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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly
Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Establi**'" ' „ n^Vjri-2
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5,000 New \ orkers Protest
Russian Suppression of Jews
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1966
NEW YORK (JTA)—Five thou
sand New Yorkers participated
here in a march and rally pro
testing against Soviet discrimina
tions against Russian Jewry, cul
minated by an address by the
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Negro leader.
The New York meeting, at
Cooper Union Hall, was one of
similar actions in 32 other Amer
ican communities, involving an
estimated 100,000 persons. The
rallies and marches were linked
both to Hanuka, currently being
celebrated, and Human Rights
Day, observed by the United Na
tions.
Dr. King spoke from his home
in Atlanta over a telephone hook
up that reached all of the vari
ous meetings, sponsored by the
American Jewish Conference on
Soviet Jewry. Addressing the
Cooper Union meeting were also
Rabbi Israel Miller, chairman of
the Conference, and Rabbi Jacob
Goldberg, chairman of the New
York City Coordinating Commit
tee for Soviet Jewry.
In his address to the rally, Dr.
King stressed that “a denial of
human rights anywhere is a
threat to every man everywhere.”
He said that while Jews in Rus
sia are not being killed as in Nazi
Germany, they are “facing every
kind of spiritual and cultural gen
ocide.” “We must continue to
make our voices heard. The world
has a right to remind Russia it is
repressing a cultural heritage that
is part of world property,” he
stated.
New York Mayor John V. Lind
say declared in a statement on
the occasion: “It is a matter of
concern to me, personally and of-
fically, that human rights are
being withheld from the Jewish
population of the Soviet Union,
even as these rights are guaran
teed under the UN’s Universal
Declaration of Human Rights as
well as under the Constitution of
the USSR."
Vice President W*
4 To Let Israel Alone’ — Says
Self Defense Is Justified
By DAVID HOROWITZ
NEW YORK (WUP) — After
listening to lengthy speeches de
livered by Israel Foreign Minister
Abba Eban and Jewish Agency
Chairman Louis A. Pincus —
speeches which presented a com
prehensive picture of the true
over-all situation in which the
Jewish State finds itself today,
Vice President Hubert H. Hum
phrey, deeply moved and inspired
by what he had heard, departed
from his prepared text* which
dealt with general U. S. policy
and told a glittering audience of
some 2,500 attending the closing
banquet session of the 29th an
nual national conference of the
UJA at the New York Hilton last
week that the two Israelis
had opened his eyes and taught
S. Y. Agnon, Miss Sachs Given
No bel Prize by S weden’s K ing
STOCKHOLM (JTA) — King
Gustav VI Adolf, of Sweden, pre
sented the 1966 Nobel Prtoe for
Literature to the two Jewish co
winners—the noted Israeli writer
Shmuel Yosef Agnon and Miss
Nelly Sachs, Jewish poet, a ref
ugee from Germany who now
lives in Sweden—in an impres
sive ceremony in the Concert Hall
here, which was followed by a
formal banquet in the Golden
Auditorium of the City Hall. Mr.
Agnon, 78, writes in Hebrew;
Miss Sachs, 75, writes jn Ger
man. They share the $60,000
Nobel Prize award.
In attendance and among the
participants were not only all
the members of the Swedish royal
family but also the most disting
uished of Sweden’s writers, sci
entists, university professors and
members of the Government. Six
newly-elected Nobel Laureates
were honored. Three were Amer
icans, one Frenchman—and two
Jews.
Seated up front, side by side
German State Names
Jew To Office
BONN (JTA) -— Dr. Joseph
Neuberger, a Jew who returned
from Israel to West Germany,
was named Minister of Justice in
the newly formed Social Demo
cratic government of the West
German state of North Rhine —
Westphalia.
Heinrich Albertz, a former
Protestant clergyman who was
jailed by the Nazis for six
months during the war for
preaching a sermon deemed by
the Nazis as “hostile to the state,”
is sure to become West Berlin’s
Governing Mayor. He has been
chosen for the post, as successor
to Willy Brandt, now Vice-Chan
cellor and Minister of Foreign
Affairs in the new Bonn Gov
ernment.
Mr. Albertz, whom the Nazis
impressed into the army after his
wartime imprisonment, gave up
the ministry to aid refugees after
the war. He was named as Mr.
Brandt’s successor by the Social
ist Party, which has an absolute
majority in the City Assembly.
He is to serve until March 12,
when new city elections are to be
held by the Assembly.
in the Concert Hall, were Mr.
Agnon, the Galician-bom Israeli,
wearing a velvet yarmulke atop
his formal, white-tie attire, and
Miss Sachs—both diminutive fig
ures of great dignity.
Misa Sachs was called up first
and, with absolute composure,
bowed to the king as she received
her award. In a brief, gracious
speech, she recalled that she was
a refugee from Nazi Germany—
without mentioning either Hitler
or Nazism—and that the cere
mony coincided in date with her
75th birthday. Then came Mr.
Agnon.
Eban in Washington
Meets U. S. Officials
WASHINGTON (JTA)— Israel
Foreign Minister Abba Eban met
with a number of high-level
White House and State Depart
ment officials in a series of talks
aimed at explaining the Israeli
view on the situation in the Mid
dle East. Mr. Eban is believed to
have sought to explain the secur
ity problems confronting Israel
and to develop better understand
ing among Washington policy
makers of the Israeli position.
The Foreign Minister met first
with Joseph Sisco, Assistant Sec
retary of State for International
Organization Affairs. He held a
general discussion with special
emphasis on the failure of the
United Nations to follow a bal
anced and equitable stand on the
Arab-lsrael border friction. It is
thought that he detailed the chain
of events that necessitated the
Israeli aciton of last month
against Jordan.
Mr. Eban also met with Nich
olas Katzenbach, acting Secre
tary of State, for a general re
view of current issues of mutual
interest. The Israeli Foreign Min
ister briefed Mr. Katzenbach, a
relatively new appointee to the
State Department, on Israel’s
thinking on key matters.
Mr. Eban had lunch with Rob
ert Komer, an aide to President
Johnson with special responsibil
ity including the area of the Mid
dle Eaat. The Foreign Minister
met at the executive office of the
President with Walt W. Rostow,
special assistant to Mr. Johnson
on international security affairs.
Bowing several times both to
the king and the celebrated com
pany, Mr. Agnon, who is a deep
ly devout Jew, opened his re
marks by noting that a Jew
could not enjoy an occasion of
meeting a king without an ap
propriate blessing. In Hebrew, h«
recited that benediction: “Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, our God, King
of the universe, Who hast given
of Thy glory to a king of flesh
and blood.” Mr. Agnon then con
tinued: “To you, distinguished
sages of the Swedish Academy,
I say: Blessed be He Who lent
His wisdom to flesh and blood.”
He sketched his own life brief
ly, noting that, even in his youth
in Galicia, he had always regard
ed himself as “a Jew from Jer
usalem.” “In your choice,” he told
the a c a d e m i cians, “I feel
humbled. I have never forgotten
the Biblical direction enjoining
us to go humbly before our God.
If I am proud of anything, it is
for the privilege vouchsafed me
of living in the Holy Land, which
God promised to our forefathers
and thus fulfilling His command.”
He concluded with a prayer for
peace for Israel, for Sweden and
for the entire world.
The Concert Hall ceremonies
were concluded with an address
by Dr. Ingvar Andersen on be
half of the Swedish Academy. He
told Mr. Agnon: “In your
writings, we meet once again the
ancient unity between literature
and science as antiquity knew it.
Your great chronicles have a
manifold message. We honor in
you a combination of tradition
and prophecy, of sage and wis
dom." To Miss Sachs, Dr. Ander
sen said: “Your lyrical and dra
matic writing belongs to the great
commentaries of world literature,
yet your sadness is free of hate.”
The company then adjourned,
gathering again at the formal
banquet at City Hall. There, Miss
Sachs was the king’s table com
panion, seated at the right of the
monarch. Mr. Agnon’s dinner
companions were Mrs. Von Euler,
wife of the chairman of the Nobel
Foundation's board of directors,
and Princess Sibylla. Mr. Agnon
was served a specially prepared
kosher on a plate never used
previously but matching the
rtiyal dlnnerware.
him a lesson on the “definition of
aggression.”
With a clear reference to the
Arab guerrillas—and hinting at a
similar situation in Vietnam—he
warned the aggressors to “Leave
people alone. Let us alone,” he
dared.
“We will oppose aggression,”
Humphrey repeated. “We are
committed to the safety and se
curity of Israel as an Independent
State.”
Referring to Israel's 18th anni
versary and linking the occasion
to the 18th anniversary of the
UN Universal Declaration of Hu
man Rights, celebrated around
the globe the very moment he
was speaking, he took pride in
pronouncing the word “chai”
(life) in Hebrew and announced
that during the morning of this
Sabbath he had happily attended
a Hanuka celebration in Wash
ington’s Adas Israel Synagogue.
He then greeted the audience
with a “Shabbath Shalom.”
Hailing Israel’s accomplish
ments in science, technical assis
tance and in a score of other
fields, the Vice President spoke
of the many things the U. S. and
Israel have in common. “We can
learn from each other,” he said.
Abba Eban, in his brilliant
speech, declared that “the UN has
not as yet been able to offer se
curity to any state” and he warn
ed that “Israel cannot accept
passive submission to terrorism.
The immediate alternatives in the
Middle East are not war or
peace,” he said. “The two least
likely things to happen in the
near future are final peace or
general war. We are destined to
live for some years in the twi
light zone between the two. What
statesmanship should try to
achieve is to bring the situation
nearer to peace than to war.”
Mr. Pincus recounted the his
tory of Israel’s birth to the pres
ent day. “We stand now at the
crossroads,” he said. “We must
no longer protest, but act in the
face of the many stumbling blocks
that face us.” He stated Israel ex
pects some 20,000 new immigrants
in 1967.
The four-day conference con
cluded its sessions with the
adoption of a goal of $75,620,000
as the objective of the UJA na
tionwide campaign for 1967.
Max M. Fisher was reelected to
a third term as UJA General
Chairman. Edward Ginsberg, of
Cleveland, was elected Associate
General Chairman — a newly-
created high leadership poet.
Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman was
reelected to his 12th term as UJA
executive vice chairman. Mrs.
Harry L. Jones, of Detroit, was
elected chairman of the UJA’s
National Women’s Division.
The 1967 campaign goal—$10,-
000,000 more than the UJA total
in 1966—is the minimum needed,
according to the budgetary pre
sentation made during the con
ference by the functional agen
cies supported by the Appeal —
and 30 other countries through
out the world. AH the budgetary
presentations cited the extraordi
nary costs developing out at the
sharply increased needs of Immi
grant absorption programs In Is
rael, aa well as a continued move
ment of Jewish immigrants to
that and other countries, and re
lief and reconstruction programs
in Western Europe, North Afri
ca and the Middle East.
Seminary To Honor Epstein
With DD Degree Dec. 18th
Rabbi Harry H. Epstein, for
38(4 years spiritual leader of the
Ahavath Achim Synagogue in At
lanta, will receive the honorary
degree of Doctor of Divinity at a
special Convocation of The Jew
ish Theological Seminary of
America on Sunday, December 18.
He is the only Georgia rabbi
among 36 senior rabbis from 13
states to be so honored as part
of the celebration of the 80th An
niversary of the Seminary, aca
demic center of the Conservative
movement.
“The conferring of so many de
grees at one time is without prec
edent for the Seminary,” said Dr.
Louis Finkelstein, Chancellor,
"and it is appropriate that the
recipients should be these men
whom we honor for long and
faithful service in the pulpit. It
has been no easy task to select
these symbolic 36 from many
qualified candidates.”
A graduate of Emory Univer
sity with a Master’s Degree from
the same institution, Dr. Epstein
received smicha (rabbinical ordi
nation) in 1925 in Israel (then
Palestine). He also holds the de
gree of Doctor of Theology from
the Central School of Religion In
Indianapolis, Ind., and has served
in the pulpit for 39t4 years. A
member of the Rabbinic Cabinet
RABBI EPSTEIN
of The Jewish Theological Sem
inary of America and of the Rab
binical Assembly, he is a past
president of the latter group’s
Southeast Region as well as past-
chairman *of the Atlanta Jewish
Welfare Fund and past president
of the Gate City Lodge of the
B’nai Brith of Atlanta. Rabbi Ep
stein is the author of two works,
Judaism and Progrets and The
Basis o/ Religious Certainly. Be
and his wife, Reva, have two
daughters, Mrs. Renana Lavin
and Mrs Davida Weiss.