orld...
Around the
A Digest of World Jewish Happenings, from
Dispatches of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and
Other News Gathering Media.
Friday, January 4,
•
United States
NEW YORK—More than 1,000 orthodox Jews honored
Israel's Moshe Shapira, Social Welfare and Religious Affairs
Minister, at a recent Waldorf-Astoria dinner, sponsored by the
American Rabbinical Council, N.Y. Board of Rabbis, Mizrachi,
Orthodox Congregations Union, and Young Israel National
Council. . . 750 Hungarian Jewish refugees will arrive in Aus-
tralia by 'Jan. 15, according to Sydney Einfield, president of
Australian Jewry's Executive Council, reporting to the World
Jewish Congress here. More than 1500 are registered to migrate
to Australia .. ". Not a single American investor in Arnpal (Amer-
ican Israel Corporation), largest group of private American
investors in Israeli enterprises, has requested to have his holdings
sold, Abrham Dickenstein, corporation president,' told a board
of directors meeting. Sales of securities recently have equalled
and surpassed those of comparable periods during the past year
. Bnai Brith will establish student centers at Oxford and Leeds
Universities in England and Delft University in Holland, an-
nounced William Haber, Hillel Commission national chairman.
WASHINGTON—A resolution urging racial integration in
public schools was adopted last week at the national convention
of the United Synagogue of America youth groups.
South America
MONTEVIDEO—A resolution appealing to Israel's govern-
ment to establisl, a cabinet of "national unity," composed of a
"wide coalition" was adopted here by the General Zionist Con-
federation of Latin America presidium here.
Europe
FRANKFURT—The "epoch of indemnification" is coming to
an end, declared Heinz Galinsky, Berlin Jewish leader, who
stressed to the annual plenary meeting of German Jews' sCentral
Council the need for "activation" of Jewish cultural life if
German Jewry is to endure. Bavarian Jewish leaders appealed
for Council intervention to aid Jewish DP's acquisition of
German citizenship. Council urged greater watchfulness of
anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi activities.
BERLIN—A West Berlin court sentenced to three months in
prison a former Communist for shouting "the Nazis neglected
to burn you Jews to a crisp" to his 73-year-old Jewish neighbor.
Defendant Walter Barthel was fined $23, payable to the German
Red Cross, and given suspended sentence, pending three years
good behavior.
VIENNA—JDC, United Hias and Agudath Israel are stepping
up activities here on behalf of Jewish refugees from Hungary.
Michael G. Trees, , AI President, brought $30,000 raised by his
organization for relief. AI has rented the 104-room former Con-
tinental Hotel for living quarters for 500 Jews, who had been
sleeping on floors or benches in local synagogues and Hebrew
schools, and has established three kindergartens for refugees'
children . . .'Trees has been refused visas by Hungarian and Ro-
manian governments, which stated no reason for denials.
Argentine Woman Is
Guest of NCJW
An Argentine Jewish women's
leader arrived at New York's
Idlewild Airport from Buenos
Aires to learn how American
women manage to accomplish
so much through their volun-
teer service organizations. She
is Mrs. Felisa
F. deKohan,
president of the
Council of Jew-
ish Women of
Argentina, who
has been grant-
ed a fellowship
for training
here by the Na-
tional Council
of Jewish Wo-
men. of the
United States.
Mrs. deKohan
Mrs. deKohan w i 11 spend
three months in New York, Bos-
ton and Pittsburgh studying
how community organizations
of all faiths work together. She
is the fourth women's leader
from abroad to be _granted this
type of fellowship under the
Volunteer Leader Training Pro-
gram of the NCJW, a 64-year-
old volunteer service and _ adult
education organization which
has 107,000 members in 240
cities.
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
... and Me'
(Copyright, 1957,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
Washington Sanctions:
What amounts to economic sanctions is now quietly ,being
imposed upon Israel by the United States . . • Shortly before the
Presidential elections, it was taken for granted that the U.S.
would grant a $76,000,000 loan to Israel through the Export-
Import Bank . . . It was even announced that the Export-Import
Bank was sending a group of experts to Israel in connection
with this projected loan . . . Action on this loan has, however,
been held up by Washington since Israel's entrance into Sinai,
and one hears no more talk about it . . Since Nov. 1,
Washington has also suspended authorizations for purchases by
Israel in this country under the U.S. grant-in-aid program . .
No expenditures on the 1956-57 grant in the amount of
$25,000,000 had been authorized by Nov. 1 . . . Also, no new
authorizations have been issued since that date for the purchase
of U.S. surplus food in Israeli currency . . . Even U.S. technical
assistance in Israel has come to a halt . . . The U.S. mission
which is giving technical aid to Israel is no longer granting
any assistance_even in implementation of plans approved some
months ago . . . These measures are reminiscent of the time
when Secretary of State Dulles announced "economic sanctions"
against Israel for the Kibya affair . . . However, at that time
his action attracted wide attention and much protest . . . This
time . the State Department is acting without any public
announcements . . . Thus, few have noticed the change that
has come about in Washington with regard to economic aid to
Israel since the Sinai developments.
Pressure On Israel:
A
WASHINGTON, (JTA)
delegation representing 2,200
rabbis and 4,000 Jewish congre-
gations in the United States pre-
sented— a. memorandum to the
State Department, requesting
the U. S. 'Government to con-
demn Egypt's mass arrests and
deportations of Jews, and the
confiscation of their property.
The memorandum was pre-
sented to Assistant Secretary
of State William M. Rountree.
The delegation was composed of
representatives of the Syna-
gogue Council of America, the
Central Conference of American
Rabbis, the Rabbinical Assem-
bly of America, and the Rab-
binical Council of America. The
latter three groups represent
Reform, Conservative and Or-
thodox rabbis, respectively.
The delegation expressed its
"concern over the position and
safety" of Chief Rabbi Haim
Nahum of Egypt who is report-
edly under house arrest.
political developments . . They may be the forerunners to
pressure on Israel for concessions in the political field .. • . This
opinion is based on the belief that Israel's military operations—
and the strengthening of its defense after Egypt's receipt of
arms from Moscow—have caused Israel to spend tens of
millions of dollars . . . It is also assumed that Israel's economy
has suffered much from dislocation by the recent mobilization
of manpower and equipment . . . In addition, Israel's industry
stands to suffer greatly from the fact that Soviet Russia has
cancelled its oil agreement with Israel, while the price of
Western oil has gone up . . . Moscow had supplied Israel with
one-third of the crude oil required by the Jewish State . . .
All these factors, it is believed, will greatly reduce Israel's dollar
income from exports . . . Not to speak of the fact that Israel's
dollar income from tourism is already being drastically reduced,
since the State Department does not permit Americans to visit
Israel . . Also reduced for the same reason is Israel's dollar
income from its airlines and passenger ships which, for the
time being, cannot carry American passengers . . . To cover
its $480,1100,000 foreign currency budget of this year, Israel may
thus be forced to depend primarily on three sources: Income
from German reparations, United Jewish Appeal, and the sale
of Israel Bonds . . . In 1955-56 Israel's income from German
reparations reached about $90,000,000 plus about $45,000,000
that individual residents in Israel received from Germany in
restitution payments and other remittances . . . Israel's dollar
income from exports and shipping exceeded $126,000,000 during
the year.
Germany's New Budget Includes $175,000,000 Sum
for Jewish Claims; $60,000,000 Earmarked for Israel
.
South Africa
JOHANNESBURG—A charge by Rabbi Andre Ungar that the
government's order, for him to leave the country was intended
to intimidate Jewish citizens was repudiated by the Eastern
Province Committee. of the South African Jewish Board of Depu-
ties. Ungar, an American citizen, had criticized the government's
policy on segregation of colored people.
Israel Sends Hungary 15, 000 Grams of Antibiotics
JERUSALEM, (JTA) —
is sending 15,000 grams of
streptomycin and penicillin as a
gift to hospitals in Hungary.
The antibiotics were taken by
air to Red Cross headquarters
in Budapest by Arye Eshel,
head of the East European di-
vision of the Foreign Ministry.
A cable from the United Na-
tions Children Fund offices in
Vienna was received by the
Youth Immigration department
of the Jewish Agency, thanking
the' Agency for sending 2,000
cans of fruit juices which had
been shipped by air for Hunga-
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Rabbis Urge U. S.
It is obvious that the economic restrictions which are now
Action on Egyptian Jews being practiced against Israel in Washington are preparatory to
Israel
TEL AVIV—Israeli exports to the U.S., chiefly diamonds,
raincoats, cement, chocolate, fine arts and steel pipe, should
total $181/2 million in 1956, as against $161/2 million in '55, $131/2
million in '54, according to Eitan Ezrahi, Israel foreign trade
director . . • Launching of a world-wide project to inscribe
martyrs of. Israel's defense army, who fell during Sinai action, in
the JNF Golden Book was announced here by Abraham Kaminy,
national JNF chairman.
JERUSALEM—Israel's cabinet adopted a 1956-57 budget of
850 million pounds ($476 million), 80 million pounds increase
over last year, assuming U.S. grants-in-aid and a U.S. Import-
Export Bank loan. The Jewish Agency will donate 18 million
pounds for services to immigrants. Special defense expenditures,
to be raised through additional taxation, is not included in the
budget . . . A proposal that Dr. Nahum Goldmann, head of
World Zionism, participate in Israel cabinet meetings (for
improved cooperation between the government and Zionist
movement) will be presented to the Israeli government by the
Progressive Party . . . Transformation of 23 immigrant work
villages into agricultural settlements for 6,000 persons will cost
15 million pounds and will be aided by the government Labor
Ministry and JNF . . . Jews numbering 144,198 are the third
largest minority in Romania; 43,263 declare Yiddish as their
mother tongue, according to Bucharest statistics received here
. . . JDC's Malben, institution for handicapped-immigrant care,
set a 17 million pound budget (c. $9 million) for its next
fiscal year . . . Daily newspaper Maariv was fined 100 Israeli
pounds ($55) for publishing againk government censorship orders
the name of Mary Frances Hagan, American convicted here in
October for espionage. Earlier, pro-government newspaper Davar
was fined 450 pounds ($248) for the same violation . . . President
Itzhak Ben Zvi expressed the hope that 1957 "may see further
strengthening of bonds of friendship between nations and all
sections of our population" in a statement to heads of Israeli
Christian communities.
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rian child refugees. In the cable,
UNICF,F asked whether it might
be possible to provide vitamins
for these children.
Israel postal authorities have
issued special temporary regula-
tions governing the dispatching
of food and medical parcels by
Israelis to relatives in Hungary.
The regulations were issued
after the Hungarian authorities
had agreed to exempt from all
customs fees shipments of food
-and medicines. Special ship-
ments will be limited to 10
pounds, over and above the reg-
ular parcel post limits.
BONN, (JTA)—Approximate- Twelve years after the col- the total of such lump-sum pay-
ly $175,000,000 for the payment lapse of Nazism, no legal. ments will shrink considerably.
For operation of the Interna-
of Jewish claims is allocated in measure dealing with the sit-
uation has yet been enacted. tional Tracing Service, • Which •
the 1957-58 federal budget sub-
Now that a draft bill has at maintains the Arolsen concen-
mitted by the Ministry of. Fi-
nance to the Bundestag here last been introduced in par- tration camp archives on behalf
liament, the finance ministry of the International Red Cross,
for approval. The sum includes
$60,000,000 for the payment of has for the second time set Germany will furnish $420,000,
reparations to Israel—the same aside $35;700,000 in the budget which is $15,000 more than this
'amount as paid during the last to cover advances and possible year Finally, a residual $50,000
is available for crippled victims
few years—while the remainder future payments.
provides for individual indem-
The federal republic some of Nazi medical experiments
nification, internal restitution years ago assumed responsibil- who, for various technical rea-
and rabbinical pensions.
ity for the pensions earned by sons, are not eligible to receive
nearly
3,000 former German regular compensation.
The appropriation for indem-
The aggregate total of ex-
rabbis
or
erstwhile officials of
nification this year is $35,000,000
penditures budgeted under all
more than last year. Indemni- Jewish communities, institu- these categories is $245,000,000,
fication payments, which until tions and organizations. These
but allowance must be made for
last year were well below the pensions are expected to cost benefits accruing to non-Jewish
$6,800,000
in
the
forthcoming
reparations allotment from the
victims of Nazism. JeWs are
federal treasury, now far over- year, as compared to $7,600,000 likely to receive slightly under
shadow reparations and all other in the current one. The drop is $175,000,000 from the indemni-
categories of Jewish claims, traceable to the reduced num- fication, reparations and resti-
even without taking into ac- ber of lump-sum back pay- tion program. All "Jewish
count the funds contributed by ments, which are made when a claims" together constitute only
claim is initially approved by
Germany's individual states.
the proper German government a little more than two percent
As for reparations to Israel, agency. Only a few hundred ap- of anticipated federal expendi-
the Federal Republic is for the plications are pending, so that tures in the coming year.
fourth time in succession tak-
ing advantage • of an escape
clause in the reparations pact Trend to Suburbs Breeds New Ghettoes, Parley Told
permitting it, as a last resort,
NEWARK, N..J., (JTA) — A communities, non - Jews have
to restrict payments for repara- major aspect of the exodus of moved out. He added it was im-
tions shipments to the contract-
portant that contact should be
ual minimum of $60,000,000 a American Jews to the suburbs maintained in the suburbs be-
year. The reparations agree- is the involuntary creation of tween Jews and non-Jews, espe-
ment sets $74,000,000 as the ghettos, a Newark Jewish youth cially in the public schools.
"normal" rate, but this sum has leader declared during a sym-
"The crucial thing" in Jewish
never in fact been made avail- posium on "Subtu- bia 1957" at suburban communal life, he told
able in one year, Germany's un- the annual meeting of the Jew- more than 200 attending the
precedented economic prosper- ish Community Council of Essex symposium, is "to provide a
ity notwithstanding.
community structure which will
County.
Milton H. Stern said the ghet- enable the resident of Suburbia
A sorry chapter is the re-
striction of identifiable Jew- to creation process was develop- 1957 to have freedom of expres-
ish property confiscated, by ing from the fact that where sion, including the right to be
the former German Reich. Jews have moved into suburban different."