Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 September 1948 — Page 3

Friday, September 10, 1948

THE NATIONAL JEWISH POST

Ben-Gurion, In Surprise Move Okays Americans For Haganah By MARC H. TANENBAUM Jewish Post Staff Correspondent NEW YORK—(NJP)—Despite the bitter opposition of top Zionist Organization of America officials to Americans for Haganah, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion has given his unofficial blessing to the group. The Post learned exclusively this week. The information came from a reliable informant who has just

returned from Tel Aviv, where he met with Ben-Gurion. The impact on the shaky peace achieved recently between the ZOA and Materials for Palestine of BenGurion’s stand was believed likely to be great. Americans for Haganah and Materials for Palestine, the non-contraband supply group for aid to Israel, are both manned by leading figures in the Committee for Progressive Zionism, official opposition to the present ZOA leadership headed by Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, and ZOA President Emanuel Neumann. The American section of the Jewish Agency, headed by Dr. Silver, recently demanded dissolution of Americans for Haganah, as did Dr. Neumann. May Continue Going Americans for Haganah was scheduled to reform as Americans United for Israel on Oct. 1. It was reported, however, that the group would dissolve if the Israeli Government and the World Zionist Organization agreed to order its dissolution. The Post’s informant said that if the Israeli Government which he said “has expressed its extreme gratitude for the activities of Americans for Haganah and similar groups,” continues to bestow its blessings even in the face of WZO opposition, then the group will continue its activities. The Post also learned that this issue was involved in a rift which was believed to have resulted in Hayim Greenberg’s resignation from the Jewish Agency executive. (NJP Sept. 3). Greenberg Backs Silver According to The Post’s informant, when the debate over the status of Americans for Haganah came before the American section of the Jewish Agency, the Labor Zionists executive in the U. S. supported the group. The Laborltes ordered their spokesman Greenberg to carry out their decision but he voted with Dr. Silver. His voting against the Labor Zionist Organization was called here a ease of “playing into the hands of the ZOA.” Both Americans for Haganah, best known to U. S. Jews for its

Ask Israel Bar Jens With German Wives MUNICH—JWNS)—The Association of Rabbis in the American Zone of Germany this week asked the Israel consul at Munich to deny visas to Jews who married German women. The rabbis asked that visas be denied even if the applicant produced from rabbis a certificate that the women have embraced Judaism.

publication, “Haganah Speaks," and Materials for Palestine, will continue operations tmehanged pending an official decision from the Israeli Government. Materials for Palestine reported this week that it has shipped during the past two months more than $3,500,000 of non-contraband material to IsraeL

Silver, Nemanii Report To ZOA Sept. 19 NEW YORK—Dr. Abba Hillel Silver and President Emanuel Neumann of the Zionist Organization of America will make their first U. S. report on current World Zionist meetings in Israel to a national administrative council meeting of the ZOA here on Sept. 19. Both Dr. Neumann and Dr. Silver will report on the proceedings and decisions of those sessions. Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of the World Confederation of General Zionists, also will speak. A meeting of the National ZOA Executive will be held Saturday night, Sept. 18, in advance of the meeting of the Administrative Council, the ruling body of the ZOA between conventions. c • • Silver, Van Paassan Speak DALLAS, TEX.—Dr. Abba Hillel Silver and author Pierre Van Paassan will be among the speakers at the 44th annual convention of the Southwest Region Zionist Organization of America here Sept. 19-20.

Mexico Jews Says JCC Involved In Trial of Laggard Fund Givers

MEXICO CITY, Mexico—Public trials have been held of Mexican Jews charged with insufficient giving to the Mexican version of the United Jewish Appeal and in some cases threats have been made of excommunication from the Jewish community and of bodily harm, it was charged here

this week.

A Defense Committee of Mexican Jews published an exchange of letters disclosing the trials, and charging the Zionist Organ- * * * —— ——

Liar, Say Mex Jews

ization of America, the Joint Distribution Committee and the American Zionist Emergency Council with responsibility for the methods of collecting funds for overseas aid and for Israel. The American Zionist Emergency Council and the JDC have both denied any responsibility for the situation, and the Defense Committee has charged the JDC with outright falsification, the letters showed. The details of the high-pressure collection methols in the Mexican Jewish community followed reports of similar methods in the Argentine Jewish community, where leaders announced that special tribunals would be established to try alleged slackers in

giving.

The reports from Buenos Aires indicated that the Chevra K<disha, the biggest Jewish fraternal and burial society in Argen-

MOSES LEAVITT

tions; “it shall be demanded of ^ all his friends to break all relations with him”; no local institutions or campaigns are to accept any contributions from those held guilty; “he shall not be permitted any voice or opinion in any Jewish institution; names of those held guilty shaf be sent to the Government of Israel; no local Jewish publication shall be allowed to publish any defense of those found

guilty.”

The letter charged that the first three bans violated Mexican law; that the attacks on personal friendships “is paralleled only by identical edicts issued by Nazis and Communists; that the sixth item assumes that the State of Israel is maintaining a blacklist of world Jewry, an implied calumny that requires immediate denial and that the item denying

public denunciation.

“To T. Resnikoff, another Zion- the rights of self-defense to the

tina, issued a threat that those 1st leader, went the doubtful hon- accused attacks the very’ foundawho failed to help the Jewish or of reading out the blacklist of tions of justice." DPs and Israel would not get bur- the first ten delinquents. This The Defense Committee said ial in Jewish cemeteries. he did in true demagogic fashion, that the Jewish Court in the case United Campaign Started pausing to encourage the boos gave the defendants a week to The letters published by the and hisses that followed the pay up “or else.” Mexican Jewish Defense Commit- reading of each name.” The letter asserted that the tee included one dated June 23, one Jew Beaten Zionists received 47 per cent of 1948, to the ZOA, in which the The letter charged that mob the fund and that therefore the Defense Committee said that sev- tension was provoked and that ZOA was involved in the trials, eral months ago a united cam- “one of the defendants, who The letter sought “a public repaign was begun “by all Jewish sought to defend himself, was traction be issued by your organ-

organizations here, including one badly beaten up.”

Communist-front outfit.”

“The drive has been characterized by intimidation and by the use of coercive methods,” the letter charged. “The Jewish press has systematically announced that those who refused to contribute or who failed to contribute sufficiently large sums, would be judged at an open trial. The first such trial was held on June

6.”

The letter charged that two weeks before that, a jury of eleven was hand-picked to “impose pre-arranged sanctions, although the process of democratic jury selection was faked at the mock trial itself,” The letter charged that daring the trial “ISlias Souraski, wealthiest Zionist leader in Mexico, conducted backstage bargaining negotiations with those willing to pay last-minute hush money rather than face

The letter charged that seven sanctions were ordered imposed against those found guilty. These included being barred from all social institutions of which he is a member;” a blackball by all other institu-

ization in Mexico to the Yiddish press in Mexico City and that a personal letter of apology be mailed to each of the persons named in the trial.” In a July 12 letter to the ZOA the Defense Committee charged (Continued on next page)

IHGUN YIELDS, JOINS ISRAEL ARMY IN JERUSALEM; RLAMES U.S. THREAT JERUSALEM—A Jerusalem member of the high command of the Irgun, dissident underground army, charged this week that U.S, pressure had forced the Irgunists to “join the Israel army or be liquidated ” “Under U. S. State Department pressure, which was guided by Britain’s Foreign Office, the Israeli Government tins given the Jerusalem Irgun an ultimatum to join the army or be liquidated,” he said. “We have decided to give in to avoid a useless civil war.” , The Irgun had maintained a separate military organization outside the boundaries of the Jewish state and particularly in Jerusalem. The formation of the Irgun Freedom Movement as a political party also was believed to have something to do with the Irgun dissolution in Jerusalem.

Rabbis Urge British "Oliver Twist" Film Be Barred From U. S.

Fath-iml Jewish Pott NEW YORK—The New York Board of Rabbis this week called the British film version of “Oliver Twist” a “vehicle of blatant Anti-Semitism" and asker Eric Johnston, president of the Motion Picture Producers Association of America, to do his utmost to keep the film out of the U. S. The appeal to Johnston, now in London on a mis stem for Hollywood, was made in a cable signed by Rabbi Theodore N. Lewis, president of the Board, and Rabbi Harold H. Gordon, general secretary. Referring specifically to Charles Dickens’ characterization of a Jew named Fagin who is portrayed both in the novel and in the film as a bawdy underworld character corrupting youth, the cable said that the film Fagin was a “stereotype certain to stir up in the public mind hatred and prejudice." “We respectfully urge that you do everything

possible to keep Oliver Twist and its patent prejudices oat of this country,” the cable said. The film is one of six which the British motion picture industry announced last week it was sending to the U. S. as good enough to test Johnston’s assurance that no boycott would keep American moviegoers from seeing top quality British films. Johnston made his comment in connection with the British film industry’s reaction to picketing activities against British film showings in the U. S. by the Sons of Liberty Boycott committee. (NJP Sept. 3) Rabbis Lewis and Gordon said that the movie “can dangerously heighten whatever racial tensions exist and will assuredly play into the hands of un-American elements in this country.” They quoted a review of the film by New York Star columnist Albert Deutsch in which he said:

“Oliver Twist . . . contains what is probably the worst caricature of a Jew ever depicted in an Eng-lish-speaking movie. The monstrous Fagin who operates a combined school and stable for juvenfle •thieves has long been recognized as an outstanding example of anti-Jewish stereotypes in English literature. But even the gifted, if prejudiced Dickens, with his powerful word-imagery, could not make Fagin half so horrible as does this movie version. “Children exposed to this Aim, I’m sure, would have Hie demonic Fagin dominating their nightmares for a long time afterwards, and Fagin would be Indelibly etched in their minds as a dassific representative of the Jew.” The Eagle Lion Production Co., agents for the J. Arthur Rank film corporation, are scheduled to begin showing of the film in Music Hall in New York this month.

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