Arrest Son of Israeli Religious
Minister as Youths Stone Buses

JERUSALEM, (JTA) — Ultra-
zealous Orthodox youths of the
Neturei Karta organization con-
tinued stoning buses while their
elders held an open-air mass
meeting denouncing alleged
Sabbath violations.
The Neturei Karta demon-
strations, begun Saturday, re-
sulted in the arrest of 18 youths.
Two policemen were injured,
and numerous buses carrying
Christian pilgrims entering Is-
rael from Jordanian territory
through the Mandelbaum Gate,
were damaged.

15th of Ab as
Day of Rejoicing

By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX

(Copyright, 1963,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
* * *

Why is the 15th of Ab (oc-
curring this year on Monday,
Aug. 5) regarded as a holiday
of rejoicing?
Already in the Tanaaitic era,
this holiday is described as one
of the happiest of the year
(Mishnah Ta'anit 4:8). A variety
of reasons are offered for the
establishment of this merry day.
Some claim that this was the
day which saw the grape harvest
at its peak, and that after
harvesting the grapes, merri-
ment would ensue in the spirit
of thanksgiving, as mentioned in
the Bible (Judges 9:27). In the
description of the festival given
by the aforementioned Mishnah,
we find the young girls going
out into the fields in festive
dances, hoping to find the
proper mates. The Amoraim, of
a later period, classified this
festival as the occasion which
commemorated the period when
the tribes were allowed to in-
termarry (Taanit 30b), some-
thing which seemed to have
been allowed because of a
desire to retain the tribal
property within the tribe to
whom it was originally given
by Moses. Another Amora de-
clares that this day was the
day in which the tribe of Ben-
jamin was finally allowed to
intermarry with other tribes,
having been forbidden to do so
because of a shameful historic
event (Judges 19).
This day was later retained
as a festival because it came so
soon after Tisha b'Ab (9th of
Ab) which was the last day of
the three-week mourning
period, during which marriages
were not performed. This then
was about the first occasion to
have marriages performed
again, and thus it was a happy
day. It is also mentioned that
this was the last day of the
year on which wood could be
brought to the sanctuary for
use in preparing the holy fires
of the temple, because after
this day, the wood would be-
come too dry (Taanit 30b). It is
also stated that this day was a
favorable one in Jewish history.
The sinful Hebrews of the
wilderness stopped dying of the
plague on this day. The guards
which Jereboam had set on the
road to Jerusalem to prevent
Jews from reaching the sanctu-
ary there, were removed on this
day. The dead heroes of the
revolt at Betar were allowed to
be buried on this day, after
having been denied this privi-
lege. In modern history, this
day seemed to have been one of
good omen, too.
The area of Rehovot was first
settled on this date. The British
acquired the mandate to Pales-
tine on this date, and this led
to the recent establishment of
the State of Israel. While this
day is not prevalently marked
in our circles, there still are
Jewish areas in the world where
great rejoicing takes place on
this day, especially among
oriental Jews.

Originality provokes original-
ity.
• L-Goethe

During the last demonstra-
tion, Amram Blau, one of the
Neturei Karta leaders, ad-
dressed a crowd of his adher-
ents _in Yiddish, .denouncing
S a b b at h desecrations. He
threatened that, next Saturday,
"all of Jerusalem will assemble
to defend the Sabbath." Mean-
while, youthful followers con-
tinued attacking buses, throw-
ing passengers into a panic.
The Hamkasher Cooperative,
whose buses were the cause of
the demonstrations, continued
to bypass passenger routes
through the two districts in-
habited by the ultra-Orthodox
—Mea Shearim and. Bet Yis-
roel.
Of the 18 youths arrested
Saturday, 12 were remanded to
jail for five days each. They
were being held for hearings.
Six others were freed on
parole, to be tried with the 12.
Among the six was 16-year-old
Jacob Warhaftig, a son of Dr.
Zorach Warhaftig, Minister for
Religious Affairs. The youth is
a student at an Ort hodox
yeshiva here.
Magistrate Moreno Levy,
who heard the police charges
of rioting against the arrested
youths, ordered that those be-
ing detained be given facilities
in jail to observe Tisha-b'Av,
the traditional Jewish day of
mourning over the destruction
Of the two temples. Tish-b'Av
started at sunset Monday.

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Jewish Committee
Urges Relaxation of
Pennsylvania Blue Law

5 Area Rabbis Urge Colleagues
Take Part in Rights Demonstrations

PHILADELPHIA, (JTA) -
In a jointly signed letter to
The letter stemmed from a
Legislators in the Philadelphia their rabbinic colleagues in the
religious
meeting of the rabbis
area have been asked by the Detroit area, Rabbis Morris Ad-
American Jewish Committee's ler, Irwin Groner, David Jessel, at which they discussed their
chapter here to provide relief to Max Kapustin and Joel Litke roles in current civil rights de-
businessmen who sustain losses urged participation by rabbis in velopments.
because of Pennsylvania's Sun- the current civil rights demon-
day closing laws.
strations.
A letter sent to each member
The religious leaders signing
of the state's House and Senate the letter noted their obliga-
by Mrs. Leon C. Sunstein, Jr., tion "as Americans and as Jews
chapter president, said that and also as religious teachers"
Orthodox Jews and members of to participate wherever possible
certain Christian sects "are re- in the demonstrations.
by Walter L. Field
quired to keep their businesses
This, it was pointed out, is
closed on Sunday although they "to indicate publicly and visibly
FIRST JEWISH
remain closed on Saturday our repugnance of the repres-
HISTORY
IN VERSE
which they observe as their sions and bigotries which they
Sabbath." House Bills 975 and protest—."
4,000 Years in 40 Pages
976 have been introduced to
remedy this situation, the letter
ISRAEL-U.S. TRADING
Beautiful
noted.
Israel imported a total of
Gift Book
House Bill 975 exempts from
the Sunday Blue Laws persons $201,500,000 worth of goods
At All Detroit $5
who observe a Sabbath other from the United States in 1962,
Book Stores
than Sunday and keep their a 28 per cent increase over the
businesses closed that day. total American exports to Israel
House Bill 976 permits a person in the previous year.
0.
to keep his business closed Sat- v‘IMI111111 ■ 1110•111111
urday or Sunday. The group
A PHONE CALL WILL SAVE YOU SS
endorsed both bills but prefers
the latter since no religious
question is raised by it.

A PEOPLE'S
EPIC

Israel Considering
Tax on Stock Profits

n aw

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The
Israel government is consider-
ing imposing a capital gains tax
on profits made in stock market
transactions, it was disclosed by
David Horowitz, governor of the
Bank of Israel.

PONTIACX1ICHIGAN

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