Page Sixteen
THE JEWISH NEWS
Hechalutz Training Future Farmers British Action
In Palestine
Rouses World
.
(Continued from Page 3)
quences of our determination to
defend the Jewish people against
her attacks with every weapon
at our command."
For more than 15 years the Hechalutz Organization has been
training city-bred Jewish youth in practical farming. More than
1,000 young men and women have taken part in the two-year pro-
gram which provides preparation for work in Palestine, and en-
courages the occupational redistribution of Jewish youth in this
country.
Since 1936 the laboratories for these activities have been the
two New Jersey training farms which the Hechalutz organization
operates—one at Creamridge and the other at Hightstown.
While a substantial number of American Chalutzim.have trans-
lated their acquired skills to the building and cultivation of the
land of Palestine, Hechalutz is equally proud of the large number
who have remained in this country and have applied their training
in agriculture and allied occupations in this country.
Oldest U. S. Synagogue
1%ewport H. I. , Congregation
Is National Historic Site
.
BY REUBEN HARRIS
The announcement by the Department of the Interior
that the Newport, R. I., Jewish synagogue has been set aside
as a national historic site adds another laurel to the
many which have been laid on this house of worship, which
dates back to Puritan days.
The Newport synagogue was dedicated it 1763, but the
congregation itself originated in
1658 when Jewish refugees from
the Inquisition, taking advantage
of the freedom of religion pro-
claimed in Rhode Island by
Roger Williams, settled in the
town, less than 30 years after
the landing of the Pilgrims. The
Newport synagogue has been the
theme of poems by Longfellow
and the American Jewish poetess,
Emma Lazarus. A letter George
Washington once addressed to the
synagogue has become historic.
The synagogue, situated on
Touro St., is named for the old
Touro family.
*
* *
Isaac Touro was rabbi of the
congregation when the temple
was dedicated; his son Judah, a
successful business man and a
soldier in the War of 1812, left
the funds for the maintenance of
both synagogue street and for a
public park, named in honor of
the family. Touro also left a be-
quest for the upkeep of the little
cemetery, close to the synagogue,
in which lie the remains of a
Jewish community which played
a prominent part in early Am-
erican life.
* * *
On the headstones are names
of Newport Jews who introduced
the soap industry into America
and many who were active in the
processing of sperm oil products,
which lit homes of Colonial
America. Here, too, lies the body
of Aaron Lopez, the Henry
Kaiser of his day. He owned a
fleet of ships which carried
American products all over the
world. When Lopez died, the Rev.
Ezra Stiles
Christian minister
and then t. resident of Yale, wrote
in his diary:
"On the 28th of May died that
amiable, benevolent and hospit-
able respected gentleman, Mr.
Aaron Lopez. He was a Jew, al-
ways carried about him a mild-
ness of behavior, a calm urbanity,
an unaffected politeness of
manner and was the most uni-
versally beloved of an extensive
acquaintance of any man I ever
knew."
* * *
,
of the Revolution, the congrega-
tion showed renewed vitality. It
was then that George Washington
visiting Newport was greeted by
Moses Seixas, representing the
J ewish community of Newport.
Washington responded to this
greeting with a letter, often
quoted, in which he wrote: .
"The Citizens of the United
States of America have the right
to applaud themselves for having
given to mankind examples of
an enlarged and liberal policy,
a policy worthy of imitation. All
possess alike liberty of conscience
and immunities of citizenship. It
is now no more that toleration
is spoken of as if it was by the
indulgence of one class of people,
that another enjoyed the exercise
of their inherited natural rights."
The city of Newport never re-
covered completely from the
blow dealt it by the American
Revolution; its Jewish community
dwindled. The synagogue was
closed, but the building itself was
cared for by the bequest of Touro.
Lord Winterton Warns British
Will Destroy Tel Avivv
LONDON (JPS - Palcor)—A
threat to reduce Tel Aviv "to a
heap of stones" and "destroy
every house occupied by a Jew
or Arab" in Palestine if the
Jewish Resistance tries to fight
the British Army, was voiced in
Commons by Lord Winterton,
Labor MP.
He was answered quickly by
Capt. F. J. Bellinger, Parliament-
ary Secretary for the War Min-
ister, who warned: "I think we
must be very careful of the sort
of speeches we make on the sub-
ject in this House. We aren't al-
ways conversant with conditions
in these troubled parts and would
prefer to leave it to the men on
the spot to answer these ques-
tions, than that I as a member
of the House should give answer
as the noble lord seemed to in-
vite."
Winterton's threat was made
during a debate on the future of
the Army. "There are people in
Palestine who talk of fighting the
British Army," he declared. "Let
it be realized by this people that
it would be a most terrible thing
to use the power of the British
Army. It isn't a question of not
being able, but a question of not
using the force it could. If they
really stand up and fight in Pales-
tine we could reduce Tel Aviv to
a heap of stones."
Labor, Progressive Bloc
Tops Zionist Election
The Labor Zionist and Progressive Bloc won first
place in the elections to the World Zionist Congress in
Detroit on Sunday and Monday.
Labor — Ticket No. 2 on the ballot — led all parties
in an enthusiastic election which brought voters to the
polls from all parts of the city.
The Zionist Organization of America — Ticket No.
1 — came in second.
Hadassah, Mizrachi and the Revisionists came in
second, third and fourth in the local elections.
Balloting took place at three branches of the United
Hebrew Schools, in the Shaarey Zedek and at Habonim
headquarters.
Results of the elections nationally were not known
at the time this issue of The Jewish News went to press.
They will be announced next week.
More than 1,000,000 Shekel-holders and members of
various Zionist organizations were qualified as voters in
this country. Throughout the world there are more than
2,000,000 Shekel-holders.
BOOKS
State's Jewish Vets
Dr. Burnstine Heads
Dr. Perry P. Burnstine was
elected commander of the Michi-
gan Department of Jewish War
Veterans at the annual meeting
on Sunday, when the national
commander, Maj. Cohen, was a
guest here.
Dr. Burnstine served as state
commander of JWV before enter-
ing service in the army.
ZIONIST FACTORIES MERGE
TEL AVIV (JTA)—Unification
o fthe General Zionist movement
was effected when a special con-
ference of the General Zionists
B voted 8 6to 21 to amalgamate
with the A group. The trade
union affiliated with the B fac-
tion, however, reserved the right
to maintain its own independence
and specified that it would not
feel obligated to join the Hista-
druth.
Truman Urges Volunteer
Years afterword, the synagogue Roosevelt Brigade in Zion
was visited by Longfellow who
ASBURY PARK, N. J. (JTA)—
wrote:
The creation of a volunteer army
How strange it seems. These Hebrews for Palestine, to be known as the
in their graves,
Close by the street of this fair seaport Roosevelt Brigade, which would
town;
be composed of former GIs, was
Silent beside the never-silent waves
urged upon President Truman in
At rest in all this moving up and down. a resolution adopted at the 37th
Closed are the portals of their
annual convention of the Order
Synagogue,
Bnei Zion.
No Psalms of David now the silence
break;
No rabbi reads the ancient Decalogue
In the grand dialect the Prophets
spake.
Families' Reunion Planned
Aug. 7-11 by Agree Group
* * *
Arrangements are being made
by the Youth Group of the Isaac
Of a mixed Colonial and
Agree Memorial Society for a re-
Spanish design, the synagogue
union of the Canvasser, Kaplan,
building itself is unchanged. The
Zatkin and Agree families from
masonic plan of the structure
Stanford, Conn., New York and
follows the Temple of Jerusalem.
California, from Aug. 7 to 11.
Twelve columns represent 12
tribes of Israel, each being a solid
Jewish Veteran Murdered
tree trunk. No metal was used in
By Bandits in Poland
the building, every unit having
WARSAW (JTA)—Eliaz Lips-
been joined by dovetail and
zowicz, a former non-commis-
wood pin.
sioned officer in the Polish army,
The synagogue stands in a little who fought the Germans for five
yard in front of which are spread- years as a partisan, was killed at
ing trees. In the yard is a sign:
Lignica, in Lower Silesia, by
anti-government bandits.
Most Jews of Newport were
patriots in the American Revolu-
Oldest Synagogue in
tion. When Newport was be-
America
sieged and occupied by the
British, many fled to New York
Visitors Welcome
and were absorbed in the Spanish
and Portugese Congregation of
Ne.l.y York City. A few remained. The services are conducted to-
After the evacuation of the clay in the same Sephardic ortho-
town by the British, at the close dox tradition. In early days, the
Friday, July 5, 1946
worshippers were Spanish Jews,
while today most are of Russian,
Polish or Romanian extraction.
During the Revolutionary period,
Newport Jews numbered about
1,100. Today there are 800 or
1,000.
Copyright, Independent Jewish Press
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