Friday, November 2, 19 62
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Purely Commentary
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
`If You Don't Serve .. Get Off That Letterhead'
A recent bulletin issued by the Jewish Community Council
of Windsor admonished its readers as follows:
"People are shirking their organizational and communal
responsibilities. Too many prefer to be left alone; not wanting
to be bothered with concerns for causes or movements. This
self-centered attitude is very contagious. It affects even those
people who do manage to become involved with organizational
activities. They too, seem to be less inclined these days to give
of themselves. We should take a stand on this. We have served
as volunteers in many causes and have come to the conclusion
that we have the right to expect volunteers to live up to their
responsibilities. There is a mistaken notion current that, because
an individual is a volunteer, he cannot be held to account for
failure to meet expectations or to stand by commitments assumed.
Too many causes have been ruined by people who pay lip
service to its values and functions. We should scrutinize very
carefully the motives of those people who like their names to
appear on letterheads or ,to be appointed to committees but are
reluctant to follow through on assignments. We are too eager to
dress up our causes with names of prestige that people get the
notion that all they must lend is their title, not their sweat and
toil. Life is too short to spend it decorating letterheads. Life
is too meaningful to waste it away in idle dreams of importance.
There is much work to be done here and now in our community,
let each of us undertake to do our share and perform to the
best of our ability."
This is so definitely applicable to all communities that we
lift the statement bodily from the Windsor bulletin and offer it
for consideration by all organizational participants.
There may have been a time when community assignments
were viewed in greater seriousness. Volunteer workers seemed
so much more in directorial roles in community functions. But
now they seem to depend much more upon the professional work-
ers. The professionals would welcome a greater and more devoted
interest from those who make up their "boards." But there. has
been too much laxity; and those who accept organizational posts
feel free to ignore responsibilities.
During the Holy Days, a prayer was read in our synagogues
praying for strength and unfaltering devotion by our leaders. It
reads:
"Our God and God of our fathers, inspire the lips of those
who have been appointed by Thy people, the house of Israel,
to stand in prayer before Thee, to beseech Thee and supplicate
Thy Presence for them. Teach them what to say; instruct them
what to speak; grant them what they ask, and make known to
them how they may glorify Thee. They walk in the light of
Thy Spirit; they bend their knee unto Thee, and with their lips
utter blessings upon Thy people. 0 do Thou bless them 0 Lord
with Thy loving favor. They lead Thy people to seek Thee, and
from their midst they approach Thee; the eyes of Thy people are
upon their leaders and the eyes of the leaders are toward Thee.
They approach the holy Ark in reverence to pray for their
people; 0 look down from heaven in compassion upon them.
They lift up their eyes unto Thee and open their hearts in
supplication. 0 do Thou hear them for Thine heavenly abode.
Suffer them not to falter with their tongue nor to err in their
speech, that the multitudes that repose their trust in them be
not put to shame nor bear reproach. Guard their lips from utter-
ing any word that is not according to Thy will."
While, as part of the Holy Day services, this prayer may have
been intended primarily for the cantors who supplicate for the
congregations, it is so definitely applicable to all Jewish leaders
that its repitition should not be limited to the three-day-a-year
services.
Jewish leaders have a great responsibility to their communities.
If the pleadings expressed in the quoted prayer were fully attained,
what glorious communities we would have! If those who accept
board memberships and official posts were to act according to their
duties and if their actions were as prescribed in the prayer, what
glorious communities we'd have!
*
'So Help Me God . . .
*
Military Oath and Separation
A revised military oath for all who enlist in the U.S. armed
forces, adopted by the U.S. Senate, requires enlistees to uphold
the Constitution by swearing "so help me God." Persons object-
ing to oath-taking will be able to affirm loyalty instead of
swearing to it.
It was noted, upon the adoption of this new requirement.
that "prescribing the phrase 'so help me God' is not requiring
a belief in God."
Meanwhile; however, a religious oath is being introduced
by Congressional action at a time when the atmosphere still is
sizzling over the recent Supreme Court ruling against the reciting
of religious prayers in the public schools.
The Pledge to the Flag, too, now contains the phrase "under
God." While the church-state issue remains a matter of major
concern for those who would protect the separation principle,
it is gradually being broken down. The reviewing of the case by
the Supreme Court creates added curiosity as to how all this will
end, and how soon—if ever it can end other than by watering
clown a basic American principle due to pressures from many
religious quarters.
U. S. Asks Israel, Syria for Extra
Peace Effort in Time of Cuba Issue
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The
United States was disclosed to
have asked Israel and Syria to
make special efforts to maintain
peace on their border because
of the American-Soviet Cuban
crisis.
The United States Embassy in
Tel Aviv was understood to have
sent that request to the Israel
government along with informa-
tion on the Cuban crisis. A
similar request was made to
Syria. The appeals were assumed
to refer to the border crash last
week which developed when
Syrian gunners opened fire on
Israeli workers in the Tel Katzir
area southeast of Lake Tiberias.
American Ambassador Wal-
worth Barbour called on Mrs.
Golda Meir, Israel's Foreign
Minister, to convey the United
States position on Cuban de-
velopments, including the cur-
rent United Nations .Security
Council debate. The envoy con-
ferred for more than an hour
with Prime Minister David Ben-
Gurion.
Latin American
Jewry Appeals for
Mutual Respect
SAO PAULO, Brazil, (JTA)—
A resolution appealing to all
men of good will to cooperate
"towards the eradication of pre-
judice and the promotion of
mutual respect and understand-
ing between communities, relig-
ions and nations" was adopted
here at the conclusion of the
fourth conference of Latin Amer-
ican Jewish communities, spon-
sored by the World Jewish Con-
gress.
The resolution, which was ap-
proved by delegates from 10
Latin American countries, de-
clared that: "In this instant of
grave tension, we reaffirm the
ancient teaching of our faith that
the fruit of justice is peace."
Other resolutions adopted at
the meeting expressed concern
over the resurgence of Nazism
and fascism, and the situation of
Soviet Jewry; reaffirmed the
right of Jews throughout the
world to belong to international
organizations; and appealed to
all Latin American governments
to ratify the international con-
vention against genocide.
A leading Brazilian daily news-
paper voiced opposition to the
concept of "a separate Jewish
cultural life in Brazil," and
called for complete integration
of the Jewish community into
Brazil.
The newspaper, 0 Estado de
Sao Paulo, the largest in Brazil,
has been consistently friendly to
the State of Israel and vigorous
in its condemnation of anti-
Semitism. It took this position
on the status of Jews in the
Brazilian community in the
course of an editorial in which
it criticized Dr. Nahum Gold-
mann, president of the World
Jewish Congress, for urging
Latin American Jewish leaders
to fight against assimilation.
The paper said that, instead
of fighting against assimilation,
Brazilian Jews should seek com-
plete integration in the general
population.
A' round the World...
A Digest of World Jewish Happenings
from Dispatches of the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency and Other News-Gathering Media.
United States
NEW YORK — The New York Board of Rabbis, comprising
800 spiritual leaders in Conservative, Reform and Orthodox syna-
gogues and temples, urged all Jewish clergymen to conduct
special prayers for peace .. A $3 million classroom-administra-
tion building, the first unit in the $30 million expansion program
of Yeshiva University, was dedicated here in ceremonies which
also included the laying of the cornerstone of a $2,500,000 resi-
dence hall . . . The Jewish Vocational Service of Chicago has
been named to receive the 1962 William J. Shroder Memorial
Award, American Jewry's highest social welfare honor, it was
announced by Irving Kane, president of the Council of Jewish
Federations and Welfare Funds which sponsors the award . . .
The Larger National Board of Pioneer Women meeting here
adopted a goal of $18 million in sales of Israel Bonds for the
organization's 18th biennial convention next August . . . Arnold
Forster, general counsel of the Bnai Brith Anti-Defamation
League, warned here that "increasing tensions" will take place
among American religious groups over the issues of separation
of church and state . . . An appeal to public school educators
to "allow children to learn about religion and the religious
movements of our forefathers, and to understand and appreciate
the divergent religious traditions of the people in America's
pluralistic society" was made by Rabbi Arthur Gilbert, staff
consultant of the National Conference of Christians and Jews ...
General Yigal Allon, Israel's Minister of Labor, said here that
Israel's rapid industrialization was creating a major need for
professional and technically trained people from the United
States . . The establishment of a research center on the campus
of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, under
the leadership of Dr. Selman A. Waksman, Nobel Prize winner
in medicine, was• announced here at the fifth annual Conference
on Science and Technology in Israel and the Middle East.
LEVITTOWN — The school board of suburban Levittown
formally rejected demands of a group of parents, including Jews,
for an end to the practice of opening the school day with reading
from the Bible.
WASHINGTON — The National Science Foundation has
undertaken the sponsorship of an extensive study of Yiddish
spoken in Central and Eastern Europe before the Second World
.
War.
SAN FRANCISCO—The Israel Bond Organization office here
reported that the first 1962 Israel bond subscription from an
employer-employe pension fund was made by the Northern Cali-
fornia Retail Clerks Union and Food Employers Joint Pension
Trust Fund to the extent of 25,000.
Europe
LONDON — Sir Leslie Plummer, Laborite MP, won his libel
suit in High Court against three members of the right-wing Brit-
ish National Socialist Party, who called him "Pro-Black."
GENEVA—More than 200,000 Jews had to leave their homes
this year, including 10,000 Jews from Cuba, of whom more than
two-thirds left for the United States, the eighth annual World
Migration Conference was told here by James P. Rice, executive-
European Parley
director of the United Hias Service.
COBLENZ—Ernst Werzholz, 55, still one more of the 14 ex-
on Anti-Semitism
Nazis on trial here for the murder of 70,000 persons, including
Planned by WJC
more than 35,000 Jews, in the Minsk area during the war, con-
LONDON, (JTA)—The World fessed to the judge and jury that he participated in the mass
Jewish Congress announced it slaughter of Jews, Russians and Gypsies.
had called a special European
Israel
conference, to be held here Dec.
1-2, to consider the problem of
TEL AVIV — Police threw a cordon around the American
growing Nazi, Fascist anti-Semitic Embassy building here when Israel's tiny Communist Party an-
activities.
nounced a march to the embassy to protest the United States
The conference will be at- quarantine against Cuba .. . Shalom Shtarkes, 24, uncle of Yos-
tended by representatives of sele Schumacher, arrived here from London in the custody of
European Jewish communities an Israeli policeman and was taken to jail immediately to await
and organizations affiliated with a detention order by a magistrate, pending trial for alleged
the WJC and will hear reports perjury and participation in the kidnaping of Yossele.
on such activities in a number of
JERUSALEM — Finance Minister Levi Eshkol will head
countries. It will also hear re- Israel's delegation to Brussels next month when negotiations will
ports on the overt and covert get under way on trade agreements between Israel and the six
international links of the neo- member nations of the European Common Market . . . Alloca-
Nazi and fascist groups for tions totaling 3,500,000 Israeli pounds ($1,666,666) for more than
which, the WJC said, there was 300 research projects sponsored by the Hebrew University were
a growing volume of evidence. announced for the 1962-63 year . . . The immediate expansion
Sixteen neo-Nazis are held in of Israel's Negev development enterprises was urged here by
jail for a hearing Nov. 9 on Sir Ben Lockpeiser, prominent British scientist .. . Dr. Zorach
charges they staged a tour of Warhaftig, Minister for Religious Affairs, assured Israel Arab
London's heavily Jewish East
that the government would grant permission to Israel's
End in a truck, shouting offen- leaders
sive remarks about Jews and Moslems to undertake pilgrimages to Mecca, Islam's holiest shrine
Negroes. In court this weekend, in Saudi Arabia . . . The cornerstone was laid here for the Bibli-
they shouted slogans on behalf cal and archaeological museum to be named for Samuel Bronf-
of Fascist Oswald Mosley's Brit- man, prominent Canadian-Jewish philanthropist, whose children
contributed $1 million for the project in honor of Bronfman's
ish Union movement.
Meanwhile, the Association of 70th birthday .. . Jewish immigration into Israel continues "at
Jewish Ex-servicemen launched a steady pace, exceeding the numbers envisaged in this year's
a nationwide campaign to train budget estimates," which expected revenues for immigration and
and organize Anglo-Jewish absorption are falling short, Aryeh Pincus, treasurer of the
youth," so that they will be Jewish Agency, reported here.
better prepared to cope with
anti-Semitism." The main pur- Closed Circuit TV for Disturbed Children
pose of the project is to make
young Jews realize the dangers Planned for Philadelphia Institute
of anti-Semitism, and stimulate
Closed-circuit television will
PHILADELPHIA, (JTA) —
-their interest in Jewish commun- Closed circuit television will be be used by the institute staff to
al affairs, according to a spokes-
train and disseminate
used in the study and treatment teach,
man for the veterans group.
community education on mental
of emotionally disturbed chil- health, according to the Insti-
Israel Schools for Arabs - dren in the million-dollar Irving tute Director, Dr. Morris Par-
The Israel government sup- Schwartz Institute for Children met. The television instruction
ports more than 250 schools for and Youth of the Philadelphia will be monitored in the audito-
rium and conference rooms to
the country's Arab population Psychiatric Center.
which serve some 35,000 pupils.
Dedication ceremonies for the groups of physicians, teachers
Attendance at the Arab schools Institute, which is sponsored and students who will thus be
has exceeded 95 per cent of all jointly by the Center board and able to watch the children both
Arab boys and more than 50 the Federation of Jewish Agen- at play and in treatment situ-
ations. •
cies, will be held on Nov. 11.
per cent of Arab girls.