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THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE. M»y 16. 1973 - PACE 4
Southern Israelite
PaMiahad "ilkljr by Hatbira Newspaper Prtarpaiaaa, 3M Court
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Tke Seaatkera laraeMe ieritea liwrary caatribaatioaa aaad ceareepond
a«ee bat ia aat raeaiOarad as akariag tk views expreaeed by writers.
ISaiBae ia 5 p.B. Friday, bait material received earlier will bave a much
better daaace of poMicatiea.
Adolph Rosenberg, Editor and Publisher
Vida Goidgar. Assistant Editor
Kathleen Nease. Edward M Kahn. Kathy Wood
Vivun Kaplan. Hard Blackburn, June Ncumark
NNA
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Georgia Press Assn.
\PFD Seven Arts Features
" ' World Union Press
Aaaooaoon - rounoeo IB45 AJPA Features
Shavuot
The holiday of Shavuot takes its name from the Hebrew word
for 'weeks’ Exactly seven weeks after the second day of Passover
the festival is celebrated. It is also commonly known as Pentecost,
which in Greek means the fiftieth day (50th day since commence
ment of counting of the Omer).
In Israel, Shavuot was celebrated as the festival of the first ripe
fruits, or as it b termed in Hebrew, Habikkurim. The fruit harvest
commenced on Shavuot and ended on Sukkot in the fall. Every
tiller of the soil brought his first ripe fruits to the Temple in
Jerusalem, where he gave thanks to the Almighty for the bounty
of his fields. This second of the three pilgrimage festivals was the
occasion, in ancient days of gala processions to the Temple. En
tire families traveled from near and far and, as they arrived at the
gate of Jerusalem, they were greeted by the inhabitants and they
were bidden to enter the city in peace.
Like our ancestors of antiquity, the Jews, now living in Israel,
also till the land. With great joy and renewed hopes they, too,
celebrate the ripening of the first fruits — but in a different way.
They share it with our less fortunate brethren who have just
come home after endless years of suffering. And they greet them,
too, as they arrive at the gates with words of encouragement and
with the blessings of peace.
The festival of Shavuot has an additional meaning. It com
memorates the giving of the Law at Sinai. The popular custom of
eating dairy foods especially blintzes, and honey on Shavuot is
“honey and milk.” The beautiful new custom of Confirmation,
when girls who have completed specified courses of Hebrew
study, are formally accepted into the ranks of Jewry, also takes
place on this festival. Like their forefathers, they too are con
secrated to the Jewish faith on Shavuot. The floral decorations
with which the synagogue is bedecked remind us of the green
mountains of Sinai and of the harvest festival of former years.
CONGREGATION SHEARITH ISREAL BULLETIN
A Shameful Attitude
President Ford, in his press conference last Tuesday, in
dicated that he was “very upset” by the opposition in this country
to the admission of South Vietnamese refugees to the United
States. ,
The President stated that he could understand the attitude of
some, because of the difficult economic situation here, but he
emphasized that only a relatively small percentage of those com
ing here are heads of families and thus a potential source of job
competition.
It should be distressing to every Jew to see this emergence of
the dark side of the American character in displaying cold hostili
ty to unfortunate people who are without homes or a country. It is
a chilling reminder — to those who are old enough to remember
— of the closed doors around the world that contributed to the
slaughter of millions of Jews in World War II.
The President praised several American groups, including the
AFL-CIO and the American Jewish Committee, who have ex
pressed support for the humanitarian refugee program. Indeed,
all Jewish organizations should encourage the President in this ef
fort to save the lives of a wretched remnant, especially in view of
the long American involvement in the tragic Vietnam struggle.
THE CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS
ftwtik CoUniofi
•Holiday Bogina
Previous Evening
•SHAVUOT
•ROSH HASHANA
Friday, May 16
Saturday, Sept. 6
•FAST OF TAMMUZ
•YOM KIPPUR
Thursday, June 26
Monday, Sept. 15
•TISHA B’AV
Thursday, July 17
SUKKOT
Saturday, Sept. 20
Two Gentlewomen from California
by JAC K SIEGEL
COPYRIGHT 1975, JTA
The recent development that two women were
elected heads of the Welfare Funds communities on
the west coast prompted this writer to seek them out
during a recent visit there for matters other than
editorial. Frances Green of San Francisco and Mrs.
Laurence Weinberg (as she prefers to be known) of
Los Angeles represent a new breed of leadership. On
two counts: young and woman. While their personal
backgrounds vary some, much is held in common and
they have come to their present posts of top leadership
via the hard work communal route. Both are married
and mothers whose children are now making it on
their own.
Mrs. Green, coming from what once was a conser
vative community, also derives from a long establish
ed family in the community. Her initial interest as a
student was in speech and drama or basically, com
munication. In her work as head of the Welfare Fund,
she finds communication an essential ingredient. She
speak of “values,” and when faced with the
“liberated" view of women, she underlines and
emphasizes what she calls voluntarism. There is, she
said, no substitute for it. It offers a different point of
view.
A community, she says, is only as good as its lay
leadership. Asked what her job was, she said, to stay
on top of everything. Everything is: Fund-Raising,
Social Planning, Budgeting and Community Plan
nings. Key to her start in communal work was her
responsibility initialy with disturbed children. While
that seems the pat approach, the concept of woman as
good heart, it led to the tougher side of the communal
work, the head of the total Federation.
Asked why she took the job, she pondered, looking
out of her window at the unusual San Francisco vista,
and then confessed she wanted the job. She said it was
time for her to accept the responsibility which she sees
secondarily as a kind of human drama. Israel, she was
asked, is it as many people believe the bedrock for
campaigning? Mrs. Green said in the minds of many
people Israel was most important, as it was especially
with involved people. Having been there often enough,
she agreed that it was so for herself.
Mrs. Weinberg is very traditional, very Jewish (an
Orthodox background) whose husband went to a
Yeshiva in Brooklyn. She is very strong for what she
believes is a need for “bringing the community
together." And by this, she does not mean
geographically, because Los Angeles is spread out all
over, as we could sec from the window of the drug
store where we both drank a Sanka. Her kind of unity
is spiritual. She admits she took the job because it was
her way of taking responsibility. She confesses
without shame or guilt to being “feminine” in at
titudes as opposed to,the new look.
She doesn’t believe she was chosen President
because it was about time a woman headed the
Welfare Federation. She also earned her way and paid
her dues having worked in various aspects of federa
tion work including the Women’s Division When the
question was raised about the libber concept of
women working in communities, as adjunct rather
than initiator, she pointed out that the men also took
non-paying jobs in the community. Logic from a
woman?
Mrs. Weinberg has a strong identification with
Israel, not in the sense of ultimately settling there but
as part of her firm and committed dedication to what
she calls “Jewish scholarship”. This to her is not only
a point of view, but a way of life. It ties in neatly with
her ambition to bring the community together and
perhaps serves as a base or lodestone. The job is enor
mous in Los Angeles with almost a half million Jews
and a growing but still not large enough percentage of
financial supporters and/or committee people.
The major impression gained from the interview
with Mrs. Green and Mrs. Weinberg is a forceful one;
both are articulate, executive and insightful. Both are
attractive — a not necessary qualification for the job
although like being Jewish, it can't hurt. Yet neither
assumes the role of tin cat usually associated with
cliches of women leadership. While this may not be a
general characterization for others yet to come, it
would seem that their leadership would also set a
pattern. They both agree — working with men is no
problem and find that the reverse is also the case.
Perhaps then, with time, women presidents of
Welfare Funds will become a rule rather than excep
tion. If Mrs. Green and Mrs. Weinberg are
paradigms, then it should be for the general good of
the Jewish community, not only in the United States
but in communities elsewhere in the world. Especially
at a time like the present.
Jewish Groups Urge Vietnam Aid
NEW YORK (JTA) — Four
major Jewish organizations an
nounced support for Administra
tion efforts to resettle refugees
from Southeast Asia in the United
States. The four groups are the
American Jewish Committee,
American Jewish Congress, the
national executive board of B’nai
B’rith Women, and the New York
Board of Rabbis.
Elmer L. Winter, president of
the AJCommittee, told some 1000
delegates attending the
organization’s 69th annual
meeting in New York that
humanitarian aid to the Viet
namese refugees is an urgent issue.
Noting that "as Jews who have
benefited from the generosity and
welcome accorded our parents and
grandparents when they came to
these shores," Winter declared:
“We call upon all Americans to
open their hearts to them (Viet
namese), as the people of this coun
try have always opened their hearts
to human beings in need." A
resolution to this effect was
adopted.
In a letter to the White House
supporting President Ford’s
"humanitarian efforts" to resettle
the refugees, AJCongress Presi
dent Arthur Hertzberg proposed
that the new government in Viet
nam should be asked “to allow
those who may wish to depart to
do sc, freely and without restraint
or fear of harm.” The letter noted
that the organization’s National
Governing Council had voted May
4 to support Ford’s request for
funds to pay for the Vietnamese
resefflSment program.
The B’nai B’rith Women said it
“applauded the heroic rescue ef
forts which the U. S. has under
taken to save the lives of these
refugees" and expressed its hopes
that these efforts will be continued
by providing assistance “to these
people’s immediate needs as new
comers to this country.”
Rabbi Sol Roth, president of the
New York Board of Rabbis, said
the Board "wishes to lend its full
moral support" to the resettlement
of the Vietnamese refugees, and
also called on the U. S. govern
ment to provide adequate funds to
assist in the resettling.
I I
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