Newspaper Page Text
The .Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Establis'
' >lC r
Vol. XU
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 1966
NO. 12
U. S. Bars Anli-Jewish Bias By
Insurers in Medicare Field
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The
United States Social Security Ad
ministration has taken steps to
ensure that insurance companies
selected by the agency to distri
bute Medicare funds comply with
regulations barring religious dis
crimination against Jews and
Catholics, in addition to steps al
ready in effect against racial bias.
U.S. Not Satisfied
On Imprisonment
Of American Jew
WASHINGTON, (JTA) — The
United States Government is
pleased to have Syrian assurances
as to future treatment of
American citizens visiting Syria,
but continues to disagree with
Syria’s interpretation of facts in
the case of Edward Levy, 25, of
New York, who was held incom
municado by Syria for almost
two years. Levy, a Jew, is now
back in New York.
A State Department spokes
man said Mr. Levy entered a
restricted military zone on the
Israel-Syrian frontier. Syria
claimed he was an Israeli citizen
because he was formally ex
changed for a Syrian national.
But the State Department does
not view this explanation as
adequate, it was indicated.
Until Mr. Levy was turned
over to Israeli authorities, his
whereabouts were not known,
either to Israel or to the United
States Embassy in Israel, from
the time he crossed over into
Syria two years ago, after living
at Kibbutz Ein Gev, near the
Syrian border. There was never
any doubt that he was an Amer
ican, and not an Israeli.
In an intensive effort to open
Up executive positions in insur
ance companies to Jews and Ro
man Catholics, as well as to Ne
groes and other racial minorities,
particularly the top echelon jobs,
the Department of Health, Edu
cation and Welfare has set up a
special staff in the Social Secur
ity Administration to seek com
pliance with restrictions against
religious bias by the companies
chosen to administer the program.
The move grew out of a meet
ing on the issue last fall between
a delegation of the American
Jewish Committee and Secretary
of Labor W.'Willard Wirtz. At
that time, the AJC complained
that studies showed that less than
1 percent of the top management
jobs in the insurance industry
were held by Jews, in spite of the
fact that they accounted for 8
percent of all college graduates.
Mr. Wrtiz expressed concern over
the situation, and indicated that
more would be done to eliminate
religious bias in this and other
areas.
Saigon Envoy Announces Decision
To Exchange Diplomafs Wifh Israel
WASHINGTON (JTA) South
Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Van
Thai announced this week that
his Government “has decided to
establish full and normal ‘de jure’
diplomatic relations with Israel,
as a result of negotiations with
Israeli diplomats just concluded
in Bangkok.” The Ambassador
said the decision was conveyed
to him in an official cable just
received by his Embassy from
Saigon. He said "this decision re
sulted from the detailed recent
negotiations in Bangkok between
Israeli and Vietnamese diplo
mats.”
Ambassador Thai expressed
"great pleasure” at the news and
voiced hope that the establish
ment of diplomatic relations with
Israel would “denote the begin
ning of a larger Israeli program
of assistance.” He recalled his
visit to Israel in 1958, the deep
impression made upon him by the
kibbutzim, and the importance
his Government attaches to
training by "Nahal,” the soldier-
farmer concept developed in Is
rael. He cited his country’s “need
and desire for Israeli technical
assistance and supplies.”
The Ambassador revealed that
contacts with Israel for expanded
assistance have been developing
since July, 1964, and came to a
climax after the recent Honolulu
" conference “where Presi dent
Johnson visualized and urged a
more active Israeli role” in sup
port of Saigon.
Immediately after the Honolulu
talks, said the Ambassador, “pro
cedural diplomatic discussions
with Israel were undertaken in
Bangkok, leading to the decision
now reported from Saigon to cre
ate full diplomatic relations with
Israel.”
The Ambassador also revealed
another cable from Saigon, dis
closing that his Government, at
the end of 1965, accepted an Is
in brief
LHJ Accepts
Schwartz‘s
Resignation
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Ac
ceptance of the resignation of As
sistant Secretary of State Abba
P. Schwartz, administrator of the
Bureau of Security and Consular
Affairs, and the Administration’s
architect of the 1965 act that lib
eralized the basic immigration
law, eliminating the national
origins quota system, was an
nounced by the White House.
Mr. Schwartz tendered his res
ignation when, upon returning
from a confidential Government
mission abroad, lie discovered
that plans for eliminating his
State Department bureau had
been in the works for months.
He submitted Ins resignation to
President Johnson. The White
House confirmed that, instead of
dealing with the resignation on
the top level, President Johnson
had merely referred the resigna
tion to the State Department for
“action.”
Sen. Edward M Kennedy, of
Massachusetts, a key figure in
the passage of the new Immigra
tion Act, said he was considering
a hearing on the Schwartz resig
nation by a Senate subcommittee
concerned with refugees Neither
the White House nor the State
Department would comment on
the reasons why the action to un
seat Mr. Schwartz from his post
had, been taken. Mr Schwartz
was offered a post vaguely des
cribed as that of special assistant
to Mr. Rusk on refugee affairs.
The American Jewish Commit
tee urged President Johnson to
move to retain the Bureau of Se
curity and Consular Affairs
within the State Department
under the direction of Mr.
Schwartz.
TEL AVIV, (JTA) — Tele
phone lines throughout Israel
were out Sunday, and a number
of citrus groves and farm acreage
were damaged this weekend,
when heavy rainstorms, accom
panied by hail and sleet, with
winds up to 72 miles per hour,
drenched the northern half of the
country. In the South, much of
the Negev was in semi-darkness
because of sandstorms. Many
parts of the country were hit by
temporary electric power break
downs.
The storms, the most severe to
strike Israel since the start of
the winter, came as a shock to
most of the population, after
many weeks of relatively balmy
conditions. In Tel Aviv, the fire
brigade w r as busy for most of the
day, dealing with emergencies
arising from the storms. Five
families were removed from
buildings in Jaffa, which were
in danger of collapsing.
Rabbi Talmon Fishman, 31,
not seriously injured, and
dined medical aid.
was
de-
CLEVELAND, (JTA) — Nine
youths were arrested here this
weekend for harassing students
and hitting a rabbi at the Telshe
Yeshiva, in suburban Wiekliffe,
police reported here Monday. Po->
lice said that the youths, ranging
in age from 16 to 20, drove onto
the grounds of the yeshiva in
two cars. The intruders knocked
skullcaps from the heads of stu
dents, and struck a rabbi on the
head. The latter, identified as
NEW YORK, (JTA) — Uni
formed members of the National
Renaissance Party, a neo-Nazi
group, held a public meeting at
Robert F. Wagner Junior High
School here last weekend, in
front of a largely hostile audi
ence. James H. Madole, founder
and leader of the party, and other
speakers, including Robert Bur
ros, admittedly a former Jew,
denounced Jews, Nfcgroes, civil
rights and Communists. Their
words were often drowned out
by laughter and jeers from the
audience.
The meeting was the first to be
held by the ultra-rightwing group
in a city public school. Last
month, the Board of Education
granted a permit for the use of
the auditorium, despite the pro
tests of several Jewish organiza
tions. The Board defended its
action by asserting that legally,
the school system could not deny
the use of the school by any non
political group. Protesters, how
ever, said that Madole’s group is
political.
NEW YORK, (JTA) — Louis
Stulberg, a prominent labor
executive and an active partici
pant in Jewish comnvunal affairs,
was elected last weekend as
president of the 447,000-member
D. C. Jewish Council Mils
Oil'll ome Itulc
Negro Boycott
WASHINGTON (JTA) The
Jewish Community Council here
criticized Negro groups which are
leading a boycott of local merch
ants, many of them Jews. The
Negro groups are protesting
against the failure of Congress
to vote Home Rule for residents
of the nation’s capital. The Coun
cil, at the same time, reaffirmed
its support of Home Rule and
condemned “the actions of those
who have unconscionably block
ed Home Rule for more than a
decade.” The statement singled
out the city's Metropolitan Board
of Trade for “opposing genuine
self-government’’ for Washington
residents, and urged the Board
“to discontinue its opposition.”
Then the statement added that
the Council “must disavow the
present boycott program by the
Student Non-Violent Coordinating
Committee and the Free D C
Movement.” The Council said the
boycott "coerces businessmen who
may have no views on Home Rule
and who have no voice in the de
cisions of the Board of Trade, to
commit themselves in favor of
Home Rule, by a threat of a boy
cott if they do not so commit
themselves.”
The Council declared such ac
tions were "a violation” of the
freedom of such merchants “to
have an opinion on this subject,
or to have no opinion, and an in
vasion of their rights of privacy.”
Moreover, the statement declared,
“this kind of a program is irrel
evant and ineffective so far as the
achievement of Home Rule is con
cerned, because it is not directed
against the real targets.”
International Ladies Garment
Workers Union, succeeding David
Dubinsky. Mr. Stulberg is a
member of the board of direc
tors of United Hias Service and
is active in American Ort and
Histadrut.
WASHINGTON (JTA)— Rep
resentative Leonard Farbstein,
New York Democrat, and a mem
ber of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, said he would de
mand “concrete verification” of
Egypt’s reported commitment not
to increase cotton acreage in the
1966-67 season. He made the
statement in connection with re
ports that the Nasser regime in
formed the State Department
that, in order to qualify for con
tinued U. S. food aid it would res
trict cotton production to allow
for the growing of more food.
The development arose because
of charges that Egypt was trading
cotton for Soviet arms, with the
United States indirectly subsidiz
ing such deals by filling Egypt’s
food shortages.
NEW YORK (JTA) — Irving
Spiegel, veteran reporter special
izing in Jewish affairs for the
New York Times, Saturday re
ceived the first annual Stanley
M. Isaacs Human Relations Mass
Media Award, given by the New
York Chapter of the American
Jewish Committee, at its annual
meeting. Mr. Spiegel was cited
for his “consistently brilliant and
perceptive reporting and analysis
news of Jewish concern over
many years.”
Germany Announces
Plan To Try Jewish
Expert On Claims
BONN, (JTA) — The State
Prosecutor’s Office here announc
ed Monday that Dr. Hans Deutsch,
the internationally known Jew
ish legal expert on German com
pensation to Nazi victims, will
be tried by a German court on
charges of “inciting people to
make claims for compensation
they are not entitled to.” The date
of the trial was not given.
Dr. Deutsch. who holds both
Austrian and Israeli citizenship,
was arrested here in November
1964 while attending to a client’s
claim at the West German Min
istry of Finance. He has been
held in solitary confinement in
the Central Prison here along
with a former SS officer and aide
to Adolf Eichmann, M. Wilke,
who is charged with having been
raeli invitation to train 15 South
Vietnamese agricultural experts
in Israel.
WASHINGTON (JTA)— White
House sources revealed that—in
line with new, relations between
Israel and South Viet Nam —
President Johnson would wel
come an expanded Israeli role in
The President was depicted as
deeply appreciative of efforts by
free world nations in South Viet
Nam.
It was made clear that the
White House is especially inter
ested in the “Nahal” concept, and
would like to see Israelis in South
Viet Nam to train the youth in
the soldier-farmer concept of de
velopment and defense.
Israeli achievements in unifying
and developing a nation of di
verse peoples—under continuous
threat of sabotage and attack—
has been noted here. Israelis
could render assistance that
might help defeat the Communist
Chinese “wars of national lib
eration” by helping South Viet
Nam develop a nucleus for units
building social democracy that
could defend themselves, in the
view of top White House ad
visers.
Maconites Honor
Dr. Moraansterris
85th Birthday
Members of Macon’s Congre
gation Beth Israel turned out in
full force on March 18 to pay
homage to one of the congrega
tion’s most beloved members, Dr.
Julian Morganstem, on his 85th
birthday.
Dr. Morganstern, who was pro
fessor of Bible at the Hebrew
Union College from 1907 to 1949
and president of the HUC from
1921 to 1947, was paid a glowing
tribute hv Rabbi Harold Gelfman.
Rabbi Gelfman, spiritual lead
er of Congregation Beth Israel, is
a former pupil of Dr. Morgan-
stern.
Messages were read from Rabbi
Nelson Glueck and Rabbi Maurice
Eisendrath, leaders in Reform
Judaism, who were also Dr.
Morganstern's pupils.
Following the Friday night
services, a reception was given in
Kaplan Hall by the Sisterhood
and Mr. and Mrs. William A.
Greenebaum, daughter and son-
in-law of the guest of honor.
M. Dietrich Revisits
Israel, Sees Shazar
.lEitc SALEM (JTA) — Presi
dent and Mrs. Zalman Shazar re
ceived Marlene Dietrich, who is
currently visiting Israel Miss
Dietrich, who was born in Ger-
mmv but has been an American
citizen for 30 years, later visited
the Yad Vashem memorial where
she lit a candle in memory of
the Nazi holocaust.
The film star, who visited Is
rael once before, said she re
turned because of hi r "strong at
traction” for the Jewish people
and admiration for Israel. She
was warmly received by Is
raeli audiences during her ap
pearances hi re and she also gave
benefit performances for the Is
raeli armed forces
Dr. Deutsch’s “accomplice.”
At the time of the arrest, an
influential Parisian newspaper,
Le Monde, defended Dr. Deutsch
and charged that the move was
a "maneuver” by Bonn to dis
credit the Jewish attorney and
' spoil his reputation.”