Sermon Dispute Is a 'Closed Issue,' Vatican Declares
Progress in San Francisco's Educational Efforts
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Pessi- ly find it needful to be cautious
mists about the Jewish future will in their approaches to advancing
Hebrew studies, to emphasizing
be quickly mellowed when they
the Zionist and Israeli ideal.
make a study of conditions in this
But there is no doubt that these
most interesting community.
obstacles will be overcome.
There was a time—let us say 20
San Francisco's oldest syna-
years ago, when this city hummed
with activity during the formative gogue, Temple Sherith Israel, was
stages of the United Nations, then organized in 1850. The commu-
referred to as UNO, United Na- nity's Temple Emanuel is a note-
tions Organization—when S. F. was worthy architectural product.
The community's history dates
considered one of the most assimi-
lated Jewish communities in the back to the Gold Rush days in 1849.
land. The Council for Judaism be- Jews were among the oldest of
came strong here, Zionism was j the city's pioneers. From there
weak, educational efforts were many Jews traveled back and forth
minimal. I to remote places conducting indus-
A return to this glorious Golden trial enterprises. They went to
Gate City in 1965 revives interest Alaska, to Hawaii, and at home
in S. F. Jewry and offers assurance in San Francisco they helped build
that it is a wholesome sector and great The
business
establishments.
community's
background
certainly not a hopeless one as a
is that of an observant Jewry:
vital part of the total American i
22 Jewish merchants signed a
Jewish community.
pledge in 1865 to keep their bus-
Interest in Israel has grown
finesses closed on the Sabbath.
here, and the Council for Juda-
The changes that had taken
ism fulminators are becoming
place during the succeeding dec-
fewer.
ades were part of the changing
climates that became evident
Educational activities are multi-
plying. The Bureau of Jewish elsewhere throughout the land.
Education, under the direction of S. F. is a cultural community.
Rabbi Bernard Ducoff, is making Jews share in it and some of the
progress. If there is slowness, it is gifts that have been made by
on a par with the gradual trends Jews towards art museums, li-
toward maximized cultural efforts. braries, universities, run in the
The fact that San Francisco now high six figures.
has a Jewish Day School is an in-
Several Detroiters have settled
dication of renewed progress and here — Mrs. S. N. Heyman, the
of a Jewish consciousness that David and the Sol Silvers. Sol
points to communal strength. The Silver is gaining national fame
Brandeis Day School is not strong. as an outstanding architect, and
It is in its formative stages. Under he is among the community's new
the direction of Frances Sussna, and young campaign leaders — he
efforts are being made to arouse a heads the UJA and community
deep interest in the school's efforts. drive in Sausalito, the suburb of
The Brandeis Day School's bul- San Francisco.
letins indicate that the directors
A number of young men are
have much to learn from other taking an active interest in Jew-
communities. Their statements ish philanthropic and educational
are a bit too apologetic. They go
efforts. Marshall Kuhn and others
to great length to assure that are distinguishing themselves in
the school is functioning within UJA leadership.
the American tradition. Such
Thus, San Francisco retains its
pleadings are totally unneces- place among the very vital Amer-
sary, but the directors apparent-
ican Jewish communities. —P.S.
ROME (JTA) — Vatican sources
indicated that they considered the
controversy over Pope Paul's Pas-
sion Sunday homily, in which he
cited Jewish responsibility for the
death of Jesus, as a closed issue.
The same opinion, it was reported,
prevails among Italian Jewish
leaders.
The Italian press reported widely
the telegram to the Vatican signed
by Judge Sergio Piperno, president
of the Union of Italian Jewish
Communities, and Chief Rabbi Elio
Toaff of Rome, who expressed con.
cern over the revival by the Pope
of the deicide issue in connection
with the Jewish people.
As background material, most of
the newspapers reprinted extracts
from the Declaration on Catholic-
Jewish relations voted last Novem-
ber by the third session of the
Ecumenical C o u n c i 1. This was
done, it was indicated, to explain
the reasons for the negative Jewish
reactions.
In Jerusalem, orthodox spokes-
men criticized the statement is-
sued by the Vatican explaining the
Pope's sermon was described by
most as "very feeble." The Israeli
press, as a whole, expressed fears
that the pontiff's sermon weakens
the declaration on relations with
the Jewish people. The Pope's
stand was seen here as a rever-
sion to Roman Catholic attitudes
of the past.
A statement was issued in New
York by the American Jewish
Committee. The statement read:
"We were both astonished and
concerned to read the text of
the Pope's Lenten homily . . .
"We urgently hope that further
clarification will allay the sadness
and disappointment engendered
among Jews and all men of good-
will."
In a strongly worded statement,
Rabbi Balfour Brickner, director
of interfaith activities of the Union
of American Hebrew Congrega-
tions, stated: "Incautiously phrased
remarks on so tender a topic, par-
ticularly at this time, can do only
harm. It is difficult to believe that
the man who less than a week ago
spoke of removing from the liturgy
of the Roman Catholic Church
words and phrases offensive to
Jews and Judaism, could be the
same person now reported again
to raise the issue of the Jewish
deicide.
"While the Pope's words may
not, and hopefully will not, affect
the forthcoming Vatican Council
statement on the Jews, they can
certainly have a deleterious affect
on Jewish attitudes toward the
church and toward the new and
still unseasoned ties which are now
being established between the two
faith communities throughout the
world."
est tVisAes to All for
Wappy IPassove'r
This is a great occasion for rejoicing — that the
spirit of Passover is in triumph, that while the road
to freedom is slow, it is nevertheless attainable
as long as people have the desire to put an end to
enslavement.
We dedicate ourselves anew on this Passover to
the ideals of justice and liberty for people of all
faiths and all races.
Mr. and Mrs. Abe %isle
and gamily
Auschwitz Trial Court Sets 2nd Trip
to Poland to Call on 24 Witnesses
BONN (JTA)—The court trying
22 former Auschwitz death camp
guards since December 1963, will
make a second trip to Poland next
week to hear some 24 witnesses
who are unable to come to Frank-
furt.
Polish judges also will be pres-
ent at the taking of their testi-
mony.
Eight defense attorneys, two
public prosecutors and two civil
prosecutors will accompany Judge
Hans Hofmeier on the trip, which
will have the court officials taking
testimony in a number of Polish
cities April 20-27. Cities on their
itinerary include Warsaw, Cracow,
Lodz, Kattowice and Glewitz. None
of the defendants will take part in
the trip.
It was announced, meanwhile,
that another major trial of Nazi
war criminals will start in
Bochum in October, with 16
former members of Hitler's elite
SS guard to go on trial. The
principal defendant is Heinrich
Hamann, 57, charged with par-
ticipating in the slaughter of
70,000 Jews in occupied Poland.
An indictment prepared by the
North Rhine-Westphalia branch of
the Ludwigsberg Documentation
Center for Nazi Crimes charges
that Hamann sent to death camps
in August 1942. a total of 15,000
Jews from the Neusandez Ghetto
in the Cracow district.
Under his command, according
to the indictment, 285 Jews in one
action and 125 in another were
shot and dumped into mass graves
while many of the victims were
still alive.
The indictment charges Gunther
Labitzke, 52, of Ludwigshaven,
with the murder of 1,690 Jews.
Johann Bornholt, 60, is charged
with shooting and strangling 398
Jews.
The court went to Poland for
the first time several months ago.
At that time, one of the 22 de-
fendants, Dr. Franz Lucas, former
Auschwitz camp physician, accom-
panied the court, along with at-
torneys for the prosecution and
the defense, as well as government
experts on Nazi war crimes.
In Dusseldorf, both a witness
and a defendant in the trial of
guards of the Treblinka death.
camp further implicated Kurt
Franz, camp deputy commander,
in testimony Tuesday.
Henryk Poslowski, 55, now of
Rio de Janeiro, testified that
Frank, who has steadfastly denied
whipping or killing any inmates,
shot and killed a child torn from
its Jewish mother by another SS
guard and thrown into the air for
target practice.
The witness, who fled after a
Treblinka 1943 uprising, also testi-
fied that he had been whipped by
Franz and that Franz ordered his
dog to attack inmates who were
then killed by another guard,
August Miete. Miete then testified
that he had shot inmates on orders
from Franz.
A thing moderately good is not
so good as it ought to be. Modera-
tion in temper is always a virtue;
but moderation in principle is al-
ways a vice."—Thomas Paine.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
12—Friday, April 16, 1965
Again, at this time, we pause in celebration of the ancient Passover
festival, and at this time we are reminded that we stand as links in an infinite
chain ranging back over thousands . of years along the broad pathways of the
We are reminded also of our concern with a Kehillah Kidasha — a
sacred community — and we are encouraged by the thought that the most
weak and material of human elements are charged with a spark of divine
life and light.
It is in this spirit of humility and dedication that we, as Life Insurance
people, are moved to pledge ourselves anew to the service of our clients.
At this time we extend our sincerest wishes for a happy Passover to
one and all.
When it comes to insurance ... it's
THE DOMINION LIFE ASSURANCE
COMPANY, WATERLOO, ONTARIO
Our Success is Built on a Firm Foundation of Sincere Service