cited in Pravda as
“Kanzberg,” who was convicted
at another allaged economic
crimes trial in Azerbaijan of
“traffic and theft at goodb das-
—tan to page t
Iraq Proposes Joint Arab Military;
Israel Watches Syria Closely
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel
was watching developments in
Syria Monday with increased in
terest as reports were reaching
here that an official Iraqi del
egation arrived Sunday in Da
mascus, capital of Syria, with a
proposal to form a joint military
command embracing Iraq, Syria,
Egypt, Yemen and Algeria. The
proposal was reported to have
been brought by Iraqi Deputy
Premier Ali Saleh Saadi who
headed the Baghdad delegation.
The Iraqi leader is said to have
suggested that the proposed joint
military command should, .deal
with questions of armament and
military training for all five
Arab countries. He also suggest
ed the formation of a committee
to coordinate the foreign policies
of all five countries.
The Iraqi Deputy Premier des
cribed his proposals as a step
toward “comprehensive Arab
unity from the Atlantic Ocean to
the Persian Gulf.” He urged the
five “liberated” Arab states to
authorize the “intervention with
out notice” and the crossing of
the borders of any of the five
spates” by member armies in the
event of being threatened by
“outside aggression” or by “an in
ternal plot backed by imperial
ism to topple the progressive
government.”
State Department Says
U. S. Devoted to Preservation
of Israel
WASHINGTON (JTA)— State
Department sources Monday de
clined comment on reports of a
proposed unified Arab military
command that would link five
Arab states hostile to Israel but
voiced assurances that the United
States was devoted to the pres
ervation of Israel.
These sources cited the strong
pro-Israel sentiment in the United
States Congress. They reiterated
American interest, expressed last
week by Secretary of State Dean
Rusk, in the security of Jordan
and Saudi Arabia. Officials held,
however, that any comment on
a proposed unified Arab military
high command linking Syria,
Iraq, Egypt, Yemen and Algeria
would be premature and excess
ively speculative.
It was meanwhile Indicated
that the Department is comforted
by what it sees as an anti-Com-
munist tendency apparent in the
Iraqi and Syrian npheavals. The
Department does not necessarily
interpret “Arab Socialism” and
Arab unity moves negatively.
However, the Department is con
tinuing to press for withdrawal
of Nasser’s Egyptian forces from
Yemen and for disengagement of
Saudi Arabia and Jordan which
are charged with supplying arms
to Yemeni loyalist forces.
LONDON (JTA)—The United
States was adcilsed in the British
press Monday of aiding Egyptian
—tarn to page 8
Editors at NCCJ Parley Differ
On Impact of US Jewish Press
NEW YORK (JTA) — Sharp
differences of opinion were evi
denced here this week over the
influence of the Jewish press in
America at a conference of re
ligious editors convened by the
National Conference of Chris
tians and Jews.
Rabbi Ira Eisenstein, editor of
The Reconstructionist magazine,
expressed the view that the Jew
ish press exerted little influence
and that, rather, it “reflects and
perhaps more accurately reports,
the prevailing views of denom
inational groups and Jewish or
ganizations.’’ Dr. Eisenstein also
said that "rarely can it be said
that the press influences the de
nominations and the organiza
tions.” .
Philip Slomovitz, editor of the
Detroit Jewish News, took issue
with Dr. Eisenstein and main
tained that considerable influence
over Jewish communal activities
is being exerted by the Jewish
press. He said that the two sur
viving daily Yiddish newspapers
still exert a great influence in
many communities, and empha
sized that the emerging Engiish-
Jewish press has become a most
vital factor in Jewish life in
America. Joseph Weissberg, ed
itor of the Boston Jewish Advo
cate, referred to the Sabbatarian
issue in Massachusetts as an in
dication of influence exerted by
the religious press in America.
Rabbi Joseph Klein, editor of
the Journal of the Central Con
ference of American Rabbis, told
the meeting that, despite the
highly varied nature of the Jew
ish press in the United States on
religion in piiblic education and
numerous other specific Issues,
there was such a thing as a Jew
ish community point of view.
“Nebulous though It seems to be,”
he said, “the Jewish press def
initely reflects this point of
view.”
US Rejects Move to Free
Three Nazi War Criminals
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The
Department of State notified the
Jewish War Veterans of the USA
this weekend tnat the Depart
ment noted the Veterans concern
in consideration of a West Ger
man Red Cross move for release
of the last three major Nazi war
criminals, and that the United
States had rejected the German
clemency action. The three Nazis,
held in Spandau Prison, West
Berlin, are Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s
second in command; Baldur von
Schirach, organizer of the Hitler
youth movement; and Albert
Speer, Nazi minister of arma
ments and munitions.
William R. Tyler, Assistant
Secretary of State, notified JWV
commander Morton London that,
after considering the Jewish vet
erans’ position, “no (clemency)
action has been taken, and we
anticipate none at this time.” “I
must say,” said Mr. Tyler, “I
fully understand the feeling of
revulsion which most Americans
feel for all those who were per
sonally involved In the terrible
crimes against humanity for
which the Nazi regime was guil
ty. Your concern is natural, and
this concern has been taken into
account in considering the mat
ter of the three individuals who
are still serving their sentences.”
The State bepdrtment official
confirmed that the West German
Red Cross had sought to obtain
the liberation of the Nazis and
that the Department had decided
against such action. The German
Red Cross had sought State De
partment initiative in obtaining
Four Power consent for the re
lease of the Nazis who are held
in Spandau under the joint con
trol of the Unted States, Britain,
France and the Soviet Union.
Vorberg “Euthanasia ”
Expert, Back in Germany
FRANKFURT (JTA) — Rein
hold Vorberg, the first Nazi war
criminal ever extradited by
Spain, arrived here this week to
stand trial for the “euthanasia”
mass murder of 100,000 “mental
ly retarded” and “mentally 111”
persons, including Jews, during
World War n.
The West German-Government,
in its request for Vorbcrg’s ex
tradition, charged him with a
role in Hitler's plan to create, a
“master race.” Vorberg was wr-
rested in Barcelona last Decem
ber at die request of the
Government. • • •
FRANKFURT (JTA) — Otto
Hunache, 61-year-old former SS
captain, who was sentenced last
July to a term of five yean at
hard labor on conviction of com
plicity in the wartime mortar of
600 Hungarian Jews, wee re
leased on probation this week.
He waa one of the late Adolf
Eichmann’s aides In Hungary.
The Frankfurt provincial court
issued a ruling to that affect for
Hunache, who also had been a
leading official hi the -Nasi Reich
Security Office, despite objections
raised by the prosecution. He
must now report to the police
twice weekly. Both the defense,
which asked for dlamlsml of the
indictment, and the prosecution
which had demanded a life sen
tence, awSided the tae-year
tern. The hppealk are Mfc land
ing.