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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Published weekly by Southern Newspaper Enterprises, 390 Court-
land St, N. E„ Atlanta, Georgia 30303, 876-8249, 876-8240. Second
class postage paid at Atlanta, Georgia. Yearly subscription, $10.00.
The Southern Israelite invites literary contributions and corres
pondence but is not considered as sharing the views expressed by
writers. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, but material received earlier
will have a much better chance of publication.
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher
Vida Goldgar, Assistant Editor
Kathleen Nease, Edward M. Kahn, Kathy Wood
Gertrude Burnham, Alva Englehard
L
PEP
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Georgia Press Assn.
Seven Arts Feature? <
World Union Press
In Memoriam: Rev, Jacob L. Friend
1888 - 1972
The Jewish and general community of Atlanta mourns
the loss of Rev. Jacob L. Friend, who died December 8. He
was an official of the Ahavath Achim Synagogue. He served
as a “Baal Kriah’’ — a reader of the Torah—and an arranger
of the morning religious services.
Rev. Friend was a modest and learned man. He was in
fact a “walking encyclopedia” of a vast knowledge of histor
ical and esoteric data on a variety of subjects especially per
taining to history, science and talmudic lore.
He possessed a wide familiarity with the historical and
ethical origins of the free order of the Masons.
He was an avid reader of Jewish lore as it exemplified
the rites, customs and traditions of Jewish religious practices.
He was quite a linguist. He went about his tasks, without any
fanfare, doing what he assumed were his duties and responsi
bilities.
When Russia astonished the world by the development
of nuclear capability and by sending “sputnik” into outer
space, American technicians and scientists were eager to
find material on the subject in scientific literature. There
was little to be found in the Western countries.
A Georgia Tech professor, who had met Rev. Friend,
soon learned that Russian scientific literature was replete
with technical studies of “sputnik.” Rev. Friend offered to
translate the articles into English. When Georgia Tech offer
ed to remunerate him he declined any compensation. He said
it was a “labor of love and good will” in appreciation of
what freedom in the U.S. meant to him.
We note with pride that Rev. Friend, in his own life,
gave living proof of the continuity of a reverence for learn
ing which has dominated the Jewish people throughout its
long history. We trust that his example will not be that of
a passing generation but will continue as a vital force in
contemporary Jewish living.
legal victories. It is a dialogue
and not resolutions . . . that is
reducing tensions in other parts
of the world.”
Stressing the importance of
dialogue between the interested
parties, Ambassador Nunez went
on to say that “no one loses
anything by trying to enter into
conversations opening the door
to dialogue.” He then noted how
efforts towards peace is today
making “progress throughout
the world on the wings of dia
logue.” He mentioned the two
Germanys, India and Pakistan,
the U.S. and China, the two
Koreas, etc.
The Costa Rican Ambassador
continued to admonish the as
sembled delegations by making
it clear to them that “politicians
and diplomats . . should under
stand that a resolution may per
haps for one party constitute a
legal victory based on numeric
force in terms of parliamentary
numbers but may be regarded
by the other party (Israel) as
a danger to its survival—partic
ularly when that party has ex
perienced that danger through
its centuries of existence and
still considers itself to be living
under the threatening cloud of
extermination. To win votes on
resolutions for the mere sake of
winning is not a sign of the art
of prudent Government . . .”
JEWISH
CALENDAR
•FAST OF TEVET
•PASSOVER
December 15
Tuesday
Friday
April 17 (first day)
*TU BISHEVAT
April 24
January 18
Tuesday (last day)
Thursday
•ISRAEL
•PURIM
INDEPENDENCE DAT
March 18
May 7
Sunday
Monday
•HOLIDAY BEGINS SUNDOWN
PREVIOUS DAY
...UN Scenes
Continued from page 1
world hadn’t changed much in
the past two thousand years—
the old familiar story of the
Jew being singled out and
blamed for all the world’s ills.
Although Ambassador Yosef
Tekoah and his associates here
had valiantly rebutted the ser
ies of attacks, their brilliant
statements did not sink in with
the majority entertaining their
biased pre-conceived ideas.
Only one State stood out for
its honesty and forthrightness —
Costa Rica. Ambassador Benja
min Nunez’s statement in the
General Assembly came as a
breath of fresh air in the “foul”
atmosphere charged with re
crimination and vicious propa
ganda. “We should break the
litany of hatred,” he declared.
"With prudent action we must
show the leaders of peoples, and
the peoples themselves, that the
foul winds of hate, the blanket
ing fog of rancor can and should
give way to a strong ray of
sunshine over the horizon."
Alluding to the uncompromis
ing stand of the Arabs, he
urged the “representatives not
to place any obstacles in the
way of a dialogue through un
realistic resolutions and Pyrrhic
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
...Jacob Friend
Continued from page 1
made his way to the Philippines.
Here his lot was to be impeded
further by the conquering Jap
anese.
When these islands fell again
into American hands, he was
able to come to America
through the certificate of smi-
cha he had received many years
earlier at the yeshiva.
His daughter had been able
to precede him in 1946, He
came two years later. Subsequ
ently the two were joined by
Mrs. Friend.
In Atlanta, he began his new
life, finding a means of susten
ance at Ahavath Achim where
he taught for many years. He
was the recognized “Baal
Kriah,” or reader of the Torah,
on Saturday mornings for more
than a decade He had a few
years ago, gone on emeritus
status and been relieved of his
chores of daily classes.
He dhanged his Masonic af
filiation from Manilla to Ful
ton Lodge, No. 216, and served
an appointment as chaplain.
He was a 32nd degree Mason
and a Shriner. He was also a
member of the Order of Eas
tern Star, Atlanta Chapter 108.
His background often put
him in contact with fledgling
ministers at the Emory Theolog
ical School, whom he taught
Hebrew in private sessions.
His home was close to Grady
High School and he made the
acquaintance of Principal Roger
Derthick there. For years he
made a daily appearance at
Grady in order to have coffee
and sweet rolls with the princi
pal and engage in scholarly and
historical discussions.
In Shanghai, his knowledge
of mathematics and astronomy
had projected him into scien
tific circles and he had helped
calculate specific dates and
matters of Jewish interest.
At the time of his death he
was a member of the Royal
Astronomical Academy of Great
Britain.
Earlier, during the 1950’s, he
had occasion to show a special
magnificence in appreciation for
the country in which he had
finally found a haven. The
United States had considered
that Russian technology, reflect
ed in the space race through
that nation’s first sputnik, indi
cated some vast secret which
might have to be ferreted out
through means of espionage.
Then, it was discovered that
the space facts and figures
utilized by Russia were not
secret at all. They had all most
ly been published in Russian
scientific journals and papers
which lay on the shelves, un
translated, in many American li-
baries and archives.
An appeal went out for trans
lators and Mr. Friend respond
ed. He spent many hours at the
Georgia Tech Library, translat
ing these articles. He was offer
ed money for his efforts but
declined on the grounds it was
an opportunity for him to show
his appreciation to America.
Friday, Doc. 15, 1972
“America has been good to
me and mine,” he said and “I
am honored to do this bit for
America.”
His skill at caligraphy and
language projected him into
many interesting circumstances.
One such arose when he was
the Atlanta interpreter for a
visiting group of Russian digni
taries.
He had donated a Torah to
the Emory University Museum.
His contributions to The
Southern Israelite were also in
keeping with his willingness to
be an agent in spreading an
understanding for Judaism. He
asked no pay for his articles.
His birthday came on the
lighting of the Seventh Hanuka
candle. He could have pinned it
down specifically had he wish
ed. He liked instead the va
riety as the date fluctuated from
year to year. The festival flair
added depth to his beautiful
practice of life as a “sheiner
Yid.”
He had helped light the
candles for Hanuka at the Jew
ish Home the first night. Mem
bers there saw a great deal of
him and they had joined joy
fully and slightly prematurely
in the “happy birthday” song.
He was to miss the special
parties that Wednesday evening
and the next Thursday morning.
These celebrations would have
made him glad, but he knew
gladness of a rare and special
Jewish nature in the good
things he did and the personal
way in which he could reach
out and touch his fellow man.
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