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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Established
VoL XL
ATLANTA, GEORGIA FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1965
A Mass Exodus-No Less
Moscow Permits 50
To Join U. S. Relatives
NEW YORK (JTA)—The Soviet Union was reported here to
have relaxed somewhat its policies on banning emigration from the
USSR, having issued exit visas to 50 Jews going to the United States
alone this year, it was reported here last weekend.
According to a Moscow dispatch to the New York Herald Tribune,
30 Soviet Jews were given permission thus far in 1965 to visit the
United States, while 20 other Jews from the USSR were allowed
this year to leave their Russian homes for permanent residence in
this country. Nearly all of the 20, it was indicated, are aged persons
joining relatives in the U. S. (A very small number of aged Soviet
Jews were also permitted to emigrate to Israel to join their families
there.)
Other dispatches received here from Moscow reported an article
in Izvestia, official daily organ of the Soviet Government, claiming that
anti-Semitism is “rampant” in the United States. Using outdated in
formation which had been published by the Anti-Defamation League
of B’nai B’rith, and reporting isolated anti-Semitic incidents of several
years ago as if they had all just occurred, the Izvestia article at
tempted to bolster its contentions in such a way as to “prove” that
swastikas are being painted now on many American synagogues and
that social discrimination against Jews in the U.S.A. is widespread
currently.
Simchas
By BEN G. FRANK
r O. 42
-£00
XJ ■
(A Seven Arts Feature)
BROOKLYN—Their arms wave
joyfully in the air. Their yannel-
kes rest gently on their heads
and their bodies almost sway to
the gutteral chants born on th«
tip of the Arabian peninsula and
now echoing in that famous sec
tion of Brooklyn-Borough Park.
Yes, Simchas Torah—The Re
joicing in the Law—has come to
Congregation Ohel Shalom with
its 150 members, all Yemenites.
Simchas Torah always has
been one of the most celebrated
holidays among Yemenites who to
this day are strict observers of
Jewish tradition.
As Shlomo Hizami, proprietor
of a kosher pizza and felafel
restaurant in Brooklyn, declared:
“What have we more than the
receiving of the Torah?”
And although Mr. Hizami wor
ries about the continuation of
Yemenite tradition in the face of
increased Americanization, he
notes that many of the customs
practiced in Yemen, carried to
Israel and brought to America
are still followed on Simchas
Torah in Brooklyn.
Obviously, there is a great deal
of noise; the singing and shouts
of joy. By nature, Yemenites are
a joyous people and Simchas Tor
ah gives them an opportunity to
express their happiness.
Here in Brooklyn as well as
in Israel, Yemenites consider the
education of their children In
Hebrew and Jewish tradition a
sacred task. A man called to the
Torah in Congregation Ohel Sha
lom on the night of Simchas Tor
ah is disgraced if he fails to
read his portion faultlessly for
he has to read it himself, there
being no official reader to help
him.
A somewhat surprising sight to
the American visiting the Yem
enite synagogue on Simchas Tor
ah is to see them throwing candy
—a sign of expressing happiness.
Another surprise which immed
iately greets the observer in the
synagogue is the decorative por
tion over the Torah. Among the
Yemenites, the Torah is encased
in a wooden frame rather than
the velvet as in an Ashkenazi
synagogue.
Like children all over the
United States, Yemenite youths
wave Israeli flags topped with
apples. There is great merriment
as the scrolls are taken out of
the Ark and carried around the
synagogue in a procession. In Is
rael, Yemenites take the Sifrei
Torah from one synagogue to
another. Here in America, this is
not done. This is but one exam
ple of how the move to Amer
ica has limited the traditions of
the celebration, according to some
Yemenites.
Yet, one practice which con
tinues and of course Is finished
just before the holiday is the
preparation of special cakes and
fish, and spices. Yemenite cook
ing, by the way, is known for
News Round-Up
Art Objects Belonging
To Nazi Victims Traced
PaulFelix Warburg
Dies; 61 Years
NEW YORK (JTA)— Funeral
services were held here at Tem
ple Emanu-El for Paul Felix
Warburg, a member of the prom
inent Jewish family of financiers
and philanthropists, who died in
New York Friday at the age of
61.
A son of the late Felix M. War
burg, founder and first president
of the Federation of Jewish Phil
anthropies of Greater New York,
Paul F. Warburg was one of the
Federation’s active leaders for
many years and was credited
with having led in developing the
Federation’s highly - successful
fund-raising methods, according
to Irving M. Flet, president of
the Federation. He was also on
tire board of trustees of the Jew
ish Board of Guardians and a
founder of the Federation’s Em
ployment and Guidance Services.
Among Felix Warburg’s survi
vors are a brother, Edward
M. Warburg, chairman of the
American Jewish Joint Distribu
tion Committee; and two sisters,
Mrs. Robert W. Sarnoff, wife of
the chairman of the board of the
National Broadcasting Company;
and Mrs. Walter N. Rothschild.
Israel F. Y.I. Dept.
Men Exceed Women
NEW YORK (WUP) — The
Zionist Information Service re
ports from Jerusalem that at the
end of 1964 the population of Is
rael comprised 1,277,815 males
as against 1,247,747 females. Thus
for each 100 women in the Yishuv
there are 102 men. 39.4% of the
pouulation is native-born citizens;
13.8% immigrants from Asian
countries; 14.9% from Africa, and
31.9% from Europe and the
Americas.
VIENNA (JTA)—An estimated
100 valuable paintings and other
artistic objects belonging mostly
to Jews and some other victims
of the Nazi regime in Austria
may become permanent posses
sions of the Austrian Government
if their owners do not claim them
by 1968, Simon Wiesenthal told
a press conference here.
The head of the Jewish Doc
umentation Center here said he
had traced the valuables to a se
cret depot of the Austrian Gov
ernment. He said also that he
had asked three Austrian Cabinet
ministers for help in finding the
owners. He stressed that many
Jewish emigrants or their heirs
were still living in poverty in
many countres, not knowing that
the valuables were waiting to be
claimed.
CASABLANCA (JTA) — The
Jewish population of Algeria
dropped from 130,000 in 1960 to
about 3,000 at the present time,
it was reliably reported here.
The number fell to 60,000 in
1962, most of the Algerian Jews
going to France after Algeria
achieved indepen d e n c e from
French rule. There were 17 syn
agogues in Algiers prior to the
country’s independence and now
only one—the Great Synagogue—
remains open. Most of the build
ings owned by the Jewish com
munity under French rule were
requisitioned by Algerian author
ities. About 650 of the remaining
Jews live in Oran.
IJ3NDON (JTA)—The Federa
tion of Jewish Communities of
Rumania has published a Jewish
calendar and religious guidebooks
in Yiddish and Rumanian for the
new Hebrew calendar year 5726,
it was reported here from Buch
arest. In addition to routine cal
endar material, the booklet con
tains explanations end instruc
tions in both languages about
Jewish holidays and Jewish cus
toms throughout the year. It also
includes a list of Rumanian na
tional holidays and an excerpt
from the Rumanian constitution
in both languages detailing the
right of every citizen to choose
whether or not to adhere to a
religious community.
COPENHAGEN (JTA)— Lead
ing Danish newspapers called
upon the Government to dissolve
the newly-organized “Nordic
Freedom Movement,” a group
headed by the so-called “Danish
Hitler,” Bjorn Temester, and to
arrest the group’s leaders on
charges of sedition. The NFM is
openly neo-Nazi, stating its pur
pose as a “fight against Jews,
Negroes and Asiatics.” Numeri
cally small, the group issues a
weekly journal, entitled “Nordic
Front.”
HAMBURG (JTA)— The City
Council here has voted to estab
lish an Institute for Research into
the history of Hamburg Jews. The
Institute will study the 700 years
of Jewish settlement in the city,
including the Nazi period.
JERUSALEM. (JTA)—Premier
Levi Eshkol Sunday expressed
appreciation of the speech last
week by King Hussein of Jordan,
denouncing the activities of El
Fatah saboteurs who have re
peatedly made attacks on Israeli
installations from Jordanian
bases.
The Premier indicated, how
ever, in a radio interview, that
Israel was not satisfied only by
speeches, and expected Jordan
to take effective steps to curb
such activities. He reiterated that
Jordan was capable of controlling
El Fatah raiders. Asked whether
Israel would retaliate militarily,
he replied that Israel’s reaction
would depend on what action
Jordanian authorities took to
cope with the prohlem.
The interview with Mr. Eshkol,
on Israel’s government—owned
Kol Israel radio network, took
place after the Prime Minister
visited some army installations.
While he refused to identify
specifically “the source of dan
ger,” he declared Israel will
judge those sources “only by their
actions.”
PARIS, (JTA) — King Hassan
of Morocco was represented at
Yom Kippur services in Cassa-
blanca’s main synagogue by two
of his closest advisers, Interior
Minister General Oufkir and
Casablanca Governor Col.
Sefioui, it was reported here.
The two officials presented the
king’s “best wishes to his loyal
Jewish subjects” to the commun
ity's chief rabbi and principal
Jewish leaders. Despite various
anti-Jewish campaigns aimed at
King Hassan’s government, the
presence of the two officials at
the synagogue received consider
able publicity in the Moroccan
press.
JERUSALEM. (JTA) — Rep
Chet Holifield, California Demo
crat, who is chairman of the
Congressional Joint Atomic
Energy Commission in Washing
ton, and Rep. John B. Anderson.
Illinois Republican, who is a
member of that commission, con
ferred here last weekend with
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, who
is also Minister of Defense.
STOCKHOLM. (JTA)—Shmuel
Joseph Halevi Agnon, of Israel,
one of the most prominent He
brew authors of the cotemporary
era, and the winner several times
of the coveted Blialik Prize for
literature, was high on the list
for possible selection as the win
ner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in
literature, it was learned here.
The year’s Nobel laureate in
literature is to be announced
Friday, but the deliberations of
the Swedish Academy, which
picks the winner in the field of
literature, are clothed in more
than usual secrecy this year.
Other writers reported among
the leading candidates for the
prize are the British-Ameriean
poet and critic, W. H. Auden;
and two Russian authors, Mikhail
Sholokhov and Konstantin
Paustovsky.
its spices.
In the hustle and bustle of
American life which limits the
frequency of their social gather
ings, Simchas Torah also Is a
good time for Yemenites to get
together.
There are about 300 Yemenite
families living in Brooklyn and
although most of them are recent
arrivals to these shores, Yemen
ites have resided in America for
60 to 70 years. Moreover, the
Yemenite community here has
grown such that now there Is
another Yemenite synagogue !n
Brooklyn-Etz Chayim.
An artist observing Yemenites
dance on this joyous occasion
would have a sculptor’s paradise.
Their physical characteristics are
charming. They are slim in build;
from swarthy brown to deep
black in color many have del
icately carved features of the
Abyssinians.
To watch Yemenites is to watch
the miracle of Jewish survival.
For centuries before they left
Yemen, they were cut off in
South Arabia from the rest of
the world. But they clung to their
religion. Yemen, according to his
torians, probably was the king
dom of Sheba whose queen visit
ed Solomon. In modem days—
even before they came to Brook
lyn—Yemenites were brought to
Israel in airplanes, or on eagle’s
wings as it were, in a “Messianic”
flight to the Promised Land.
Today, they are among the most
interesting in the Jewish State:
A pious artistically-gifted element
of the population. Certainly in
New York City, too, some of the
best creators of Israeli Jewelry
are Yemenites. According to Mr.
Hizami, other occupations of the
Yemenites are carpenters, pain
ters and, of course, owners of
pizza and felafel establishments.
Like other Israelis who have
settled in America, Yemenites,
according to Mr. Hizami, come
here to “see the world and make
money.” Yemenites have an im
migration quota of 100 yearly and
since there are very few Moslems
coming from that ancient land,
Yemenite Jews from Israel — if
they have saved money — can
make it here with only a short
wait.
And even though they have be
come somewhat Americanized,
their eyes light up when you
speak of Israel. Perhaps that is
why they celebrate Simchas Tor
ah so fervently in Brooklyn now.
For now, as in the days when
they inhabited the land of Ye
men, they are once again in the
Diaspora, And when you are tn
the Diaspora, you sometimes sing
a little more with fervor the
words: “For out of Zion shall
come the Torah.”
Abram Co-Chairman of White
House Parley on Civil Rights
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Morris B. Abram, president of the
American Jewish Committee, has been appointed by President John
son as co-chairman of the White House conference on civil rights,
which will be held here in November. His co-chairman is William
T. Coleman, a Negro lawyer, of Philadelphia.
The conference is to generate “new efforts to include the Negro
American more fully in our society,” the President said in announcing
the appointments. Its recommendations will be considered by a larger
inference in Washington next spring. Mr. Abram is also U. S. rep-
-esentative on the United Nations Human Rights Commission