Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry - EstablisheH^oufo
Vol. XLIII
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, December 13, 1968
For Youth and Hanuka
Israeli Torches Will Spark
Birmingham, Atlanta Rallies
Eban,
On Nj
No. 5»
an ton
x eace Position
A lighted torch on an airplane?
Well, Israelis have ways and
means and if they have decided
this needs to be done, somehow
the specifics will be worked out.
How, we can only conjecture at
this moment.
At any rate, those are the plans.
A torch lighted in Israel at
Modi’in, site of the Maccabean
struggle is being flown to the
United States.
At Kennedy Airfield in New
York, the torch will be removed
from the aircraft and taken to
the airport synagogue. There at
a special ceremony it will be
turned over by representatives of
Israel’s Young Maecabi move
ment to members of Masada, the
youth movement of the Zionist
Organization of America.
The Israeli torch in turn will
light seven other Israeli torches
which will be sent to separate
sections of the country. One will
be flown to Birmingham for the
Youth Torch Relay, which has
already become a tradition in
that community.
Another torch will come to At
lanta for innovating a Hanuka
relay in which representatives of
all youth movements in the city
will participate.
The Torch Relay will actually
start at Beth Jacob Synagogue,
proceeding to Shearith Israel,
Anshi S’Fard and Or VeShalom
Synagogues, then to the Ahavath
Aohim Synagogue, Temple Sinai
and thence to the Peachtree Tem
ple and the Jewish Community
Center where a massive youth
rally will culminate the Hanuka
observance.
Runners along the way will
hold high the torch, transporting
it symbolically from specific
spots along the way signifying
the on-going continuity of the
Maccabean spirit in Judaism.
Amnon Engleberg of the AJCC
staff, himself an interne center
worker from Israel, is coordinat
ing the relay program.
Four Sifrei Torah Arrive
For Vandalized Synagogues
NEW YORK (JTA)—Four Si
frei Torah donated by the Is
rael Government to two New
York synagogues that were van
dalized and burned recently were
presented to the rabbis of the
Congregations in an informal
ceremony at the Israel Consulate
this week.
Receiving them were Rabbi
Meilech Silber of the Yeshiva of
Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn,
which was severely damaged by
fire Nov. 27 and Rabbi Isaac
Liebes to Congregation Toirei
Zonov in the Bronx, which was
destroyed by a fire earlier.
The presentation was made by
Consul General Rehaveam Amir
and Consul Zvi Caspi in the pres
ence of three City Hall officials
representing Mayor John V.
Lindsay, who is on vacation.
Mr. Caspi said that the Torahs
will be formally installed in their
respective congregations at a date
to be set when the damage is
repaired. He said the Israel Gov
ernment would be represented.
The Torahs were property of the
Ministry of Religious Affairs in
Jerusalem. They are among the
1,000 Sifrei Torah that the Min
istry has been collecting all over
Europe. They belonged to Jewish
communities that no longer exist.
The Torahs donated to the
New York congregations origi
nated in Romania. Mr. Caspi said
they were very old but would
not venture a guess about their
age. Mayor Lindsay took the
initiative to help the vandalized
synagogues replace their destroy
ed sacred scrolls. After inspect
ing the gutted premises he
phoned Consul General Amir to
ask for help.
Bronx District Attorney Bur
ton B. Roberts told the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency that he has
learned from a fire marshal that
three fires occurred in Jewish
schools and synagogues in his
borough between June 1 and
Dec. 2, 1968 that were of suspic
ious origin. He said that in the
same period, six fires were re
ported in religious institutions in
Brooklyn—two of them Jewish—
and the others in churches of
various denominations. He said
not all were suspicious. Mr. Rob
erts would not give the names
or addresses of the synagogues
where fires had occurred, but he
stressed that all of the informa
tion available to him indicated
that there was no “conspirator
ial pattern” behind the blazes.
He attributed fires under suspic
ion to “juvenile exhibitionists”
Snain To Dedicate
New Synagogue;
First In 456 Years
MADRID (JTA) — Plans are
being made here for the Dec. 16
dedication of a new synagogue
—the first since the Jews were
expelled in 1492. It was de
signed by a Spanish architect
and is rectangular in shape.
The synagogue’s first stone
was laid and construction be
gun last March.
It will have room for 550
worshippers. There are two sy
nagogues in Barcelona, one
Ashkenazic and the other Sep
hardic.
or “psychoties.”
Rabbi Bernard Goldenberg, di
rector of school organizations and
professional services of Torah
Umesorah, the National Society
for Hebrew Day Schools, inform
ed JTA of measures being taken
to protect Jewish schools against
fires and vandalism. He said Fire
Commissioner Robert Lowery
was given a list of all affiliated
schools and promised that Fire
Department representatives will
visit them and alert the princi
pals to spot suspicious persons or
packages on the premises. He
said Torah Umesorah has also
urged all day schools in the city
keep lights burning through the
night and to organize parent
patrols to watch for vandals. He
said that through Mayor Lind
say’s office his organization was
trying to get city agencies to help
yeshivas relocate some of their
students until damaged class
rooms can be repaired. The
American Jewish Congress gave
emergency $500 grants to the
Yeshiva of Eastern Parkway and
Yeshiva Sharei Zedek of Coney
Island, also hit by fire,” to en
able education to proceed.”
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Presi
dent-elect Richard M. Nixon’s
personal fact-finding envoy to
the Middle East, William W.
Scranton, conferred for two hours
with Foreign Minister Abba Eban
and was later received by Prime
Minister Levi Eshkol. Mr. Scan-
ton also reportedly intended to
talk to Palestianian Arab leaders
whom he was to see at the United
States Consulate here.
No details of the conversations
were released. A Foreign Minis
try spokesman, David Rivlin,
told reporters that Mr. Scran
ton had conveyed to Mr. Eban
the wish of Mr. Nixon to study
the problems of the area and Is
rael’s view of them. Mr. Eban
gave a detailed account of Israel’s
position, emphasizing its insis
tence on a lasting peace reached
through an agreement with her
neighbors which would also es
tablish secure boundaries. He re
portedly believes that the prin
ciples of American policy will not
change.
But Mr. Scranton reportedly
did not explain the statement he
made in several Arab capitals
during his current tour of the
Middle East — and repeated to
newsmen at the Allenby Bridge
—that the U. S. “will pursue a
more even-handed policy” in the
Middle Blast when the Nixon Ad
ministration takes office next
month.
Trade With Britain
Shows Big Spurt
LONDON (JTA) — Trade be
tween Britain and Israel in
creased substantially during the
first nine months of 1968 com
pared to the corresponding per
iod of 1967. During the period
that ended last Sept. 30, Britain
exported $150,292,800 worth of
goods and materials to Israel and
imported $83,926,800 from that
country. In 1967, exports and
imports amounted to $92,020,000
and $65,116,800 respectively.
The former Governor of Penn
sylvania said the U. S. would
show no favoritism in the futiuk
toward any nation because “K
had to consider the feelings dl
all nations in the Middle East
and not favor one over the
other.” In reply to a reporter’s
question, he said he did not think
the U. S. was showing favoritism
at present. Mr. Scranton report
edly told Mr. Eban that his duty
was to report to the President
elect and he was bound to study
problems from their grass-rooto
without being affected by past
policy.
Mr. Scanrton entered Israel via
the Allenby Bridge which he
crossed on foot owning to the
ban on Vehicular traffic from
Jordan to the West Bank. Be
had conferred in Amman with
King Hussein and other Jordan
ian officials. Later he met with
Egyptian President Abdel Gama)
Nasser in Cairo. He also visited
Iran, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
Israel was the last country on
his Middle East itinerary.
Rabbi Rackman Heads
JA Advisory Group
NEW YORK (JTA) — Rabbi
Emanuel Rackman, a member of
the executive of the Jewish
Agency for Israel, has been ap
pointed chairman of the newly-
organized national advisory com
mittee of the Jewish Agency’s
department of education and cul
ture. Dr. Rackman, who is as
sistant to the president of Yesh
iva University and rabbi of the
Fifth Avenue Synagogue here,
will head a committee of Jew
ish educators, academicians and
laymen who will plan and re
view regularly the program and
activities of the department,
which is headed by Dr. Abra
ham P. Gannes. Rabbi Rackman
is also a member of the J*TA
board of directors.
Scores U.S. Laxity—
Congressman Urges Israel
Be Admitted To NATO
NEW YORK (WUP) — Con
gressman Jonathan B. Bingham
(D.-N.Y.) has urged that the U.S.
sponsor Israel’s membership in
HANUKA — 1968
Tampa Leaders Plan
Israel Trip For UJA
At least seven residents of the
Tampa area will participate in
“Operation Israel”a series of
special one-week finding flights
to Israel, being organized by the
United Jewish Appeal in Decem
ber and January.
Representing the Jewish Wel
fare Federation of Tampa will be
the following:
Charles Adler, Dr. Philip Ad
ler, Peter Druban, Dr. Bernard
Hoehberg, Leslie Scharf, Dr. Al
len Sheer, Rabbi Frank Sund-
heim.
Operation Israel will consist of
seven flights, involving one thou
sand lay leaders. The Tampa
delegation will be on the one-
week flight starting January 12.
The members of each Opera
tion Israel flight face a tight
schedule of visits to key troubled
areas on Israel’s borders. Thor
ough briefings, meetings with the
Israeli Government and Jewish
Agency leaders, in addition to
inspectors of the Immigrant Ab
sorption, Housing, Educat ion,
Health and Welfare Programs
are made possible by funds raised
by the United Jewish Appeal.
NATO as a “first step to a for
malized treaty” between Wash
ington and Jerusalem.
In a letter published by the
New York Times last week, Cong.
Bingham stated that "It is high
time that our commitment to the
survival of Israel should be for
malized in a treaty. The Cairo
Declaration of 1950 is not clear
enough,” he stated. "A first step
would be for the United States
to propose to our NATO allies
the inclusion of Israel.”
The Democratic Congressman
recalled that “in 1952 Greece and
Turkey, though not e x a e tlj
‘North Atlantic’ nations, were
brought within the NATO shield,"
and then asked: “Are we any
less concerned with Soviet ag
gression — direct or indirect —
against Israel than we are against
Greece or Turkey?”
“What is needed for stability
in the Middle East is not greater
doubt but greater certainty about
the determination of the United
States not to let Israel be de
stroyed by the Soviet-Arab ag
gression,” Bingham insisted.
“Ever since my first visit »o
Israel in 1952,” he said, “I have
felt that the U.S. commitment to
Israel was not clear enough to
persuade the Arabs to give up
their dream of driving Israel into
the Sea. Now that the Soviet*
have come in actively on their
side, the Arab have evea leas
reason to give up hope.