About a Detroit Accountant
Tickton Recalls Sokolow's
Work, Hope for Zionism
By DANIEL L. TICKTON
Much has happened since 1900, the year of my zichro-
nos, my memories of men and events. There is an old saying
that the worst of the past is the best of the future. Perhaps
these recollections will prove it.
The writer, being totally blind for nearly 14 years, could
not get raw material and was unable" to look up old manu-
scripts and references for his reminiscences. He had to de-
pend entirely on memory. The trouble is that unpleasant
things in life make so much noise that we forget the silent
operations of the good.
,
In 1900 I was employed as an
assistant to Mr. Berman, the
circulation and office manager
of the Warsaw (Poland) Hebrew
daily paper Hazefirah, with of-
fices on the corner of Panska
Ulica. Berman was a very tall,
stern-looking person who al-
ways looked for extra duties for
his employees and for Eliyahu,
the bochur hazetzer or chief
NAHAUM SOKOLOW
compositor. Our day's work be-
gan at 6 p.m. and finished at 7
the next morning when the
papers were delivered to the
post office. Friday night was the
exception, as there were no edi-
tions on Saturdays. But behind
closed doors we had to report
for duty at noon on the Sab-
bath day, to organize for the
Sunday edition and to clean up
accumulated work.
RELIGION VS. BUSINESS
Most of the subscribers to
Hazefirah were orthodox. They
lOved their religion, kept the
Sabbath day holy and were
ready to die for it if called upon
as a matter of strong faith.
Berman attended Sabbath
morning services, but immedi-
ately thereafter hurried to the
editorial office, lit his big black
cigar and. got down to business.
He had one law for the Sab-
bath at the synagogue and an-
other for his office; one law for
the sanctuary—he was a hassid
-=-and another for his work. He
was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
His co-workers — there were
no female employees,-included
Michel E. Webber, a Mr. Bres-
nitzky, three typesetters and
Eliyahu the bochur hazetzer.
Nahum Sokolow, the eminent
Zionist leader who later became
president of the World Zionist
Organization, was editor and
sole proprietor of the paper. He
purchased the Hazefirah from
Chaim Zelig Slonimsky who was
forced to quit due to old age
and partial blindness. Slonim-
sky disagreed with Sokolow's
Zionist views brought back from
Basle after his meeting with
Dr. Theodor Herzl at the World
Zionist Congress.
Sokolow was, indeed, a mental
genius. Mrs. Sokolow, truly a
woman of valor, was his con-
stant attendant who watched
over him and his needs. I made
my home with them for 15
months and occupied a room
between the printing office and
their hallway.
VERSATILE LINGUIST
Versatile in a dozen lan-
guages in which he wrote and
spoke without accent, Sokolow
wrote on a.variety of subjects—
fiction, humor, politics, science.
He had imagination • and fore-
sight. Upon his return from
Basle, in an article, "Hopes," he
stated: "It is a shock to awake,
to find out that the distant fu-
ture suddenly became the im-
mediate present . . . The day
has actually arrived! . . . I may
not be around to enjoy it, but a
24
and His Memories
—
THE JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 10, 1950
Ex-Newsboy Caps Career
With CPA Degree at 68
By RUTH L. CASSEL
Few of the • hundreds of Detroit firms and. individuals
whose books and/or insurance have been in the safe hands
of Daniel L. Tickton for as long as 20 years realize that Dan
Tickton's story reads like an old-fashioned Horatio Alger
thriller—from newsboy to CPA—without benefit of formal
secular education.
Born on Nov. 2, 1881, in Bialy-
stok, Tickton received the tradi-
tional education for Jewish boys
—a thorough grounding in He-
brew and Judaica in Cheder and
the Lomzer Yeshivah. That
him into hundreds of homes and
businesses throughout the city.
He sold his insurance interests
in 1948 on his doctor's advice.
Tickton became a public ac-
countant in 1927, and last Octo-
ber, shortly before celebrating
his 68th birthday, he passed a
series of examinations which
entitled him to the title of Cer-
tified Public Accountant.
Oh, yes—as may be noted in
his article, Daniel Tickton has
been totally blind for 14 years.
If this comes as something of
an afterthought, it is because
Dan Tickton has let it have
little more than an after-
thought's influence in his life.
`HER HUSBAND'S EYES'
Until her death in 1947, Anne
T i c k t on was her husband's
"eyes," spending many evenings
reading aloud the facts and
figures necessary in his profes-
sion. He does all computations
—everything from trial balances
to complex income tax returns
—in his head, dictating his con-
DANIEL TICKTON
clusions.
He lives alone, though he is
training was so -thorough that
to this day he can conduct Sab- anxious to share his flat with
bath and holiday services with- another gentleman, and visits
out referring to the prayer book his children and seven young
—and often does, at his neigh- grandchildren at frequent inter-
borhood synagogue, Cong. Bnai vals. Never idle, resigned or bit-
Jacob at Richton and Linwood. ter, he spends many hours at
WORKED FOR HATZEFIRAH the radio or with the public li-
As a youth in Warsaw, Tick- brary's recorded books for the
ton worked for the Hebrew daily blind; keeps up a large and ac-
Hazefirah, of which he writes in tive correspondence with family
the accompanying article. Em- and friends all over the coun-
ployed in the circulation depart- try, typing all letters himself;
ment, he also read proofs and has a limitless fund of anecdotes
acquired his first experience in and stories reflecting his devo-
bookkeeping. He also was a tion to Judaism and his exuber-
proofreader for the Hebrew an- ant love of life; and is learning
to play the piano by ear.
nual, Achiosoff.
In 1904, Tickton arrived in the To Ask immigration
United States and began his bus-
iness career as the legendary im- For Afghanistan Jews
migrant peddler in Nashua, New
Hampshire. A few years later
BOMBAY—(JTA)—Emphasiz-
he moved to Waltham, Mass., ing that the situation for Jews
where he' hawked newspapers on in Afghanistan is "fraught with
trains and later operated a possible danger," the Zionist
newsstand.
Association here appealed to the
His marriage to Anne Shaber World Jewish Congress to seek
took place in Nashua, on Nov. intervention through Washing-
30, 1909. Their three children ton and London with the Afghan
were all born in Waltham—Sid- Government with a view to ob-
ney G., now a statistician for the taining permission for the Jews
United States Treasury Depart- in Afganistan to leave the coun-
ment and a resident of Arling- try.
Zionist leaders here will ap-
ton, Va.; Miriam, now Mrs. Vic-
tor H. Kramer, also of Arling- proach the diplomatic repre-
ton, and Jason H., director of sentatives of Afghanistan in
music at Temple Beth El and New Delhi, India, with a memo-
assistant professor of music at randum requesting that the
Wayne University. They are all Jews be permitted to emigrate
from Afghanistan.
Wayne graduates.
CAME HERE IN 1915
The Ticktons came to Detroit
in 1915 and Daniel went to work
as a bookkeeper for Sarasohn
and Shetzer, dry goods. In 1920
he opened his first bookkeeping
office and in 1923 added the in-
surance agency which brought
state of Israel will surely be
some day."
But the censor, Sachs, for un-
explained orders, deleted many
lines referring to Zionism. The
Russian government d i d not
look with favor upon Zionism
and was .especially concerned to
watch the movement of 21-
year-old Jews who reached the
age of priziv — military duty.
Censor Sachs initialed every
issue which had to be marked
dosvolieno cenzuroyou—with the
approval of the censor—before
it was accepted for distribution
by the post office.
TROUBLE WITH CENSORS
Sokolow was the principal
speaker at a Hanukah gather-
ing in a hall on Gensha street
near Nalevka Ulica 50 years
ago-.-in the year 5660. Part of
the crowd asked that he speak
in Yiddish, the other in Hebrew.
Sokolow began his speech in
Hebrew, continued in Yiddish
and Concluded it with an ap-
peal in Polish. The enthused
gathering tried to carry him on
their shoulders. But when he
reached the editorial office the
zhendarmes were waiting for
him and he was whisked off to
prison. He was released on or-
ders from the Warsaw General
Gubernator. After that incident,
Censor Sachs became more
strict with Sokolow's articles.
Sokolow wrote in very tiny
but most legible letters. 'He
signed his editorial N. S. which
stood in Hebrew for nes—mir-
acle. He had an agreement with
the Vienna Neue Freue Presse
to translate some of their arti-
cles over the signature NF'F. He
had a similar agreement with
the Berliner Tageblatt whose
articles he initialed BT'T. There
were frequent inquiries from
readers who thought that these
initials represented independ-
ent writers. Sokolow was his
own translator and he also
translated from French, English
and Italian papers. On Fridays
he wrote a weekly feuilleton-
"M'Shabbos LeShab.bos"—signed
Hanetz (meaning the Comic).
His writings were full of hu-
mor. He was the inventor of the
term chalutz—from the letters
ches, lamed, vov, zadik, which
stood RA' the phrase "Chevra
Lechu Venelcha Ziyono."
Michel Webber took care of
all correspondence and was the
go-between in our dealings with
the government and the chief
of police. He was an atheist,
disliked places of worship, called
sermons green apples, did not
believe in kashrut, failed to ob-
serve holidays, but was an ar-
dent Zionist. He was a master
of the Greek language and in my recollections are from
studied astronomy.
memory, Being totally blind
PROMINENT ASSOCIATES
and having no records, .I tried
At the Kavyarna of Moshe to describe as vividly as I could
der Roiter—the coffe house of only what a blind man is able
Moshe the redhead — many to recall.
prominent men gathered in
When Nahum Sokolow came
those days. Among them were to this country nearly 40 years
Abraham Raizin, now residing ago, I journeyed to Boston to
in New York, David Frishman, meet him at the Copley Plaza
A. Kaplan, the managing editor Hotel. We lunched together and
of Achiosoff, Hebrew annual, had Mr. Justice Louis D. Bran-
Mordecai Spector, a Yiddish deis of the United States Su-
writer, and a Dr. Sirkin who preme Court as our guest. When
was said to have sought in mar- he was in Detroit with his
riage the hand of Sokolow's 19- daughter, Dr. Celina Sokolow, I
year-old daughter. At Sokolow's spent many hours with them.
I met Sholem Asch, Baron He visited me at my home on
Guinzburg of St. Petersburg Navahoe Street and we ex-
changed memories. I was a
and Sholem Aleichem.
The Hameilitz, published by member of the committee which
Zederbaum in St. Petersburg, welcomed him to Detroit and
began to cut in on the Hazefir- my photograph with him 'ap-
ah's circulation, and Zionism peared in the Detrbit Free
became an issue of debate be- Press. I was the only Detroiter
tWeen them. Sokolow evidently who knew him and his daugh-
disliked the two Hebrew peri- ter from the Old Country and,
odicals, Hashachar and Habo- as he told me, when he was
ker Oir, which also appeared at hoping for 'the New Country,
that time.
the State of Israel. May he rest
All 'the quotations and sayings in peace!
Ultra-Orthodox Sect
Plans Hague Petition
Against Conscription
TEL AVIV, (JTA)—The ultra-
Orthodox sect, Neturei Karta
("Guardians of the 'City"), which
does not recognize the establish-
ment of the state of Israel on re-
ligious grounds, plans to petition
the International Court of Jus,
tice in The Hague to exempt its
members from conscription in
the Israel armed forces on the
grounds that Jerusalem is not
part of the state of Israel.
Prof. Norman Bentwich, auth-
ority on international law and
former attorney-general in the
Palestine mandate government,
described the Neturei Karta's in-
tention as a "fantastic idea." He
pointed out that only sovereign
governments can submit their
differences to the International
Court of 'Justice,. while individ-
uals or groups only have the
right to petition the UN Eco-
nomic and Social Council.
An Israel Cabinet committee
of inquiry today began hearing
witnesses testify on the disputed
subject of religious education in
the immigrant reception camps
in this country. Immigration
Minister Moshe Shapira, a lead-
er of the Religious Bloc, declared
that the issue of religious edu-
cation in the camps was a stum-
bling bloc to formation of a
wider coalition cabinet.
Legion Deserters Prefer
Israel to Arab Pardon
JERUSALEM — (ISI) —Three
Arabs who deserted from the
Jordan Arab Legion to Israel
territory last May chose to re-
main in Israel despite an offer
of full pardon, release from the
Legion and return to civilian
life.
At the request of the Jordan
Government, the Arabs were
brought to Mandelbaum Gate in
Jerusalem to meet Major Hin-
dawi of the Legion. In request-
ing the Arabs to return, Hindawl
made the offer of pardon in
the name of Arab Legion Com-
mander Glubb Pasha.
Internationalization
Opposed by U.S. Papers
N E W YORK—(ISI) —Leading
American newspapers renewed
their attack on the United
Nations plan to internationalize
Jerusalem after a Christian
fact-finding mission to Jeru-
salem returned with a report
condemning t h e proposal as
"dangerous and unnecessary."
A survey made by the Israel'
Office of Information, prior to
the trip, showed that 61 of 85
newspapers throughout the
country oppose internationali-
zation; 21 are for it; and three
are more or less non-commital.
Greeting 1,000,000th Israeli
UJA general chairman HENRY MORGENTHAU is shown
greeting Israel's 1,000,000tb Jewish citizen at the Beth Lid
Reception Camp near Haifa, during his recent visit to the
Jewish state. Morgenthau, right, is with 36-year-old JACOB
CHAMA.IDES and his 17-month-old daughter, SARA GOLD&
The UJA general chairman declared on his return to the U. S.
that "the prOblem of maintaining the new immigrants is tho
key to the economic and social future of Israel."