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Pift Prar
Friday, June 17, 1966
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Published weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, 390 Court-
land St., N. E., Atlanta, Georgia 30303, TR. 6-8249, TR. 6-8240. Sec
ond class postage paid at Atlanta, Georgia. Yearly subscription
five dollars. The Southern Israelite invites literary contributions
and correspondence but is not to be considered as sharing the views
expressed by writers. DEADLINE is 5 P.M. FRIDAY, but material
received earlier will have a much better chance of publication.
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
^11*# c 6 ti 5 w
Georgia Press Association
f Arts Features
Jewish
Telegraphic
Agency
World Pres*
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher
Kathleen Nease, Jeanne Loeb, Joseph Redlich
Vida Goldgar, Harry Rose, Betty Meyer, Kathy Wood
Human Relations
And Jewish Values
Two events which took place recently in Atlanta have a
special significance for the Atlanta Jewish Community.
One was the 17th annual Law Day Ceremonies, sponsored
by the Student Bar Association, of the Lamar School of Law
at Emory University on May 7.
The other was the annual meeting of the Atlanta Chapter
of the American Jewish Committee which was made the
occasion for observing the 60th anniversary of the Committee.
At Emory, the Law Day Committee was chaired by J.
Ben Shapiro Jr., a Jewish student of the Lamar School of
Law who was completing his freshman year. He won the
award as the outstanding student of his class. He presided at
the ceremonies with an ease and maturity which spoke well
of his past experience in organization work at Northside High
and in Jewish Youth work.
The address of the afternoon was delivered by Justice
Abe Fortas, associate justice of the United States Supreme
Court.
Justice Fortas spoke of the religious foundations of
American democracy, of the human rights of all citizens, and
of the protection of these rights by the Constitution and by
the laws of the land.
Justice Fortas was born in Memphis and was brought up
in a Jewish environment.
Both Justice Fortas and the presiding student gave living
testimony to the dream of America as a land where all
groups may live in peace and in harmony and be given the
opportunity to attain their maximum potential as human
beings.
However, the observance of the 60th anniversary of the
American Jewish Committee gave added testimony to the
importance of human rights in the perspective of Jewish
tradition and values. Morris Abram, the president of the
Committee, presented a most cogent and lucid argument in
the essence of human rights in terms of the continuity of
Jewish values.
“It is not enough to be a good neighbor,” he said. “It is
not enough to accord rights to an individual without accept
ing the group to which the individual belongs. The cultural
freedom and rights of the ethnic group, as a minority, are as
important as the rights of the individual.”
Mr. Abram spoke eloquently of the contributions which
the Committee has made to the continuity of Jewish culture
and the preservation of the Jewish group as an ethnic entity.
The pioneers of the committee, locally, who received
recognition, stressed their beginnings in the activities of the
Jewish community.
It is our hope that the spirit which dominated this meet
ing will permeate all the efforts of the Committee’s local
membership and that they will set an example of leadership
in the general community and recognize the prophetic vision
which is at the very foundation of the struggle for human
rights for all peoples everywhere, including the Jews.
EK
Marrano’s Returning to Faith
GUEST EDITORIAL
One of the painful chapters in the history of Jewish
martyrology has been the Spanish Inquisition.
Now a significant twist to that chapter has been taken
in Israel with the return to the land of a group of 28 Mar-
ranos who arrived in the country with radiant expectancy
of being reabsorbed in the ancient faith after a lapse of al
most 500 years.
We shall never know how many Jews were lost as vic
tims in the aberration that was called the Inquisition. We
shall never know how many Marranos there are throughout
the Spanish speaking countries of the world who are still
retaining some form of remembrance of their Jewish roots.
Most likely they are few in number.
However, the return to Israel recently of four families
of Marranos from Palma de Majorca in the Balearic Islands
is an event of utmost importance, not alone because it mark
ed the first time since the Spanish Inquisition that its vic
tims had returned to the land and its roots, but because it
could augur and encourage the return of many others.
According to one of the returnees there are some 500,000
conscious Marranos in Spain today, most of them wishing
to emigrate to Israel and to openly reidentify themselves
with the Jewish people. This may be an exaggerated figure,
but the significance of the story lies not in numbers, but in
the fact that not even 500 years have been able to extinguish
the Jewish awareness, however slight, of the victims of the
brutal Inquisition.
History is cruel. But obviously in time it finds a cor-
-ective mechanism.
TALMUDIC TREASURES
Collected and Translated By Jacob L. Friend
Judges, Judgment and Justice
Some 1500 years B.C., Moses the Law
giver, on the advice of his father-in-law
Jethro, established the first Judiciary system
in Israel while in the wilderness (Exodus
XVIII.13-36). Forty years later, before his
death, he again gave the following instruc
tions to his people: “You shall appoint judges
and officers in all your towns ... to admin
ister true justice for the people. You shall
not distort justice; you must not be partial.
You shall not take a bribe; for a bribe blinds
the eyes of the wise and twists the words of
the just, justice and justice alone shall you
follow, that you may live and possess the
land which the Lord your God is giving
you.” (Deuteronomy XVI: 18-20).
The word “Justice” is repeated twice, em
phasizing and stressing the vital importance
of even-handed and impartial justice to all,
whether to Jew or non-Jew, whether in word
or action, whether it is to your advantage
or disadvantage. And in this connection it is
implied that it is unlawful to use unjust
means to secure the triumph of justice. The
great codifier Maimonides sums up the seven
qualifications of an authentic judge: wisdom,
humility, reverence for God, indifference to
gaiv, love of truth, love for his fellow-man
and a good reputation.
* * *
Courts of three judges (Dayanim) exist
ed in all towns of Israel for the adjustment
of civil disputes in money matters and prob
lems of civil law. The Book of “Judges,” the
second in the prophets, describes the in
terval between the death of Joshua and the
coronation of Saul, which lasted about two
hundred and fifty years, when twelve heroic
leaders were active as judges.
These “judges” were not just mere judges,
but gifted and courageous inspiring persons
who strengthened Israel’s hold of Canaan
against a imriety of surrounding enemies.
These champions, including the prophets Eli
and Samuel, who are described more fully
in the Book of Samuel, inspired the people
to fight those who threatened their very exis
tence. One of them, the prophetess Deborah,
who held court and settled disputes among
her people, was a dynamic woman in peace
and war. The song of Deborah, celebrating
the victory over the army of Sisera, is an ex
cellent example of early yet great Hebrew
poetry.
During the period of the Second Temple
there were also supreme courts of law,
known as the Sanhedrin. This Greek name,
denoting two kinds of councils of ordained
scholars: a) The Great Sanhedrin, consisting
of seventy one members, whose function as
a Legislative Body was to interpret the bib
lical laws and to enact new laws. It was
presided over by a president (Nasi) and a
vice-president, called “father of the court of
justice” (Ad-Beth-Din). It met in Jerusalem
daily, except Sabbath and holidays from
morning until mid-afternoon, b) The Lesser
Council, consisting of twenty-three members,
had jurisdiction over civil and criminal
cases, including capital cases. The Great San
hedrin was the Supreme Court of Appeal on
all disputed points of law or disputed prac
tice.
The learned members of the Great San
hedrin sat in the Temple compartment “Gaz-
ith” of hewn stone in a semicircle with the
accused in front of them, so that all of them
could see him. According to talmudic tradi
tion, only those were appointed to the San
hedrin who had: stature, wisdom, good ap
pearance, maturity, familiarity with all sur
rounding languages. There were divergent
views among the Tannaim regarding capital
punishment. According to one dictum “A
Sanhedrin that effects one execution in seven
years is branded a destructive court.” Rabbi
Elazar ben Azarya says: “one in seventy
years.” Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Akiba say:
“Had we been members of the Sanhedrin,
no one would ever have been put to death.”
To this Rnbhan Gamliel said: “They would
have multiplied murderers in Israel.”
* * *
Napoleon, in 1806, brought about a revival
of a Sanhedrin when he conveyed an assem
bly of Jewish notables for the purpose of
Jewish legislation, consisting of forty-five
Rabbis and twenty-six laymen. Ever since
the establishment of the State of Israel in
1948. a fresh demand for its revival has been
growing, but there has been no decision as yet.
The Fourth Order of the Talmud (Nez-
ikin) deals with injuries, damages, and the
manner of administration of justice in its
entirity and ivill be the subject of our next
“Talmudic Treasures.”
(To be continued)
Siegel Unveiling
Unveiling ceremonies in mem
ory of Samuel Siegel will be
held at 1:00 p.m., Sunday, June
26 in the Shearith Israel section
of Greenwood Cemetery.
Henry Tenenbaum,
Roberta Tenenbaum
Henry Louis Tenenbaum, 45,
and his daughter, Roberta Gail
Tenenbaum. 13, of Savannah
were killed in an automobile
collision Saturday, June 4.
Funeral services were held
June 6 with Rabbi A. I. Rosen
berg and Rabbi I. M. Aisenstark
officiating. Interment was in
Bonaventure Cemetery.
Mr. Tenenbaum was an agent
for the Mutual Benefit Life In
surance Co. He and his daughter
were members of B’nai B’rith Ja
cob Synagogue. A veteran of
World War II, Mr. Tenenbaum
was a past president of the Jew
ish War Veterans and was a
member of Savannah Post 135
of the American Legion.
He was a member of the Citi
zens Advisory Committee, the
Jewish Educational Alliance,
the JEA Men’s Club, B’nai
B’rith, the Westside YMCA and
was a past president of the
Toastmaster’s Club.
Roberta Tenenbaum had just
completed the eighth grade at
Savannah High School. She was
a member of Young Judea and
the Youth of Orthodox Union.
Surviving Mr. Tenenbaum are
his wife, Mrs. Phyllis Tischler
Tenenbaum; two daughters,
Misses Rhonda and Lori Tenen
baum; his father, Meyer Ten
enbaum, all of Savannah, and
a brother, Zeb Tenenbaum of
San Antonio, Texas.
Miss Tenenbaum is also sur
vived by her maternal grand
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel
Tischler of Hollywood, Fla., and
several aunts and uncles.
William Kroskin
William Isadore Kroskin, 59,
of Savannah died Saturday,
May 28.
Funeral services were held
May 30 with Rabbi Joseph
Buchler officiating. Interment
was in Bonaventure Cemetery.
A native of Norfolk, Va., Mr.
Kroskin moved to Savannah in
1931. He was the owner of King
and Prince Men and Boys’ Shop.
He was a member of Temple
Mickve Israel, Clinton Lodge
No. 54, F&AM and Alee Tem
ple Shriners. He was a past
president of the Alee Temple
drum corps. Mr. Kroskin was
president of the Victory Drive
Shopping Plaza Merchants Assn,
and a member of the Jewish
Educational Alliance, B’nai
B’rith, the Elks and the Savan
nah Area Chamber of Com
merce.
Survivors include his wife,
Mrs. Bertie K. Kroskin; a bro
ther, Henry E. Kroskin, Savan
nah; two sisters, Mrs. Harry
Kaplan and Mrs. Leonard Kess
ler, both of Norfolk, and several
nieces and nephews.
Iswald Spielberger
Iswald Spielberger, 68, of At
lanta, died Wednesday, June 8.
Funeral services were held
June 9 at Blanchard’s Chapel
with Rabbi Raphael Gold and
Cantor Isaac Goodfriend offici
ating. Interment was in Green
wood Cemetery.
He was a World War I vet
eran.
Survivors include his wife,
the former Selma Scheuer; a
daughter, Mrs. I. Rotenberg,
Rochester, N. Y.; a son, Dr. Rob
ert D. Spielberger, Birmingham;
a brother, Harry Spielberger,
Atlanta, and two sisters, Mrs.
Mendle Boorstin, Atlanta, and
Mrs. Sidney Backer, Macon.
Mrs. A. B. Tenenbaum
Mrs. A. B. (Florence) Tenen
baum, 59, of Atlanta died Tues
day. June 7.
Funeral services were held
June 9 with Rabbi Jacob Roths
child officiating. Interment was
in Crest Lawn Memorial Park.
Mrs. Tenenbaum, the former
Miss Florence Josel, was a grad
uate of Oglethorpe University.
She was a member of the Tem
ple, the Council of Jewish Wom
en and the Temple Sisterhood.
Survivors include her hus
band; a son, Lee Josel Tenen
baum, Dayton, O., and mother,
Mrs. Rose Josel of Atlanta.
Jacob Heilman
Jacob J. Heilman, 75, of Day
tona Beach, formerly of Atlanta,
died Monday, June 6.
Funeral services were held in
Atlanta at Blanchard’s Chapel
on June 8. Rabbi Raphael Gold
and Cantor Isaac Goodfriend of
ficiated. Interment was in
Greenwood Cemetery.
Mr. Heilman was a retired
salesman.
Survivors include his wife,
the former Birdie Gell; a daugh
ter, Mrs. Hal Furman, Seattle,
and a sister, Mrs. Phillip Ben
son, Atlanta.
JEWISH
CALENDAR
FAST OF TAMMUZ
July 5, Tuesday
TISIIAII B’AV
July 26, Tuesday
•ROSH HASHONAH
September 15-16,
Thursday and Friday
*YOM KIPPUR
September 24. Saturday
•HOLIDAY BEGINS
SUNDOWN PREVIOUS DAY
