Jews Helped Build Church and Brown College

American Jewish Archives Acquires Correspondence
Disclosing Interesting Role; Dr. Marcus Describes
Historic Differences Between European, U. S. Jewries

Earlier Deadlines Due to
Memorial Day and Shevuot

On account of Memorial Day and Shevuot, it will be

CINCINNATI —Jewish mer- mote and forward every publick gave 5 pounds in New York necessary to set earlier deadlines for the issues affected
by these days.
chants of Colonial times were building to the utmost of my currency.
For the issue of May 31, on account of the May 30
The Baptists sought to accord
active in raising funds for the extent."
Memorial.
Day observance, all copy must be in our hands
religious
liberty
to
all
at
the
He
meant
what
he
said,
for
completion of America's great-
school. The college charter de- at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 24.
he
had
by
that
time
purchased
est Baptist church, and made
The deadline for Classified Ads for that issue will be
about 20 lottery tickets, the clared "all the members' shall
substantial contributions toward profits of which were to help forever enjoy full, free, absolute at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28.
the establishment of Rhode Is- complete the Baptist Meeting and uninterrupted liberty of
Shevuot occurs on June 5 and 6, and all copy for
land College which later became House in Providence. That conscience." The trustees sent our issue of June 7 must be in our hands at noon on
out
a
Christian
"meshulloch,"
a
church, originally established
Friday, May- 31.
Brown University.
by Roger Williams in 1638, the collector, who asked Jews to
Copies of letters documenting first of its kind in America, is give money to the new college,
the role of these early Jewish still standing today. Rivera's promising to admit Jews "with-
settlers in New
letters are preserved in the out interfering in principles of
England have
John Carter Brown Library religion." The Baptists went
been acquired
from where copies were ob- even further and, in January
by the Ameri-
tained by the American Jewish of 1771, they declared that they
can Jewish
A group of local leaders This of 500,000 immigrants can be
would exempt Jewish students
Archives.
Archives, t h e
from attending Christian religi- week undertook to organize for settled in the southern part of
When
theJew
Rivera
wrote
institution lo-
to the Baptist Brown in 1775 ous services, that they would an expanded Israel Bond cam- Israel between Beersheba and
cated on the
that he was glad to help erect appoint a Jewish instructor if paign. to double last year's in- Elath. He - called for "our most
campus of He-
devoted efforts" through Israel
a "publick building," he meant there were enough Jewish stu- come.
brew Union
bonds, "to build up the port of
it in a double sense. The lot- dents, and, if the Jews wanted,
College - Jewish
they could establish their own
Inspired by an address by Dr. Elath on the Gulf of Aqaba as
tery
tickets
he
purchased
were
Institute of Re-
to raise money for a building chair of Hebrew to be occupied Joseph J. Schwartz, executive Israel's open door to trade with
ligion here,
that
would serve not only for by a Jew. This was a great step vice-president of the Israel Bond Asia and Africa, and to advance
which assem-
worship but as an auditorium forward in the history of the Organization, who described his the settlement of the vast un-
bles, classifies
for the commencement exercises freedom of the human con- visit in Israel in the past two populated area from Beersheba
a n d preserves Dr. Marcus
science. A hundred years were weeks, as head of a nationwide to Elath to give housing and
manuscript materials relating to for Rhode Island. College.
to elapse before Cambridge and Bond delegation of 39 that con- employment to a revived wave
Rhode Island Jews were in- Oxford universities in England ferred with Prime Minister
Jewish Americana.
of immigration. He added that
Meshing the correspondence terested in the school which, in were to graduate Jews.
David Ben-Gurion and other "the flow of the record immi-
the
19th
Century,
changed
its
with the Colonial history of
Commenting on the corre- Israeli officials, the Detroiters gration from Egypt, Hungary
which it is a part, Dr. Jacob R. name to Brown University. Five spondence and its significance, undertook action to enroll many and other parts of Europe would
Marcus, director of American years before the dedication of Dr. Marcus noted historic differ- more people as Bond buyers.
be jeopardized by a lack of ade-
Jewish Archives, pieces together the Baptist Meeting House, Riv- ences between European and
In his address, Dr. Schwartz quate development to absorb
era
and
his
son-in-law,
Aaron
an interesting story of Jewish
American Jewries. "In large emphasized that if American the newcomers."
support to general philanthropic Lopez, the famous New England
Jewry is to fulfill the request
The Detroit group met with
merchant-shipper, had contrib- parts of Europe where diScriini- of the Israel government, ad-
causes.
uted 10,000 feet of lumber for nation and disabilities still pre- dressed to the Bond delega- Dr. Schwartz Monday at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. David
Five days before the Battle of the first building of the college,
Bunker Hill, Jacob Rodriquez now called University Hall. vailed," he said, "Jews were not tion by Finance Minister Levi Safran. It undertook to call an
Rivera, a Jewish merchant of Other Jews contributed, too. inclined to aid the institutions Eshkol, Detroit should sell early meeting of additional
Newport, R.I., wrote to Nicholas Moses Lindo, the Surveyor and of a society which rejected $2,000,000 worth of Israel leaders to plan a kick-off Bond
Brown of Providence that it was Inspector-General of Indigo in them. In America, however, the Bonds in 1957 — double the dinner in June and to stimulate
previous year.
the required larger Bond sales
his "great inclination to pro- South Carolina, for example,
reverse was true.
Dr. Schwartz said that a total here.

Schwartz Asks Detroit Jews to Buy
$2,000,000 Israel Bonds This Year

Eban to Address
Founding Rally
of Independents

Independent Zionists See Efforts as Vital
to Revival of Fundamental Ideals of Cause

Alba Eban,. Israel Ambassa-
By American Jewish Press
to the General Zionists, in the my contribution to America and
dor to the United States, will
Special Correspondent
non-political party interpreta- to Judaism through the com-
address the luncheon session of
PHILADELPHIA.— (AJP) — tion, but that under present munity of which I am a part.
the National Founding Assem- The Independent Zionists, who circumstances, with the Zionist True, the history of the dia-
bly of the Independent .Zionists
will meet at the Biltmore Organization of America lead- spora has been a tragic one,
of America at 12:30 p.m. Sun- Hotel, New
ership playing partisan roles but I find it hard to believe
day, in the Hotel Biltmore, N.Y. York, this
in Israel, such an act has be- that tragedy is inevitably tied
Judge Louis E. Levinthal, of week-e n d, t o
come an impossibility.
up with every diaspora situa-
Philadelphia, chairman of the inaugurate the
tion. My place here is perma-
"We
plan
to
restore
the
.provisional committee of the new organiza-
nent.
movement
to
the
basic
idealism
IZA, - announced Ambassador tion, is not a
it enjoyed in the days when
"I think of the national Jew-
Eban's desire to address the revolutionary
Judge Julian W. Mack, Jus- ish community in Israel with
group, which seeks to institute, effort but a
tice Louis D. Brandeis, Louis pride and pleasure. It repre-
non-political relationships be- step in the di-
Lipsky, Stephen Wise, Morris sents to me the realization of
tween American Jews and their rection o f a
Dr. Grayzel
Louis Lipsky
Rothenberg, I and others. were a Millenial hope. It offers an
brethren in Israel.
return to the
the presidents of ZOA," Judge opportunity for Jews to dwell
The assembly opens Satur- basic ideals of
The week-end, the new move-
Levinthal said. "My associates in safety away from persecu-
day evening, when the princi- Zionism, its Judge Levinthal and I have not left the ZOA.
tors and detractors. It chal- ment, temporarily called In-
pal speaker will be Dr. Nahum leaders explained here.
We have been evicted by par- lenges all Jews to help rebuild dependent Zionists, will adopt
Goldmann, president of the
a new name. Leaders will be
Judge Louis E. Levinthal, the tisanship. Our having bolted, the land made sacred by chosen and the organization
World Zionist Organization and
for
the
good
of
the
movement,
ancient
association,
and
con-
chairman of the Jewish Agency temporary chairman of the or- was an eviction of traditional tinue a natural development of will get into action. Over the
ganization, was emphatic, in his
Executive.
Zionism."
our unique tradition. I look for- protests of the ZOA, it already
has representation on the World
Author Meyer Levin will discussion of the movement's
aims
with
the
AJP
correspond-
"Actually," Judge Levinthal ward confidently to the time Zionist A c t i o n s Committee.
head a four member panel dis-
when
the
spiritual
life
of
Israel
cussion on "Israel and •Ameri- ent, in his statement that the said, "we are acting in accord- will lead the diaspora to a Judge Levinthal, Robert Silver-
work he and his group had un- ance with the decisions of the
man and Ezra Shapiro are the
can Jewry," joining with Elea- dertaken
was not a new project, World Zionist Organization deeper religious life from which g r o u p's Actions Committee
zar Lipsky, attorney and au-
the whole world may benefit.
but
was
a
sincere
one
in
order
whose
resolution
for
the
estab-
members.
thor; Dr. Joachim Prinz; New-
to rescue Zionism from the lishment of territorial regions
"I consider it a high privilege
ark, N. J., rabbi, and Rabbi
Louis Lipsky, one of the
morass into which it had also provided for non-party to help the renascent Israel
Isadore Breslau, chairman of bogged.
grow strong physically and spearheads of the movement,
Zionist
Organization.
Dr.
Nahum
the UJA campaign in Washing-
spiritually. Pro-Israel activity is has conferred with leaders from
"Our chief aim is to make Goldmann, WZO president, who
ton, D. C.
part
of my duty as a Jew; it many communities and has en-
will
be
one
of
the
speakers
at
Dr. Gershon Gelbart, educat- General Zionism what the
is,
indeed,
my obligation as a listed their cooperation.
our convention, said: 'I am
or and communal worker, was movement always was and a non-party Zionist.'
member
of
civilized society.
It is significant that Dr.
This is the
b e—non-political,"
appointed executive director of should
But I do not feel that I have Nahum Goldmann and Israel
principle
we
wish
to
re-estab-
the Independent Zionists of Judge Levinthal said. "We aim
the right to dictate or advise Ambassador Eban will be among
America, Judge Leventhal an- to gather for Israel unreserved lish—for the good of Israel and that nation in its internal the convention speakers.
in the best interests of the Jew-
nounced. Dr. Gelbart received support, above political in-
ish people. Because our aim is policies or economics. Such in-
Very prominent names are
- his B.A. degree from George fluence, in a manner in which
not only to provide the best fluence was proper,- essential, among those backing the new
a
political
party,
can'
not
be
Washington University and his
before
the
independent
nation
assistance to Israel—through
Ph.D. from Dropsie College, a true participant. We aim at the sale of Bonds, through pri- came into being. Then such ef- movement. They include Dr.
where he was the totality of the Jewish peo- vate investments,. by encourag- forts, under the name of Zion- Robert Gordis, Prof. Oscar Jan-
an Oscar S. ple's share in Israel's aspira- ing the highest cultural par- ism, were needed; now they owsky, Rabbi Morris Adler, Dr.
Straus Fellow tions, leaving it to the Israelis ticipation in the State's efforts would be presumptuous. Hav- Harry Orlinsky, Prof. Milton
in History. He to choose their political leaders, by all Jews—but also to elevate ing been a Zionist until 1848, I Konvitz, Dr. Emanuel Gamoran,
has studied and to make political preferences, to the standards of Jewish leader- do not .want the historical Dr. Abraham Neuman, Dr.
taught here have political differences. We ship and to advance American movement which bears that Maurice Perlzweig, Prof. Sol
Liptzin, Joseph Mazer and
and in Israel. object to political action by Jewish values."
name to be dragged into the
scores of others who have dis-
He has served Zionists in this country and we
mire of party politics.
tinguished themselves in Jew-
Judge Levinthal, pointing to
as instructor at are confident that our move-
"The diaspora Jew must or- ish life.
Gratz College ment, in its independent status, t h e distinguished Americans
in Philadel- represents the wishes and the who already have enlisted in ganize a new effort, under a - Some very interesting devel-
name, to help the State of
-, phia, the Uni- thinking of the overwhelming the Independent Zionist move- new
opments may be expected from
Dr. Gelbart versity of majority of American Zionists." ment, said the ideology of the Israel, to promote its industry
the convention in New York
and
agriculture,
to
foster
its
movement
was
best
expressed
Omaha and at the School of
Judge Levinthal made the
Education of New York Uni- point that his father, the late by Dr. Solomon Grayzel, editor cultural activity, to keep in this week-end, and the results,
of the Jewish Publication So- touch with its religious devel- as promised by Levinthal, Louis
versity. At the end of World
War II, he spent a year and a Rabbi Bernard Levinthal, who ciety of America, who wrote opments, to help it express, for Lipsky, Ezra Shapiro and the
its own and the diaspora's bene-
half as a representative of the was the dean of American recently:
fit, the noblest traditions and other of *the movement's lead-
JDC in Europe and as its direc- rabbis and who was a leader in
"I am a diaspora Jew. I feel aspirations of the Jewish peo- ers, are expected to give new
tor of education for Italy,
Mizrachi, could have belonged at home here and want to make ple." .
,life to Zionism in Ameri-:a.

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