The World Over ®
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Page 10 Offices: 126 E. Roosevelt, Phoenix, Arizona ALpine 4-7494 ® ® CECIL NEWMARK, Editor and Publisher The World Over PEARL R. NEWMARK, Associate Editor M. B. GOLDMAN, JR., Founder By DEBORAH JAFFA METZ Official Organ of the Jewish Community of Phoenix “Great friend, on behalf of the Syrian Arab government ... I ex- Published Semi-Monthly—July and August Monthly (The News’ Own Columnist) press our admiration and congratulations for your hrave and noble I hope the late Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt knew how much she was stand that has saved humanity from definite and complete destruc- Second-Class NATIONAL EDITORIAL Subscription loved and how deeply revered. Os all the words said in her praise tion ...” Postage Paid Rate: $3.50 I think that our United Nations ambassador, Adlai E. Stevenson, IRAQ General Kassim, dictator of Iraq, was “unequivocally at Phoenix, |AS^SCOTI^N par year really epitomized her greatness when he said this against American violation of the freedom of the seas,” adding also Arizona payable in H true and special thing: that “the United States is the only country barbaric enough to be advance “She would rather light a candle than curse the ready to use nuclear weapons.” VOL. XVI, 6 December 7,1962 will darkness, and her glow has warmed the world.” EGYPT No. * * Colonel Nasser accused America of undermining the * peace of the world by its blockade of Cuba. A RECENT NEWS ITEM about the Jews of YEMEN Dictator Abdullah Sallal accused the United States |f||P Moscow brings to mind a bit of ancient history. of seeking to advance its “imperialist designs.” Once upon a Rome the time, forbade Jews of The most cynical display of “chutzpah” came Egypt, Jewish Book Month Palestine to the Torah with from study what results which is an aggressive party to the total Arab boycott of Israel, One of the wholesome trends in American Jewish n; H any religious school child can tell us today. and which has closed the vital Suez Canal to ships bound for past Now it seems that officials of the Soviet gov- Israel, because she is “at war” with Israel and refuses periodically life which have been shaping up over the decade is * peace. EWtt|I ernment are considering shutting down the Central to discuss the fresh significant spurt of creativity in the field of DEBBIE Synagogue of Moscow on week days because it is Egypt’s delegate Security prayer Said to the Council on Oct. 24: “The Jewish literature. Never before have so many books of a center for alleged “black market traffic” in Hebrew ritual government of the Republic books. United Arab cannot condone the uni- on best-seller lists. shawls, phylacteries, and prayer lateral decision of the United States of America to exercise the interest been the nation’s Jews of so hungry symbols of Jewish Why are the Russia for these quarantine in the Carribean Sea. Never have so many so many 55 years after the Communist Revolution? And why before authors written their religion “This action, we not is the Soviet government waging such a relentless battle against believe, only is contrary to international law and the accepted of freedom of Jewish books. them? norms navigation on the high seas, but also leads to a situation which ... is pregnant with all symptoms increasing number of for this develop- I leave aside here any discussion of anti-Semitism, although it the of world tension, and threatens interna- There are a reasons tional peace and . is prevalent in Russia today, not only amongst the people but also security “We growth have . ment. One is the establishment and of the State within the government. My question relates rather to the con- always maintained that ... all members of the of Israel. Another is the heightened interest in Jewish tinuing anti-religious campaign in that country. United Nations should refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political activities in general and the mushrooming membership Why is it necessary? Two generations of Russians have been independence of any state . Similarly, we have advocated the in synagogues, Jewish Community Centers and other fully propagandized on the evils of religion; and, in a country where view that member states should settle their disputes by peaceful freedom of thought is frowned upon, such a program is fearsome means in such a manner that international peace and security are Jewish institutions. Still another are the annual celebra- and powerful. not threatened . tions by the hundreds of Jewish groups and communi- Yet on Simchat Torah, when rocks were thrown into the Moscow “The of and . Synagogue, there were several hundred Jews inside, and —this is government the U.A.R. its delegation feel that . ties of Jewish Book Month, organized, coordinated and the wonder —an American newspaperman who was in attendance every endeavor should be made to bring all parties together to sponsored nationally by Jewish Book Council of the Na- reports that many of these worshippers were young people. negotiate with a view to reaching a peaceful settlement ...” , How can we doubt that a need exists in most of us for some tional Jewish Welfare Board (JWB). sort of reaching out to the Divine? We express it in different ways, Without any comment on the shamelessness of this statement, and some of us never put it into words at all, but it IS a human we must note that our wooing of the Arab states with gifts and of Month this year need, and no amount of repression will ever destroy it. loans and gestures of appeasement has not had at all the desired The observance Jewish Book If Mr. Krushchev’s government, unlike that of the Romans, does effect. takes on special significance because of its theme: “The not degenerate and die, he himself may be a regular church attend- A posture of friendly firmness on our part, together with a ant in another decade or so! demand for integrity and decency and a will to peace on their part, Eternal Book.” There is no more fitting theme * Bible: * • would very likely bring better results. for Jewish Book Month than the Bible, from which the FOR THE RECORD, let us note that extremely vociferous anti- For the record, let it also be stated here that, in our moment Jewish religion and culture sprang and to which we American statements on the Cuba incident came from: of crisis, Israel and Lebanon alone, of all the nations of the area, SYRIA Premier Al-Azm sent this message to Krushchev: spoke out in favor of the must always come back. Judaism cannot be understood United States. unless the Bible itself is understood. The Bible is Torah- it is also great literature, the religious history of a peo- BOOK CORNER ple with a special relationship to God, the source of JEWISH Western ethics and our highest social values. Its study Judaism As Living Faith Must Have Challenging Writers is infinitely rewarding. By RABBI ALBERT PLOTKIN The most ironic fact of Jewish inaudible for suddenly rose from What the to Jew needs today, Jewish Book Month is hard history was that a Jew stepped the breasts the innermost part says our author, is to discover The sponsors of Jewish Book Month are to be con- understand for the Jew because into the scene of Jewish life on of the Jewish men and women an himself. There is a need for the the Jew has always been a man the continent of Europe who had outcry so savage, a mixture of Jew to look book. today into himself, into his gratulated for selecting “The Bible Eternal Book” as the of the But we need almost no relationship to Juda- despair and hope, a faith of re- soul and into his conscience, to Jewish Book Month to stimulate ism!. Dr. Theodore Herzl was an turn and a sense of identificar what he needs to understand theme for this year’s observance. We are confident that challenge thinking find and our in terms assimilated Jew, a newspaper- tion, that the melody was lost in himself, to find where his the Month willgrow from strength to greater strength of today’s prob- man who had no knowledge, no and all that was left was the weaknesses lie. lems. Judaism to background and no conception of bitter cry of a people suddenly in achieving two of the several worthwhile objectives of living be a faith Jewish life but who suddenly was united in common misery.” Our author is strong in his criti- JWB and its family of agencies: The prosperity of Jew- must have chal- imbued with the principle of na- cism of congregational life for its lenging writers tional self-determination which For the “kindergarten approaches, the ish culture in America and the development of creative, who Jew suddenly realized in and authors led him to the birth of Zionism, a moment of despair, in a great chocolate-flavored coated Judaism, informed and happy American Jews.— (THE JEWISH constantly keep as a European movement to Jew- moment of solidarity, the under- and easy-to-digest sermons’’ which our minds alive,- ish self-determination. standing of fate and destiny only belittle Judaism. STANDARD) give Jewish to us a new which he could not escape. charge of under- This The Jew must come to his faith There burned in him the great was a great moment of return, of not out of fear but out of a positive S hope and ideal that Jews in the Jewish return to Jewish roots, needs of our affirmation, not out of dreams and West who thought they were free which unfortunately was too late illusions but out of a stem under- faith and people.