The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume], November 30, 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. S 3 No. 46
PLAIN TALK
BY ALFRED SEGAL
A BOY ON A SHABBOS
Young Sol Blank had just found
a Job al Bloomingdale's in New
York City, and a most lucky boy
he could count himself for that
reason: Only a few weeks before
he had landed at New York out
es his native Germany, and here
he was already about to make a
start in one of New York's big
gest department stores . . . and
at all of $2.50 a week . . . big
money then . . . and Sol only 15
years old.
This sure was a most wonderful
country . . . the way it took him
in, as it did, with such a warm
welcome . . . giving him this job
. . . and he only this newcomer
who had only $5 in his pocket
when he landed here, and hopes
in his heart ... he the stranger
who was so quickly set on the
way to make a living for himself!
Bui even in these thankful
meditations sadness suddenly fell
all over the boy. Scarcely had he
achieved this job in the good,
new land, that he was told he
was to start working at Bloom
ingdale's come Saturday ... Shab
bos, that is!
This was heart-breaking for
Sol who had been brought up in
a very Orthodox household at
Lendershausen in Bavaria; it was
like profaning the Torah in the
schul in his home-town; yes, like
Sinai itself suddenly being seen
to crumble and fall to pieces.
But what's a boy to do at a mo
ment when he's out to make a
start in a new land? Well, maybe
the only thing was to do as
Bloomingdale wanted him to do;
you might say it was like being in
Rome and having to do in Rome
as the Romans did. So young Sol
took the job, went to work that
Saturday.
• Oh, the agony he took all that
day! His first job at Blooming
dale’s was to split wooden boxes
for kindling dowa in the store's
sub-basement . .. “It was more
than I could stand,” Sol Blank
reports much later ... “I well
remember that with almost every
drop of the hatchet on the wood,
tears dropped.”
His eyes swelled up from, weep
ing «or the Sabbath ... "However,
as I needed the work and realising
that it would be difficult to find
a place where I would not need
to work I stuck it out."
But boy Sol’s conscience
couldn’t argue Shabbos away
from itself so easily, by economic
excuses. In all the 15 years of his
life he had known Sabbath as one
of the holy days in his parents’
household in Lendershausen; he
knew it by his mother’s blessed
candle-lights which kept glowing
in his heart, by the angel, who,
according to the legend, accom
panied his father from schul to
the Sabbath table on Friday eve
ning.
Ha could thank God whan in
(Continued on Page 8)
LEADING AMERICANS AND ISRAELIS
IN ISRAEL BOND CHANUKAH EVENTS
Outstanding American and Israeli personalities are taking part in Chanukah
Festivals and other special events during the Chanukah season in communi
ties throughout the United States and Canada, as part of an intensified effort
to further the sale of State of Israel Bonds. New York City will hold its
sixth annual Israel Bond Chanukah Festival at Madison Square Garden on
December 6. Other cities which have scheduled similar programs for Israel
Bonds include Los Angeles, Toronto, Washington, Miami Beach, Atlanta.
Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and many others. Leading
participants in these events include (top row, left to right) Mrs. Golda Meir,
Israel’s Foreign Minister; Israel Ambassador Abba Eban; General Yigal
Yadin, former Israel Chief of Staff; (bottom row, left to right) Edward G
Robinson, distinguished star of stage, screen, radio and television; Richard
Tucker, leading Metropolitan Opera tenor, and Ralph Bellamy, noted actor
Israel Flag Hoisted On Ml. Sinai
For First Time In History
JERUSALEM, (JTA) The
Israel flag flew this week on Mt.
Sinai where, according to the
Bible, Moses received the Ten
Commandments and where the
Christian monastery of St. Cathe
rine now stands, according to
“Bamachneh,” weekly publication
of the Israel Army.
The flag was hoisted by four
Israel soldiers who traveled
through the desert in a jeep until
they arrived at an oasis surround
ing the high mountain where the
ancient monastery stands in the
shadow of gigantic cliffs 6,700
feet above the sea level. After a
Chanukah Thoughts ...
BY NATHAN ZIPRIN
Usually the Christmas bells are already pealing
when Chanukah rolls around. This year, by a
quirk of the calendar, the dreidl will be spinning
before the bells herald the coming of our neigh
bors’ season of festivity. Yet no doubt there will be
some in our midst who will revert to the seasonal
prattle of synthesizing the two occasions.
There is nc denying the spirit of good will that
is generated by the Christmas holiday, but it seems
to me that the custom amongst some of us at this
time of the year to try to find a synthesis or a
common denominator between Chanukah and
Christmas is not only a denial but a very profana
tion of the differences of the two faiths. It is true
of course that Judaism and Christianity have run
parallel courses through a major part of history.
But there is the other verity parallel lines never
meet.
This is no plea for segregation. But for the life
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1956
dangerous ascent, the soldiers
found the entry to the monastery
and were met by 12 Greek Ortho
dox monks who greeted them “in
the name of Moshe Rabenu and
in the name of St. Catherine.”
KING DAVID HOTEL IN
JERUSALEM CLOSES DOORS
a
JERUSALEM, (JTA) The
King David Hotel, a Jerusalem
landmark for a quarter of a cen
tury and a symbol of luxury and
comfort throughout the entire
Middle East, has closed down and
will remain closed until tourist
conditions improve.
UNITED NATIONS. N. Y.. (JTA) lsrael's delegation to the
United Nations this week was braced for a double edged diplomatic
attack aimed at nullifying all the political and military effects of
Israel's smashing victory in the Sinai Peninsula and at further
strengthening the position of Egyptian dictator Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Although Britain and France
were targets of the onslaught,
along with Israel, the brunt of the
attack was expected to be borne
by the Jewish State with the re
spect that the British would join,
in putting pressure on Israel to'
yield the fruits of victory.
Israel has been fighting a des
perate diplomatic battle to force a
direct, overall Israel-Egyptian set
tlement that would replace the
broken down armistice arrange
ments, terminate continuing acts
of hostility and permit semblance
of peace in the Middle East. Its
policy at the United Nations has
been to induce the nations—par
ticularly the West—to use their
influence to bring Egypt to the
conference table.
The Egyptian-Arab strategy has
been aimed primarily at forcing
Israel out of its position of
strength—control of the Sinai
Peninsula—compel its return to
the old armistice lines and restor
ation of the former status quo.
UN agencies, led by Secretary
General Dag Hammarskjold, have
also been pressing for restoration
of the UN armistice regime intact
and were understood to have
United States as well as Soviet
support in this. Mr. Hammarsk
jold, with American-Soviet ap
proval, has also been trying to
hasten departure of British and
French troops from the Canal
Zone. In his report to the General
Assembly this week, he substan
tially backed the part taken by
Col. Nasser.
The American policy “to sup
port the United Nations” was de
scribed this week by the well
informed Washington columnists
Joseph and Stewart Alsop as an-
of me I can’t understand the striving to dilute the
Chanukah tale an epic in the struggle for Jew
ish survival with a theme that is completely
alien and contradictory to Jewish thinking and
doctrine. We are either to retain our Jewish iden
tity or abandon it. Very frankly, we are not going
to retain it much longer if we keep on diluting it
with Christian religious atmosphere and practices.
•
There is and can be no objection to sharing
festive occasions with our Christian neighbors, but
the sharing must be based on the rational premise
that the object of exchange of religious interests is
attainment of mutual understanding and not inte
gration or assimilation.
I know of no instance where Chanukah lights
have been lit in Christian homes. On the other
hand, I know of hundreds of Jewish homes where
Christmas trees are . lit. This is not synthesis but
the road to extinction. Chanukah cannot be the
road in that direction.
Israel Braces to Save
Military Fruits
other significant step in “the
strange process of transforming
Egypt’s smashing military defeat
into a smashing political victory.”
They warned that “in effect, a
new American course in the
world has been three quarters
charted without any real pain
staking inquiries as to where the
new course may lead.”
Egypt's new political victory,
they noted "is being achieved, it
must be remembered, at the ex
pense of our two chief Western
allies, Britain and France, as well
as the expense of Israel, whose
survival this country is morally
bound to guarantee."
CORAL GABLES CENTER
CHANGES NAME AND
| OUTLOOK
MIAMI, Fla. (JTA) The
Coral Gables Jewish Center has
changed its name to Temple
Judea to make a shift “from a
socially planned community cen
ter to a family integrated Temple
membership,” it was announced
this week. The center, started
eight years ago with a member
ship of 27 families, now has 400
families as members. The daily
Hebrew and religious school has
over 550 students. Temple Judea,
whose spiritual leader is Rabbi
Morris Skop, is affiliated with the
Union of American Hebrew Con
gregations.
i
HAIFA STEVEDORES SET
NEW MARK
HAIFA, (JTA) A new cargo
unloading record was established
in the port of Haifa this week
when a total of 9,095 tons of goods
was unloaded in one day. The
previous record was 8,772 tons.
46,262 IMMIGRANTS ENTER
ISRAEL IN TEN MONTHS
JERUSALEM, (JTA) A total
of 8,500 immigrants arrived in Is
rael in October, some of them
being taken from ship to shore at
the height of the Israeli mobiliza
tion in advance of the Sinai jump
off.
The number of immigrants to
arrive in Israel since the begin
ning of the year, was 46,262. This
compares with 26,866 during the
same period last year and 37,000
for all of 1955. Some 4,000 left Is
rael, during the first ten months
of the year, about the same rate
. as last year.
$3.00 A YEAR