Purely Commentary By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Our Generation's Most Interesting Traveler: Israel Cohen 2—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, July 31, 1953 Mrs. Schaver Back From Israel; to Be Symphony Soloist Few stories of our time, aside from actual historical records, can be said to have earned the right to be called "undying" and "immortal." Yet there are on record creative works—like Maimon- ides and Yehudah Halevy's and Solomon Ibn Gabirol's and a num- Emma Schaver, Detroit's in- ber of others—which must be classed in this category. Similarly, the reports that were handed down to us by the famous 12th cen- ternationally known soprano, tury traveler, Benjamin of Tudela, whose 13 years of travels has returned from Israel to make through Europe and Asia have acquainted us with the life of un- known Jewish communities, also belong in such a characterization. This Commentator had the thrilling experience of reading the diaries of the modern Benjamin of Tudela: the eminent Zionist leader, Israel Cohen, whose "Travels in Jewry" comprise, in our view, the most important collection of records of Jewish life in a dozen countries. The publishers of this perfectly charming book, E. P. Dutton & Co. (300 4th Ave., NY10), have earned the grati- tude not only of Jewry but of all students of human events for their vision in selecting this volume as one of this summer's products. This eminent English-Jewish author dates back his official Zionist duties to his secretarial task in Cologne in 1910. Thus, the experiences he chronicles in this splendid volume include his travels during and before the First World War, through World War II and the years that followed—plus the intervening years. In a sense, therefore, he has covered vaster areas than his pre- decessor, Benjamin of Tudela. He has traveled farther, for a longer period of time—more than three times the duration of Benjamin's experiences—and during more trying eras in world history. Pathos and Humor, Tragedy and Achievement There is a great deal of • tragedy in Cohen's record of our generation's trials and tribulations. And his book is not devoid EMMA SCHAVER of humor. It is replete with facts and anecdotes, with behind- the-scenes revelations of the manner in which oppressed Jewries a guest appearance with the De- have been treated and nearly-forgotten episodes of one of the troit Symphony Orchestra on saddest chapters in world history. Saturday, Aug. 8. The orchestra Israel Cohen makes Many contributions to Jewish lore in his is under the direction of Valter "Travels in Jewry." Major among them is his reminder to all of us that all is not rosy in Jewish life, that our people's status Poole. This will mark Mrs. Schaver's was not secure a few short years ago, and that the insecurity, which is beginning to be forgotten, has resulted in wholesale fourth appearance with the De- murder of Jewish communities. The great nations—chief among troit Symphony, twice with Mr. Poole as conductor. them, our own United States—which are hesitant in approving the United Nations Genocide Convention, would do well to study Mrs. Schaver has concluded a this record. The reminder of the horrors that pursued millions successful three-month concert becomes a necessity among people who have become too corn- tour of Israel, where, in addition placent. to concerts in Jerusalem, Haifa, All one needs do is compare figures of pre-Hitler days and Tel Aviv and many settlements, the present, as they are revealed by Israel Cohen: the hard-hearted she appeared twice with the would then be faced with shame for their lack of concern over Haifa Symphony Orchestra con- forgotten events. Here are a few of the figures: ducted by Jacques Singer, and Cologne's Jewish population declined from 15,000 to 600; over radio with the Kol Zion Berlin's,‘ from 160,000 to 7,000; Vienna's, from 180,000 to 10,000; L'Gola and Kol Yisroel Sym- Warsaw's, from 300,000 to 4,000; "the Jews, not only of Kovno phony Orchestra. but of all Lithuania, were wiped out"; Hungarian Jewry has declined from 450,000 to 135,000; half of Romania's 850,000 Jews "met their doom either in death-camps or in some equally bar- barious manner"; of Salonika's 56,000 Jews in the pre-Hitler years only 1,500 remain; no more than 40 of Vilna's 65,000 Jews came out alive from the fox-holes and in this "Jerusalem of Lithuania," which now belongs to the Sbviet Union, "the traditional Jewish life and culture of which it has so long been a citadel are no more." Israel Cohen did not concern himself primarily with the tragedies imposed upon Jewry by the Nazis. As stated, he toured Europe before World War II. He was the emissary of the World Zionist Organization to Poland. and Romania in the early '20s, and his reports of the pogroms in these two countries leave the reader thoroughly heartbroken. They are like an accusing finger at those of us who dare not to remember the occurrences out of which Poles and Romanians emerged as brutal as the Hitlerites. Perhaps many of the Polish Jews would have been rescued from the Nazi extermination camps if their Christian neighbors had been more human! Redeeming Features: Hope in Italy and in France Fortunately, the picture is not all dark. There are redeeming features in the humane attitudes of the Italian and French peo- ples. There was a better chance for Jewish refugees even in Spain. Lisbon was an avenue of escape. Mr. Cohen describes the Halutzim camps in the more liberal countries, the urge for Zion, the common aim to escape to Israel, the desire of the survivors to go anywhere, as long as they would not need to remain in the countries of despair, persecution and torment. Rebukes to Ultra Assimilated Jews - Israel Cohen has several mild rebukes for assimilated Jews. In the chapter in which he relates his meeting with M. Aimee Palli- ere, the Frenchman who abandoned Catholicism to embrace Juda- ism, he tells of the noted Ger Tzedek's travels in various lands where he addressed synagogues and told Jewish groups of their spiritual heritage. "He (Palliere) had recently been on a tour through the Jewish communities of Algeria and Tunis, and his advocacy of the Zionist cause among them had made such an impression that the leaders of the Alliance Israelite Universelle, forgetting the original idea underlying their own foundation, had been moved to express their displeasure. The Jews of Algeria and Tunis might become too Jewish!" Then there is the story of the wayfarer's visit in Provence. He asked if he could have one of the faded, stained and tattered prayerbooks. To continue the story as Mr. Cohen tells it about his guide: "No, I cannot let anything go," he said firmly. "There is a complete inventory, and I am responsible. Once I lent a couple of books to an American Rabbi who was here and promised to return them, but so far he has not sent them back." "Does not the Grand Rabbi interest himself in this syna- gogue?" I inquired. "No," was the reply, with a disparaging shake of the head. "He is interested only in celebrating rich marriages. I closed the synagogue some time ago in Cavaillon and brought the scrolls of the Torah here. Now I am wondering what may hap- pen when I am no longer here to look after this synagogue. Perhaps it may become a museum." But Jewish life goes on. There are varying mores, the customs are different, but the Paris synagogues were packed. Wherever Israel Cohen went he found Jews who carried the banner of their people, some high, some lower—but it was not so low that Jewry's position seems altogether lost. After all there is Israel. Israel Cohen tells a fascinating story. This Commentator is ready to read his book once again: he may have much more to say about it. JNF Gets $1,500 Netzorg Bequest Finaly Children Arrive in Israel; Will Live in Gedera Settlement TEL AVIV, (JTA) — Robert and Gerald Final y, the two brothers whose abduction by Catholic priests in France brought them into the limelight of the international scene dur- ing the past half year, arrived at their new home in Israel and were welcomed by relatives and neighbors who turned out , to give the two orphans a warm reception. The boys and their aunt. Mrs. Hedwig Rosner, who was de- clared their legal guardian by the French courts, arrived at Lydda airport at 10 a.m. and were quickly whisked into a taxi and taken to their home in Gedera, one of the oldest settle- ments in Israel. The children and Mrs. Rosner Were accom- panied by Miss G. Wolf, a social worker who will help supervise the boys' education, and Mr. Rosner, their uncle. When they entered their new h ome, Robert 12, and Gerald, 10. met their cousins, Michael Ros- ner, 15, and Miriam Rosner,. 19. A number of other relatives and friends of the Rosner family were also on hand to greet the orphans a n d their guardians who had spent a number of weeks in France waiting for the children's return • from Spain. Later, a uniformed unit of the Maccabi, a sports organization, came to greet the boys and pre- sent them with flowers. Afterwards, the children spent a while becoming familiar with their new home and ate some fruits from their own garden. Then, they rode their new bi- cycles through the streets of the town. Newsmen who saw the children said that they looked fit and did not appear to suffer from Israel's hot weather. Robert and Gerald will not be starting school in Israel for another two months. They will use the summer months to learn Hebrew. They will also receive a French educa- tion and will be informed about the Jewish religion. Under the terms of the agree- ment with the French Catholic authorities, which led to the re- turn of the children, Mrs. Ros- ner will not apply pressure on them to abandon the Catholic religion into which they were baptized five years ago. when they were seven and five: When they are older they will choose their own religion. • The children were left at a French municipal orphange. by their German refugee parents in 1944, shortly before they were seized and murdered by t h e Nazis. They were in the care of Mlle. Antoinette B r u n, a Catholic social worker at the orphange, who had them bap- tized without consideration of the possible wishes of their dead parents. When the courts finally awarded the Finaly children to their aunt, Mlle. Brun, aided by a number of nuns and priests, spirited the children across the Pyrenees to Spain. Rabbi Lymon Resigns From U.M. Hillel Post Rabbi Herschel Lymon has re- '''signed as direc- tor of the Hillel Foundation at t h e University of Michigan, it became known this week. After six years as Hillel direc- tor at Ann Ar- bor, Rabbi Ly- "*‘". Rabbi Lymon mon plans to accept a pulpit in California. Between You and Me By BORIS SMOLAR (Copyright, 1953, Jewish Telegraphic Agency) The will of the late Bendetson Netzorg, nationally famed pian- ist and music teacher, includes $1,500 bequest for the Jewish National Fund. One of Mr. Netzorg's prized pianos was willed to his secre- tary, Mrs. Gladys Hall. Another piano was left to his nephew, Paul Kerr. He left his estate to his sis- ters, Mesdames Muria.l N. Robi- nove, Krana E. Goldsmith and Rose Kerr. Circle Branches Plan Rumor Clinic on Aug. 7 A vivid demonstration of the rumor in action has been prom- ised members of Workmen's Circle Branches 460 and 470 when they meet for a joint so- cial and educational evening on Aug. 7. Program chairman Evelyn Bruss and her husband, Kal- man, will conduct a rumor clin- ic in which slides of emotion- charged situaitons are shown to an audience and the scene is then described in turn to six people who have not seen the slide. The evening's program will be held on the lawn of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Saul Goodman, 19301 Shaftsbury. Bella Granat, social chairman, has planned re freshments. 53 Jewish 'Hard-Cores' Welcomed by Norway OSLO—Norway last week wel- comed as permanent settlers a4 group of 53 "hard core" cases from the DP camps of Germany and Austria. The refugees, all of them con- centration camp survivors and members of their families, are tuberculosis and post-TB cases. They arrived here after a two- day trip from Munich under a special emigration scheme spon- sored by the Norwegian govern- ment and the Joint Distribution Committee. Washington Notes: The resumption by Moscow of diplomatic relations with Israel is considered in Washington a great victory for Israel's Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett It is no secret in Washington that some elements in Israel were "sniping" at Mr. Sharett recently and had utilized Moscow's rupture of relations with the Jewish State as propaganda against him . . . The efforts to undermine Mr. Sharett's policies—not only with regard to Russia—have been conducted by others beside the pro-Soviet elements . . . In a whis- pering campaign, they sought to create the impression that Israel was slipping backwards in its dealing with foreign nations . . . The re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Jerusalem takes the wind out of their sails . . . Also the fact that Mr. Sharett has been chosen Acting Premier of Israel, to replace Premier Ben-Gurion during his lengthy vacation, did not pass unnoticed in Washing-ton . The State Department refrained, of course, from commenting on the resumption of Soviet-Israel re- lations since this is a matter concerning primarily the two coun- tries involved . . . However, the opinion in Washington is that Israel may now, after all, succeed in inducing the countries be- hind the Iron Curtain to permit emigration of Jews to the Jewish State . . . This may be the case with Romania, Hungary and Poland where there are still many Jews who wish to go to Israel . . . Whether Jewish emigration from the Soviet Union itself will be permitted remains to be seen , . However, it is the ambition of the Israel Government to secure such emigration, and no secret is being made about it by Mr. Sharett or any other member of the Israel Cabinet. Community Reflections: The American Jewish community is now receiving a great deal of attention in South Africa as a result of the visit paid to this country by Gus Saron, general secretary of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies . . Mr. Saron spent more than two months in the United States visiting the larger Jewish commun- ities and studying the organization of Jewish communal life there . . . He made a thorough study of the American Jewish system of fund-raising, of various aspects of Jewish welfare and social work, of Jewish education and Jewish center work . „ He also visited many major Jewish institutions in New York and other cities . . . He left the United States with a clear picture of American Jewish thinking and having' gained inspiration from what he had seen of organized American Jewish life . . . Now he is urging the Jewish community of South Africa to emulate some of the methods which are used by organized Jewry in this coun- try . . . Especially in the field of education, coordination of corn- munal activities, development of Hillel Foundations for Jewish students and training Jewish youth for leadership . . . The pic- ture which Mr. Saron presents to South Africa on the varied as- pects of American Jewish life is provoking a good deal of interest among all elements of South African Jewry . . . In fact, Jewish groups in the United States owe Mr. Saron as much thanks as Jewish groups in South Africa, which will definitely benefit from his visit to our shores . What Mr. Saron is doing amounts to acquainting the Jews of South Africa with the Jews of the United States and to bringing these two Jewries closer together despite the huge distance which separates them geographically . . It was a fortunate idea on the part of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies to send Mr. Saron to the United States . He ably conveyed the spirit of South African Jewry during his stay in this country, and he is now just as ably conveying the spirit of American. Jewry to the people of his own country.