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Vol. XLVII
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Cincinnati Ohio 45220
The Southern Israelite
A Weekly
Newspaper for Southern Jewry - Established 1925
Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, May 5, 1972 Two Sections—12 Pages No. 18
Italy’s Neo-Fascists Ire
Jewry on Election Eve
Mrs. Meir Conferring
With Rumanian Chief
ROME (JTA) — Leaders of
Italy’s Jewish community warn
ed that a rash of anti-Semitic
acts by Italian neo-Fascists were
intended to test whether Italian
public opinion would tolerate
such acts on the eve of the gen
eral elections to be held May
7-8.
Sergio Piperno, president of
the Union of Italian Jewish
Communities, and Chief Rabbi
Elio Toaff spoke at ceremonies
reconsecrating the 18th century
synagogue in Gorizia which was
broken into and vandalized last
week by unknown persons be
lieved to be neo-Fascists
Piperno disclosed that the at
tack on the Gorizia synagogue
was only the latest in a series
of assaults on Jewish property.
He said the synagogue in Fer
rara and Jewish cemeteries in
Pisa and Viareggio wore recently
vandalized and that Jewish per-
Methodists
Repudiate
Anti-Semitism
ATLANTA (JTA) — The Uni
ted Methodist Church ended its
quadrennial general conference
here last Friday with a call for
rep udiation of anti-Semitism
and “a new dimension in dia
logue with Jews.”
The resolution on Christian-
Jewish relations was described
by one theologian, the Rev. Dr.
Albert C. Outler of Dallas, as
the first time the 10.5 million-
member church had made ex
plicit its disavowal of anti-
Semitism.
The resolution observed that
“The persecution by Christians
of Jews throughout centuries
calls for clear repentance.” The
resolution also stressed that in
dialogues with Jews “an aim
of conversion or proselytizing
cannot bo condoned.”
sonalities have received offen
sive and threatening letters. Pi
perno attributed these acts to
neo-Fascist organizations which
are particularly strong in the
Veneto region.
These actions should sound
the alarm for Italian Jews who
“know from experience that
such anti-Semitic manifestations
constitute a prologue to the out
right persecution of Jews,” he
said. The neo-Fascist groups are
centered in Padua and Udine
where an anti-Semitic booklet
titled “The Star of David, The
Cross and The Swastika” recent
ly appeared. Piperno said it was
obvious that the Gorizia syna
gogue was attacked by Fascist
vandals because “holy books
were destroyed and pages were
torn out of prayer books.”
Rabbi Toaff said that “by rep
resenting themselves by actions
of this kind, the Fascists are
attempting to test public re
action on the eve of the elec
tions. They want to see whether
Italians are ready to tolerate
this type of Fascist activity.”
Where Is
Victor Yakhout?
LONDON (JTA) —The
whereabouts of Victor Yak
hout were unknown after an
ambulance pulled up outside
his home to take him to a
mental hospital and found
him gone. Yakhout. one of
ten Jewish activists called up
for military duty with the
Red Army reserves, was
examined last week by a psy
chiatrist and told that his
desire to go to Israel indi
cated a disturbed mind, Jew
ish sources in the Soviet
Union reported. According to
the sources, the psychiatrist
recommended that Yakhout
be treated at a hospital for
the mentally ill. He flatly
refused and was permitted to
return to his homo and has
not been seen since.
JERUSALEM (JTA) — On the
eve of Premier Golda Meir’s
visit to Rumania high ranking
political sources here indicated
that she expects to learn of
Egypt’s latest position on a
peace settlement from President
Nicolae Ceausescu who visited
Cairo last month. Mrs. Meir was
to arrive in Bucharest on Thurs
day.
The political sources con
firmed reports that Ceausescu
found signs of flexibility in
Egypt. They also indicated that
Israel views Rumania’s role as
a channel of communication be
tween Israel and Egypt and the
Soviet Union. They disclosed that
following the Suez cease-fire in
1970, Rumanian officials con
veyed Israel’s attitude to Soviet
leaders.
(According to a report from
Rome, Ceausescu will visit
President Tito of Yugoslavia in
Belgrade during the latter part
of May, after his talks with Mrs.
Meir. Tito is then scheduled to
visit Moscow where he is expec
ted to report to Soviet Commu
nist Party General Secretary
Leonid I Rrezhnev, Israel’s po
sition as relayed to him by
Ceausescu. Brezhnev is expected
to report on his discussions with
President Nixon due to take
place in Moscow several days
before Tito’s arrival.)
The Israeli sources said Ru
mania’s Middle East position is
based on five principles: Th<f
THEWDTDPC^CC?
need for a political settlement of
the conflict; the Security Coun
cil’s Resolution 242 as the basis
for a settlement; Israeli with
drawal from the occupied terri
tories; recognition of the inde
pendence and sovereignty of all
nations in the region; and a
solution of the problem of the
Palestinians.
Mrs. Meir was expected to ask
Ceausescu for clarification of
Rumania’s position on the latter
point in view of his meeting in
Cairo last month with El Fatah
leader Yassir Arafat. In Israel’s
view, that meeting helped
strengthen Arafat’s shaky po
sition.
Asked to comment on Ruman
ia’s attitude toward Jewish emi
gration, the sources emphasized
that Rumanian policy permits
the re-unification of families.
There are about 100,000 Jews in
Rumania.
Definition of Jew
“Derogatoryin
Oxford Dictionary
LONDON (JTA) — Marcus
Shloimovitz of Manchester has
served a writ against the Clar
endon Press, publishers of the
Oxford Dictionary, seeking an
injunction against their use of
allegedly derogatory definitions
of the word “Jew.”
The definitions referred to are
“a grasping or extortionate
usurer,” and “a trader who
drives hard bargaining and deals
craftily.” The verb form of
“Jew” is defined by the diction
ary as “to cheat.” The Claren
don Press declined comment on
grounds the matter was subju-
dice (before a court).
Jewish ‘Spiritual Methadone’
By BEN GALLOB
A leading Jewish educator has
expressed the belief that most
Jewish youngsters joining the
“Jesus Freak” movement and
other “extreme cults” are gradu
ates of the drug culture for
whom “a kind of Jewish spirit
ual methadone must be found
which can ease them down from
their high to face reality.”
That view was outlined by Dr.
Max Vorspan, executive vice-
president of the University of
Judaism, the Conservative
school. He discussed the prob
lem of Jewish youth involve
ment “in the Jesus movement and
other aberrant cults” in an arti
cle in a new publication, "Com
mon Sense,” issued by the pub
lic affairs committee of the
Jewish Centers Association of
Lop Angeles.
Asserting that the problem
was one unlikely of solution by
appeals to reason to the Jewish
young people, Dr. Vorspan de
clared “it is precisely the most
extreme and demanding of the
new cults, such as Hare Khrish-
na, Nichirin Shoshu and the
Jesus Freaks, which suppress
rational inquiry in favor of
secure dogmatic faith, which
promise instant and total salva
tion. and which offer models of
perfection in the form of gurus
and saints, which are making
conquests of Jewish souls.” He
proposed a number of remind
ers and steps for dealing with
the problem which he said “has
been a source of distress to
many of us.”
Rabbi Vorspan, holding that
“the adherents of the Jesus
movement have generally passed
through the drug culture,” said
hat this indicated that “the
new religious faith is a kind of
lisyehological equivalent and a
replacement for the drugs which
first turned them on.” He con
tended that if the Jewish com
munity hopes “to take them off
their new kick, we must find a
kind of Jewish spiritual metha
done which can ease them down
from their high to face reality
in a manner that invites the use
of th(> intellect.” However, he
warned, “breaking them of their
‘habit’ and preventing others
from joining them in their
ecstatic adventure will not be
easy.”
As one step, he suggested that
efforts lie made to find “Jewish
emotional involvements which
are equally potent.” He said that
the Chabad movement - which
he described as a form of neo-
Hasidism “with its emotional
emphasis, its religious demands,
its promise of ‘salvation,’ is
probably t h e Jewish closest
equivalent and probably can be
effective as a counter environ
ment.” He added that “a visit to
Israel, which turned around at
least one Jesus freak that I
know' of, provides a strong coun
tervailing environment.” He also
asserted that Jewish camps and
Jewish youth movements, “with
their strong sense of community
and cohesiveness, can provide a
powerful emotional impact and
for Jesus Freaks?
preventative influence.”
Another suggestion he made
was the cultivation of “our own
models who can function as ex
emplars for young and impress
ionable boys and girls.” Dr.
Vorspan was critical of Jewish
teachers “u'ho are only knowl
edgeable group workers” and
“mostly technicians,” declaring
that such teachers “are not ade
quate to meet the needs of the
young for leaders who demon
strate in their own lives convic
tion and faith.” He cited the
Jewish adage that “only words
which come from a heart will
enter another heart.”
He suggested also that the
adult community “trust in time.
Quick salvation often leads to
quick disillusionment. Young
people go through phases and
sometimes patience will be re
warded.” In addition, he said,
adults should be reminded that
attraction on the part of Jews
“to non-Jewish religions and
faith is not new. Our passionate
response to the missionary
threat throughout Jewish his
tory has often resulted in a re
newal and reawakening of our
Jewish life.”
“Most fundamental of all’ to
the problem and its solution, he
said was the fact that the Jew
ish community and Jewish fam
ilies “have long disregarded the
spiritual dimensions of life in
favor of practical, material and
organizational considerations.”
Ho' said adults have shown ap
propriate concern “for the body
and its needs, for pleasure and
its attainment.” Now. he de
clared, “we are discovering that
many young people are con
cerned with their soul and its
demands." He noted that Jewish
tradition “has always empha
sized the spiritual, the sacred,
even the mystical, along with
sociality and service.” Even in
the present age of upheaval, he
declared, "this tradition can
speak to our young generation.”