^Jewish Currents JUNE 1958

^ Jew ish Currents We Will Not Yield! By

B y R abbi W illiam B. Silverm an o f Nashville, Tenn.

F rom the A u to b io g ra p h y o f

ROSE PASTOR STOKES

Jewish Champs in Sports By Lester R o d n ey

Joyous F lig h t b y Lena G u n

3 5 ^

JUNE 1958

_ Jew ish Currents

Vol. 12, No. 6 (133)

June, 1958

EDITORIAL BOARD Louis

H a ra p

Sam P e v z n e r M o rris U. S c h a p p e s

E d itor

CONTENTS T h e C o v e r: Jo y o u s F l i g h t

Painting by L ena G u n

Courtesy ACA Gallery, N e w York

T h e M o n th : Issu es a n d E v e n ts The

L ittle

B re a d w in n e r

S o n g o f t h e J e w is h F i d d l e r

M orris U. Schappes

4

Rose Pastor Stokes

8

Poem b y M ax R o sen feld D raw ing

W e

W ill

N ot

Y ie ld !

I t H a p p e n e d in I s r a e l J e w is h C h a m p s in S p o r ts T h e E d ito rs D ia ry Sol C a m p a ig n in g

fo r

M o rto n

C hagall

R abbi W illiam R. Silverm an L.

H.

16

L ester R o d n ey M.

13

18

U. S.

22

Louis A braham

26

S o b e ll

A n n e tte T. R ubinstein

28

Poem b y H enri Percikoiv

29

R uih Zalman

32

S. P.

38

R achel Lazarus

40

L ouis H arap

42

P a re n ts ’ C o rn e r J e w is h

M arc

H u ro k

R edeem M o rto n S o b e ll

In s id e t h e

by

12

C o m m u n ity

J e w is h H e ro e s f o r Y o u n g R e a d e rs “T h e Y o u n g L io n s ” T a m e d L e tte rs

44

A ro u n d th e W o r ld

46

June, 1958. V o l. 12, N o . 6 ( 1 3 3 ) . Published m onthly except July and August, when bi-m onthly, by Jewish Currents, Inc., R oom 6 0 1 , 22 East 17 Street, N ew York 3, N . Y ., W A tkins 4 -5 7 4 0 . Single copies 35 cents. Subscription $3 a year in U .S. and possessions. Canadian and foreign, $ 3 .5 0 a year. Entered as second class matter October 15, 1 9 4 6 , at the post office at N ew Y o r k ^ N . Y ., under the act of March 3, 1879• Copyright 1 9 5 8 by Jewish Currents, Inc.

JEWISH C u r r e n t s ,

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A MESSAGE: ,T 'H I S is our sixth issue. Since we b eg an to publish in January u n d e r our new nam e, J e w i s h C u r r e n t s , the circulation has been steadily increasing. This is a m atter for rejoicing at such a tim e. Yet w e face a serious p ro b lem this sum mer. W e h o p e you have enjoyed read in g such articles as: the Sholem Asch Sym posium in January, T he P ath of Felix Frankfu rte r b y V ictor R abinow itz a n d H ow Polish Jew s F ig h t AntiSem itism by H ersh Sm oliar in F eb ru ary , N ew A pproach to Peace by Jam es P. W a rb u rg in M arch, the W arsaw G hetto and Israeli anniversary m aterials in A pril, articles in M ay by Simon F ed erm an a n d Isaac T oubin dealing w ith th e bom bings in the South a n d the attitu d e of S outhern Jew s, as w ell as th e serm on, C an W e H ave P eace in O ur Tim e?, by R abbi R oland B. G ittelsohn. Such articles, plus n ew a n d vital features like the P aren ts’ C orner, T he M onth: Issues an d E vents and T he E d ito r’s D iary have virtu ally m ad e this a new m agazine w ith a w arm th, readability, cu ltu ral w ealth an d v alu ed com m ent p rovided by no other, w e believe, E nglish-Jew ish journal in th e country. B ut w hile w e are b u ild in g a n d advancing, we face a difficult sum m er period. W h en w e b e g an our Spring F u n d D rive in April w e asked for $5,000 to w e a th e r th e sum m er and help us continue to expand. By M ay 10 w e h a d raised alm ost $1,000. O ver $4,000 is still need ed . W e ap p eal to you to raise th a t sum by July 1, 1958. Send in your ow n contrib u tio n . C ollect contributions from your friends. O rganize a house p arty or early sum m er outing. Persuade your organization to contribute. In Ju n e th e lo n g -aw aited P ictorial H istory of the jew s in the U n ited States from 1654 to th e P resent Time, w ritten by our E d ito r, M orris U. Schappes, an d lavishly illustrated w ith ab o u t 400 pictures, will com e off th e press, to retail for $7.50. W e offer a F R E E COPY of this volum e to every individual w ho contributes or raises $50 or m ore in th e p re se n t Spring F u n d D rive. H ow ever, any co n trib u tio n , no m atter how large or small, is n eed ed an d w elcom ed! Please respond w ith the generosity w e believe th e m agazine deserves an d w ith th e speed th a t is required. T h e E d i t o r ia l B o a r d

J u n e , 1958

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B y M O R R IS IJ. S C H A P P E S

Bom bs against Integration • R ecession as Soil • A frican Independence • Soviet Jews A gain list of 45 bom bings in th e South since Jan u ary 1, 1957. Six involved T T A V IN G g otten aw ay w ith bom bJew ish institutions; 30 struck at ing Jew ish synagogues in N egro hom es an d institutions. M iam i and N ashville M arch 16, th e A D L chairm an H enry E d w a rd “C onfed erate u n d erg ro u n d ” struck Schultz asked for fed eral action on again A pril 28. W ithin a few m in- “a v irtu al South w ide conspiracy of utes of each other, bom bs exploded law less elem ents.” B ut persisting in at the Jacksonville, Fla. Jew ish Com - “th e ab d icatio n of federal au th o rity m unity C en ter (Jew ish p o p u latio n in th e S outh‫( ״‬N . Y. Post, A pril 5,000 out of 205,000) an d four miles 2 9 ), th e F B I refu sed to act. D eaw ay at th e Jam es W eldon Johnson m ands for federal action b y th e Junior H igh School, a N egro school. A m erican Jew ish C ongress, K nights At ab o u t th e sam e tim e, T em ple of C olum bus, In te rn a tio n al U nion of B eth-El in Birm ingham , Ala. (Jew - E lectrical, Radio and M achine ish popu latio n 3,861 out of 327,000) W orkers, A F L -C IO E xecutive Com was saved from dem olition by th e m ittee, A m erican Jew ish C om m ittee, fizzling of a fuse attach ed to 54 sticks W o rk m en ’s Circle, Jew ish W a r V etof dynam ite. T he next day the Jack- erans, NAACP, Jew ish L ab o r Com sonville terrorists telephoned a new s- m ittee, C hicago Jew ish C u ltu ral p ap er th a t th ey w ould bom b th e C lubs an d other groups have gone L abor T em ple and “get” W allace u n h eed ed . M arlow e, p resid en t of the striking F aced w ith F B I indifference, Local 1197 of th e A m algam ated police officials of 29 cities from at M otor C oach W orkers. least seven S outhern states g ath e red W hile echoes w ere still resound- in Jacksonville M ay 3 to coordinate ing, the A nti-D efam ation L eag u e th e ir w ork to trace th e terrorists. of B’nai B’rith p resen ted a m em o- N o t m u ch can be expected from randum A pril 28 to U.S. A ttorney these efforts. T h ere is a dan g er th a t in th e G eneral W illiam P. Rogers w ith a

B om bs against Integration

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p ro p er p u b lic anxiety a b o u t th e bom bings a tte n tio n w ill b e d iv e rte d from the m ain problem . E lsew h ere in this issue, R ab b i W illiam B. Silverm an, w hose T em ple in N ashville was bom bed, states: “th e p u rp o se of this violence is n o t to take h u m a n life, b u t to d e te r an d frig h ten th e com m unity to p re v e n t th e integration of our p u b lic schools an d frig h ten resp ectab le lead ersh ip from su p p o rtin g th e decision of th e Suprem e C o u rt.” M ore ap p allin g p erh ap s th a n th e bom bings is th e fact th at, four years after the S uprem e C o u rt decision of M ay 17, 1954, th ere has b e e n no effort even to b eg in in teg ratio n of schools in Jacksonville. So uthern School N e w s re p o rte d M ay 4 th a t of 2,125 school districts in th e South, 1,361 are still com pletely seg reg ated ; th a t of 1,354 districts in th e D eep South, only 15 have b e g u n desegregation; th a t only 270 N egro stu d en ts in these 15 districts go to unsegreg ated schools. This m arks a m ore te rrib le law lessness th a n bom bing. It is in this lig h t th a t th e counsel of “silence” w h ich some S outhern Jew s are offering needs to b e exam ined. F o rtu n ately , m ore a n d m ore voices are rejectin g it. Scoring “th e b a n k ru p tcy of com m unity leadership” in M iam i, Leo M indlin, ed ito r of T h e Jew ish F loridian, w rote M ay 9: “Bom bed, terro rized , th re a te n e d to n ear im m obility, w e are to ld by m any . . . to give u p our active role in th e b a ttle for integration; to refrain from doing or saying an y th in g J u n e , 1958

th a t m ay a ttrac t the w rath of the segregationists, w ho really are not our enem y. . . . T he b attle is ours, and the enem y is ours.” Sim ilarly R abbi P aul R eich of Norfolk, Va. (Jew ish population 7.500 out of 214,000) told the convention of the R abbinical Assem bly of A m erica (C o n serv ativ e) A pril 29 th a t the S outhern rab b i m ust not only speak for integration b u t “he m ust do som ething ab o u t it . . . a rab b i m ay invite N egroes to a tte n d services. Pie m ay arrange for interracial m eetings and break dow n any form of segregtion w ithin the precincts of his synagogues. The rab b i m ust m ake him self available to colored groups, religious or otherw ise. His personal life should n o t be segregationist. . . . H e should align him self w ith every bona fide organization th a t is in terested in am eliorating the p lig h t of the N egro.” At abo u t th e sam e tim e, all five rabbis in D allas, Texas approved a statem en t favoring school integration issued by 300 P ro testan t clergym en (th e m ajority) of D allas. Lay leaders are also m oving in this direction. Thus A. R. Suritz, a jew eler in Rock Hill, S. C. (Jew ish population under 100 out of 25,000), pointed out in B’nai BTith’s N atiotw l Jew ish M o n th ly for June th a t Southern Jews should look for ways of supporting the N egro struggle for desegregation because, although “the risk seems great,” it “m ust be assum ed.” 5

Recession as Soil T JE R IO D S of econom ic distress b re ed frustrations an d hostility th a t can be skillfully m isdirected against targets th a t are n o t a t all responsible for the distress. This tru th was p o in ted to b y a sociologist interview ed by th e Brooklyn Jew ish weekly, A m erican E xam iner (M ay 1). H e “said th e cu rren t econom ic setback m ay have h elp ed to trigger a new w ave of violence an d th e q u est for scapegoats. A nd h e ad d e d th a t 'as a scapegoat, the Jew is m uch m ore useful th a n th e N egro, whose econom ic status is still relatively m o d e st/ ” As th e econom ic p ictu re grow s darker, th e wells of m isery deepen. T he W a ll S treet Journal A pril 23 rep o rted th a t authorities in h u m an relations “co n ten d the recession is causing m any young people to p u t off m arriages; spurring crim e rates, especially am ong teen-agers; heightening fam ily tensions an d thus contrib u tin g to divorces and desertions; . . . and increasing the n u m b er of thefts from business b y financially strap p ed em ployers.” H it m ost punishingly in all respects is the N egro population, as was und erlined in a rep o rt,” An Analysis of T rends, N onw hite U nem ploym ent in the U.S., 1947-1958,” issued M ay 5 b y th e N. Y. State Com m ission A gainst D iscrim ination (270 B roadway, N. Y. 7 ). W hile unem ploym ent for w hites is now at the rate of 6.9 p er cent, for N egroes it is 14.4 p e r 6

cent. This is th e result, stated Comm issioner C harles A bram s, “of all th e b u ilt-in discrim ination th a t is p a rt of th e w hole com plex p a tte rn of em ploym ent an d unem ploym ent in A m erica.‫״‬ N or w ill E isen h o w ers counsel of “p a tie n c e ” be accep tab le eith er on th e civil rights fro n t or on th e econom ic scene. W h en on M ay 12 E isen h o w er callously offered this advice in an address to th e N ational N egro N ew sp ap er Publishers Association, U.S. C o u rt of A ppeals Ju d g e W illiam H. H astie spoke for all w h en he com m ented next d ay th a t no society can afford to b e “p a tie n t a b o u t th e open violation of th e law .” T he Jew ish L ab o r C om m ittee a n d th e A m erican Jew ish C ongress, th en convened in M iam i, also p ro m p tly re p u d ia te d th e id ea th a t p atien ce was a substitu te for vigorous law enforcem ent.

A frican Independence T N w orld affairs, from A ccra, capital of G hana, a gust of freedom b lew A pril 21-22. T he F irst Conference of A frican In d e p e n d e n t States (five A rab: L ibya, M orocco, Sudan, T unisia, U nited A rab Republic; th ree N egro: E th io p ia, G hana, L ib e ria ) resolved on a policy of “n o n e n tan g lem en t” in b ig -p a w er blocs in th e spirit of th e AsianA frican B an dung conference (1 9 5 5 ), on th e n eed for definite dates to be set for th e in d ep en d en ce of each rem ain in g A frican colony, on rec o g ­ J e w is h

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nizing th e N atio n al L ib eratio n F ro n t as th e sole leg itim ate au th o rity in A lgeria an d calling on F ra n c e to en d h e r “m ilitary o ccu p atio n .” P uttin g a b o ld face on u n p le a sa n t facts, th e N. Y. T im e s, A pril 23, term ed th e results “an A frican M onroe D octrin e again st fo reig n ru le an d foreign indu stries” b u t th en arro g an tly q u estio n ed “th e cap acity of self-gove m in e n t” of some A frican peoules. Israel, n o t an A frican state, w as n o t present, b u t th e Isra e l issue cam e up, despite efforts of G h an a P rem ier K w am e N krum a to reject th e UAR re q u e st th a t it b e p la c e d on th e agenda. A reso lu tio n ad o p te d u rg e d “a just solution,” b u t o m itted th e B an d u n g C onference p reju d icial po in t ab o u t su p p o rt of a re tu rn to th e U N 1947 frontiers, w h ich th e A rab invasion itself h a d violated. Of course Israel could w in m any friends in A frica a n d Asia b y itself re tu rn in g to th e policy of “non-identification” w ith b ig-pow er blocs th a t it advo cated from 1948 to 1951. P ersisten t A rab intransigence, how ever, plays in to th e h ands of th e B en-G urion policy of seeking alignm en t w ith th e W est. W hile a second invitation to join th e U n ite d A rab R epublic was issued b y R adio C airo on its H e b re w b ro a d c a st early in April, a m o n th later fo u n d th e UAR issuing a postag e stam p in w hich a m ap of th e UAR in clu d ed Israel. Some Israel developm ents w ere encouraging. T h e Soviet com m ercial attach e, V ladim ir B altchenko, w as re p o rte d b y Y e d io t A h ro n o t (L a te st J u n e , 1958

N ew s) A pril 20 to have to ld a group of Tel Aviv industrialists A pril 17 th a t th e Soviet U nion is p re p a re d to increase industrial and com m ercial relations w ith Israel, to offer technical aid an d to invest capital. At the sam e tim e in terest was aroused by B en-G urion’s reply to K hrushchev’s note of A pril 4 inviting th e Israel governm ent am ong others to speak out for discontinuing all nuclear tests. O n A pril 25 Ben-G urion d eclared his governm ent was “com pletely in accord w ith your feelings concerning th e danger to h um anity in th e continued arm am ents race a n d the dangers in h eren t in n uclear w eapons. It is our opinion th a t it is im perative not only to cease all atom ic and hydrogen w eapon tests b u t to destroy all existing nuclear w eapons an d g u arantee effectively th e discontinuation of fu rth e r m an u facture of such w eapons thro u g h an ag reem ent betw een all countries p roducing them .” U nclear was w h ether Ben-G urion was suggesting destruction of stockpiles as a condition for test suspension or such suspension as an indispensable im m ediate step tow ards lessening tensions th a t w ould lead to the elim ination of stockpiles and o th er disarm am ent steps. It is to be h o p ed the Israel governm ent will find ways of clarifying its position in favor of the latter. In general, Israel’s im m ediate situation was shrew dly sum m ed up ( C ontinued on page 34) 7

F r o m an U n p u b lis h e d A u to b io g r a p h y

The Little Breadwinner How child lab or was treated in Cleveland in the 1 8 9 0 ’s By RO SE P A STO R STO K E S June 20 w ill m ark the 25th a n n iversary of the death in N ew Y ork of Rose Pastor Stokes, w ho w as alm ost a legendary figure am ong th e Jew ish masses. Born in Russia on July 19, 1879, she was brought to C leveland, after a stay in E ngland, in the a u tu m n of 1890. W h e n she died she left an unfinished autobiography. T h e tw o short chapters th a t follow , th e first to be published anywhere, w ere m ade available to us through th e courtesy of Mr. V . J. Jerom e, ow ner of the m anuscript.— Ed. i^ k N T H E u p p er floor of a tw ostory fram e stru ctu re on L iberal Street, m y step fath er u shered us proud ly an d happily into a threeroom flat. T here was a kitchen stove (in v itingly w arm !). T here w ere tables, an d beds, and chairs, and a clock, oilcloth on the kitchen table an d a gaily p a tte rn e d linoleum on th e kitchen floor. M y m other w ent from one room to the other, h er face shining. M y step fath er cam e after her, th e 8

b a b y on his arm ; a h a p p y lig h t in his eyes. “Oh, Israel!” my m other tu rn e d h e r glow ing face to him . “You b o u g h t all this!” “All this,” he said w aving an arm a t th e new household goods. “You m ust be earn in g good m oney.” “N ot so b a d ,” he rem arked. Som ething in his tone b ro u g h t an o th er question. “Isra e l—is it all—p aid for?” “W ell ” A nd seeing the shadows creep into m y m o th er’s eyes, he p u t an arm ab o u t her an d kissed her. “N ever m ind, H indi, do n ’t w orry. W e ’ll pay for everything, in good tim e.” T h a t e v e n in g 9 after I h a d rocked th e b a b y to sleep an d c rep t into m y n ew bed, I h ea rd tw o tro u b le d voices talking from the kitchen. T h ey w ere discussing me. W h a t to do w ith me. E arnings w ere low, tim es w ere h a rd and gettin g w orse from d ay to day. E v eryw here it w as th e sam e. All the neighbors w ere J e w is h

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Rose Pastor Stokes is third from the left in top row of this photograph of workers in G leichm ans Cigar factory in Cleveland, 1896.

in d eb t. T he grocer, th e b ak er an d th e b u tc h e r w ere b eg in n in g to sh u t dow n on credit. T he F ein b erg s dow nstairs fro n t w ere sen d in g th e ir d a u g h te r to g et w ork in a cigar factory. M aybe I ’d g et w ork if I w en t along. If I got w ork w h ere Jennie did, she could w ait for m e m ornings an d evenings, till I learn ed to find the w ay b y myself. T w o d a ys la te r Jennie, a tall d ark raw -b o n ed girl of th irteen , sta rte d o u t for th e job in th e cigar factory an d I w e n t w ith her. As w e w ere leaving Jen n ie’s kitchen m y m o th er kissed m e, an d m y step fa th e r p a tte d m y h e a d a n d gave m e a dim e.

T hey b oth laughed w ith forced gaiety. “Look, our little b read w in n er,” my m other chuckled th rough tears. A nd my stepfather too, w ith a catch in his voice: “O ur Roselie, alread y a w orking w om an!” ☆ V k /’E START out at daw n, to be th ere before others fill the places. T he air is sharp w ith early frost. My thin jacket is like a sieve against the w ind. I hold it tightly w ith both hands pressed to m y chest and throat, as if the clutch of my hands could p ro tect me. Jennie too m ust be cold. She shivers.

“Com e on, we m ust h u rry .” She takes m e by th e hand. She is taller th a n I a n d takes longer strides. E very few steps, I ru n to keep u p w ith her. I t’s a long, long w ay to go: D ow n the m u d d y u n p av ed street a t rig h t angles to L iberal Street; a tu rn to th e right, then to the left dow n O range Street; dow n Broadway; on to the end of O ntario Street; across the P ublic Square, dodging a confusing netw ork of street cars; left, for several blocks to the viaduct, an d dow n steeply to a street u n d e r it. N ear th e end of this street Jennie finds th e n um ber she carries on a slip of paper. W e enter the b ig loft building, our hearts pounding. W e hold hands an d climb tw o flights. T here are tw o doors: m aybe it’s this one. Tim idly, we push open a heavy m etal door. T he suflocating effluvia of tobacco d u st strikes us in the face. I w an t to ru n aw ay from the 1111‫־‬ expected offense. B ut I stand still beside Jennie and continue to hold her hand. T here are m any w orkers h e re and w ork benches all of new w ood. A row each, facing the two long walls of the narrow loft, tw o row s in the m iddle b u ilt as of one piece, facing each other. T he bodies m ove in short sharp rhythm , as the arm s roll dark bro w n sticks on a b oard, or cut dark brow n leaves into p attern ed pieces or chop th e ends off 10

th e sticks w ith a sm all cu ttin g tool. A m an comes out of a new lyp a rtitio n e d office near the door. A very com fortable looking m an. I have n ever before b een add ressed by anyone so com fortable-looking. ‘T m Mr. W erth eim ,” he says. “Do you w a n t w ork?” “Yes, p lease.‫״‬ T u rn in g to Jennie, “H ow old are you?‫״‬ “T h irte e n ,‫ ״‬an d Jennie gets very re d in th e face. “A fine big girl for th irte e n ,‫ ״‬Mr. W erth eim says, placing a h a n d on h er b ro ad sq uare shoulders. “A nd you?‫״‬ “E lev en .‫״‬ “You’re tall for your age,‫ ״‬h e rem arks,7 b u t som ew hat uncertain!v. D oes he m ean not to take m e on? M y h e a rt b eats violently, an d its pulse p o u n ds in m y th ro a t and tig h ten s it. “W h a t do you say to going rig h t to w ork?‫״‬ H e is including us b o th in his look! T he blood th a t was p o u n d in g th ro u g h m y h e a rt and clu tch in g at m y th ro a t goes to m y head. W e nod our yes, and a t th e sam e m om ent I th ink of th e tw o tro u b le d voices from th e kitchen, an d go dizzy w ith joy in the th o u g h t of b ein g able to help. “E h, Jake, tw o m ore new ones,‫״‬ he calls to a large heav y -featu red m an. T he m an leaves a ben ch w here h e is in stru ctin g a young w orker, an d com es to the door. j

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“T he forem an ,” M r. W erth eim explains. “H e ’ll teach you stogie-rolling.” As w e go w ith th e forem an, M r. W erth eim offers tersely: “Tw o w eeks to learn. A fter th a t h alf p a y for six w eeks. T h en full pay. All rig h t? ” H a d h e a n n o u n ced six m onths w ith o u t pay w e w ould have n o d d e d just th e sam e. A t th e e n d of th e th ird w eek I get th ree silver q u arters an d tw o cop p er p e n n ies—m y first w eek’s pay. I ru n hom e w ith th e treasu re. M y m oth er takes it from me, looks long a t th e coins in h er h an d , and w ith a b itte r cry throw s them on th e table. “T he blood of a child! Look,” she says, “Look w h a t it w ill b rin g !” O n a F rid a y m o r n in g M r. W ertheim cam e a n d stood b e h in d my chair. “Rose Pastor, how w o u ld you like to go hom e for to d ay an d h elp your m oth er I ’ll b e t she needs you. I ’m sure she w orks very h ard . You can com e b ack M onday m orning, a n d it will be all rig h t.” W ho w ould h ave th o u g h t a boss could be so kind? I th a n k e d him an d h u rrie d hom e, g lad to b e of h elp to m y m other. She alw ays h ad a b u rd e n of w ork to do, especially 011 F ridays. I scru b b ed th e kitchen floor, an d ran errand s to th e grocers, an d filled th e oil lam ps, an d b ro u g h t u p coal an d w ash ed th e b a b y ’s things dow n J u n e , 1958

by the yard pum p; and all the tim e I did my chores, I overflowed w ith g ratitu d e tow ard the boss w ho spoke so feelingly of m y poor over-burdened m other. O n M onday m orning, w hen I cam e to m y w ork-bench, I said to th e girl on m y right. “W asn’t Mr. W ertheim kind?” “K ind?” T he girl on my rig h t chuckled. “I t’s a good thing you w ere sent hom e F rid ay m orning. T he factory inspector cam e in th e afternoon. Some of us can sit on two extra blocks and look over fourteen. But not you.” A nd Jennie never told m e till M onday. “Oh, I passed. I look old. Mr. W ertheim d id n ’t w an t to lose you, I guess, so he sent you hom e.” “Lose m e?” I asked, not understanding. “Yeah!” said the girl on m y right, “lose you, is w hat she said. T he younger we are the m ore m oney the boss makes on us, see?” T h a t e v e n in g 9 sitting at the kitchen table, eating supper, I re g ard ed my kind stepfather. H e was only a poor peddler. T rue, he h a d a horse and w agon of his own, b u t he w asn’t a boss. I could love and respect him.

G ive y o u r local lib ra ry a s u b s c r ip tio n to

JEWISH CURRENTS

11

SONG OF THE JEWISH FIDDLER F o r A ll th e J u n e B rid e s . . .

B y M A X R O SE D iF E LD . . . O z m en ta n tst m it dev kalle Iz far m ir a velt. A drey arum m ehutonim alle Un ich h ub shoyn vider gelt! ( Yiddish F o lkso n g )

W h en you dance w ith the b ride T he w o rld is mine. I circle aro u n d all th e in-laws A nd I ’ve m oney again!

Short an d tall Big and sm all Slow an d spry

D rawing by M a r c C h a g a l l

12

B old and shy T he sheepish an d th e dignified T h ey all m ust d ance aro u n d the b rid e an d w hen th ey d ance aro u n d the b rid e h er uncles on her m o th er’s side h er cousins on th e o th er side th ey d an ce from m id n ig h t until noon as each d em ands an o th er tu n e an d slips a coin into m y h a n d a lan g u ag e th a t I und erstan d . I slide th e resin on m y bow an d p lay th e tun es fortissim o or m elting-sw eet-pianissim o I im itate an d im provise I su p p licate an d rhapsodize till m any a te a r’s in m any an eye an d m any a leg is kicked up high as kinfolk circle ro u n d the bride. I h ope th e fam ily’s satisfied for th a t’s th e w ay I earn my b rea d an d keep my w ife an d children fed! Je w is h

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F r o m th e b o m b e d T e m p l e in N a sh ville ‫ י‬T ennessee

We Will Not Yield! P rop h etic Judaism answers v io len ce and threats By RABBI The bombing of The Temple of Congregation Ohabai Sholom of Nashville, Tennessee on March 16, 1958 occurred at the same time as the bombing oj Temple Beth El in M iami (see 66D ynamite in M iam i/ by Sim on Federman, J e w i s h C u r r e n t s , M ay, 1958). On March 29, Dr, William B. Silverman preached a pointed and courageous sermon at The Temple, excerpts from which we publish with his permission. — Ed. URING the course of the past week, it has been said that the Rabbi should stick to religion, to Judaism and the Bible! On this Shabbos Hagodol, on this Great Sabbath before Passover . . . on this Sabbath when we consider the implications of the dynamiting of the Nashville Jewish Community Center, the threats against the Rabbi of this Congregation, against our Temple, our House of God— I propose to fob low that advice . . . in order to determine . . . the answer of prophetic Judaism to violence, threats and dynamite. . . . 64Stick to Reform Judaism, R ab b i!” Let me quote from the 8th point of the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885, the platform of classic Reform Judaism : 6‘We deem it our duty to participate in the great task of modern times, to

D

J u n e , 1958

W ILLIAM B. SILVERMAIS

solve, on the basis of justice and righteousness, the problems presented by the contrasts and evils of the present organization of society ” Isn’t this Judaism ? . . . We turn now to a consideration of the implications of the dynamiting of the Nashville Jewish Community Center. . . . I am proud of my wife and my sons, who met threats of violence with courage and dignity; I am proud of the leadership of our Jewish Community Center, I am proud of our Board of Trustees; proud of our congregation and the attitude of calm and confidence manifested during these troubled weeks. . . . There were those who said that the Center is responsible for what hap‫׳‬ pened— and that the Center brought all the trouble upon itself, just as the Jews of Germany brought all the trouble upon themselves— and if the Center had maintained a segregationist point of view, refused to even consider the possibility of interracial meetings, the Center would not have been dynamited. I abhor this point of view as shallow and despicable. This sa m e e x tre m is t group further stated that I was responsible for the dynamiting of the Jewish Community C e n te r — and that because of mv pulpit 13

utterances during the Holydays and my pro-integration stand in the community, all the Jews of Nashville have been and will continue to be endangered. I say this, not with pride, but with a profound sense of shame, that with the exception of my sermons during the High Holydays last September, and one Parent Teachers Association address wherein I complied with a request to speak on the implications of the bombng of the Hattie Cotton School, I have not made a single public utterance or statement on this subject of integration, and have not been as active in behalf of social justice as my faith demands. “Why then” it was asked, “was the Center dynamited and the Temple threatened and not the YMCA or a Church? Doesn’t this prove we are our own worst enemies?” How naive can we be? Dr. John Rustin of the Belmont Methodist Church has spoken frequently on this subject and sponsored inter-racial meetings. Why wasn’t his church dynamited? The Westminster Presbyterian Church and other churches have sponsored interracial meetings within the past month — why weren’t these churches dynamited? Peabody Graduate Scool, Vanderbilt Divinity School, Scarritt College have Negro students— why weren’t these schools bombed? The Catholic Church has integrated its parochial schools— why weren’t these schools bombed? . . . I, fo r o n e 9 refuse to yield to threats. I refuse, as a Rabbi and as an American citizen to surrender to intimidation and violence— and I am not alone. I have referred to two extremes, but I feel and I am confident that the vast m ajority of this congregation and of the Jewish community of Nashville shares the conviction that we must 14

stand for decency, law, m orality and social justice for those of every faith and every race— and not prostrate ourselves and crumble into whimpering, fear-ridden devotees of doom. We are not alone, because there has been an outpouring of messages, letters, resolutions, from the clergy, from the Christian Church, from the decent, respected citizens of our community expressing shame, indignation, and a sense of outrage— but what is even more significant, the realization that this isn’t a Jewish problem but a Christian problem, a community problem, an attack upon Christian values as well as upon Jewish property. They know as well as we do that the purpose of this violence is not to take human life, but to deter and frighten the community to prevent the integration of our public schools and frighten respectable leadership from supporting the decision of the Supreme Court. . . . I speak clearly and without equivocation that all may understand: Together with the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, / favor integration— not only because I am a Jew, not only because my religious faith teaches that God isour universal Father, that all men are brothers, created in the divine image; that all men regardless of their faith or their race are endowed by God with equal rights. I favor integration — not only because of an Amos who asked in the name of God: Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto m e, O children of Israel: not only because the Torah commands “Justice, Justice shall ye pursue”; not only because of the religious heritage of Judaism that insists upon social justice for white and black, for brown, yellow and red — not only because I am a Jew, but because I am an American— and as an American I not only have the right J e w is h

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but the moral m andate to support the constitution, the bill of rights, the decision of the Supreme Court, and the laws of our nation. . . . . . . as a southern congregation we need not initiate or take an overly conspicuous role in advocatng integration— but we are not only a southern congregation, we are a Jewish Congregation, and as a religious congregation dedicated to the principles of prophetic Judaism , we are morally committed to join the law enforcement agencies, the Federal judiciary, the Christian clergy and church, and the citizens of our community in supporting decency, religious values, and the democratic rights of all the citizens of our nation. We want to do som ething; we want action? I urge the members of our congregation to

join and support the Nashville Cominunity Relations Conference, a reputable, moderate organization that is concerned with much more than racial understanding, but with the immediate need to further harmonious and high• minded human relations. I urge my congregation to study Judaism and learn what Judaism has to teach about racial justice. . . . We will not yield to evil. We will not capitulate to fear. We will not surrender to violence. We will not submit to intimidation but, as Reform Jews, we shall continue to speak for tru th ; we shall continue to dedicate ourselves to social justice and to the brotherhood of all men, knowing and believing that all men are created in the divine image, and this includes Negroes as well as Caucasians. . . .

Ezra Pound, anti-Semite who broadcast for Mussolini in World War 11, was released A pril 30 from a mental hospital in Washington, D. C. after awaiting trial for 12 years on charges of treason. Judged incurably incompetent to stand trial, he was freed as harmless. This 4humanitarianism 99 has political implications, however, because the Government quashed the treason indictment instead of achieving Pound's release by executive action or a private bill in Congress, either of which could have indicated the indictm ent was not withdrawn. The following letter by two writers raises other implications.— Ed. E ARE not opposed to having W Ezra Pound removed from the Washington asylum where he has been kept for twelve years. There are enough disturbed people in our Capital without him. What makes us sad is that it takes a psychopathic disciple of fascism to spur Frost, Hemingway, MacLeish and other leading literary figures to political activity. Their intercession on Pound’s behalf is the first public stand on a controversial political matter of this kind that many of them have taken since they spoke out against the nazis or Franco’s invasion of Spain. J u n e , 1958

We hope more of our fellow-craftsmen will now join writers such as Waldo Frank and speak out for some of the political prisoners still in jail in this country. Many of these have a long record of anti-fascist activity— Gil Green, Robert Thompson, Henry Winston are Smith Act prisoners whom President Eisenhower can free. Others like Rosa Lee Ingram are in jail because they are Negroes. Morton Sobell is serving 30 years as a tragic reminder that the Rosenberg case is not dead. Walter Lowenfels Phillip Bonosky Mays Landing, N. J. April 22. 15

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“A m a n is a Jew when he says he is a Jew.” This is the definition that the Israel M inistry of the Interior has directed its registration offices to accept. Officials have also been directed to accept any child as Jewish if his parents maintain he is Jewish and to accept the claim of any couple that they are m arried. This ruling had to be made because of the confusion introduced by the rabbinical courts, whose criteria of m arriage and being a Jew are governed by the Mosaic laws. Israeli Attorney Generel Haim Cohen said in connection with these directives that “the fact that according to the law of Moses and Israel a man is not accepted as a Jew does not prevent that man from being considered a Jew so far as the laws of the state are concerned.” •

T h e vo te s of the Israel UN delegation during the 12th UN General Assembly (1957) coincided with those of the U.S. 57 times out of 76 roll calls; Israel voted four times against the U.S. and abstained 14 times (and was absent once). This is a 75 per cent vote with the U.S., a gain of eight per cent over the previous year. The number of times other countries voted with the U.S. follows: Colombia 72, Great Britain 67, France 63, Spain 63, Greece 40; Lebanon 32, Libya 29, Ghana 24, Poland 17, Syria 15. (The Chronicle of United Nations Activities, Feb. 7.) •

T h e r e w e re re p o r ts at the end of March that the Jordan government had decided to blacklist the Ghana Black Star Shipping Line because of Israel participation in the line’s activities. The report also indicates that all Arab states have blacklisted the line. The Ghana government is investigating. •

F u ll h e a lth in su r a n c e is provided for all 620,000 members of the Histadrut. Other private individuals and groups also belong to Kupat Holim (H istadrut health fu n d ), so that 65 per cent of the population, both Jewish and Arab, are covered. There are nearly 1,000 Kupat Holim clinics, 60 in urban centers and about 900 in rural areas, as well as eight general hospitals and seven specialized hospitals. The staff of about 9,000 includes 1,600 physicians, 2,500 nurses, 160 scientists and dental assistants, 375 pharmacists, 500 laboratory assistants and

16

J e w is h C u r r e n t s

over 3,500 administrative, supervisory and service personnel. The 1958 budget of nearly 70 million Irael pounds (almost $40,000,000) is met almost one-half by m embers’ dues and returns from pharmaceutical supplies, 33 per cent from employers and the remainder from other sources, including the H istadrut campaign in the U.S. and elsewhere. (Labor s D aily, March 21.) •

Israel has the h ig h e st per capita income of any of the 19 states that gained independence since the end of World W ar II. Israel’s annual per capita income is $510; next is Malaya with $310. •

T h r e e JSew Y o r k e r s were rarested in Jerusalem April 0 when they refused to disperse quietly during a demonstration of about 5,000 protesting construction of a swimming pool at which mixed bathing was to be permitted. The three were Rabbi Solomon Reichman, chairman of the U.S. Union of Orthodox Rabbis, his son Raphael and Abraham Garenter. They were released the following day. •

Israel is a m o n g the 3 0 na tions exhibiting at Poland’s International Trade Fair in Poznan, June 8-22. •

66In to u r ist 9" Soviet Tourist agency, has inquired about currency arrangements with Israel for 20 Soviet tourists who plan to visit Israel in June. . . . Photographs of 12,000 Hebrew manuscripts in Soviet libraries and museums were transm itted to the Israel embassy in Moscow in April by Moscow’s Central Lenin Library. The photographs, including manuscripts from the Ginsburg collection, were requested by Israel’s Ben-Zvi Institute for Study of Jewish Communities. •

T h e p ic tu r e o f th e ja z z situ a tio n in Israel was given by New Yorker Melvin J. Keller on his return from Israel in April. “The country produces more than its share of good jazzmen,” said Keller, “but they all leave” for Turkey, Brazil, India and England, although they hope ultimately to get to the U.S. A small but dedicated group of jazzmen remain behind, he said. Only a few jazz records are Broadcast in Israel. (Downbeat, April 17.) • A v e r y successful production of Romeo and Juliet was given by the Karneri Theater in a Hebrew translation by Rafael Eliaz that has been highly praised. •

“ P h ila te lic P h a n s 9’’ in Israel have organized the “Philatelic Information and Exchange Center” (P.O.B. 1003, Tel Aviv) to unite and combine philatelic activities, exchange information and conduct research on a world-wide sale. It will exhange stamps and publish a quarterly magazine. Membership is $2 per year. L, H.

J u n e , 1958

17

Jewish Champs in American Sports They have produced m any in baseball, basketball, fo o tb a ll and b oxin g

By LESTER RO D NEY

A

P O W E R F U L U niversity of Louisville bask etb al lteam cam e to M adison S quare G arden in D ecem ber to trounce one of the local colleges. O n h a n d w ere a lot of relatives of the star of the team , 6‫־‬foot, 5-inch “R ed‫ ״‬G oldstein, and 6-2 team m ate Alex M antel, b o th of w hom play ed for Brooklyn high schools. T hese tw o lanky, skilled young m en w ere, in a way, p a rt of a continuing tradition, an d in ano th er way, rep resen tativ e of som ething new. T h at needs some explanation. T here was a tim e w hen basketball, the only fully A m erican devised and developed gam e ( baseball's and footb all’s origins are clearly traced to E u ropean b e g in n in g s), was nearly dom inated by Jew ish lads. N ot yet fully national in scope, it was an essentially u rb an gam e in w hich quickness, m aneuverability, intellig ent ad ap tab ility an d fast m oving team w ork w ere m ore im portant than sheer physical attributes. N eeding only a p air of fancy “draw ers" an d .sneakers, a couple of baskets an d a 18

ball, it was also a gam e m ore for th e offsprings of poor, hard-w orking fam ilies th an the sports dem anding space, greensw ard, expensive eq u ip m en t an d social club connections. It was no accid en t th a t youngsters from the teem ing, d a rtin g sidew alks of th e E a st Side an d Brookly n ’s B row nsville left m ore th a n th e ir m ark. It was in 1912 th a t a sm allish, 108 p o u n d w hiz n am ed B arney S edran led a CCNY team up to W est P oint an d tro u n ced the cadets so scandalously th a t th ey w ere d ro p p ed from th e schedule. A Sedran-led CCNY team w ith th ree other Jew ish boys in 1914 w on th e first a tte m p t a t determ in in g a n atio n al collegiate cham pion in a to u rn a m e n t a t U tica. O u t of the teem ing E ast Side crucible cam e handsom e, slight N at H olm an to becom e th e “Mr. Basketb all‫ ״‬of his tim e, first as th e sta r of th e fabulous “O riginal C eltics,‫״‬ w ho ro m p ed u n b eate n up an d dow n the lan d p lan tin g th e seeds of th e gam e's fu tu re, and th e n as th e fam ed J e w is h

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coach of CCNY, w h ere he m ad e cham pionship team s o u t of young N ew York scholars. F o r m any years th e p a tte rn continued. CCN Y was a focal point. Its 1919 team rip p e d Yale, Colum bia, Syracuse, N avy an d such w ith ridiculous ease. Its ’23 team , comp osed of boys n am ed K lauber, Nadel, Politz an d E d elstein , w ere 1111d isp u te d natio n al cham ps. T he p atte rn w en t into th e ’30’s. In ’31 a team fe a tu rin g Spahn, T ru p in , D avidoff an d G oldm an w on 17 of 18, losing only to T em ple (w h ic h fe a tu re d th re e Jew ish p la y e rs), an d w inning a re tu rn gam e. CCNY g rad u ates like Spindell, Spahn an d T rupin w e n t on to w in “M ost V alu ab le” aw ards in th e professional ranks. I t was n o t only CCNY, th o u g h m ostly N ew York. St. Jo hn of Brooklyn w as jokingly caled “St. Jacobs” for years w h en its fam ed “W o n d er T eam ” of th e late ’20’s and early ’30’s, still called b y m any th e best ever, sw ep t all before it. From T hom as Jefferson H igh of Brownsville cam e M ax Posnack a n d Allie Schuckm an, from N ew U trech t cam e M ax K insbrunner, from H am ilton, R ip G erson. T hey m et a t St. Jo h n ’s, w ith a tall Polish b oy n am ed M atty Begovich an d in th re e varsity years w on 63 an d lost 4. T u rn in g pro as a unit, th ey co n tin u ed to domin ate the gam e for years. So it w ent. NYU an d L ong Island U. also h a d cham pionship team s fe a tu rin g Jew ish players (th e 1937 NYU team w h ich w on it all, b eatin g J u n e , 1958

K entucky an d N otre D am e to clinch it, was com posed of R ubenstein, M aidm an, Schulm an, Gross and K lein). The essential social basis for this phenom enon was tu rn ed into something q u ite different by P aul Gallico, retiring sports editor of th e N ew York D aily N e w s, w ho in his book Farewell to Sports, trie d to “exp la in ’ th a t Jew s, lacking stam ina and strength, excelled in b asketball rath er th an other sports because there was som ething “O rien tal” and “vaguely sexual” ab o u t the game. ( He has b een trying to say for years since th en th a t he w asn’t really anti-S em itic!) As the gam e spread th ro u g h o u t the land, th e era of the tall player, m ore from the countryside th an the city, cam e in. T hough th e re was 110 tim e w hen Jew ish players did not play a b ig role in the gam e ( w ell in advance of th eir pro p o rtio n in the p o p u la tio n ), the early dominance ended. Some th o u g h t this was a tren d to virtual oblivion of Jew ish players in th e gam e, since they believed Jews w ere n o t as tall as other sections of th e A m erican population. T hey w ere w rong for tw o reasons. First, th ere is alw ays room for some small stars of exceptional ability ( though the perm issible smallness has m oved up from B arney S edran’s 5-2 statu re to ab o u t 5-9 as a sta rt). And second, a new generation of Jew ish lads is grow ing up, and it is 19

not a “sh o rt” g eneration by any m eans. C CN Y’s fam ed “g ran d slam ” team of th e early ’50’s, w hich did the unp reced en ted , w inning both m ajor college tournam ents, featured 6-6 E d Rom an of the Bronx, 6-2 Al R oth an d 6-foot Joe C ohen of Brooklyn along w ith N egro stars E d W arn er an d Floyd Lane. W h en a N egro star nam ed O scar R obertson scored 56 points last m onth, th e h ighest total in G arden history, the reco rd he broke was 54, set by B arry Boykoff, a m ere 6-9 Jew ish lad from Brooklyn. The na tional cham pionship N orth C arolina U. team of last season was captain ed by All A m erican star L en n y R osenbluth, 6-5 of the Bronx. (N o w th e C hapel H ill team has H arvey Salz, one of th e “sm all” 6-2 sta rs). T h a t’s th e w ay it goes today in basketball. Jew ish A m erican youngsters continue to play an exceptionally rich role, even w ith the lad d er going up. I n F o o tb a ll H ow a b o u t G allico’s allegation th a t in the rougher, physical-contact sports Jews w ere not to be found? It is a laugh. L e t’s briefly take footb all and boxing. A nything roug h er th a n they? O ver at H arv ard , for instance, they m ust have chuckled p lenty at the Gallico phony. T he largest m argin in football by w hich H arv ard ever b e a t its trad itio n al rival Yale 20

Benny Friedman

w as th e 41-0 victory in 1919, th e last u n b e a te n colossus they had, led by th e H o rw een tw ins, sons of imm ig ran t tailors. A rnie H orw een w as p ro b a b ly th e first Jew ish cap tain in th e “Iv y ‫ ״‬schools. T h ere are m any too m any to m entio n —b u t just to h it a few h ig h sp o ts: B enny F riedm an of M ichigan was the “perfect q u a rte rb a ck ,‫ ״‬so d esig n ated by his fam ed coach F ield in g Yost as he led th e A nn Arbor school to cham pionships in th e to u g h est football conference in th e land, th e Big Ten, in ’25 a n d ’26. ( H e is now coach a t B ra n d e is.) T h ere was M arshall G oldberg, th e stam p in g fullback of th e lyricized P itt backfield of 1939 w hich m o p p ed up th e Rose Bowl w ith S outhern C alifornia. D ave M ischel a n d th e C ornsw eet brothers of th e Brow n U. “Iro n m en ” of 1926, w ho w on all th eir gam es w hile fielding only 11 J e w is h

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players; D ave S m ukler of T em ple, term ed by no less th a n C oach P op W arn e r “as g re a t a fu llb ack as Jim T h o rp e and E rn ie N evers” and, of course, E rasm u s’ a n d C o lu m b ia’s Sid L uckm an, th e m an a t th e controls of th e m ost d ev astatin g professional football team of all tim e, th e C hicago Bears, w ho rip p e d W ash in g to n 71-0 in th e foo tb all “W orld Series” playoff of 1941. Boxing? H ere is a sp o rt w here one m an enters th e rin g an d faces an o th er in th e open for all to see. M inority groups h av e alw ays prod u ced the h ig h est q u o ta of cham pions. As th ey say, “you can ’t discrim inate ag ain st a left hook.” Boxing, a cruel “sp o rt” a t best, req u ires th e speical kind of fo rtitu d e n ative only to those w ho m ust fight for th e things they n eed an d w ho d o n ’t w ilt a n d p anic a t th e first h u rt. So it was th a t th e boxing cham ps follow ed an d follow th e p a tte rn of A m erican discrim ination. Irish fighters w ere d o m in an t a t th e tu rn of the century. Jew s an d Italians rose to the fore w hen th eir w aves of imm igration an d pov erty w ere at th e heighft. T h en cam e th e ru sh of g re at N egro cham ps, d am m ed u p before only by th e m ost flagrant discrim ination in g ettin g fights. D o u b ly oppressed an d d en ied o p p o rtu n ity in “real life,” they sup p lied d o u b le an d m ore th a n th eir q u o ta of m en w ho show ed w h a t th ey could do m an against m an. T oday, th e P u erto Ricans an d M exicans in C alifornia are m oving u p and w ith N egroes Ju n e , 1958

make up p erhaps 80 per cen t of all fighters. B o x in g C h a m p s Jews, alm ost no longer to be found in th e prize ring, w on 22 w orld cham pionships w hile th ey w ere in it. T he very first m odern cham pion crow ned u n d er the M arquis of Q ueensbury rules was A be A ttell, the legen d ary E a st Side featherw eight. H e knocked o u t Tom m y Sullivan of th e Irish dynasty in 1908 and w ent on to rule for years. M ost ren ow ned of all Jew ish cham pions w as the peerless Benny L eonard, w ho cam e out of H ester Street to w in 206 out of his 210 m atches, reign eight years as unconquered lightw eight cham p and retire w ith o u t a m ark on his face. (In later years, long p ast his prim e, he was lu re d out of retire m en t for a p itfu l com eback for m oney, the sort of th in g w hich sham es American sports. H e died of a h e a rt attack w hile refereeing after th a t). O ne of th e m any Jew ish fighters from the teem ing slums w ho learned to defend him self in deadly street fighting w ith anti-Sem itic gangs, L eonard is still reg a rd e d as the classic m odel boxer and strategist. H e also h it w ith knockout pow er. His closest fights as a cham p w ere in tw o savage engagem ents w ith L ew T endler, a P hiladelphia Jew. T he nam es are legion . . . Barney ( C o n tin u e d

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