Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 1 November 1946 — Page 12

THE NATIONAL JEWISH POST

Friday, November 1, 1946

Uptown and Downtown

By RABBI BENJAMIN SCHULTZ

Brooklyn Hassidim Celebrate Simchas Torah “’TTtT’HEHE were you,” one could ask Ludwig Lewisohn and W Maurice Samuel, "on the night of Oct. 17?” "Why,” they’d answer truthfully, “we were carousing with the Brooklyn Hassidim.” Yep, they say that Simchas Torah party lasted ’till 5 a. m., when everybody started all over again, having breakfast. The cop who roped off that square block, and the famous Jews who went to get a look at Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, will never forget it. Five thousand curious folk stood hours on end, open-mouthed. The rabbi, fresh from Hungarian persecution, danced all night through the aisles of the Shul, holding the little Torah that had brought him strength. Entranced, a Jew paid $10,000 to be “called up.” Another, $5,000. Rabbi Nisan Gordon reports this. Whitebearded Teitelbaum, 60, is only visiting. He’ll take the money to a Yeshivah in Palestine. • • • Palestine For The Jews, Debaters Decide High-school debaters in New York are giving Palestine to the Jews. The kids' "forums” usually end with ultra-Zionist triumphs. Most, I am told, are lock-stock-and-barrel: Transjordan to the Hebrews, too! “Because of all their suffering.” You’re wrong, smart alecks. The judges are usually Gentile. One school ap]>ointed only Catholics as judges. "They’re neutral, see?” I expressed puzzlement. “Look: Jews are partisan. Britain is Protestant. So we thing the fair thing is to appoint Catholics. Get it?” * * • Keith And Forrie Are Still At It Ruddy with near-apoplexy, Keith Shapiro fumed at his mild brother, Forrest. Forrie wanted changes in thp Shul. Decorum, and things. Keith felt this was undermining. A Shul couldn’t be namby-pamby. Either it was one thing or the other. No use hanging in mid-air between orthodoxy and reform. "So, once and for all,” cried Keith, "for Christ’s sake .let’s be orthodox!" • • • "Americans All” Gets Another Boost Required Reading: Oscar Leonard’s “Americans All.” Children go batty with pleasure over it, and get a proud view of Jews at the same time. A text in many a Sunday school. At Behrman’s, they’re trying to keep up with orders. * * • Small Open Boats Must Be The Answer! "Small, open boats!” I cried to J.D.C., and they snubbed me. "Open, small boats!” I said to National Refugee Service, and they frowned. “Boats—open and small,” I whispered to Hias, and they looked alarmed, like they wanted me away. But what’s wrong with my brainstorm? Let our Jews send 100,000 small boats to Italy immediately, so that our D.P.’s, who are streaming south, can enter them and come to America. They’ve been through plenty. They’ll risk this, too. And President Truman will welcome them! He’ll say, he likes their "courage and determination.” He’ll say they should become American citizens, and he’ll sHck by them. Why, he did It for those 18 Estonians! Because they came 'o small, open boats. To escape persecuiio... Arise, brothers—and to the shipyards! • * * What About Mixed Marriages? The rabbis’ Central Conference has been "strict” about intermarriage. But we all know the trend during war years, with boys on their own. Now, a resolution was passed to “review” our stand on mixed weddings. The Executive Board has to report soon. * • • Get Ready For “Jolson” Controversy Might as well get ready for that A1 Jolson fight. Brother, it’s coming on. Is or is not tljat movie, “The Jolson Story,” fair about Jews? My verdict: Mostly yes. But just one touch: Papa catches Jolson singing in a church. Makes some crack about not wearing a hat. Priest replies, "It’s not what goes on the head, but what is in the heart.” O.K. But priest is put in finer light than Pa. . . . Can you imagine a movie with Pa explaining his hat: “It’s not what comes off the head, but what is in your heart.” This to a priest No such movie; No such movie! * • • Pro-Communist Deluge, Yawns Spectacled Pulitzer-author Arthur Schlesinger (not yet 30). Wrote an anti-Communist book review for the Times. So the editor got 500 filthy letters about Schlesinger. And ye editor yawned. Expected that. Commie work that way. Address BabM Schultz at Hamilton Ave., Yonkers 6, K. Y.

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Between You and Me By BORIS SMOLAR

Rabbi Gap Resigns, Takes Nobile Pnipii Special COLUMBUS, O.—Rabbi Samuel Gup, who has presided at Temple Israel (Bryden Road Temple) here since Sept. 1, 1932, has resigned to return to his na-

RABBI SAMUEL GUP tive Mobile, Ala. He will become permanent rabbi at Shaarai Shomayim in Mobile sometime early in December. from Temple Beth-El in Providence, R.I. Since that time, Rabbi Gup has made a tremendous hit with the Jewish community as wel las in inter-demoninational groups. His most recent public contribution was to serve as a member of the Citizens’ committee to help settle a street car strike. He served as a member of the Columbus and Franklin County Ministerial Association and also served the group as treasurer. Rabbi and Mrs. Gup have two children.

Plea by Canadian Jews Fought by Papers By LEON CHEIFETZ J. T. A. Correspondent MONTREAL—A strong campaign against admitting European refugees to Canada is now developing in the country, while Jewish organizations are appealing to the government to permit the entrance of a larger number of displaced Jews from Europe. The anti-immigration campaign is led by newspapers published in the province of Quebec. The influential Montreal Star demands a strictly selective policy of immigration. Notre Temps, of this city, declares that humanitarian arguments are hypocritica 1 , while the Quebec Action Catholique says the government is wise in not starting a full-scale immigration program. Other papers play up the fact that several Jews were included among the defendants in the recent Soviet spy trials. A strong appeal to the Canadian Government to admit more refugees was issued recently by representatives of 150 local Jewish organizations after hearing Saul Hayes, executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress, following his return from Europe.

Chicago To Get New-Type Jewish Paper Special CHICAGO — Starting Nov. 27, the Jewish people of Chicago will get their first glimpse of "Jewish Affairs,” a new weekly “where-to-go” magazine printed in English and dealing primarily with news of Jewish affairs and events of interest to and sponsored by Chicago’s Jewish organizations, groups, clubs, etc. Jewish Affairs will be distributed by mail absolutely free.

TEWISH organizations have lit«J tie to do now at the United Nations General Assembly. . . . The question of human rights, in which they are Interested, has become an integral part of the peace t r ea t i e s THE UNITED agreed upon in NATIONS Paris The Pale s t i n e question will hardly be raised at the present session. . . . The principal issue in which Jewish groups are interested now—and which will be a hot issue at the General Assembly—is the refugee problem. . . . Russia does not see eye to eye with Britain and the United States on the functions of the International Refugee Organization, which the General Assembly will have to define. . . . Incidentally, this organization may become the beneficiary of all the property of the massacred European Jews who left no heirs. . . . This is one of the achievements of the delegations of American Jewish organizations who were sent to Paris in connection with the Peace Conference. ... As a result of their activities, the U. S. delegation at the Conference suggested an amendment to the treaties with Hungary and Rumania providing that the governments of these countries transfer to the International Refugee Organization, for relief and rehabilitation purposes all heirless or unclaimed property of persons killed by the Nazis on racial or religious grounds. . . . This amendment was adopted by a majority vote, with the Russian bloc voting against it. . . . Its final fate will be decided at the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in New York next month. ... If Russia does not use its veto rights at the Council, the International Refugee Organization will take possession not only of all the heirless property of individual Jews in Hungary and Rumania, but also of property belonging to Jewish organizations and communities which were wiped out. . . . No wonder that the main interest of American Jewish groups at the U.N. General Assembly is now concentrated on the International Refugee Organization and in the fight that is expected to develop in defining its functions. * * * ^Tp'HE British Government X knows by now that three of the Arab countries are definitely inclined to support the establishment of a Jewish state in a partitioned Palestine. . . . The three are Egypt, ZIONIST Transjordan and LebAFFAIRS anon. . . . But, as we stated last week, the possibility of Britain’s agreeing to partition and to the formation of a Jewish state is now more remote than ever before. . . . This is known to the leaders of the Jewish Agency, who will henceforth lay more stress on the demand for increased immigration to Palestine than on the establishment of a Jewish state. . . . Incidentally, it is also known that the IrgOn and the Stem group, who oppose partition, would extend their terrorist activities if partition were effected. . . . On the other hand they would cease these activities If Palestine were opened for increased Jewish immigration. . . . Partition would be' considered by them as “treason” and a “sell out” by the Jewish Agency, while increased immigration would be considered a British compromise. ... In the ranks of the American Zionist leadership also, more accent will now be laid on increased immi-

gration than on partition. . . . American Zionist leaders are readying themselves for a stronger voice in the Jewish Agency. . . . Some openly advance the theory that since most of the funds for the Jewish Agency come from the United States, the American Zionists are entitled to have a say as to how these funds should be spent. . . . The possibility that such a demand would eventually be advanced was forseen sometime ago by Eliezer Kaplan, the able treasurer of the Jewish Agency. ... He therefore, came to the United States with a suggestion that the Jewish National Fund and the Keren Hayesod be transferred from the jurisdiction of the World Zionist executive to the Jewish National Council of Palestine. . . . This would have put the two principal fund raising agencies under the direct control of the Jews in Palestine and out of the reach of American Zionists. . . . However, American Zionists leaders did not respond enthusiastically to Kaplan’s suggestion, and the matter may be brought up at the forthcoming World Zionist Congress. * * * ✓^VNE of the most interesting novels of the year is Sholem Asch’s “East River,” just published by Putnam’s. . . . Bent on the idea that Jewish religion and Catholic religion can meet if there is good THE ETERNAL will on the part PROBLEM of both, Asch builds his novel around a mixed marriage of a Jewish boy and a Catholic girl who have grown up together on the same street on New York’s East Side. . . . Each of them is attached to his respective religion and they get along well. . . . But what about the child that is bom to them? . . . Here Asch poses a problem and does not answer it clearly. . . . Nevertheless his novel is one of the most powerful literary creations. . . . Especially in its first half. . . . Some of the episodes which he portrays are like paintings of a great artist. . . . They are vivid and leave a lasting impression. . . . There is a great deal of warmth for the religious Jew in Asch’s book and a good deal of sympathy with what the Catholic religion does to the Catholic soul. . . . There will be both Jewish readers and Catholic readers who will criticize Asch’s religious approach, but taken as a literary piece of work, the novel will, no doubt, be recognized among Sholem Asch’s best. ... It is a monument to the East Side of thirty years ago, which is now disappearing. . . . Jewish readers who have no religious feelings will probably regret the fact that Asch spends his talent on preaching a kind of super-re-ligion. . . . They will consider the monologues on religion much less interesting reading than the many moments of plain human interest and ordinary life which Asch presents so masterfully. But on the whole they will be impressed with the book. . . . Each of the characters is an excellently painted portrait, and all of them together are a well conceived picture of American immigrant life of yesterday.

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