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Vo!. XLI The Southern Israelite A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Established oV*0. 8 \m «°U\vl 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