The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume], January 14, 1955, 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. 52
PLAIN TALK
BY ALFRED SEGAL
REVOLT IN SCHUL
In our town there has just oc
curred an upheaval, almost revo
lutionary. you might say, in our
leading and largest Orthodox
synagogue, I call it Orthodox be
cause that was the denomination
at its birth 100 years ago, and to
that form of Judaism it has stuck
in the way of its worship even
unto now. Now, on account of
what's just happened there it is
being made to stand somewhere
in the middle between Conserva
tism and Orthodoxy.
The Louis Feinberg Synagogue
(named for its late revered rabbi)
is a stately edifice in the Greek
style. Bronze urns of light stand
in front. In the time of my remote
youth it was a schul that inhabit
ed a converted residence in the
downtown section.
Its rise from this humble begin
ning to the magnificence of to
day's all-stone house, suggests the
increasing well-being of our Jew
ry. The fathers were small trades
men and peddlers who out of their
humble substance managed to
bring up good children. To say
nothing of Cadillacs that are in
today's congregation.
In the earlier schul, back in the
1890’s, there was a curtain in the
rear behind which the wives ware
concealed at services. They were
set there in obedience to the tradi
tion that man must have no other
thought when he bows himself
before God. Heart and mind must
be only for God.
A wife at his side in the schul
might cause a man's mind to stray
from the holy dedication; her
presence might cause him to re
member the quarrel she started
only that morning or the way she
nagged him the day before.
Wives were content to accept
this humbler status in schul. Os
course, after schul a wife would
again be asserting her superior
ity in her house. She would be
telling him, “Sam, you’ve got to
stop dropping tobacco ashes all
ovar the carpet, I’m not going to
stand for it. You hear me!” or,
“Abe, it’s about time you realized
who’s running this place,” or, “Joe
what kind of husband are you
anyway? Mrs. Yeffnif’s husband
has just brought home a mink, but
you just keep on promising” . . .
So Sam, Abe, Joe could feel
powerful in schul whan they had
the wife behind the curtain.
But now ... women have come
to their rights even in that syna
gogue. Now, after long, hard
struggle they have come to share
paws equally, side by side with
their men.
Before this happened the con
gregation, time and again, had
voted on the' proposition to let
husbands and wives sit together
in schul. But until the recent
months the husbands who were
willing to let their wives sit with
them lacked a constitutional ma
jority. So the older ones who from
their fathers’ fathers had learned
where to keep a woman in schul,
had their way in these elections.
A majority of 75 was required by
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National Commander of the Jewish War Veterans Joseph F.
Barr presents a copy of “Jews in American Wars” by J. George
Fredman and Louis Falk to President Dwight D. Eisenhower during
a White House Conference last week. The book has just been
published in a revised hard-covered edition by JWV. Commander
Barr discussed with the President certain aspects of veterans’
legislation and presented JWV’s views on that and other matters.
Gigantic History of Jews In U. S. Launched
Launching of a ten-volume doc
umentary history of the Jews in
the United States, under the spon
sorship of the American Jewish
Tercentenary Committee, as a
lasting memorial of the 300th an
niversary of Jewish settlement in
the United States, was announced
last week by Ralph E. Samuel,
Tercentenary chairman. The en
tire project will cost $126,000, and
will furnish, Dr. Samuel said, “a
new and fruitful insight into
many hitherto obscure periods of
Jewish participation in the life of
our country.”
Dr. Salo W. Baron, who is Pro
fessor of Jewish History, Litera
ture and Institutions on the Miller
Foundation at Columbia Univer
sity, and president of the Ameri
can Jewish Historical Society, is
serving as editor-in-chief of the
documentary history. He is chair
man of the Tercentenary Commit
tee on Research and Publications.
Mr. Samuel said that two vol
umes of the series are expected to
be ready for publication by June
1955. They will be the volumes
covering the years from 1790 to
1840, and from 1865 to 1885. The
entire project is scheduled to be
completed during the next three
years.
Initial funds for this major
scholarly project have been pro
vided in part by the Jacob R.
Schiff Fund Committee, Mrs.
Felix M. Warburg, the Altschul
Foundation, David and Emily
Rosenstein, and Professor Baron
himself. The American Jewish
Tercentenary Committee is con
ducting a special fund-raising
campaign to secure the balance of
the $126,000 needed for comple
tion of the work.
Among the topics to be covered
by the documentary history will
be immigration, distribution of
settlement, religious life, occupa
tional and general economic ad
justments, family and social life,
politics, cultural patterns, and in
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1955
stitutional development. Within
each of these categories, the his
tory will illustrate the impact of
America upon Jews, the impact of
Jews on America, and the mean
ing of the American Jewish exper :
ience to Jews of other countries.
Dr. Baron declared that re
searchers on the project have un
covered material dispelling the
popular belief that mass Jewish
immigration from Eastern Europe
to the United States began in 1881.
He said the evidence now showed
that there was “a considerable
immigration from Eastern Europe
in the late 1860’s and early
1870’5.”
Entman Heads State
Gerontology Group
Sidney Entman, Executive Di
rector of River Garden Hebrew
Home for the Aged of Jackson
ville, was named chairman of the
new Florida Geronotological As
sociation, at a meeting held re
cently in Gainesville.
The formation of the Associa
tion is the result of deliberations
held by the members of the com
mittee set up to study needs of the
aged under the sponsorship of the
Florida State Conference on So
cial Welfare. Limited in its scope
to social problems it was deter
mined by the group that the need
for research on the place of the
aging individual in the overall
community could best be served
by an expanded program encom
passing the supervision and direc
tion of medical men, technical ad
visors and interested community
leadership.
It was announced by Entman
that the initial meeting of the
new association which has not yet
been named will be held in Miami
on May 10 at which time the new
charter for organization will be
presented.
Anti-Semites Appear
At Florida Inaugural
The distribution of anti-Semitic materials in the State Capitol
building and elsewhere in Tallahassee on the inauguration day of
Florida Governor Leßoy Collins, January 4. 1955, has been revealed
by Gilbert J. Balkin. Director, Florida Regional Office, Anti-Defama
tion League of B'nai B'rith.
Anonymous Sheets, approxi
mately 3y 2 x 4” in size, appeared
in quantity in Florida’s Capital
City on inauguration day. Written
on the sheets were the words
“LEROY WAS ELECTED
FLORIDA IS NOW IN THE
HANDS OF THE JEWS
WATCH THE WOLVES FEED
TWO YEARS WILL BE
ENOUGH.”
Also freely distributed at the
same time in Florida's Capitol,
seat of the State government, and
other locations in Tallahassee,
were copies of the notorious na
tional hate sheets ''Common
Sense” and 'The Coming Red
Dictatorship." both published by
a New Jersey anti-Semite named
Conde J. McGinley.
Vast quantities of the anti-
Semitic publications “Common
Sense” and its companion sheet
entitled “The Coming Red Dicta
torship” have been distributed in
many areas of Florida and else
where throughout the country,
Mr. Balkin stated. The ADL Bul
letin reported that “Common
Sense, subtitled, ‘The Nation’s
Anti-Communist Newspaper,’ has
yet to publish a legitimate, factual
anti-Communist article. Editor
McGinley is not addicted to sub
tleties or innuendoes: his anti-
Semitism persists at gutter level.”
The appearance and distribution
of the anti-Semitic materials in
Tallahassee have been brought to
the attention of appropriate gov
ernmental agencies for investiga
tion and possible prosecution. Mr.
Balkin stated. Violation of the
Florida Anti-Anonymous Hate
Literature Act appears to be in
dicated in the anonymous sheet,
he said.
Merchants Warned of
New Orleans Racket
We have been receiving
numerous complaints that a
racket from New Orleans, La.
adopting a name similar to
ours, calling itself The South
ern Jewish Post, has been
showing business people thru
out our territory ads taken out
of this newspaper, leading
them to believe they were re
newing their ads and collecting
money from them under these
false pretenses.
We have requested the Post
al Inspector and the Anti-Defa
mation League to assist us in
putting a stop to this racket.
Anyone receiving solicitations
or bills from The Southern
Jewish Post of New Orleans is
asked to contact this news
paper immediately. We have
been advised that there is no
such publication.
Judaean Winners
Announced
Over 150 Senior Judeans and
leaders meeting at their Bth An
nual Winter Conclave at the Prin
cess Issena Hotel, Daytona Beach,
Florida, bid farewell to Yosef Peri
of Israel, who has worked closely
with them for the past two years.
The four day event, a tribute to
his guidance and leadership, used
as its theme “IF YOU WILL IT—
IT IS NO DREAM,” the familiar
motto of Theodor Herzl.
The Chaim Weizmann Chapter
Basketball Team of Chaftanooga
defeated the Jacksonville Macca
bees and will represent the South
ern Region at the Basketball Fi
nals to be held this August at the
National Judaean Convention at
Camp Tel Yehudah, Barryville,
New York. Arnold Frumin, Cap
tain, will head his delegation of
teammates consisting of Sanford
Winer, Irvin Pressman, David
Tabb, Ival Goldstein and Martin
Halper.
An independent girls team in
cluding: Evelyn Lipman, Janet
Givner, Janice Jaffee, Charleston;
Barbara Port m an, Savannah;
Doris Winer, Chattanooga; Dale
Levinson, Sarasota, and Nora Gor
don, Miami, were visitors in the
girls tourney.
Ping Pong Competitions were
won by Arnold Frumin, Chatta
nooga for the boys and Sandy
Rubenstein, Miami, for the girls.
The Boys’ Shuffleboard game
ended in a tie between the Macca
bees chapter of Jacksonville, rep
resented by Edward Shmunes and
David Moscovitz and the Chaim
Weizmann Chapter of Memphis,
represented by Steve Engelberg
and David Okeon. The Girls’ game
was won by Harriet Naftulin and
Susan Tuckman of Jacksonville.
Herman Shapiro, Hollywood,
Florida, was chosen from 20 con
testants as the winner of the Isa
dore and Ethel Moscovitz Extem
poraneous Speaking trophy on the
topic: “If you were a leader of
your local Jewish community and
it was within your power to insti
tute any and every change con
ceivable’ to help make your com
munity develop into a more crea
tive and positive Jewish commu
nity, what would you do?”
The Choral Plaque was pre
sented to the Daughters of Zion
Chapter of Savannah for their
rendition, which used “The Story
of Ruth” as the theme.
Jacksonville Senior Judaea was
awarded the Folk Dance Plaque
for their presentation of Israeli
Dances.
Special recognition was given to
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$3.00 A YEAR