Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Establish'-
Vol. XL
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1965
JL*®*
Spanish Tourists Visit Israel As
Madrid's Ship Ban Is Debated
TEL AVIV (JTA)— Although
Spain has ordered that no Is
raeli shipping will receive har
bor facilities in Spain’s major
ports in the future, except for
tourist travel, a Spanish passen
ger liner docked today in Haifa,
and received complete port serv
ices. The ship carried Spanish
tourists who were taken directly
from the Haifa dock for a tour
of northern Israel.
Meanwhile, the Israeli press
Ecumenical Council Junked?
Pope Paul Says
Jews Killed Christ
ROME (JTA)—Pope Paul VI
declared here Sunday, while de
livering his Passion Sunday Len
ten sermon, that Christ had been
killed by the Jews, but that the
Jews did not know who Jesus
was. He emphasized that Christ
himself “did not curse those who
crucified Him, but invoked the
Father’s forgiveness because they
did not know what they were
doing.”
The Pontiff took as his theme,
in conducting a large outdoor
mass, the Passion Sunday Gospel
which tells of Christ talking with
the Jewish teachers in Jerusalem
who doubted his divinity and
who “took up stones against
him.” Pope Paul called the Gos
pel: “a grave and sad page be
cause it narrates the conflict, the
clash between Jesus and the He
brew people, a people predestined
to await the Messiah but who,
just at the right moment, not only
did not recognize Him but fought
Him, abused Him and finally
killed Him.”
Referring to the killing of
Christ as “that absurd tragedy
of the failed recognition,” Pope
Paul— according to the official
transcript of his sermon pro
vided here by the Vatican’s organ,
Gsservatore Romano — asked:
“Why does the Lord find so
many enemies? Why does the
Gospel not find the world’s
friendship after 20 centuries?”
The official version quoted the
Pope as answering: “It is be
cause there is still much ignor
ance in the world regarding
Christ. Indeed, He Himself, on
the cross, instead of cursing his
killers, prayed to his Father to
forgive them because they did
not know what they were doing.”
JNJ Catholic Paper Reports
‘Minimal' Anti-Jewish Bias
CAMDEN, N. J. (JTA)—A poll
on anti-Semitism among the
readers of the Catholic Star Her
ald, a weekly published here by
the Camden Roman Catholic Dio
cese, has found only a “minimal”
residue of anti-Jewish prejudice,
the paper reported.
Based on 719 replies to ques
tionnaires sent to 3,(M)0 of the
Star Herald’s subscribers, the
survey showed that nearly 90
percent of the respondents would
vote for a Jew as President of
the United States if he were
nominated by the political party
to which they usually adhere,
and about the same percentage
approved of the Ecumenical
Council statement exonerating
Jews from any guilt in the death
of Jesus. Only about nine percent
felt that even Jews of Jesus’
time should be termed guilty.
While the overwhelming ma
jority of those responding replied
JUDAISM ENEMY
OF COMMUNISM, RED
PAPER ACCUSES
NEW YORK (JTA)—A 1,350-
word article that reviles Judaism
as an enemy of the Soviet peo
ple, prominently published last
month in the leading newspaper
of Minsk, capital of the Bielorus-
sian Republic, was reported by
the American Jewish Conference
on Soviet Jcwjry.
The article, which charges Ju
daism with being “the enemy of
human culture," and “the hot
bed of a code of morality hostile
to (the Soviet Union)” appeared
in the February 2 editions <^T
“Zviazida,” largest Bielofrussian-
language daily.
in a manner indicating they were
free of anti-Jewish bias, some
other strong feelings were shown
by the fact that five persons not
only refused to answer but mail
ed back their questionnaires “torn
to shreds,” the newspaper report
ed. Another finding showed that
public school graduates revealed
more anti-Jewish feeling than
graduates of Catholic parochial
schools.
With regard to specific ques
tions in the survey, 677 of the
respondents said they do not
avoid the company of Jews, 26
said they do, and 16 did not reply
to the question. In reply to anoth
er question, 561 said they did not
prefer non-Jewish neighbors, 120
said they did, and 33 gave no
answer. Eighty-three percent of
the respondents said that they
had no distrust of Jews.
— 1
N C j W Asks for t.o. Intervention
For Jews in Soviet Union
o0
3A«
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NO. 15
was reporting fully on Spain’s
ban against most Israeli merch
ant shipping . for what Madrid
calls “administrative reasons.”
The Zim Israel Navigation Com
pany, which had announced prev
iously that it was sending a rep
resentative to Spain to discuss
the issue, postponed its special
emissary’s depature. In Jerusa
lem, Israel’s Cabinet discussed
the announced Spanish ban on
Israeli shipping, but issued no
statement on the issue.
NEW YORK (JTA)—One thou
sand delegates to the biennial
convention of the National Coun
cil of Jewish Women, concluding
their five-day parley here,
adopted a unanimous resolution
calling on the United States Gov
ernment “to use its good offices
to intervene on behalf of 3,000,-
000 Jews in the Soviet Union, so
that they too may enjoy those
rights which are permitted to all
other minorities in the USSR, and
may live their lives as Jews
without fear.”
The resolution expressed the
NCJW’s “deep concern” over the
“cultural and spiritual discrim
ination” against Soviet Jews,
and stated: “As the Passover
holidays approach, the National
Council of Jewish Women de
plores the fact that, once again,
the baking and sale of matzoh,
the traditional and meaningful
symbol of freedom for the Jews,
is forbidden except in_ token
quantities.”
In other resolutions, the wom
en called for the encouragement
of the study of Judaism; support
of measures designed to preserve
the Jewish faith and culture and
to secure the rights of Jews
everywhere; and pledged support
to the “continuing social, educa
tional and cultural upbuilding of
Israel.” The convention re-elect
ed Mrs. Joseph Willen, of New
York, as national president for a
second two-year term and adopt
ed a budget for 1965-1966, total
ing $970,000.
The delegates also adopted a
resolution which warned that the
Johnson Administration’s aid to
education bill would “open the
door to an involvement of sectar
ian educators to decisions affect
ing public education.” The res
olution warned the Administra
tion that the measure, now pend
ing in the Senate after adoption
by the House of Representatives,
must be* buttressed by safeguards
to avoid undermining “our tradi
tion of separation of church
from state.”
The delegates were told that
the Council has granted 207 fel
lowships to educators and social
workers from Israel, and to oth
ers from Jewish communities
outside Israel, since the NCJW
established its overseas fellow
ship program in 1946. During the
current biennial period, 1963 to
1965, thirty fellowships were
granted, the report showed. These
were given mainly to educators
and researchers working toward
the advancement of equal oppor
tunities for culturally disadvan
taged children.
The Council’s contributions to
the U. S. Job Corps were laud
ed at the convention by Sargent
Shriver, director of the Office of
Economic Opportunity, and Dr.
Bennetta Washington, director of
the women’s training centers of
the U. S. Job Corps. Both praised
the NCJW for having joined
Women in Community Services in
recruiting and screening girls for
the Job Corps.
State Dept.: U.S. Should Not
Intervene on Soviet Jewry
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The
State Department does not be
lieve that the United States Gov
ernment should involve itself
directly with Soviet authorities'
on the problem of Soviet Jewry,
the Department has informed
Sen. Hugh Scott, Pennsylvania
Republican.
Senator Scott responded with a
charge that “our government is
shirking its responsibility in this
area.” He criticized the State
Department for opposing the
Ribicoff amendment which would
have condemned Soviet anti-
Semitism.
The White House asked the
State Department to respond to
Sen. Scott on the request of Phil
adelphia area citizens that the
Government take more overt ac
tion to help Soviet Jewry. Doug
las Mac Arthur, 2nd, Assistant
Secretary of State for Congres
sional Relations, wrote Sen. Scott
about the government’s latest
assessment of the situation of
Russian Jews.
“As stated in this assessment,”
Mr. MacArthur said, “the De
partment does not believe that
formal, govemment-to-govem-
ment protests over the situation
of the Soviet Jewish community
are in the best interests of Soviet
Jews.” He pointed out that “in
the past, Soviet officials have
reacted unfavorably to criticism
by. foreign government organs or
official representations on mat
ters which the Soviet Govern
ment considers to be Soviet in
ternal affairs.”
The Assistant Secretary of
State told Senator Scott that the
basis of repeated experience
State Department “has found on
that the most serious official rep
resentations which officals of our
government have made in the
past at a government-to-govem-
ment level had been rejected by
Soviet leaders as interference in
Soviet internal affairs.”
A recommendation was again
made by the State Department
that private individuals and or
ganizations displeased by Soviet
policies affecting Jews continue
to voice their views in appeals to
world public opinion. “We hope
that world publia opinion can
lead the Soviet Government to
calculate that its interest can best
be served by moderating its cam
paign against Judaism,” Mr. Mac
Arthur stated.
The State Department official
assessment of Soviet anti-Semi
tism said: “While all observers
agree that Soviet Jews are being
placed under increasing restric
tions with regard to religious
worship, the United States Gov
ernment has no information in
dicating that Soviet Jews fear
physical persecution of the type
and magnitude which was direct
ed against them during. Czarist
times or during the immediate
post-war period under Stalin.”
Also, said the State Depart
ment, “there is no evidence
that the authorities intend to
incite the public to acts of anti-
Jewish violence. Rather, they
seem to be using papular
anti-Semitic sentiments for their
own purposes." The Department
added that “Judaism is one of
the 11 recognized religious sects
in the USSR and fares better than
non-recognized groups, especially
those such as Jehovah’s witnesses
which espouses pacifism.”
Senator Scott said he disagreed
“emphatically” with the govern
ment’s decision to refrain from
action. He said that “for the past
two years, U. S. Government of
ficials have expressed their con
cern about this situation, but
only before Jewish groups in the
United States, never to the Soviet
Union and—with one exception—
not even before the United Na
tions.” The Senator charged that
the government “puts its head
in the sand on the issue of human
rights.”
NEW YORK (JTA)—The Mor
ning Freiheit, the daily Yiddish
newspaper which maintains a
strong pro-Sdviet attitude, sharp
ly criticized the continuation of
anti-Semitic propaganda in the^
Soviet Union. “It seems that,
among the anti-religious propa-
Continued on page 8
Southern Jews PraisedFor Part in March
NEW YORK (JTA)— Liberal
and progressive Jews in the
South are not afraid to partici
pate in the civil rights movement,
it was reported at a press con
ference here by Irving Gordon,
representative of the Jewish
I^abor Committee and of the
Workmen’s Circle following his
return from the Selma-Mont-
gomerv march backing the rights
of Negroes in Alabama to vote.
“I was particularly proud of
many Southern Jews whose very
presence among the marchers
belied the remarks of some to
the effect that Southern Jewry
would fear to rise and be count
ed in this historic adventure. The
liberal and progressive Southern
Jew has constantly been in the
foreground of every effort on
behalf of civil and human rights
within his community.” The Na
tional Community Relations Ad
visory Council, coordinating body
of major national Jewish ogan-
izations and of local Jewish Com
munity Councils, was represent
ed at the march by Isaiah Min-
koff, executive vice-chairman.
At a ceremony in the oftjces
of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored Peo
ple, the Workmen’s Circle re
ceived a life membership plaque
from the NAACP. Representing
the 70,000 members of the Work
men’s Circle—a Jewish fraternal
order — in the ceremonies were
Jacob T. Zukerman, president of
the organization; Benjamin A.
Gebiner, executive Secretary; and
Nat Peskin, director of member
ship activities.
Rabbi Israel Miller, president
of the Rabbinical Council of
America, announced that 200
Orthodox rabbis, members of the
Council, have joined a “special
task force for civil rights.” He
made that announcement at a
special conference, at Yeshiva
University, held by the Council’s
Social Actions Committee.
At the same conference, Hy
man Decider, national counsel
for CORE, one of the principal
organizations in the Negro rights
actions, told the assembled rab
bis that 70 percent of the whites
involved in the civil rights move
ment were Jews. He reported
that 95 percent of the white at
torneys serving the movement
without pay are Jews.