Detroit Leaders Return From Study Trip

Song of New State Is Born
In Habonim Touring Israel

Well-versed in Israel's history, geography and customs are
GERALDINE STASHEFSKY (foreground), ALLEN LINDEN and
SHIRLEY STOLLMAN, three Detroit youths who recently returned
from an extensive visit in Israel as part of a Habonim leadership
course. Pictured with them at the right is YOAV HARPAZ, an
Israeli, who is in Detroit to help direct Hechalutz youth activities
here.

By FRANK SIMONS
Three young leaders of Ha-
bonim, Labor Zionist Youth
group, who only last week re-
turned from Israel, will be the
main speakers at the annual
p'gishah (conference) of Detroit
Habonim this weekend.
The three youths. Al Linden,
Shirley Stollman and Geraldine
Stashefsky, all from Detroit,
were in Israel for six months,
during which time they studied
at the Berl Katznelson Insti-
tute, worked in the kibbutzim
and toured the Israel. country-
side from the Sea of Galilee to
the Negev.
Under the sponsorship of the
Jewish Agency, the work and
study trip which the three 19-
year-olds took with 21 other
young people from the United
States and Canada, • was de-
signed to prepare • them for
assuming roles of leadership in
the Detroit community on their

return.

What impressed the Habonim
most during their stay in Is-
rael was the spirit of the peo-
ple. "Israel is a singing- coun-
try," they chorused. They de-
cided that one cannot get
along there without joining in
the singing and dancing of
Israel's traditional songs.

But they confessed there were
many times when they did not
feel like singing. They were in
Israel to work and study, and
while the jobs were not always
easy and the work not always
pleasant, they did their chores
cheerfully.
The visit started on Sept, 23,
1950 when the youths flew, via
an El Al constellation to Lydda
airport in Israel. For three
months their knowledge of Israel
was eked out of books—texts on
Israel history, economics, folk,
ways, geography, singing, danc-
ing and most important of all,
•. a course in conversational He-
brew, which was to be their all-
important guide during their
stay.
After the book work came
stops, each for a month, at
three kibbutzim where they con-
tinued studies for a few hours
a day and spent the remainder
of their time fitting into the
economic structures of the set-
tlements.

At Gesher Haziv, with a
Population of 350 plus trainees
like themselves, the Detroit
youths did truck farming and
odd chores. While at the
kibbutz they helped celebrate
its second anniversary on
Jan. 28.
The:, - next stop. was Kvutzat

*

Geva, a colony near Haifa where
the group did metal work, ce-
ment mixing, sewage and drain-
age work and helped in the
fields.
While at Kvutzat Geva, as
well as at all their other stops,
the youths wore typical Israeli
clothing. Thinking that they
were permanent settlers, they
were invited into the home of a
neighboring Arab who began ex-
plaining to them how he was
cooperating with the settlers,
and hoped they would trust him.
At the last settlement, Kfar
Blum, the first U. S. Habonim
settlement in Israel, the Detroit
contingent was able to see first
hand the drainage work in the
Huleh Swamp area.

They told of the many times
when they were forced to stop
work and take cover while
Syrian planes buzzed over-
head. Originally, a two-year
project, the JNF - sponsored
undertaking has been slowed
no little amount by the con-
stant threat of Syrian attacks
in the area, th-y said.

A plan to send 60,000 new im-
migrants to the Huleh region
immediately after arriving in-
stead of sending them to immi-
gration camps first was in form-
ulation when they left. They
were unable to tell how much the
forced work stoppage ordered by
the United Nations would inter-
fere with this plan, however.
A tour of the Negev—on foot—
with 300 members of the Tnua
Meuohedet, Israel counterpart
of Habonim, was arranged be-
fore the group left to return to
the United States.
Starting out with 30 army
members armed with rifles, the
group traveled 69 miles in two
and a half days over the alter-
nating sandy and flat and rocky
and mountainous, territory. Oc-
casional brushes with wander-
ing tribes of Bedhouin Arabs,
some of which were friendly,
others which showed signs of
animosity, served to make the
trip an adventurous one.

Detailed reports of their trip
will be reported at the Habo-
nim conference which will
alternate between the Labor
Zionist Institute and the Ha-
bonim center. at Linwood and
Grand.

Beginning with an oneg shab-
bat at 8:30 p.m., Friday, at the
Labor Institute, elections will be
held and Yoav Harpaz, special
representative of the Jewish
Agency, who is here to guide Ha-
bonim activities will .speak.
Harpaz, a 23-year-old youth,
was born • in :Israel - and resides

24—THE JEWISH NEWS

Israel Navy Welcomed at Ebbets Field

Friday, June 15, 1951

Kasle Reports on
Pertinent Hebrew
School Figures

.

In his annual report as presi-
dent of the United Hebrew
Schools, Abe Kasle included the
following facts and figures:
"Our enrollment of elemen-
tary and high school is 1,022
children. Midrasha and leader-
ship groups consist of 139 stu-
dents, making a total of 1161.
Our total cost of operation was
$205,000 of which the Federa-
tion contributes about 60%. Our
actual cost for elementary and
high school is approximately
$200 per year per child. The
highest tuition that we were
able to obtain from some 135
pupils was $120 per year. Dur-
ing the past year we had 140
children who paid no tuition at
all. The average tuition re-
ceived per child last year was
$54. Let me emphasize that our
doors are open to all children
whether they can afford to pay
or not.
"Our membership campaign
this year was a successful one
under the leadership of Ben
Fishman, Chairman of the com-
mittee. A total of 900 members
paid their yearly dues. We re-
gret that Mr. Fishman is ill and
is not with us tonight. I know
I speak for everyone present to-
night in wishing Ben Fishman a
speedy recovery.
"The United Hebrew Schools
have purchased two new buses.
The Federation has also pur-
chased two new buses which
they need during the summer
months for camps and centers.
The Hebrew Schools use the
Federation buses during the
school term on a pro-rated basis,
which saves investments and
other expenses. So you can see
that the community of Detroit
and the United Hebrew Schools
have made a lot of progress
jointly in serving the com-
munity in the most economical
way possible.
"In the past year our Real
Estate Committee has been very
busy. We had one piece of
ground on Curtis. We also pur-
chased property on Wyoming
and another piece of property
on Schaefer and '7 Mile Road.
We disposed of the property on
Curtis and also the Wyoming
property, with a profit for the
schools, and retained the ground
on Schaefer and 7 Mile Road.
At the present time we are re-
modeling the Sherwood Public
Library Branch which we pur-
chased and had moved to our
property on Schaefer. We hope
it will be completed in the
fall of t h e year to be used
for elementary and kindergar-
ten classes. At the same time
we are building an addition to
the Rose Sittig Cohen Building
on Lawton to be used for a
kindergarten and library."

Weizmann Sends Silver Bible
As Gift to Argentine Leader

TEL AVIV (JTA) — President
Weizmann has sent a special
silver bound and engraved Bible
to Argentine President Juan
Peron.

in Tel Aviv. He has been in this
country guiding Habonim and
Hashovim fo' nearly a year,
having previously served in New
York, New Jersey and Cleveland.
At one time a commander of
Elath during the Israel war for
independence, he served as a
major in the siege of Jerusalem
and the fighting in the Negev.

Harpaz will
While h e r
teach at Camp Kinneret, De-
troit's first Hebrew-speaking
camp, located at Chelsea,
Mich. • Miss Stollman, Miss
Stashefsky and Linden will
also serve as counsellors at
the camp, teaching subjects
such as Hebrew literature,
economics, singing and dam-•
ing, which they learned as
students in Israel.

The season's largest crowd—more than 35,000—roared a wel-
come as contingents of the Navy of Israel paraded at a double-
header between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. Two
ships of the Israel Navy, the "Misgav" and the "Haganah," have
been visiting East Coast cities, and groups of sailors have visited
communities throughout the country in connection with the
$500,000,000 State of Israel Bond drive, which is providing funds
for Israel's large-scale program of industrial and agricultural
development.

Pacific Region of AJ Committee Starts
Suit to Restrain National Office Purge

LOS. ANGELES, (AJP) — In
what showed promise of a bit-
ter legal battle, the Pacific
Region of the American Jew-
ish Congress and local units
filed suit in Supreme Court
here asking that the national
AJC and its executive commit-
tee be restrained from sus-
pending or revoking Pacific
Coast chapter charters.
In addition, the court was
asked to unfreeze funds im-
pounded by the national group
in the Los Angeles office.
Basis of the suit was that
charges brought against the
plaintiffs by the national office
of AJC were "vague and gen-
eral," and that the impound-
ing of funds was a maneuver to
halt counteraction by the local
group.
Local AJC officials said the
action by the Los Angeles group
was the "first resistance by re-
sort to the courts" taken by any
of the AJC units threatened by
the national organization with
revocation of charters.
The national AJC recently
voted to expell seven officers -of
the Manhattan Division and one
member of the Philadelphia Di-
vision because of alleged viola-
tions of AJC policies. Thirteen
other persons in New York and
Philadelphia were also depriyed
of their right to hold any elec-
tive or appointive office in the
organization for periods of two
and three years.
The national office also di-
rected the dissolution of the
Manhattan Division.
Leaders of the Pacific region
here answered charges of faulty
leadership and lack of memb4-
ship with assertions that decline
in numerical strength was a re-
sult of the national office's "re-
treat" from the policies of mass

action laid down by the late
Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, founder
of the AJC.

* * *
Deny Action Is
First of Its Nature
NEW YORK CITY, (AJP) —

A spokesman for the national
American Jewish Congress den-
ied that court action by the
Pacific region to • restrain revo-
cation of local charters was the
first such move.
T h e spokesman maintained
that a group of Philadelphia
members of the AJC had at-
tempted to halt action against
units through the courts, but
that the cases were "thrown
out."

'Gang' Ruins Jewish
Cemetery in Germany

MUNICH. (JTA) — The city
of Hochneukirch has offered a
reward for information leading
to the apprehension of a "gang"
responsible for the desercration
of the Jewish cemetery there.
Only two tombstones escaped
being overturned or broken by
the vandals, and all the fence-
work was smashed and scat-
tered. Adult footprints pre-
cluded the possibility of the po-
lice of blaming it on "playing
'children," as has been done in
so many other German com-
munities. The destruction was
said to be as bad as any wrought
during the Nazi regime.
City officials called on Jewish
community leaders at Munich-
Gladbach, responsible for the
care of the Hochneukirch ceme-
tery, to express their horror and
regret over the incident. They
also reported on their efforts to
locate the criminals and to re-
pair the damage.

On the Record

By NATHAN ZIPRIN

(Copyright, 1951, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate)

The Huleh Dispute

Several openings for boys and
girls 13 to 18, still exist for the
season which begins July 3. Call
Melvin Annis, registrar, UN.
4-5951, for information or reser-

The UN decision regarding Huleh has intensified party strife
in Israel. The extreme Left and Right are exploiting. this develop-
ment to the fullest extent. They point out that the Huleh affair
has strengthened Arab unity. Washington and London seem un-
concerned whether Mapam's anti-West orientation is gaining
ground. Washington and London are interested in the Middle
Eastern countries in the following order: Firstly, Greece and
Turkey, secondly, the Arab countries and only thirdly (and event-
ually) Israel. King Abdullah recently visited Turkey. Now, Azzain
Pasha, Secretary General of the Arab League is about to visit
Turkey. These visits are indicative of an effort to bring about an
Arab-Turkish entente. Such a development would further isolate
Israel in the Middle East. France is staging a comeback in the
Middle East largely at the expense of Israel, It is , supplying arms

vation,

to Syria,• - 4 -1

Nk.

