J he
• a ing t e ew JWB Haggadah
By its Translator: Rabbi ALBERT S. GOLDSTEIN
Of Tremont Temple, The Bronx
Editor's Note: When Jewish men and
women in uniform sit down to recount
the ancient story of man's first success-
ful struggle for freedom, 'they will be
reading from the new Haggadah prepared
by the Division of Religious Activities of
the Jewish Welfare Board. It is a Hag-
gadah written specifically for its audience
—the many thousands of Jewish GIs sta-
tioned the world over, as well as the Jew-
ish patients in VA hospitals.
Fresh from the printer and
ready for distribution is the new
JWB Haggadah. True, it doesn't
seem so very new or different—
same old Pesach story in the two
the translation. We overcame the
moral inanity of the statement,
"I have been young and now I
am old, yet never have I seen
the righteous foisaken or his
family begging bread," merely by
substituting the literally more
accurate word "saint" for "right-
eous." After all, who can be sure
that he has ever seen a saint,
at all.
There was some objection to
the reference to Palestine as
a "broad" land. This we felt was
a matter of relativity. To a
Texan, No. To a Jewish citizen
what the Hebrew really says:
"This year we are here; next
delivery and long-distance com- year may we be in the land of
munications flew back and forth Israel. This year we are enslaved;
over the land on the momentous next year may we be free," we
issue whether to transliterate have, "This year we are here;
the Hebrew vowel-sing •'kaw- may next year find us cele-
Our little volume ends with
a small note on the Chad
Gadyah. suggesting that the
"kid" is Israel, whose fate in
successive ages seemed to be at
the mercy of Assyrian cat, Baby-
lonian dog. Persian fire, Roman
water, and Saracen ox. Actually
we bear testimony that all men
are finally accountable to the
Holy One, praised be He.
On this triumphant note this
Haggadah and this story of its
making end.
What is "Karpas?"
"Karpas" is the name of the parsley which is used during the
Seder ritual on the eve of Passover and which is usually dipped
into salt water, near the beginning of the ceremony. Some people
leavened, then there would be less danger of
eating leavened bread.
"But this is to teach us that a man must
perform his duties to God in his regular station
in life. The man who separates himself from
all wordly tasks and duties in order to perform
God's will is like Matzoh made of grain which
cannot become leavened. Such a man is not
truly fulfilling God's will. We must be righteous
in the paths where temptation besets us, where
there is a danger of becoming hametz."
*
Rabbi Israel Salanter was wont to super-
vise personally the preparation of his Matzos
lo insure their kashruth, but once he was
taken ill and another was deputized for the
Chore.
The substitute asked the rabbi if there
opposition to the Egyptian idolators who would not eat an egg
with meat.
Why does the head of the Seder wear a white gown on Pass-
over eve?
Several interpretations have been read into this tradition. A
white tunic used to be the mark of a free man. Since Passover is
the festival at which we celebrate our freedom, the white cloak is
a fitting garment.
It is also considered a symbol of mourning and thus might be
a counterpart of a shroud. according to some commentaries. The
mourning would be either over the fact that human beings were
By LEON GUTTERMAN
Telegraphic Agency. Inc.
HOLLYWOOD — A refreshing
change from the hackneyed
*
—
•
"Is this not a strange rule?" asked the Apter.
"It seems the very opposite of what one would
expect. Why did they not provide that Matzoh
be made only of a grain which cannot become
is offered in addition to the Paschal Lamb. This provides other
meat besides the lamb while it also sets the lamb apart as a special
symbol in itself. Some sources consider it an outright act of
Copyright 1952. .7ev,
These pictures symbolize the Jewish Center's commu-
nity-wide role in planning and programming for Passover
events. The two photos are Center workshop scenes, show-
ing women learning the words and melody of "Chad Gadya"
and the table setting for the Seder. JWB supplies its affili-
ated Centers and Ys with numerous program aids and other
materials for Freedom Festival and all other events on the
Jewish calendar.
6—THE JEWISH NEWS—April 11, 1952
legitimately of a grain which is capable of be-
coming leavened or hametz.
day of the week as ''Tisha B'Av" (the ninth of AY) the date the
Temple was destroyed. Others consider the egg a symbol—of the
offering of the "Chagigah" sacrifice on the Passover holiday, which
Brooklyn Boy Makes Good
s'
The Apter rebbe quoted a Talmudic regula-
tion that Matzoh for Passover can only be made
Temple, since the first day of Passover always occurs on the same
Robert 3lerrill's Story
Tr
Seder Table Stories
Amongst the various reasons for this object are the following:
Some consider it a symbol of mourning for the destruction of the
killed in the cause of our freedom, or it would be a reminder of
the fact that the first day of Passover falls on the same day of
the week as Tisha B'Av. It might also be that the white cloak is
used on Pas.sover as a symbol of the desire for purity. The Day
of Atonement calls for white cloaks for this reason since it is a
day of judgment. In this same sense Passover is a day of judg-
ment over the productivity of the field.
41,14115
*
RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX
use celery or potatoes, or onions; or lettuce. The commentaries like
to claim that the term is a combination of the word "porech*
which means "hard" or "difficult" and the letter "samech" which'
stands for 6)3 and represents the 600,000 Jews who were enslaved
in Egypt.
•
•
•
Why do we use this "Karpas?"
There have been several reasons given for this custom. There
are some who claim that it was instituted along with other Seder
customs to attract the attention of the youngsters who would ask
questions and thus be stimulated to learn the history of our tradi-
tions. Others claim that the children became a bit hungry at this
time so they are allowed to snack in this fashion instead of waiting
until after the first section of the Haggadah has been read and
explained.
Many authorities center the attraction around the salt water
into which the vegetables are dipped. Some consider this a re-
minder of the Paschal lamb which was offered as a sacrifice, and
the Biblical Command which says, "With all thy sacrifices shalt
thou offer salt." Most people consider the salt water a reminder
of Israel shed in the land of Egypt.
metz" as "aw - or "o." But that's brating the Passover in Israel. of the tears which the people
*
*
*
This year men are enslaved:
what happened.
What is the meaning of the roasted egg upon the seder plate?
may next year see them free."
Center 'Brings' Passover to Canintilliity
For public-relations (we often
have non-Jewish brass at mili-
tary sedorimi should we tone
down, expurgate, or explain such
touchy items as the invocation
of God's wrath upon the goyim?
Between tense hours over the
Pox
(Copyright. 1952, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
conference table there were
anxious days and restless nights
spent deciding which of these
combinations fitted the Four
Sons most aptly: Wise, Wicked,
Simple, and Ignorant; Intelli-
gent, Ill-mannered, Indifferent,
and Incompetent; Sensible,
Surly, Shallow, and Stupid;
Nice, Nasty, Neutral, and Naive;
or any of a dozen other com-
pletely different sets and scores
of permutated and alliterated
variations.
You wouldn't imagine that
modern "disciples of the wise"
could fray their nerves, as
warmly-worded air-mail special-
customary , languages: Hebrew
and English. • But it does have
some unique features. Outstand-
ing is the fact that this small
paper-bound opus is not merely
issued to the troops. As the
foreward emphasizes: This edi-
tion has been especially prepared
for the men and women of the
armed forces and veterans hos-
pitals.
Nine years ago. as an air force
chaplain. I felt that Jewish
soldiers and
Nor Nijou 1 d you think that
Wacs deserved
S-E-X would rear its adorable
bet ter religious
head in so pure a work as
literature in
this. But it did. After all,
English) t h an
what would you do with this
they were get-
purple passage from the
ting. The pray-
prophet Ezekiel: "thy breasts
er translations
were fashioned and thy air
w hich the Na-
grown, yet thou vast naked
tional Jewish
and bare"? We did this to it:
Welfare Boar'd's
"You were fully grown and de-
Commit t e e on
veloped, but without covering
Army and Navy
or ornament."
Religious Activ- •
In a number of places we per-
it.ies was issuingRabbi Goldstein formed some cute word tricks in
night be suitable as a "pony"
for the classical Hebrew texts.
I pleaded for the composition of
services prepared in G.I. (Gener-
English that
ally
would, at the same time. be rev-
erent. esthetic. spiritually mov-
ing: a religious equivalent of the
traditional prayers.
Last sp:ing, the publications
committee of the National Jew-
ish Welfare Board's Division of
Religious Activities. after confer-
ring with a number of interested
World War II chaplains, decided
that this might be the time to
make the - I t
to produce
tlevotional literature in Enghsh
that would match the Hebrew
Siddur. Machzor, and Haggadah
in beauty and inspiration. An
educational consultant, Rabbi
Sidney B. Hoenig. was engaged
to begin the work of rewriting
all the liturgy issued by DRA.
The task of publishing a new
Haggadah was given top prior-
ity. This was not a matter of
logical choice but of happen-
77,
stance. The supply of the Pool
Haggadah l the work of Dr.
David and Mrs. Tamar de Sola
Pools was exhausted. It was a
question of readying a new edi-
tion. or reprinting the Pool work.
The first draft was presented
on July 30. 1951.
It is barely possible that the
rendition of Holy Writ into
English at the instance of
King James of Britain was a
snore important literary event
than the translation and edit-
ing of the new JWB Hagga-
dah, but it could not have been
more exciting.
PaMover Quiz
By DAVID SCliWARTZ
Copyright. 1952. Jewish
Telegraphic Agency, Inc.
was any special precaution he should observe
to make sure that the Jewish law was con-
formed with.
The sainted rabbi lifted his head from the
pillow. "Yes," he stammered. "The old woman
who bakes the Matzos. See that they pay her
well."
One Passover, Rabbi Leib Itzchak of Ber-
ditcheff summoned the leading businessmen to
his home. "Tell me," he said, "is there much
smuggling going on?"
The businessmen answered affirmatively.
*
*
*
The rabbi raised his head on high. "Look,
God, the Czar' with thousands of inspectors and
detectives cannot prevent smuggling, but your
people, I can vouch, not one of them, has smug-
gled a piece of Hametz (unleavened bread) into
his house. See what a fine people Israel is!"
The pathos of Milton Berle. "My audience
can feel sorry for me," pleads Uncle Miltie.
• "Look at the money Bing Crosby and Frank
Sinatra earn. While I sweat away on Broadway
for a few dollars a week. Comes Pesach and
there is not a bit of bread in the house."
"discoveries" by means of which
many stars of the entertainment
world are purported to have
bust into fame and fortune is
the story of Brooklyn-born Rob-
ert Merrill, Metropolitan Opera
baritone who has just completed
his first motion picture at Para-
mount.
Possessor of a voice which
leading American critics have
declared unpar-
alleled on the
concert stage
today,Merril I
achieved his
success through
development
which he whim-
sically declares
was disgusting-
ly normal."
"Contrary
to
popular
no-..i•
Merrill
tions." says Rob-
ert. "full-fledged singers are
not found scrubbing somebody's
doorstep or peddling produce
from door to door. Singing suc-
cess is the result of long, hard
work, during which the voice
mellows and matures and the
techniques of control and'cleliv-
ery are painfully learned.
Merrill, whose performances
at the world famous "Met"
have been consistently ac-
claimed, "hardly remembers"
when his singing career began,
but the records show that he
began at the age of 10.
Son of a musical mother, her-
self a concert singer, Robert
started as a boy soprano. H i s
earliest performances were as a
member of a number of syna-
gogue choirs and amateur sing-
ing groups, and few indeed are
the synagogues in and around
Brooklyn, New York, that do
not hold some nostalgic remem-
brance for him.
At the age of 15 young Rob-
ert embarked on a profession-
al career. Taking a series of
jobs on the summer resort
"borscht" circuit, he rapidly de -
veloped the poise and confi-
dence that only a "barnstorm-
-
ing" tour can give. His com-
panions en these rigorous
proving grounds, where a per-
former either "produces or
else." included a number of
other young men destined
later to make a name for
themselves. One of these call-
ed -himself Danny Kaye. An-
other was Red Skelton. Also
among those present were the
Three Stooges (the Howard
brothers).
In 1945, following training by
a series of world-famous oper-
atic coaches, Merrill entered the
"Met" auditions. The rest is his-
tory. Winning the competition,
he signed a contract with the
Metropolitan Opera Company.
There followed an exclusive re-
cording contract for RCA Victor
records, and his selection a s
singing star of the RCA Victor
Sunday afternoon NBC network
show.
The young baritone's debut
with the Metropolitan w a s
greeted by sensational ovations
from the audience, press, and
critics, and a permanent role
with the world-famous opera
company was assured. Since
his debut, Robert has sung the
leading roles in over a dozen
different operas.
"Radio, recording, opera and
motion pictures are my princi-
pal outlets," says Merrill, "and
each medium has had its in-
dividual effect on my artistic
development. Each, of course,
has also contributed to my work
in the other.
Since his operatic debut, Mer-
rill's rise to the first ranks of
musical artists has been mete-
oric. Named by no less a critic
than Arturo Toscanini as one of
the greatest baritones of our
day, the young singer was se-
1 e c t e d by the world-famous
maestro to sing the role of Ger-
mont in the presentation of "La
Traviata" over the NBC network.
The magnificent performance
which resulted has been released
on an RCA Victor recording, and
chosen the outstanding single
operatic record of the year by
the Recorded Music Society.