AN INDEPENDENT WEEKLY SERVING AMERICAN CITIZENS OF JEWISH FAITH
THE OLDEST AND MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED JEWISH PUBLICATION IN THIS TERRITORY
VOL. 23 NO. 18
Ben Giirion Asks Independence in Jewish Paris of Palestine
Capital Spotlight
BY BEATRICE HEIMAN
(Copyright, 1947, JTA, Inc.)
Months ago the State Depart
ment announced that Leonard
Bernstein, young conductor, com
poser and pianist would go to Pal
estine to lead the Palestine Sym
phony Orchestra. Just now re
ports are coming in from Tel Aviv,
Jerusalem and Haifa of his smash
ing success.
Neither the orchestra nor Mr.
Bernstein would be classified as
oldsters. The seventy-five man
Philharmonic is celebrating . its
tenth birthday. Mr. Bernstein
reaches his twenty-ninth in Aug
ust of this year.
One of the functions of the
Office of International Informa
tion and Cultural Affairs of the
State Department is to acquaint
other countries and peoples with
the many aspects of American
life.
The Department’s enthusiasm
paralleled that of the Palestine
critics and audiences. Brilliant
as a conductor and provocative in
program making; triumphant in
writing symphony, ballet and
musical comedy, astounding in his
gift for the piano, so runs the
usually restrained State Depart
ment description. From Tel Aviv
came more plaudits. Audience
enthusiasm abounded. “Not since
the days of Arturo Toscanini, who
launched the Philharmonic Or
chestra ten years ago,” ran the
cabled report, “has a conductor
been recalled so many times a#id
been given a similar ovation.” The
enthusiastic correspondent re
minded his readers that the or
chestra, besides playing under
Toscanini, has also had the baton
waved at it by such familiars as
Weingartner, Molinari, Sargent,
Steinberg and Muench.
Happily complacent about it all
is Serge Koussevitsky, conductor
°f the Boston Symphony Orches
*ra > an d musical godfather to
Bernstein. It was under Kousse
'itsky that Bernstein received his
Polish in conducting. And it was
the great conductor who gave the
immortal advice to the young
students during sessions at
Tangiewood, home of the annual
Berkshire Music Festival, “Pleez,
mein Kind, took it the tempo and
Kept it.”
The last four years have seen
ernstein’s meteoric rise. He was
°rn in Lewrence, Massachusetts
n 1918, showed no special inter-
e ®t in music until he was ten,
"’hen he began taking lessons on
a Plano sent to his family by an
f Unt f °r safekeeping. At thirteen
e began the composing which to
6 inc ludes the symphony
Jeremiah,” the ballets “Fancy
ree and “Facsimile,” and the
mensely popular musical, “On
e Town.” He attended the Bos
°n Latin School, majored in
081(5 at Harvard University.
50 Reform Groups
To Meet
CINCINNATI, Ohio—Congrega
tional presidents from over fifty
communities in the United States
will attend the first Conference
of Presidents of congregations
affiliated with the Union of Amer
ican Hebrew Congregations to be
held here Saturday, May 31 and
Sunday, June 1, in connection with
the graduation exercises at the
Hebrew Union College on Satur
day afternoon, and the testimonial
dinner to Dr. Julian Morgenstern
on Saturday evening on the occas
ion of his retirement as president
of the Hebrew Union College, it
was announced by Dr. Maurice N.
Eisendrath, president of the Union
of American Hebrew Congrega
tions.
CHICAGO ORDINANCE PRO
HIBITS RACIST LITERATURE
CHICAGO (JTA)—The Chicago
City Council has passed an ord
inance forbidding the printing or
posting of racist literature, which
provides a maximum of six months
imprisonment or fine up to S2OO
for exposing an individual or ra
cial or religious group to hatred
to ridicule.
YOUNG ZIONISTS MEET
AT SAVANNAH BEACH
One hundred young Zionists from Georgia, Florida and South
Carolina, meeting in conference at Savannah Beach on Sunday, May
18, unanimously passed a resolution calling upon the Government of
the United States to support the Jewish Agency and all Jews
throughout the world “by opening the gates of Palestine to displaced
persons suffering in Europe” and by taking “greater initiative re
garding a firm policy in favor of a Jewish National Homeland in
Palestine.”
The resolution came at the close
of an all-day session attended by
over 100 representatives of Junior
Hadassah, Masada, I. Z. F. A. and
Young Judaea from Savannah,
Charleston, Columbia, Atlanta,
Augusta, Athens and Jacksonville.
The Conference and rally was co
sponsored by the Savannah and
Southern Zionist Youth Commis
sions.
Highlights of the meeting in
cluded an address by Rabbi Rosen
berg of Savannah who called upon
the young Zionists to piny their
vital roll In the present crisis of
rebuilding Palestine for the Jews;
and an open session and round
table discussion centered on the
theme “A Course of Action for
Young Zionists Today.”
Others who participated in the
program included Israel Katz,
Atlanta attorney who is a member
of the National Masada Executive
Council; Irving Slott of Jackson
ville, also a member of the Nat
ional Council who plans to leave
for Palestine this fall; Herman
Popkin, Youth Director for the
Southern Youth Commission; Mr.
Max Heller, vice president of the
Savannah ZOA District; Mrs. I.
Levington, chairman of the Sa
vannah Youth Commission; Mrs.
Jack Levy, president of the Sa
(Continued on Page Thirteen)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, FRIDAY, MAY 30, 1947
Jolson Stars For U. J. A.
hEB JRI I
A1 Jolson, whose life has been im
mortalized on the screen, will star in
a new radio drama to be presented
over the coast-to-coast network of the
Columbia Broadcasting System on
Monday, June 9th, from 7:30 to 8:00
P. M. (E.D.S.T.), under the auspices
of the nationwide $170,000,000 cam
paign of the United Jewish Appeal.
' Fourth in a series of national broad'
casts offered by the networks in co
operation with the United Jewish Ap
peal. the Jolson show will dramatize
the needs of Europe’s 1,500,000 Jewish
survivors on the eve of the total liqui
dation of UNRRA. The $170,000,000
United Jewish Appeal supports the re
lief, rehabilitation and resettlement
programs of thp Joint Distribution
Committee, United Palestine Appeal
and United Service for New Americans.
.. IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME ..."
When a man lies dying, those who watch at his bedside think
of their own shortcomings: acts of kindness left undone, words
spoke in anger—such memories add to the anguish of the moment.
When men die in battle, people back home feel the same stinging
remorse. As the conflict rages and casualties mount, we pledge our
selves to bring an end to war. We think of the causes of war:
poverty and greed, oppression and slavery, bigotry and racial arro
gance. We remember how often we have fought for freedom against
the tyrants of history. We vow to work for security and freedom,
good will among nations, harmony among people of every race and
creed.
But once the fighting stops, our resolutions waver. It is harder
to build than to destroy, and the period of reconstruction is always
trying on the nerves. Peace-time processes of employment, pro
duction and housing are slow. In our impatience, we are apt to
forget the price that was paid to give us another chance. We may
even forget the ideals we fought for, the promises we made.
Memorial Day brings them back. In church and town hall, be
fore altars and monuments, we stand in silence, wondering what our
dead would think of us now, could they see the bickering, the con
fusion in our ranks.
The dead might not understand. Os many ancestries, races and
creeds, they fought shoulder-to-shoulder. They who died as brothers
have the right to ask the same unity among us who live. They have
the right to say: If you value our sacrifice, make it meaningful.
Drop your prejudices; drop your petty attitudes toward people of
other races and religions. Work together, all of you, for the free
dom, security and happiness that make life sweet for every man,
woman and child on earth. Build such a world, and we shall rest
content.
“This do in remembrance of me.”
Wants Mandate Continued Else
where In Holy Land
BY BERL CORALNIK
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency Correspondent)
.JERUSALEM (JTA) —David Ben Gurion, chairman of the Jew
ish Agency executive, this week demanded the immediate establish
ment of an independent Jewish state taking in those parts of Pales
tine that have been settled by Jews, as well as the Negev, and con
tinuation of the British Mandate in the sections which Jews have
not colonized.
Ben Gurion’s proposal, which is
a departure from the plans
broached heretofore by Zionist
leaders, was outlined to the Asse
fath Hanivcharim (Jewish Nat
ional Assembly), which met here
to consider recent political devel
opments. Reviewing the U. N.
session on Palestine, the Agency
chairman expressed satisfaction
that the General Assembly had re
pulsed “the anti-Zionist on
slaught,” and had high praise for
Soviet delegate Andrei Gromyko,
“who arrived at the conclusion
that there is a necessity for a
Jewish state.” Ben Gurion cau
tioned against over-optimism,
pointing out that Britain has not
promised to implement the recom
mendations of the U. N.
At the concluding session, the
Assembly adopted resolutions call
ing for the immediate establish
ment of a Jewish state and an
agreement with the Arabs. It
welcomed the stream of ships that
are transporting immigrants from
Europe and said that the Yishuv
was willing to use force to safe
guard immigration and coloniza
tion, but rejected the present <
British rule of force. It hailed;
those states which supported
Zionist aspirations in Palestine
and expressed special pleasure at
the Gromyko statement.
Urges World-Wide Ban on Finan
cial Aid to Extremist Groups
On the question of terrorism,
which was one of the chief reasons
for convening of the Assembly,
the representatives called on Jews
here and abroad to deny financial
assistance to the extremist groups
and scored terrorism as placing
obstacles in the path of Jewish
achievements and for creating
Arab-Jewish tension. The Assem
bly stressed, however, that the
fight on terrorism can be organ
ized only by the Jewish commun
ity, without governmental assist
ance. The deportation of terror
ists to Kenya was protested.
In the debate, which preceded
adoption of the various resolu
tions, Rabbi Meir Berlin, Mizrachi
leader, vigorously attacked all
proposals for partition or a bi
national state. Goldie Meirson,
Agency political chief here, chal
lenged the contention of the Ali
yah Hadasha (New Settlers
Party) that the only point of dif
' ference between Britain and the
Jews was the question of terror
ism, citing the restrictions on im
migration and land settlement.
Deputies of the Aliyah Chad
asha, also voiced opposition to
what they described as “the shift
ing of the interest of Palestine
Jewry towards the East.” They
demanded that the Agency con
tinue to follow the Western dem
ocracies.
Hashomer Hatzair representa
tives insisted that bi-nationalism
is the best solution of the Pales
tine problem, since it offers an
opportunity for reaching an Arab-
Jewish reapproachment, which,
they said, must come sooner or
later.
Leaders of the Mapai, the Jew
ish Labor Party, argued that only
an independent Jewish state can
secure adequate Jewish immigra
tion into the country and unre
stricted development.
In a statement issued here, A.
L. Altman, Revisionist leader,
challenged the authority of the
present Assembly to speak for
the Jewish community, since the
Revisionists, the Sephardic com
munity and some of the General
Zionists were not represented,
having boycotted the 1944 elec
tions. He demanded new elec
tions.
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