Friday, October 1 1, 1963—THE DETRO IT J EWISH NEW Jewish Organizations Form Purely Commentary Major Committee on Plight of Soviet Jews By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Another Deserved Honor for Dora Ehrlich While Dora Ehrlich is due for special honors from the Jewish community, when she'll be accorded recognition for her many community services at the annual Bar-llan University dinner on Nov. 26, it is specially heartening to her many friends to learn that her alma mater—the University of Michigan—will recognize her gifts by according her a citation. On Oct. 17, in Hill Auditorium, Mrs. Joseph H. Ehrlich will be remembered as the U. of M. will recall that, as Dora Ehrlich, she not only was an honor student, but throughout her life lent glory to her school, her state, her nation, her faith. Mrs. Ehrlich has earned all the recognition that is being given her. We wish her good health so that she may be blessed with strength to continue the good deeds to which she has dedicated her life. Rejected ! Hans Globke Dr. Hans Globke had hoped to retire to Vevey on Lake Geneva, in Switzerland, where he had built a villa. But the townspeople of Vevey made it know that he was not welcome. Such is the punishment now accorded to the architect of the inhuman Nuremberg anti-Semitic laws as he prepares to leave the Adenauer West German Cabinet. Dr. Globke continues to maintain that he has never been a member of the Nazi party and he insists that he tried to reduce tthe harshness of the Nuremberg laws. Yet, it is a matter of record that he had written those vicious laws, that he took orders from Hitler and was a callaborator in the crimes against the Jewish people. Konrad Adenauer's biggest blunder was to have retained Globke in his Cabinet. It is now claimed that it will take two or three men to perform the tasks that were accomplished by Globke. Indeed, he is an efficient man. Even so, he apparently was equally efficient in Nuremberg under Hitler. Any person who takes orders to commit crimes, even if they are for his own beloved government, will be recorded among the evil and corrupt. Man's duty is to keep his government and nation above corruption. Globke contributed towards brutality and inhumanity. His retirement can call forth only a sigh of relief. — the Burschstein of Bialystok Rosa Raisa Rosa Raisa thrilled many an audience. She starred in opera, made her debut here in "The Dybbuk," was notably impressive as an interpreter of Yiddish songs. She came from Bialystok and her maiden name was Bursch- stein. When she no longer was able to star in opera, she turned to the concert platform, and her Yiddish songs drew the largest and most appreciative audiences for her. But the final rites for her were not Jewish! What a pity that people forget their origin—and perhaps it is equally pitiful that people are so quickly forgotten: for, how many, indeed, now remember Rosa Raisa? — (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) NEW YORK—Leaders of na- tional Jewish religious and community organizations have decided to set up an emergency ad hoc committee to deal with the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union. Announcement of the deci- sion was made here Tuesday after a closed door meeting held Monday at headquarters of the Synagogue Council of America in New York. Participating in the meeting were representatives of lay and rabbinical organizations from the Reform, Orthodox and Con- servative movements affiliated with the Council as well as rep- resentatives of the American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, Hillel Foun- dations, Jewish Labor Com- mittee, National Community Relations Advisory C o u n c Bnai Brith, National Council of Jewish War Veterans of the United States and the National Council of Young Israel. Rabbi Uri Miller, president of the Synagogue Council told the meeting that the council has "tried everything" in the last two years to counteract Soviet Russian efforts to elimin- ate the USSR's Jewish com- munity but has met with no success. Eighty to 100 of the fore- most intellectual leaders in the United States, the vast majority of them non-Jews, will gather here Saturday to consider the situation of the Jews in the Soviet Union. The all-day conference, to be held in the auditorium of the Carnegie Foundation for inter- national Peace, has been sum- moned by U. S. Supreme Court Justice William 0. Douglas; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of the non-violent phase of the Negro integration movement; Walter Reuther, president of the United Automobile Workers of America and a vice-president of the AFL - CIO; Norman T h o m a s. American Socialist leader; the Rt. Rev. James A. Pike, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of California; Herbert H. Lehman, former U. S. Sena- tor and ex-Governor of New York; and Robert Penn Warren, famous American novelist and poet. Acting as individuals, the seven sponsors of the session have invited a cross-section of other American leaders to hear reports about the situation of the Jews in the USSR, and to consider means for relaxing anti-Jewish practices condoned by Soviet authorities. Accord- ing to the sponsors, it is hoped that the meeting may result in the acceptance of an action program upon which those in attendance would agree. * * A Symbol on the Mound Sandy Koufax Sandy Koufax has emerged as a symbol for American youth. The great Dodger pitcher, who has led his team to the highest honors in baseball, became a leader in the most popular American flourish in New York. There sport—to be looked up to and to be emulated. What the leaders are many thousands even among those who no longer on our sports arenas do is to read the Yiddish press who un- indicate to the world that derstand Yiddish and love the through athletic competition we Yiddish tongue and its humor. not only build up a strong people, but, as the same time, The New York Times writer, create good will in the recogni- Richard F. Shepard, makes this tion of the ablest who win be- observation regarding the non- cause they have the skill to English theaters in New York: emerge the victors. The sports "Italian and German thea- arena thus is the traditional ter have all but vanished American preference to the here. Spanish theater, even battlefield, to strife that can and with a vast potential audi- must be avoided among peoples. ence, is insignificant and the Sandy Koufax happens to be Chinese opera that used to an affiliated Jew who has just be Chinatown's cultural been honored by the Bnai Brith, staple has long since given who has refrained from playing way to Chinese movies. But on the Holy Days, who has a Yiddish, a language that has sense of Jewish dignity. We almost no hope of gaining have had Jewish athletes of great new native practitioners, has Sandy Koufax Acclaimed merit in the past. Sandy Koufax remained constant for several After His First Victory is a new name in that dis- years with four shows a tinguished element. It is good to welcome him into the honor season. roll of great Jewish athletes because the successes of men like The fact is that Yiddish has Koufax encourage other youth to take an interest in and to , been "constant" in many other distinguish themselves in sports. It is equally as vital that our people people should be as 'respects. There is a following adept in sports as they are in the sciences and in the languages. for the language that stems A "muscular Judaism," as Dr. Max Nordau called the modern from a deep devotion, and Jewish Maccabees who take an interest in sports, is important for those who continue to read in Yiddish and who love to speak a normal people that aspires to have a share in athletics. Sandy Koufax thus has made a good contribution to sports it include not only immigrants and an even better gift to his fellow Jews whom he has given the and sons of immigrants but encouragement to be as strong physically as they are so often many second generation Americans. mentally. Yet, the Yiddish ranks have The Dodges had another excellent pitcher in Koufax's fellow- Jew. Larry Sherry. There are a few others in our ranks who are diminished and continue to di- good athletes. Perhaps their number now will grow. Ken yirbu minish, the publisher of one of the two surviving daily Yiddish —may they, indeed, grow. * * * newspapers has said that "when one of our readers dies there Revival of the Yiddish Theater in New York A New York Times theatrical critic, writing about plans for is no one to replace him," and the revival of the Yiddish theater in New York, makes the outside of New York, where the Yiddish theater has a comment: "Logic and statistics may foretell doom in the Yiddish strong appeal, it might be diffi- theater, but they cannot push this tenacious tongue into the cult to secure a sizable audi- ence for a Yiddish play. wings." Yiddish is so rich in its ex- There will be four new productions on the Lower East Side of New York during the approaching season, with Leo Fuchs pressions, its literature, its his- starring in Jacob Jacobs "My Wife With Conditions" at the torical merits, that its decline Anderson Yiddish Theater's full-time productions and additional has been a source of very deep regret for a number of years. plays to be produced on week-ends. These are interesting developments and it will be most If the revived theater in New interesting to watch for the results and to study the responses York will bring some of the language's glory, it will be a to the new theatrical appeals. Thprp___epytainlv is noreason whv _a Yiddish theater cannot blessing in many ways. — (Direct JTA Teletype Wire to The Jewish News) PARIS—Former French Pre- mier and Socialist leader Guy Mollet will raise the question of the treatment of Soviet Jewry with Soviet Premier Khrushchev, whom he is sched- uled to meet in Moscow at the end of this month, it was dis- closed here Wednesday. Mollet is leaving for Moscow as the head of a French Socialist delegation on Oct. 27. He will confer with the Soviet Premier and other leading Soviet officials in Moscow. Be- cause the French Communist Party and the Soviet Union are interested in seeking an agree- ment with the French Socialists to form a United leftwing op- position to President De Gaulle, the former French Premier was expected to be in a position of strength for his talks with the Soviet officials. It was understood that the former French Premier has long been aware of the plight of Soviet Jewry and has de- cided to raise the issue with Premier Khrushchev just as it was raised at the Socialist In- ternational meeting in Amster- dam last month. The French leader and his delegation will have complete documentation on the question and are expected to press their Soviet counterparts for concrete moves to ease the plight of Soviet Jewry. ..0•111 ■ 0•01•1•0!0• ■■ // ML.11.111M041111111.1 ■ 13 ■ 111.041.0.0.=M141•111,0 ■ 43 ■ 41...0 0 ■ 4. ■ (3.1.1.0.0=. ■ Boris Smolar's 'Between You ... and Me' (Copyright, 1963, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) Ecumenical Discussions Leaders of major American Jewish organizations are watch- ing with utmost interest the proceedings at the present session of the Ecumenical Council . . . They see in the discussions signs which may lead to a new era in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jews . . . As the discussions develop, two trends are noted: a liberal and a conservative ... The liberal elements among the more than 2,200 participating Council Fathers, advocate consideration of representatives submitted by the American Jewish Committee and the World Jewish Congress . . . The conservative element is cool to the Jewish representa- tions . . . A dominant factor will, of course, be the stand of Pope Paul VI . . While Jewish groups were certain of the attitude of the late Pope John XXIII, who was outspoken in his friend- ship to Jews, they are not as yet certain about Pope Paul VI ... This is because Pope John, when he spoke of the Jews, did not hesitate to state that he considered them his "brethren" . . • Pope Paul, however, merely assures his esteem for them and says that they are "included in his thoughts" . . . At the same time he goes out of his way to emphasize at the Ecumenical Council that the Catholic Church sees in the Jewish religion "omissions, insufficiencies and errors" . . . Whatever side effects the discussions at the present Council session may have on the "Jewish question," it seems that basic suggestions ,advanced by Jewish organizations will definitely not be taken up at this ses- sion which will adjourn at the end of December . . . However, they may be taken up at the next session in 1964 .. . * * Optimistic Outlook: There is good ground to believe that the Ecumenical Coun- cil will eventually go on record, in one form or another, as con- demning anti-Semitism . . . But will word come from the Coun- cil that the popular Christian beliefs about Jews and Judaism are wrong from a dogmatic point of view? . . Major Jewish organizations in the United States hope that the Council will make it clear to the Christian world that it is erroneous to say and believe that Jews carry the major responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus . . . They also hope that the Ecumenical Council will acknowledge the historic debt of the Catholic Church to Judaism . . . And, above all, they would like to see anti-Jewish comment eliminated from Catholic teaching and liturgy . .. The Ecumenist, a semi-official Catholic organ, expressing the view of the liberal elements within the Catholic Church, finds the Jewish requests justified . . . It admits that the New Testament doctrine on the Jews has been misrepresented by the Church in certain liturgical formulas • . . "We have drawn a picture of the Jews which arouses contempt and misrepresent their role in the Scriptures," the Ecumenist says openly . . . That this picture, which implants anti-Semitism in the minds of children in the course of their religious training, must be corrected is clear to the progressive elements among the participants of the present Council session . . . It is not so clear to the conservative elements whose ranks include certain American cardinals .. . Pope Paul VI himself is looked upon as a progressive, pledged to follow in the steps of his predecessor, the beloved John XXIII . . . He has shown that he intends to introduce in the Catholic Church a wide program of democratization and modernization . . . And no such program would be complete without evaluating the Catholic-Jewish relations . . . This explains why Jewish leaders in the United States are at present optimistic that from the Ecumenical Council something good will come out for Jews despite possible resistance of the conservative elements.