THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
A Rosh Hashana Fable:
Cantor and Cabdriver
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
(Copyright 1977. JTA, Inc.)
On Rosh Hashana, it happened in Prague, one year
When the cantor, ,VIinkowsky, of world renown
Was engaged by the synagogue and from all parts of town
The people flocked his golden voice to hear.
Such a voice he had
It seemed to lift one to the sky
It gave one a feeling
Not short of Divinity.
ne said it was wrong
jmuch attention to pay
To what was but song
Instead of the holy day.
But others said God
Might be so pleased to hear
It would insure the people a happy new year.
As the cantor rose to plead with the Most High
The stillness WCIS such, one could hear a sigh.
Then of a sudden rang out a sharp rap on a book
And all eyes turned at the rabbi to look.
Tis writ, the rabbi spoke: one may not stand at the ark,
If one harbors of hate a single spark.
For any member of the congregation
For whom he makes divine supplication.
In the Response of Rabbi Katzenellenbogen of Padua,
It is so writ:
And, my friends, nothing we can do
Can change this one whit:
Now Velvet, here, a hackman, doth avow and state
That the cantor for him harbors hate.
He drove the cantor from the railroad station
And when he asked four gulden received
A terrible castigation.
The congregation became all aflutter; some shouted
Let Velvel stay away!
We have come to hear the great cantor pray.
No, said the rabbi, he who stands in front of the Ark
Prays for every Jew
For the rich and powerful and the humblest in the pew.
The rabbi said: There is only one way
For the cantor before the congregation to pray.
I will do what I can in conscience clear.
And he nodded for the cantor and Velvel
To follow him to the rear.
Later the two emerged arm in firm.
The cantor and hackman like brothers
Suffused with balm
Like sunshine after a stormy day.
What happened?
This is what they say.
Velvet admitted he asked too much—a little cheat
But his wife lay ill—his children had nothing to eat.
He told- a story, so moving and dear
The cantor could not refrain from shedding a tear.
The rabbi said the cantor's tear had wiped away
The hate and now the cantor could pray.
And Heaven would answer as never before
As a broken heart is sure to unlock Heaven's door.
NY Urged to Pass Boycott Law
NEW YORK (JTA )—Jew-
ish leaders urged the New
1k City Council to ap-
we a bill to ban the
granting of municipal con-
tracts by the city to con-
tractors who participate in
the international Arab boy-
cott.
Speaking before the City
Council's Committee on
Economic Development on
behalf of the measure were
Jack Elkin, vice president
of the American Jewish Con-
gress and Jewish Commu-
nity Relations Council chair-
man; Leonard Marks, vice-
president of the American
Jewish Committee's New
York chapter; and Richard
Liskov, president of the re-
cently formed Jewish Amer-
ican Political Action Com-
mittee.
Marks said the bill would
complement the recently-
enacted federal anti-boycott
law by extending its effect
to transactions with a mu-
nicipality. He said the meas-
ure would prevent firms in
violation of the federal law
from doing business with
the city government at the
same time.
Marks also said the bill
would not conflict with
state and local require-
ments for competitive bid-
ding but that it would "pre-
vent the use of our tax dol-
lars to support discrimina-
tory practices in the
private sector which are
contrary to public policy
and repugnant to the citi-
zens of this city."
Spain Reported Yielding to Arab Pressure
By WARREN FREEDMAN
The only country in West-
ern Europe which refuses
to have diplomatic relations
with the state of Israel is
Spain. After the death of
Francisco Franco hopes
were raised that Spain
might alter its pro-Arab po-
sition. But King Juan
Carlos I has repeatedly
closed the door on any new
initiative toward Israel, es-
pecially during his March
1977 visits to Egypt and Jor-
dan.
Indeed, the Spanish For-
eign Minister declared in
Amman, Jordan, on March
26 that Spain would not rec-
ognize Israel as long as
Arab demands in the
Middle East were not met.
i.e., total Israeli with draw-
al from all conquered Arab
territories, and full recogni-
tion of the rights of the Pa-
lestinian peoples.
In the United Nations
Spain has consistently
voted against Israel. Every
Arab issue concerning the
Middle East in the General
Assembly during 1976 was
supported by Spain against
Israel. Spain even sup-
ported the recommenda-
tions of the Palestine Com-
mittee of 20 which called
for the dismemberment of
Israel in stages! Even by
comparison with the voting
records of Portugal, Japan
and Austria, Spain's voting
record against Israel .stands
out.
King Juan Carlos I has in
recent speeches specifically
supported a Palestinian
state, PLO participation
in Geneva, and recognition
of PLO by permitting the
opening of a PLO office in
Madrid. The Spanish Gov-
ernment has also opposed
what they call the "illegal
occupation of the Holy
Land of Jerusalem," and
ha!, denounced the "process
of Judaization" there.
The World Jewish Con-
gress meeting in Madrid
last December was but an-
other example of Spain's
Friday, September 9, 1977 21
41,1 ■
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