6—THE JEWISH NEWS

If Not Higher

Editor's Note: This year marks the 100th anniversary of
the birth of Yitzchok L. Peretz, the great Yiddish writer whose
storie, are as enchanting in English translation as then are in

the original Yiddish. Born in Zapascr. Poland, Peretz became
one of the outstanding figures in Yiddish literature, ranking on
a pa r with Sholem Aleichern, Mendele Mocher Seforim and the
masters who. followed them. Mang of Peretz's stones and poems
have been translated into English. His "If Not Higher, - which
we are pleased to present here as an AJP feature, is among his
most famous stories. Peretz died in Warsaw in 1915. Death oc-
curred at his desk after he had written the second line of a
children's song which he had intended to compose for the World
War I children's refugee homes.
After that the Lithuanian
' hears the people rise and leave
the house. Once more it is quiet
and dark, only a very little
moonlight comes in through the
shutter. lie confessed after-
wards. did the Lithuanian. that
when he found himself alone
with the Rebbe. terror took hold
of him. But a Lithuanian is dog-
ged. He quivers and quakes like
a fish. but he does not budge.
At last the Rebbe long life
to him!) rises in his turn. He
--ter:77 goes to the wardrobe, and takes
'a • out a packet which proves to be
"••.*P"'"
the dress of a peasant: linen
•1
trousers. high boots. a pelisse, a
wide felt hat. and a long and
broad leather belt studded with
brass nails. The Rebbe puts
them on.
Out of the pockets of the pe-
lisse dangles the end of a thick
Y. L. PERETZ
cord, a peasant's cord.
Every Friday morning, the On his way out the Rebbe
Rebbe of Namirov disappeared steps aside into the kitchen,
early at Sliches-time. He melted stoops, takes a hatchet from
Into thin air! He was not to be under the bed. puts it into his
found anywhere, either in the belt. and leaves the house. The
synagogue or in the two houses Lithuanian trembles, but he
of study, or worshipping in some persists.
0 •
Minyan, and most certainly not
at home. His door stood open,
A fearful Solemn Day hush
people went in and out as they broods over the dark streets.
pleased—no one ever stole any- broken not unfrequently by a
thing from 'the Rebbe—but there cry of supplication from some
was not a soul in the house.
little Minyan, or the moan of
some sick person behind a win-
Where can the Rebbe be?
Where should he be, with the dow. The Rebbe keeps to the
Solemn Days so near. if not in street side. and walks in the!
heaven? .J(-ws need a livelihood, shadow of the houses. He glides
peace, health; they wish to be from one to the other, the Lith-
good and pious, and their sins uanian after him. And the Lith-
are great. and Satan with his uanian hears the sound of his
thousand eyes spies out the own heart-beats mingle with the
world from one end to the oth- heavy footfall of the Rebbe: but
er. and he sees, and accuses. and he follows on. and together they
tells tales—and who shall help emerge from the town. •
if not the Rebbe? So thought
Behind the town stands a lit-
the people.
Once. however, there came a tie wood. The Rebbe tiong life
Lithuanian — and he laughed. to him!) enters it. He walks on
You know the Lithuanian Jews thirty or forty paces, and then
—they rather despise books of he stops beside a small tree. And
devotion, but stuff themselve.3 the Lithuanian, with amaze-
with the Talmud and the codes. meat, sees the Rebbe take his
And who, I ask, is going to argue hatchet and strike the tree. He
sees the Rebbe strike blow after
with a Litvak?
blow. he hears the tree creak
What become of the Rebbe?
"I don't know, and I don't and snap. And the little tree
care," says he, shruging his falls, and the Rebbe splits it up
shoulders, and all the while into logs. and the logs into
(what is it to be a Lithuanian!) splinters. Then he makes a
bundle. binds it round with the ;
determined to find out!
The very same evening, soon cord, throws it on his shoulders ? '
after prayers, the Lithuanian
steals into the Rebbe's room, lays
himself down under the Rebbe's
bed, and lies low. He intends to
stay there all night, to find out
where the Rebbe goes. and what '
he does at Sliches-time.
Day has not broken when he
hears the call to prayer. The
Rebbe has been awake some-
time. The Lithuanian has heard
him sighing and groaning for a
whole hour. Whoever has heard
the groaning of the Nemirover
Rebbe knows what sorrow for
All-Israel. what distress of mind, ,
found voice in every groan. '

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'Baby Animals'; Fine Book

- By YITZCHOK LEIB PERETZ

Friday, September 5, 1952

replaces the hatchet in his belt, for you," said the Rebbe. And

leaves the wood, and goes back
into the town.
In one of the back streets he
stops beside a poor, tumble-
down little house, and taps at
the window.
"Who is there?" cries a fright-
ened voice within.
The Lithuanian knows it to be
the voice of a Jewess. a sick
Jewess. "I," answers the Rebbe,
in the peasant tongue.
"Who is I?" inquires the voice,
farther.
And the Rebbe answers again
in the Little-Russian speech:
"Vassil."
"Which Vassil? and what do
you want, Vassil?"
"I have wood to sell," says the
sham peasant, "very cheap. for
next to nothing." And without
further ado he goes in. The
Lithuanian steals in behind him
and sees. in the grey light of
dawn, a poor room with poor,
broken furniture. In the bed lies
a sick Jewess huddled up in
rags, who says bitterly:
"Wood to sell—and where am
I. a poor widow, to get money
to buy it?"
"I will give you a six-groschen
worth on credit."
"And how am I ever to repay
you?" groans the poor woman.
"Foolish creature," the Rebbe
upbraids her. "See here: you are
a poor sick Jewess, and I am
willing to trust you with the
little bundle of wood: I believe
that in time you will repay me.
And you. you have such a great.
mighty God, and you do not
trust Him! Not even to the
amount of a miserable six gro-
schen for a bundle of wood!"
"And who is to light the
stove?" groans the widow. "Do
I look like getting up to do it,
and my son away at work?"
"I will also light the stove

In Brooklyn, a school boy ex-
' plained. to his mother that he

the Rebbe• while he laid the
wood in the stove, repeated,
groaning. the first part of the
Sliches. Then, when the stove
was alight. and the wood crack-
led cheerily. he repeated. more
gaily, the second part of the
Sliches. He repeated the third
part when the first had burnt
itself out, and he shut the. stove
doors.

can study and watch TV at the
same time. "I Study During tha
Commercials," said the boy.

Headquarters for

MOTHER'S

The Lithuanian, who saw all
this, remained with the Rebbe
as one of his followers.
And, later. when anyone told
how the Rebbe early every
morning at Sliches-time raised
himself and flew up into Heav-
en, the Lithuanian instead of ,
laughing, added quietly:
"If not higher."

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EIIPLE ISRAEL

UN. 3-7769

Ma n derson and Merton

A \AO/ NCES SPEC/ -I /4 OFFICE 11Ol'Itti

For the Convenience of All Who H ish to Inquire About

1. Worshipping with Us at the High Holy Days

2. Enrolline, Their Children in Our Reli0-ious School

Temple Israel is central to all areas of Jewish residence. There are spacious parking
accommodations adjacent to the Temple building.

OFFICE HOURS AT THE TEMPLE
Sunday Mornings
9:30 a.m. to 12
Weekday mornings and
Afternoons
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Weekday evenings
7 to 9 p.m.

OFFICE HOURS
AT RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
Our Religious School opens Sunday morn-
ing, September 7, at 9:30. We occupy two
school buildings.

HAMPTON SCHOOL, AT WARRINGTON AM) PICKFORD
B AGLEY SCHOOL, AT CITRTIS AND GREENLAWN

You may come to enroll your children as pupils, and yourselves as members, at either
building, Sunday morning, September 7, or Sunday morning, September 14, 9:30 to
12:15.

Temple Lsra el Religious School classes begin with Pre-Kindergarten, or the age of 4,
and continue through Bar Mitzvah, Confirmation and High School age.
Our educational system is under the personal supervision of Rabbi Leon Pram.

.

There are only 21 pictures in
"Baby Animals." the new Simon-
Schuster (530 5th. N.Y. 20) Gol-
den Book. But they are so at-
tractive that this $1 children's
volume will please the young-
sters who will most certainly
want to turn the extra-heavy
board covers time and again.
Garth Williams' pictures and
ALUMINUM COMBINATION
stories about the baby animals
WINDOWS AND. DOORS
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other animals.

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Your Jewish News WANT AD
8817 Lyndon
number is WO. 5-1155.

TE. 4-2210

The High Holy Day Services of Temple Israel will be conducted by

RABBI LEON FRAM

and
CANTOR ROBERT S. TULMAN

who will preach the Holy Day Sermons,

by

who will render the High Holy Day music, together with

TEMPLE ISRAEL CHOIR

conducted by

our

KARL W. HAAS

organist and music director

Ilember.:hip in Temple Israel is the sole requirement for the accommo-
dation of your entire family at High Holy Day Services, and for the
enrollment of all your children in the Religious School.

