THE JEWISH NEWS

Page Ten

Friday, April 23, 1948

1948 -PASSOVER

Cartoons by Herb*Kruckman

Energetic Danny
Kaye Is Relaxed,
Natural Off-Stage

By LEON GUTTERMAN

(Copyright, 1948, JTA)

In contrast
HOLLYWOOD
to his energetic, high-pressure
performance on stage and screen,
Danny Kaye is quiet, attentive,
passive in person. He loves to
act. When he is not acting, he
relaxes. And off-stage he strikes
no poses. His unassuming, unaf-
fected manner is completely nat-
ural and disarming.
Like few performers, he works
as hard ip rehearsals as he does
when "on." That is because of
the intricacy of his,. numbers and
the fact that he is a relentless
perfetationist.
DANNY AND HIS- wife, when
in Hollywood, live in a newly-
furnished house. The Kayes love
to entertain at
home and go to
parties, where
Danny is inva-
riably called up-
on to do num-
bers. Sylvia
(Mrs. Kaye)
says that much
of his best ma-
terial has been
inspired by
things he has
done spontane-
ously and on the
spur of the mo-
ment in some-
body's living Danny Kaye
room. He is unfailingly oblig-
ing about this, as he is about
camp tours and appearances for
charity affairs.
DANNY LOVES to go to the
opera, the ballet, and is a seri-
ous student of the theatre. This
is not only for the enjoyment he
derives from it, but for material
for satire. Though he was an
instantaneous hit in "Up in
Arms," his first movie, neither
he nor Sylvia were content to
narrow their horizons and set-
tle for what he could do. Now
that he has signed a brand new
long-term contract with War-
ner Brothers (with Sylvia to act
as dssociate producer on all his
films), they would him to
do a picture in which he does
no specialties or numbers. Even-
tually they plan to get away
from the "scat singing" type of
number in which he is so popu-
lar.
Danny says he has no ambi-
tions to play "Hamlet," but even-
tually• wouldg like to have a fling
at serious action, simply for a
change of pace and because his
appearance and versatility give
him a chance for it.
HE HAS HIS life so arranged
that he can do one or two pie-
. tures a year, and have time to do
a play or vaudeville appearances
in the theatrical season. He nev-
er fails to pay tribute to Gold-
wyn for taking a chance on him,
?aid:- in his first screen assign-
ment, starring him in a produc-
tion which cost more than $2,-
000,000. "Nobody else would have
gambled that much on an un-
-, ... )11

•

Liberation from Egypt

—Copyright, 1948, Jewish Telegraphic Agency

A ,Story

HOME RUN

Tripolitanian Jews
Survived Fascism
To Die in Poverty

For Passover

By DR. MAEANNA CHESERTON-MANGLE

"Come on, Di Magge, slug it!"
Jess Sterling, up at bat, nodded reassuringly to his team-
mates, and waited for the pitch. He swung, and the _whack
resounded through the lot.
"Wow! That's a beaut, Jess. Come on!"
The ball kept right on going. Then there was a loud crash.

>
more. It symbolizes the bricks
which the Jews had to make
when they were in Egypt. The
parsley over there is dipped in
salt water, a reminder of the
tears the mothers shed when
theirs sons were taken from
them. The bitter horseradish
means the bitterness of slavery;
and the roasted egg stands for
new life. Matzohs, you know, are
unleavened bread. The Jews left
Egypt in such a hurry that they
had no time to let their bread
rise. They took the dough with
them and let it bake in the sun
in thin layers. Is that right,
Dad?"
"Exactly," said the father, who
then signalled for silence and
said the Kiddush.
The boys • did full justice\ to
the delicious food and didn't
miss a word of the Passover
story which Mr. Stern read from
the Haggadah. Art was asked to
open the door for the invisible
guest, Elijah, whose presence
blesses all Jewish homes on Pass-
over. But it was Ray who got
the best break. He found the
Afikornon, and the person who
finds it is entitled to a present.
That was the big moment of
the evening. As Ray handed the
AfikoMon to him, Mr. Stern got
tip. "Well, boys," he said, "I have
a real present for all of you to :-
night. Our synagogue has a plot
of ground with a shack on it
that isn't being used as a resi-
dence right now, but would do
for a clubhouse. I talked to' the
board of trustees and they're
agreed that you may use it for
a baseball diamond!" As a hub-
bub of excited voices rose
around him, he added, "And now
maybe Mrs. Stern and I won't
have to wui ry about any more
broken windows."
The boys laughed, but Ray ex-
pressed their thoughts. "That
was some home run, though, Mr.
Stern. Look what it got us—the
best Seder ever given, I'll bet."

Jess, rounding second, stopped()
short. After a moment's shocked to the Pharoah 'Let my people
silerice, Ray Jennings said: "Boy! go'."
"Despite many trials, Moses led
Right through Arnold Stern's
his people out of Egypt. After
dining room window!"
Arnold _was nursing a broken wandering for 40 years, they
leg and an unhappy spirit. He finally reached the land of Ca-
had been watching his team- naan and settled down as farm-
mates on the baseball field and ers. After a while, they cele-
thinking of the Passover holi- brated their liberation from bon-
days, only a few days off. His dage and the coming of spring,
boredom was suddenly inter- just as many farmers do the
world over. The Jews call this
rupted by the crash.
The boys shuffled toward the holiday Passover.
"Now for the dishes," Mrs.
house and Arnold called out,
"Hey, fellers, the front door's Stern went on. "In Jewish homes,
unlocked. My mother isn't home. special sets of , china are used
Come on upstairs. Where did it for the week of Passover. Spe-
cial food is eaten, too. Since
hit?"
The boys trooped into Arnold's you're all so interested in Pass-
room: Don brought up the rear. over, how would you like to
come to our Seder—and we'll
He had inspected the damage.
"Wow!" he said. "The place is surprise Arnold!" -
"What's Seder, Mrs. Stern?"
a mess. The ball landed kerplonk
Ray inquired.
on the side-board."
/ "That's the evening meal on
"Oh," Arnold groaned. "Don't the first night of Passover. 'Se-
tell me—were the Passover der' means order."
dishes on it?"
The night of the Seder was
"Well, there were plenty of Arnold's first meal downstairs.
dishes on it," Don replied. "But When he came into the dining
you sure can pass over them room, and saw his baseball team
now."
seated around the table, he had
His quip' evoked no laughter. to swallow hard.
The boys were worried. Ray,
"Okay, son," said. Mr. Stern.
who had been sitting, chin in "Now hobble over to your chair
hand, jumped up.
and we'll get 'going. But suppose
"Hey! I. have it! It's simple— you tell your friends first what
we'll turn over the money in our all these Passover , symbols
treasury to Mrs. Stern for new mean."
dishes.
"Well, fellers," Arnold. began,
Just then Mrs. Stern came in. "that roasted lamb bone stands
"Hello, boys" she said. "How for the paschal lamb which
nice of you to keep Arnold corn- Moses told the Jews to sacrifice
pany."
on the evening before they left
The boys looked sheepishly at Egypt. The .brown stuff next to
each other, and' then Ray spoke it is called `charoses'; it's made
up. "Well, as a matter of fact, of apples, nuts and cinnamon 'n'
Mrs. Stern, there was a slight stuff—and I'll bet you'll want
accident. Our ball went through
your dining room window,
and . ,"
Without a word - Mrs. Stern
rushed downstairs, the boys in
By' PAUL GOULD
her trail.
The Jews have come of age in the sports world.
Don burst out, "Mrs. Stern, we
At the very pinnacle in such pasttirries as base-
feel terrible about it; but we
have enough money in our trea- ball and football; they have pervaded all aspects
sury to buy some new dishes of competitive pastimes, including such eclectic
games as golf and tennis and such hybrid sports as
and have the window fixed."
chess and ping-pong. When Herman Barron wins
"Thanks, Ray," replied Mrs. a national golf event, it is no surprise, for Herman
Stern shaking her head. "But I is one of the top-ranking players.in the land. When
know you need money for a club- Seymour Greenberg or Sidney Schwartz capture
a national championship in tennis, that is little
house."
The boys were so insistent that reason for surprise, too. And similarly in chess the
Jews are outstanding men like Sam Reshevsky
she finally had .to give in.
Art, who had been restrain- and Isaac Kashdan — or in ping-pong, where the
sisters of Detroit were so pre-eminent they
ing himself for some • time, at Thall
were named on the American team that invaded
last found the chance to ask a Europe last year.
question. "Mrs. Stern," he said,
It is odd but true that in one pastime in which
"what are Passover dishes—and they have been for years most prominent, today
what's Passover?"
they are hardly noticeable. This is boxing. Perhaps
"Passover is a Jewish holiday," it is because the new generation of Jew, cultured
Mrs. Stern replied. "More than by collegiate processes rather than in the • school
three thousand years ago, there of hard knocks, has now been able to spread his
in more urbane circles. Certainly the rise
was a powerful Pharoah in Egypt wings
of the American Jew in college football and- base-
who forced the Jews to work for ball is an index of that. In past generations the
him as slaves. But one day, a Jews could only point to Johnny Kling as their
.1e.aclex. la aro ea..,Moses:
t--reprAmeutative -in -the. national -pastime, ..To

By JACOB MELMAN'

(Copyright, 1948, JTA)

.

TRIPOLI — A technical hitch
saved the Jews of Tripolitania-
about 30,000—from total eco-
nomic destruction. Twenty days
before the Allies arrived in 1943
in the wake of Rommel's re-
treating armies, the Italian Gov-
ernor issued a decree concen-
trating all Jews into a Ghetto,
and confiscating their property.
At the last moment it was dis-
covered that there was a techni-
cal fault in the drafting of the
decree; the Governor referred
the question to Rome. By the
time Mussolini replied, Mont-
gomery had arrived.
SO THE JEWS here survived
to live another day. But for most
of them, the threat of sudden
complete expropriation has been
followed by the practice of slow,
inexorable economic decline in-
to utter poverty and general mis-
ery. While the world coped with
inflation and too much ,spend-
ing, the Jews and the Arabs and
the Italians were faced by de-
pression and loss of trade. And
at the critical moment came the
long draught which hit Jews and
Arabs with equal ferocity.
Today only the social welfare
of the Jewish Community stands
between the prospect of starva-
tion and life for over a third of
Tripoli's 23,000 Jews. In Tripoli
city alone about 10,000 Jews of all
ages are in receipt of one form
of relief or another—about four
pence (eight cents) per day per
family.
AN INTERESTING—and prob-
ably unique—feature of this
communal ,aid of Tripoli Jewry
is that the money is not paid to
the father as head of the com-
munity, but to the mother. It
is thought that there is thus less
danger of the money being frit-
tered away on non-essentials.

Jeivs, In Sports

-

day, besides Pittler, they have such contemporary
stars as Hank Greenberg, Sid Gordon, Morrie
Arnovich, Goody Rosen, Al Schacht, Harry Pan-
ning, Moe Berg, Buddy Myer, and Dolly Stark,
the retired umpire.
,Each fall the plethora of Jewish football talent
is so great- that it is a simple matter for keen
observers to name an all-America team culled from
Jews alone. And they have gone on from college
fame to pro stature — men like Luckman, Marshall
Goldberg, Benny Friedman, Al (Biggie) Sherman,
Jack Grossman, and many others.
Unquestionably the most important winter sport,
superceding hockey, is basketball, a game which
lures more fans than any other event including
baseball. Madison Square Garden in New York has
become the "capital" of the thrilling cage game,
and the backbone of this hustling activity has in-
variably been the Jewish star.
All of these superlative performances by Jewish
athletes have a historical connotation in one im-
portant respect-=they not onry are testimony of
pre-eminence in competition with the best athletes
in their fields, but also represent a survival against
prejudice and bigotry in some ways, too. It has
not always been easy for Jews to compete on equal
footing with "Aryans" and where lines have been
drawn the ability of the 'Jew to soar to the top is
-a-tribute. to his courage as well as his •

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