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The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Established 1925
Vol. XLIII Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, January 19, 1968 No. 3
Prime Minister Levi Eshkol was smiling broadly as he boarded
President Johnson’s air force jetliner at Bergstrom AFB near Austin,
Tex. for the return flight to New York City. He had just completed
two days of discussions with President Johnson at the Texas White
House. (The photographer was Milton Firestone, editor and pub
lisher of the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle and a vice president of
the American Jewish Press Assn. Mr. Firestone hitched a ride to
New York on the President’s plane, returning to K.C. via the long
route.)
Seek Pop Jobs
NEW YORK: (JTA) — A
nationwide program to speed the
movement of qualified Jews in
to management positions in large
public corporations has been
started by the Jewish Occupa
tional Council with the help of
a grant from the Kahn Founda
tion of Philadelphia.
In announcing the program,
Benjamin S. Loewenstein, chair
man of the JOC, said it followed
logically from the pioneering ef
forts of the American Jewish
Committee which has been seek
ing to remove the barriers to the
“executive suite’’ for talented
Jews. A collaborative program,
now in its third year, has been
underway for the objective be
tween the .American Jewish
Committee chapter and the Jew
ish Employment and Vocational
Service of Philadelphia, one of
the two dozen Jewish vocational
agencies for which the JOC
serves as national coordinating
body. The Philadelphia pro
gram will serve as a prototype
for programs in other communi
ties. Half of the $10,000 Kahn
grant is being used in Phila
delphia for the local project and
the other half is being used by
the JOC to develop the program
on a national basis.
Basically, the program is a
two-pronged effort. Initially
the American Jewish Committee
brings to the attention of top
management in banks, insurance
companies, heavy manufacturing
and public utilities patterns of
exclusion of Jews and members
of other minoiity groups from
management positions. When
top managements is properly
approached, a new climate of
acceptance of a more hetero
geneous management team is
created- 'The evidence has been
that once such exclusion pat
terns are made known to top
executives, they are more likely
to consider embarking on an
affirmative program to correct
such practices.
At this point, the need is to
bring together qualified Jews
with managers of private em
ployment bureaus involved in
management referrals and uni
versity p 1 a c em e n t bureaus.
Another factor is to make known
to the Jewish community that
such new opportunities are being
opened. This is what the JEVS
has been doing in Philadelphia
in cooperation with the Ameri-
For Able Jews
can Jewish Committee. Similar
collaborative efforts are being
done, on a limited scale, in Los
Angeles, Cleveland, Milwaukee
and Essex County. The goal of
the nationally-directed effort is
to bring the work to he mo6t
effecive possible level through
out the United States.
Red Sox Nose Out
Army of Israel
According to the vote of
378 sportswriters nationwide,
the Boston Red Sox were
named the outstanding team
of the year this week.
BUT the Israeli Army re
ceived four e n t h u s iastic
votes.
Zionist Leaders
Meet Next Month
JERUSALEM (JTA)— A con
ference of Zionist leaders from Is
rael and abroad will be held here
at the* end of February to discuss
proposals adopted at the plenary
session of the Jewish Agency
executive regarding the future
structure and program of the
World Zionist movement. Those
proposals call for an expanded
Jewish Agency which will enlist
the support of all sections of the
Jewish people on behalf of Is
rael, and for the creation at the
same time of an elite group
within the movemen*, made up
of Zionists personally committed
to aliyah-immigration—to Israel.
Aryeh Pincus. chairman of the
Jewish Agency exeoutive, summ
ed up the proceedings by observ
ing that there is no lomitradiction
between working for a.liyah on
the one hand and fostering Jew
ish educaittion in the Diaspora.
The Zionist movement, he said,
“must not be restricted to the
exclusive few who are willing to
undertake the personal obligation
of aliyah. It is still the only or
ganization capable of serving as
a bridge between Israel and the
Diaspora.”
The “exclusive few,” however,
will be accorded “preferred sta
tus’’ under the new proposals,
which call for the establishment
of a "personal” or “practicing”
Zionist movement.
NEW YORK, (JTA) — Prime
Minister Levi Eshkol of Israel
completed a whirlwind eight-
day visit to the United States
highlighted by two days of
cordial talks with President
Johnson and a warm welcome
by civic and Jewish leaders be
fore he departed for Canada for
more meetings with government
and Jewish leaders.
On the eve of his departure,
more than 2,500 leaders of or
ganized Jewish life in the Uni
ted States gathered to assure
him of moral support in the
achievement of peace, and ma
terial support for Israeli eco
nomic progress in the coming
year. The pledges were voiced
by Edward Ginsberg of Cleve
land, general chairman of the
United Jewish Appeal, and Sam
uel Rothberg of Peoria, national
campaign chairman of the Israel
Bond Organization. The two
leaders served • as co-chairman
of a farewell dinner in honor of
Mr. and Mrs. Eshkol, which was
sponsored by 55 national Jewish
Organizations. The audience
inqluded prominent personali
ties in Jewish affairs, business,
public and academic life and the
arts and sciences.
Mr. Ginsberg paid warm
tribute to Mr. Eshkol’s leader
ship and stressed the close ties
which united Jews of every
country with the people of
Israel. He pledged fullest sup
port by American Jews to Israel
in all problems and all emergen
cies. He said “step by step,
Skullcap Debate
TORONTO, (JTA) — A Jew
ish 17-year-old high school stu
dent has been forbidden to wear
a skullcap attending class be
cause school officials said it was
in violation of a department reg
ulation prohibiting religious
symbols in a classroom. The in
cident took place at Bathurst
Heights High School in North
York, a suburb of Toronto, Syd
ney Midanik, chairman of the
community relations committee
of the Canadian Jewish Con
gress, and a member of the
Canadian Civil Liberties Asso
ciation, protested on behalf of
the youth, Arnold Greenspoon.
He took the matter to North
York’s Department of Education,
arguing that a skullcap is not a
religious symbol.
Jewish students at the school
are permitted to don skullcaps'
only in the cafeteria during their
lunch period. Murray Chusid,
a North York alderman said
“The Board of Education is
wrong, the principal is wrong,
and the regulation is wrong.”
$1,000 Prize -
For Jewish Play
NEW YORK (JTA) — The
Jewish Theater for Children will
offer a $1,000 prize for the best
full-length play for children in
the English language on a Jew
ish theme, it was announced to
day by Philip Kasakove, chair
man of the Theater. The prize
will be tile 12th offered by the
group with funds made available
by Norman U. Levitt, a member
of the Theater’s board of direc
tors. Manuscripts for the 1968
competition must lie submitted
not later than December 31, 1968.
The purpose of the contest is
to stimulate original dramatic lit
erature for older age group ele
mentary and junior high school
pupils, which will give expres
sion to ethical and spiritual
values reflected in Jewish life,
folklore, history and culture.
Prize winning plays will be
given professional production.
Mr. Rothberg stres ... uie role
of Premier Eshkol and of the
entire state of Israel in giving
pride and self-respect to Jews
everywhere, adding that “We
must declare the renewal of our
pledge and our commitment to
stand by Israel as long as she
needs us.”
Mr. Eshkol told the assem
blage that Israel was determined
not to return to what “has been
rightly described as fragile
armistice” and “brittle arrange
ments” and “belligerence.”
What is at stake for Israel, he
said, is the right of the Jewish
people to retain its place in his
tory.” He extended thanks to
American Jewry for its stead
fast support of Israel.
Mr. Eshkol will visit Jewish
communities in Toronto and
Montreal and meet in Ottawa
with Prime Minister Lester
Pearson.
Mr. Eshkol told the Overseas
Press Club that he hoped French
President Charles de Gaulle
would resume friendly relations
with Israel but that he felt the
General did not grasp the phil
osophy and significance of Jew
ish statehood. He was commen
ting on the General’s recent
letter to former Premier David
Ben-Gurion who wrote to the
French President in protest
against the latter’s attacks on
Israel and the Jewish people.
Referring to Gen. de Gaulle’s
reference to Israel having been
“planted” in the Middle East,
Javits Visits Safad
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Sen
ator Jacob K. Javits, New York
Republican, visited Safad, the
birthplace of his mother this
week during a whirlwind tour
of Israel, accompanied by Acting
F*rime Minister Pinhus Sapir.
The Senator dined with For
eign Minister Abba Eban, had
tea with Defense Minister Moshe
Dayan at the latter’s residence,
lunched with the Minister of
Tourism, Moshe Kol, and met
with Labor Minister Yigal Allon.
He also met with the former
Foreign Minister, Mrs. Golda
Meir, and with Mayor Teddy
Kollek of Jerusalem. Sen. Javits,
nevertheless, found time for a
walking tour of Old Jerusalem,
visiting the West Wall and the
Jewish and Christian quarters,
He also toured the West Bank.
le Jew-
>re and
. created there.
.,c said he had discussed with
President Johnson in Texas the
Soviet missiles supplied to
Egypt. He agreed there were
differences of opinion between
the American and Israeli intel
ligence services about the type
and capacity of those missiles
but added that they were never
theless very dangerous. He re
jected the argument that direct
Arab peace talks with Israel
might mean political suicide for
Arab leaders, saying such talks
must come.
He received a courtesy visit
from former Vice-Presidbnt
Richard M. Nixon, and from
Gov. Rockefeller of New York;
was honored by the Hebrew
Union College—Jewish Institute
of Religion with a Doctor of
Hebrew Letters degree; and was
entertained at the Metropolitan
Opera House as a guest of the
Metropolitan’s board of direc
tors. Mr. Nixon told the press,
after the visit, that the United
States must help Israel maintain
a power balance to counter So
viet intrusion and advocated di
rect Israel-Arab peace talks.
Israeli sources said that Presi
dent Johnson responded “affirm
atively” to Mr. Eshkol’s request
for weapons aid. The sources
said that President Johnson
agreed with the Premier that
both the United States and
Israel were interested in creating
secure and recognized borders
between Israel and the Arab
states. It was pointed out to
the President that it was Israel
which proposed measures for rfr;
lease by Egypt of the 15 foreign
vessels stranded in the Suez
Canal since last June and that
Israel last week freed 500
Egyptian war prisoners.
The long-standing joint agree
ment by the two countries for
development of a nuclear desali
nation plant in Israel was dis
cussed at the LBJ ranch. The
Premier reportedly pointed out
to Mr. Johnson that Ellsworth
Bunker, previously named to be
the official to coordinate the
project for the United States,
had been sent to South Viet
Nam as U. S. Ambassador. Mr.
Johnson indicated he would soon
name a replacement for Mr.
Bunker on the project.
Mr. Eshkol met in New York
with Sen. Robert F. Kennedy,
who said later that he favored
United States action to give
Israel “whatever assistance is
necessary to preserve Israel’s
borders and protect the integrity
of its people.”
RANDOLPH AFB, TEXAS—Youngsters from the Jewish com
munity of San Antonio displayed many banners and posters as Prime
Minister Levi Eshkol of Israel arrived here to meet with President
Lyndon B. Johnson in private, informal talks at the nearby LBJ
Ranch. The banner displayed saya in English and in Hebrew, “A
Texas Welcome to Prime Minister Levi Eshkol of Israel, from San
Antonio, Texas.” (an American Jewish Press photo)