As the Editor
Views the News ..

Twin Village of Merhavia

Whither Education, Uncle?

Personalized Picture
Of Moshav and Kibbutz

Syrian Armistice

Political and strategic significance has
been given to the Israeli-Syrian armistice
signed last week.
After more than six months of negotia-
tions, Israel has concluded a cycle of armis-
tice talks and has reached decisions for an
end of military operations with all her neigh-
boring Arab states.
The Syrian armistice provides for the
retreat of all of Syria's military forces from
strategic positions affecting the vital area
of the Jordan River and Lake Tiberias. The
terms of the armistice recognized the prin-
ciple that there should be no military or
political advantage gained and that the
rights of the parties involved should not be
prejudiced.
Thus, thanks to the efforts of UN Pales-
tine Mediator Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, Henri
Vigier, UN political adviser, Brig. Gen. Wil-
liam Riley, chief of the staff of the truce
supervision organization, Israel's Foreign
Minister Moshe Sharett and his staff, an-
other triumph has been scored in efforts to
effect peace in the Middle East.
By concluding peace agreements with
Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, "wise
statesmanship on the part of both parties"
has been in evidence, according to Acting
UN Secretary-General Byron Price, who also
stated that these agreements "prove once
again that the processes of mediation and
conciliation employed by the United Nations
are bearing fruit." Mr. Price said: "The suc-
cess of these methods in Palestine will be an
inspiration to all United Nations missions
engaged in this work."
These triumphant peace efforts point the
way once again to the realization of the
prophetic dream that "out of Zion shall go
forth the Law and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem."

Nordau Centennial

Today—July 29—marks the 100th anni-
versary of the birth of one of the greatest
Jewish personalities of the 19th and 20th
centuries, the colleague of Dr. Theodor
Herzl, the man whose analyses of political af-
fairs as they affected the Jewish people were
always the landmarks of World Zionist Con-
gresses : Dr. Max Nordau.
Long before he took his place by the side
of Herzl in the Zionist movement, Nordau
was among the most discussed philosophic
writers of his time. His "Paradoxes" and
"Conventional Lies of Civilization" stirred
up worldwide interest. When he came to
Zionism he had given to the Jewish national
causes added fame.
Nordau believed that "either Judaism
will turn to Zionism or it will cease to be."
While it is not as strong a statement as
Herzl's famous admonition : "Zionism calls
for a return to Judaism even before there is
a return to Zion," it indicated his deep-rooted
faith in the effort to effect the rebirth of
Jewish nationhood.
Although there have been serious differ-
ences of opinion between President Chaim
Weizmann of the state of Israel and Nor-
dau, the former's high regard for the emi-
nent philosopher's evaluations of Jewry's
status, at Zionist Congresses, was expressed
in the following Weizmannian statement:
"Nordau's concept of anti-Semitism was dif-
ferent from ours. But it was a bugle call
sounded all over the world, and the world
took note."
It is proper that the Zionist movement
should utilize the 100th anniversary of Nor-
dau's birth for a revival of interest in the
great man and his works and for worldwide
tributes to the leader who gave so much
courage to Herzl in the trying early days of
Zionist struggle for recognition. Nordau's
name always will live as a blessing in the
annals of Jewish history.

THE JEWISH NEWS

Member: American Association of English-Jewish News-
papers, Michigan Press Association.
Services: Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Seven Arts Feature
Syndicate, King Features, Central Press Association, Palcor
News Agency.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing
Co,. 2114 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit 26, Mich., WO. 5-1155.
Subscription $3 a year; foreign $4.
Entered as second class matter Aug. 6, 1942 at Post Office,
Detroit, Mich., under Act of March 3, 1879.

PHILIP SLOMOVITZ, Editor
SIDNEY SHMARAK, Advertising Manager

VOL. XV—No. 20

Page 4

July 29, 1949

Sabbath Scriptural Selections

This Sabbath, the fourth day of Ab, 5709, the
following Scriptural selections will be read in
our Synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion—Deut. 1:1-3:22.
Prophetical • portion—Is. 1:1-27.
Tisha b'Ab Scriptural Selections, Aug. 4
Pentateuchal portions: Morning, Deut. 4:25-
40; afternoon, Ex. 32:11-14;34:1-10.
Prophetical portions: Morning, Jer. 8:13-9:23;
afternoon, Is, 55:6-56:8.

Merhavia. By Dorothy Bar Adon,
Published by Youth and Hechalutz Department
Zionist Organization, P.O. 92, Jerusalem, Israel

Tisha ID'Ab and Sabbath Nahamu

Changes are inevitable in Jewish life with the rebirth
of the state of Israel. In the course of time, old traditions
will be amended, many established practices will be altered
and new ones introduced.
Many of our people undoubtedly are asking themselves:
"What will happen to Tisha b'Ab—and to the Sabbath
Nahamu (Sabbath of Consolation) that follows it ? Will Jew-
ry continue to observe the sad day and the happier Sabbath
which has been moulded for us as a consoling instrument?"
For nearly half a century, Jews were asked to con-
tribute funds for land redemption in 'Israel on the anni-
versary of the destruction of both the First and Second
Temples—on Tisha b'Ab. On Sabbath Nahamu we recited
the famous chapter of Isaiah: "Comfort ye, comfort ye My
people,' and on both occasions our people were asked to rally
in support of the cause for Jewish national redemption. What
now, in the era of realized redemption ?
The observant Jewish community apparently will con-
tinue to wend its way to the synagogues on Tisha b'Ab, which
this year will be observed on Wednesday eveninc, and Thurs-
day, Aug. 3-4. The Book of Lamentations will 6 be read and
the Kinoth will be recited. But there will be a ifew spirit,
created by the reality of Jewish statehood.
Similarly, new interpretations will be given to the Sab-
bath of Consolation. When we read the fortieth chapter of
Isaiah on that day, there will be new emphasis on the sen-
tence:

Bid Jerusalem take heart,
And proclaim unto her,
That her time of service is accomplished,
That her guilt is paid off;
That she hath received of the Lord's hand
Double for all her sins:

There is no diminution of spiritual significance in the
entire Prophetic chapter which begins with the words "Com-
fort ye . . ." In the era of liberation Israel will repeat again
with fervor, the words of Isaiah, after more than 22 Cen-
turies of Sabbath observances:
0 thou that tellest good tidings to Zion,

Get thee up unto the high mountain;
0 thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem,
Lift up thy voice with strength;
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say unto the cities of Judah:
Behold the Lord God will come as a Mighty One,
And His arm will rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And his recompense before Him . .
All the nations are as nothing before Him;
They are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity . .
His discernment is past searching out.
He giveth power to the faint;
And to him that hath no might He increaseth strength.
Even the youth shall faint and be weary,
And the young inen shall utterly fdll;
But they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles;
They shall run, and not be weary;
They shall walk, and not faint.

.

The faith we possessed throughout the centuries has
helped us carry on a struggle for freedom. That faith is
needed today, and the words of Isaiah are as necessary at
this time as they were prior to Israel's liberation.
It is equally as necessary that the work of redemption
go on, that the instruments of construction be moulded with
sincerity and courage. The work of creating homes for the
homeless goes on without interruption. Israel is being built
in faith. And the faith that has made possible the triumphs
of liberty must be supplemented with labor—with the help
that comes from awe-inspired and faith-animated people
who are determined that there shall be an end to suffering.
For those who help build Israel, the new interpretations for
Tisha b'Ab and Sabbath Nahamu provide no problems, The
work goes on. The land must be redeemed. The Jewish Na-
tional Fund's traditions for these two days continue. And
those who carry on these tasks provide reality for the words
of Isaiah that

"They shall walk, and not faint"

In this pocket-size booklet, Mrs. Bar-Adon
presents a personalized picture of a Moshav and
Kibbutz growing side by side in the Emek of
Israel.
The two communities depicted share the
name Merhavia, the services of a Histadrut
Kupat Holim clinic and their consecration to
the renaissance of Israel. Aside from that com-
mon ground the author paints life in these sepa-
rate societies in terms of their contrasting theo-
ries of community organization and family life.
Through Mrs. Bar-Adon's own first-hand ex-
perience the Moshav's communal living practices
and the collectivism of the Kibbutz are detailed
in terms of the inhabitants' daily lives. The par-
ticular problems of living in each society, their
hardships and benefits, are brought to light in
great detail. While the Kibbutz is noticeably
favored throughout, each of the settlements is
credited with a poignant evaluation of their
worth to the upbuilding of Israel.
Woven through the factual and authoritative
information on life in these two communities
is a strong flavor of inspiration with which
Merhavia seems to have engendered the author.
Mrs. Bar-Adon is often captured with a spirit
of intense enthusiasm as she lends herself to a
description of the valley, or some aspect of life
in the kibbutz.
The booklet also contains • photographs of
Merhavia and its people, together with interest-
ing material on the early history of the colon-
ization of the Emek, including information on
the purchase of the land of Merhavia from the
Turks and the coming of the first Jewish settlers
in 1910.
Though the booklet is not exhaustive in its
coverage, still it presents a concise picture of
an integral part of Israeli life. Readers will find
much to add to their understanding of life in
Israel, especially the workings of Israel's unique
social experiment, the Kibbutz.
In capturing the spirit of the settlers of the
Emek and especially of Merhavia, Mrs. Bar-Adon
chose to end her work with this quote:
"You are forbidden to be sad! Anyone who is
sad won't see the prophet Eliahu. Every night,
Eliahu comes down to see how much land we
have ploughed in our country. When we shall
have ploughed and sown all the land, Eliahu
will come with the Messiah. Every furrow shor-
tens the way of the Messiah. So we must sow
and reap with love and joy."

—A. S.

Facts You Should Know .

Why is it customary for mourners to sit
upon low stools during the seven-day mourning
period?
The Talmud derives this from the Book of

Job where it is stated that Job's friends sat
down with him "near to the ground." To a
mourner, death is a means to humility. It sort
of "brings us closer to earth." It shakes the
greatest of men loose from pride and haughti-
ness. And sitting lower than usual makes us feel
humble. Some claim that it brings us nearer
to the loved one buried in the earth. Others say
it is a reminder that every human body is only
a limited distance from the earth, the source
and final end of the human body.

•

Why does the "Shohet" make a special prac-
tice of covering the blood of the chicken he
slaughters?
There is a commandment in the Bible which

says, "And whatsOever man there be of the
children of Israel, or of the strangers that so-

journ among them, that taketh in hunting any
beast (the wild or ravenous type) or fowl that

may be eaten, he shall pour out the blood there-
of, and cover it with dust." In keeping with
this commandment the blood of fowl or wild
animals—like deer—is covered with dust of some
kind. Only fowl and ravenous beasts are in-
cluded in this ordinance and not cattle and
domesticated animals. The Baal Haturim com-
mentary on the Book of Leviticus claims that
the blood of cattle and domesticated animals
such as sheep was sanctified by the fact that
they were used in the course of sacrifices to
be sprinkled upon the altar for atonement. The
blood of most fowl and of ravenous animals
was not used on the altar.

Why does the Jewish day begin the night be-
fore?
The secular calendar is a solar calendar, and

reckons its dates according to the sun, while
the Jewish calendar is a lunar one and proceeds
according to the moon.
* . *

Why is it customary among very religious
Jews to hold parties for seven days after a
wedding?

Sources trace this custom back to Jacob
and Samson, whose wedding parties lasted seven
days. It is interesting to note that both wed-
dings and deaths are traditionally marked with
seven-day periods. Death is followed by a seven-
day mourning period and marriage by a seven-
day festival. Realizing that such a custom took
place where the bride and groom did not break
away for their honeymoon, it was quite a prac-
tical means of making the first week of married
life a merry one. Some tie the custom up with
the seven days of creation, indicating that a new.
marriage is a source of creation in Jewish life.