Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 July 1960 — Page 3

(jpflday,. July 8, i960

The National Jewish POST and OPINION

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Electrifying Discovery

The Israel public has been electrified three times in as many months by the Eichmann case, the phenomenal success of the soccer team in international competition and the sensational discovery of the Bar Kochba letters. Israelis who have a national mania for archeology anyway were thiilled by the findings by a team led by Prof. Yigael Yadin, former Chief of Staff of Israel's Army. Many missing facts about one of Jewish history’s most inspiring episodes are coming to light through study of relics of the Bar Kochba revolt against Rome in 132-135 C.E. Letters by Bar Kochba and extensive war booty, found by Prof. Yadin during a highly successful expedition to the Judean desert caves, already prove that even after the deieat by the Pv-omans, P,a" KraW&a av/i bAs followers still kept up their heroic struggle from the caves. To reach these almost-inaccessible hideouts, Hebrew University scholars and students had to climb down rope ladders attached to army trucks on the cliffs. They fought choking dust and scorpions, and faced the threat of landslides from a drenching rainstorm.

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Morocco Takes Over Jewish Day Schools

Gambling Wave In N,Y, Congregations

lingo Playing In Synago Is lies less 1

RABAT, Morocco (P-O)—The Moroccan Government will nationalize one-third of the Alliance Israelite Universalle schools in October, when the new school term begins. Only schools in the major cities, such at Marrakesh, Fez, Casablanca and Rabat, will be affected by the measure, the London Jewish Chronicle reported. Government officials said Hebrew instruction will continue to pe available in the nationalized Alliance schools. The main Changes will be more Arabic in the curriculum and the acceptance of non-Jewish pupils. About twenty thousand Jewish Children and some five hundred teachers will be affected by the Moroccan Government’s decision. The teaching staff was recently been warned, as was the Chief

Director of the Alliance schools in Morocco, of the Government’s policy to reduce the teaching of French and increase the instruction in Arabic. Until about a year ago the school curriculum provided for three hours French, two hours Arabic, and one hour Hebrew, the London Jewish Chronicle reported. This was changed about a year ago, Arabic being placed first and French second. The teaching of Hebrew, too, has been slightly readjusted and limited to the reading of the Bible rather than the living Hebrew language. As a result of the new move— which is clearly due to pressure from Cairo and the Arab League —the school program will no doubt be further adjusted.

Milk Lifeline Provided For Baby TEL AVIV (P-O) — The life of a baby boy, Amital Marmelstein, born in Kibbutz Negba three months ago, has been saved by nursing mothers from other Negev kibbutzim, who sent their milk to feed him, the London Jewish Chronicle reported. Soon after birth the baby became unable to retain his feeds and lost weight so rapidly that the had to be taken to hospital. Because of anxiety his own mother lost her milk, but it was found that the only food which the baby could digest was mother’s milk. In answer to_ an appeal 20 nursing mothers from twelve different kibbutzim volunteered to send their milk to help feed Amital. Thanks to this the baby has now recovered sufficiently to be allowed home, the paper reported.

By GERSHON JACOBSON NEW YORK (P-O)—America’s rabbis and synagogue leaders, have for years done nothing more than adopt resolutions against meeting expenses by gambling devices. Last week, many decided it was time for a change. Reason: Thousands of low-income slum dwellers, Puerto Ricans are losing hundreds of dollars nightly in synagogue gambling dens. This vast bingo revenue is an important factor in the success story of some 74 New York synagogues and temples: it supports

Listing of 73 New York congregations with p e r m i t s id play bingo on the inside.

the building of magnificent structures, pays off mortgages, subsidizes religious schools and pays for expansion and growth. BINGO, THE most popular chance game has become, in the minds of synagogue leaders, a solution to all financial problems. One rabbi of a bingo playing congregation observed, “T h e y don’t care whether you believe in God, but you’d better come up with a good idea for the bingo committee.” JUDGING BY the packed synagogue halls at game time, though, there is hardly any need to lure players. In the first three months of this year, more than one-half million persons "spent some $1,839,791 playing bingo in the metropolitan area, according to\ the State Lottery Control Commission which keeps a close tab on every location wheie bingo is played. The majority of bingo players are women. She loses an average of 15 dollars a week; she persuades her husband to give her the money to do so; she takes a peanut-butter sandwich along for nourishment, and spends hours at the games hoping for her number to come up. A REGULAR bingo player is Puerto Rican born, Maria Amadeoz, who arrived in New York seven years ago. In broken English, she says she plays bingo in order to be rich. And why does she go to ihe synagogue and not to the church? Mrs. Amadeoz explains: The synagogue is the nearest point where games are held. Also she is more comfortable in the syna-

gogue than the church, because she finds her “own kind” there. Playing in the c h u r c b often places her a m o n g espeaking, higher - income social set that makes her feel like an outsider, she says. Bingo as well as half a dozen other games are big business in New York and suburban synagogues. Some synagogue leadeis said their net profit from bingo was thirty-forty thousand dollars annually. However, those located in the slum areas often net an annual take of three and four times that much. ALTHOUGH synagogue leaders involved, do not claim bingo is the most honorable fund-rais-ing device, they do not find them “reprehensible, illicit, immoral or undignified,” as national synagogue organizations claim them to be. Nevertheless, bingo-p laying synagogues are terribly reluctant to divulge or even discuss the operation of the business, let alone allow to take pictures during games. In one instance, the Temple B’nai Israel Sheerith Judah Community Center, on Manhattan's upper West side, took a camera from a POST and OPINION photographer by force and returned it gnly after the film had been, destroyed. The games are publicized by huge signs outside the synagogue. ‘This,” says a' bi. go attendant. “attracts a maximun attendance.” The impression one gets talking to synagogue leaders i&sponsible for the gambling as a means of fund raising is, that they look -upon it as a regular business venture: Get as much as you can from the customer. As one of the more successful committee chairmen put it, “We must pump out as much as possible, since without this revenue we cannot successfully operate.” And another one remarked high-handedly, “What do you want? Bingo is legal now. If the government does not care should we?” Mrs. Amadeoz is back at- her bingo table, where she -believes a fortune is awaiting her. But the gambling practices are not universally accepted. There are those who oppose it and are determined (o initiate disciplinary action against violators. The United Synagogue of America, in an unprecedented move, suspended the Beth Israel Synagogue of Hempstead, Long Island, for e p o n s o r i n g bii go games (P-O, July V.

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