Newspaper Page Text
Friday, July 16, 1971
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Pag* Five
In Matters of ParochiacI
AJ Congress Defends Action
NEW YORK (JJTA) — The
American Jewish Congress res
ponded sharply to a charge by
an Orthodox rabbinical leader
that it was using Jewish com
munal funds to combat gov
ernment aid to the secular pro
grams of religious schools but
failed “to lift a finger to assist
or assure the continued exis
tence of those schools.” The
charge was made by Rabbi
Bernard L. Berzon, president of
the Rabhinical Council of Amer
ica, who alleged that he
AJCongress was “in the fore
front of those who would des
troy the entire Jewish educa
tional system which has been
the main factor in Jewish sur
vival.” Rabbi Berzon issued his
statement in in reaction to an
AJCongress announcement last
week that it would file suits
jointly with the American Civil
Liberties Union in six states to
bar the use of tax monies for
private and parochial schools.
The suits will be based on the
recent Supreme Court ruling. In
a statement issued to the Jew
ish Telegraphic Agency, the
AJCongress said that “if its
legal skills were not devoted to
protecting the separation of
church and state, we would
then be remiss in our obliga
tion to the total Jewish com
munity.”
According to the AJCongress,
“The position of the vast ma
jority of American Jews is
against government funding of
—and inevitable government in
fluence in—the educational as
pects of religious schools. This
position has been thoroughly
debated, reviewed and support
ed at every national session of
the National Jewish Community
Relations Advisory Council; with
only the Union of Orthodox
Jewish Congregations of Amer
ica dissenting,” the statement;
said. Rabbi Berzon said, “The
American Jewish community,
through its communal fund
raising, which supports such
agencies as the AJCongress and
similar group, gives no support
to the Jewish day schools or
any of its educational under
takings” The AJCongress state
ment said that its activities are
“thoroughly reviewed by the
Councils of Jewish Federation.s
and Welfare Funds and our al
locations are based upon the
degree to which our program
reflects the priority concerns of
American Jewry.” The state
ment continued, “Rabbi Berzon
and his associates must learn
that the first Amendment to the
Constitution of the United
States, under which American
Jewry has thrived, cannot be
supported or rejected as a mat
ter of convenience.’ ’
Rabbi Berzon asserted that,
"We too believe very strongly
in the separation of Church and
State, but there is such a thing
as carrying a good thing too far.
We too believe that religion
must not interfere within the
state, also the state should not
exert influence within the vari
ous religious communities. How
ever, the laws of our various
states require that every child
be given a secular education.
The religious schools must pro
vide a secular education to
every child they teach. To ex
pect government aid for this
secular education is not a
breach of the wall of separa
tion between church and state.”
The AJCongress retorted that
“If Rabbi Berzon supports the
separation principle he should
recognize his, and our obliga
tion to support it as it applies
to government funding of re
ligious schools. No one has yet
devised a way of being ‘a little
bit’ pregnant.”
Report Brother
Testified Against
Convicted Jew
NEW YORK (JTA) — The
older brother of Valeriy Kukui
testified against him at his trial
last month Jewish sources dis
closed here. Valeriy Kukui was
tried on June 15 and 16 in
Sverdlovsk and was sentenced
on June 21 to three years in
prison for anti-Soviet “slander”
involving the distribution of
petitions crlticizlrtg the trials of
Soviet Jews. Kukui is 33 and
has a 31-year-old wife and a
6-year-old daughter.
The brother’s name was not
immediately available, but he
was said by the sources to be
a Communist Party member
who was convinced that Val
eriy’s activities constituted anti-
Soviet slander. The brother did
not actually attend the trial, be
cause of illness but submitted
a statement.
Their mother, on the other
hand, defended Valeriy against
the charges leveled at him. At
the trial, the sources added, two
persons disavowed statements
they had signed that were
critical of Valeriy Kukui’s ac
tivities. Lev Blank said he had
signed under duress, and Mrs.
Sophie Movshovioh said she had
signed out of fear. The con
victed Jew will appeal his three-
year sentence to the Supreme
Court in Moscow in a few days,
the sources said. They identified
his attorney as Leonid Popov.
Jewish sources here report
ed that Hillel Zalmanovich
Shur, the Soviet Jewish engi
neer recently sentenced in Kish
inev to two years in labor
camp for aLleged anti-Soviet ac
tivities, is suffering from heart
disease and an ulcer. They said
the ailments may have been
aggravated by the hunger strike
Shur staged while awaiting
trial.
The 35-year-old prisoner was
arrested last Aug. 5 and his
sentence ends Aug. 5, 1972. In
other developments, a traveler
who recently returned from the
Soviet Union reported here that
the amateur Yiddish theater of
members thought it would be
Wilna, Lithuania, has volun
tarily disbanded because its
hypocritical to continue under
the authorities’ restrictions.
Forty members of the 100-mem-
ber group withdrew for this
reason, the traveler said, and
30 emigrated, and the remaining
30 deemed the troupe dead.
JEWISH
QUIZ BOX
By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
QUESTION: What is the basis
for answering “Amen” after
hearing the benediction pro
nounced?
ANSWER: It was used when
the Hebrews were sworn to
keep the Commandments of the
Almighty and to affirm that
punishment would be given for
their violation, as would bless
ings be given for their observ
ance. “Amen” is thus an ex
pression of both acceptance and
belief. Furthermore, it creates a
community of understanding be
tween the one who recites the
benediction and the one who
hears it, both of them ex
tolling the Almighty for His
benevolence. Some sources de
rive the practice of answering
“Amen” from the Biblical verse
which states “For I will pro
claim the name of the Almighty,
ascribe ye greatness Unto our
God” (Deuteronomy 32:3). This
means that upon hearing the
name of the Almighty being
blessed, one is obliged to express
his agreement. In a public ser
vice the response of “Amen” on
the part of the congregation is
the factor that demonstrates
that it is a community service
and that the entire congregation
is tied into one unit of worship.
The Talmud claims that one who
responds with the recitation of
“Amen” with great fervor de
serves to have the gates of Par
adise open for him.
QUESTION: Why is the verse
of Psalm 84:5 recited in the syn
agogue and followed by Psalm
145 three times a day?
ANSWER: The rabbis appar
ently attach great significance
to the 145th Psalm because it
proclaims a deep faith in the
personal interest that God has
for every living creature. This
Psalm thus is a necessary con
dition for prayers because if a
person did not believe this, he
certainly could not believe that
the Almighty would even listen
to his prayers. The verse from
Psalm 84:5 is attached to this
Psalm because it proclaims
“Happy Are They That Dwell
In Thy House: They Will Al
ways Praise Thee.” The Psalm
thus expresses the virtue of feel
ing at home with God and wor
shipping in His holy environ
ment. The fact that the latter
half of the verse is expressed in
the future tense indicates a great
hope on the part of the worship
per that there will always be
this contact between man and
God expresed in prayer.
New Orleans
Haiel Elects
New Officers
Ellen Hyman, a senior student
at Louisiana State University at
New Orleans, has been elected
president of the Greater New
Orleans B’nai B’rith Hillel Foun
dation for the coming academic
year, 1971-72.
Miss Hyman, a student in the
College of Education, served as
Jewish Awareness Chairman for
B’nai B’rith Youth Organization.
During her tenure, her chapter
was recognized for the best pro
gram of the region, and the best
program of the district. She her
self was voted as the “best mem
ber” award. She was acting
president of her Youth Group at
Temple Gates of Prayer, during
which period, also, an award for
the best youth group in the reg
ion was received.
The Foundation original
ly formed to minister to the
Jewish students on the Tulane-
Newcomb campus, now serves
the various campuses of the city.
Rabbi Hillel A. Fine, Ph D., is
the director.
Elected to the executive board
to serve with Miss Hyman were:
Harry Lader of Loyola; Bob
Davis and Rochelle Shusljan of
LSUNO; Marvin Tark of LSU
Medical School; Gayle Carp and
Jan Uden of Newcomb; and
Bruce Berger, Bruce Gaynes and
Ken Schindler of Tulane.
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