Page S;r1 -een

THE JEWISH NEWS

A Chaplain Reminisces

Rabbi Tells of Ministering
To All Faiths in N. Guinea

By CHAPLAIN ELIEZER LEVI

(As Told • to Ben Samuel)
EDITOR'S NOTE: Chaplain Levi, first Jewish Army Chaplain
assigned to New Guinea in the early days of the South Pasific fight-
ing, enlisted in 1942 in Australia where he had gone to live with his
wife and two children several years ago. He visited Detroit to
see his sister and brothers, Mrs. Leo Weisenfeld, Abbe and David
Levi, enroute to Percy Jones Hospital, recently. He has been re-
assigned to a post in New York.
Rabbi Levi, a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary of
America, is well known in Detroit, both because of the numerous
relations residing here as well as his many visits in the course of
which he has delivered sermons as guest rabbi at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek.

Schafer Is Advanced
To Rank of Captain

July 21, I-944

Army Officer Accepting Ambulance
Given by Parents of Invasion Hero

Mr. and Mrs. Alex Schafer of
Hazelwood Ave. were notified
this week that their son, Lt. Max
J. Schafer, who has been over-
seas for 18 months and is now
•'''*w in Persia, h a s
' been advanced
to the rank of
Captain.
Capt. Schafer,
who was corn-
missioned Lieu-
tenant in April,
1942, was grad-
uated from
Wayne Univer-
sity in chemical
Capt. Schafer engineering. He
was attached to the Ordnance
Section of the War Department
before leaving for active service
on April 21, 1941. He is a grad-
uate of Central High School.
A former president of Cardi-
nal Club, he was one of t h e
group's mainstays in the Jewish
Center Baseball League, playing
second base.

I organized Sunday services write to their folks. I must have
for the Protestants on board the written to the families of hun-
ship that was bringing myself dreds of servicemen.
and a large contingent of Amer-
In the jungle, men are forced
ican fighting men to New Guinea. closer together. The Protestant
For an army chaplain, there is decides that the Catholic boy he
—Spencer-Wyckoff Photo
Lt. John Heinz, extreme right, accepted the ambulance pre-
no such thing as denomination. ignored before "isn't such a bad
sented by Mr. and Mrs. Abe Miller (center) to the U. S. Army in
He must be prepared to serve egg after all." Primitive condi-
memory of their son, T/4 Morris Miller, who died in action in
all faiths a n d tions increase the spirit of friend-
France
on June 10. The presentation ceremony took place last
creeds. Since I liness and tolerance. There are
Monday at the plant of the Miller Laundry Machinery Co. on Harper
was t h e only no bigots in foxholes.
Ave. Another son of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, Hyman, is a seaman
chaplain on
They are a curious lot, these
second class. He appears on the extreme left.
thoard, the con- fighting men of ours whose
duct of Protes- minds and hearts have never
t a n t religious stopped thinking along civilian
services was my lines. One night I lay in a fox-
responsibility.
hole while Jap planes swarmed
I was anxious overhead and further down the
A graduate of Central high
find someone line I could hear a sergeant re- and a student at Detroit Tech,
Men and women of all faiths ceived our paper regularly until
to sing for these citing Shelley, a private quoting Theodore M. Bale, who recently joined on Monday in paying trib- his departure for France with
Chaplain Levi services, and I Shakespeare!
passed his 18th birthday, had ute to the memory of T/4 Morris the invasion troops.
combed the crew searching for
left for Service
Miller, son of Mr. and Mrs. Abe
No
Prejudice
Acknowledging the check to
a voice that would be willing to
in the U. S.
Miller of 3247 Collingwood Ave.,
The
New
Guinea
terrain
is
in-
cover
the cost of the ambulance,
lift itself on Sunday. I found
army.
who was killed in action in
Major-Gen. J. A. Ulio, writing
two. One belonged to a young clined to give the traveller a
Son of Mr.
France on June 10.
sense
of
false
security.
The
grass
Negro chap. The other voice was
and Mrs. Mau-
The memorial gathering took from the Adjutant General's Of-
the proud possession of a young- is so high that you never know rice I. Bale of
place
at the shop of the Miller fice in Washington, stated in a
ster who had joined the San what is ahead of you. One night 3 3 5 9 Cortland
Laundry
Machine Co., 8433 Har- letter to Mr. and Mrs. Miller:
Francisco Opera Co. about a I was visiting a jungle outpost Ave., he is the
"Please accept the sincere
per Ave. "where the survivors of
week before he was drafted. Be- and was walking up a road second to enter
the serviceman presented the thanks and appreciation of the
hedged
off
on
either
side
by
tall
tween them, they made some-
the service. His
United States Army with an am- War Department for this splen-
thing memorable of the service grass. I strolled leisurely up the brother, Pvt.
bulance in tribute to the de- did contribution. The patriotic
road
whistling.
When
I
reached
we held that Sunday.
Joseph L. Bale,
ceased. A plaque on the ambu- spirit which motivated your ac-
the American lines, a soldier enlisted in April, Joseph Bale
tion is indeed an inspiration."
lance carries the inscription:
Perhaps it was this service said, "Did . you just come up
"Donated by the Parents of
The check was turned over to
that accounted for my unmiti- that road?" I nodded. "Chap- 1943, and has been overseas 10
T/4 Morris Miller, 36562163, the Secretary of the Treasury
gated popularity among the Prot- lain," he said, "that whole area months.
Pvt. J. Bale, a graduate of Killed in Action June 10, 1944, and the ambulance will be sent
estant men in that outfit. When is alive with Jap patrols. We
to the division in which T/4
we got to New Guinea t hey just pulled in a bunch of pris- Central high where he starred in France."
in athletics and a freshman at
Makes Presentation
Miller had served.
wanted to make me their chap- oners a while ago."
Michigan State College before he
David Zack, a friend of the
lain.
Zd Son in Service
I found scarcely any evidence joined the army, is back in ac-
The Leveling of Ranks
of prejudice on New Guinea. On tion in Italy, serving with the family, presided at the presenta-
The Millers have one other
My first night in New Guinea, the contrary, I discovered a most
son in the service—Seaman 2/C
and a good number of nights gratifying willingness on every- infantry intelligence. He has 're-
Hyman Miller, 19 years old, who
covered
from
wounds
suffered
thereafter, I spent in a Port one's part to cooperate. I have
has been in service four months.
during
the
heavy
fighting
at
Moresby jail. The jail was one had Catholic boys address me as
He is stationed at Fort Pierce,
Anzio.
of the few buildings still intact. "Father Levi" with complete rev-
Fla., and was given a two weeks'
I shared its facilities with Gen- erence and, incidentally, I have
furlough to attend the ceremony
eral Johns' staff, who had de- met Jewish boys who never met
of the presentation of the am-
cided to make their officers' up with a rabbi before until they
bulance to the Army. He is a
quarters within its grim pre- ran into me. They seemed to find
Central High School graduate.
cincts. I soon learned that there the experience agreebale.
T/4 Miller is also survived by
is no such thing as a "front line"
The Passover Service
four sisters, Mrs. Jack (Rene)
on New Guinea, and, as far as
Our Pasover services were a
Mitnick, Florence, Nancy and
formalities go, there is no such success due to the cooperation of
A/C Alan M. Hubar, AAF, is
Eleanor.
thing as rank.
Christian officers and men who spending a 15-day furlough with
Officially my job was assistant moved heaven and earth to see his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David
to the base chaplain. I was re- that we might have the best pos- I. Hubar of 25690 York Road,
sponsible for getting supplies to sible facilities and equipment. Huntington Woods. Cadet Hubar,
all parts of the island. But I You do not just pick out a build- age 19, was graduated from
spent as much time as I could ing to use for services in those. Ro: al Oak High School in June,
travelling to all the units in the parts, and we were fortunate in 1943, before entering the . Air
Sgt. Samuel Zelby, 32, Army
area, by jeep and truck and obtaining the Red Cross building Corps. He received his college
Air Forces, of Detroit, was killed
often on foot to meet the Jew- in Port Moresby. Men of all training at Wofford College,
in action near Celebes Island in
ish men.
the Southwest Pacific.
faiths cooperated in volunteering Spartansburg, S. C., and his basic
When I had started on my as cooks and helping to make the training in Miami, Fla. He has
He was gunner aboard a B-24
T/4 MORRIS MILLER
just completed preflight at Max-
tour many months before, Army festival a gala occasion.
crippled in aerial combat by a
Intelligence had told me that if
One general sent us paper cups well Field, Ala., and will return tion ceremony. Addresses were direct hit, and becoming t h e
I could only get around to greet- for our wine. We got Wiley cook- there before being sent to ad- delivered by Howard Humphries, target of extensive attacks by 12
ing the Jewish boys in uniform, ers and volunteers helped us car- vanced navigation school.
president of the Mechanics Over- hostile interceptors. During the
*
*
shaking their hands and asking ry them through the jungle from
all Cleaners and Laundry Co.; running battle the gunners shot
WALTER SALZBERG, naval Morris Schaver, president of Ar- down a Japanese fighter and re-
them how they were, I would an army camp to Port Moresby.
be doing a tremendous job of We had matzoth, wine and pray- air cadet who is stationed in lazaroff Branch of Jewish Na- pelled all others. A forced land-
morale building. On New Guinea er books supplied by the National Minneapolis, Minn., is home at tional Workers' Alliance with ing was inevitable, but the crew
I attempted a little more. I vis- Jewish Welfare Board and ship- 2746- Glendale Ave., on a 10-day which both T/4 Miller and his members did not survive t h e
ited field hospitals and conversed ped halfway round the world for furlough. He has been in active father were associated; Philip crash. All were officially com-
with the sick.
us. We had figured on 350 guests service 13 months and now is Slomovitz, who made the pres- mended by the War Department.
for the Passover religious supper, awaiting orders for future base entation in behalf of the family.
Recite Shelley in Fox Hole
destination.
Lt. John Heinz of Headquarters
I would obtain the home ad- but 600 boys showed up.
(Copyright, 1944,
District No. 1 officially accepted Henriette Gordon
dresses of the men I met and
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
their all for freedom and human- the ambulance in the name of Enlists in WAC
the U. S. Army.
ity.
Praise for the British
Many prominent Jewish and
"The road is still hard and dif-
Miss Henriette Gordon, daugh-
ficult. The folks back home must Christian leaders attended the ter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Gordon
realize this and carry on with ceremony, and a number of De- of Petoskey, has joined the
their duties until victory. Unless troit's leading industrialists were WAC. She is the second member
one can see for himself, as I have among the '75 friends of the fam- of the Petoskey Jewish commun-
here, one cannot understand fully ily who came to pay tribute to ity to enlist in the women's mil-
the fortitude, courage and • reso- the memory of the war hero:
itary auxiliary services, Miss
The letters that servicemen Corps Intelligence, stationed luteness of the British people.
Entered Service in '43
Leola Ruth .Fryman having en-
pen to their loved ones from the somewhere in England.
Among Friends
T/4 Miller was 25 in March. A listed in the WAVES some time
far corners of the globe serve to
"Though I be in a strange land, graduate of the University of ago. Six Petoskey Jewish boys
Shortly after D-Day Major
give us at home a glimpse into Lapides, wrote:
I still feel as if I were home. I Michigan College of Engineering, are serving in the army, three
the lives of for-
"The news is good; we are am among friends and brothers- Class of 1942, he was a post- overseas. There are only 13
eign peoples and
proud
of the manner in which in-arms, of our own as well as a graduate student when he en- Jewish families in Petoskey and
to reassure us of
our
home
folks took the big sister nation, in whose hearts tered active service in January, vicinity.
the strength of
news.
It's
serious
business, and beat the love of freedom . . 1943. He was overseas. for six
the common
FIRST LT. JACK SAM LAW-
good
fortune
has
been ours so justice . . . and the right for months.
bonds of co-op-
At the University of Michigan, SON, D. C., son of Mr. and Mrs.
far. We shall continue to go for- which we fight. In this setting
eration and faith
ward to victory and uncondition- no true American can feel he was business manager of the Ben Lazowsky of 5251 Trumbull
that bind us to
strange!"
Michigan Technic, the official Ave., who was recently gradu-
al surrender of the enemy.
our allies.
Members of his family in De- publication of the students of ated from the University of De-
`Road Still Hard'
A clear and
troit were informed that he is the College of Engineering. He troit School of Dentistry, is now
vivid picture of
"The boys on the beachhead acting as chief of the Counter was a graduate of Cass Tech- stationed at Carlisle Barracks,
the British fight-
have done wonders. We must Intelligence Section of U. S. Air nical High School.
Pa. Lt. Lawson was one of the
n g spirit is Maj. Lapides
take our victories with humility, Forces in the European Theater
He was one of the first over- first to complete the Army spe-
rpainted in excerpts from letters for one must remember that of Operations. He was commis- seas servicemen subscribers to
cialized training prOgram in
of Maj. Max Lapides, Army Air there are those who have given sioned a captain 1942.
The Jewish News and had re- dentistry.

T. M. Bale Leaves
For Army Service

;AIM

Friday,

Parents Honor T-4 Morris Miller's
Memory; Give Ambulance to U. S.

,

A. M. Hubar Home
On FurloUgh Before
Continuing Studies

Sgt. Samuel Zelby
Killed In Action

Major Lapides Describes
Courage of Our Allies

