Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1959-04-24

              .i';:^';ij      '¦:.   ^^!
I ,<¦",'
COLUMBUS EDITION
'-JM^   I   'jnrti'i.TTc.o
•''1    1'/   i'i    ll.'ilH   H
11 -rin   -it^-jltic/iviH
¦»   T/Jlon:.3ilJUtf
2(\Q^   Serving Columbus, Dayton and Central Ohio Jewish Communities  \\//\\'v
^   COLUMBUS -      EDITION
Vol. 37, No. 17
FRIDAY, APRIL 24,  1959
39
D«vot«d to American and  Jawlih   Idaalf
Passover Legends Are Many
Portray Trials, Tribulations of Jewish People
BV ,IACOB BIOHMAN
(Author of "Jewish   Wit  and
Wisdom"
(Copyright, 1059, JTA, Inc.)
The stories and legends about Passover could fill several vol¬ umes. They portray the trials and tribulations of the Jewish people, Uic wisdom and goodness of Jew¬ ish leaders, and the irresistible spirit of the Jewish masses who managed to laugh under the most trying conditions.
We bring you hire a few of them.
     *     
A man came lo Reb Yosse Baer of Slonim and asked whether he would comply with the law if he used mili< for the Four Cups at the Seder.
"Are you a sick man?" the great man  asked.
"No," was the answer. "But I cannot afford  to buy any wine."
Reb 'Vossc Bacr called his wife and directed her to give the man 25 rubles. The caller demurred. "I merely came to ask a shaale," he declared, "but not to gut a gratuity." But upon the rabbi's Insistence he  accepted  the gift.
The rebbltzin later took her famous husband to task. "Why do you squander your money so reck¬ lessly!" she demanded. "We arc not millionaires. Two or three rubles would have been more than enough to buy wine for the Four Cu|)3."
"Don't you understand," ex¬ plained the saintly man. "If he had no money to buy wine, most likely he had no money to buy fish and meat either. What could he do, then, with two or three rubies?"
.    *    *
Reb Levi Yitchok of Berditchev, whose love for his people was proverbial, once took a stroll in ¦ the market place during the In¬ termediate Days of Passover. Stopping a merchant who was known to deal in contraband, silk smuggled from Austria, he said: "Could I get a few yards of silk from you?"
"As many as you like," replied the merchant.
Approaching another trader he inquired whether he would sell him some of his Illicitly imported silverware, and he was assured thut he could get all that he wanted. Then he asked whether he could sell him some hometz: leavened food.
"Hometz!" the other exclaimed in horror. "Do you think a Jew will deal In hometz on Pesach?"
Reb Levi Yitzchok thereupon lifted his eyes to heaven and gave vent to one ot his celebrated and quaint apostrophes. "Lord of the universe," he declaimed ecstati¬ cally, "See what a wonderful peo¬ ple Israel is. The Czar haa millions of soldiers, armed with rifles and bayonets, watching every step of the border. Yet Jews find a way to dodge them and to transgress his decrees, whereas You, having no soldiers and no gendarmes; all You did was merely write one little verse; 'No leaven shall be found in your houses,' neverthe¬ less You cannot find a crumb of leaven in the possession of any Jew. Verily, there is not such a wonderful people on the whole face of the earth!" *    *     
Rabbi Akiva Eger, of Posen, waa distinguished for his humility and kindliness no less than for his profound erudition. One Pass¬ over he had at his table a poor stranger, who accidentally spilled his cup of wine on the tablecloth. To put him at ease, the rabbl art- (contlnued oa payc 4)
Our Best Wishes
To You For A
Happy Passover
—The Chronicle
Arabs Blacklist 97 Foreign Ships
PARIS   (JTA) Ninety-seven
ships have boen added to the Arab League's anti-Israel black¬ list, according to a report received here by Le Monde, leading French newspaper. The action was taken at the meeting of the Anti-Israel Boycott Committee at Damascus.
The owners of these vessels are being "punished" for transporting cargoes to Israel. The vessels will receive. In Arab ports, only mini¬ mal services, just enough to enable thcni to get to the next port. Of the total of new ship names added to the boycott list, 17 are American-owned, while 36 are British, nine French, five German,  and  six Turkish,
Agency Leader Arrives In U.S.
NEW YORK (JTA) - Eliahu Dobkin, member of the executive of the Jewish Agency, arrived in New York yesterday, following a visit to South America.
He joins an 18-man Emergency Mission of Israel's leaders, some of whom are now visiting key American Jewish communities to help leaders of the 19S9 United Jewish Appeal seek increased aid on behalf of more than 20,000 new Immigrants who have poured Into Israel during recent months.
COMMONS DEBATES ENGLISH ACTION ON EGYPT'S SEIZORE OF ISRAELI CARGO
LONDON (JTA) — Leading members of the Labor Party pressed the government In the House of Commons this week to take steps to ensure freedom of navigation through the Suez Canal, and to prevent Egyptian seizures of Israeli cargoes in transit through the international waterway.
Laborite Arthur Henderson asked Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd whether he could now make a further statement regarding Israel's recent complaint to the United Nations Security Council. The Israel complaint, filed at the UN while Britain's Sir Pierson Dixon was president of the Coun¬ cil, alleged interference by the government of Egypt with two ships carrying cargoes that orig¬ inated at Haifa.
TOLD BY Mr. Uoyd that the Security Council had taken no action on this complaint, and that Israel had, in fact, not requested any Council action on the cargo Incidents, Mr. Henderson pressed further. He demanded assurance that there can be no question about Security Council failure to take action on the issue under the United   Nations  Charter.   Failure
to take action, said Mr. Hender¬ son, would allow the situation to deteriorate  dangerously.
"The Government certainly do not wish this sort of thing to hap¬ pen," replied Mr. Lloyd. "The matter is being handled now I hope satisfactorily."
SIDNEY 8ILVEHMAN, also a member representing the Labor Party, then asked Mr. Lloyd: "In view of the fact of the Oovern- men's defense of its Suez (3anal free for shipping under the orig¬ inal agreement; and in view of the fact that this has now been handled by the Foreign Secretary for some six or seven years, with¬ out any result of any kind—will you say what Is the policy of the Government with regard to free¬ dom of passage through the Suez Canal ?"
"Our view," replied Mr. Lloyd, "Is that there should be free pas¬ sage through the Suez Canal. So far as thia particular matter is concerned, I did indicate that it waa being handled In a certain way, and I do not think that questions in this House are going to assist the cargoes to get through."
HAVE YOU MET YOUR UJF OBLIGATION?
The UJF Campaign Isn't Over Until Your Pledge Is Paid
I   IN THIS ISSUE   I
Amusements 10
Editorial     2
Golden  B
Society  7
Sports     IS
.Synagogues    8
Travel TaUt  »
Israel Scientists Study New Way To Make Power
WA.SHINGTON (JTA)—Signifi¬ cance for Israeli power develop¬ ment was aeen in the disclosure this week by atomic energy au¬ thorities that American scientists have found a way to produce elec¬ tricity directly from atomic pow¬ er, Israeli scientists are observing developments  in this area.
Electric power sources bave been an expensive problem to the State of Israel. The new method, tested at Los Alamos, N.M., does away with the necessity for gen¬ erators, turbines, and boilers used In conventional and atomic elec¬ tric plants.
Israel has offered the services of experts in the field of the peaceful uses of atomic energy to the International Atomic Energy Agency. In addition, the an¬ nouncement stated, larael has also offered a number of free fellow¬ ships to scientists who would be sent by th^ UN Agency to work In Israel's atomic energy research centers. The UN agency, which has its headquartera in Vienna, Is concerned solely with peaceful uses of atomic energy.
Solons May Ask Israel Aid
Prepare Final Report On Security Bill
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The House Foreign Affairs Committee may include a specific Instruction to the State Department to rein¬ state Israi.'i in the specitU assis¬ tance grant program when It pre¬ pares Its final report on the Mu¬ tual Security Bill, it was learned this week.
Many members of the commit¬ tee described themselves as dis¬ satisfied with explanations offered by State Department spokesmen for the decision to cut off grants- in-aid to Israel. Important bi¬ partisan elements in the eommit¬ tee considered such an instruction as one means of impressing on the Administration that the Com¬ mittee considered Israel entitled to participate in the economic aid grant program and to a fair share of  the  benefits.
.SENTIiVIENT AUjNU these lines deveiopeij after William Rountrce, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, appeared before the committee and stuck tenaciously to his stand for elimination of Israei from the aid grant program for 1960 in the face of a vigorous pro-Israel atti¬ tude on the part of leading mem¬ bers of the committee.
Mr. Rountree was challenged by Congressmen who insisted that larael should be retained on the list of nations to receive grant aid. It was pointed out to Mr. Roun¬ tree that Israel had been dis¬ criminated against through omis¬ sion in the granting of U.S. mili¬ tary assistance to Near Elastern nations. Congressmen held that Israel was at least entitled to In¬ clusion in the economic grant assistance program.
Rep. James G. Fulton, Pennsyl¬ vania Republican, was supported by members of both parties, when he spearheaded the defense of Israel's right to special assistance participation. Rep. Fulton insisted that Israei should continue on the list of nations entitled to grants, even if she received only a mini¬ mum of $5 million. He saw no justification for Israel's exclusion from such  a  program.
BUT IMK. KOUNTKEE testified that "Israel itself made signifi¬ cant progress in c6U-rying forward its dynamic internal development program." He used this as an ar¬ gument against continued grant aid for Israel, and spoke of the prospect of improved American relations with the United Arab Republic.
Mr. Rountree praised the United Arab Republic stating: "The UAR is turning its attention actively to the very real problems of Its un¬ derdeveloped economy. Progress was made during the year In the normalization of relations between the United States and the United Arab Republic."
Testifying for the International Cooperation Administration, Near Eastern Office Director Leland Barrows outlined the expenditure plans to cover $80 million in grants to Near Eastern nations exclusive of Israei. Mr. Barrows aald that the United States waa primarily interested "in areas of special interest" being supported economically. He explained that emphasis was now on aiding Jor¬ dan, and that Jordaii would re¬ ceive the largest special assistance grant  in the next program.
EXTENDS INVITA'nON
SANTIAGO DE CHILE (JTA) --The Government of Chile ex¬ tended a formal Invitation to Mrs. Golda Meir, Foreign Minister of Israel, asking her to vialt here. The date for the formal vialt has been fixed as June 3.