Adventures in San Diego Jewish History, April 18, 1958, Part 1

S.D. Community to Mark Israel’s Tenth Anniversary
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 1

Southwest Jewish Press logoDr. William C. Rust, President of California Western University will speak at a Civic Celebration marking the Tenth Anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel. This momentous event will be celebrated by the San Diego community Sunday, April 27th at 4 p.m. in the Organ Pavilion of Balboa Park.

A massed chorus of 300 elementary school children, under the direction of Margaret Lee, together with a combined orchestra of 125 members, under the direction of Kenneth Owens, will be supplied by the San Diego Unified School System.

The Cottage of Israel will provide colorful Israeli dances.

Musicians and a Color Guard will be provided by the United States Marine Corps.

National ceremonies open on April 24th at Constitution Hall in Philadelphia. Former President Harry S. Truman and former Governor Thomas Dewey are among the principal participants.

The national committee is under the leadership of Ex-Senator Herbert Lehman. The San Diego Committee is headed by Joseph I. Feldman. Among those assisting are Maxwell Kaufman, Murray Goodrich, Valia Dennis, Rita Harris, Phillip Abrams, Fred Yaruss, Jerry Kent, Mrs. Murray Samuels, Phillip Mollick, Mrs. Bess Borushek, Jack Omens, Mrs. Edith Gates, Mrs. H. Gendloff, Mrs. Bertha Veitzer and Gerry Sonabend.

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Release of 1957 Annual Report May 1
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 1

The Contributor’s Honor Roll for the 1957 United Jewish Fund Campaign will again be included in the Annual Year Book published by the Fund Directors.

According to Dr. Walter Ornstein, Fund President, the 24th Annual Report of the Jewish community will contain a report of the income and expenditures of the Fund for 1957; a report of the President; the Campaign Chairmen; and each of the local agencies.

The book is intended to give full credit to those whose generosity made possible the functioning of the Jewish community.

The year book will be mailed to members of the Fund before May 1.

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Women’s Division Sets April 30 For Next Luncheon
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Pages 1, 3

Hitting on all cylinders in its effort to reach its $52,500 goal, the Women’s division led by Mrs. Harry Wax are making plans for two future meetings.

With $33,527 pledged, plans are under way for a $26 minimum brunch on Wednesday, April 30, at the El Cortez Hotel, with an outstanding entertainer as a feature attraction.

Junior Matrons, led by Mrs. Herbert Solomon and Mrs. Frank Goldberg, are planning a brunch and style show on May 15 at the El Cortez Hotel.

These events are expected to bring the Women’s Division total close to goal for a final push to make the $303,000 goal of the general campaign easier to achieve.

Hostesses for the April 30th $26 minimum bruch are Mrs. Abe Abramson, Mrs. Maurice Ackerman, Mrs. Bernard Arenson, Mrs. Raymond Bass, Mrs. A.J. Bard, Mrs. Edward Breitbard, Mrs. Elford Breitbard, Mrs. Robert Breitbard, Mrs. William Breitbard, Mrs. Morris W. Douglas, Mrs. Hrold Elden, Mrs. Charles Feurzeig, Mrs. Norman Gelman, Mrs. Joseph Goldberg, Mrs. Frank Goldberg, Mrs. Ben Gordon, Mrs Eddie Kitaen, Mrs. George Martin, Mrs. Louis Moorsteen, Mrs. B.W. Nathan, Mrs. Paul Nestor, Mrs. Daniel Orlansky, Mrs. Walter Ornstein, Mrs. Seymour Rabin, Mrs. Herbert Reder, Mrs. Leo Smolar, Mrs. Victor Schulman, Mrs. Herbert Solomon, Mrs. Louis Steinman, Mrs. George Swerdlow, Mrs. Sam Vener, Mrs. Morris Wax, Mrs. Joseph Weitzen, Mrs. Elmer Wohl, Mrs. George Wixen, Ms. Jacob Wenig and Mrs. Leonard Zlotoff.

Vice-chairmen assisting Mrs. Wax are Mrs. Robert Speigel and Ms. Alex Wise.

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Jewish Year Book Reveals Status
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Pages 1, 3

NEW YORK – More than four million American Jews – about eighty percent of the total Jewish population in the United States – are “regarded as basically within the synagogue.” About sixty percent, or three million Jews, are formally affiliated with the synagogue and are divided about equally in their adherence to the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform branches of Judaism.

Enrollment in both Jewish day and Sunday schools has doubled during the past decade, growing from 231,000 to a current total of approximately 400,000 students. The sharp increase took place during the period when the Jewish population in this country grew only about 15 to 20 percent.

These major developments were reported in the annual Jewish Year Book, a 564-page record of events and trends in American and world Jewish life. The Year Book is published jointly by the Committee and the Jewish Publication Society.

In a report on “hate mongers’ activities,” The Year Book disclosed that anti-Semitic literature has been gravitating to “certain areas of the South, especially those where the resentment of which supremacists is likely to erupt in violence.” The vast bulk of anti-Semitism and anti-Negro literature in the South in the past year was published by agitators from non-Southern regions. Extensive dissemination of this literature “was mainly due in the efforts of elements within the White Citizens Council movement and the Ku Klux Klan and their sympathizers who have purchased the propaganda in bulk.”

“Klan growth and activity rose sharply during `1956-1957 (with) estimates of over-all membership running as high as 100,000,” the Year Book said. However, the Klan is not as well organized as in the 010s or 040s and currently tends “to fragmentize into loose federations.”

Whenever tensions mounted in the Middle East, agitators intensified the promotion of pro-Arab, anti- Jewish themes and sided in the dissemination of Arab propaganda.

In a report on world Jewish population, the Year Book said there was a total Jewish population of 12,350,000, a slight increase over last year. Of this number, about half—some six million Jews – live in North and South America, about 3,466,000 live in Europe, while Asia has about 1,855,000. Some 585,000 Jews reside in Africa. About 61,000 are in Australia and New Zealand.

In recent years, a considerable decrease has been registered in the number of Jews in Africa owing to the continuous migration to Israel and France. According to Year Book estimates, Morocco has about 200,000 Jews, Algeria 130,000 and Tunisia 80,000. The Jewish population of South Africa remains at about 110,000.

Of the Jewish population in the United States, the Year Book estimated the total at 5,255,000, a slight increase over last year. Recent studies reported by the Year Book show a “continuing decline in the proportion of the foreign-born segment of the Jewish population.” Surveys in three middle-sized cities show that approximately 77, 78 and 83 percent of their Jewish population was native born.

The Year Book stated that “every passing decade sees a smaller and smaller proportion of the foreign born among the Jewish population.” The Year Book reported that about5.3 percent of the total Jewish population has intermarried. The rate of intermarriage tended to increase among the native-born children of native-born parents reaching a proportion of about 7.4 percent of the population.

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UJF Drive Opens With $150,000 Pledge: Workers Meet Sunday for Assignments
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 1

United Jewish Fund Campaign enthusiasm will reach its peak when all divisions swing into activity following the Worker’s Orientation and Assignment meeting this Sunday, April 20, at the San Diego Hotel from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Campaign Chairmen Harry Wax, Martin Gleich and Rabbi Morton J. Cohn reported that the campaign had reached the half way point with $150,000 alreay pledged from 450 contributors.

At the same time Harry Wax, General campaign /chairman, announced the appointment of two additional leaders in the campaigns. Bernard Arenson will co-chair the Campaigner’s Division and Dr. Harry Ruja will again head the Student group.

The Campaigners’ and Marchers’ Division will make their assignments at the Workers’ meeting on Sunday. Meeting from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., workers will receive instructions and assignments from division chairmen. The program will include a showing of the film, “Second Chance,” which deals with the plight of Polish Jewry.

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Editor To Speak At Center Lecture
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 1

The walls of the large meeting room of the Jewish Community Center will have to be “pushed out” to accommodate the crowd that will want to hear Harry Golden on Sunday, April 27, at 8 p.m.

This prediction was made by Mrs. E. Al Slayen, Chairman of the Center’s Lecture and Concert Series, in announcing the coming of the North Carolina Publisher and Editor of the ‘Carolina Israelite’ as the third attraction in the series. He will speak on “Whither American Jewry.”

Over 350 local subscribers to Golden’s paper “The Carolina Israelite” “would do anything but miss the opportunity of meeting him face to face,” said Mrs. Slayen. “He’s a scalpel-wielding liberal from the old South; an East side product of New York who migrated to the South to become the Editor of the most quoted Jewish newspaper in America.”

Golden speaks at the Jewish Community Center on Sunday, April 28, at 8 p.m. Admission at the door is $1.50.

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C.J.F.W.F. Appoints Local Leaders
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 1

Eight San Diego Jewish community leaders have been appointed to lay positions on national committees of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, it was announced this week by Herbert Abeles, Newark President. The United Jewish Fund of San Diego is a member agency of the CJFWF.

They will join with more than 800 Jewish leaders from all parts of the United States and Canada who, as the leadership corps of 18 national committees, will help formulate programs and guide every aspect of Jewish Communal activity—community organization and fundraising, health and welfare programs and services, campaign publicity and community interpretation and various administrative functions.

The San Diego leaders and the committees on which they are serving are: Publicity Services – Irving Alexander; Women’s Communal Service – Mrs. Gabriel Berg; Aged Care—Dr. Oscar Kaplan and Maxwell Kaufman; Regional Services, Community Organizatijon and Budget and Finance – Eli H. Levenson; Budget Practices – Dr. Joshua Rittoff; Campaign Planning – Milton Y. Roberts and National-Local Relations – Victor Schulman.

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Personals
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 2

Beautiful scenery, skiing and plenty of laughs were some of the reasons Miriam Drogin, her daughter Carol, son Harry and Dora Friedman found their vacation of one week far too short. They saw Yosemite National Park in all it glory, were greeted by a reception committee of deer, and drove over the 7200 foot, snow-covered Badger Pass to San Francisco before returning home.
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A Bon Voyage party will be held on April 25 for Miss Freda Doktor. Her hostess will be her cousin, Mrs. Jane Feldman. Miss Dokter, who has lived in this country four years, said that she has found American people to be kind, helpful and understanding and will look forward to a return trip. She will sail for England on the SS Queen Elizabeth on May 14.

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Dr. and Mrs. Morris Gleich of New York City have been making San Diego their second home. Most of their time is spent with their son Martin and his family. They have been here for the winter months and plan to return to New York in May.
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A birthday party will be held on April 19, at 2:30 p.m. in the Hebrew Home for the Aged, honoring Mrs. Betty Ezra, mother of Marie Isaacs Richards. Friends are invited to attend.

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Molly and Bill Solof hosted a birthday party for their grandson, Scott, aged one year. Only girls were invited.

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Dr and Mrs. Charles B. Fishel of Cleveland, Ohio, are visiting their children. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph I. Feldman and grandson, Earl. Tnhey plan to visit their granddaughter, Joanne, who is attending JUCLA.

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Irving R. Stone will be in San Francisco and Monterey next week, attending a series of conferences. He will be at the meeting of the Chief Psychologists at the Calif. State Dept. of Mental Hygiene and the joint meetings of the Western Psychological Assn., California State Psychological Assn. and the Assn. of Clinical Psychologists in Calif. State Civil Service. He is to appear on a panel of the last named organization. He is Chairman of the Legislative Committee of the California State Psychological Assn. Upon his return, he leaves for two weeks of active duty with the Navy during which he will conduct a special research study.

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On Saturday evening, May 3rd, Ellen Maye Okun will entertain 50 of her friends at a dinner-dance at the Lafayette Hotel. The party is being given by Ellen’s parents in honor of her Bas Mitzvah.
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The S.W. Jewish Press was instrumental in reuniting old friends. Phil Abrams noted that Dr David Dressler, Associate Professor of Sociology at Long Beach State College, was the speaker for the San Diego Open Forum and arranged for a reunion when he came to San Diego. They hadn’t seen each other for 33 years when they were members of a Club of teenagers in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Earl Feldman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph I. Feldman, won the first award in the Junior Mathematics Division at the San Diego Science Fair. Earl is a ninth grader at the Horace Mann Junior High.

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Mrs. Neil Himmel wishes her friends to know that after nine months illness she many now receive visitors.

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Betrothal
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 2

At a reception given by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Platt on April 13th, Shern Howard formally announced his engagement to Linda Gayle Shutlz, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hebert Shultz of Los Angeles. The reception for over two hundred guests was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Wolff.

Shern will graduate from Law School at UCLA this June at which time the young couple plan to be married. Linda who attends UCLA is a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi Sorority.

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Pioneer Women To Hold Fashion Show
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 2

President Rose Weitzman of the Pioneer Women Negba Club invitees members of the community to attend their annual luncheon and fashion show, to be held on Thursday, May 1, at 12 noon, in the home of Mrs. Feller, 5290 Canterbury Drive. The donation of $1.00 will include a door prize.

Mrs. Rose Kaufman, a member of the National Advisory Board, will be the guest speaker. Mrs. Kaufman, a graduate of Western Reserve University in Cleveland, has served the Pioneer Women in many capacities both here and abroad . Her vast fund of information and personal experiences make her one of the most popular speakewrs to visit San Diego. In 1955 the Women’s Division of the Jewish National Fund, comprising Hadassah, Mizrachi Women, Pioneer Women, B’nai B’rithu and cooperating women’s organizations honored her by dedicating a Rose Kaufman Forest in Israel as a new project.

For reservations phone JU-3-4492 or CY 6-2905.

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Bas Mitzvah
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 2

Ellen May Okun, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Max Okun, will become a Bas Mitzvah at Beth Jacob Synagogue at 8:00 p.m. Friday May 2.

Members and friends are cordially invited. Receptionw ill follow.

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Bar Mitzvah
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 2

Mr. and Mrs. Ray M. Lieberman announce the Bar Mitzvah of their son, David Bennet, on Friday, April 18, at 8 p.m. in Temple Beth Israel.

Friends are invited to attend the services and the reception following.

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Cradle
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 2

It’s a good thing that father Harvey Gassman is a Doctor. On March 24, his new son, Allen Norman, 8 lbs, decided to surprise his mother Yetta by arriving at home. His brothers and sisters are Shirlee, 11 ½, Cahrles 8 ½, Marcella 6 ½, Adele, 5, and Clarice, 3

The happy maternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Zeitlin of Pennsylvania and the paternal grandparent is Mr. Gassman of Chicago.

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Mr. and Mrs. Jack B. Meyers finally hit the jackpot and the prize was a baby girl, Maribeth born April 9, weighing 7 lbs 4 ozs. On hand to serve her are brothers Philip, David and Steven.

Maternal grandmother is Ida Addis of San Diego. Paternal grandmother is MRs,. Molly Meyers.

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And now there are three… Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Hurwitz presented their 6 year old twins, Elaine and Danny with a new brother, baby William Donald, 7 lbs, 4 ozs, born on March 30.

The happy maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Feinberg, greatgrandma, Mr. Bertha Feinberg, and paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. David Hurwitz, are all San Diegans.

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Women’s League To Hold Kitchen Shower
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 2

The Women’s League of the Jewish Community Center will hold a Kitchen Shower on Friday, May 2, noon, at the new Center. Contribution will be $1.50 for the shower gifts to supply the neces {line dropped} heading of My Hyman Kitaen at the Center. Those attending will be the guests of the Women’s League for the home cooked luncheon,. Mrs. Norman Gelman, president, is looking forward to meeting members and those interested in the constructive work of the League.

A Volunteer Bureau, under the heading of Mrs. Hyman Kitaen, has been formed. Volunteers are needed for every type of office work. Swimming instructors and helpers in the Nursery School are also needed. If you can spare a few hours a week phone Mrs. Kitaen at AT 1-4140 or the Center JU 3-3300.

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Interfaith Awards
Southwestern Jewish Press, April 18, 1958, Page 2

At an Interfaith Luncheon held on April 17, at Wesley Foundation, the Henry Weinberger Memorial Interfaith Award of $100 was given to Hugh Smith. The Steinman Interfaith Award of $50 was presented to Amos Johnson. The young men received the award for promoting interfaith cooperation on campus.

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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, located just above the masthead on the right hand side of the screen.