Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israel
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — L
Vol. XL
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1965
^°o
NO. 45
Exposed as Jewish, Leader
Of Klan, JNazis Is Suicide
Israeli, Jordan Iroops Clash—;
Cabinet Reviews Situation
READING, Pa. (JTA)—Daniel
Burros, 28, who was exposed in
the press as a Jew who had turn
ed into an anti-Semitic Fascist
and held office in the Ku Klux
Klan, the American Nazi Party
and other extremist, right-wing
organizations, committed suicide
here, according to police. Police
authorities said Burros, whose
home was in New York, shot him
self fatally in front of three wit
nesses, after learning of the ex
pose.
NEW YORK (JTA) — A 28-
year-old New York man who is
Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux
Klan in charge of New York
State, former national secretary
of the Amercian Nazi Party, and
at one time or another a mem
ber of at least four Fascist groups
advocating extreme racism
against Jews and Negroes, was
revealed by the New York Times
to be a Jew himself.
The man is Daniel Burros,
among whose other activities is
that of publisher of a paper call
ed “The Free American,” which
calls itself “the battle organ of
racial Fascism.” The paper has
referred to Hitler as the “sacred
leader,” asserting that “the work
begun by the Master will con
tinue to a victorious conclusion.”
The New York Times disclosed
that Burros’ parents, George Bur
ros, now 71, and the former
Esther Sunshine, now 62, were
married by a cantor in The Bronx
in 1936. The boy, Daniel, was a
“star pupil” at the Congregation
Talmud Torah, in the borough of
Queens, where he became bar
mitzvah in the congregation’s
synagogue. After study at the
John Adams High School, where
he was an honor pupil with a
high I.Q., he served two years
in the army as a paratrooper. He
had tried to enroll in the U. S.
Military Academy at West Point
but was not admitted.
Among the Fascist groups to
which Daniel Burros has belonged
at one time or another, in addi
tion to the KKK and the Amer
ican Nazi Party, have been, the
Times reported, the National Re
naissance Party and the British
National Party. The newspaper
stated that he carries now a card
identifying him as a “special
agent of the Invisible Empire” of
the Klan. He was reported to
have been arrested and convicted
four times for extremist activ
ities in Washington and in New
York.
The Times quoted Burros as
saying to a reporter who ques
tioned Burros about his Jewish
background, as saying: “If you
publish this, I’ll come and get
you, and I’ll kill you. I don’t care
what happens. I’ll be ruined.
This is all I’ve got to live for.”
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s
Cabinet discussed at its weekly
meeting here at the last session
prior to the general elections—
the various incidents of violent
clashes that broke out on Israel’s
Jordanian and Lebanese frontiers
recently. Even as Gen. Yitzhak
Rabin, chief of staff of Israel’s
defense forces, was reporting to
the Cabinet on the clash with
Jordanian troops in the Latrun
area, a new, two-hour shooting
match between the Jordanians
and Israelis erupted in the same
sector. Preceding-that action, the
other incidents included:
1) A raid by El Fatah terrorists
who blew up a pumping station
near the Israeli settlement of
Rosh Haayin, about three miles
from the Jordanian border. 2) A
three-hour battle between Israeli
and Jordanians in the no-man’s-
land of the Latrun bulge, in the
Judean hills half-way between
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. 3) An
Israeli military action against
two Lebanese villages, in retal
iation for three recent El Fatah
incursions against Israel.
The battle in the Latrun area
started when 30 Israeli tractors
moved into that bulge to plow
the land in no-man’s-land, while
Jordanian tractors started plough
ing at the same time in the op
posite direction. When Jordanian
troops started shooting at the Is
raelis, Israeli soldiers posted as
guards returned the fire. The
fighting lasted three hours before
military observers from the
United Nations Truce Supervision
Organization got Jordan to accept
a full cease-fire.
An Israeli army spokesman
said two of the Israeli soldiers
were slightly wounded. The Jor
danian radio, which reported that,
following the exchange, the area
was visited by King Hussein and
Prime Minister Wasfi Tal, claim
ed that 15 Israeli soldiers were
killed and 15 Israeli tractors
were knocked out. The Israeli
army spokesmen denied there
were any fatalities on the Israeli
side.
The Israeli tractors resumed
their work on the Latrun bulge.
While the area is technically a
no-man’s-land, Israel has been
cultivating the land there since
1948. As the work proceeded, the
Jordanians started shooting again,
using mortars and machineguns.
The Israeli military guards re
turned the fire and the UN mil
itary observers tried immediately
to arrange a cease-fire. However,
Jordan refused at first to halt its
firing. Finally, after the ex
changes lasted two hours, the UN
men succeeded in getting Jordan’s
consent to halt, and relative quiet
reigned once more in the region.
(In Washington, Israeli diplomat*
relayed details of the Jordanian
army attack In the Latrun area In a
report to the State Department. The
Israelis reported that the Jordanian
regular forces fired with heavy wea
pons and that two Israeli tractor
drivers were wounded.)
The latest El Fatah action, re
sulting in the destruction of the
pumping station near Rosh Haa
yin, was the first in the Jordan
border area in four weeks. There
were no casualties as a result of
the explosion. A month ago, after
a spate of such raids into Is-
Continued on page 8
llussia’s Anti-Jewish Bias
Analyzed al Brandeis Parley
WALTHAM, Mass. (JTA) —
Despite the legal recognition ex
tended to the Jewish Community
in the Soviet Union, Jews are
denied the rights granted to
other nationalities in the USSR,
Soviet affairs specialist William
Korey reported at Brandeis Uni
versity.
During the concluding session
at Brandeis’ three-day Conference
on the Status of Ethnic Minor
ities in the Soviet Union, Mr.
Korey, director of the New York
Bureau of the B’nai B’rith Inter
national Council, said Jews in
the USSR suffer discrimination
in many spheres—education, the
use of their language and the ob-
(Continued On Page 4)
Largest Jewish Testimonial
Honors “Bill” Wexler
By ADOLPH ROSENBERG
SAVANNAH — This historical
city’s cup of gladness and pride
has been overflowing for the
past several months and the night
of October 20 Jewish and non-
Jewish citizens got together to
honor the source of their joy.
Cause of it all is Dr. “Bill”
Wexler whose election last May
as international president of
B’nai B’rith elevated a resident
of this 232-year-old city into the
highest rank of leadership any
of the citizenry has ever held.
This gigantic testimonial eve
ning brought together more than
500 persons, over fifty of whom
came from at least a dozen states
to share their devotion and res
pect for the honoree.
It probably was thd largest tes
timonial ever held in the South
for a Jewish leader.
Surrounded by relatives and
friends, Bill Wexler heard such
praise as would fill the cup of
any man to overflowing and in
many cases turn his head as well.
But the honoree who has al
ways stood tall and stalwart has
a trait of humility which has
always kept his feet on the
ground and persons said unabash
ed what was in their hearts,
knowing the compliments would
not turn the object of their praise
into egotistical directions.
Though appropriately the high
light of the evening was put on
the B’nai B’rith family and Dr.
Wexler's eminence in this field,
this fraternal organization by no
means preempted the emphasis
on the man.
For Dr. Wexler has served Ju
daism and the broader commun
ity in many another arena as
well. He is a dedicated member
of his congregation. He has been
preeminent in the Jewish Wel
fare Board activities and is a
former president of the Southern
JWB Region. He has been prom
inent as well in behalf of the
Welfare Fund and Federation ac
tivities of his community and the
South. He has performed yeo-
mna's service for the United
Jewish Appeal and for Bonds for
Israel.
In fact, there are few arenas in
which he has not already toted
up an impressive record.
He is a former pj^esident of
the Savannah Jewish Community
Council and this organization co
sponsored the testimonial dinner
with the Savannah B’nai B’rith
Lodge and Auxiliary.
Hundreds of telegrams were re
ceived and many of these ac-
knowdedged on the program. A
message w'as read from Dr.
Abram Sachar president of Bran
deis University, who as director
of Hillel had worked close with
the Savannahan. Dr. Sachar hail
ed the evening as deserved for
"a prophet who is with honor in
his own community” a man of
the ranks who “has worked his
way up from the ranks through
the chairs to the top echelon of
leadership.”
Edwin Friedman, president of
the Jewish Community Council,
spoke about the “enormous ac
complishments of Dr. Wexler.”
“We can only reflect a small
shadow of his tremendous
achievements,” he noted adding,
our community “must give him
our pledge that we will add our
strength to his will in meeting
and servicing the responsibilities
to World Jewry.”
Mrs. Bernard Kramer, presi
dent of Savannah BBW, termed
Dr. Wexler a man of humility,
a man of courage as well as
great personal charm. She di
rected her tribute greetings to
him as “an effective force in
B’nai B’rith” who has a accomp
lished much in the past and who
will, God willing, accomplish
even more in the future.”
Robert Lovett, chairman of the
Chatham County Commission,
pointed out Dr. Wexler's involve
ment in local responsibilities “as
(Continued On Page 8)
Dr. Wexler with Israel's Minister
to the US. Ephriam Evron, who
brought greetings from the Jewish
Stale.
Dr. Wexler graciously responds to the tributes. Below, Rabbi Jay
Kaufmann, new executive vice president of B’nai B’rith, pays a
brilliant and eloquent compliment to his “boss.” Seated is Murray
Bono t dinner master of ceremonies.