Purely Commentary Committee Formed Were to Assure Northwest Quarters for Detroit Chapter of Hadassah By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ The Fright of the Russian Jews Haim Shurer, in an article in the Davar of Tel Aviv, describing his recent visit in Russia, made some interesting revelations. it is evident that Jews tl.ere are frightened. The very men- tion of the word Israel or Zionism scares them away from the messenger from both. He relates several interesting stories. He had met "three men with definite •Sernitic features" and asked .them to be directed to a synagogue. It 'surprise, they asked him, "Why,- do you have to say Kaddish?": When he replied, "No, but I'm from Israel and I'd like to visit a synagogue," one of the men started to get away, pulling another with him, and "only the third paused long enough to tell me how to get there." • Another incident: In the Moscow "Metro" he struck up a Conversation with a -woman "with a Jewish face" whom he told he was from abroad. " 'Where are you from?' she asked. 'Israel,' I answered. She looked around her as soon as I had said that and made a quick get-away." Jews, apparently, are not the only ones who are frightened. Shurer tells about a non-Jewish woman who evidenced an inter- est in his visit: "When she suggested that we get together to talk about it the next day, I asked whether, as a Party member, she could make a date with a foreigner. Surprised and angry, she affirmed th1 4 she would come. She did not." Shurer's article also relates the following incidents that are most revealing about Russia and her Jews: "At a hotel in yet rtnother city a Jewish youth asked me whether I really meant it that I came from Israel. A few min- utes later he invited me to lunch with him. 'And you are not afraid of inviting me to your house?' I asked, the wiser by my earlier experiences. He jumped in anger. 'Why? What is there to be afraid of? I am a Party member, and I do not see why I should be forbidden to talk to you!" Then he excused himself, saying that he'd be back In half an hour to take me to his home. He did not come. "And somewhere else I had a short conversation with my neighbor at a restaurant table. 'Come over to my shop tomor- row,' he said, don't see why yoil. shouldn't.' When I got there, a woman came forward to meet me. The man was sick, she told me . . . "But as I passed a market where kolkhoz farmers sell the produce from their private plots one late afternoon, all of a sudden I heard the snatches of a conversation in Yiddish, and, unable to repress my curiosity, I came closer. There were five young Jewish cart-drivers, sitting in their Wagons and standing about them. They were young and strong, and they reminded me of Zalman Schneur's Noah, Pandre. " 'Where are you from, Yidden?' " 'From here. And you?' '4 'From Eretz Yisrael.' "They laughed. They thought that I was joking. Then they surrounded me and started asking me how many Jews there were 'over there,' how they lived 'over there,' what the situation was between us and the Arabs, and so forth. "I replied briefly, and they were Surprised to hear that I had been 'over there' for over 40 years. And they found it difficult to believe that I had simply asked to visit Russia as a journalist, and been granted permission. "All of a sudden they started to whisper among themselves, and. I told myself 'There it goes. They've remembered that it is dangerous to: Carry on this conversation in public.' Aloud, I asked What was gOing on. "'Come over and have a drink with us,' said one Of them. "It was an out-and-out surprise. It never occurred to me that in the _market place of a Soviet town - Jewish cart-drivers would want to invite me to a glass of wine. I Made no secret of my second thoughts about the wisdom of this genial offer, They had some too, but stood their ground. t 'And where do you want to go to drink?' " `Not a long way from here. Two streets down, at a Jewish : stand. "One of them went before 'me, the rest put their carts in order and came along too. "They filled large glasses with red wine and each took up a - piece of brinzza cheese. We drank `Lehaim.' " `Come over, Moishe,' they called out to the owner. 'It's a Jew from Eretz israel. Have a drink too!' "He had a drink too. "I looked at those friendly, healthy lads. They did not talk much, they did not ask many questions, they told no stories and they did not complain. They were simply expressing their brotherhood in an invitation to have a glass, of wine and cheese with them. "It was getting dark. I said goodbye and each of them shook my hand. There was sadness in their eyes, and one of them said longingly: "You couldn't take me along inside your trunk, could you'?" A committee of Detroit lay- men was mobilized here last week to assure the completion and remodeling of the building acquired on Seven Mile Road at Murray Hill, to serve as head- quarters for Detroit Chapter of Hadassah. Heading the committee are Israel Davidson, Frank Wets- man, Bert Smokier and Theo- dore Bargman. Domestic Problems Dr. Abraham J. Feldman, rab- bi of Temple Beth Israel, Hartford, Conn., was elected president of the Synagogue Council of America, at a na- tional plenary meeting in New York. Orthodox, Conservative and Reform American -con- gregations are represented i n the Council. Rabbis Theodore L. Adams, New York, and Max D. Davidson, Dr. Feldman Perth Amboy, N.J.; were elected vice-presi- dents; Rabbi Jesse Cohen, Uniondale, N.Y., treasurer; Rab- bis Joseph Schlang and Marvin Berger, secretaries, and Marc H. Tannenbaum, executive direc- tor. Central Senior Wins $4,000 Scholarship Jerry Kazdan, Central. High School senior, has been awarded the $4,000 Alumni Scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Insti- tute, at Troy, N.Y., it was an- nounced this week by Bertha M. Robinson, school principal. The scholarship, Centrars top award, is the largest to be grant- ed by the Institute, and covers full tuition for four years of study. Mr. Kazdan will major in physics. Mr. Kazdan and his twin sis- ter, Rita, will both graduate with honors from Cental this month. Both seniors have earn- ed Phi Beta Kappa awards. 2 — DETROIT JEWISH NEWS , k t4.1 '.'t :: t undertaking. - The dramatic shift of the Jewish population in recent years, Rabbi Feldman Elected Synagogue Council Head particularly since the close of World War II, is being evaluated ' * Architect's Sketch of Proposed Hadassah Building Between You and Me The Canadian Jewish Standard carries this news item under the heading "Yevsektzia Spirit Still Lives On": "The spirit of the Yevsektzia still lives on • years after its liquidation. (The Yevsektzia was the 'Jewish' section of the Bol- shevik party whose assignment in the early years of the Russian- Revolution was to eradicate all elements of religion and tradition from Jewish -life). In a Yiddish-language broadcast from Radio Warsaw on the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the Ghetto revolt, the speaker, Yitzchok Gordon, laid the blame for World War II on the 'obscurantists, cosmopolitans, Bundists, the Zionists, lackeys of imperialism who wouldn't listen to Moscow's warnings.' Yitzchok Gordon was a Communist in pre-war Poland escaping to the USSR in 1939. Despite his record he was arrested as a 'Polish spy,' his wife was executed, and he was sentenced to ten years imprisOnment. After the war he was released and returned to `People's Poland' to resume his political career as a Communist." Thus—an echo from the days when Jews persecuted Jews. But the bigots who began as henchmen of the Bolshevik$ still hold on to the stupid view. that Jews were responsible. for the war: Jews caused a War Which. culminated in the death of six million of their kinsmen! How stupid can people be? Cairo would wel- conn ,Yitzchoit,Gorision as ally .gainst Israel. , What's he , Pointing out that additional sponsors are being invited to join in the realization of this project. Mr. Davidson said that the gifts towards the Hadassah Building fund are intended as extra contributions, in no sense to affect the normal fund-raising processes of Hadassah. "Hadassah needs quarters for larger meetings, for gatherings of committees, for study groups, and it is our feeling that by providing the movement with this building in the area that counts the largest percentage. of Detroit's Jewish population we are rendering a real service to our community's educational programs as well as to the effort_ to assist in Israel's upbuilding," Mr. Davidson said. The provisional committee for the completion ofthe Hadassah building has expressed the hope that a group of additional men, who are interested in Israel and in Hadassah, will join with it in assuring the success of their Viscount Herbert Samuel has given up leadership of the Liberal party in the British By BORIS SMOLAR House of Lords ; after holding • (Copyright, 1955, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.) this position for 14 years. The American Scene It was announced in London Increased anti-Israel propaganda in this country, which is th at Lord Sam- uel, who is a making itself felt in various parts of the land, is provoking seri- noted statesman ous concern among Jewish community leaders who are not even and philosopher, Zionists . • . This is because anti-Israel propaganda is utilized by ▪as decided, at some propagandists for attacks against American Jewry ... The die age of .84, to NatiOnal Community Relations Advisory Council has placed the levote • himself question -of anti-Israel propaganda at the head of the agenda at Wore. to writing, its annual conference which opens today in Atlantic City _ ).ut he will still Jewish leaders from various parts of the country will report to uttend . occa- the conference on the experiences in their communities with Arab sional House of and other anti-Israel lecturers and propagandists . . . They will report on the impact of anti-Israel propaganda upon the non., 7 ,ords meetings. The New York Jewish population and the Jewish community in their respective ✓imes' London cities .. . The delegates will then discuss measures to counter or correspondent offset this - propaganda. Lord Samuel says of him, in There is a good deal of resentment_ among Jewish leaders his report of Viscount Samuel's against the Foreign Policy Association and Town Hall for import- relinquishment of Liberal Party ing to this country a number of Arab leaders for "lectures" . . . leadership: "His opinions are Some of these Arab "lecturers" have gone out of their way to .add widely respected in the nation. fuel to the fire of intensified anti-Israel propaganda in.this coun- His personal authority out- try . . . They spoke not only before students and. teachers in weighs the numerical weakness American universities, but also before men's. and women's clubs of the Liberal party, which he and at press conferences . . In Toledo, the Jewish Community first represented. in the . - House Council had to make a public protest against an editorial in a of .Commons in 1902. He has held local daily newspaper as a result of statements by the visiting several important. cabinet of- Arabs . . . Under the sponsorship of the Foreign Policy Associa- fices.. He was Britain's first high tion and. Town Hall, the visiting Arabs also appeared at public commissioner for Palestine forums in Detroit, St. Paul, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Kansas from 1920 to 1925. He became City and other cities. a peer in 1937." Yitzchok Gordon Keeps Yevsektzia's Spirit Alive 4 Orr Davidson - Samuel Quits Liberal Party's Leadership know, he is not the only one. !'i( 1• Mr. "This :building, when com- pleted, remodeled and fur- nished, will be the gift of a group of m e n in our com- munity, who knovii and under- stand the merits of Hadassah, to this great women's Zionist . And so—there was a redeeming feature in the affirmation of the belief that freedoms are taboo in Russia. Our visitor did - find some Jews who dared make a "Lehaim" with him. And we learn from his report a very important fact: At least one Jew wanted to be taken along to Israel "inside your trunk." Knowing what we in.Y14:P4401 • • • A organization," Friday, June 114 1955 44 4 4 • 4, • - by affected Jewish communities . The ..population movement has brought about marked neighborhood ,changes . . In some cases, Jews have moved in greater or: lesser numbers into com- munities that have long_ been exclusively or predominantly . non- Jewish . . . In other cases they have created new communities, virtually exclusively Jewish in composition . . . The Jewish flight to - suburbia is being studied in Cleveland, Boston, Buffalo :and Philadelphia . . . The purpose of these.studies is to establish What are the relations between the Jews remaining in the urban areas and the non-Jews who acquire the homes of Jews moving to the suburbs . .. How much hOstility or welcome do new Jewish f•mi- lits encounter - when they move to the suburbs? . . What prospect is . there for smooth and wholesome integration for the Jewish unit in the new environment? ... What about relations- with the schools? . . . How does it affect the existence of Jewish institu- tions in the urban areas? . What happens to Jewish communal buildings when the Jews move out of the area? . . . The results of these studies will be presented to the National Community Rela- tions ,Advisory Council assembly for wider discussion in an at- tempt to find the proper approaches for adjustment of inter- group and inter-personal relationships that arise from the move- ment to the suburbs. Eyes on Israel CJFWF estimates that there are no less than 760 social wel- fare institutions in Israel maintained by donations from local and foreign sources .. . Of these, about 670 receive grants from the Israel Ministry of Social Welfare . . . With regard to social wel- fare services in the Maabarot, the immigrant transit camps, CJFWF says that effective coordination between the operating agencies is needed. . . . It quotes a study of youth services in the camps by the Henrietta Szold Foundation to the effect that as many as 20 to 30 different agencies, governmental and non-goV- ernmental, operate in a single Maabara . . Analyzing the work of health agencies in Israel, CJFWF reveals that there are about 2,000 salaried physicians in Israel . . . Some 1,400 of them are employed in Kupat Holim, the medical insurance organization of Histadrut which provides a comprehensive medical service to its own membership and dependents, a total of 975,000 persons About 300 physicians are employed by the Ministry of Health, which maintains 14 district health offices . . . The remainder are employed by Malben, Hadassah, OSE, Red Mogen David and vari- ous hospitals supported in part by philanthropic contribution& Interesting data is given by CJFWF on education in Israel . . . While 232,205 children are registered in elenientary schools, only 32,000 attend secondary schools of all types, including 22,000 in academic institutions and about 10,000 in vocational and agri- cultural schools . . . The principal reason for this lOw percentage is high tuition fees . „ Most high schools are private institutions financed by fees which. run about 200.. Israel pounds a year . • . Vocational schools are maintained by OR T; Histadrut, Hadassah, WIZO, Ministry of Labor and others . . Tuition there is lower to make, ArlIffi- than, in the high schools, but still _ cult for loF income groups; ° •