Compiled by San Diego Jewish World staffSouthwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 9
Lasker Lodge News
By Lou Levitt
Congratulations to our newly elected officers for the year 1955. They are: President Milton (Mickey) Fredman; 1st v. pres., Dr. Milton Millman; 2nd v. pres., Marshall Zucker; 34d v. pres., Edward Herman; fin. Sec. Joseph Kaplan; rec. sec., Lawrence Rubenstein; warden, Samuel Bennett; guardian, Hyman Kobernick; trustees Ted Brav, Jeremiah Aranoff, Harry (Ziggy) Kessler, Lou Levitt, Edward A. Breitbard, Sid Rose, and Jack Spatz.
Our annual installation ceremonies will be held at the Mission Valley Country Club on Sunday night, January 8, 1955. The installation will be combined with a dinner dance, and all members are urged to make reservations as quickly as possible, as we have to have a close approximation as to the number attending. Guests are cordially invited. Contact Dr. Millman, or Mickey Fredman. Dinner will be $5.00 per plate and this includes a very fine steak dinner and tax and tip.
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Bay City Initiates New Members January 10
Southwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 10
Monday, January 10th, 1955, at the regular scheduled meeting at Tifereth Israel Center, at 8:00 o’clock p.m., a special program dedicated to the initiation of new members will be held. Mrs. Harold Garvin, chairman, and her committee of Mesdames David Cohen, Abe Hollandersky, Morris Cahan, Robert Palash, Eugene Sacks, Charles Juster, Wilbur Robbins and Max Felsman have planned a most interesting ceremony.
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The Chanukah Story (Editorial)
Southwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 11
The root of the word “Chanukah” is “honoch” which means “to dedicate.” Historically, King Antiochus, a demagogue, was determined to deprive the Jew of his religion. He was clever enough to see that if he was to succeed in crushing the Jews, he must aim at their Judaism, the source of their vitality. But he miscalculated the strength of the Jew’s attachment to his faith.
An aged priest named Mattathias thought if the Jew had to die for his religion he ought to die for it fighting.
He and his gallant sons, the Maccabeans, few in number, and worse still, without military training, went into battle with a prayer on their lips and with the thought of God in their hearts. The result is well known. The Jew regained possession of Jerusalem and the Temple. The Greeks had defiled the Sanctuary by idolatrous worship. It was rededicated to theservice of God, on the 25th of Kislev, in the year 165 B.C.E.
It is to commemorate this glorious story that the Feast of Chanukah has been instituted. The festival lasts eight days, and the traditional explanation is that when the sc red lamp was about to be kindled at the reconsecration of the Temple, only a small flask of oil undefiled by the idolator could be found. But a miracle happened, and it lasted for eight days.
The story of Chanukah is such an inspiring one. But the deeds of heroism are not all that make Chanukah such an important occasion. Throughout the history of our people, we have found similar feats of heroism and valor. For over 2,000 years have we struggled against overwhelming odds against the rage of man and nature, of beast and storm. But the Macabeans taught the Jew to dedicate himself to fight for the holiest causes.
Chanukah cherishes not so much the memory of glorious victories on the battlefield, but rather the triumph of right over might, mind over matter, justice over injustice. The Maccabeans encouraged the pent-up desire for independence of countless people over the history of the world. But for them Judaism would have perished. They held aloft the torch of true religion at a time when thick darkness was covering the nations. They set an example of fighting and sacrificing for the principle of religious freedom.
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A Balanced Press (Editorial)
Southwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 11
The sale of the Daily News in Los Angeles leaves the entire Southern California area without a Democratic voice. In this situation we see a danger, not only because a one-sided Press is not a healthy condition for the Press itself, but the news and opinions expressed in these papers tend to be taken as public opinion.
We have seen many occasions when the Press has been out of step with public feeling and opinion. Some of the most recent examples were seen during the Roosevelt and Truman administrations.
A Press listening only to its own voice, will hear only what it wants to hear. If there is no other organ to print the deliberate omissions of a slanted press, and point out differences of opinion and interpretation of events, then news published by a biased Press will be accepted as gospel. What will happen to our vaunted “Free Press?”
There is no doubt that rising costs are forcing more and more newspapers out of business, and there is an alarming trend all over the country of consolidation of papers and elimination of competition.
We hold no brief for the Republican newspapers. They have merchandise to sell—that is their own particular point of view—and most of them do a pretty good job at it. What is needed now is a balance to that kind of selling, in order to give the readers an opportunity to judge what is best for the greater number of people.
Will it be necessary or small “splinter” groups to publish newspapers at their own expense, in order to get all the facts before the public? We hope this is not the answer to the problem of a balanced Press.
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Chapter 48: More About Three Hundred Years in America~Jewish Contributions to American History
Southwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 11
By Philip L. Seman, University of Judaism
Continuing from the last installment of this series on the Jewish Ethical Code we note that voluntary societies and institutions for the proper fulfillment of the “Camiloth Hasodim” prevailed. The Burial of the dead stood highest on the list, because the most purely selfless in its propmpting; as far as the dead are concerned no reward can be obtained. In this connection the writer cannot resist citing one of the most beautiful of these ancient customs. It is depicted in Martha Wolfenstein’s Classic “The Idylls of the Gass.”
When a death occurs, whether in the home of the rich or the poor, the Burial Society sends two locked boxes to the bereaved. One contains the funds of the society, and the other is empty. The fund must then be transferred from one box to another, and in the process one may add to it or take from it, or leave it intact. The boxes are then returned locked and no one knows or can know who made a donation, or who has been the beneficiary of a charity funeral.
There is every evidence that customs of this character, and the living of this kind of life must have a background, and none needs only to search into the lore of the Hebraic past to learn of this background.
In examining the concepts which were laid down, and which further developed into a social ethics code by which the Jews have through all the centuries guided their lives as far as their relationship of one to the other was concerned we find that if you are a man of distinction and entitled to a prominent seat at an assembly, seat yourself, nevertheless, two or three seats lower, for it is better to be told to go uip than to be asked to go down. Hillel said: “If I condescend I am exalted, but if I am haughty, I am degraded.”
Better for you to have no more than two zuzim, which is equivalent to about a quarter, as a means which to gain a livelihood, than to be a man of large capital and employ it in usury.
The Book of Deuteronomy is a veritable source book or code of Social Ethics. In Deuteronomy laws of justice to all and particularly to the poor, are more detailed and elaborate than anywhere else in the Bible. There are, besides, many regulations that tend to foster the growth of kindness and forebearance to others in our relationship of life.
Jewish social service in a modern sense, particularly as it has been developed during the last fifty years is highly specialized and departmentalized, as by necessity it must be, is quite a contrast to the social services described in the foregoing. I our next installment we will discuss The Background of the Jewish Community Center Movement.
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These Public Officials Send Chanukah Greetings
Southwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 11
Sincerest wishes for a happy holiday – Arthur C. Eddy, County Tax Assessor
Greetings – Don Keller, District Attorney
A Very Happy Holiday—Frank Thornton, Collector of Customs
My sincerest holiday greetings – Dean Howell, Supervisor, 5th District
Wishing you a happy holiday – Clair W. Burgener, City Councilman
Holiday Greetings – Charles C. Dail, City Councilman
Greetings from William L. Morrison
Greetings from Frank A Gibson, County Supervisor District No. 1
Greetings from Senator Fred Kraft
A happy Chanukah to all my Jewish friends – Oscar G. Knecht
Greetings – A.E. Gallagher, Coroner & Public Administrator
Holiday Greetings – John Bate, Port Director, Port of San Diego
Season’s Greetings – Jean du Paul, City Attorney
Best wishes for a happy holiday – Chester E. Schneider, City Councilman
Best wishes for the Holidays – James Robbins, County Supervisor
A joyous holiday—San Diego Civic Center
Holiday Greetings – David Bird, County Supervisor
Holiday Greetings – George Courser, Chief, San Diego Fire Dept.
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Southwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 11
As the Psychologist Sees You
By Irving R. Stone, Psychological Consultant
What’s Been Accomplished This Year?
If you observe a researcher at work you will notice that at all times he seems to be accomplishing nothing, but just sits and contemplates the many notes he has accumulated as part of his project. Strangely enough, an important phase of his research is going on for he is taking stock either of what previous research has been performed by others or else he is studying what findings he has been able to make during the early phases of his own work.
Just as the researcher must study the past, so must we take stock of ourselves. “What’s been accomplished this year?”: As part of our customs, the end of one year and the beginning of a new one seems to be the period devoted to this soul searching.
Perhaps, although we made many resolutions, it may be a strange thing to find that only one or two of them have been kept. We always start out with good intentions but somewhere along the way we get side-tracked. Maybe it was because the things we resolved to do did not seem to be very important as the year progressed. Perhaps it was because some unforeseen event or situation made it impossible to attain fulfillment of our purpose.
Sometimes, we make a resolution only half-heartedly, never really intending to carry it out. If that is so, we only kid ourselves and put ourselves in a worse light than we should. If may have been important to someone else to see that we carried through with this resolution, even though it was unimportant to us.
Possibly, what we planned to do was important enough, but because of our own lack of drive or initative it was never accomplished. This year that passed can never be regained and there is no opportunity to make fantasy a reality. All that we can give ourselves for our resolution is a large zero—not even a score for effort.
Unfortunately, our scorecard of accomplishments for the year may not be a pleasant sight if we take the trouble to add it up.. Too often, we leave the tally for the end of the year, or else do not even bother to take an accounting. It we were to take a subtotal as we went along, we might find that like the researcher, we could see what has gone before, and in that way avoid making continued mistakes and omissions of purpose.
Let’s make our new resolutions realistic ones, those that can be attained and those that we intend keeping. In that way we can eliminate the disappointments and guilt over resolutions not kept and at the same time enjoy those accomplished.
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Salzburg Puppets To Show Here Jan. 15
Southwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 12
Wonderful music accompanies the elaborate Salzburg Marionette Theatre when the troupe presents three performances at Roosevelt Auditorium on Saturday, January 15. At the matinees, 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” will be shown, while a Johann Strauss evening will be presented at 8:30 p.m., including the complete opera, “The Fiedermaus” and “The Blue Danube Pantomime Ballet.” The dolls are up to 3 ½ feet tall and pay on a revolving portable stage, 27 feet wide, 13 feet deep and 12 feet high. Tickets are available by mail order at the deLannoy & Howarth box office, Room 230, U.S. Grant Hotel.
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City of Hope
Southwestern Jewish Press, December 24, 1954, Page 12
They’re going like hot cakes – order your copy of Samuel Golter’s book “And They Called It The City of Hope” – published by G.P. Putnam Sons—you will find the story exciting and thought provoking!
You can order it through your own favorite dealer at $3.50
Pearl Rubin (JU-2-2482) is in charge of the rental library – the line forms both left and right!
Save your Rummage for our March Sale!!
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“Adventures in San Diego Jewish History” is sponsored by Inland Industries Group LP in memory of long-time San Diego Jewish community leader Marie (Mrs. Gabriel) Berg. Our “Adventures in San Diego Jewish History” series will be a regular feature until we run out of history. To find stories on specific individuals or organizations, type their names in our search box.