THE JEWISH NEWS
Page Eight
Friday, 'Unwary 10. 1947
View Rote of Haifa Technion
In Zion's Economic Future
Application of scientific skill to Palestine, and the development of
industry and agriculture in the Jewish Homeland under the direction of
technically trained men who received their education at the Hebrew Tech-
nical Institute in Haifa, was acclaimed at the dinner of the Detroit Chapter
of the American Society of the Institute, Monday evening, at Huyler's.
Dr. Shlomo Kaplansky, president of the Institute, popularly known as
the Technion, described the rise of the Institute and told of its achievements
clUring the past 22 years of its educational activities.
Prominent leaders in all phases of Jewish activities in Detroit attended
the dinner, at which Benjamin Wilk, treasurer of the Detroit Chapter,
announced $30,000 already has been raised from Detroit Jews as a result;
of the current campaign. A gift of $10,000 from Mr. and Mrs. Samuel
Brody is included in this sum.
Outlines Program of Detroit Chapter
Louis Gelfand, president of the Detroit Chapter, presided and outlined
the program of the local organization. Rabbi Leon Fram gave the invocation.
AMONG THE PROMINENT Detroiters at the Technion dinner were,
left to right: Louis Davidson, Mrs. Louis Davidson, Mrs. Israel Davidson,
Israel Davidson, Mrs. Abe Kasle, Abe Kasle, Mrs. Louis Berry, Irwin L
Cohn and Louis Berry.
Judah Wattenberg, national director of the Technion, told of the
achievements of the American Society and declared that the organiz-
ation has focused attention on technical skill in Palestine's problems.
Praising the efforts in behalf of the Detroit
Chapter of the three presidents who preceeded Mr.
Gelfand—Harvey H. Goldman, Karl Segal and
Louis Redstone — Mr. Wattenberg said in this
country Techn , . .m has succeeded in attracting to
the work of technical advancement in Palestine
men like Philip Sporn. William Fondiller, J. W.
Wunsch and Prof. Albert Einstein, the latter serv-
ing as chairman of the Kisch Memorial Fund with
which new laboratories will be built at the
Techn ion.
Kay Tells Kaplasnsky's Early Activities
Dean Arthur Neef. provost of Wayne 'Uni-
H. H. Goldman versity, welcomed Dr. Kaplansky to Detroit in be-
half of Dr. David D. Henry, president of Wayne,
the university's faculty, staff and students.
Leon Kay, vice-president of the Detroit Chapter. in his intro-
ductory remarks told of Dr. Kaplansky's early activities, as secretary
of the World Jewish National Fund, as one of the organizers of
Histadrut, as a leader in the Jewish Socialist movement.
Describing the rise of Palestine's Jewish community and the
manner in which Jews have become rooted in the soil and as a
highly professional class, Dr. Kaplansky told of the development of
Hebrew culture in Eretz Israel and the advancement made by Jews
technically.
"We have hack to establish a sound Jewish economy in Pal-
estine and we have become soil-, sea- and air-minded," Dr.
Kaplansky said. "All of which means that we have had to be-
come technically-minded, and the Technion has been a pioneer
in Jewish technical education in Palestine."
Describes Early Struggles of Technion
Describing the early struggles of the Technion, Dr. Kaplansky
recalled the battle waged around the language question when the
first directors. the so-called "German administration," attempted to
introduce German as the medium of instruction. The Jews of Pal-
estine demanded Hebrew. Thanks to the Technion, Dr. Kaplansky
said. Hebrew became the dominant language in all Palestine schools.
"It was a question whether modern technical subjects could be
taught in Hebrew. and by making this possible we succeeded in con-
tributing toward the development and modernization of the Hebrew
language." he added.
D. Kaplansky described how, throughout the years of its ex-
istence. Technion trained technicians and highly skilled engineers.
__ad to Create Jewish Agricultural Economy
"We had to create a Jewish agricultural economy amidst a
peasantry known as fellaheen, for men and women who wanted to
preserve the standards of living
they brought with them to Pal-
estine," he said. "These stand-
ards called for four times the
amount of fellaheen eked out of
Palestine's soil. Income there-
fore had to be increased to sus-
tain a Jewish peasantry on a de-
cent standard of living. We have
ae hit ed this. It was a problem
for the biologist and the chemist.
We had to introduce studies for
the selection of seed and cattle,
but without help of the engineer
the problem could not have been
solved.
We had to introduce machin-
ery, design irrigation schemes,
AMONG THE GUESTS at this table are, reading from the
drain swamps. This required the
aid of civil engineers. Roads had
(Continued on Page 9)
right: Mrs. Morse Saulson, Mrs.
'Joseph H. Ehrlich, Mrs. Ralph Davidson, Bill Davidson, Mrs. Maurice Landau, Maurice Landau,
Miss Dorothy Davidson and Bill Saulson.
SAMUEL BRODY, standing at left, contributed $10,000 for the Technion
and his gift spurred the local drive for the Kisch Memorial Fund to success.
Among those shown in this photograph are Judge and Mrs. Theodore Levin,
Prof. Samuel M. Levin, Judge William Friedman, Fred M. Butzel, Morris
L. Fruman and William Hordes, standing at right.
PRINCIPAL FIGURES
at
Monday night's Technion din-
ner were: Seated, left to right:
LOUIS GEUFAND, chairman
of the Detroit chapter; DR.
S H L O M O KAPLANSKY,
guest speaker; LEON KAY,
vice-chairman of the chapter
who introduced Dr. Kaplan-
sky ; JUDAH WATTENBERG,
national Technion director;
DEAN ARTHUR CARR of
Wayne University College of
Engineering; DR. ARTHUR
EEF, provost of Wayne Uni-
versity.
A PORTION of the audience of nearly 350 men and women who at-
tended the Technion dinner. Dr. Arthur Neef, provost of Wayne Univer-
sity, is shown standing at right in the phdtograph, officially welcoming
Dr. Kaplansky to DetrOit in behalf of the faculty and students of Wayne.
(All Photos on this gage by Paul Kirsch, Jewish News Staff Photographer)