The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume], August 20, 1954, Image 1

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

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AN INDEPENDENT WEEKLY SERVING AMERICAN CITIZENS OF JEWISH FAITH
THE OLDEST^AND MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED JEWISH PUBLICATION IN THIS TERRITORY
VOL. 31 NO. 31
PLAIN TALK
BY ALFRED SEGAL
INVITING THE RABBI
There comes to me, by the
mails, an awful scolding from a
lady in our; town—Mrs. Ralph
Smith. I am sitting at my desk
this lovely morning in happy con
templation of my own well-being
and of the good works of God
who created this beautiful day.
Then the boy drops the morning's
mail on my desk. I open an enve
lope and out comes this letter
from Mrs. Smith, well-known as
a most kindly lady in our town.
The letter starts with these
words: “Again I read with dis
may your biased, vile attacks
upon Reform Judaism. Don’t you
have anything else to write about
—or haven’t you progressed be
yond the stages of hypocrisy, jeal
ousy and frustration?”
That sort of spanking I should
get in my very ripe years, I who
have tried to live this virtuous
life in all my days! I am being
accused of defaming Reform Ju
daism even while some of the
Orthodox brethren would have
me excommunicated altogether
out of Israel on account of faults
this column has found in them
from time to time. And for more
than 30 years I have been a mem
ber of a Reform temple who pays
his dues on lime, and who has
tried to have his children and
grandchildren Jewishly educated
in its Sabbath School.
Mrs. Smith’s letter has to do
with a recent piece of mine in
which I said that in big cities —as
in our town—Reform congrega
tions get too large; so that rabbis
can scarcely become acquainted
with many of the members and,
therefore, are disabled from per
forming the complete pastoral
function.
'On that point Mrs. Smith de
sists for a moment from the
spanking and speaks directly to
my appreciative conscience. :. Yes,
she suggests, people expect
friendly attentions from the rabbi
but what attentions do they be
stow upon the rabbi, except in
the melancholy hour when he will
be invited to their funerals to give
them the proper religious send-off
to wherever they may be going.
“How often,” Mrs. Smith in
quires, “have you called your
rabbi on the phone to inquire
about his well-being? How often
have you visited him or invited
him to visit with you? . . . Have
you ever attempted to follow the
rabbi for one week on his much
overtaxed programs?”
As to that, Mrs. Smith herself
sets an example . . . "On many
occasions I have been honored
with the company of our rabbis
and their charming families . . .
In our friendly, informal chats.
I've added to my wisdom listening
to them; and many, many times
they have made me feel reverent
in my dining room!"
Yes, in that Mrs. Smith there
gives me a warm lesson on reli
gious and social amenities of Jew
ish life in any community. Is the
rabbi only for the hour of the
(Continued on Page 4)
HOPING TO FIND OIL IN ISRAEL
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Executives of Pan-Israel Oil Company, Inc., and Israel-Mediterranean Petro
leum, Inc., study areas in Israel where intensive drilling for oil will begin
shortly. Both companies hold licenses for oil exploration on 800,000 acres in
various parts of the country. First issue of 250,000 shares of each company,
which are traded on the American Stock Exchange, were fully subscribed, and
a new issue fe expected in September. Above (1. to r.) are James Biirkley,
Israel B. Brodie, and Benjamin W. Heath. Palestine Economic Corporation
is participating in this undertaking. ,
British Commander of Arab, Legion
Fears Attacks on Israel
NEW YORK, (JTA) The fear that the National Guard in Jor
dan may launch a full-scale series of attacks inside Israeli territory is
entertained by Lt. Gen. John Baggot Glubb, commanding officer of
the Arab Legion, who is known as Glubb Pasha, it is reported from
Amman by the correspondent of the Christian Science Monitor.
“If this should happen,” the
correspondent says, “there is a
strong possibility that England
may, of her .own accord, step out
of her role of protector and banker
to Jordan. This is exactly the re
sult the Jordanian anti-British
bloc wishes to achieve. If England
moves out, certainly Gen. Glubb
will follow, which will mean the
end, at least in the Middle East,
of an honorable career. It may
well spell the disintegration of the
famed Arab Legion.”
Washington Officials Dismiss
Nazi Resurgence in Germany
BY MILTON FRIEDMAN
(Copyright, 1954, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
*****
—WASHINGTON
Inquiries here concerning Nazi
trends in West Germany are re
ceived with suspicion, and quick
ly dismissed, by some Washington
officials, as a result of the case of
Dr. Otto John.
The Communists made the most
of charges by Dr. John that he
defected to East Germany because
he was convinced United States
and Bonn policies ultimately would result in the
remilitarization and renazification of Germany. Dr.
John, who was West German Intelligence Chief,
mysteriously disappeared from West Berlin on
July 20. He emerged in East Berlin by August 11
at a press conference where he said he was not
perturbed by the charges of treason being levelled
at him in West Germany. The persons who made
these charges were the same persons who had
considered him a traitor, for participating in the
July 20, 1944, plot to kill Hitler, he said.
Communist exaggerations and distortion of fact
have been cleverly exploited by apologists for
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1954
The Amman correspondent re
ports that there is much intrigue
against Britain in Jordan, and that
both England and Glubb Pasha
are encountering heavy opposi
tion from an active group within
the Jordan Government as a re
sult of a secret agreement signed
recently between King Hussein of
Jordan and King Ibn Saud Abdul
Azziz of Saudi Arabia.
The ruler of Saudi Arabia is re
(Continued on Page 8)
Nazism. Such apologists are using McCarthyism
against all who would oppose German remilitari
zation. An individual’s views on whether Germany
should be trusted with a new army are being inter
preted as proof of either pro or anti-Communism.
The Communist Party line now happens to be
shrieking out against resurgent Nazism. Clear
thinking Americans remained steadfast in their
anti-Nazism during the Nazi-Soviet pact. Those
were the days when the Communists expediently
saw fit to aid the Nazi cause. It was then the Rus
sian police turned over to the Gestapo certain Ger
man and Austrian Social Democrats, including
some of Jewish faith, who sought refuge in the
Soviet Union.
Today, many who uphold free principles feel
that the remilitarization of West Germany would
be a tragically mistaken strategy to adopt against
Communism. They fear it would facilitate Nazi re
surgence, and create a danger of German reap
proachment with the Soviet Union, in a new alli
ance against the West. Communists have restored
Nazis to important posts in East Germany while
decrying a similar process in West Germany. But
convincing moral grounds are cited by those pa
triotic Americans who know that the murderers
of European Jewry cannot be trusted as guardians
(Continued on Page 4)
J. T. A. Rejects 'Partisan Charges
By Republican Party Official
NEW YORK, (JTA) The Jewish Telegraphic Agency had re
jected, as "completely unsubstantiated," sweeping charges made
against g it by Bernard Katzen, consultant on Jewish affairs to the
Republican National Committee, Louis P. Rocker, president of the
JTA, announced last week.
“The Jewish Telegraphic Agen
cy has no axe to grind,” Mr. Rock
er told the Republican official.
“Its policy since its inception in
1917 has been, and will continue
to be, to present the news honest
ly and impartially to the best of
its ability, to seek o*ut and report
faithfully and accurately all in
formation on current develop
ments of concern to the Jewish
community and to provide the
community with the facts on
which to base judgments and de
cisions.”
In a letter to Dr. George S.
Wise, chairman of the JTA Board,
which he released to the press be
fore it was delivered to the JTA.
Mr. Kaizen complained of the
"obviously partisan nature of the
reports disseminated by your
agency." He said he was "aware
of the duty of news agencies to
keep the public alert as to the
doings of the government and of
men in public life," adding that
however, when the picture is al
ways one-sided, then it ceases to
be faithful reporting and turns
into partisan agitation and propa
ganda."
Mr. Katzen conceded that he
was not submitting a “bill of par
ticulars illustrative of this point,
although I assure you of my abil
ity to do so.” He asserted that
“any unbiased reader of these re
ports must be aware of it. Not
only are the reports one-sided,
but very often distorted with half
truths and editorialized with un-
called for interpretations and
comments.”
"I feel," he declared, "that such
a partisan altitude is not only in
compatible with the principles of
a free press and American jour
nalistic traditions, but is also
harmful to the interests of the
American Jewish community and
the related purposes which you
claim to serve.
“The fact that the Jewish Tele
graphic Agency enjoys the finan
cial support of a number of Jew
ish national organizations and
fund-raising institutions, includ
ing many local welfare funds, I
believe, places an additional re
sponsibility on this agency, lest
its behavior be laid at the door of
these organizations,” he asserted.
JTA President Says Charges
Are Assault on
Freedom of Press
Mr. Rocker, in his reply, told
Mr. Katzen that “the management
of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
has full confidence in the inte
grity and sincerity of its staff
and in its loyalty to JTA policy
and “the principles of a free and
honorable journalism.” He de
clared that “we must flatly reject
your sweeping and completely un
substantiated denunciation.”
He added however, that if "you
will submit specific complaints
and the supporting evidence, you
may be assured that our board
of directors will give them proper
attention." Mr. Rocker also com
municated the next of the state
ment he had issued previously to
newspapers asking for comment
on the Katzen charges. In that
statement, he declared:
“Mr. Katzen’s attack on the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency is a
shocking assault on freedom of
the press. As such, it will be re
sisted to the limit by JTA with, I
am confident, the full support of
the American Jewish press and
community.
“Mr. Katzen’s implied threat
that national and local Jewish or
ganizations will be held responsi
ble for the activities of JTA is un
precedented in American politi
cal affairs. It will not deter JTA
from doing its job to the best of
its ability.”
Press Censures Republican
Parly Official
The attack made upon the Jew
ish Telegraphic Agency was sev
erely condemned by the English-
Jewish press. Newspaper editori
als voiced support of the JTA, and
approved the statement by Mr.
Rocker.
The Detroit Jewish News, in an
editorial entitled "Erring Politi
cian," said that Mr. Kaizen had
"committed worse than a blunder
when he restored to high pressure
in seeking 'publicity' from the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency. That
was the height of arrogance."
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