2 - The Canadian Jewish News^ Wed., Oct. 12, 1960
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THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
Dorothy C. Nurenberger, Publisher
AA. J. Nurenberger, Editor
1396 Eglinton Ave. West., Toronto (10), Ont.
Telephone RU. 7-6031 VOL. 1, NO. 42
Subscription: $5.00 Per Year; Foreign: $10 Per Year Authorized As Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa THE ONLY JEW-ISH NEWSPAPER IN ENGLISH IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
South Of The Border: Bigotry And Ballots
The great life-and-death issues facing the peoples of the world today have gone on holiday for the American people, at least for the duration of the Prssidential election campaign. Religion •is now the major issue — the religion of Senator John Kennedj-, the Democratic candidate.
Mr. Kennedy's Catholicism has already gone beyond the realm of debute and entered into the phase of "crusade" JL has jiot only created a deep chasm between Protestant and Catholics but hao caused bitterne-.s and division within Protestantism- and brought Jewiy int(. the battle in an attempt to bring re.ison into the political campaign.
It would be a tragic defeat and mockery to let anti-religious bigotry invade the ballot box, says a statement issued by the New York Board of Rabbis.
Issued by the Board's President, Rabbi David I. Golovensky of Beth El Syn.'igogue. the statement posed this question:
"Will our American citizens utilize their sacred trust, the voting franchise, to elect .1 President because of his
proven abilities and national blueprint, or ,vill they exploit their precious right, the free ballot, to give expression to personal bias for or against a religion?"
The statement noticed the progress made in eliminating discrimination and said:
"Voting for a Presidential candidate because he is a Catholic or voting against him because he belongs to the Catholic faith is a sinister betrayal of tile fundamental concept of American democracy, and constitutes a crass repudiation of the American ideal."
The statement was one of several in thj wake of a declaration by a group of 150 Protestant leaders in Washington, th? National Conference of Citizens for Religious Freedom. The Conference has led to th3 establishment of headquarters in Washington of the National Conference of Citizens for Religious Freedom
The Protestant group's statement questioned whether a Roman Catholic President could maintain separation of church and state. It also said he would be under extreme pressure to align his foreign policy with that of the Vatican.
WATER
By T. Carmi
Batter
the parched body! Strike
the rasped voice! Until the parched land
becomes a pool, And the thirsty ground
springs of water.
See your life-stream flowing, living, slowly, streaming to the harried night I
'SIRl \\'HAr AfiF yof' nniNCy IN m rOUDOlR?"
— N.Y. Post
Hussein Denounces Nasser Who Causes The Near East Melee?
A Memory Of Ottawa
It was march. 1956. I was jilting in the lobby of the Chateau Laurier waiting fori
Everytime we say goodbye I wonder why, a little." The smoived-meat was warm.
8Y NORMAN LEVINE
the seat of Mr. Gencher. and Mr. Gencher would lift up the scat of Mr. Sasiove so that they
the limousine to take me to fat, and spicej-, and there was I sat down and like schoolboy
Last week, at the United Nations Assembly, King Hussein of Jordan has demonstrated that he was a true descendant of his grandfather Abdullah. Abdullah was the first royal victim of Pan-Arab terrorists, then operating under the leadership of the infamous Mufti. He was Timrdered because he intended to make peace with the newborn State of Israel.
Hussein repeated before the Assembly some of the anti-Zionist anachronisms- But even in these utterances he was mild in tone, careful- They shall be forgiven when one remembers that Hussein's remarks about "Palestine" were meant for home consumption. Hnssein cannot afford to be outdone by Nasser in his opposition to "Zionism."
• However Hussein's important contribution to the U. N. debate was the denunciation of Nasser. Hussein did more than that: he exposed to ridicule ths myth of Nasser's influence in the Arab world, denounced his terrorism and called the Cairo dictator by his real name; an agent of Moscow, masqueriad-ing under the guise of "neutralism."
Here are some of the Arab king's most pertinent remarks:
• While we reject the doctrine of neutralism for ourselves, we respect the right of any nation to choose its owh-coui'se of action, but we are wary of what appears in some instances the use of neutralism to exploit the division between Communism and the free world. And. we are also waiy of the danger in some cases of Communist expansion under the guise of neutralism.
• In our part of the world there exists a situation of which the-General Assembly should be aware. I will not dwell upon it in unhappy detail — for to do so might increase rather than- decrease the danger of intense conflict-yet to let it smolder, unnoticed by the United Nations, would be equally dan-, gerous. ■' ■
• I feiel, therefore* that I must discuss the. tensions which exist betweea Jordan and the United Arab Republi^c.. With-other a«id more world-wide proo-. iems facing the General Assembly, it^ may seem to some rather presumptuous to introduce what may appear to be a local issue into its crowded schedule^. However, no issue is entirely local. .
' • It all began several years ago, and at a time when Jordan having just completely achieved its independence, sensed a new and most formidable
threat to its freedom in the form of Communist penetration into our area. Ou" warning to the people of Jordan of the threat to ourselves, and to the Arab nation as a whole, was the cause of Jordan being subjected to abuse, subversion and external pressure of many kinds. They grew in Intensity—to the extent that we can only believe that the aim of our sister Arab state is our de-sti-uction. .
• In fact, so menacing was the United Arab Republic's attitude towards Jordan and so constant, were its attacks upon us, that on August 21. 1958, the General Assembly of the United Nations, in its third extraordinar>' session, endorsed an Arab League resolution by which the U. A. R- pledged itself to cease its campaign against us. Unhappily, she did not honor her pledge.
• The attacks were resumed; incitements to overthrow our Government and assassinate our leaders were daily broadcast over their Government radio; borders between us were closed to damage our economy; and convicted traitors to Jordan were encouraged, or at least permitted, to engage in subverise acts against us. i
• The situation once again became so grave that the Arab League, of which the U. A. R, and Jordan are members, passed resolution calling upon its members to refrain from all activities that would disturb "fraternal relations." The day following the close of that session, Jordan's Prime Minister, Hazza al-Majali, was killed by a bomb placed in his desk, along with eleves others, including a child of tien-
• I- will restrain myself — and I assure you, it is with great difficultis; that I do^(>---from saying any more on this subject. I would like only to add that I find considerable significance in the fact that our troubles with the Uaited Arab Republic date from the time that I denounced the growing menace of Comrnunism in the Arab world.
oreover, I detect a significant parallel between the tactics that have been used against Jordan and those employed by Communism the world over.
All this, one should recall, has been stated by an Arab monarch, not by Israel. It ought to be recordied, Hussein himself should ponder -upon his own words. ■ : :
Uplands airport. I had a special lots of it between the rye bread, pass that allowed me passage \ It was ta'iticr than any of the only when a scat was vacant.' salt-beef sandwiches I had had That morning the aircraft was | standing up in those sad cafes full. I did not know how long i off Shaftesbury Avenue or in I would have to wait before 11 Whitechapel. The customer with could get a flight. So I sat in i the newspaper came up to the the very comfortable chairs and j counter, carrying his cup and watched people come in from jaucer. He was thick and shape-
the swinging doors.
A couple of immigrants were sitting beside me. They were talking partly in Polish and partly in English. A page boy was going through the hotel: "Call-ing Mister Bud North.
less, like some candle which had burnt too long and the wax had run jdown and hardened. He had another sandwich.
jacks they sank into their own boxes and into their own jokes. And Gordon Pollack took the fringe of his prayer shawl and reached over and flicked my ear and 1 looked around and pretended I didn't know it was him. And the massive Mr. Fleet, with his long white beard, wrinkled skin, and voice like doom, went up and took the box of snuff and put some of the snuff on hi's thumb and
I the skin wrinkled, his ears stuck out. He reminded me of a I plucked fowl. And he said:
"Did you not come in because of the cold?"
"Because of that too."
And he looked relieved.
"I was just going to have a glass of tea and lemon. Would you like to join me? It is warmer downstairs."
So we went out of the empty square room, the swinging wooden doors, down the steps'
.and said nothing. There was sniffed up a thumbful and then just the sound of Ella Fitzger- passed it to Mr. Gunner, who old from the nickelodeon, the"
and into the large basement room with the small altar and the two large brown wooden tables and benches beside the side walls. It smelied of food. Of thousands of wedding receptions, of kiddushes, barmitz* vahs, Sunday afternoon teas, and the snack after Maariv on Saturday nights. He disappeared into a side door and came back with his hands full and put on the table a challah, a
(Continued on Page Eight)
Call-ing Mister Jay Freeman . ."iman cutting the meat, the sales-The two men listened, then dis- Wiert talking deals. It seemed cussed in Polish, then listened'a long way to have come
to
alos took a thumbful and sniffed it up and then they passed it to their sonsC who did the same and sneezed violently all again. The page boy went up to find out that what wa'S once over the place, the black bits them. ' Tm sorry 'sir, Mister pay and tender was reduced j flying over the white prayer North and Mister Freeman are to anonymity, eating in silence j shawls. While the old men
I decided to leave without ask- laughed and collapsed and fell
asleep in their seats listening
not here.'" ■ - -
'• 'That's all right." One ofi'lS and questions, them gave the boy a dollar bill j I came to the synagogue. It'to Cantor Baker, the image of ■These two next, please." And stood on top of several rows of I King George V. except for the
give him a piece of paper. The j concrete steps like some muni-boy went away: "Calling Mister jcipal library. The large front AI Tunis. Call-ing Mister Gus[ wooden doorj faced the boule-Christian. Calling Mister Al vard and were opened when a Tunis. Calling Mister Gus funeral passed by. I opened one
Chri'stian.
of the heavy side wooden doors I
I got talking to them. They and entered.
had decided to change their names to Canadian ones, and
The high room with the floor sloping up towards the walls.
had come to the Chateau Laur- A square wooden box with a
ier to have the page boy call out the names they were considering, to hear how they
balcony and three sides of seats with numbers stencilled on them. I went to No. 50, in the
sounded, before they made up middle of the room against
their minds
I left them and walked out.
the wall, underneath a window and beside a radiator, and sat
The cold wind lifted the loose | down. Around the front of the snow and flung it back into my balcony were the signs of the face. I could feel the cold across Zodiac, badly painted. One
my forehead as I crossed Sussex Street and walked .down Rideau. On the slope red street cars like mechanical geese swayed and clattered along the tracks. When they stopped, they opened their folded doors with a hiss and let out well wrapped
wall, facing East, was the Ark, with the Ten Commandments woven into the velvet curtain, gold tassel ropes on either side to draw the curtain across, and red carpeted steps leading up to it. In the centre of the floor, all aisles leading down to it,
up bundles. I needed a desti-'was the raised platform vidiere nation. 1 decided to go back to as a boy I sat on the wooden the places I knew as a child bench and held the Torah and some twenty years ago. i watched the crown and the sil-
1 went into a restaui-ant, ver bells on top of it, and re-through torn newspapers that turned to my father's seat.
were there to soak up the show
And followed the. service
and slush, and sat down on a with his finger; and was told stool by the counter. B&sidejnot to look on the Holy-days me two young men In black juring the Doochenen in front leather windbreakers were' of the Ark and dn its steps. For smoking cigarettes, drinking if t did I would go blind. But "cokes", and talking quietjy | did look and^all I saw were about a week-end_in Montreal. I old men who uused to come to Behind me, by a round table,' my father's house during the a man was slumped over a week and play cards, now with newspaper. At another round their prayer shawrls over their table a couple of salesmen wjth heads, hiding their faces and frayed coffs were having cof- jides, their hands holding the fee and talking big deals. The' shrouds up i" front of them, waitress came to where I was jhey rocked and lifted their sitting and. placed,a glass of feet and did a little dance
iced water on the counter.
"A smoked-meat sandwich and a cup pf black coffee, please." /
"One smoKed meat on rye,'' she sai(L''fo a~~spare man in a white apron a few feet away from mer behind the counter, who began to slice tile hunk of steamihg meat on a Nwooden slab. Be was completely bald and without eyebrows.^ . One of the SEilesmen v/ent to the silent nickelodeon against the back wall, and filially rhade his selection. '
"Everytime we say goodbye
I die, a little.
twisted mouth, go over the parts of the service that had to be gone over by himself and making it sound as if it was crammed full of jokes . . .
And these fruit and rag peddlers, and those who sold them the fruit and bought their rags, the small grocery store owners, tailors, butchers, and business men, during the winter, especially on Friday. Sometimes it would b€; someone from New York, or Montreal, or Toronto, who was about 16 or 17, and called Yoselle or Motelle, with a round milk-fed face and a tuning fork, singing in'a slight tremolo and falsetto while his business manager sat anxiously but only at the beginning. For the congregation was back to their stets and dorfs to the cities of Odessa, and Warsaw, Moscow, Vilna, and Minsk, when they last heard singing like this.
■ I sat here and listened to these voices of 20 years around me. And then one voice seemed to detach itself from the past.
"Hallo-Hallo—" And come insistently through the others, like a foghorn. "Hallo—" Then very close. "Hallo."
It was an old man's face bedside mine. A small man in'a black silk coat, buttoned up at the front, with ai short, pointed, grey beard, and the two small pink eyes of a mousie. He looked like a beadle.
"What do you want? Are you a. Goy?" "No, I'm a Yid." He. looked up at me suspiciously, examining the credentials ef my eyes, my. nose, my lipsx^hen went over them all again. Then he lifted the hing-'ed cover of the nearest seat and brought, out a small round skull cap.
"Here. Put this on. It is too early for Mincha. Old you corns in to get warm. . "I'm looking for someone." "You won't find him here. No one^eomes here, during the week except very early in the morning or |u3t after sundown." And again "the face came
Sermon For Simhat Torah
The Book Of Books
This is The Book of the Generations of Adam. (Genesis V.l.)
swaying froirt side to side and went around in a circle, and bumped into each other all the time chanting the Nigun: all out of tone.
And in the gallery the mothers wept and beat their breasts and the young married wpmen looked down at their.hiisbandi, and the giris in their hoUday dresses looked down on the boys in their best suits. And the boy« winked bapk.
And during the service in the parts where one had to. stand up, Mr. Murray would( lift up the seat of Mr. Nadolny, and Mr. Nadolyn would lift up close to mine. His neck was red.
We begin ag«in the reading of the book which has no equal in the world's literature, and which is still the best guide to man's life on earth. The book, whose descriptive passages end with the completion of the Babylonian exile and yet, though it covers but a small fraction of human history, still affects the whole trend of the storj- of mankind. It has something to say which affects the whole life of every generation.
This is the book which has been more commented upon and more profusely expounded than any other piece of literature and yet, in spite of the generations of research upon its content."-, still offers unlimited scope for exposition, comment end interpretation by Jew and non-Jew alike.
As a piece of literature it is full and rich, containing noble prose and magnificent Verse. As a 'source book of the Hebrew language it is unequalled. Its English translation has wirichcd the speech and literature pf the English-speaking world.
As a sourc2 of Jewish law it 'serves as more than a code; it is a life-giving force. Like the veritable "tree of life", it constantly issues new branches and produces fruit in abundance, and thus every word and letter has significance for those whose ability to interpret is unimpaired.
Describing as it does the development of the human genius actuated by higher inspiration, it is incomparable. One has only to follow the stages by which the mind of man and it outpourings are here reflected to see the unfolding pattern of spiritual progress. From the simple, almost primitive beginning we pass through the villey of tribulation to the great messages of the prpphets. Their Words ring out a^ true today as when they were first delivered. Their psssionate devotion to the cause of social justice, their love of humanity, their denunciation of wickedness, their vision of a new pattern of society based on the acknowledgement of the supremacy of the divine order, and their promise of better days to cpme are stilL the blue-prints for the reconstruction of human society.
This is the book whose covers are opened again this day. The knowledge that it contains the most exquisite expressions of the human emotions should inspire us to read it with renewed intensity, tP.. delve into its depths and extract all that it offers forrspiritiial enrichment. .
JEime was when the practice" prevailed to study the words of Scripture together with the commentaries each week. We need to revive that custom and widen its scope. We should dispense with the automatic approach to the official and formal readings in the ; synagogue and concentrate attention on a more enlightened attitude to the ; Bible. Now that we are provided with good, hPrhely and lucid commentaries, we should study, read iand digest the content of the text and its expositions. The formal readings occupy an important place in our traditional services, but we need to take advantage of them in order to widen our knowledge an^,-deepen our understanding of our great spiritual heritage/
And what ajt.plies to the Torah should apply equally to; the rest of the Bible. Too much goes by default. We cannot take j)ride in the fact that we gave the Bible to the world unless we cherish its contents ^s; our personal possession^ There is no^pint in constantly stressing that we have, contributed ttUheXworld's advancement by hand-ing the Bible to humility;/we have yet to prove thait it ha'Sj'meaning for us too.
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