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Twelve
THE 80VTHEKN ISRAELITE
Friday, Jan. 17, 1964
Life in Israel Today
Vision and Reality
By DR. LEON S. ROZEN
Dr. Leon S. Rozen has just recently returned from a visit
to the State of Israel, where he made a special study of the
status of non-Jewish religious communities in the Holy Land.
He will share with our readers his views and observations
experienced while touring the State. Following is the first in a
series of his experiences. —THE EDITOR
My visit to Israel for the first
time in my life was an unforget
table experience. It was the ful
fillment of a dream long cherish
ed since childhood.
My wish, primarily, was to
witness the realities of life in the
Promised Land of Zion to see
how the children of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob enjoy their
homeland which has been reborn
and rebuilt after two-thousand
years of exodus into all corners
of the globe; how the land of the
three great world religions, Ju
daism, Christianity and Moham
medanism, is ruled by a Jewish
majority for the first time in the
history of the birth of these re
ligions.
Nonetheless, my heart did not
pound until I arrived in the Holy
City, Jerusalem. Walking through
the streets of that fantastic and
beautifu. city, surrounded with
mysrtieal and sacred mountains, at
the footsteps of the ruins of the
Holy Temple shadowed now by
destructive guns of the Jordan
enemy soldiers, I did*not wish
only to hear the prophecy of Is
aiah (2:3) that “Out of Zion shall
come forth Torah,” although the
realm of. its echoes and sensitive
tones resound from the many ex
isting Yeshivoth, religious and
Talmudical schools and from the
lamous secular and modem Uni
versity of Jerusalem.
1 tried mainly to hear “The
uord of the Lord out of Jerus
alem,” as Isaiah so emphatically
promised in the same prophecy.
II seemed that I was not worthy
hi hearing the "Word of God” in
the streets of the modern Jerus
alem with its civilized life on
roads filled with automobiles,
private and official; with full-
scale construction of houses,
buildings, factories and govern
mental institutions aivd mansions;
w ith even a new Knesset (Parl
iament building and museums
compaiable to any great and
modern city in the world.
Sorrowfully 1 approached the
newly constructed, ultra-modern
and luxurious Heichal Shlorno in
Jerusalem, seal of the Chief Rab
binate of Israel and other religi
ous institutions of today’s Jewry
m the Holy Land.
'Where could I see or touch the
holiness of the Holy City, the
soul and heart of our people; the
dream of two thousand years of
tears and struggles and sacrifices
of millions of the best and most
devoted sons and daughters of
the pogromed, tortured and humi
liated—Children of the Mother
Zion, the Jewish nation in exile?”
I referred my searching inquiry
tc one of the leading rabbis
there
"My son,” answered the old
rabbi after a few minutes of silent
deliberation and while seated over
an open Tractate of the Talmud,
“You will not find in the streets
ot Jerusalem what you are look
ing for. You can find it only in
YOUR OWN HEART! This is not
to be^seen; it is a spirit that must
be felt WITHIN.”
Ifie wisdom of that religious
scholar was thereafter the guide
throughout my tour of the Holy
Land, now transformed into the
modern and democratic State of
Israel
Thereafter, on approaching
M'enesy of dubious mean, I then
answered to myself: “In Israel one
^should not attempt to visualize
his surroundings in terms oi
logic, nor should he attempt to
view his environs through mai
terialized American eyeglasses/'
Rather he should FEEL the at
mosphere and thereafter he will
be able to see and better under
appear miraculous, mysterious, or
siand many things which at first
fantastic.”
This is one of the many mys
teries of the existence of our
nation, and of the fantastic growth
and prosperity of the State of Is
rael
PLAIN TALK—by Alfred Segal
What Is A Jew?
The question . . . “What is a
Jew? ... is being asked this
month in Harper’s Magazine by
Rabbi Morris Adler who also ans
wers the question.
He’s saying: “One of the most
persistent questions is: ‘What is a
Jew?’ ... It is dealt with in ser
mons and lectures, at forums, at
ideological conferences, and in
dialogues between American and
Israeli Jews . . . David Ben Gur-
ion once invited scores of Jew
ish scholars to submit answers to
this irrepressible question. Since
none of the replies was made pub
lic it is reasonable to deduce that
none was satisfactory.”
So now I myself . . . this col
umnist that is . . . tries to answer
the question: "What is a Jew?”
I well know this particular Jew .
. . this Segal, that is . . . and, so,
maybe, by looking him over as
he sits here at this typewriter, I
may come to some understanding
of what a Jew is.
Yes, this Jew Segal thinks he
knows what a Jew is. A Jew,
he’s saying, is one who under
stands his kinship to all man
kind ... of whatever religion,
race, or color of face . . brothers
of his.
Oh, he says, I’ve belonged to the
Isaac M. Wise Temple all of 40
years, and I know my Judaism
as a decent way of life, though
I’m not in schul every Sabbath.
I try to understand Judaism as
be a thousandaire~.
AMO IOAM ASSOCIATION
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a way ol life that has to do with
the brotherhood of man, and as
Jew I tiy to serve brothers who
are of the other religions and col
ors.
Mind you, I’m not boasting as
one who thinks of himself as a
saintly guy. Oh. only the other
day I chased off a man who had
come to my desk in the daily
newspaper office for which I
write a column . . . “Get the hell
out of here,” I told him. He was
drunk, and he replied, “You’re
just no good.”
But as one who tries to live by
his Judaism. 1 serve Catholics and
Protestants in my daily column.
Yes, here's a letter from a Cath
olic mottier. “Dear Mr. Segal: I
know you are not of my religion,
but 1 look up to you as one who
practices the good of all religions.
You spoke up'in your column for
my son who was in jail, and as
a result he is out of there now.
The judge said he had read your
column about my son and felt in
fluenced by it. Thanks, thanks
sir I applaud you as a man whose
-goodness doesn't mind the religion
of one he serves. You are a fine
Jew ”
Oh, I'm not reporting this
boastfully at all but only to reply
... to Rabbi Adler’s question in
Harper’s: “What is a Jew?”
Sure enough, as I see him, a
really pious Jew is one who’s
willing to serve all peoples;
though, as I’ve suggested, I’m not
very pious by attendance in the
synagogue. I miss shabosses in
.schul, bi)t the other day, a Negro
Atlanta ORT
To Hear Watters
Pat Watters, information direc
tor of the Southern Regional
Council, will speak to the meet
ing of Atlanta ORT Women’s ORT
■Committee at 8 p. m. at the Stan
dard Club.
A charge of 5 cents a person
for dessert will be charged.
Mr. Watters will speak on “The
Discovery of Poverty.” He is the
former city editor of The Atlanta
Journal and served for the past
several years on its editorial staff.
Husbands and friends of ORT
members are invited.
was at my desk in the daily news
paper office to direct me farther
on the way my column has been
going.
“Sir,” he said, "I understand
you’re Jewish and I’ve come here
to applaud you as one who really
practices the highness of his re
ligion. The way your column
speaks up for justice and kind
ness toward us who have the
darker faces. That’s of the good
ness of your religion about which
I know from the Old Testament
which I read right along. You’re
a good Jew and I myself try to
be a good Christian. So we are
religiously brothers, aren’t we?”
“Yes,’ I replied, “I know you
as kinsman of mine in the fam
ily of mankind.”
Oh, please, again 1 must say
that I'm not bragging but am
speaking only as a humble guy
who has arrived at age 80 . . .
and, finally, at that age has come
to some wisdom. 1 recall my much
\ounger life-time when I had lit
tle use for people of other re
ligions or other colors. Yes, I
guess I have come to understand
what is a Jew, even though I’m
not regular in the synagogue.
Rabbi Adler is shying in his
piece in Harper’s Magazine: “The
Jews still asks' 'What am I? . . .
And Rabbi Adler goes on to ans
wer: “The battering rams of per
secution could hot destroy the
Jew’s resolve to live by the light
of his conscience . . . Jewish his
tory, thus viewed, represents a
triumph of the human spirit. It
can serve all mankind as 9 test
ament of courage and hopes . . .
In a world teeming with coer
cions and compulsions man can
( assert sovereignty over the qual
ity and destiny of human life. No
people’s history offers greater
proof of this truth than the Jew’s.
When he recognizes this, the mod
ern Jew will discover his iden
tity.”
Yes, that’s all and all that’s
required of us all is to live up
to the ideal which we inherited
from long, long ago. And I myself,
at my stage of life have at last
been figuring that it’s about time
for me to try to live up to my
knowledge of what a Jew is.
ATLANTA COMMUNITY CALENDAR
FRIDAY — 5:00 P.M. — Is the deadline for items In next week's
calendar conducted for the convenience of the community. THE
SOUTHERN ISRAELITE prefers to have these items in writing at
390 Courtland St., N.E., but will accept them over TR. 6-8249. This
Calendar is not compiled weeks in advance and should not be con
fused with the reservation and consultative calendar offered for date
clearance by the Atlanta Jewish Community Council.
JANUARY, 19, Sunday:
3:15 PM.-B&PW Hadassah Study Group. Home of Mrs. Bernie
Shapiro, 1446 Biltmore Dr., N.E
7:00 P.M.—Joint Congregation, Sisterhood Meeting. Shearith Israel
Synagogue Social Hall.
7:30' P.M.—Installation Banquet Or VeShalom Congregation. Synu
gogue Social Hall.
JANUARY 20, Monday:
10:15 A M.—Tel Chai Hadassah’s Educational Cooking Class. Home
of Mrs. R. Turry 1348 Bramble Rd., N.E.
JANUARY 21, Tuesday:
8:15 P.M.— Tel Chai Study Group. Home of Mrs. Harry Robbins.
1457 Holly Lane, N.E.
JANUARY 22, Wednesday:
7:00-8:00 P.M.—Registration for Winter Term, Institute of Jewish
Studies, Sponsored by Bureau of Jewish Education. Followed
by Special Convocation on Jewish Education and Social Hour
A JCC.
JANUARY 23, Thursday:
3:00 P.M —Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority Meeting. Home of Elaine
Libowsky, 2729 Ridge Valley Rd., N.W.
JANUARY 26, Sunday:
12:45 P.M.—Regional Jewish Education Conference. Dr. William
Chomsky of Philadelphia. Shearith Israel Synagogue.
8:00 P.M.—Community Meeting on “The Changing Scene in Jewish
Education” Dr. William Chomsky, Shearith Israel Synagogue
JANUARY 27, Monday:
9:15 AM.— Seminar for Hebrew Teaching Personnel. Dr. William
Chomsky, Shearith Israel Synagogue.
10:15 A M.—Annual Education Day Program and Box Lunch, At
lanta Chapter of Hadassah. Shearith Israel Synagogue.
SATURDAY, Feb. 1
8:00 P.M.—Annual Night Club Program, DOZ. AJCC
FEBRUARY 4, Tuesday:
12 M.—Donor Luncheon. Ahavath Achim Sisterhood, Ahavath Achim
Congregation. Srochi Hall.
FEBRUARY 16, Sunday: \ J
7:00 P.M.—Annual Commander’s Banquet, Distinguished Citizen's
Award to Dr. Irving L Greenberg, Shearith Israel Synagogue
FEBRUARY 17, Monday:
12:00 M—Annual Sisterhood Donor Luncheon, Shearith Israel
Social Hall.
Former Atlantan
Named to JYVV Staff
James Stern, former Atlantan,
has been appointed to the office
of National Co-Controller of the
Jewish War Veterans of the
United States of America, Daniel
Neal Heller, national commander
announced this week.
Mr. Stern, a native of Atlanta,
is a graduate of Emory University
and Woodrow Wilson College of
Law. A former member of At
lanta Post 112, he is presently
Commander of West Miami Post
223 and is a past Adjutant of the
Department of Florida.
Now a resident of Miami, Mr
Stern is a member of the Amer
ican Institute of Certified Public
Tel Chai “Cooks”
To Nosh Kreplach
At Class Jan. 20
Do you know ihow to cook
kreplach? If not, then Monday,
Jan. 20, is the day to learn.
If you do, then Monday, Jan.
20, is the day to improve it—for
thjs is the date set for Tel Chai’s
next Education cooking class,
which is led by chairman Mrs.
Ronald Urken. The class will be
held at the home of Mrs. Ralph
Turry, 1348 Bramble Rd., at 10:15
a. m.
A motorcade will leave at 10
a. m. from the delicatessen at
I^aVista Rd. and Briarcliff Rd. for
those who are unfamiliar with the
directions. There will be a charge
of 25 cents to cover cost of in
gredients for this recipe to be
sampled by all. For further in
formation, call Mrs. l}Jrken at 363-
3695.
Accountants, Georgia, New York
and Florida Societies of Certified
Public Accountants and the
American Bar Association.
Want Ads
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Seek Foster Home
Foster home for 15-year-old boy.
Needs loving care and adult
attention. Prefer a home where
there are no small children.
Box 215,
c/o The Southern Israelite
390 Courtland St., N.E.
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
SEC.-TYPIST WANTED
Opportunity for capable worn
an who can type well and keep
orderly records. Must know Eng
lish well sinc e job entails proof
reading. Shorthand helpful but
not necessary. Write qnalifira
tions to or come by for inter
view. Replies ronf.
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
390 Courtland St., N.E.
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
.MOW PLAYING
Walt Disney's “FANTASIA”
Delightfully animated interpretation ot
musical clasics played by Leopold Stokow
ski with narration by Deems Taylor
Thii charming picture l» not new but It la worth
ri *** ^I a*ri analn a m fit AAdviHknm^a
flints.
Peachtree ART
Paachtraa at 13th, §75-3022