Friday, April 13, 1962
JEWISH    Wt S T E R N     B U LI E T t N
Page Nine
A PERSONAL INTERVIEW:
Who are the B'nei Israel of India?
By J. B. TAUBES Special to The Bulletin ,
After the Rabbinate of Israel pronounced its verdict that the B'nei Israel of India are authentic Jews and may be -recognized for purposes of marriage and inclusion within the Jewish community a new dispute arose on the subject. The recognition came after Israel's Chief Seph-ardic Rabbi Isaac Nissim, following five years of study and deliberation, decided that this isolated sect, cut off for many centuries of Jewry, were kosher and "fit" Jews.
Soon after this recognition by the Chief Rabbinate protests were heard from a number of rabbis who disagreed with the judgment on the grounds that rabbis of previous generations had decreed otherwise and had forbidden marriage with the B'nei Israel. This prohibition was based on the fact that divorce among the B'nei Israel was not formulated on Jewish law and this invalidates their whole marriage proceedure and family sanctity. The B'nei Israel on the other ihand have a straightforward reply to this complaint: their divorced women may not re-marry. This reply, however, does not satisfy the rabbis of Jerusal<em. Tel AViy arid other centres.
The opponents of the verdict are also irritated at the action
Probfems of Jev/s
fContinue-d from Page 8)
merit bettyeeii   Christians 'arid Jews.   He is convinced that the most appropriate platform for this is the synagogue for this draws people, in their momentj ■'^^piritual stimulation.  For 21 .Vs h^^M^ conducted an "In-itute rOl Judaism" which is a tbcommon platform for leaders of all three'.religions.   This institute, which is attended by scholars of all faiths, has attracted the rnterest  of  the theological faculty of McGili llniversity and other ^ liiyimfy- Sc^eqli who release their;^ stndents from day ■time / lectures in. order to take , part in it.
The goodwill mission between Jev/s arid* their non-Jewish neighbors is an important function to be carried out with the utmost delicacy and which requires serious planning, in order to reach its goal of establishing fraternal inter-religioiis relations. The author mentions that not far from his Terhpte in one of the city's largest churches there is a memorial window de-' dicated to those of the Forty-Second Royal HighlE.nder Battalion who fell in the war. The name of Meyer Cohen , listed, among them is identified with a Magen David in appreciiation of this spirit of brotherhood. -
Rabbi Stern s&ys in one pas-.^age: "I encourage inter-faith, but not inter-mairriage; the former creates good citizens for Canadrs the latter creates a passive assimilation, the loss of the values of a minority group." Everyone must niaintairi his religious heritage. Tlie Jew can give to 'society .arid to himself most usefully in his own identity; as a Jew."
As for the extent to which religion is capable' of inspiring. ' man to the highest degree of human love, the author-reminds us of the incident of the warship Dorchester which wes torpedoed at sea. B^bi Goad and the other two chaplains^ the Protestant and the Catholic, gave their own life belts to the soldiers and they themsfel^s were swallowed up by the^waves.
The book, it can truthfully be said, is not only the spiritual {^took-taking of a rzbhi but an, urgent arid -timelr challenge fd all.of us to do some spiritual self accoiintij?g ol^ar-owii.  ^ ^ *i[
of the Chief Rabbi in issuing a book in which he sets out to prove that the B'nei Israel are full-fledged Jews wtih whom
marriage may be performed but that in each case of marriage there must be inquiry as to whether the person's mother or grandmother had ever re-married after divorce or had children of a second husband. This has aroused strong annoyance too among the B'nei Israel themselves who find it quite distasteful to be questioned in this way about their mothers and grandmothers. This, they hold, is a form of discrimination. There have been cases when rabbis have refused to solemnize a wedding for the reasons given.
In Montreal recently there was a visiting student from India who is enrolled at the Hebrew Union College of Cincinnati as part of its program of training religious leaders for the distant and isolated Jewish communities.
His name is Saul Joel (Sha'ul Yoel) and he is studying for the rabbinate and intends to practise it in India.
He is a slender young man of pleasant, affable disposition and olive complexion. In Montreal he was the guest of a Canadian Hebrew Union College student, Brahm Silver, who was good ! enough to arrange for me to meet the future Rabbi Saul Joel, ' who speaks English quite fluently, incidentally, some Hebrew of course, the vernacular of his part of India.
This is what he had to say ^ft.e we Tkju nim oi the controversy going on in Israel today about his brethren and the Chief Rabbi's verdict; It is a fact that the B'nei Israel who now number 30,000 have lived in India for centuries. It h?»s been indicated in reliable sources that Maimonides had a younger brother who travelled to India
(Continued on Page 15) See—Who Are The B'n^ Israel
Angel's Ball
NOTEBOOK
Behind every glamorous event there is hard work and so it is with the Angels' Ball — but the work, though demanding, is not dull. This your reporter has gathered from those most involved with this tremendous effort of Council's.
Dorothy Pelzman, valiantly doing all the pick-up of goods for Thrift shop tells of the heartwarming way she is welcomed by so many of her 'clients' and some of her stories are sad and some funny. There was, for instance, the frantic lady who phoned demanding the return of her husband's 'favorite' pants: they were, "old ones mind you, but you know how men are about their old clothes."
How about the time Dorothy picked up a collection of pari^lis left by arrangement at the door of an apartment only to find out later that one of them was a weddinjg gift dtelivered by a partment store; another frarrtic
phone call! Dorothy says its an interesting job but she's thinking of taking weight-lifting training.
Our hard-working pricing gals get many a laugh while modelling the more dashing (or dated) hats, Helen Dobbs reports, while some of the formals are worthy of the Angels' Ball itself — say there's an idea if you are stuck for something to wear! It's obvious, Helen says, that people are are really trying and sending in ' some beautiful goods but she asks me to remind you that if the clothing you send is clean and nicely pressed and folded you will get better credit and be that much nearer to your wings and the wing-ding. A salute to the girls who have given their basements for clothing depots. They are left after the pricing committee gets through, with a shambles of odds and ends, papers and full garbage cans.
From our dedicated Thrift ^hop Manageress, Helen Gold-berg, we have a Comedy of Many Errors which will have to wait till our next column. Meanwhile, time is slwart, if you are to get your Angels* wings and fly off to the Ball.
"Only When You See It-Will You Believe It!
BRENTWOOD LANES
CANADA'S MOST LUXORIOOS JOSPIN BOWLING CENTRE
5502 toiigb^ed ffwy./Burnaby
BRUNSWICK GOLD GROWN
Wi*h Aufomolie Equipment
• Free rnsfrucflon 9 Free babysitfing
• Parking for 500 cars
• 8 tob[e biilfard room
^ Restaurant end Lounge
rmm/MM
ENJOY
AROiC COOl CONDITIONS
Au stitmrn
lONSl
BRENfTliirOOD LANES
Under Supervision of Ken Grant, Manager 5901 E. iroQ^Swoy (No. 3 Porkcrest Shopping Ploxo)