Purely Commentary

By PH IpP SLOMOVITZ

"Mark My Words'—Excellent Study in Speech Structure

2 — THE JEWISH NEWS

Friday, August 26, 1949

Hadassah Opens
Honor Roll Drive
On September 9

How do YOU use your words? Are you employing the terms
in your vocabulary properly? Have you detected the charms. that
"As a child is born, so the
accompany usage of your English speech?
State of Israel has come into
Those who have missed the fun of true word selection are being," states Mrs. Alfred Meyers,
chairman of the 1949 Honor Roll
yet to learn the fascination that goes with English speech.
John Baker Opdycke, who already has won his spurs in lan-
guage moulding with his earlier books ("Get It Right," "Take
a Letter, Please," "Part and Parcel," "Say What You Mean,"
"Harper's English Grammar," and other works) has created the
outstanding book of its kind of all time—"Mark My Words: A
Guide to Modern Usage and Expression," also published by Harper.
The first paragraph in his introduction, which appears under
the title "Tweedling with Dee and Dum," interestingly .explains
the book's objective:

"Wan has found it no easy undertaking to select and adopt
the members of his word family. It has always been a difficult
and exacting and oftentimes frustrating job for him to disci-
pline and adjust the children of his vocabulary, such as it may
or may not be. And when twins or triplets or quadruplets or
(heaven help him!) quintuplets have popped up to complicate
his life, he has sometimes felt like abandoning all thought of
differentiation—if not the whole business of oral communication
—and catching as catch can by means of gibberish and gesture.
Moreover, he is and always has been busy—`rushed to death'—
and always, too, a somewhat inert animal, by no means always
able or inclined to take the time or summon the energy to
bother overmuch about splitting a dictional hair to ascertain
which slice of filament means tweedledee, which tweedledum."

Actual illustrations will show how thorough Author Opdycke
has done his job in "Mark My Words." Take for instance the
section which apPearS 'under the heading "Though he is not
Jewish, he is strongly Zionistic." Every conceivable term is
included in the Jewish area discussed by the author in a little
more than. a page of his more than 700-page book. Here is how
he covers the Jewish theme:
"Jew and Jewish are in general used in reference to any
person professing the religion of Judah and belonging to the
eastern Mediterranean division of the Hebrew stock; but you
speak not only of Jewish people, but of Jewish art, Jewish religion,
Jewish literature, Jewish customs, and so forth. Jew once meant
one of the tribe of Judah but it now pertains to any member of
the Jewish race or to anyone whose religion is Judaism. The two
words have come to be covering or generic terms for most if not
all of those that follow. Zionistic pertains to the movement
known as Zionism • .. Jewry may be used to refer to Judea in
,particular or to 'the Jewish people in general wherever they are
in the world . . . That part of a community set apart for occupa-
tion by Jews is likewise . known as Jewry, but such locality may
be called a ghetto which is probably aphaertic borghetto, diminu-
tive of Italian borgo, boro ... Semitic is correctly used to denote
a group of languages—Phoenicia-n, Hebrew, .Arabic, Aramaic,
Ethiopic. It is also the adjective form of the noun Semite mean-
ing a member of the CauCasian race represented now for the
most part by Jews and Arabs, but in ancient times including also
Babylonians, Assyrians, Aramaeans, Phoenicians, and . still other
peoples. Semitics is the term used to denote the study of Semitic
languages or of semitic peoples. Hebraic means pertaining to the
Hebrews or to their language, that is, to the Semitic language
of the ancient Hebrews. 'Hebrew ,is itself both noun and adjectife
meaning, respectively, a member - of a grbup of northern Semitic
tribes (an Israelite), and pertaining to the..Hebrews and to their
language. Hebraism may mean a Hebrew idiom, or 'it may refer
to the religion of Judaism or to any special characteristic of the
Jews. A Hebraist is a scholar in the Hebrew language . . .
Israelite derivatively means striver with God, Israel being the
name given to Jacob by the angel of God with whom he wrestled.
. . . The term Israel has thus been applied to all descendants of
Jacob, and its implications of common blood and common interests
have always been a powerful influence in integrating the scat-
tered tribes into a single nation, the modern nation established
in Palestine in 1948 now being called Israel. The citizens of this
new nation are accordingly called Israelis .. , The good old name
Israelite - generally denoting Jew and Hebrew . . has thus been
relegated to --ancient history. Palestine is the *Hebrew word
Pelesheth, land of the Philistines . . . Yiddish is the name of the
High Germane dialect formerly spoken under central European
influence and written with. Hebrew characters . . . the word
Yiddish itself being a corruption of German Judish meaning
Jewish. Yiddisher and Yid are vulgar slang derivatives of Yiddish.
The still more vulgar kike may be a play upon the - common Jewish
name Ike. Middle English kike(n), dislike or annoy, has been
suggested as having something to do with it (this is probably
an ancestor of kick). The now obsolete keek, pry or peep, is also
championed by some as cognate with both kick and kike (kyke,
keke, kek are variants of this old Word). Kike is a dictional waif,
and deservedly."
Author Opdycke goes into every derivative, knows his anto
nyms and synonyms—he goes into an interesting discourse about
the two terms in his introduction—and when, you have read his
explanation of the Eglish terms you know them and can use
them better.
-

Take another subject in his book: "Mixed marriage is one
thing, said the preacher; miscegenation is quite •nother."
Writes. Opdycke: "The first term is general; the second is
special 'and included in the first. Marriage between persons of
different religions and races is called mixed marriage
. Mis-
cegenation is Latin misceo, mix, and genus, race; this word
pertains to intermarriage and consequent interbreeding of
white and Negro races and white and Oriental races, and
sometimes to any kind of intermarriage the offspring of which
is likely to be unpredictable as to color and adjustment to
environment." This interesting paragraph proceeds to explain
morganatic marriage, civil marriage, common-law marriage, etc.

Each subject covered in this fascinating book reads like an
adventure search and application of words. "Mark My Words"
is a high class work and is one of the most informative guides
in the choice of English. It fulfills the spirit of the quotation
from Samuel Butler used by the author at the opening of his
book: "We want words to do more than they can. We try to do
with them. what comes to very much like trying to mend a watch
With a pick or paint a miniature with a mop; we expect them to
help us to grip and dissect that which in ultimate essence is as
ungrippable as shadow. Nevertheless there they are; we have
got to live with them, and the wise course is to treat them as we
do our neighbors, and make the best and not the worst of them.
But they are parvenu people as compared with thought and
action. What we should read is not the words but the man whom
we feel to be behind the words . . ."

MRS. ALFRED MEYERS

Drive of the Detroit Chapter of
Hadassah. "The rearing and
care of the infant, its education,
and its health, then become the
duty of the parents, and Ha
dassah, mother of Israel, has
assumed this burden."
The Honor Roll Drive will
open Friday, Sept. 9, with a
workers institute and distribu-
tion of kits, followed by the
opening luncheon Tuesday, Sept.
13, and the $100 dinner on Oct.
19. A Victory Town Hall pro-
gram is being planned for Nov.
9.
Top priority for this year's
funds goes to the Hadassah
Medical Organization, now grow-
ing rapidly to meet the needs
of the new nation. In addition
to the hospitals previously func-
tioning, there are now the Ha-;..
dassah-Yassky Hospital in Beer-
Sheba, the Hebrew University
Hadassah Medical School, the
new Ramat-Hadassah . Szold Re
Ception. Center in AlOnim,: and
a 120-bed TB hospia,1 iri 'Sal-ed.
Assisting Mrs. Meyers in the
chapter organization are: Co-
chairrnan, Mrs. Stanley Akers;
executive secretary, Mrs. Bud
Blum; Honor ' Roll secretary,
Mrs. Herman Prady; assign-
ments, Mrs. Harry Barnett;
treasury gifts, Mrs. Joseph Ges-
chelin; publicity, Mrs. Robert
Drews, Mrs. Sidney Marwil; edu-
cation panel, Mrs. Joseph Fen-
ton; membership, Mrs. M. J.
Greenberg, Mrs. N. Lippit; Youth
Aliyah, Mrs. Merwyn K. Gros-
berg; clerical, Mrs. Ben Green;
program, Mrs. Harold Koenigs-
berg; memoriams, Mrs. Jacob
Ellenstein; Honor Roll book,
Mrs. Max Dushkin, Mrs. Max
Lichter; 'dinner, Mrs. Harry L.
Jones; arrangements, Mrs. Da-
vid Flayer; advisory, Mesdames
Joseph Ehrlich, Max Frank, Hy-
man C. Broder, Maurice Lan-
dau, Harry L. JackSon, Harry L.
.
Jones, Ralph Davidson.

Ressettlement Service
Appoints New Aide

Helen Baum Lewis has been
appointed assistant executive di-
rector of Resettlement Service,
the Detroit Jewiih community's
agency for aid to refugees, Judge.
Theodore Levi n, Resettlement
S e r vice pr,esident, announced.
Harold Silver is executive direc-
tor.
A graduate of the Pennsylva-
nia School of Social Work, Mrs.
Lewis comes to Resettlement
Service with 20 years of ex-
perience in Jewish social service
agencies in Philadelphia, New
York and Chicago.
Mrs. Lewis will assist in ad-
ministering and strengthening
the services to displaced per-
sons coming to Detroit. A total
of 20 families or some 500 in-
dividuals are expected to come
here in 1949, under arrangement
with the national United Service
for new Americans.
Resettlement S e r vice is a
member agenCy of the Jewish
Welfare Federation and a' bene-
ficiary of the Allied Jewish Cam-
paign_

Detroit's Education Observance

Will Begin With Rosh Hashanah

Annual observance of Education Month, sponsored by
the United Hebrew Schools of Detroit, will commence with
Rosh Hashanah, it was announced this week.
Jacob Kellman and Daniel Cullen are co-chairmen of this
year's Education Month committee, Abe Kasle, president of
the schools, announced recently.

Simultaneous with the an-
nouncement of the Education
Month plans in Detroit, it became
known that 17 of the major na-
tional 'Jewish organizations join-
ed with the American Association
for Jewish Education in setting
the dates for annual observance
of Jewish Education Month and
Week and in issuing a "Call to
Jewish Parents" to provide re-
ligious education for their chil-
dren by enrolling them in Jewish
schools this fall.
The annual national obser-
vance will be held from Sept. 11
to Oct. 16, according to Michael
A. Stavitsky, president of the As-
sociation. Talinud Torahs, yeshi-
voth, congregational Hebrew
schools, Sunday schools will con-
duct enrollment campaigns in
their home communities during
this period.
In addition, many communal
organizations will participate in
meetings and discussions devot-
ed to problems of Jewish Edu-
cation. A number of events in
which the major national or-
ganizations will participate are

being planned for New York
City and other Communities.
Among the outstanding leaders,
besides Stavitsky, who are co-
signers of the "Call to Jewish
Parents" are:

Jacob Blaustein, president, American
Jewish Committee; Dr. David Petegor-
sky, executive director, American Jewish
Congress; Frank Goldman, president Bnai
Brith ; Dr. Jacob R. Marcus, president,
Central Conference of American Rabbis:
Stanley C. Myers, president. Council of
Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds;
Mrs. Samuel Halprin, president. Hadassah;
Samuel Bernholz. president, Hebrew
Teachers Federation of America: Samuel
J. Borowsky, president. Histadruth Iv-
rith ; Judah Pilch, president, National
Council for Jewish Education ; Mrs. Jo-
seph M. Welt, president, National Coun-
cil for Jewish Women ; Frank L. Weil,
president, National Jewish Welfare Board;
David Aronson, president. Rabbinical As-
sembly of America ; Dr. Bernard J. Barn-
berger, president, Synagogue Council of
America ; Dr. Maurice N. Eisendrath,
president, Union of American Hebrew
Congregations; Wiliam B. Herlands, presi-
dent, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congre-
gations ; Samuel Rothstein, president,
United Synagogue of America : Daniel
Frisch, president Zionist Organization of
America..

Israeli Citizen Gets
UN Fellowship Award

LAKE SUCCESS, (JTA)—The
UN has announced the first fel-
lowship award to a citizen of
Israel. He is Uri Bergman who
will receive a course in economic
planning under the UN eco-
nomics division.
The award was made under
the UN program of technical as-
sistance for 1949 on a basis of
geographical distribution. It was
the only application from Israel
under the UN fellowship system.

Monkeys From Israel:
Gift for Romania

BUCHAREST — (JTA) — Two
monkeys from the Tel Aviv zoo
arrived here by air. The animals
are a gift from the municipality
of Tel Aviv to the Romanian
Government and will be used for
scientific research on poliomy-
olitis.

Between You and Me

By BORIS SMOLAR

(Copyright, 1949, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)

Behind the Scene

There is a very ugly mood in Washington now among certain
officials who are close to the Palestine question . . . The attitude
of some officials is reflected by the fact that they speak of Israel
as "the still-born baby" .. This is pretty serious on the eve of
the opening of the UN General Assembly at which the status
of Jerusalem and the question of Israeli frontiers may be de-
cided .. . But even more serious is the fact that American Zion-
ists, who in prbvious crises found ways of applying pressure ,in
Washington, are now completely disorganized . . . The American.
Zionist Council, which spoke and acted effectively on behalf of .
all Zionist groups, is today practically non-existent . . . The
Council was to have a meeting this week in New York and elect
Louis Lipsky as its chairman to' take over the rule of Dr. Abba
Hillel Silver . . • However, the meeting did not take place ...
Lipsky, who is practically the only candidate for the post, is
ready to accept, but on two conditions . ... He stipulates that
the Council must enjoy complete independence and not be sub-
servient to the Jewish Agency '. . And he wants the Zionist
groups represented on the Council to agree to the formation
of an American Zionist Federation . . This Federation would be
formed at a congress of American Zionists of all shades and
parties with delegates sent not on the basis of shekolim, but on
the basis of the total membership of each group . • The Ameri-
can Zionist Council would then be elected by the American -
Zionist Federation as its representative body along the same -
lines as the World Zionist Congress elects a world executive ..
Lipsky's stipulations do not find favor. with some groups in the' ,
American Zionist movement .. . Thus, • the American Zionist
Council in its present form is, for the time being, without an
active chairman and does not even have an executive director
to organize its daily. work .. . There has been some talk of Dr.
Israel Goldstein as a candidate for the chairmanship of the
American Zionist Council . • . But Dr. Goldstein, in a cable from
Jerusalem, said that upon his return next month to New York,
he does not want to hold any other position than that of a mem-
ber of the Jewish Agency executive.

•

•

Report From Israel

An answer as to whether the Israel government will float
a bond issue in the United States in 1950 is given in a report
submitted by Henry Montor to the United Jewish Appeal following
his return from Israel, ... And the answer is "NO" . . The
Israel government is at present more interested in having Ameri-
can Jewry give its maximum support to the United Jewish Appeal
in 1950 than in any other project . . . Mr. Montor's report reveals
exactly what has taken place in Tel Aviv .. . It says: "One of
the projects examined in recent months by the Government of
Israel was the possible issuance in the United States of a bond.
issue . addition to its own analysis, the Government received
representations from various important sources—official and un•-•
official—in the United States . . Much of the opinion .frOm
America said that "free dollars" would be vital in 1950 for
Israel's economy ; that the issuance of bonds by the. Government
of Israel would be misunderstood by some prospective investors
and would seriously jeopardize, if not imperil, the United Jewish
Appeal . . . Recognizing the earnestness of these representations,
and appreciating the vital significance of the UJA for the

absorption of immigration, the Government of Israel decided
that it would not undertake any bond issue in the United States
in 1950 .. . It is placing complete reliance on the support which
the Jews of the United States will give to the UJA in 1950."

