The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume], October 23, 1953, Image 1

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

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THE OLDEST AND MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED JEWISH PUBLICATION IN THIS TERRITORY .
VOL. 30 No. 40
PLAIN TALK
BY ALFRED SEGAL
MORRIS IS
EX-COMMUNICATED
My friend Morris the taxi
driver was calling on me in con
siderable anguish of his soul. His
countenance which always before
was so bright now was like the
sun suddenly overcast by unwel
come clouds.
“Morris,” I exclaimed, “what’s
wrong?”
"It's plenty." he replied.
“Tell me all, Morris.”
It turned out that Morris wasn't
allowed to sing to God in the
choir of the Anshe Giborim syna
gogue anymore and that was why
his face had appeared before me
without its accustomed illumina
tion.
He used to sing in the Anshe
Giborim choir on the high holi
days and his voice was heard
booming toward God more elo
quently than any other voice in
the choir. It ascended from his
deep, broad chest in basso pro
fundo and the congregation could
feel grateful for such a voice sing
ing to God in behalf of all the
members. By a voice like Morris’
their prayers were sure to be
lifted high toward heaven.
The days when he was privi
leged to sing to God for the
Anshe Giborim in their syna
gogue were Morris' best. To get
away from the taxi and just to
walk with God. singing to Him l
That was compensation enough
for everything he had to take
from disagreeable passengers.
“But now it’s all over for me,”
Morris was saying. “They won’t
let me sing at their altar any
more.”
"Morris," I exclaimed, "you
mean to tell me you've been ex
communicated from your associa
tion with God in that synagogue?"
He replied you might call it
that; it’s about the same as that.
It’s the old story of one Jew not
considering the other guy as
kosher as himself, and, for that
reason, not being qualified, to
give out with a song to God in
the synagogue. You’d think that
sort of thing went out of style
old times, but it happens now,
too, in 1953 even.
'Tell me something. Mr. Segal,
isn't a Reform Jew as good as an
Orthodox? There sure are some
nice people among the Reformers.
One of them is my .wife."
“Morris,” I said, “you speak
like a riddle. Make it plain.”
"Well," he replied, "to start
with, I fell in love, and who
doesn't? I fell in love and mar
ried her, and a finer girl never
lived than Mary Ann, and a good
wife she is; too. She wasn't Jew
ish though."
“Oh, Morris, I thought you just
told me she is a Reform Jew.”
"Sure, she is now, Mr. SegaL
but I'll get to that later. First, I
want you to know what a nice
girl she is. Mary Ann is one in
a million, a jewel, take my word
for it.
(Continued on Page 6)
TO TAKE PART IN GROUND BREAKING CELEBRATION
FOR EINSTEIN MEDICAL COLLEGE ON OCTOBER 2STH
I
Among the nationally known leaders who will take pan in the ground
breaking celebration for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva
* University on Sunday, October 25th, in New York City are (top, left to
right): Nelson Rockefeller, Under Secretary, Department of Health, Educa
tion and Welfare; Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, Director, United Nations Depart
ment of Trusteeship; Gov. Thomas E. Dewey; New York State Attorney
General Nathaniel L. Goldstein, national campaign chairman; (bottom,
left to right); New York City Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri; Dr. Samuel
Belkin, president of the University; Dr. Marcus D. Kogel, New York City
Commissioner of Hospitals; George Alpert, honorary campaign chairman.
GREAT FUTURE SEEN
FOR ISRAEL BONDS
BY AMBASSADOR
JERUSALEM, (IIP) “More
State of Israel Bonds have been
sold in the United States \han
any other foreign issue in his
tory,” stated Israel Ambassador
Abba Eban in an address to a
group of Bond leaders in New
York last week.
“There is no precedent in the
history of the U. S. for any gov
ernment to have sold its securi
ties to the extent of $160,000,000
in cash with great prospects of
increase lying before us in the
future,” declared the Ambassador.
Isaac Harby: The Jew of Charleston, S. C.
In the 19th century’s first quarter, Charleston
contained the largest and best integrated commu
nity in American Jewry. The reasons are not too
obscure. The port of a rich hinterland, this city
enjoyed prosperity. But it also had a tradition of
religious tolerance that attracted Huguenots from
France and non-conformists from the British Isles
and possessions.
Jews began to infiltrate, and by 1750 Kahal
Kodesh Beth Elohim was formed. A feoodly por
tion of the congregation served the patriot cause
during the Revolution. By the War of 1812, the
majority were native born, who had absorbed Eng
lish culture and American folkways. No longer
confined to trade exclusively, the community
could point to its lawyers and teachers, to its doc
tors and journalists as well as merchants and
planters. There was even an architect and a
painter in this Americanized congregation.
The most gifted in the community was Isaac
Harby, whose grandfather had served the “Em
peror” of Morocco (the title adopted by the ruler)
in the capacity of lapidary, which in plain talk is
simply a jeweler. A sultan’s palace is seldom free
of intrigue and Harby’s ancestor found it expe
dient to leave quite suddenly, or else be garroted.
He fled*to England and forgot his troubles in
marrying a young woman from Italy. Their son,
Solomon Harby, decided on the new world and
landed in Jamaica while the American Revolu
tion was still on. In 1781 Solomon managed to
reach Charleston and married Rebecca Moses,
whose father had contributed money and supplies
quite liberally to win the War of Liberty. Their
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, OCTOBER 23, 1953
FIRST ISRAEL-GROWN
TOBACCO SENT ABROAD
ROSH PINAH, (IIP) The
first test transports of tobacco for
the export market were sent
abroad last week by the Bejarano
firm.
This shipment of 150 tons com
prised about 10 per cent of last
year’s harvest. Intensive cultiva
tion of tobacco in order to add
another item to the growing ex
port list has been undertaken
with the help of a $644,000 ap
propriation from State of Israel
Bond investments.
son Isaac’s classic education quite manifested the
resurging bent in America’s newly adjusted Jewry:
the pursuit of knowledge as preferable to money
making.
Isaac Harby was a born writer. At 17, he show
ed the talent of a youthful produgy in composing
a tragedy of five acts. Years later another play,
Alberti, was considered good enough for enter
taining Pres. Monroe on a visit to Charleston. But
playwriting could hardly support the large fami
lies reared in the republic’s early days. His family
budget had to be supplemented with the income
of a private school. Harby offered to slave owners’
sons arithmetic, penmanship, grammar, elocution,
geography and to more advanced students Latin,
Greek, geometry and composition. Virtue and
patriotism, honor and morality were instilled,
gratuitously as useful to youth when they became
men.
The urge for creative writing prompted Harby
to reject the rewards of school teaching. Instead,
he became the successful publisher or editor of
several newspapers in Charleston. His political
editorials attracted attention for fearlessness, pa
triotism, and grasp of public affairs. In a tren
chant essay he advocated Andrew Jackson for the
presidency. A master of rhetoric, he could use
satire, humor, and righteous indignation with tell
ing effect, yet preserve candor and calm reason
ing. His friend the novelist, William Gilmore
Simms, stated “he wrote essays and orations with,
spirit, grace, and effect.”
(Continued on Page 4)
MEMPHIS RABBI EVALUATES
ORTHODOXY IN THE SOUTH
By Rabbi Morton S. Baum
On the eve of the tenth annual Southeastern Synagogue Confer
ence on October 23-25, 1953. in Nashville. Tennessee, we pause to
evaluate the statue and strength of the Orthodox synagogue in the
South. The .picture varies from city to city and from congregation to
congregation. The last decade has clearly marked the challenge we
face, that of transmitting the unbounded respect and loyalty char
acteristic of our elder generations for the Orthodox synagogue and
traditional Judaism, to the younger men and women of today. Time
has all but removed the 'old Soldiers' who were the spiritual back-
bone of many a congregation.
The success or failure to pro
vide youthful leadership loyal to
the goals of the Orthodox Syna
gogue and able to develop a syna
gogue program meeting the needs
of the Jewish family of today, has
meant the difference between the
thriving congregation and the
dangerously dormant one.
The burden of providing this
young blood, falls upon the Orth
odox Educational Institutions in
the community. Ignorance of
things Jewish, because of inade
quate Jewish education, has been
the worst enemy and perhaps the
only enemy sapping the strength
of the Orthodox community. Ob
viously, we cannot hope to impart
a devotion to the Torah and the
classic Jewish traditions, to our
congregants, when they remain
wholly unfamiliar with even the
rudiments of the sacred origin
and historic development, of Orth
odox Judaism. In the state of
Israel, because of the high com
munity literacy that we so sorely
lack here in America, only Ortho
dox congregations are to be
found. Without the subconscious
desire for assimilation and the
naivete of the American Jew, the
Israeli Jew with religious convic
tions, look to the Bible and Jew
ish classics for his way of life,
rather than to religions conven
iently created in sumptuous
American hotels by his self-con
scious brethren.
The gauge by which measures
the Orthodox future is the Jewish
school. Sunday schools will never
provide even the minimal re
quirements of developing literate
and loyal Orthodox Jews. The
Talmud Torah has shown mixed
results, depending on the sincer
ity and calibre of the training
provided. Only the Orthodox day
school has shown itself the ef
fective agent and catalyst in
transforming our youth from
mere reflections of our non-Jew
ish environment; to understand
ing, loyal, well-trained and well
adjusted members of the tradi
tional community. The future of
Orthodoxy in our part of the
country depends on the growth
and support of the Day School
movement.
It is to bus noted that at present
there are 150 such schools with
an enrollment of over twenty-five
thousand students. There are
communities in the Southeast
with thriving day schools. The
enrollment has increased ten-fold
in the last decade.
Adult education is another area
that has seen notable progress in
the last few years. The Orthodox
Synagogue service without
church-like innovations, remains
uninteresting and uninspiring
only to those who cannot follow
or understand the contents of the
service. Actually, it is the Ortho
dox service that has been imi
tated and used as a model by all
western religions, but has never
been surpassed. Every congrega
tion should sponsor adult classes
in Hebrew, Jewish liturgy, laws
and customs and Bible, to pro
vide the training necessary to
develop a mature respect for Ju
daism. .
SYRIA'S COMPLAINT NOT
JUSTIFIED. SAYS LONDON
TIMES
“The Syrian complaint about
the Israel hydoelectric project on
the Jordan River has only slight
ly better justification than the
earlier complaint, rejected by the
United Nations two years ago,
against the work of draining the
Huleh marshes,” according to a
recent London Times’ editorial.
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