10—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Ginsberg, Keyserling
Friday, August 28, 1953
The Kinsey Report
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
(Copyright, 1953,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
As this is being written, the
new Kinsey book on sex and the
human female is the big noise.
It is something new almost un-
precedented. In fact, the only
precedent I can think of is the
Tracate "Yevamoth" of the
Gemara, which came, out about
2,000 . years ago. "Yevamoth"
deals entirely with sex in the fe-
male, too. I don't suppose it has
been read as much as the new
Kinsey book. There is some good
reading in the old books, it
seems, but you've got to know
Hebrew to understand it.
Sex is a topic usually left to
the sensationalist and I think
the significance of Mr. Kin-
sey's work lies in the fact that
he, a trained university man,
has taken this subject and
dealt with it scientifically and
realistically.
The Jews have been from
ancient times quite realistic
about sex. The ancient J e w s
couldn't just deny sex or try to
push it away as something "un-
worthy." The _fact that the Jew-
ish religion put such an em-
phasis on marriage is proof of
this -realism. Jewish thought re-
garded it an obligation to get
married. Some rabbis held that a
man could be brought to court if
after a certain age he had not
done so. The significance of this
is plain. It meant that sex was
a fact of life, an inescapable ex-
perience which no one should
seek to escape.
The same thought is stressed
by the emphasis put on help-
ing a girl marry. According to
t h e Ethics of the Fathers,
which every good Jew reads on
the Sabbath, helping a girl get
married is such a great mitz-
vah that you are repaid for it
by God in this world and even
get a little interest on it in the
world to come.
Perhaps marrying off everyone
irrespective of other considera-
tions is not the complete ideal
solution, but it certainly was
comprehensive and perhaps
about as good as any generalized
solution can be. It assured sex
experience for all.
It is interesting to note that
the church which took over so
much Judaism did not altogeth-.
er see eye to eye with Judaism
in this matter of sex. To the
church, sex is essentially sin-
ful. To the Jew, sex itself, when
it is. legitimate, is not so re-
garded, although there were ap-
prehensions about its excess.
Judaism tried to sanctify instead
of forbid sex. Legitimate rela-
tions were not only not forbid-
den, but sometimes even encour-
aged. They were "Mitzvoths."
"It is better to marry than to
burn," said Saint Paul, but the
ideal state, he held, was celi-
bacy. That is not the Jewish
view, and seemingly it is not the
- view of Kinsey, who maintains
that even the school teacher is
a better teacher, if not sex
starved.
I haven't seen the new Kin-
sey book. I don't know whether
it takes up the m a t t e r of
divorce. It seems to me that
here, too. th.e Jewish experi-
ence i.c Ainaular. it is extreme-
ly easy for a man to get a di-
vorce, according to the Jewish
law, and yet divorces were very
rare. The man had little more
to do than to say he didn't
want the woman. The rabbi of
course would try to discourage
divorce. There is the story of
the Jew who applied for a di-
vorce, and the rabbi quoted tio
him the statement of the Tal-
mud, "that the Holy Ark of the
Temple itself sheds tears when
a man parts from his wife."
"I would rather that the
Holy Ark shed tears than that
I do so," said the man.
The rabbi could only try to
dissuade the man. Yet, despite
the lack of restrictions, di- .
vorces were rare among Jews.
Maybe we need a Jewish Kin-
sey to go into the matter of
Jews and sex.
Are Major Speakers
At Local Bond Meeting
At the special stockholders'
meeting of Israel bondholders,
Tuesday, at the Davison Jewish
Cent e r, Julius Ginsburg, co-
chairman of the Chicago Israel
Bond committee, will be added
to speakers' ros-
ter, along with
economist Leon
H. Keyserling.
The meeting,
which will pre-
sent a factual
report on t h e
use of Israel
bond dollars to
s e c ure Israel's
economic inde-
pendence, is
headed by Louis
Berry, I. D.,
Ginsburg
Davidson, NJ o 5-
eph Holtzman, Abe Kasle, Max
Osnos, Morris Schaver and Phil-
lip Stoilman. .
A deader in Jewish organiza-
tional life in Chicago for many
years, Ginsburg returned from
a trip to Israel recently as a
member of the National Plan-
ning Commission for State of
Israel Bonds. He has long been
actively identified with the
Labor Zionist movement, and
for 11 kyears was Chicago chair-
man of the Israel Histadrut
Campaign. He was Grand Mar-
shal of Chicago's BIG D a y,
which resulted in the sale of
over $400,000 in Israel bonds.
Speaking in English and Yid-
dish, he has captivated audi-
ences throughout the U.S.
The stockholders' meeting will
point up the fact that . the
$500,000,000 State of Israel Bond
Issue in the U.S. will enable the
flourishing new democracy to
launch a vast expansion of in-
dustry and agriculture during
the next crucial three years.
.
Youth Leaders, Professionals
Sail to Israel for Study
JERUSALEM, (IIP)—Schedul- production of other anti-biotic
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Seventy- ing an expanded production drugs for the export market.
five young people who will spend
the next year studying in Israel
under the auspices of the World
Zionist Organization—the lar-
gest group of its kind from Wes-
tern Hemisphere countries to
date — sailed from New . York
aboard the SS Constitution.
The first American students to
be admitted to the Hebrew Uni-
versity-Hadassah Medical have
left for Jerusalem, it was an-
.nounced by - Dr. George S. Wise,
president -of the American
Friends of the Hebrew Univer-
sity, and Mrs. Samuel J. Rosen-
sohn, national president of Had-
assah. Four are in the party.
A large appropriation by State
of Israel Bond investments was
made last year for the develop-.
ment of the young Republic's
drug industry, which is seen as
a major source of foreign cur-
rency.
Large markets for the product
exist throughout the Middle,East
and Mediterranean regions, as
well as in Africa, which is easily
capable of absorbing consider-
able amounts of medical sup-
plies.
Finest for all
your HOLIDAY
COOKING,
BAKING,
PHOENIX, Ariz., (JTA)—Mo-
tion picture theater operators in
this city, the capital of Arizona,
have begun to scrap their policy
of racial discrimination as the
result of a campaign started by
the local Anglo-Jewish news-
paper, The Phoenix Jewish News.
FRYING
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nim i m i nn im min i mm i nfulted
H ebrew
• Pre-School Nursery
• Afternoon Hebrew School
• Elementary • High School • Classes Start September 13, 1953
REGISTRATION OF NEW PUPILS THROUGH SEPT. 15
ADAS SHALOM (Northwest Hebrew) 7015 CURTIS
HUNTINGTON WOODS - OAK PARK
LINWOOD, 8849 Linwood
•
BETH AARON, 18000 Wyoming
Register Your Child Now
Transportation Provided . .For Further information Call
SHOLEM ALEICHEM
CENTER
TO, 8-0063
THE OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
THE UNITED HEBREW SCHOOLS WISH YOU .
-4 A
NEW. YEAH
You Are Invited to Hear
LEON KEYSERLING
Chairman 'of President Truman's Council of Economic Advisers
PRESENT A SPECIAL REPORT
*ft
ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL
Dexter-Davison Jewish Center
LEON H. KEYSERLING
TUESDAY, SEPT. 1, AT 8 P.M•
* JULIUS GINSBURG
Leader in Jewish organizational.
life in Chicago and recent
visitor to the State of Israel,
will give a first-hand review
of the young nation's achievements.
THERE WILL BE NO SOUCITATIONS AT THE MEETING
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ROSE SITTIG COHEN, 13226 LAWTON
BNAI MOSHE, 11401 DEXTER
SCHAEFER BRANCH, 18945 SCHAEFER
DI. 1-2552 18495 Wyoming
Louis Berry
I. D. Davidson
Joseph Holtzman
Abe Kasle
Max Osnos
Morris Schaver
Phillip Stollnian
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Location of Branches
Office Open 2-5 p.m.
COMMITTEE
•
Seh als
FOR RENT .. .
Completely At:Conditioned
program which will net the
country $600,000 per annum, the
Refa anti-biotic plant completed
arrangements this week for its
transfer to the industrial cen-
ter of Jerusalem.
Large new buildings and mod-
ern equipment is to help in the
factory's stepped - up activity
Presently e x p o r t i n g sizeable
amounts of penicillin, the man-
agement announced that blue-
prints were being readied for the
Cut Discrimination at Movies
Comic Joe E. Lewis was elected
abbot of Friars Club and Milton
Berle, who previously held that
post, was named abbot emeritus.
All Facilities for All Affairs .
Refa's Anti-Biotic Plant to Increase Production
a
JULIUS GINSBURG