Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 April 1960 — Page 5

Frida?',. April 29, 1960

The National Jewish POST and OPINION

Friday, April 29, 1960

Pscaiped Editor Warns

LONDON (.P-O)—An ominous warning that if the economic situation in South Africa becomes desparate “as it surely must,' the government would find a scapegoat — and that scapegoat would be the Jews — the Jewish editor of Africa South said here. The editor, Ronald Segal, son of prominetn Capetown Jewish communal leaders, was forced to flee from South Africa after the government put a warrant our for his arrest for his campaigning on behalf of the Africans, Beneath the surface, Segal told the London Jewish Chronicle, the government was anti-Semitic. It had had a long history of antiSemitism and it would not take much for the South African Government to become violently antiJewish, he said. Segal said the South African Jewish community’s general approach to apartheid was that if they criticized the official antiNegro policy the government would “fall on us like a pack of wolves.” SEGAL SAID the Jews did not seem to realise that their approach to apartheid was noticed by other religious groups who had been more forthcoming in their criticisms. Even Rabbi L. Rabinowitz, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations, Johannesburg, had been criticized by his own congregation when he had expressed anti-apartheid views. The Jewish community at the moment was very frightened and because of this it tended to remain outside the issue. "The majority of the Jews keep as quiet as they can,” although individually, while remaining loyal to their ghetto past, often expressed very strong views against apartheid in private, Segal told the London Jewish Chronicle. SEGAL ACCUSED the South African Prime Minister, Dr. Verwoerd, as having remained strongly pro-Nazi all his life. Recently, during a debate in Parliament on farm labor it had been noticed how hate was stirred up against the Jews from the South African back benchers. o THE SOUTH AFRICAN Board of Deputies’ journal "Jewish Affairs” broke its 12-year silence on apartheid with an editorial which says: “There can be no individual spokesman for the Jewish com munity as such on these political problems. Every Jewish citizen can, however, make his contribut*on in his personal sphere and m his daily life, he can endeavor to mitigate ' hardship, promote humanitarian attitudes, and work or greater understanding and good will between all groups and faces in South Africa.” O The attitude of world Jewry to apai theid will probably be raised at the June meeting of the Con-

ference of Jewish Organizations in Paris. UNTIL NOW, conference sessions have been mainly concerned with strictly Jewish affairs. This time, however, a number of delegations have indicated their intention of questioning the repre sentative of the South African Board of Deputies on his community’s views on apai'theid, the Paris correspondent of the Jew ish Observer and Middle East Review reported. A-number of international Jew ish organizations which contemplated issuing statements on the situation in South Africa have held back because of the possinle repercussions on South African Jewry. THERE IS pressure building up from some organizations— particularly American Jewish organizations—for a statement of principle from the Conference during the June parley. o The Australian New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies decided not to proceed . with a resolution protesting against the South African Government’s pol icy £>f apartheid. The decision was taken after the Board had been addressed by R&hbi Ljnfl&l SjjSgyi, svbi'i recently arrived in Sydney from Johannesburg and discussion with communal leaders. S. D. Einfeld, the Acting President of the Board, underlined Jewish opposition to any racial or other discrimination, but said there was no particular Jewish aspect to be considered in South Africa’s racial problem. o Anti-Jewish pamphlets were pasted on doors and windows of shops in Durban, South Africa. A senior South African security officer said that under the emergency regulations distribution of anti-Jewish propaganda amounted to incitement of a serious nature.

First Zionist Congress Is Ot No Interest TEL AVIV lP-O) — “The first Zionist Congress is of no interest to our readers, therefore we are not sending a reporter to cover the event,” wrote Baron Reuter, the head of Reuter’s news agency, in a letter to Theodore Herzl. More important events were happening in the world, continued the Baron, “but if the Zionist Movement proves itself, we shall send reporters to coming congresses.” The letter, written in German, is now being offered for sale by a philatelist in Israel, the State which originated in that uninteresting Congress.

By GERSHON JACOBSON NEW YORK (P-O) _ Two weeks ago the mailman delivered to all the executive committee members of the American Jewish Congress a letter from a female judge, named Justine Wise Polier. The letter was an ultimatum from Mrs Polier to the national execu tive of the Congress and specif i c a 11 y to those serving on the nomMrs. Polier inating c o mmittee. It said she will refuse to serve on the body if Rabbi Joachim Prinz is re-elected at the forth coming bi-annual convention Prinz’s first term is nearing an end. Mrs. Polier is chairman of the national executive commitee of the Congress which is the organ ization’s top policy-making organ THE MEMORANDUM from

the judge was the result of a two-year-long theological and personal struggle for power within the Congress. Although most of the 20 na tional officers plus the 45 elected members of the executive were aware of the struggle, discussing quietly among them it was never brought out in the open. The Prinz-Polier struggle was never even mentioned at the monthly meeting of the execu tive. Mrs. Polier and Prinz sharply differed over the future course of the American Jewish Congress. Their theological differ ences boils down to this: Should the Congress give priority to a full Jewish program with emphasis on strengthening Jewish education and culture or should priority be given to civil liberties and Negro rights? THE POLIERS (Justine and her husband Shad) firmly back giving top emphasis to the latter Opposing the Poliers is a pow

Seventeen-Year-Old Jewish Boys Are Full-Fledged Correspondents

the not-easily impressed Press

By LILLIAN LEVY

WASHINGTON (P-O) — Two seventeen-year-old Jewish boys, Harry C. Schneer and Donald Pass of New York, were among the accredited correspondents covering the State visit of Presi-

dent Chaides de Gaulle.

Both seniors at Newtowr high SQh.QQl. ijn. Q.U.qqn^ Lqnv MsM-, they operate the American Radio News Service and supply professional copy to such radio stations as WCBM in Baltimore, Md., and CFCF in Montreal, Canada. Their company, which is highly solvent, was organized by Donald in January, 1959. According to a spokesman for

Office of the Department of State, the young men behave and operate with genuine professional competence in their newsgathering enterprise. They have the distinction of being the youngest correspondent professionally accredited by the Depart. for covering State visits. They | also were among the press covering the historic visit of Soviet' Premier Khrushchev. “It’s a wonderful way to get an education and watch history in the making,” Harry told the P-O. “Besides,” added Donald, “It’s profitable and will help us pay our way through college.

Inspection

The new 16-inch pipeline from Elath to Beersheba is inspected by Israeli Finance Minister Levi Eshkol. The pipeline which cuts through some of the world’s most primitive wilderness will ultimately supply enough oil to meet domestic requirements and provide a surplus for export. (Photo by Israel

Bonds)

erful opposition within the Congress which demands a program of purely Jewish affairs. UP TO NOW this oppostiion consisted of the Congress executive director Isaac Toubin and Prinz and a passive majority of the executive. Toubin resigned. He made the decision after recognizing that any changes in policy within the Congress could not be achieved as long as the Poliers remained adament. The majority of the Congress officers and executive was against the leadership of the Poliers but were not strong enough to unseat them from power. Eleven national organizations which constitute little influence in American Jewish life threat-, ened to withdraw from the Congress unless it changes its present emphasis on civil liberties and Negro rights. THESE organizations which belong to the Congress out of sheer tradition feel that the Congress’ present policy is causing it to cease being a Jewish organ ization. They feel that the Con* issuses that have nothing to do gross is primarily concerned with with Jewish affairs. The eleven organizations prior to the current internal crisis within the Congress did not play an active role in the 42-year-old group. Representatives of the eleven groups merely attended the executive meeting of the Congress. They didn’t even pay their annual dues to the Congress the last couple of years. Should the group continue its present- course and the eleven organizations pull out .he Congress would be seriously weak-

ened

The Congress claims it has 30,000 members. The Polier-Prinz clash was so serious that highly - respected Rabbi Israel Goldstein, former Congress president and present honorary prexy, stepped in to attempt to resolve the open split. SOME OBSERVERS viewed the memorandum from Judge Polier as bait for a possible candidacy for president — by Mrs.

Polier.

PRINZ WAS scheduled to tell a press conference that the officers of the Congress have u n a n imously asked him to serve another term. Prinz said he wall accept the nomi-

nation.

Prinz is also

confident that the forthcoming Congress convention will give him a mandate to carry out a program that will emphasize purely Jewish aims. By the same token, civil liberties and negro rights is not expected to be entirely dropped from the Congress’ program. It looks like Mrs. Polier has been dealt a -defeat by getting no support in opposing Prinz’s re-election, some informed ob-

servers say.

Prinz

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