Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Established 1925
Vol. XU
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1966
NO. 34
Soviets Decree Death UN Chief finds Syria Adamant;
For Economic Crime Reports to Israel on Efforts
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A
Russian Jew has been sentenced
to death for alleged “economic
crimes” for the first time since
the ouster of Soviet Premier
Khrushchev, it was reported here
from Moscow. The Soviet news
paper Trud said that M. Rab
inovich, 43, was condemned by a
Moscow city court for leading a
ring of factory employes who al
legedly made more than $407,000
“by conspiring to steal state-
owned materials, selling goods
made therefrom the personal
profit.”
It was charged that Rabino
vich and accomplices, most of
them with Jewish names, took
jobs and then “did business on
the side” by reducing the
amount of material designated
for each garment. “The material
stolen in this manner was then
used for private manufacture of
dresses, shirts, sweaters, and
underwear,” the Soviet news
paper stated. It was alleged that
Rabinovich organized the con
spiracy. From 1962 to 1964 more
than 150 persons were executed
for economic crimes in the Soviet
Union; over one-half were Jews.
It was charged in many quarters
that the alleged criminals were
victims of anti-Semitism.
Anti-Semitic Professor
Quits John Birch Group
BELMONT, Mass. (JTA)—The
resignation from the John Birch
Society of Prof. Revilo P. Oliver,
known for his outspoken views
against the Jews, was confirmed
to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
by the headquarters of the So
ciety here. However, no comment
could be obtained on whether
Oliver’s resignation had anything
to do with his anti-Jewish views,
which he expressed at a rally
last month in Boston. The rally,
on July 2, evoked strong criticism
against him and against the John
Birch Society.
Prof. Oliver, a teacher of Greek
and Latin at the University of
Illinois, is a founder of the So
ciety. He was one of the 11 men
who attended the Society’s initial
organizational meeting at a motel
in Indianapolis in 1958. He was a
member of the organization’s 24-
member ruling council and as
sociate editor of American Opin
ion, the Society’s official organ.
His resignation was attributed to
a dispute over his anti-Semitic
views and to his dissatisfaction
over the complete authority over
affairs of the Birch Society held
by Robert H. Welch, Jr., princ
ipal founder and president.
Prof. Oliver was the principal
speaker at the July 2 New Eng
land Rally for God, Family and
Country in Boston. In a speech
lasting more than an hour, he at
tacked what he called the “con
spiracy of the Jews” and assert-
(Continued on page 5)
JERUSALEM (JTA) — With
both sides armed to the hilt, each
on its own side of the common
frontier, Syria and Israel con
tinue to face each other midst
grave tensions along Lake Tib
erias. The lake is entirely in Is
rael’s jurisdiction, but Syria in
sists on probing its waters for
recovery of a Syrian jet fighter
and a Syrian pilot, both shot
down by Israel last week.
Syria’s continued insistence
that it must be allowed to try to
salvage its MIG-17 and to bring
up the body of the pilot of that
ship—which Israel brought down
into the lake—was relayed to Is
rael’s Foreign Ministry by Lt.
Gen. Odd Bull, chief of staff of
the United Nations Truce Super
vision Organization.
Gen. Bull had just returned
from a conference in Damascus
with the chief of staff of Syria’s
army, and with other Syrian of
ficials. He reported that they are
adamant in their insistence that
they have a “right” to try to
salvage their own plane and pilot
from the bottom of the lake.
Failing to obtain from Israel rec
ognition of that “right,” Gen.
Bull reported, Syria insists it will
not allow Israel to salvage its
Coast Guard cutter, stuck on a
reef about 200 yards from the
lake shore nearest to Syrian ter
ritory.
While asking Gen. Bull to
continue his negotiations with
Syria, Israel made it clear that
it will deny to Syria any rights
over Lake Tiberias. Israel point
ed out once more that under a
treaty between France and Bri
tain following World War I, the
entire lake was placed in Pales
tine under British jurisdiction.
To make sure that there would
be no disagreement about Brit-
fch jurisdiction over the entire
like, France and Britain had
agreed that, near the northeas
tern corner of the lake, a narrow
strip of land, between 35 and 40
yards in depth, would be demarc
ated on the Palestinian side of
the border with Syria.
Israel inists now, as it always
has, that Lake Tiberias is en
tirely within its sovereignty as
it is the inheritor of the Franco-
British agreement, which had
been superseded by the Syrian-
Israeli armistice pace of 1949.
Soviet Youngsters Shun Shules
Rabbis Find Soviet Jewish Youth
Evade Religious Commitment
NEW YORK (WUP)—“Jewish
youth is not eager to accept the
burdens of religious commitment
and there was little in the syn
agogues we saw that could pos
sibly attract them.”
This was the finding of twenty-
two members of the Central Con
ference of American Rabbis who
had constituted a Study Mission
on Soviet Jewry to Russia, Po
land, Hungary and Czechoslova
kia during the period of July 11
to August 4.
Having returned to the United
States, the group of 22, most of
them distinguished Reform rab
bis, issued a joint statement
which declared that “the Com
munist assault on religion seems
to have triumphed. The Govern
ment can now afford to be more
generous to the remnant of old
believers. They are at the end of
the road.”
The rabbinical group, headed
by Rabbi Jacob J. Weinstein of
Chicago, introduced their seven-
point joint statement with the
following declaration:
“We, the members of the Study
Mission, are deeply grateful for
the cordial reception accorded us
by the officials of the Soviet Gov
ernment and for the assistance
given us by the Ministry of
Cults in arranging meetings for
us. During our travels we had
the opportunity to meet and to
speak with representatives of the
synagogues, of the eastern Orth
odox Church and the Baptist
Union, of the Yiddish cultural
groups, of the scientific groups
such as the institute of the Peo
ples of Asia in Leningrad, and a
variety of individuals from all
walks of life.
“Our Mission was duly cogni
zant of the fact that no defini
tive conclusions could be achiev
ed after so short a study of so
profound a problem as religion
(Continued on page 5)
Israel fears that, if it should
permit Syria to try to salvage its
own plane in the lake, a prece
dent would be established, under
which Syria would, in the future,
claim other rights in the lake.
On the other hand, Israel re
assured Gen. Bull again that ,it
is willing to turn back to the
Syrians both their sunken MIG-
17 and the body of their drown
ed pilot, after these are brought
up by Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Coast
Guard cutter is still stranded on
a sandbar, and Israel is not try
ing to put it back into service
at the request of the United Na
tions, which fears a flare-up of
Syrian-Israeli fighting.
Syria has installed big search
lights near its side of the Tib
erias border, lighting the area by
night to make sure Israel is not
doing any salvage work. There
are heavy concentrations of
Syrian guns, tanks and infantry
on the border near the lake, and
Syrian planes are patroling the
air on the Syrian side of the
border. The name preparations,
of a defensive character, are
evident on Israel’s side.
Israel is also on the alert
against possible renewal of ter
rorist raids by members of the
El Fatah organization which is
directed from Syrian bases but
which may attempt to infiltrate
into Israel from nearby Jordan
or Lebanon. The opinion prevail
ing In Israel is that the recent
Syrian threats of warfare cannot
be implemented by Syria by open
warfare, but only by guerrilla
methods against which Israel is
determined to retaliate as indi
cated by Prime Minister Levi
Eshkol, following a session of the
cabinet.
(In Washington, State Depart
ment officials said that the
United States is closely observing
developments on the tense Is-
raeli-Syrian frontier, and that the
United States Government feels
both sides should cooperate with
the United Nations Truce Super
vision Organization.)
Israel to Dedicate New Knesset Building August 30
The late President Izhak Ben-Zvi
delivering his second inaugural
address in the Knesset in Jerus
alem on 29 October 1957. On
President Ben-Zvi’s left: Mr.
Sprinzak and Moshe Rosette,
Clerk of the Knesset.
The late Chaim Weizman, being
sworn in as Israel’s first Presi
dent at the first session of the
Knesset in the Jewish Agency
Building, Jerusalem, on 17 Feb
ruary 1949. On President Weiz-
mann's right, Yosef Sprinzak,
first Speaker of the Knesset. In
front (centre): Chief Rabbis Isaac
Halevi Herzog and Ben-Zion
Uziel.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE NEW KNESSET BUILDING, JUNE 1966, SEEN
FROM THE ISRAEL MUSEUM
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol pre
senting his new Cabinet to the
Knesset in Jerusalem on 12 Jan
uary 1966. Speaker Kaddish Luz
is in the chair.
The proclamation of the State of
Israel at the first meeting of the
Provisional State Council, fore
runner of the Knesset, in the Tel
Aviv Museum, on 14 May 1948.
On the platform (left to right):
members of the Provisional Gov
ernment. Bechor Shitreet, the
late David Remz, Pinhas Rosn,
Perez Bernstein, the late Rabbi
Y. L. Maimon (Fishman), David
Ben-Gurion, Moshe Shapiro, the
late Moshe Sharett and Eliezer
Kaplan, Mordeehai Bentov and
the late Aharon Zisling.
