Newspaper Page Text
Friday, Feb. 28, 1964
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Page Fire
24 Hours in the Life of a “UJ A-Nik”
Th>s is a brief account of my impressions and some
observations on the UJA National Inaugural Meeting
held February 9th and 10th in Washinton, set in mo
tion the 1964 National Campaign of the UJA.
Present were about 200 of the concerned as weU as
affluent leaders of American Jewry They were the pace
setters in their own communities as well as on the
national scene. And much more yet, they were the
men and women who not only give big sums of money
to help their fellow Jews but who serve and work in
all worthy Jewish causes.
TTiere were also about a dozen or so “community
pros” who mingled with their fellow townspeople and
lent an atmosphere at American fund raising know
how in addition to the staff of the UJA. All in all it
was a thrilling and inspiring experience.
This time the UJA “impressarios” who look after
the details of the arrangements of such meetings did
a smooth and superb job in timing the meetings and
in looking after the comforts of the delegates.
The first event on the schedule was a visit to the
Israeli Embassy for a reception. Ambassador Harman
and his staff were gracious hosts. The “tidbits” served
were of an assorted variety. The miniature bagels
and lox, though American, were characteristically
Jewish in' taste. And the Israeli elite chocolates elimni-
ated the count of calories.
American Jewry has now on Embassy row an
additional address which compares favorably with
other countries.
Upon returning to the Mayflower we were allowed
a brief respite before being ushered into a Chinese
room for a UJA reception preceding the banquet.
Beverages, of course, are available at all receptions.
In addition the chopped liver, the meat balls, etc.
etc. really constituted a meal in itself.
And then for the national inaugural dinner with
Associate Justice Arthur Goldberg, of the U.S. Su
preme Court as the star attraction. He happens to be
“an aigener mentsch,” an American Jew proud of his
heritage as a Jew as well as an American. He gave
his blessing to the UJA as an American institition in
the best interest of our own country as well as serv
ing the cause of World Jewry and humanity. Justice
Goldberg made reference reverently and with deep
feeling that he was occupying the chambers at the
court of the late, great Justice Louis D. Brandies.
The card calling was done in a spirit of humor and
good fellowship.
There were announcements of big contributions. Hie
most touching one was the gift of Mrs. Herbert H.
Lehman of $100,000 in memory of her husband the late
Governor and U.S. Senator from New York.
The next morning, on Monday, the delegates were
taken on a guided tour of the White House. It would
seem that all the occupants of the White House added
something to the treasures and to the paintings and
to the dishes and the service.
President Monroe seems to have brought from Paris
a great many French art objects. President Andrew
Jackson left a big, long punch bowl. And President
Grant played pool and the pool table was finally re
moved and the room done over.
Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy left her impress upon the
decor and furnishings of many of the rooms. In one
room we saw an original painting by Monet presented
by the Kennedy family in loving memory of John F.
Kennedy.
And then we were ushered into the State Dining
Room. There under the portrait of Lincoln, the tall
President Johnson addressed the delegates. I cannot,
of course, quote his exact words. I shall merely give
you the content.
He welcomed us to your House. This is your house
paid for and maintained by the taxpayers of this land.
His administrations is concentrating on three objec
tives. Military strength so as to protect the security
of our country. Economic stability so as to maintain
a sound economy which will enable us to meet the
costs of our security and welfare. And lastly, but not
the least, the furtherance of a sense of compassion
so that we may provide for the masses of oar citizens
the benefits of a good life.
He felt that in the exercise of a sense of compassion
the UJA workers were experts, setting an example to
the rest of the country and to the world.
After returning to the hotel, arrangements were
made for the pilgrimage to the graveside of the late,
martyred President John F. Kennedy. Visitors are re
quested to avoid any formal prayers but just to ex
press a two minutes' silent prayer.
Hie most impressive part of the grave is the eternal
flame. It burns brightly and sheds a light on the
thousands of Americans who visit the grave daily.
We left in silence with a deep conviction that as
long as the eternal flame bums and will continue to
burn it will radiate the light of democracy, equality,
and justice for all Americans . . .
Thus ended twenty-four hours in the life of a “UJA-
Nik.” -ED KAHN
Strike Of Employees
In NY Jewish Social
Agencies Continues
NEW YORK (JTA)— Union and
New York Jewish social agency
spokesmen exchanged charges this
week as a strike of 1,000 employees
against six of the agencies remained
in a complete deadlock.
The employees, comprised of social
workers, psychologists, homemakers,
clerical and secretarial workers and
maintenance workers, struck the
agencies after a joint committee
made the union a “final offer.” They
are members of the Community and
Social Agency Employees Union,
local 1707, AFL-CIO. The struck
agencies, all constituents of the Fed
erations of Jewish Philanthropies of
New York, are the Astro Health and
Rehabilitation Ser v i c e s , Jewish
Board of Guardians, Jewish CMd
Care Association, Jewish Commun
ity Services of Long Island, Jewish
Family Service and Louise Wise
Services.
A spokesman for the agencies joint
committee said that “we feel we
have made the most generous offer
for a new contract of any industry
m the United States." He accused
the union of failing to provide skel
eton services for crisis cases.
A Union spokesman rejected the
contention as to the value of the
joint committee offer, charging that
beginning scales for social workers
Cheshire Bridge
Pharmacy
Formerly Hondlay'* Drug (toro
2280 Cheshire Bridge Rd., NE
across from Happy Herman’s
BILL HUDDLESTON
JOE ENGLISH
Registered PharntacIgU
Quality—Courteay—Service
FREE DELIVERY
Ml. 45141 R1XALL PRODUCT*
offered were $200 a year below sal
aries for comparable levels paid by
New York City. He also said that
the union had offered in writing to
provide emergency services and that
the joint committee had ignored the
offer.
AJC To Train
Personnel For
Human Relations
NEW YORK (JTA)—An extensive
year-long training program in human
relations for 25 young Americans,
including Peace Corps veterans, will
be initiated with a twoweek orien
tation institute in Washington, con
ducted by the American Jewish
Committee’s Institute of Human Re
lations under the sponsorship of the
Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foun
dation, it was announced here.
Government and educa t i o n a 1
leaders, political scientists, as well
as other authorities and specialists
in group and race relations, will par
ticipate in the daily sessions at the
Potomac Institute in Washington.
After the two-week training period in
Washington, these Peace Corps
alumni, and others involved in the
program who have already been as
signed to agencies in the field, will
work for a year with human rights
commissions in cities • throughout the
country, labor unions, employment
agencies, personnel directors of large
corporations, and other groups, pri
vate and public, which may require
human relations aid and experience.
After their year of training, it is
planned that the trainees will take
permanent jobs in the agencies they
have trained with or in related hu
man relations work. Hie 25 trainees,
or human relations interns as they
are called, are divided about half
and half between men and women,
and their average age is about 25.
Each intern will be paid an annual
salary of $5,000 for the year of train
ing, with half the cost borne by the
Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foun
dation and the other half to come
from matching funds provided by
participating organizations.
In announcing the orientation and
training program, Morris B. Abram,
president of the American Jewish
Committee, stressed the “acute
shortage" of human relations per
sonnel which the Committee called
“the newly emerging profession”
urgently needed in the current na
tional civil rights crisis.
Manitoba Premier
Urges limited
Parochial School Aid
TORONTO (JTA)— Premier Duff
Rob Lin of the Province of Manitoba,
in the Canadian prairies, has moved
to resolve the province’s thorny
problem of financing religiously
sponsored day schools.
His plans, outlined in the legisla
ture in Winnipeg, will give no direct
financial assistance to parochial
schools and this appeared to meet
the major objections of Protestant
groups and others opposing state aid
to non-public schools. Under the
plan to be studied by a special leg
islative committee, private and pa
rochial students would be free to ac
cept certain facilities in public
schools. This would mean that pa-
rochia pupils could use manual
work, cooking classrooms, science
laboratories and the like within the
public schools. It also means that
parochial pupils would be entitled
to free text books and where nec
essary bus transportation to schools.
Premier Roblin’s announcement
came after more than four years of
speculation on possible steps the
government might take to solve the
financial plight of Manitoba's Roman
Catholic school system. Also involved
are Winnipeg's Jewish day schools,
including the Talmud Torah, Peretz
School and others. Winnipeg has the
oldest Jewish day school system in
Canada and one of the oldest on the
continent.
Members ot the Central Conference of American Babbie lay a
wreath and hold a religious service at grave of late Predtat John
F. Kennedy during two-day Washington conference oa peace and dis
armament attended by 200 Reform rabbis. L to r: Rabbi Jacob Wein
stein, CCAR vice-president and Rabbi Leon Feoer, OCAR presidead.
Barbed Wire
Continued from page 1
Philippines. He was among" those
captured in Bataan and was sent to
Japan on a prison ship. His keen
perception and compassion emvi-
vided his traumatic days as a pri
soner and these reactions he trans
lated into the brilliant “Barbed
Wire Surgeon.”
For his war experiences, he was
awarded three Presidential citations,
a Bronze Star with five battle stars,
two Purple Hearts and a commen
dation from General Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
Shortly after his return to Atlanta,
he created an apartment develop
ment where children and pets were
prerequisites instead of handicaps
they were in most areas of post
war Atlanta.
He was a member of the Temple,
Shrine and Masons. He was a mem
ber of the staffs of Georgia Bap
tist, St. Joseph and Crawford Long
hospitals.
He was a director of the Spalding
Institute for Registered Nurses and
chairman of the Board for Advance
ment of Medical and Nursing Eklu-
cation in Atlanta He had formerly
served as president of the Spalding
Pavilion of Grady Memorial Hos
pital.
In 1928 Dr. Weinstein won the
Barton Prize for literature at Harv
ard. He won the Muse Prize for
litenature in 1954. He had written
many articles for The Journal and
Constitutional Sunday Magazine.
Besides his writing, he was also
well known as a sculptor, having
exhibited at the Fogg Art Museum
at Harvard and in the Atlanta High
Museum of art.
Dr. Weinstein was a fellow of the
American Board of Preventive Med
icine, a fellow of the American Ger
iatrics Society, and a member of the
National Board of Medical Exam
iners, the Southeastern Surgical Con
gress, the National Industrial Med
ical Association, the American Med
ical Society and the American Heart
Association. He was a member of
the Standard Club and B’nai B’rith.
Bennie Abramson
Bennie Abramson, 66, of Claxton,
formerly of Savannah, died Feb
ruary 20 at Metter, Ga , Hospital.
A native of Russia, Abramson
had been a resident of Savannah
for many years and had resided in
Claxton for the past two years. He
was a member of the Congregation
B. B Jacob
Surviving are two sisters, Mrs.
Jennie Catzif of Claxton and Mrs.
Rebecca Arenson of Newark, Del.;
two brothers. Max Abramson of
New York City, N. Y., and Julius
Abramson of Enterprise, Ala., and
several nieces and nephews.
Rabbi A I. Rosenberg officiated
at the fineral February 21. Burial
was in Dooaventure Cemetery.
Auschwitz
Continued from page 1
gall bladder, once with my stom
ach. Generally, I was excused.
The Selection of which inmates
were to go to the gas chambers,
and which were to be put to work,
was always made by the com-
mandent.” Two dentists, who are
among the defendants, had test
ified last FYiday that the “selec
tion” were always made by the
physicians and SS officers on duty
at the arrival ramp.
“If you didn’t want to be res
ponsible for killing,” Judge Hof-
meyer told Lucas, “you could
have saved many lives by par
ticipating in the selections and
pulling out inmates for labor as
signments, couldn’t you?" Lucas
remained silent, and the judge re
peated the question, whereupon
he replied: “What difference
would it have made? Most of
those assigned to work gangs died
later anyway.”
The Frankfurt authorities in
vited the city’s school youths to at
tend sessions of the trial of the
Auschwitz defendants to improve
their knowledge and understand
ing of the country’s Nazi past.
Henry Shonfield
Henry Shonfield, Jewish leader
and owner of Stewart's Shoe Store
in the Habersham Shopping Center,
died February 21.
A native of Europe, he had lived
in Savannah for the last 45 years.
He had served as president of the
Jewish Educational Alliance during
1967 and 1958 and was also a vice
president and member of the board.
He was elected president of the
J.E.A. Men's Club in 1960 and pres
ident of the B’nai B’rith Lodge No.
76 in 1963. Mr. Shonfield also served
as president of the Merchant’s Credit
Union for several years and in 1968
was elected to the board of directors
of the Jewish Welfare Board.
He was a member of Congrega
tion B B. Jacob and of the Brother
hood of the congregation. He was a
Zionist.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Sady
Winner Shonfield; a son, Lee Shon-
field of Augusta, and a brother and
two sisters in New York.
The funeral was held Februrajr
24, Rabbi A. I. Rosenberg and Can
tor A. Ronani officiating. Interment
was in Bona venture Cemetery.
Robert Raskin
Robert Raskin, 72, of Savannah died
Ftbruary 18. A native of Russia, he
had lived in Savannah for over GB
years. He had operated the Family
Shoe Store on Broughton street for
over 40 years.
He was a member of the Con
gregation B. B. Jacob and the Jew
ish Educational Alliance, and was a
Zionist. He was also a member of
the B’nai B’rith, Clinton Lodge F.
and A. M , the Scottish Rite Masons
and Alee Temple.
Survival are his wife, Fanny
Jacobson Raskin, and a number of
nieces and nephews.
Rabbi A. I. Rosenberg conducted
the funeral February V. Interment
was in Bonaventure Cemetery.