The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume], June 21, 1940, Image 1

About The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume] (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1939-1992

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AN INDEPENDENT WEEKLY SERVING AMERICAN "CITIZENS OF JEWISH faitm'
THE - QLDEST AND MQST WIDELY CIRCULATED JEWISH PUBLICATION IN THIS TERRITORY
VOL. 15 No. 32
Week In Review
By MILTON BROWN, J.T.A.
WAR IN THE MEDITERRA
NEAN
The sword of Damocles which
has been hanging above the Medi
terranean has finally fallen. Italy’s
entry into the war has carried the
conflict to the Near East, mean
ing, among other things, that
Palestine is potentially threatened.
Mussolini has chosen the mo
ment when he considers he will
meet a minimum of resistance to
seek control of Mare Nostrum.
While it is believed that Palestine
is not immediately endangered, the
possibility of an attack on the
Holy Land must be reckoned with,
and Palestine is taking complete
precautions.
The ports of Jaffa and Tel Aviv
have been declared military zones
from which civilians are barred,
except by special permission. Air
raid shelters have been arranged
in Haifa. A special Jewish con
stabulary of 1,000 men is being
formed. Censorship has been tight
ened and nation-wide blackout
from 7:45 P. M. is in effect.
So far as the Jews are concened,
there are other aspects to Italy’s
entry into the war. There is the
danger to the 40,000 Italian Jews
and the more than 4,000 refugees
from., persecution., who., were
trapped in Italy. The refugees
faced.. the_ possibility., of., being
turned over to Germany, and the
resident Jews were alarmed over
the rapid rise of anti-Jewish agi
tation as a part of the program of
creating a war spirit in Italy.
Furthermore, the Mediterranean
is closed as an outlet for emigra
tion of Jewish refugees, making
necessary a long and arduous route
through Soviet Russia, the Far
East and the Pacific.
SOUTH AMERICA’S FIFTH
COLUMN
South America is rising to a re
alization of the Nazi fifth column
menace. Newspapers are throw
ing a spotlight on Nazi activities
and governments are taking ac
tion tof meet the threat.
In Uruguay, the Chamber of
Deputies has enacted a bill dis
solving all parties which take in
structions from foreign countries
and forbidding dissemination of in
citing propaganda. The measure is
aimed at Nazi, Fascist and Fal
angist (Spanish Fascist) associa
tions. The Nazi newspaper. La Li
nea Siegfrieda recently threatened
occupation of Uruguay by Ger
many unless press and radio at
tacks on “the great German na
tion” were checked.
In Bolivia, the German school
m La Paz serves as a center of
Nazi activity; a Nazi in a case
shouted “Down with Bolivia! Long
live Hitler!”; several anti-Semitic
newspapers supported by the Na
zis conduct violent propaganda for
expulsion of the Jews; the illegal
party presses its agitation.
In Chile, the pro-Nazi Chilean
Nationalist Movement staged a pa
rade in Valparaiso, storm troopers
shouting “Down with the Jews.”;
Chilean newspapers warned of ris
ing Nazi influence in the country.
In Argentina, newspapers said
mat a German general and a Nazi
a gent had arrived to conduct fifth
column activities; three Nazis
Were recently arrested with in
criminating maps and documents
m their possession.
Palestine Jews
Calm In Face
Os War Threat
NEW YORK—A call "To organ
ize their strength” and “to give
all possible assistance to the van
guard of the Jewish people en
trenched in Palestine,” was made
to the Zionists of America in a
statement issued by the Emergen
cy Committee for Zionist Affairs,
speaking officially in behalf of all
American Zionist organizations.
The Emergency Committee in
cludes representatives of the Zion
ist Organization of America, Ha
dassah, Mizrahi (Orthodox Zion
ist Organization), and Poale Zion
(Labor Zionist Organization).
“The Jewish community in Pal
estine,” the statement declares,
“is calm and is carrying on its
normal activities as best it can
under war conditions. It is pre
pared to throw its entire collec
tive resources in manpower and
economic organization into the
defense of the land.”
The text of the statement in
part is as follows:
“Palestine is now irrevocably
bound up with the destiny of Eng
land and France, whose valorous
defense of the ideals of civiliza
tion against the brutal aggression
of Nazi and Fascist forces has en
listed the sympathy and support
of the entire American people.
“The Emergency Committee is
in a position to state that com
munications with the Yishuv
(Jewish community in Palestine)
are unbroken. Daily interchange
of views between America and
Palestine continues. The Yishuv
is calm and is carrying on its nor
mal activities as best it can un
der war conditions. It is prepared
to throw its entire collective re
sources in man-power and eco
nomic organization into the de
fense of the land and for demo
cratic world victory.
“Palestine is prepared for any
eventuality. During recent weeks,
its defenses have been built up,
to which Jewish Labor has made
substantial contrioutions. . . Isaac
Ben Zvi of Jerusalem, and Mayor
Israel Rokach of Tel Aviv, have
B’nai B’rith Gives Another
SI,OOO To Youth Aliyah
TOTAL AID IN TWO
YEARS IS SIB,OOO
WASHINGTON, D. C.—B’nai
B’rith made its fourth contribution
to Youth Aliyah in two years when
the Executive Committee, ruling
body of B’nai B’rith between tri
ennial conventions of the Supreme
Lodge, voted an additional SI,OOO
to maintain refugee children from
the European lands of persecution
in Palestine. With this appropria
tion, the total of B’nai B’rith as
sistance to Youth Aliyah has
reached SIB,OOO since 1938.
In May 1938 the Executive Com
mittee voted SIO,OOO to Youth
Aliyah. At its 1939 meeting in
Washington, D. C., the Executive
Committee authorized an addition
al $2,500. In February, 1940, at
Tampa, Florida, the Executive
Committee again voted $2,500 for
Youth Aliyah. The four appropri
ations from the Executive Com
mittee amount to $16,000, to
which should be added the $2,100
raised for Youth Aliyah last year
by the chapters of Aleph Zadik
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, FRIDAY, JUNE 21. 1940
450,000 Jews of France in Peril;
Relief Groups Go To Lisbon
Jewish Refugees
Flee From Paris
LONDON (JTA) How
Jewish and other refugees
fled Paris under almost undes
cribable conditions was described
in a cable received at American
Red Cross headquarters from a
representative abroad who told
of what he had seen en route
from Paris to Bordeaux.
“Constituting third and fourth
tidal waves oversweeping France
are evacuees from Mediterranean
regions and Parisian districts,
crowding towns inland to Spanish
border. Extreme chaos caused by
Belgian, Dutch and Jewish refu
gees fleeing Paris every possible
conveyance. People fighting room
on southbound trains from Paris.
“Between Paris and Bordeaux
counted 57 serious auto accidents,
mainly due exhaustion, sleepless
driver on move three, four days,
unable find resting places. Bel
gian, French Red Cross unite
along route doing magnificent
work unbroken line. All roads
from Paris and north filled
trucks, automobiles. Woman har
ness to. heavy..,-kiffh-wiieeled cart
whereon deathly-ill fifteen-year
son, bedclothing, cooking uten
sils, dog. Had pulled four days,
two younger children walking
alongside. Another wagon saw
mother milking goat while six
year girl fed clover picked road
side.”
given official assurances to the
Government of the readiness of
the Jewish community to contri
bute all resources and make all
sacrifices for the war effort.
“The Yishuv expects American
Jewry to give all possible assis
tance to the vanguard of the Jew
ish people entrenched in Palestine
and to maintain its positions in
this supreme emergency.”
Aleph, B’nai B’rith’s youth organ
ization.
These B’nai B’rith contributions
make possible the maintenance of
50 children in Palestine for two
years.
Palestine Jewry
Offers All Aid
To Allies
Jerusalem —The loyalty of
the Jewish Community of
Palestine to the Allied cause
and its readiness to contri
bute all resources and to
make all sacrifice for the
war effort was expressed to
the Chief Secretary of the
Palestine Government, John
5. MacPherson, by Isaac ben
Zvi and Mayor Israel Ro
kach of Tel Aviv, who vis
ited the Government execu
tive on behalf of the Vaad
Leumi.
By BORIS SMOLAR
J. T. A. Chief European Correspondent
♦
(Smolar left Paris, with the J. T. A. Paris staff, shortly before
the German entry into the French capital. He reached Bordeaux af
ter a hectic journey through refugee-thronged southern France. Es
tablishing temporary headquarters in Bordeaux, he sent his first dis
patch the night before the announcement of the French capitulation.)
LONDON (JTA) —Capitulation
of the French Government under
Premier Henri Philippe Petain to
Germany brings the threat of
Nazi domination to the great bul
wark of democracy in Western
Europe and throws close to a
half million Jews into danger of
coming under Hitler’s lash.
Terms of the surrender were
not announced immediately, how
ever there was not doubt that
whatever settlement was forced
on gallant but overpowered
France, there would be no room
for Jews to continue anything
like a normal existence.
There are approximately 70,000
German Jewish refugees in
Immigrant Groups
Pledge Loyalty
To United States
NEW YORK (JTA)—A pledge
of “unconditional loyalty” to the
American Government and people
has been sent to "the competent
authorities” by the Immigrants
Conference 1939, which represents
more than 15 organizations of im
migrants of all nationalities, races
and creeds who had to leave Eu
rope because of the National Soci
alist and Fascist revolution.
The resolution said: “At a time
when the inner and outer security
of the neutral countries is seri
ously threatened, the Conference
wishes to express its unconditional
loyalty to the Government of the
United States and to the American
people in the name of its affili
ated organizations and their in
dividual members.
“T h e Immigrants’ Conference
considers the adherence to Ameri
can principles as a basis for the
new life of the immigrant who
has to show his gratitude for the
equal rights which he enjoys in
the United States by his loyal atti
tude towards the government and
the people of the United States.
“Abstaining from any interfer
ence in the foreign and domestic
policies of the United States, the
organizations united in the Immi
grants’ Conference 1939 recognize
the principles of democracy such
as they are laid down in the Con
stitution of the United States.
They decline to maintain any con
nection whatsoever with the gov
ernments of their countries of ori
gin and they reject any kind of
dictatorship no matter of what
political color. All these organiza
tions are under obligation to keep
their own ranks clear of all doubt
ful elements. They are determined
and ready to participate in the de
fense and protection of thq demo
cratic principles and institutions
of the United States at any time
wherever they may be placed and
whenever the people and the Gov
ernment of the United States will
call upon them.”
$2.00 A YEAR
France, as well as 350,000 to 400,-
000 resident Jews. With condi
tions in France chaotic as a re
sult of the Blitzkrieg, a new Jew
ish emigration problem is cre
ated. Undoubtedly hundreds of
thousands of non-Jews musF emi
grate, but the Jews are especial
ly endangered because of the pol
icy of Nazi reprisal against Jews
—particularly German refugees—
in captured countries.
There was no immediate news
of what had happened to the thou
sands of German refugees in
terned by the French authorities
in camps which had fallen into
the Nazis’ hands.
Leaving a skeleton staff of the
HIAS-ICA here to aid refugees
in France, European Director
James Bernstein- is - preceding to
Lisbon to study the possibilities
of operating there. From Lisbon,
Dr. Bernstein expected to sail
for New York with the suggestion
that HIAS-ICA work be conduct
ed directly from that city.
Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz, J.D.C.
European vice-chairman, is also
going to Lisbon on behalf of the
J.D.C.
(The Joint Distribution Com
mittee completed the evacuation
of its Paris office two days be
fore the Nazis entered the capi
tal. Morris C. Troper and other
American members of the staff
remained until the last moment
and then left for Bordeaux. Part
of the staff had already been es
tablished in Angers, where the
J.D.C. opened an office last Sep
tember. All J.D.C. files were re
moved from Paris. The HIAS
ICA Emigration Association eva
cuated to Bordeaux the day be
fore, according to a cable from
Dr. James Bernstein to Isaac L.
Asofsky, director of the HIAS
ICA in New York.)
Jewish Calender
Join a Synagogue
Attend lie Services
1949—5700
*Rosh Chodesh Tamuz. July 7
Fast of Tamuz July 23
Erev Rosh Hashonah 5701 Oct. 2
1940—5701
First Day of New Year ..Oct. 3
Fast of Gedaliah Oct. 5
Yom Kippur Oct. 12
First Day of Tabernacle Oct. 17
Hoshanah Rabbah Oct. 23
Sh’mini Atseres Oct. 24
Simchas-Torah Oct. 25
Rosh-Chodesh Nov. 1-2
Rosh-Chodesh Dec. 1
First Day of Chanukah Dec. 25
Rosh-Chodesh Dec. 30-31
•Observed previous day as
well. All holidays begin at sun
down of day preceding that
listed above.