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Happy Hanuka Greetings to One and All
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Established 1925
Vol. XLII Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, December 22, 1967 ' No. 51
Hanuka Protest on Soviets
Planned for 16 U. S. Cities
NEW YORK (JTA)—Rallies in
protest against the anti-Jewish
d ise rimi nations in the Soviet
Union will be held simultaneous
ly in 16 major American cities,
December 26, it was announced
here by the American Jewish
Conference on Soviet Jewry. Ac
cording to the organization, more
than 25,000 persons are expected
to participate in Hanuka candle-
lighting oeremonies that evening,
symbolizing the theme “from
darkness to light” and calling on
the USSR to grant to Soviet Jew
ry the same rights enjoyed by all
other national minorities in the
Soviet Union.
The rallies will include pro
tests in Atlanta, Norfolk, New
York City, Newark, N. J., San
Jose, Calif., Baltimore, Camden,
N. J., San Francisco, Pittsburgh,
—Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Philadel
phia, Boston, St. Louis, Trenton,
N. J., end Waterbury, Conn.
Included in the ceremonies will
be the carrying of 800 eight-day
wax candles, symbolizing freedom
for Soviet Jews; eight large
torches for the festival of Han
uka as a holiday of rededioa-
tion to freedom of religion; and
the ‘‘Torch of Soviet Jewry”
which originally was kindled by
the American Jewish Conference
on Soviet Jewry at the Eternal
Light Rally in Lafayette Park, op
posite the White House, in Wash
ington, in September, 1965.
Johnson Reaffirms
Stand On Genocide
NEW YORK (JTA)—President
Johnson has sent a telegram to
Dr. Joachim Prinz, chairman of
the Conference of Major Amer
ican Jewish Organizations, reaf
firming this country’s stand
against genocide. “We fervently
hope that, as we build a struc
ture of peace in the world, we
can also build a lasting peace be
tween all peoples, and that the
world never again will be witness
to the horror of 25 years ago,”
President Johnson wrote.
The telegram marked the 25th
anniversary of a Tri-Partite Dec
laration issued by the United
States, the Soviet Union and
Great Britain, deploring the per
secution of Jews in Nazi Germ
any and condemning those guilty
of perpetrating it. “I can assure
you that this Administration feels
no less strongly about the crime
of genocide than did President
Roosevelt when the declaration
was issued in 1942,” President
Johnson stated.
British Leader
Hits deGaulle
LONDON (JTA) — Concern
about the position of Jews in the
Soviet Union, and condemnation
of President de Gaulle’s recent
antti-Jewish and anti-Israel state
ments, v.’M voiced by Alderman
Michael M. Fidler, president of
the Board of Deputies of British
Jews at a meeting here. The
status of the Jews in the Soviet
Union “‘continues to cause the
deepest anxiety,” he said, “de
prived as they are of the rights
afforded to all other ethnic mi
norities.”
Supreme Court Faces
School Aid Pressure
NEW YORK (JTA)—The U. S.
Supreme Court is under increas
ing pressure to rule on the thorny
constitutional problem of govern
ment add to church and synagogue
schools involving hundreds of
of millions of dollars, according
to a year-end surveycf church-
state litigation announced—here
by the American Jewish Con
gress.
The survey listed 30 cases now
pending in state and federal
courts, 17 of them on the issue
of whether tax-raised funds may
be used in support of religiously-
affiliated schools. Seven of these
oases have been taken to the Su
preme Court in recent months,
the report noted.
BBYO Teenagers to Hear
Georgia Lieutenant-Governor
The Southern Region of the
B’nai B’rith Yovith Organization
will be hearing Lt. Governor
George T. Smith address a body
of three hundred teenagers from
the states of Georgia and South
Carolina during their convention
in the Towne House Hotel, Au
gusta, Go., December 25 through
the 29. The Lt. Governor will
address the convention body on
its Human Relations Day theme,
“If Not Now . . . When? If Not
Us . . . Who?” The theme of the
entire convention is “Let’s Hear
It For Mankind.”
Following his address the Lt.
Governor will visit the various
discussion groups to help suggest
ways and means for teenagers to
involve themselves in Civic and
Human Relations Action Pro
grams when they return to their
local respective communities. Mrs.
Betty Platt of the Lt. Governor’s
office will also serve as a judge
for the oratory contest that will
take place later in the day.
The following day, December
27, the convention body will hear
an address by Abe Tooch, direc
tor of the Israel Aliyah office in
Atlanta. Mr. Tooth will discuss
the reoent Mid-East War and the
role that teenagers in Israel
played in keeping the economy
of the country alive while the
men of the nation were mobil
ized.
Of the three hundred teenagers
who will be attending the Sou
thern Region convention of BBYO
over 165 will be coming from At
lanta alone. The B’nai B’riitb
Youth Organization in the city
of Atlanta has a total member
ship of 700 teenagers ranging
from the eighth through the
twelfth grades, totalling 27 chap
ters. The chapters are led by ded
icated members of the commun
ity who volunteer their services
as adult Advisors. The majority
of advisors come from the B’nai
B’rith Men and Women’s organ
izations of Atlanta, the parent
body of the BBYO.
Present ait the Lt Governor’s
office were the youth co-ocrdina-
tors of the convention, Larry
Cuba, Aleph S’gan of the Atlan
ta and Columbus AZA; Miss Pa
tricia Giniger of Aviva BBG; and
Joe Berchenko, Theme and Dis
cussion Co-Ordinator of the con
vention. The three coordinators
planned the Human Relations
Day with the Lt. Governor and
had the opportunity to polish his
gavel for the occasion. Also pre
sent were Mrs. Ben Zimmerman,
chairman of the Southern Region.
B’nai B’rith Youth Committee
and Vice-Chairman of the At
lanta BBYO Committee; Jonas
Werzberger, Director of the At
lanta and Columbus B’nai B’rith
Youth Organization and Program
Director of the Southern Region
al convention; snd Adolph Rosen
berg, editor of The Southern Is
raelite.
The overall Director of the con
vention is Ronald T. Cahn, the
District “5” Director of the B’nai
B’rith Youth Organization.
Georgia Lieutenant Governor George T. Smith, for a lighter-touch
gag, shows BBYO Convention Coordinators Joe Berchenko, Patricia
Giniger and Larry Cuba how to polish gavels for presiding st meet
ings. Last week’s coffee makes an excellent lubricant, he said. He
will talk on more serious subjects st the Augusta convention.
Six-Day War Cost Israel
$1,120,000,000Says Sapir
LONDON (JTA) — Israel’s
Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir
has estimated that last June’s
Six Day War coat Israel 400
million pounds sterling or one
billion, 120 million dollars cal
culated on the then prevailing
value of the pound. Mr. Sapir
made this disclosure in the
course of an address before 400
leaders of British Jewry at the
national convention here of the
Joint Palestine Appeal. He gave
the figure as an example of the
burdens that Israel has to bear
and the great need that still re
mains for continued assistance
from world Jewry.
Mr. Sapir and Aryeh Pincus,
chairman and treasurer of the
Jewish Agency, were the key
note speakers at the JPA gath
ering which launched the sec
ond phase of its Israel emer
gency appeal. Mr. Sapir describ
ed the financial problems that
beset Israel both before and af
ter the June war which led to
devaluation of the Israel pound.
He justified that measure as one
vital to maintain the competitive
strength of Israel’s exports.
D e v a 1 u at ion assured ibis
relative to the sterling bloc
“and we have also gained a cer
tain advantage with countries
that have not devalued their
currency,” he said. Mr. Sapir
predicted that Israel’s devalu
ation “will probpbly lead to a
re-direction of labor into export
industries and will help estab
lish new ones” producing for
export.
Mr. Pincus, in a summation at ,
the close of the convention, re- /
ferred to the “fundamental
question—aliya.” He said that
the 20,000 immigrants expected
Arabs Try For
“Black Christmas”
NEW YORK (JTA) — An
anti-Israel Arab propaganda or
ganization is conducting a na
tionwide letter, telephone and
telegram campaign to get “one
million American Arabs” to
cover their Christmas trees with
black “to protest Israeli occupa
tion of Bethlehem and the rest
of the Holy Land.” The cam
paign was announced by Dr. M.
T. Mehdi, secretary-general of
the “Action Committee on Amer-
ican-Arab Relations,” an organi
zation that makes its headquar
ters here. There was no indica-
cation of where the “one million
American Arabs,” presumably
all Christians, are located.
Rumanian Jews
to come to Israel in the year
ahead must not be treated as a
final figure because circum
stances can change at any time.
He said a new bill was now be
ing processed that would elimin
ate red tape and expedite immi
gration generally.
Finance Minister Sapir warn
ed that while Israel can econo
mize in many directions, “we
cannot cut down the means to
meet the vital security needs of
our state,” especially in light of
President Nasser’s recent an
nouncement that Egypt is about
to realign its economy on a war
time basis. As examples of how
Israelis themselves carry the
financial burdens of security.
Mr. Sapir mentioned "defense
stamps” on many commodities
and the special defense loan. He
said he intended to convince the
Government to disclose the
over-all figure of the defense
budget to the public “to show
them where their money is go
ing.” He stressed that, though
Israel may be nearer to peace
than ever, “help from the dias
pora remains a constant factor in
our planning.”
Terrorists Slain
In New Clashes;
Suspects Seized
TEL AVIV (JTA)—An Israeli
Army patrol killed three Syrian-
/ trained terrorists in a gun battle
on .the Golan Heights about four
miles on the Israel-side of the
Israel-Syrian cease-fire line, an
Army spokesman reported. Three
Russian-type submachine gtms
were found near the terrorists'
bodies. There were no Israeli cas
ualties.
The incident was the second
in three days Involving infiltrees
from Syria. Earlier, a paired In
tercepted a three-man terrorist
group in the Golan Heights re
gion trying to make its way back
to the Syrian aide of the cease
fire line. One was killed in an
exchange of fire and the other
two were captured with a quan
tity of Soviet-mode weapons.
Military spokesmen also re
ported that a large, but undis
closed number of members and
supporters of the El Fatah ter-
orist organization have been cap
tured in recent weeks in large-
scale search and identification
actions. They were found to be
in possession of large quantities
of bozookas, assault guns, sub
machine guns, explosives and
hand grenades.
Enjoying Freedom
NEW YORK (JTA) — Dr.
Moses Rosen, chief rabbi of
Rumania, reported here that
there were 100,000 Jews left in
Rumania. Of these, he said,
50,000 are in Bucharest and the
balance in approximately 75 to
100 communities throughout the
country. There were 400,000
Jews in Rumania at the end of
World War II.
Addressing a group of Yid
dish writers, he said that the
Jews In Rumania enjoyed full
religious and cultural freedom.
There are over 150 synagogues
functioning, 50 of them in Buch
arest. Between 700 and 800 wor
shippers attend services at his
own Choral Synagogue, each
week, he said. There were 500
synagogues at the end of World
War II.
JDC Ups Budget
By $2 Million
NEW YORK (JTA)—The Joint
Distribution Com mi ttee has
adopted a budget of $24,551,000 for
1968, about $2 million above Ms
actual 1967 expenditures of $22,-
500,000. The budget will be sub
mitted to the United Jewish Ap
peal of which the JDC is a
beneficiary.
Louis Brotdo was reelected
chairman of JDC for a third
term. Jack D. Wedler, of New
York, was chosen again as chair
man of the JDC national council;
and Judge Nochecn S. Winnet, of
Philadelphia, was reelected vice-
chairman of that council. Nearly
400 Jewish leaders from all over
the United States and Canada at
tended the reoent meeting here.