'Operation Miami' Triumph for Detroit
I nitial Meeting Here Sets
Pace for Allied Campaign
(See Later Story on Page 1)
Detroiters once again led the the Saxony, for the men, with
country with liberal gifts which Ambassador Abba Eban and Ed-
helped boost initial contribu- ward M. M. Warburg as main
tions to the United Jewish Ap- speakers, Kasle headed several
peal at the UJA annual inaugur- working committee s. Among
al conference in Miami Beach those who lent their efforts
last week-end. The gifts an- were Maurice Aronsson, Nathan
flounced at Miami Beach set the Fishman, Albert Fruman, Sam-
highest record for giving at an uel H. Rubiner, president of Fed-
Opening event by Detroiters and eration, Abe Srere, chairman of
gave an excellent start to the the executive committee, Paul
Zuckerman, Max Pincus and
1954 Allied Jewish Campaign.
"Operation Miami" got under Alex Sklar, chairman of the
division. Irving W.
way under the leadership of Abe mercantile
Blumberg and Joseph Holtzman
Kasle, campaign chairman of
1951 and 1952, with Joseph Holtz-. ! did double duty, taking care of
Miami assignments after com-
man as Miam i chairman
pleting their participation in
1954. Kasle headed the advance programming in Detroit up to
Miami contingent and organized
the pre-campaign work which February 9.
An interesting highlight of
was already under way for the
southern vacationers while those the pre-campaign activity was
in Detroit were attending to a cocktail party on Feb. 17, ar-
that phase of the campaign ef- ranged by William Fisher, who
recently acquired the Marti-
fort. .
Miami Beach, Hollywood, Boca nique Hotel, which, in 'effect,
Raton and Palm Beach were the was headquarters for the De-
principal centers of activity. troit activities. With a back-
Prior to the two big events, last ground of especially prepared
Friday, at the Saxony, with Mrs.. emblematic decorations de-
Franklin D. Roosevelt as the signed by the Martinique cliff,
principal speaker, for women the cocktail room was a color-
contributors, and Sunday, also at "ful scene as Detroiters met as
Fisher's guests for sociability
and a friendly exchange of
vacation greetings. The only
formal item on the agenda
was a short talk of apprecia-
tion to the host by Mr. Blum-
berg, as campaign chairman.
This was the second annual
affair of its kind and those
attending talked of making
the event a yearly institution.
Among campaigners and con-
tributors seen at the party, in
addition to those ,already men-
tioned, were :
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Ham-
burger, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Lip-
son, Mr. and Mrs. Morris L. Fru-
man, Ben L. Silberstein, Mr. and
Mrs. Harry Becker, Mr. and Mrs.
Adolph Lichter, Mr. and Mrs.
Samuel H. Schwartz, Jack Gel-
ler, Mr. and Mrs. Ben N. Jacob,
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Mellon,
Maurice Robinson, Mr. and Mrs.
Meyer L. Prentis, Mr. and Mrs.
Norman B. Hayden, Mr. and Mrs.
Morey L. Jacobs, Mr. and Mrs.
Max Kwaselow, Philip Silver, Mr.
and Mrs. Max Lowenstein, Mr.
and Mrs. Maurice Barnett, Mr.
and Mrs. David Rott, Mr. and
Mrs. Harry Slatkin, Mr. and Mrs.
Norman Cottle r, Benjamin
Gould, Joshua Karbal, Mr. and
Mrs. Samuel S. Semmer, Mr. and
Mrs. Harry Brodsky, Miss Esther
Prussian and Mr, and Mrs. Isi-
dore Sobeloff.
Groundwork for the major
Miami meeting last Sunday
•Q
was laid at the C. William-
Sucher home at 1600 Balmoral
Drive in Detroit on Tuesday
evening, February 9, when
approximately one hundred
pre-campaigners pledged a to-
tal of $880,250 toward the 1954
Allied Jewish 'Campaign. This
compared with $541,000 sub-
scribed at a comparable func-
tion a year earlier at the home
of Max J. Zivian.
Earlier that day Mr. War-
burg, national UJA chairman;
Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz, UJA's
executive vice-chairman; .
Meire Sherman, financial ad-
viser in the United States of
the Israel government, and
Samuel Rothberg, of Peoria,
Ill., met in executive session
with the board of governor
of the. Jewish Welfare Federa-
tion to discuss Detroit's par-
ticipation in the $75,000,000
refunding plan to convert a
series of short term loans into
a five-year obligation. While
this operation is proceeding
independently, the conference
pointed up the fact that suc-
cess of the local Allied Jewish
Campaign and similar welfare
fund appeals throughout the
country in behalf of Israel, as
well as of associated local and
national causes, was a com-
panion requisite of 1954, with
contributed and lent funds
equally important.
At the evening meeting at the
Sucher home with Mr. and Mrs.
Sucher acting as hosts, Con-
gressman Jacob K. Javits, of New
York, was the principal speaker,
presenting a closely-reasoned
analysis of Israel's relationship
to its adjacent Arab neighbors
and interpreted the present ad-
ministration's actions in the
Near East. He expressed confi-
dence that the friendly relations
between the United States and
Israel would be maintained and
strengthened, but exhorted the
American Jewish community to
give continuing evidence
through the annual campaigns
and other appropriate means of
the concern which they feel for
positive developments there. Re-
laxation of interest and assist-
ance, Javits warned, would give
encouragement to the enemies
of freedom.
Sucher welcomed the guests
at his home and turned over the
presiding function to Harvey H.
Goldman, who, with Irving W.
Blumberg, is for the second suc-
cessive year, one of the chairmen
of the 1954 Detroit drive. Follow-
ing the Javits presentation, Dr.
Schwartz stated that the Arab
countries were counting on Jew-
ish apathy to wear down Jewish
growth and development in Is-
rael and pleaded with Detroit
C. WILLIAM SUCHER
as "one of our best communities
in America" to keep up its: rec-
ord of generosity.
John E. Lurie, chairman of
the pre-campaign forces, in-
troduced Max M. Fisher and
James Wineman, his associate
chairmen, and then called on
the audience for voluntary re-
sponses. Mr. Sucher, as host,
led off with the announce-
ment of the Speedway, Key-
stone, Aurora gift.
A wave of great enthusiasm
welled up with Mr. Sucher's
word that the group for the
Sucher, Fisher, Epstein and
Kay interests, would be
$100,000, the first time in the
history of Detroit campaigning
that any group gift had reach-
ed such a figure. A year ago
the comparable gift was $85,-
000. •
Then came the announcement
by Lurie, for himself and his
brother Nate, of a gift of $42,000
from Wrigle:- Markets, Inc., up
from $35,000 a year earlier. From
every part of the room renewals
and increases followed in rapid
and enthusiastic succession. A
resounding cheer went up when
last year's total was surpassed
and prolonged applause greeted
the final tabulation, made known
as the meeting adjourned for a
session of sociability and re-
freshm.ents, described by Con-
gressman Davits as one of the
finest and most inspiring affairs
of the kind• he had ever wit-
nessed.
(See Editorial, Page 4)
JNF Sponsors Youth Assembly Sunday;
Israel Consul Simcha Pratt to Speak
Detroiters at campaign meetings in Miami Beach: Left to right: Upper photo, IRVING W.
BLUMBERG, WILLIAM FISHER, JOSEPH HOLTZMAN, NATHAN FISHMAN, ABE KASLE,
SAMUEL RUBINER. second photo from top, MAURICE ARONSSON, PAUL ZUCKERMAN,
ADOLPH SLATKIN, MORRIS FRUMAN, ALEX SKLAR; third photo from top, MAX KWA-
SELOW, SAMUEL SCHWARTZ, MAX PINCUS, JACK GELLER, S. SEMMER; bottom photo,
Mrs. SAMUEL H. RUBINER, Miss ESTHER R. PRUSSIAN, Mrs. ISIDORE SOBELOFF, Mrs.
LIF'SON, Mrs. ABE KASLE, Mrs. JOSEPH HOLTZMAN.
"What does Israeli youth think
of American Jewish Youth's re-
lationship to the Jewish State?
And what is the thinking of Is-
rael's youth on its own prob-
lems?" will be the subject of the
guest speaker, Simcha Pratt,
Consul of Israel at Chicago, at
the Jewish Youth Assembly for
Israel, Sunday, at the Davison
Jewish Center. The meeting will
open with a brunch at 11 a.m.
and continue with the plenary
session, which will end at 5 p.m.
The assembly, sponsored by
the committee on youth of the
Jewish National Fund Council
of Detroit, has been called in
response to questions raised by
youth organizations who are in-
terested in helping Israel with-
out having to identify them-
selves with any of the existing
parties in the Zionist movement.
It was thought that the JNF, be-
cause of its non-partisan char-
acter, may serve as that medi-
um through which youth, re-
gardless of affiliation, may ex-
press their interests in Israel.
The theme of the meeting,
"American Jewish Youth: Its re-
lationship to Israel," will be de-
veloped by Rabbi Max Kapustin,
director of Bnai Brith Wayne
Hillel Foundation, Philip Slomo-
vitz and Mr. Pratt.
Born in Russia in 1912, Mr.
Pratt moved to Palestine in 1926.
He was educated at the Univer-
sity of Basle, Switzerland, and
the University of London. In
1934 he received an LL.B. and
was then called to the English
Bar. In 1938, he worked in the
law offices of th late Dr. M. Eli-
ash, who was later to become
Israel's First Minister to Great
SIMCHA PRATT
Britain. In 1940, - Mr. Pratt set-
tled- in Tel Aviv and practiced
law there until 1953 when he
joined the Israel Foreign Service.
As a member of Haganah,
Mr. Pratt participated in the de-
fense of Tel Aviv in 1947 and
1'948. He was attached to Israel
Army Headquarters with the
rank of First Lieutenant. In 1948
he was serious wounded and left
the Army in January of 1949, re-
suming his law practice. He was
vice-president of Bnai Brith
Lodge Shaare Zion of Tel Aviv
until his departure for Chicago.
20—DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 26, 1954