Newspaper Page Text
L—
Hebrew Union Ooi
Library
C i^ 0 n^iVio 45220
r ■ ■- i
r.&fi&srfr c * i -\. ■
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly Newspaper for Southern Jewry — Established 1925
Vol. XLVI Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, December 10, 1971 Two Sections—12 Pages No., 50
Virginia Synagogue Kosygin Says Israel Keeping
Damaged by Gunfire Jews from Returning
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (JTA)
— On two occasions exactly one
month apart, Fairfax County’s
only synagogue, Temple Rodef
Shalom, which is located near
here, was ripped with gunfire
during the early morning hours,
it was reported here last week
end.
No one was in the $500,000
structure at either time, but
damage to the temple was esti
mated at over $3,000.
The first incident occurred on
the occasion of the synagogue’s
first anniversary, Oct. 25. Nine
.22-caliber slugs shattered two
main plate-glass windows at
the building’s entrance and
lodged in interior walla.
A month later, on Thanksgiv
ing Day, shotgun blasts smashed
a third window, broke light
fixtures and pocked concrete
pillars in front of the temple.
There was no indication as to
the motive behind the shootings,
but Fairfax police said they
might have been connected with
other acts of vandalism that have
occurred at six area churches
since Sept. 1.
The vandalism at those chur
ches involved thefts of office
equipment and money from soft
drink machines, but not shoot
ing. A policeman noted that last
January, 200 cars in the area
were damaged by gas-powered
pellets fired from a passing car.
Two juveniles were convicted in
those cases.
The shootings at the temple
were reported by nearby resi
dents. One resident reportedly
told the police that two shotgun
blasts were fired Thanksgiving
morning and a yellow car pulled
out of the temple’s driveway.
The 1,000-member synagogue, a
six-sided hardwood and con
crete structure, is in a middle
class neighborhood of single
family houses. Before moving
into its present location one
year ago, the congregation held
services at the Chesterbrook
Presbyterian Church two blocks
away.
The three broken 8-by 8-feet
windows, which were not cov
ered by vandalism insurance,
have been covered with ply
wood. A Catholic University
drama group will give a benefit
performance at the temple on
Dec. 19 to help raise money to
buy new windows. The police
have increased night-time sur
veillance of the synagogue area
and a particularly close watch
will be maintained on Christ
mas Eve and Christmas morn
ing, Dec. 25, in case the similar
dates of the two shootings were
not coincidental.
BULLETIN
WASHINGTON (JTA)— Pre
mier Golda Meir of Israel told a
nationwide television audience
Sunday that her government is
“prepared to go back within
one hour” to United Nations
mediator Gunnar V. Jarring’s
Middle East peace mission, but
“without pre-conditions.”
OLBORG, Denmark (JTA) —
Soviet Premier Alexei N. Kosygin
struck back Sunday at critics
of his government’s treat
ment of Jews and chal
lenged Israel to explain “why it
creates so many difficulties for
those Soviet Jews who want to
return to their Fatherland.”
The Soviet leader made his
remarks in reply to questions at
a press conference here follow
ing three days of meetings with
Danish government leaders and
bitter though peaceful protests
by thousands of Danish Jews
and non-Jews against the denial
of emigration rights and other
rights to Jews in the USSR.
A joint communique issued
at the end of the official meet
ing here mentioned the Mid
dle East conflict but contained
no indication that the issue of
Soviet Jews was discussed al
though Danish leaders had
promised before Kosygin’s ar
rival that it would be on the
agenda.
The references to the Middle
East stated that both govern
ments were concerned with con
tinuing tension in that region,
supported the Security Coun
Atlanta Federation Taps Feldman
For Campaign Chairmanship
Sidney Feldman, prominent At
lanta civic and business leader,
has been named as General
Chairman of the Atlanta Jewish
Welfare Federation’s 1972 Cam
paign, JWF President Milton
Weinstein announced this week.
Feldman, long active in Federa
tion and other Jewish and gen
eral community activities, was
the unanimous choice of the Fed
eration’s Campaign Executive
Committee. In making the an
nouncement, Weinstein said, “We
are extremely fortunate that Sid
ney Feldman, one of the most
dedicated and dynamic leaders in
our Jewish community, has ac
cepted the challenge of leading
what promises to be one of the
most crucial campaigns in our
history.”
In accepting appointment as
chairman, Feldman said, “Not
only is the campaign chairman
ship an honor and a challenge,
I consider it a great privilege to
help keep the promise to our
fellow Jews here at home, in
Israel, and in other lands.”
“We are indeed the privileged
generation of American Jewish
history for it is our privilege to
see the dream of a Jewish State
fulfilled.”
“It is our privilege also to help
assure its continued existence as
a beacon of our people, and to
the rest of the world. It was our
privilege to see the development
of outstanding local Jewish
agencies and services. It is
SIDNEY FELDMAN
our privilege to see to it
that the Jewish community’s
growth and dynamism will con
tinue to meet the ever-changing
needs / of our people. It is our
privilege to help make tomor
row better than today.”
“I pledge to the Jewish -com
munity of Atlanta my moet un
tiring dedication to the challenge
which confronts us,” Feldman
concluded
Feldman, a partner in the firm
of London Iron and Metal Co.,
currently serves the Federation
as vice president of campaign
and allocations. He has, for many
years, been a key leader and ac
tive participant in the Federa
tion’s local fundraising campaigns.
He assumed leadership rales in
the early days of the Youth Di
vision and continued to serve in
top positions. A seasoned cam
paigner, he served as general
chairman of the local drive dur
ing the 1958 and 1966 campaigns.
During the critical days of Is
rael’s 6-Day War in June, 1967,
Feldman joined Milton Weinstein
as co-chairman of the 1967 Is
rael Emergency Fund Drive.
Feldman has served as presi
dent of the Atlanta Jewish Com
munity Center and the Progres
sive Club. He is a fellow of He
brew University, Jerusalem, and
is on the board of the Georgia
State University Athletic Associ
ation. For several years, he suc
cessfully chaired the Bonds for
Israel Campaign in Atlanta.
Among his many activities, he
serves on the Board of Directors
of the Atlanta Boys Club, and
on the National Board of Scrap
Metal Industries.
He is co-chairman of the Jew
ish Welfare Board Biennial Con
vention which will take place in
Atanta April 12-16, and chairman
of the Atlanta Host Committee.
Feldman is married to the
former Clare Lazar of Atlanta
and has four children, Mrs.
Richard Bressler (Linda); Terri,
a student at Georgia State; Lewis
and Michael, enrolled at Marist.
cil’s Resolution 242 as the basis
for a just settlement and backed
renewal of the Jarring peace
mission.
Kosygin’s challenge to Israel
was apparently based on press
reports that have received wide
currency in recent days that
some Jewish emigres — mainly
from the Soviet Georgian Re
public — were disappointed
with Israel and wanted to re
turn to the USSR.
Asked to explain why Jews
who want to leave the USSR
for Israel are confronted with
so many official difficulties, the
Soviet Premier said, "Every
body knows that a ' growing
number of Jews leave the Sov
iet Union nowadays and all
those who want to leave are
allowed to and are well treat
ed.” Kosygin insisted that there
was no Jewish problem in Rus
sia except that “bom in the
West.”
Asked about tire Leningrad
hijack trial, he said there was
a plot to hijack a plane at Len
ingrad Airport and it was pun
ished in the USSR just as
crimes are punished all over the
world.
Kosygin repeated that there
were “not many” Jews asking
for visas but those who did
“got an answer very soon.” He >
said in reply to a question that
there was “no reason to renew
diplomatic relations between
the USSR and Israel at this
junction.” He denied that such
a move might favorably influ
ence the Middle East conflict.
"Russia has never been among
the agre^sors but Israel has
acted in an agressive way,” he
said.
On Thursday night thousands
marched in a torchlight parade
to City Hall where they distrib
uted some 4,000 postcards to
Danes to be signed and mailed
to Kosygin. The card stated,
“We Scandinavians are free to
leave and to go wherever we
wish. Let Russia’s Jews cUTthe 7
same.” About 1,500 persons held
a rally for Soviet Jews at Cop
enhagen’s main synagogue. On
Friday night thousands of dem
onstrators marched around
Kosygin’s hotel and later con
verged on the Soviet Embassy.
Police refused to disperse the
protestors.
wish emigrant to Israel, ans-
ers questions from members
Atlanta news media (above
ft), as her companion on the
-city Freedom Bus tour Ilia
Jewish prisoners of conscience
in the Soviet Union.
Miss Wolf and Valk visited
the Georgia State Capitol where
Lansing Lee, special assistant
dered a memento of their visit
(At right) Dr. Morris Benven-
iste, Atlanta Community Center
president <R> and Max L. Knn-
iansky welcome Tsipora Wolf