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. 21 NEWS
TH:F , AWISH

of Jewish Events

VOLUME 10--NO. 2

34 00119110 22

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Friday, September 27, 1946

arid Zionist Congress Barred
orn Convening in Switzerland

Participation of Agency
In Zion Talks Opposed

JERUSALEM, (JTA)—The Swiss government has
refused permission for the World Zionist Congress to
meet in Switzerland, giving as its reason the fear that
presence of the Congress will increase anti-Semitism. The
Swiss rejection presents the Jewish Agency with an urgent
problem, since the Congress is scheduled to convene at
the end of November and considerable preliminary ar-
rangements must be made.

From Jerusalem also comes word that the Small Actions Com-
mittee has decided against the Jewish Agency's participation in
the London talks on Palestine. (Details on page 25)

British, Soviet Delegates Clash
Over Zion at Peace Conference

PARIS, (JTA)—A severe attack on British policy in Palestine
was made at the Peace Conference by Soviet delegate Nicolai Novi-
kov who opposed a British proposal to insert a clause in the Bul-
garian treaty designed to protect Jewish rights.
The British proposal was -adopted, 7 to 5, with Czechoslovakia
abstaining. Voting for the clause were the U. S., Australia, Britain,
Greece, India, New Zealand and South America. Voting against it
were: Russia, White Russia, Ukraine, France and Yugoslavia.
The Hungarian and Romanian political and territorial commit-
tees already have voted in favor of a similar British proposal, over
the objection of Russia.
Accusing Britain of using the Peace Conference to divert atten-
tion from the situation in Palestine, Novikcv. who spoke to the Bul-

garian Committee, said:

5707

"In the seventh month. on the first day of the
month. shall be a solemn rest to you. a memorial
proclaimed with the blast of horns, a holy convoca-
tion." —Lev. 23:23.

The Holy Days

1946

"How can we pretend the British motives are really sincere?
I should like to remind Britain of a certain situation in another
part of the world. Almost daily reports appear in the press of
arrests, murders, killings and bombings in Palestine, which is under
British rule. It seems it is quite clear that what the British dele-
gate has in mind is the Jewish population in Palestine rather than
the Jewish population in Bulgaria.
"The Peace Conference should not be made an instrument to
correct the mistakes of the British in Palestine. Perhaps he wants
to use this committee as a lightning rod to divert attention from
some of his government's actions in Palestine."
Novikov accused Gladwin Jebb. British delegate. who had just
spoken in favor of the proposal, of having a "sinister and misplaced
sense of humor." Jebb replied: "Our only motive is to help the
unfortunate Jews and give them some additional safeguard. It is
to quiet the apprehensions of the Jews in these countries that we
have submitted this article."

Solemn and Bright Aspects

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are not with-
out aspects of lightness and brightness. On Rosh
Hashanah. we dip our food in honey. symbol of our
hopes for sweetness in the New Year and we greet
one another with good wishes. Even on Yom Kippur,
the Talmud tells us, the young men and women used
to go out and dance.
Yet essentially, they are serious days, days in
which we are supposed to review our past lives, grave
days in which we must be prepared to stay in judg-
ment before God. especially on Yom Kippur when.
traditionally, God takes a final look at the record
and sets down the judgment.
Things have changed somewhat. We do not have
the religious intensity that was characteristic of the
Jews of old.
In days of old, going to synagogue for Yom
Kippur was a different thing. _ The 10 days between
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were truly days of
penitence. The men, even the women in many in-
stances, actually fasted during that whole Period,
eating only one meal at night. They actually sought
out oqe another to ask mutual forgiveness. God,
according to the Jewish tradition, only forgave sins
against God. but sins of man against man could
only be forgiven if men "made up" with one an-
• other. Men really strove for true penitence.
Even the huthor of Yom Kippur—and there are
Yom Kippur jokes--treveals this. There is the story.
for Instance, of a great rabbi, -who, to make his
communion with God more prefect on Yom Kippur,
sought to seat himself for prayers at the side of the
Most truly pious individual in the congregation.
He walked up and down the aisles of the syna-
gogue. Suddenly he heard one old Jew mournfully

repeating the sentence: "I am as dust to Thee."
"This is the man I must sit by," the rabbi
said. "He's truly humble."
And so, he sat by him. Came the time for read-
ing the Torah and the pious old man, sitting by the
side of the rabbi, was given "Reviyi"—that is to say,
he was called up fourth to the reading of the Torah.
The pious old man burst into a fury at this.
"Look," he shouted aloud, "at the man to whom they
gave the third honor. Why, I am a much better
Jew than he."
"Tut, tut," said the rabbi. "Did you not
keep repeating, 'I am as dust before Thee?"
"Yes," replied the old man. "I am as dust
compared to God, but compared to this man I
am like gold to brass."
Of all the Yome Kippiirim in history, I think I
know the one which perhaps made the greatest im-
pression of any in Jewish lore. It happened almost
200 years ago, in a Russian town.
The rabbi of this town is a man still celebrated.
Let us try to visualize that congregation on Yom
Kippur. The cantor sings the Kol Nidre.
His voice has barely finished, when the great
rabbi of the congregation arises. Surely, the great
rabbi is going to make a pronouncement even more
awesome. This great rabbi is a man of truth.
He begins to speak. The congregation is taken
aback. What is this that is taking place? Is it true?
Yes, it is true! The great rabbi is telling God that
congregation, not Israel, is standing judgment
not his`
on this day, but God himself. He quotes the Psalms
—a passage in -which it is written that everything on
earth is as God disposes. Well, if that is so, how

can God exonerate himself?

By DAVID SCHWARTZ

Copy right. 1946 .
le ra phic Agency. In...

TE

The great rabbi goes on further to warn the
Lord that unless He will "write" Israel for a happy
New Year, He will be a sinner Himself, that God will
have convicted Himself of speaking an untruth, for it
is written that God had said : "What people is so
just and upright as my people. Israel."
The great rabbi is none other than the famous
Rabbi Isaac Ieib of Berdichev.
The congregation must have remembered the
time when Napoleon invaded Berdichev. When the
Corsican came to Berdichev, Reb Isaac Leib heard
many-say that Napoleon would soon be ruler of the
world. He arose in his congregation and said: "You
know who is ruler of the world, and who ever will
be? I'll tell you." Then he went on to chant in He-
brew "Yisgadal, Veyiskadash Shmo Rabbo." "Mag-

nified and exalted be His Holy Name. The Na-
poleons are transitory. God is the ruler of the world
and ever will be."
But on that Yom Kippur. even Rabbi Isaac Leib

insisted it was God and not Israel who was standing

in judgment.

Such was the view of one great rabbi of Israel.
Some of the Cabalists -held another view. They
thought that as long as Israel was in "Galuth. - God,
too, was in "Galluth." He suffers with all suffering
people. This view seems very esoteric and at first
somewhat repellant to ordinary thinking, yet on

second thought, one begins to perceive a peculiar
cogency in it. The implications are plain.. God in
giving man free will had of necessity to surrender
some of His sovereignty. He had to impoverish Him-
self as it were, in order to make men rich.

