8—THE JEWISH NEWS
On the Record
Friday, August 25, 1950
By NATHAN Z I PR I N
(Copyright, 1950,
Our Letter Box
Seven Arts Feature Syndicate, Inc.)
Political Notes
The question of a successor to James G. McDonald as our
ambassador to Israel is receiving much attention in Washington
these days. There is a coterie in the State Department that would
like to see the portfolio handled to a career diplomat of pro-Arab
orientation. However, informed Washington circles believe Bart-
ley Crum is getting consideration for the post. In fact it is no
longer a secret he. was considered for the appointment soon after
U. S. recognition of Israel. His friendship for Israel has been pro-
found and consistent.
The Korean conflict has given the Arab states another card
in their game against Israel and they intend using it at the
September session of the UN General Assembly. Arab League
leaders now meeting in Alexandria are ostensibly discussing the
Korean situation but actually they are mapping nuisance strategy
for the coming Assembly meeting. Their game is to harass U. S.
policy in the UN in the hope of being able to wring American
concessions on the Jerusalem issue. They expect using the session
as a springboard for a diplomatic offensive against Israel. They
will endeavor to secure UN recognition of the Arab League as a
Middle Eastern regional bloc.
Current rumors that both President Weizmann and Premier
Ben Gurion may come . to the U. S. early this fall are just rumors.
With Senator Lehman a certain candidate for re-election it
does not seem likely that the Democratic party in New York will
run another Jew for high office. Party leaders, however are
said to favor Abraham J. Multer as running mate to their guber-
natorial candidate.
*
*
The Price of Absentmindedness_
•
It happened in a Tel Aviv synagogue. While the congregants
were busy praying they suddenly heard sweet chanting from a
stranger in their midst. Since American tourists are no longer
looked at with curiosity in Israel, the worshippers paid little at-
tention to the man who had come to join them in prayer. How-
ever, since Jews have no peers in recognizing a good chazan when
they come across one, it did not take long before the stranger ad-
mitted that he was Jan Peerce, the noted American-Jewish singer
of Metropolitan Opera fame. Before long the entire congregation
beseiged Peerce with pleas that he conduct part of the service.
Yielding to the supplications, he chanted many numbers from his
cantorial repertoire. When he was asked later how he had come
to change his name from Pearlmutter to Peerce, he replied that
he had first found the answer to the question in Israel. When he
originally changed his name he would tell inquiring friends that
it did not matter what name he used as long as he remained a
good Jew and was giving his children a good Jewish education.
"But now that I see how Jews in Israel are changing their
names," he went on laughingly, "I realize that I intuitively antici-
pated a Jewish development."
Political Prophet
Louis H. Bean, who attracted nationwide attention and fame
in 1948 as the only forecaster of Truman's election, is about to
publish a book called "The Mid-Term Battle.", The volume will be
of great interest to all who are following political trends. What
few people know, or have forgotten, is that Bean is a Lithuanian-
born Jew. His parents came to the states during the great early
20th century wave of Jewish immigration from Europe. They fled
Russian progroms in 1904, and settled in New Hampshire. Young
Bean was then 10 years old. Now economic advisor to the Depart-
ment of Agriculture, Bean was first brought to that department
by Henry Wallace when he was Secretary of Agriculture.
a
a
Anti Semitism and Art
-
The literary colony in Paris is seething with indignation over
the ugly results of a literary contest. The French Ministry of
Education it seems offered a prize to young French dramatists.
Among the contest participants was one Jean Lavagalle who au-
thored an anti-Semitic play called "Next Year in Jerusalem."
When it was disclosed that Lavagalle's play was awarded the
prize, there was an uproar in the literary and artistic circles of
Paris, with debate raging in press and cafes. The Ministry came
under heavy attack for accepting an anti-Semitic piece in the
contest and for crowning Lavagalle's filthy play as a work of art.
Now there is a movement afoot to have the award revoked.
Israel Communist Leader Foments
Romanian Zionists Espionage Trials
TEL AVIV, (JTA) — Jewish
Communists in Romania are
seeking to. compel arrested
Zionist leaders to "confess" to
espionage activities for the
United States as well as sabot-
age against Romania's economic
system, reports Hador, Israel
Labor Party organ.
The report says that ap-
parently only five or six of the
arrested 45 Zionist leaders will
be put on trial,, after those
`prepared" to admit "guilt" are
chosen.
Some of the leaders, arrested
July 11, have been released after
being "worked up" to a point
where they allegedly agreed to
testify against the Zionist lead-
ers still detained, Hador reports,
adding that "Bucharest is filled
with rumors to this effect."
The Israel labor paper also
reports that Jews in Romania
live in greater anxiety "than
during the Nazi days." They are
afraid to confide in one another
and speak in whispers. "Con-
tinued repressive methods may
lead to a larger proportion of
suicides among Jews in Rom-
ania., t h e normal proportion
having been exceeded even at
present," the report says.
The paper charges that Sam-
uel Mikunis, general secretary
of the Communist Party in Is-
rael and a member of the Israel
parliament, has helped to stim-
ulate renewed propaganda in
Romania against t h e Jewish
state during his recent visit to
Bucharest.
Mikunis, the article states, at-
tended closed meetings of the
Jewish- Communist Party during
his stay and reported on the
situation in Israel with a view
to helping in the campaign of
incitement againSt the Jewish
state.
Milkunis is also charged by
the labor newspaper with re-
commending to the Romanian
Government that the arrested
Zionist leaders in Romania. be
put on trial. The paper - points
out that the anti--Israel pro-
paganda conducted by Mikunis
during his visit to Romania
"proved inefficient" and led only
to increased eagerness on the
part of Romanian Jews to go to
Israel.
The latest baseball averages
show that Harry Feldman, for-
mer N.Y. Giant hurler, is up
with the Pacific coast winners
with an 11 8 record for San
Francisco.
-
Rosh Hashanah Vote
By BENJAMIN D. BURDICK
As chairman of the Republi-
can Party for the Fifteenth
Congressional District, I ear-
nestly urge all Jewish people
to exercise their franchise of
voting, Sept. 12, though the vot-
ing date of the primaries coin-
cides with the first day of Rosh
Hashanah. Simply use the ab-
sentee ballot and do not neglect
your duty, as well as your sacred
privilege to vote.
Commie Demonstrations
Renew Old Ordinance
JERUSALEM—(JTA)--The Is-
rael Cabinet decided to put into
force the police ordinance in-
troduced by the British admin-
istration in Palestine which pro-
vided that groups seeking to
hold open-air meetings or dem-
onstrations must first secure a
permit from the District Com-
missioner of the area where
meetings are to be held.
Three Tel Aviv motion pic-
ture theatres were exhibiting
the American newsreel depict-
ing the war in Korea which was
cancelled during the week-end
when Communists demonstra-
tors staged outbursts at the
Orion Theatre where the film
was shown. Three other cine-
mas, including, the Orion, ab-
stain from showing the film for
fear of further demonstrations.
Police authorities offered to
protect the motion p i c t u r e
theatres showing the documen-
tary film.
Israel Industrialists
Study U.S. Methods
NEW YORK, (JTA)—A dele-
gation of 15 Israel industrialists
—members of the Israel Manu-
facturers Association — arrived
for a six-week stay in the United
States to learn about American
machinery, production methods
and industrial management.
They are leaders in the textile,
metal, plastics, printing and
other trades in Israel.
Construction in Israel of the
largest vegetable canning fac-
tory in the Middle East, capable
of turning out $3,000,000 worth
of produce yearly, will begin
within the next few months, it
was disclosed by Leon Bejerano,
head of the Assis Palestine Fruit
Products Company of Tel Aviv.
Bejarano revealed he is here to
purchase canning machinery
through the Palestine Economic
Corporation, a company orga-
nized to invest capital in Israel.
A Jewish chemist, Casimir
Funk (b. 1884), discoVered vita-
mins.
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Foreign Policy Report Cool on Disarmament
World disarmament, including
scrapping of atomic boinbs and
Hydrogen bomb plans — "would
hardly make war more or less
inevitable," a report published
by the Foreign Policy Associa-
tion.
Entitled "The H-Bomb and
World Order," the report was
written by Prof. Hans A. Bethe
of Cornell, Peter Kihss, New
York Herald Tribune UN re-
porter, and William W. Kauff-
man of the Institute of Inter-
national Studies, Yale Univer-
sity.
It noted that "with modern
efficiency and armament, one
power may expand more ef-
ficiently and economically be-.
cause of the lack of organized
military opposition," if world
disarmament were undertaken:
It suggested an appraisal for
peaceful uses of atomic energy
and giving the UN a share in
promoting distribution of radio-
active materials for peaceful
works and in publishing results.
The Shema prayer is taken
from the Pentateuch.
A CHALLENGE
The Ballot Must Be Preserved !
On September 12th, while Americans will be fight-
ing in other parts of the world to preserve our way of
life, we at home will have the opportunity to demon-
strate our faith in our democratic system. Our weapons
will be ballots instead of bullets, but it will be equally
effective in proving that the American people do not
take freedom and democracy lightly. In furtherance of
the principal that every American citizen's right to vote
must be preserved, the Legislature of this State, with
the approval of the Governor, amended the election
laws to permit absentee voting for religious reasons.
This law was passed especially to aid the Jewish people
who might otherwise have been deprived of the privi-
lege of voting because election day falls on Rosh Hash-
onah.
The action of the Legislature constitutes a chal-
lenge to the people. The benefits of the law must be
exercised by the people else the law will be a nullity.
For this reason, the Brandeis Democratic Organization,
consisting of Democrats of the Jewish faith, is actively,
in conjunction with the Jewish Community Council and
others, engaged in placing absentee voters' ballots in
the hands of all citizens who do not intend to vote in
person on Rosh Hashonah. Wide participation in this
project will insure a large vote. A large vote is a demo-
cratic vote. A democratic vote is the best way to demon-
strate our strength, unity and democracy.
The Brandeis Democratic Organization offers aid
to any person desiring absentee voters' ballots. Call
WO. 1-6920, or apply at 1224 National Bank Building.
Remember, the important thing is to make sure your
vote counts on the 12th of September.
This notice is inserted as a public service by the
Executive Board of the Brandeis Democratic Organiza-
tion, consisting of the following:
Arthur L. Robbins
Chairman
Senator Charles Blondy
Milton L. Caplan
Leon A. Couzens
Leonard Edelman
David Flayer
Morris Goldberg
Ralph Goldsmith
Henry Gottleib
J. Irving Grant
Nathan Kaufman
George D. Kent
Benjamin Levinson
Joseph Pernick
Leo Polk
Jacob Robinson
Frank Schwartz
Gerald Simons
Leonard Simons
Philip Sukrow
Louis Wechsler
TE. 1-8571
I
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