A merica (fewish Periodical Cotter

Friday, December 22, 1944

CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, 01110

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle

LETTER FROM A JEWISH G. I. IN IRAN

tional news to add from here
though the general news is good.
I have received several v-mails
from Joe and he is ok too. He
sent me birthday greetings which
came just on time. I haven't
heard from Dena for a little
while now but as the mail is
slowing up and I don't write
often myself I have no reason to
kick on that score. Since the de-
tails in your letter of the last
several weeks have all been gone
over by us before they need no
special answers. I am sure that
wo do understand each other
far better now than we have for
a long time and I am inclined to
be pleased with the tone of your
letters as I feel that you are
with mine. I do apologize for
not writing oftener, but at time
things are that way, and I am
sure that you will forgive me.
I am not going to add much
more now as I feel that I ought
to get this off and take the time
to write again to you in a few
more days. With best wishes to
all, and love to you as ever from
your son,
David Robin.

Khorramshahr, Iran,
the religious precepts of Kash-
21 September 1944
rut which they attempted to live
up to. Poverty for the most part
Dear Mother:
Please excuse your erring son was quie rampant, and it was
with heavy heart that these men
for whiling away so many long of the Palestinian group looked
(lays between letters. I realiz' about them and decided that it
now as I sit down to write to was their duty to begin a school,
you again that with the excep- a Hebrew school for the children
o these native Jews. The task
tion of the Holy Day greetings of
I have not written to you for at was immense, for it meant first
least three weeks. I do have a and foremost overcoming the
lot to say at the moment, though, prejudices and the ignorance and
and perhaps it will in a way fears at the adults, of teaching
make up for my not writing them that the cleanliness taught
between. I have at least three their children must extend to
letters of yours which I have taem also. Beginnings were slow
not . answered, but I was in a at any rate, and it was not till
rush for a week before the Holy 0 year or so ago that any real
Days, and in the course of the headway was made. Not being
(lays before that we were pre - Part 01 the group, I shall not
paring for th em. I was away go into the difficulties in detail,
from this post for almost a week, but here are the results.
On the evening of the first
as I had to take two Scrolls and
a Shofer to the other posts for day of Rosh Hashonah, a group
the New Year's services. The of American soldiers were in-
Chaplain described this as a vited to a meal and a program
Mitzvah, since it is an honor at the Solel Bondi group of
to take care of a Scroll, and a Abadan ; the meal was excellent,
good deed to help others observe the program a delightful sur-
the proper ritual. As it was, I prise. It began with the dedica-
SEGAL
took good care of the Scrolls, tion of a bust of Dov Hodz (I
and with the assistance of sev- am not sure of the spelling,
Continued from Page 4)
eral other men, we rolled the though I think that you know
Scrolls back to the proper read- whom I mean) made by one of but he said: "Well, you see, be-
ing in Genesis for the first day the men of the group. The dedi- ing a Christian in Germany was
of the Holy Day. I have learned cation was in Hebrew, with an a matter of convenience."
following.
translation
a good bit this year as to the English
While I have met only three
real meaning of the various parts Then came the highlight of the converts from Judaism, most
of the services, as ,.en as the evening. A Hebrew play in sev- Jews haven't met any; they are
significance of their proper order. eral scenes staged by the school- very few. (If the Powell River
We had a very nice turnout for children of the Hebrew School Biblical Institute went to statis-
Erev Rosh Hashonah on this established and taught by these
post, about 75 men were at the same men, beginning with a scene tical trouble it would discover
that the harvest of converted
service, including officers and a at the well where Jacob meets
nurse from the hospital here l.aban's daughter. The entire Jews has been meager, consider-
whom I didn't even know was scenes were sung by these chil- ing all the Christian sowing that
Jewish. The first day's services dren, both boys and girls of has been done, at great expense,
were as well attended, and we about 10-12 years of age, and through all the years.)
What I mean to say is that
had a Shofer, with a man who I cannot describe in words the
really knew how to blow it. This touching beauty of these little among Jews conversion to Chris-
made the atmosphere quite com- rephardic kids singing these songs tianity is not so widespread as
plete, and I really enjoyed the `The Song of Rachel,' the songs to justify an accusation of ex-
service. But the thing which I of the builders of Palestine, and tensive persecution of converts
must describe to you, and which others. Enough to say that their by Jews, comparable to the Gen-
I got a much bigger kick out of Hebrew was delightfully good tile persecution of Jews. The
their acting quite good also, but Powell River Biblical Institute
is yet to come. It is like this.
As I have mentioned in several the main point was their appear- says that in the matter of perse-
of nay previous letters, there are once, the pride and cleanliness cution "the records of the Jew-
Palestinian soldiers around this which differentiates them from ish and Gentile nations, down
neighborhood. It so happens that the neighboring children. Mom, through the centuries, run paral-
there is also a group of men I'm telling you that I haven't lel . . . Both stand guilty before
from the Solel Boneh who are seen anything like it since the the bar of God."
Oh, my dear Institute, it's
Jr working at an Oil Company in- time that the kids from the His-
stallation near here for the Brit- tadruth Kindergarten put the scarcely Christian to say that.
ish. This group consists of Pal- show on for us in Max Pine To liken them to murderous Gen-
estinian men, both Sobras and school in 1937. I was completely tiles is about the worst that has
recent arrivals, to the number bowled over. We all were, and been said about Jews. I have in
of almost 400 at present. They felt that here was a little part mind the Hitler slaughter of mil-
have a separate community of of Palestine being planted and lions of Jews, the thousands of
their own at Abadan, with their grown in Persia, the beginning Jews burned and tortured in the
own mess hall and recreation of the conditioning of these inquisitions, the multitudes butch-
center, though there are no wom- youngsters for their eventual ered when the Crusaders were
en or children there. The fami- homecoming and partaking of an marching across Europe—all in
lies are all for the most part active part in the life and work the name of Christianity; the
still in Palestine, but the men of their people. The scenes actu- pogroms in the Czar's Russia.
live as though they were still ally constituted a pageant of the I don't doubt some converts
in a homogeneous group in a immediate past history of Pal have been badly treated by Jews
Kibbutz for the most part. Not estine, of the work of the build- and there can be no defense of
all of them are members of the ers of the Land and the hopes people hatefully treating other
SoH
Boneh, and not all are for the Future. 'Chazak V'Ametz' people on account of their re-
i .,,..__
syn ulthizers of the Histadruth is the watch-word. ligion. But, thank goodness, Jews
? F>
This was only the beginning never organized to place hate on
for at matter, but for the most
part t ey are of the real working of a very fine Holy Day season, a mass destruction basis. There
group. They arrived here in for the very next morning a hasn't been any blood on our
small numbers about two and a group of six men and the Chap- hands ever since the time (we
half years ago and in this time lain were at the Sephardic Syna- were barbarians then) we march-
the oil company has found them gogue or Knesseth in Khorram- ed through Canaan. As a people
to be so valuable that their num- shshr for the Shachrit service and we have been civilized a long
bers have been increased gradu- the morning Kriah. I was with time.
What the Jew today thinks
ally till they have reached their the group, and I can truly say
present size. Upon their arrival that it was one of the most novel of conversion has been well told
they questioned the presence of Rosh Hashonah mornings which by Franz Werfel. Because he
any Jews in their vicinity, and I have spent for some years. has written books that sounded
found that there was a commu- Most of the group consisted of like a true Christian talking,
nity of a sort. The native Jews men from the This Is the Army many people thought that Wer-
are Sephardim and very oriental show, as they are now playing f e l, a Jew, had been converted.
in manners and customs. Educa- in this command. I am enclosing In his new book, "Between
was poor and Hebrew was a copy of the program of that Heaven and Earth," Werfel says
ii tion
not in great use. There were no show which I saw last night. It h e will always remain a Jew
schools for the youngsters and has really been a nice Holy . . . "Israel," he says, "is more
few of them could read and write Day all around. If you remember than a nation; it is an historical
even their native Persian or Ara- the description of the Shool in and biological order . . . into
bic. not to speak of a knowledge Ahwaz which I wrote you about, which one enters by birth never
of Hebrew. The living conditions you will have an idea of what to be released until the last day
also approached that of the other the school here was like. You but one. A Jew who steps up to
poor natives, meaning that the are already familiar with a Se- the baptismal font . . . deserts
conditions were very unhygienic phardic service so I have no rea- • • • from the side of the weak
and that a knowledge of sanita.
and thp persecuted . . . He de-
tion and modern living was al-
serts Christ Himself since he ar-
most entirely lacking, except for
I am well and there is no addi- bitrarily interrupts his historical
suffering—the penance for re-
jecting the Messiah."

-

ft

4 ,

Sisterhood of Shaarey
Zedek Luncheon Jan. 8

Plans for the Shaarey Zedek
Sisterhood's paid-up membership
luncheon meeting, the most im-
portant function of the year, are
now in progress. The event is
scheduled for Monday, Jan. 8.
at 12:30, in the Society Hall of
the synagogue, and will be high-
lighted by an address by a promi-
nent out of town woman of un-
usual reputation and achieve-
ments. Only paid-up members will
be eligible. Prospective mem-
bers who desire to attend should
promptly contact Mrs. Frank
Wetsman, acting financial sec-
retary, To. 8-6518.

Page 9

City Wide Conference of Organizations for
Religious Education to Be Held Jan. 14

For the first time in the his-
tory of local Jewish educational
effort, a representative body of
delegates from all Detroit organ-
izations and synagogues through-
out the state will meet Sunday,
Jan. 14, to discuss the problems
of youth training for practical
religious life. The function will
be addressed by Chaim Lieber-
man of New York, outstanding.
Jewish thinker and writer, who
contributes a daily column to the
Yiddish Forward and who has
written important books in the
fields of Jewish history, litera-

ture, education and religious
thoughts. The guest speaker will
deliver a talk on "Jews and
Judaism in a Gentile World."
Congregations and all commu-
nal groups are invited by Yeshi-
vath Beth Yehudah, which spon-
sors the conference as part of its
third annual Torah month, to
appoint five persons each to the
Jan. 14 meeting. Names and ad-
dresses of the delegates should
be forwarded to the Yeshivah of-
fice at Dexter and Cortland, and
individual invitations will be
mailed them.

DETROIT EDISON

this

ES

Timely items of interest and
value helpful suggestions about
cooking, lighting and appliance use.

NO LAYAWAYS, No product is more "perishable" than
electricity: for most ordinary purposes, it must be used
the instant it is made The instant you touch a light
switch in your home we must produce the electricity
you need without previous notice ... in whatever
quantity you want at any hour of the day or
night. That is why we must operate continuously;
that is why we must keep our power plants and our
"delivery system" lines, poles and substations — in top-
notch working order, "on the job" 24 hours a day.

CHRISTMAS FEAST In place of the traditional turkey

during the holidays, out Home Service Department
unveils a roast duck that's different:

Roast Duck with Orange Stuffing
3 cups dry bread crumbs 2 /3 cup orange juice

1 cup diced apple
1 /2 cup seedless raisins
4 tbsps. sugar

1/4 cup melted butter or
substitute
Salt and pepper

Mix ingredients in order given and season to taste with
salt and pepper. Add more of less liquid as may be needed,
depending on dryness of crumbs.

Duck with orange stuffing may be garnished with water-
cress or parsley and with sections of orange dipped in
thick sugar syrup. Serve duck with an orange sauce made
by adding one-half cup strained orange juice to two cups
gravy.

LONGER NIGHTS—LONGER LIGHTS„ Wondering why
you use more electricity these days? Probably it's the
season: In December, January and February dusk falls
early and nights are long and the days are often dark
and gloomy. All this adds up to longer use of lighting.
But there's a bright side to the picture: In June, July
and August the sun works overtime, and your electric
bills are usually much lower, Compare them and see!

BLACK DIAMOND Coat is precious today because it
is a critical war material needed to run steel mills and
railroads and factories as web as to heat out homes.
Coal is also burned m Edison power plants to make
electricity. If you use Les• electricity less coa' will
be burned. The problem .s as simple as that. That is
why the Government asks you to do everything you
can to save electricity. help save urgently needed fuel.

—The

.24ebzaii echia# ea.

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