,
As the Editor
Views the News ...
The Fact to Consider
U.N . -YRUSTEESNIP
COUNCIL.
A Distinguished Guest
While the meeting is sponsored by the
Hebrew Teachers' Association, the Kvutzah
Ivrith and the United Hebrew Schools, it is
appropriate that nearly all of our leading
local organizations — including the Jewish
Community Council and the Zionist Coun-
cil—should have joined with the Hebraists
in planning the reception for the eminent
guest.
Mr. Shalom is the winner of the Tel Aviv
Municipality Prize for his book of poems,
"Face to Face." He has won many other
prizes and his translations into Hebrew of
the work of Walt Whitman and William
Shakespeare have won acclaim.
71,161,4•Ps4 KVtiY
'Most Stirring Drama'
Of "magnificent Israel," as he described
it upon his return from the Jewish state,
movie star Edward G. Robinson said:
"The new nation is teeming with activity,.
and in the face of economic and other pres-
sures the theater and other arts are far from
neglected.
"I have acted in a lot of dramas, but there
I found the most stirring drama of our time,
a world symbol, a proving ground of what
must be done by other nations if they hope
to survive.
This is a simple story, and it relates a
people's heroism in every day life, its deter-
mination to win a battle to overcome the
serious obstacles that stand in the way of
a new nation. Robinson repeats the appeal
of all observers in Israel—that "we've got
to help them accomplish their back-breaking
job." Anyone who thinks of reducing his aid
to Israel actually is planning to cut into the
heart of Israel. If the appeals of men like
Robinson are to bring results, they must
lead to a renewed desire to "hold the line"
and to assume security for Israel's builders,
Israel Anniversary
Under joint auspices of the Zionist
Council and the Jewish Community Council,
with the cooperation of nearly 200 of our
organizations and congregations, the second
anniversary of the establishment of the
state of Israel will be observed here on
Sunday, April 30, at the State Fair Coliseum.
Last year's celebration, sponsored under
the same auspices, attracted an attendance
exceeding 12,000 and was one of the most
impressive mass demonstrations in the his-
tory of the Detroit Jewish community. All
of us should aim at repeating that triumph
this year, as an encouragement to the in-
fant state. We therefore urge all organiza-
tions to reserve the date of April 30 and
to assist in rallying large numbers to attend
this event.
THE JEWISH NEWS
Member: American Association of English-Jewish News-
pt.pers. Michigan Press Association.
Published every Friday ny The Jewish News Publishing
Co. •708-10 David Stott 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
RUTH L. CASSEL, City Editor
Vol. XVII—No. 4
Page 4
April 7, 1950
Scriptural Selections
for Concluding Days of Passover
Pentateuehal portions: Saturday, Ex. 13:17-
15:26, NUM. 28:19-25; Sunday, Dent. 15:19-16:17,
Num. 28:19-25.
Prophetical portions: Saturday, II Samuel
22; Sunday, Is. 10:32-12:6.
N on-J elvish Biographer Pays
Tribute to Zionist Founder
Nina Brown Baker has distinguished herself
as a writer of biographies of great men. and
her experience and training is being utilized
with remarkable facility in her new book, "Next
Year in Jerusalem: The Story of Theodor Herzl,"
which has just been published by Harcourt,
Brace & Co. (383 Madison Ave., New York 17).
Detroit Jewry will have the privilege of
welcoming a distinguished guest when the
noted Israel poet, Shin Shalom, comes here
to address a meeting, at the Rose Sittig
Cohen Building, on April 10.
His visit in this country assumes an of-
ficial character because he speaks for the
literary circles of Israel and represents
them on his cultural mission here. This adds
importance to the gathering planned for
April 10 and justifies the transformation of
that meeting into a demonstration of tribute
to the men of letters in Israel by their ad-
mirers in this country.
Theodor Herzi's Life Story
2,000-Year-Old Universal Prayer
By using a 20th century device of applying infra-red
rays, Prof. E. L. Sukenik of the Hebrew University in Jeru-
salem has transcribed scrolls that were found near the Dead
Sea and has revealed the texts of 2,000-year-old leather
documents that otherwise would have defied visual or pho-
tographic scrutiny.
An interesting report cabled to the New York Times
by its able Israel correspondent, Gene Currivan, reveals that
"the letters on some of the scrolls, weather-beaten and torn
by erosion and decomposition, appeared as black smudges
under normal lenses and came to light gradually and indis-
tinctly under infra-:red."
The most interesting result of Prof. Sukenik's findings,
according to Mr. Currivan, is the disclosure of the "Scroll
of Thanksgiving," "a touching prayer that he attributes to
Moreh Hazedek (Teacher of Justice), founder of the Haze-
dek sect." The time of this scroll is set by Dr. Sukenik at
some time before the Maccabees, prior to 182 B. C. Moreh
Hazedek was mentioned in the "Damascus Covenant" and,
as Mr. Currivan reports, "in an 11th century copy of a sec-
tarian book found 40 years ago by Dr. Solomon Schechter
(at the time of Cambridge University and later president
of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America), known
as "Fragments of Zakodite Work."
The newly-found prayer is significant because of its
universal tone. A translation of its text is given as follows:
"Without Thy will nothing shall be and nothing discerned.
Without Thy (one word undecipherable) will see nothing.
"And i what indeed is Adam, who is earth, earth is He,
formed from dust and returning to dust—that thou shouldst
enlighten me in Thy wonders and tell me secrets of Thy great-
ness?
"For I am dust and ashes: What can 1 devise unless Thou
desire it and 'what can I intend? Without Thy will wherefrom
shall I draw strength if Thou make me not upright; and how
shall I have wisdom unless Thou create it in me anti' what
shall I speak if Thou open not my mouth? Yea, how shall
answer unless Thou enlighten me?
"Behold Thou are Prince of the - powerful and King of
the mighty, Lord to every spirit, Ruler of all deeds. Naught
can be accomplished without Thy will and the-•e is none like
Thee. Indeed, there is none like Thee in strength and none to
be compared with Thee in honor and Thy might cannot be
reckoned in price. And who among Thy great and wonderful
creations can gather strength to stand before Thy glory? And
verily what is h e who returneth to dust he should gather (next
word is believed to be 'strength'). Only for Thy glory bast
thou done all these things."
Here is a prayer that can be used by any sect. It is an
expression of faith and thanksgiving that is, like all Hebraic
Scriptures, universal in spirit. It shows once again that the
great Jewish teachers of old were not narrow in their ap-
proach to human needs; that, like the Prophets and Sages,
they thoUght of the needs of mankind.
Is it any wonder that the builders of the state of Israel
are thinking in terms not alone of saving the remnants of
Israel but also of makinc, great contributions to the advance-
ment of the entire world?
b
Prof. Preston Slosson, in his most interesting address
before the Zionist Organization of Detroit last week, ex-
pressed the view that, under normal conditions, because of
the deep interest in Palestine by all faiths, Jerusalem and
the entire Palestinian area could well serve as the capital
of the world.
The late Nahum Sokolow, one-time president of the
World Zionist Organization, once said that when a lasting
code of universal peace is written it will, like the Bible,
emanate from Jewish Jerusalem.
The re-discovered prayer lends validity to such hopes
because of its strong universalism.
Its spirit reveals again the type of world which the
builders of the new state of Israel have in mind.
It is thrilling to know that the new prayer was de-
ciphered, for the benefit of the entire world, on the eve of
the great Passover Festival of Freedom.
Mrs. Baker's story is all-inclusive. It opens
with the narration of Herzl's first experience
with anti-Semitism—when the president of Albia
Society at Vienna University sought the adop-
tion of a rule for the banning of Jews from
membership. Herzl was to be made an excep-
tion. The future Jewish leader's courageous
stand temporarily
stemmed the tide in
Albia, but eventually he
was overpowered and
resigned from the
group.
Then began a series
of activities — as play-
wright, foreign corres-
pondent for Vienna's
leading newspaper and
the coverage of the
Dreyfus trial in Paris
His authorship of The
Jewish State," the
struggle he encountered
Dr. Herzl
in trying to enlist the support of Jews for the
Zionist cause, the resentment he met in his
own home, causing him to live apart from his
wife and children, are described with accuracy
and fluency.
Herzl was encouraged in his work by his
parents who supplied him with his funds for
traveling expenses and the building of the move-
ment he envisioned for redeemed Jewish nation-
hood. His first supporters included Max Nordau
and Israel Zangwill. The rich Jews disapproved
of his plan.
In gathering the basic facts for her fine
story, Mrs. Baker has made use of the best
available material, which she lists in her biblio-
graphy. Her thorough adherence to facts gives
her biography of Herzl important status among
the available works about the founder of the
Zionist movement.
Besides, Mrs. Baker approaches her subject
with such impressive sympathy and understand-
ing that she has earned gratitude for producing
a good book about one of the greatest Jews in
modern times. She knew . that Herzl did not have
the support of all Jews, not even of all Zionists,
and she indicated it thus:
"Much of the credit. for present-day Israel
must go to men whom Herzl, in his lifetime,
called his opponents. To give them that credit
takes nothing away from him. They built the
house. Rut it was Theodor Herzl who laid the
foundation stone."
Leading her story up to the final stage of
the reburial of Herzl's remains near Jerusalem,
pointing out that "Theodor Herzl died without
seeing the dawn," she adds that "he never
doubted that it would come."
Her book is a tribute to Jewish aspirations
as well as to Herzl. It is a non-Jew's song of
praise for the fulfillment of an historic dream.
Young and old will find her book informative
and inspiring.
Persky's Manual: Guide
To Conversation Hebrew
The man who is generally considered the
outstanding authority on techniques of popular-
izing conversational Hebrew, Daniel Perskv, has
produced another important handbook which,
perhaps more than any other similar work, ac-
complishes its intended purpose of guiding the
student towards a knowledge of the language.
Mr. Persky's book "Speak Hebrew" ("Dabra
Ivrith"), a conversational manual of Israel col-
cloquial Hebrew, is sub-divided into 35 sections
which are, as the eminent author explains in
the preface, "a literal reproduction of the es-
sential vernacular of the Israeli people." He
points out:
"The expressions were collected during the
author's three years' stay in Israel, and have
been brought up to date by a continual study
of the Israeli press."
Nothing is omitted. Important words and
phrases dealing with every day life, with the
family, the street, business, at sea, while travel-
ing, in sports, shopping, are included.
There is a valuable explanation by Mr. Persky
on the Sephardic pronunciation of Hebrew.
Published by Hebrew Publishing Co., 77 De-
lancey St., New York, "Speak Hebrew" is certain
to be accepted as the finest guide available for
the study of conversational Hebrew.
This and similar volumes have special sig.. -
nificance today for American Jewish corn.
munities. The establishment of the Jewish
state has created new interest in Hebrew
studies and classes have been created every-
where among adults in. conversational Hebrew.
In Detroit, for instance, the women of the
United Hebrew Schools, Ho.dassah, the Coun-
cil of Jewish Women, the Shaa•ey Zedek Sis-
terhood and other women's groups have
formed adult Hebrew classes. Persky's book
will be found valuable by these groups and by
those studying HebTew independently.