Published Monthly by The
Phylaxis Society Public Affairs Office
and Masonic Information Center
July/August 1999
The United States
Senate voted 92-0 to commend Rev. Jesse Jackson for winning the release of the
three American soldiers captured by Yugoslavia, and held by President Sloboldan
Milosevic. The soldiers were held for a month.
The measure was sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd 33o, a West Virginia Democrat, and member of the Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction, Washington, DC. The United States Coast Guard recently honored the late Brother Alex Haley, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Roots, by commissioning a 282 foot cuter in his name. Haley has spent 20 years in the Coast Guard, and was made a Mason on sight by a Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of California. Capital planners rejected a 4-acre site near the National Mall that was proposed for a monument to slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The commission chairman is former Mayor and Past Master Harvey Gantt, a Prince Hall Mason from Charlotte, North Carolina. President Kweisi Mfume has lead the NAACP back from obscurity and into the limelight. Board Chairman is Brother Julian Bond. At the recent Convention held in New York City, Brother Rev. Al Sharpton was the keynote speaker at a young people's dinner. "The things I've seen coming out of the convention have been most encouraging," said Brother the Rev. Calvin Butts, pastor of Harlem's Abysin Baptist Church, who until now shared the same litany of complaints against the NAACP as many of its members. The latest issue of the Phylaxis Magazine list its awaited "Men of Mark: Prince Hall Freemasons in America, the 100+ Most Influential.
The first move in Alabama has been made by a private Lodge to seek recognition of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of that state, "mutual support and recognition is critical to the survival of Masonry. Knowing that fact, it has been a great pleasure to watch as Regular and Prince Hall Grand Lodges around the world have adopted resolutions of mutual recognition. Twenty-nine of fifty one jurisdictions in the United States, seven in Canada and seven national jurisdictions have done so as of the date of this letter. The United Grand Lodges of England have even granted recognition to fifteen Prince Hall Grand Lodges in the United States. Please accept the attached resolution for consideration and voting at the 1999 Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, Annual Communication. Fraternally Alex J. Harris, Master Mason, Solar Lodge # 914."
RESOLUTION FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE 1999 ANNUAL COMMUNICATION OF THE GRAND LODGE OF ALABAMA, F&A.M.
Whereas, the Grand
Lodge of Alabama, F&A.M, recognizes Grand Lodges sharing the common ideals,
philosophy and Ancient Landmarks of Freemasonry, and meet all the standards for
recognition, including, but not limited to, (a) a belief in a Supreme Being, (b)
having the Three Great Lights, including a book of sacred law on Lodge alters,
(c) prohibition of discussions of religion and politics in Lodges, and (d)
acceptance of worthy men of all religions and races; and
Whereas, the Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, recognizes that Freemasonry is based on the fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of all men, and promotes elimination of every form of bigotry, and admits to membership worthy men of all races, creeds, religions, and ethnic backgrounds; and
Whereas, Grand Lodge
of Alabama, F&AM, wishes to secure formal mutual recognition between the
Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand
Lodge Jurisdiction of Alabama, F&AM, that we may work together in peace and
harmony to further the purposes and ideals of Freemasonry.
Be it resolved that the Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, signified its intent to accomplish the following:
(1) The Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, will promote the fundamental principles of Freemasonry by doing all it can to cooperate with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Jurisdiction of Alabama, F&AM, and adopt resolutions as quickly as possible granting full fraternal recognition by each of these Grand Lodges of the other, in exactly the same form as they recognize other Grand Lodges. They will agree that there is no interest in merging the two Grand Lodges; simply recognition and fraternal cooperation between them.
(2) The Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, will cooperate with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Jurisdiction of Alabama, F&AM and do all it can to facilitate the adoption of resolutions of full fraternal recognition of each other's Grand Lodge as quickly as possible, no later than November 30 of 2000 C.E., if possible, and promote whatever changes in the Constitutions and/or Codes, of both Grand Lodges, as may be needed to implement this.
(3) The resolutions of full mutual recognition between the Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Jurisdiction of Alabama, F&AM, will include content allowing members of Lodges in each Grand Lodge to visit Lodges in the other Grand Lodge to the same extent, and under the same conditions, as members of Lodges in any other Grand Lodge that is recognized by them.
(4) The resolution of full mutual recognition between the Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Jurisdiction of Alabama, F&AM, will include content requiring the appointment of representatives who will develop appropriate continuing contacts and liaison between the Grand Lodges, organize appropriate announcements and celebrations of their mutual recognition's and fraternal relations, and plan future cooperative events and activities.
(5) The Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, agrees to act in good faith to perform such other actions as may be required to promote mutual recognition of the Grand Lodge of Alabama, F&AM, and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge Jurisdiction of Alabama, F&AM.
Signed,
Alex J. Harris,
Master Mason
Secretary, Solar Lodge # 914 (Also Historian elect)
William Howard
Pennington, Master Mason
Worshipful Master, Solar Lodge # 914
David Charles
Ortgiesen, Master Mason
Senior Warden, Solar Lodge # 914 (Also Worshipful Master elect)
Mattew Barton Allen,
Master Mason
Solar Lodge # 914 (Senior Deacon elect)
Nick Craig
Westerhofer, Master Mason
Solar Lodge # 914 (Junior Deacon elect)
Leon Zeldis, responds
to the May 1999 issue of Phylaxis Notes comments taken from the book, We, The
Black Jews Volume I and II by Yosef A.A.ben-Jochannan, page 2. The quotes from
Dr. Ben was in, support of comments made by author Joseph A. Walkes, Jr., in The
History of the United Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction and the role of the
Jews, the Scottish Rite and the Slavery of Blacks. Brother Zeldis writes
"that the message is full of violent anti-Semitic untruths. I have always
understood Freemasonry to be an institution that promotes tolerance and
understanding among men of different religions, cultures and nations. The
publication of such hatred and misstatements offered as facts reflects poor
judgment if not worse.
May I point out a few
of the errors in that section. The author (Dr Ben) writes: "From 1947 C.E.
white Jews, officially through Israel's Knesset (parliament) consistently denied
the 'Right of Return' to Black Jews." First, the Knesset - Israel's
parliament - did not exist in 1947. The first election to the first Knesset took
place in 1949. This is just a small example of the lack of reliability in the
author's information. Second, I challenge the author to give ONE example of a
Knesset resolution denying Black Jews the right of Return. This is a COMPLETE
FABRICATION! On the contrary, Israel's Governments through the years have
invested huge amounts of money and effort to bring to Israel the Ethiopian
Jewish community, that was living in abject poverty.
From late 1984 until
January 6, 1985, over 7,000 Ethiopian Jews were flown to Israel in an operation
kept secret in order to avoid the Ethiopian and Sudanese authorities preventing
this rescue. The operation stopped due to its premature disclosure, leaving
about 1000 Jews behind. These have been brought to Israel in latter operations,
such as that of March 1985, when 800 Ethiopian Jews were brought aboard American
planes (!). The effort continues to this very day, as the last remnants of the
Ethiopian Jewish community are brought home of Israel.
In June 1987, the Jewish Agency (which coordinates immigration and absorption) in its Assembly passed a resolution forbidding funding to any Israeli body that refuses to accept Ethiopian immigrants as Jews. In fact the only instance of non-recognition of Ethiopian blacks as Jews come from marginal Ultra-Orthodox circles which, by the way, do not recognize the State of Israel either.
The
Ethiopian immigrants face the same difficulties as any immigrant - adapting to
different customs, language, etc. This particular body of immigrants faced the
additional problem of moving from an agricultural society to a highly
industrialized state. Every effort is being made to integrate these Jews into
main-stream Israel society, and the sons of immigrants are already active in the
Israeli army, universities and every sector of society.
In another paragraph,
the author, writes, "the disgusting requirements that all Ethiopian Jews
must be circumcised in order to be accepted as Jews". Again, this is a
misrepresentation. ALL Jews must be circumcised, not only Ethiopian Jews. The
recent wave of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, for instance, includes
many Jews who were not circumcised in their country of origin because of
restrictions placed by the authorities and the lack of experienced circumcisers.
Many of these immigrants from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc. have the procedure
performed after coming to Israel. So Ethiopian Jews are not discriminated at
all.
Furthermore, why is
circumcision "disgusting"? Many Christian parents have their sons
circumcised as a medical procedure, as it has been proven a health measure. I
hope future issues of Phylaxis Notes will bring messages of fraternal love and
human understanding and cooperation, and not distorted views that promote
hate."
We thank Brother Leon
Zeldis for his comments and enlightenment. The Phylaxis Society has always
attempted to promote fraternal love and understanding. Dr. Ben is well respected
in the Black community in the United States, his books and lectures are well
received, by African-Americans. However, we thank Brother Zeldis for correcting
any misinformation -that was published in the Phylaxis Notes. Brother Zeldis can
be reached by E-mail at Izeldis@netvision.net.il. The History of the United
Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction from that body at the Scottish Rite
cathedral, 1514-20 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146-2123.
We are excited to report that in the next issue of the Phylaxis Magazine, will be published "Warriors of Christ: A Study in Masonic Knighthood" by Brother Charles Johnson MPS, in support of being awarded actual status as a Fellow of the Phylaxis Society. There are two divisions of Fellows in the Society, most are Honorary, and a handful are actual Fellows who have written "Masterpieces" that have appeared in the Phylaxis.