Message from the GRAND ALEPH the SHOFAR GODOL offer Official Publication of AZA and BBYM of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization lan- part- City 23RD YEAR MARCH, 1947 Send address changes to The Shofar, 1746 M St. N. W., Washington 6, D. a. that Reflections on Meeting and be By EARL POLLOCK fall. Throughout my whole trip AZA, BBYM EXECUTIVES MEET wish back from last month's high- a 13- ly successful National Ex- bmit- ecutive meeting, I couldn't the Young Men Propose Discussing Plans help but think that what had Conclave, Education they Ger- been accomplished there in Changes in Dues, pro- Washington Discussed by Alephs Jews might well they mark the Shofar, Structure After Project, Paper conference as an impor- A new project was adopted and In addition to adopting a tant mile- recommendations for an increase hony in registration fees and for the national project and sug- the stone in AZA its history. publication of The Shofar by youth gesting that The Shofar be con- After two groups were passed along with a turned over to AZA as a days of care- plan to investigate reorganization house organ, executives of ful delibera- of national committees at the AZA ironed out some details the Earl Pollock tion, meeting of the BBYM Executive of the national convention, n as- representatives passed a Committee. Jewish education, intercultural re- pos- number of recommendations In addition to passing on rec- lations, and membership practices e to to the forthcoming National ommendations to be made to the indi- Convention which I am cer- In answer to a plea by Dr. Alex+ Semi- tain, if accepted, will aid national convention this Summer, ander Shafran, Chief Rabbi of . At greatly in strengthening the the BBYM executives: Roumania, the new AZA project here program and organization of 1. Discussed the national con- will be the collection of religious evolt our Order. Although many vention of BBYM and appointed AZA NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE articles and textbooks for Jews is be- and varied, these recom- Marcus Brown of Washington as MEETS.-Sc at the meeting in Washington as offi- now living in Roumania, olish mendations together aim at chairman of the convention com- cers discussed plans. Seated around the table. from The executives went on record eatre providing our membership mittee with Si Cohen as his as- left: Milt Lipsman, Lou Lederman, Myron Teitel- with increased opportunities baum, Jenard Gross, Earl Pollock, Beryl Weinstein, as supporting a plan to turn The pur- sistant. per- for initiative and responsi- Saul Lighter, Harry Brenner, and Dick Brownstein. Shofar over to youth publication. and 2. Reported on money given bility. I am sure that this Behind the committee are seen Dr. A. L. Sachar, Rabbi In turn the national office would ound for the Paris AZA chapter. Amram Prero, Harold Levy, Manheim S. Shapiro be asked to publish a monthly in- principle will meet with the 3. Voted to mimeograph a kit to approval of every Aleph. (half hidden), and Victor M. Perlmutter. Jewish youth magazine. S to give existing and prospective turb- An excellent example was Late June or Early July for a proposal that Alephs chapters more knowledge of the Convention themselves be placed in structure and program of BBYM AZA and BBYM Executives The end of June or the early had charge of editing and pub- and BBYO. part of July were dates suggested lishing The Shofar, while the 4. Called for intercollegiate from rules to be official in BBYM Adopt New Projects by the Executive Committee for ment efforts of our competent Na- the national camp convention. and tionaf Staff would be di- sports and asked that a doctor's verted to a monthly BBYO BBYO Libraries Representation will be the same certificate be required of par- Alephs to Send as last year-one delegate for each that at in magazine. Another such ticipants in BBYM tourneys. Religious Articles, To Be Sponsored 65 members within a district. nsify recommendation would give 5. Voted to recommend an ad- Texts to Roumania By Young Men In line with a committee report national officers more con- the executives voted to strengthen both viser project to aid AZA chap- nited trol over the funds ear- ters and to recommend estab- One of the most important de- Adopting a recommendation by religious and cultural activities. Na- marked for the direct They suggested a national drive to cisions made at the AZA National Cultural Chairman Alex Raider, lishment of a program for logical establish district and regional li- that expenditures of our National Executive Committee meeting in the National Executive Committee d be Organization. These meas- stepping stones from AZA to braries, more publicity for the BBYM to B'nai B'rith. Washington was that on under- of BBYM decided that the organi- book review contest, more lecture eter- ures are important steps The new BBYM project was taking a new national AZA proj- zation should undertake as its cur- tours, an attempt to establish He- their toward better self-govern- adopted calling for a drive to ect for community service. This rent national project the sponsor- brew as a course in schools of com- ment. cities where there is a sizable build up existing BBYO libraries project, in response to an appeal ship and assembling of BBYO Assumption of greater Jewish population, mandatory from Dr. Alexander Shafran, Chief community responsibility and to establish new ones where libraries in regional and district seminar on a Jewish topic of in- was likewise emphasized in Rabbi of Roumania, will be to offices. This is in line with the terest at each regional and dis- many none exist. resolutions calling for the gather and send religious articles, BBYM policy of contributing all it trict convention, and extension of For The committee will present a abolition of special initiat- prayer books and textbooks to the can to the welfare of the entire Jewish Education Committees to pters plan to the national convention for Jewish people of Roumania, district and regional levels. tion fees and more stringent a boost in membership fees with organization. The 400,000 Jews who have The Intercultural Committee felt ames enforcement of AZA rules the idea that BBYM would then survived the Nazi occupation in No specific quota or method was that an immediate recognition of icers. against blackballing and ex- be taking care of many of its own Roumania find themselves with prescribed for the participation in the importance of intercultural ac- ceive cessive pledge requirements. no material or equipment to re- Such practices are certainly administrative expenses. this project of individual chap- tivity was essential. Three sug- we build their Jewish religious and ters. The national executive body gestions were made: (1) that contrary to the ideals and Along with the recommendation cultural life. Synagogues, books. re- purposes of AZA, which that a BBYO newspaper be pub- expressed its confidence that ef- every chapter have a standing prayer books, t'fillin, taleisim and Intercultural Committee, (2) that has, from its very founding, lished by the youth groups was textbooks all were destroyed dur- fectivesimplementation of this plan members must understand Jewish- dis- stood for an organization the suggestion that a monthly Jew- ing the war. could be worked out by individual ness before attempting to promote ught The articles to be sent by AZA that cuts through all social ish youth magazine be published chapters in cooperation with local understanding between Jew and may be new or used. They may offi- and economic lines. by the national office. directors. non-Jew, and (3) that members be obtained by house-to-house must understand and tolerate be- Similarly, AZA has con- The reorganization plan will be canvassing, special programs, The aim of the project is to pro- fore asking for understanding and enor- tinually stood for genuine investigated further by the execu- search for such articles in the vide in each office a library of tolerance. service to the Jewish people. tive committee. It is likely that back members' own homes, and special resource and informational mate- G. A. G. Scores "Frat Practises" the national committees will be ause With that in mind, your Na- appeals to the Jewish members of consolidated into thrée basic com- rial which could be utilized by The Grand Aleph Godol, Earl rrect tional Executive Committee, the community through the press, mittees. every BBYO chapter or member Pollock, scored those chapters who that in response to a special ap- appeals in synagogues, temples, place certain "fraternity practises" in the area. Methods to be used your peal by the Chief Rabbi of and Jewish organizations. The ahead of AZA ideals. He stressed im- Roumania, voted unani- Are You Listed? help of B'nai B'rith lodges should include the purchase of books, the the fact that though AZA is a fra- be enlisted. solicitation of contributions of ternity it does not believe in cer- mpil- mously to undertake an all- On March 31 the old mailing All articles should be sent to books by individuals and groups, tain practises associated with Send list of this newspaper will be out campaign to gather discarded and a new one will the following address: and the stimulation of interest in "frats," The committee went on ink, Dr. Alexander Shafran religious articles for our the formation of such libraries. record as opposing collection of bility be compiled from current regis- Chief Rabbi of Roumania Each regional and district direc- initiation fees except registration e in Roumanian brethren. These trations. Chapter registrations must be sent in at once and Str. Spatarului 51 tor will cooperate with chapters in money from prospective alephs. spiritually starved Jews are must be accurate. Bucharest, Roumania compiling lists of desirable books Another financial policy was looking to us in AZA to help The packages should be plainly and magazines for BBYO libraries, handled by the executives. A Members who do not receive the marked "Religious Articles" so and in devising effective plans for resolution will be presented to the the supply the simple tools of future copies of the newspaper that they may be sent duty-free. securing these materials. All chap- national convention asking for an are requested to check with y Judaism that they need so Chapters were urged not to neg- ters were urged to begin planning increase in national dues to $1.50 their respective Aleph Mazkirs that desperately to rebuild their lect sending reports giving a list at once for participation in this a member for a year. Half of the or secretaries about registra- of all they have sent to their re- project and making an outstand- total would be allocated to AZA former religious and cultur- tion before writing to the na- gional or district directors for ing BBYM contribution to the for expenditures by the youth tional office. al centers. transmission to the national office. BBYO. group for administrative purposes.