The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume], May 04, 1956, 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. 33 No. 16
PLAIN TALK
BY ALFRED SEGAL
DIVORCE AMONG US
My good friend Mr. Gimmel—
he covers his real identity under
the pseudonym of the Hebrew
letter Gimmel—brought to me a
card he had just received from
the brotherhood of his temple. It
was inviting him to a brotherhood
breakfast in the temple and to
hear a discussion on the subject:
“Why Jews Marry and are Happy
Ever After." The rabbi, Albert
Goldman, was to be moderator.
Mr. Gimmel was asking, “What
can that mean? . . . ‘Why Jews
Marry jmd are Happy Ever After’
... They must be kidding us. They
give the idea that all Jews are
happy ever after. That can’t be.
It seems to cover just too much
territory. As we all know, marital
happiness isn’t that universal
among Jews.”
"Well. Mr. Gimmel," I replied,
"I do get out of it a suggesting of
something that's really true in
married life among us. What I
mean is this: The percentage of
divorce in Jewish married life
really is far below the divorce
rate in other circles."
In fact, I had been looking into
the matter statistically, running
up and down the lists published in
the press, of new lawsuits filed
each day in our courts; had made
these studies each day for two
weeks . . . The lists contain all
kinds of -litigation . . . Lawsuits
for money owed, suits to collect
for injury in accidents, suits for
affectiohs alienated . . . and suits
for divorce . . .
The number of divorce suits ex
ceeded by far all other kinds of
suits. As an old-timer who dates
back into the 1880's I felt distress
ed to count so many divorces in
these times. I remembered the
former times when a divorce was
a rarity in families. A divorce in
any family was something not to
be talked about except in whis
pers, like smallpox.
Oh, I remember how my par
ents blushed one day when it be
came known that a distant cousin
had sued her husband. When,
shamefacedly, my mother men
tioned the matter at all, she closed
the window, lest somebody out
side hear her . . . “Jew girl suing
for divorce!” she exclaimed. This
was in the early 1890’s.
The reason I was counting up
divorce suits was somehow Jew
ish. The purpose was to discover
how many of our Jewish boys and
girls go to court to get rid of their
marital troubles. Some days as
many as 15 divorce suits had been
filed—not by Jews— as against 8
or less of all other kinds of litiga
tion. Yes, it seemed that those
who suffer the pain of being mar
ried are much more numerous
than those who go to court for
other pains; such as injury by
automobile, etc.
The count was about the same
each day ... 15 divorces, 14 or 12
. . . that’s the way it ran and not
(Continued on Page 8)
B'NAI B'RITH CORNERSTONE
TO BE LAID SUNDAY
The cornerstone for this handsome B'nai B'rith exhibit hall and
building will be laid in Washington, D. C., on Sunday, May 6, with
Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver (upper left) and Senator Herbert H. Lehman
(right) delivering the principal addresses. Presiding at the brief but
solemn ceremonies will be Philip M. Klutznick, President of B'nai
B'rith.
Other speakers will be Mrs. Louis L. Perlman, of Chicago. Presi
dent of the B'nai B'rith Women, and Frank R. S. Kaplan, of Pitts
burgh, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the B'nai B'rith Henry
Monsky Foundation, which is constructing the eight-story, $1,300,000
edifice. It will contain historic documents, manuscripts, paintings and
sculpture showing various phases of the Jewish contribution to
American democracy, and in addition will house the Franklin D.
Roosevelt Four Freedoms Memorial Library, established by the B'nai
B'rith Women.
This cornerstone laying is one of many events taking place in
connection with the 21st General Convention of B'nai B'rith, sche
duled for May 5-9 in the nation's capital. Other highlights will be a
major policy statement by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles; a
panel discussion by six eminent scholars on the "Foundations of Jew
ish Spiritual and Cultural Unity"; and a dramatic sketch of B'nai
B'rith activities, featuring Nancy Walker, Donald Cook, Martin
Agronsky and Clay Hall.
Dag, Dulles and Jewish Folklore
By SAUL CARSON
(J.T.A. Correspondent at the United Nations)
*****
—UNITED NATIONS, N. Y.
An old Jewish story gained new currency as Dag
Hammarskjold ended the month of his mandate.
His Security Council authorization to try to do
something about the Middle East had been passed
April 4, giving him until early May to place at
least an interim report before the Council. He has,
by this time, visited all the major capitals involved
in the Arab-Israel conflicts. It is recalled that the
very first thing he did, after going to the Middle
East, was to arrange a cease-fire between Egypt
and Israel—after Egypt had sent its murderous
fedayeen deep into the Jewish State’s territory.
And it is that accomplishment that brought revival
of an old Jewish tale—about the rabbi who advised
a mouse-poor Jew, in a miserably poor village,
about household accommodations.
The Jew had complained to the rabbi that life
was impossible in his hovel, with a wife, numerous
children and a couple of in-laws crowded into
cramped, smoky quarters. “Bring the goat into the
house,” advised the rabbi. The Jew did as he was
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 1956
told, and wept that things were now worse. “Bring
the chickens in also,” he was told—and he did, and
was more miserable than ever. He added to the
menagerie his neighbors’ goat, a pair of stray cats,
and the children of several relatives. Then, gradu
ally, the rabbi had him return the children of the
relatives, eject the strays and the borrowed ani
mals, finally turn back to outdoor grazing his own
chickens and his own goat. “Ah,” sighed the Jew
after the last of the intruders had been turned out,
“now the goat is outside again, and life is so won
derful.”
Mr. Hammarskjold started his mission by turn
ing the goat back to pasture. It so happened—per
haps Egypt planned it that way—that, just as the
UN chief arrived in the Middle East, Col. Gamal
Abdel Nasser unloosed his murder gangs, 300 in
filtrators who wrought carnage inside Israel. The
world was shocked. So was Mr. Hammarskjold.
The Secretary-General tackled the problem with
vigor. In a few days, he had an agreement. Israel
and Egypt agreed to abide by Article 11, Paragraph
2 of their Armistice Agreement.
Since the Armistice Agreement itself had been
(Continued on Page 4)
World Zionist Congress
Fights Coll for War
JERUSALEM, (JTA) More than 500 delegates and 3,000 guests
at the 24th World Zionist Congress, which opened here last week,
completed the first phase of their deliberations after hearing ad
dresses by Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, Jewish Agency execu
tive chairman Dr. Nahum Goldmann, and reports from various lead
ers of the movement. The Congress was called earlier than had
previously been planned, after the Israeli parties had urged this
course in view of the tense situation facing Israel.
The survival of-the Jews in
countries outside of Israel, espe
cially in the Western part of the
world where “assimilation is in
practice,” is one of the major
problems with which the world
Zionist movement must deal,
David Ben Gurion told the World
Zionist Congress here. He empha
sized that he spoke not as Premier
of Israel, but “as a member of the
Jewish nation without binding
anybody.”
Mr. Ben Gurion expressed she
hope that at the next World Zion
ist Congress there would be pres
ent delegates from the Soviet
Union, Rumania, Hungary, Po
land, Czechoslovakia and Bul
garia. He appealed to the govern
ments of those countries to "rec
ognize the rights of the Jews of
their countries to' meet their
brethren from other parts of the
world in complete freedom and
without affecting in any way the
regime or the status of the coun
tries where they live."
Touching upon the question of
Jewish survival, Mr. Ben Gurion
said that the establishment of the
State of Israel had solved many
problems, but questioned whether
its creation had guaranteed the
survival of the entire Jewish na
tion. He insisted that Israel has
not placed its sole trust in its
army, but on the continuation of
immigration, the increase in the
Israel population accompanied by
a corresponding growth of new
settlements. Although immigra
tion and colonization are not the
only means of defense, he stress
ed, they achieve the aims of the
state.
His chief concern, Mr. Ben Gur
ion indicated, was with the sur
vival of Jewry throughout the'
world and the preservation of
Jewish values after the destruc
tion of European Jewry and the
assimilation which is taking place
among the Jewries of the world.
“Diaspora Jewry,” he said, “is
now concentrated in New World
and assimilation in practice with
out any ideology is advancing in
great strides.
Goldmann Appeals To U. S.
For Arms For Israel
An appeal to the United States
Government to act on Israel’s re
quest for defensive arms was
voiced by Dr. Nahum Goldmann,
chairman of the Jewish Agency
executive, in a powerful address
delivered at the opening session
of the Congress. Dr. Goldmann
said that the reasons given by the
U. S. Government for refusing
arms to Israel—while the Arabs
are receiving arms from the Com
munist countries —are “flimsy.”
The denial by the United States
of arms to Israel would help
neither Israel nor the Arabs, he
stated. He expressed the hope that
“the day may soon come” when
the U. S. Government will re
spond to the demands of Ameri
can public opinion that Israel be
supplied with arms.'
- "It hardly enhances America's
reputation when the State Depart
ment on the one hand urges other
nations to provide Israel with
arms, and on the other hand itself
maintains an embargo," Dr. Gold
mann pointed out. He charged the
United States with bringing "the
most reluctant of the Western
Powers to guaranty stability in
the Middle East and stressed that
there is no agreement between
the "Big Three" on a Middle East
policy. "All friends of Israel and
all who wish to see peace pre
served should, therefore, force
fully and passionately raise a cry
for agreement among the Big
Three." he urged.
With regard to the recent
pledge made by the Soviet Gov
ernment to help the United Na
tions achieve peace between the
Arab countries and Israel, Dr.
Goldmann indicated that the
promise would be judged by So
viet action. He asked the Soviet
Government “to translate its
peaceful words into deeds,” to dis
continue sending arms to the
Arab countries and to influence
(Continued on Page 9)
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