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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Established
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 19C6
Pressures Cause Israel To
Delay Saigon Recognition
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel,
caught between opposing pres
sures from the United States and
the Soviet Union over South Viet
Nam, indicated that it would
avoid the squeeze by withholding
recognition for the time being
from the Saigon regime.
Foreign Minister Abba Eban
confirmed in Parliament state
ments of his ministry earlier to
that effect. The issue developed
as a result of a statement on
March 21 by Vu Van Thai, the
Saigon envoy to Washington, who
said there that negotiations for
such relations had been held by
officials of Israel and South Viet
Nam.
Details on the pressure were
reported by the Tel Aviv daily,
Maariv, which said that repeated
approaches were made to the Is
rael Foreign Mimstry by Soviet
Ambassador Dimitri Chuvakhin
against such recognition. The en
voy reportedly asked Israel to
take an open anti-United States
stand on the South Viet Nam is
sue. At the same time U. S. Am-
bass-d t Walworth Barbour ask
ed Israel to provide aid to the
Saigon regime.
The Un'ted States has increas
ingly pressed Israel to aid the
Saigon regime within the frame
work of a U. S. effort to al : pn
world support for South Viet
Nam. The United States even in
cluded Israel in a list published
in Washington of countries aid
ing South Viet Nam. The sources
here emphas zed that the only aid
Israel has provided the Saigon
regime was medical help after
devastating floods two years ago.
The issue continued to evoke
wide comment in the Israeli
press. Haaretz urged Israeli rec
ognition of South Viet Nam on
grounds that “Israel should es
tablish d'plomatic relations with
all countries w'thout cons dera
tion as to political regimes or
alignments.” The leftist Al Ham-
ishmar and Lnmerhav strongly
supported the Foreign Ministry's
stand and crit'cized any Israel
involvement in the Saigrn strug
gle. Hayom, the organ of Gahal,
the fusion of some Liberals and
Herut, argued against any aid
with military overtones, such as
the Nahal program of soldier-
farmers in Israeli border settle
ments. but supporting humanitar
ian aid. The Saigon Ambassador
had specifically referred to hopes
of his Government for Israeli
help in creating units in South
Viet Nam along Nahal patterns.
Storm Damage Ci
Pattern in Tampa
00 a seder
O. 14
- St. Pete
The Jewish Communities of
Tampa-St. Petersburg s iffered
relatively light consequences in
the tornadoes which struck the
area about 8:30 a.m., Monday,
April 4 There were, however,
several exceptions.
Two Tampa doctors suffered
extensive' property damage to
their homes ,but neither family
was injured. Dr. 'Harvey Wittner,
Tampa optometrist, was the
hardest hit. His home was com
pletely demolished. A Tampa
radiologist and good friend of
Dr. Winner’s, Dr. Allan Scheer,
had one end torn off his house.
The Carrollwood section in
north Tampa where both homes
were located, was one of the
hardest hit. That area has been
completely crrdrned off by na
tional guardsmen and police, ac
cording to The Southern
Israelite’s Tampa correspondent.
About 75 homes in Carrollwood
were reported to have extensive
damage. There are about 12 Jew
ish families in that section.
Synagogues reportedly were
not in the area hit by the
storms. Extensive power failures,
though, increased attendance at
Scdurim held Monday night at
several of the synagogues, Jewish
families unable to carry out thdir
plans for home Seders without
electricity were welcomed as
they made last minute reserva
tions at the Shules.
In Wake of Tampa Hurricane
Wind Passed Over 7 Wittner Home
Destroying It; Occupants Spared
By Vida Goldgar
“Harvey, the window’s bulging out,” cried four-month pregnant
Marilyn Wittner to her husband. Holding 2'<• year old Fred, she took
one step backward as Dr. Wittner reached for Jay, the couple's five-
year-old. And in that second at 8:25 a.m. on April 4, the Wittners of
Tampa saw their home almost completely demolished by one of the
vicious tornadoes that struck the math by long-distance phone.
Israel And Egypt
Exchange Prisoners
r>
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Israel and
Egypt exchanged six pr s"ners at
a border point, in an agreement
reached after intervention by the
United Nations Secretariat in
New York.
Israel handed over three Egyp
tians who were arrested, tried
and sentenced to pr s"n terms on
espionage charges. The three Is
rael's involved in the exchange
were arrested by United Nations
Emergency Force s ildiers after
an ace : dental border cross ng and
were turned over by UNEF to
Egyptian authorities Odcd Meir,
David Chanuka and his son,
Shmuel Chanuka, all from Herz-
liah, went to a market near the
Egyptian border last August, and
inadvertently crossed a few hun
dred feet into Egypt, when the
UNEF sdd'ers arrested them. Is
rael immediately asked for their
release, hut Egypt made the re
turn of the three Israelis condi
tional on an Israeli agreement to
release three Egyptians. Success
ful talks were held at the UN
secretariat headquarters in New
York on the exchange.
The Israelis reported that they
had been tortured during inter
rogation by the Egyptians and
had been given little water and
had food. They could hardly walk
as they crossed over into Israel
The three Egyptians were Ka-
bruk Yakobian. Khaims Abdul
Kader and Husseil El Khawani.
Yakobian, an Armenian born in
Egypt, was sent to spy in Is
rael, arriving as an "immigrant”
from South America in 1961. He
settled in Ashkelon, joined the
Israeli army, and was about to be
married when he was arrested in
1963 after having been shadow
ed for months bv the Israeli se
curity services. He was convict
ed and sent to prison for 18 years.
The two other men also were
sent to Israel by Egyptian in
telligence. They were arrested in
1955 and 1958, respectively, and
received prson terms of 12 years
and 15 years.
Meir said he was considering
seeking damages from the United
Nations for the treatment he re
ceived when he and his two com
panions were arrested by U. N.
Emergency Force troops, when
they strayed over the border into
Egypt.
Mr. Meir charged that, when he
and his companions crossed into
Egyptian territory, Swed sh U. N.
troops approached, laughing and
"guzzling beer,” and poked fun
at the Israelis. He asserted that
the U. N. soldiers prenvsed to
send them back to Israel but, in
stead, turned them over to the
Egyptians. He described in detail
the tortures to which the Egyp
tians subjected him.
Florida Gulf Coast on Monday.
Miraculously, the Wittner
family escaped without injury.
"The boys were pretty badly
frightened,” said Dr. Wittner,
“but it all happened so quickly
there wasn’t time to think or
prepare. We’re just lucky to be
alive.”
Till Monday, Dr. and Mrs.
Wittner had lived in their home
only a year and a half. It was
valued above $25 000 in the
Carrollwood section, one of
Tampa’s nicest areas. Now they’ve
taken temporary quarters in a
motel, with plans to move into
an apartment. Still shaken by
the near tragedy, the family is
yet undecided as to whether to
rebuild their home on the site.
The house itself is a shambles.
Dr. Wittner, describing the after-
told The Southern Israelite the
room in which the family was
gathered was about all that was
left. The southwest end of the
house had been torn up com
pletely and flung to an adjacent
lot. Their roof was blown 125
feet "and would probably be go
ing still” had it not hit and
snapped several telephone poles.
Tree trunks smashed through
walls.
The fantastic force of the
winds was indicated by Dr.
Wittner’s description of huge
concrete lintels carried like toys
over 100 feet, stopped finally by
a stand of pine trees.
Pictures of Dr. Wittner’s car,
wheels up on top of the remains
of the house, were shown on na
tional television newscasts. The
family’s other car was also a
total loss.
The Wittners are members of
Rodoph S h o1o m Synagogue
where Dr. Wittner is active in
the Men's Club and has served
on its board. He is a member of
B'nai B’rith and JWV in Tampa.
Mrs. Wittner is active in a num
ber of the women’s activities in
the community.
He is an optometrist with of
fices in Tampa. The day after
the loss of his home and posses
sions found Dr. Wittner seeing
patients as usual.
He was still very much in com
mand of his sense of humor as
he commented, ‘It was really
Passover. The wind passed right
over our house and took it with
it.”
Jewry
Begins
Passover
NCJY Letter Advises Clergy
On Use of Crucifixion Story
A letter suggesting ecumenical
treatment of the crucifixion story
during Easter lurgy has been sent
members of he Georgia Chris
tian Clergy by Don McEvov. exe
cutive director, Georgia Region,
National Conference of Christians
and Jews.
The communication follows:
“As you prepare to lend your
congregation in observance of the
Christian Holt/ Week culminating
with the Easter celebration. I call
your attention to the concurrent
celebration of Passover by our
Jewish brethren.
“Passover begins at sundown
Monday. April 4, and continues
April 12.
“A deeper appreciation of the
events of the Christian holy
week may be derived by your
people if they are aware that
Jews of today are observing
Passover much as did Jesus and
his disciples at the beginning of
the Christian era.
“In the spirit of the Ecumen
ical Council and the pronounce
ments of many Protestant com
munions, l urge you to emphasize
through liturgy and homily our
ties of spiritual kinship and guard
carefully against any implications
which might give rise to anti-
semitic attitudes or actions. This
is particularly important in re
gard to your re-tellmp of the cru
cifixion story. Let us emphasize
mankind's involvement in this
act and not seek to transfer res
ponsibility to others—either his
torically or currently.
"It would be well, also, at this
time to remember in prayer the
desperate plight of Jews in the
Soviet Union While all religious
groups face difficulties there, the
threat of cultural annihilation is
particularly acute for Russian
Jews.
"Best wishes for a meaningful
Easter season."
Britishers
Send 40 Jews
To Parliament
LONDON (JTA) A total of 40
Jewish candidates from both
major parties were elected to
Parliament, according to results
of the nationwide elections here
which gave Prime Minister Har
old Wilson a decisive majority in
the House of Commons.
All of the Jewish candidates
were elected in constituencies
with little or no Jewish voters,
while areas with heavily Jewish
populations invariably sent non-
Jews to Parliament.
All Fascist candidates were not
—turn to page 5
United Synagogue
Women of South
Eye New Orleans
New Orleans will be the set
ting for the Sixth Annual Spring
Conference of the Southern
Branch of National Women’s
League of the United Synagogue
of America, April 24-26. Sou
thern Branch of which Mrs. Sid
ney Shinbaum of Montgomery is
president, involves twenty Sister
hoods in communities throughout
six states.
Mrs. Rudolph Astor of West
Roxbury, Mass., will be national
speaker consultant. She is a stu
dent of the science of human
dynamics, which will make her
evaluation of the planned work
shop "How Can We Get The Sis
terhood Woman to Accept Res
ponsibility" most valuable.
Mrs Dan Shager of Greenville,
S. C., is program chairman, Mrs.
Beryl Koplnn of Atlanta is work
shop chairman, Mrs. William
Leon of New Orleans in in charge
of local arrangements.
Also on the program will be
Rabbi Allen Rutchik, director of
United Synagogue S. E. Region,
and Rabbi Etan B. Irvine, rabbi
of the Conservative congregation
of New Orleans.
NEW YORK (JTA)— Jews al)
over the world started celebrat
ing Passover this week. Fate of the
Jews in the Soviet Union, where
matzoh was scarce on the whole,
marred an otherwise happy mood
as all Jews—even those in the
USSR who were allowed to do
so—marked the traditional Fes
tival of Liberation.
American Jews were interested,
additionally, in their men and
women in the United States arm
ed services. The National Jewish
Welfare Board reported that the
largest number of American Jews
in uniform since the signing of
the Korean truce in 1953 were
set to celebrate Passover in
South Vit Nam and at more than
600 other overseas and United
States Army, Air Force and Naval
installations. Many of these men,
the JWB noted, became members
of the U. S. armed forces since
the recent American military
build-up in and around Viet Nam,
and were spending their first
Passover away from home.
JWB has also made it possible
for the wives and children of
married Jewish GIs as well as for
men aboard Naval vessels and
troop transports, these assigned
to missile bases and tracking
stations, and patients in Veterans
Administration hospitals in the
United States to observe Pass-
over.
Chaplain Alan M. Greenspan,
recently assigned to the U. S. Mil
itary Command in South Viet
Nam, has arrived in Saigon, ac
cording to the JWB, replacing
—turn to page 5