HassidicWedding Recalls
East European History

By FRANK SIMONS

The dying embers of 18th cen-
tury Hassidism were rekindled
for a brief moment on June 22
when Rabbi Yeshia Zav Meisels,
son of Rabbi and Mrs.. Chaim
Meisels, of Lawrence Ave., took
for his bride lovely, 18-year-old
Chaye Mindel Levin, daughter
of Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim J.
Weingarten, of London, Eng-
land.
A large crowd had assembled
to witness the open-air cere-
mony, performed by the bride's
father on the grounds of Con-
gregation Beth Shmuel, Dexter
at Buena Vista. They had been
told in advance that they would
witness an unusual wedding
ritual.
As people began forming an
hour before the scheduled 7
o'clock ceremony, they fought
for choice positions near the
undecorated chupah. They were
an interesting mixture of ultra-
Orthodox Jewry and curiosity
seekers.
Inside the synagogue, friends
of the family and well-wiShers
also had gathered early to toast
the bridal couple. In the sanc-
tuary, the 19-year-old bride-
groom, who had just received
semichah in New York, was sur-
rounded by male members of his
family and fellow Hassidim 'who
kept up a constant chant of fes-
tive song.
The bride sat quietly in one
of the synagogue's ante-rooms
,
with her mother, •the bride-
groom's mother and other
members of her bridal party.
Like most brides on her . wed-
ding day, she was radiant
though somewhat nervous and
abashed at the commotion.
While the women wore modern
dress, the men were garbed in
traditional Hassidic f a s h i o n,
which included kapotas (the
satin outer coat),- shtreimels
(yarmelkas with fur outer linings
which one young lad called a
Davy Crockett hat), knee britch-
es and white, knee-length hose.
The men's costumes, which
few people had ever seen before,
are carryovers from the days of
the Baal Shem Tov, the founder
of the Hassidic movement- (circa
1740) , when they were worn first
by royalty and later adopted by
Eastern European Jewry, par-
ticularly for wear on the Sab-
bath.
The procession began prompt-
ly at 8 o'clock following m incha
prayers, with the men marching
the bridegroom to the chupah I
amid the glowing of candies and'
the chanting of a special song I
for the bridegroom.
The party had to elbow . their
way slowly to the chupaia, so
tight had the crowd Wedged - it-
self in the area which led from
the synagogue to the nearby
grounds. Five musicians, whol
were held back by the throngs
of people, missed their cue to
play for the bridegroom, but
were able to get within 10 feet
of the chupah to allow the bride
to make a successful entrance.
As the bride circled the bride-
groom seven times in customary
Orthodox fashion, it marked the
first time they had seen each
other since their engagement
party three weeks before,
Prior to their betrothal, they
had met only three times after
they were formally introduced
by Rabbi Beresh Rubin, the
bridegroom's brother- in-law
from Nevi York, who was the
shadchan.
In the wedding party were the
bridegroom's three uncles, Rabbi
Hirsch Meisels and Rabbi Lazar
Meisels, of Chicago, and Rabbi
J. N. Meisels, of New York, his
two brothers, Rabbi Shabse
Meisels who chanted the service,
and Hershel, who is presently
studying for the rabbinate; Rab-
bi Rubin and Rabbi Weingarten.
The bride's attendants were her
mother and Mrs. Meisels, her sis-
ter-in-law, Mrs. Rubin, and
Achse Meisels, the bridegroom's
sister.
Following the ceremony, the
bridal couple remained alone
for a few moments to break
their all-day fast together and

'

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Burmese Premier Inspects Hadassah Center in Israel

to eat their wedding supper.
Then, they entered the social
hall of the synagogue where
a huge banquet was already in
progress.
First they sat with the wom-
en, then the bridegroom went to
join the men, while the bride
remained with the women be-
hind a partition which had been
erected.

The guests ate their way
through a dinner of fish, meat
and chicken, cakes and desserts,
most of which was imported
from New York and the meat
kashered by Mrs. Meisels, who
also supervised the specially-
hired cooks and waiters.
During the course of the eve-
ning, singing, dancing, gay music
and Hassidic chants echoed
throughout the hall. The bride
danced with all male members
of the family in what is called
the Mitzvah Tantz, the only oc-
casion when she may dance with
a male in public,
The bridegroom, a husky ; six-
foot youth, was hoisted aloft,
chair and all, while the men
danced, sang and clapped time
to the music in a circle about
him.
Following the gay evening, the
bride, according to Hassidic tra-
dition, was shorn of her hair,
and for the remainder of her life
she will wear a sheitel, a
thought that horrified most of
the women present, even many
of the most devout Orthodox.
The custom of shaving the
head also dates back to the
period of the 18th century when
rapacious landlords ran rampant
in Eastern Europe and delighted
in taking the bride away from
her husband on their wedding
night. Shaving was thus done
to make the bride less attractive.
The practice is based on
folkways that have been car-
ried on only by a few of the
most zealous Hassidim, and is
not to be confused with the
Talmudic injunction that a
woman is never to be seen in
public without her head cover-
ed, local rabbinical authorities
have stated.
For their honeymoon, the
young couple will spend the first
seven days celebrating here with
their family — the seven days
significant because of the seven
blessings recited, one on each of
these days—and then will leave
for London where they will
spend the remainder of their
month's wedding trip.
They will return to New York
where the bridegroom will re-
turn to his studies at New York's
Yeshivath Torah VeyiraW

Israeli in U.S. for
Irrigation Talks

Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News

WASHINGTON—Aron Wiener,
head of Irrigation Work Depart-
ment of the Israel government,
arrived here to confer on tech-
nical details of the Johnston
water development scheme. It
was learned in connection with
the project that Eric Johnston,
President Eisenhower's special
envoy for negotiation of a water
agre,ement near the Arab-Israel
area, has again postponed his
visit to the Middle East, this
time until August.
State Department sources at-
tributed the delay to the up-
coming Israel elections and to
continual flare-ups in the Gaza
strip area. Johnston last visited
the Middle East in December.

U.S. Wheat Reaches Haifa

TEL AVIV, (JTA)—A shipment
of 10,000 tons of American wheat
was brought to Haifa aboard the
freighter S.S. Eugene. Three
more shipments of surplus
American agricultural products
for which Israel has contracted
will arrive before the end of the
month.

20 — DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, July 1, 1955

During his recent nine-day visit to Israel, Pre-
mier U Nu of Burma expressed considerable in-
terest in Bet Mazmil, the pilot community health
center maintained in the Jerusalem Corridor by
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of
America. The Burmese leader sought detailed
information about the unique Hadassah medical

experiment and indicated he was considering a
similar "Bet Mazmil" for his own country. Shown
above, left to right, are Dr. Kalman J. Mann,
director of the Hadassah Medical Organization
in Israel; Joseph Serlin, Israel Minister of
Health; Mme Nu; Mrs. Rebecca Shulman, na-
tional president of Hadassah; and Premier Nu.

Famous Libel Trial Ends in
Jerusalem; Appeal Indicated

JERUSALEM, (JTA)—A sensa-
tional libel trial which lasted for
about a year and which has ex-
cited the Israel press and public
came to an end following a mar-
athon 10-hour reading by Dis-
ifict Court Judge Benjamin
Halevi of a summary of the
case and a verdict which provok-
ed Acting Attorney General Jo-
seph Kokia to announce that he
will appeal to the Supreme Court
for a review of the conclusion
drawn by the judge.
The principals in the case
were Malkiel Gruenwald, a
pamphleteer, and Dr, Israel
Kastner, former head of the
Hungarian Jewish Rescue Com-
mittee and currently employed
by Kol Israel, the government
radio network and " Uj Kelet,"
Hungarian-language newspaper
in Israel. Mr. Gruenwald charged
Dr. Kastner, in a pamphlet, with
collaboration with the Nazis. The
latter complained to the state
prosecutor that he had been
libelled. The state prosecutor
brought the case to court since
Dr. Kastner was a government
employee, then working for the
Ministry of Trade. This made
Mr. Gruenwald the defendant,
but Dr. Kastner's only standing
in the case was that of a wit-
ness.
Judge Halevi's decision cleared
Mr. Gruenwald of the major
counts. It held that the defend-
ant had proved: that Dr. Kast-
ner had cooperated with the
Nazis; that he had "participated
directly in murder and had pre-
pared the ground for the murder
of Hungarian Jews," and had
aided the international war
criminal S. S. Col. Kurt Becher,
Himmler's deputy in Hungary.
As a result of Dr. Kastner's tes-
timony, the judge said, Col.
Becher was acquitted of war
crimes charges by the Interna-
tional War Crimes Tribunal at
Nuremberg.
Mr. Gruenwald was found
guilty of one count, that he
had failed to prove his charge
that Dr. Kastner had shared in
the loot and ransom taken
from Jewish victims by the
Nazis. This the court found to
be insignificant compared to
the counts of which the de-
fendant was cleared, and he
was fined one pound. The'
court also accepted the de-
fense's contention that Mr.
Gruenwald had performed a
public service in exposing the
"tragic chapter" of Hungarian
Jewish history and had served
both the victims and survivors
of the Nazi terror. The court
then awarded the defense 200
pounds as "symbolic costs."
The verdict created an uproar
in the press which devoted pages
to a summary of the lengthy
verdict and to a recapitulation
of the issues and trial proceed-
ings. The attorney general was
attacked in several newspapers
for bringing the case to trial in

an open court and rejecting a
defense motion for a closed trial.
The newspapers quoted a state-
ment by Dr. Kastner, after the
verdict was rendered, calling the
decision a "Dreyfuss condemna-
tion."
Dr. Ka.$ner said further that
because of the danger of con-
tempt of court he could not
prove his innocence, but added
that he did not need lawyers to
prove his innocence. "History
and the many Jews saved by me
will clear my name and honor,"
he insisted. He said he would
not appeal the decision, because
he was not a direct party to the
case, only a witness. However,
Mr. Kokia, announcing his de-
cision to appeal, said that Judge
Halevi's conclusions "draw no
support from the facts brought
before him and which should be
legally accepted by him."

German Groups
Reach Settlement
On Local Property

FRANKFURT, (JTA) — After
years of bitter wrangling an
agreement on the distribution of
Jewish communal property in
Germany has been worked out
here by representatives of the
two parties involved, on the one
side the "successor organiza-
tions"—JRSO and JTC-s-and, on
the other, the re-established
Jewish communities in Germany.
The settlement was drafted by
Jerome J. Jacobson and Dr. H. G.
van Darn. Jacobson, who is chief
counsel to the Joint Distribution
Committee in Europe, acted for
the Jewish Restitution Successor
Organization (JRSO) and the
Jewish Trust Corporation for
Germany (JTC) as well as for
the JDC, Jewish Agency and
Central Britsh Fund.
Dr. van Dam negotiated on be-
half of the various communal
bodies of German Jewry—the
Central Council of Jews in Ger-
many, the Central Welfare
Agency of Jews in Germany, the
Association of Jewish Communi-
ties in Northwest Germany, the
Working Group of Jewish Corn-.
munities in the U. S. Zone, the
Jewish Community in Berlin and
the Jewish communities in the
French Zone.
The draft agreement, which
must still be ratified by the par-
ent bodies, provides for the set-
ting up of two trust funds, each
to be managed by eight mem-
bers "of high repute." To defray
future communal relief and wel-
fare needs, these trust funds will
receive from the succesor organi-
zations certain substantial lump-
sum payments as well as a share
of indemnification payments
based on wanton Nazi desruction
of the property of Germany's
erstwhile Jewish communities.

Claims on Austria
Renewed in Talks;
In 'Delicate Stage'

Direct JTA Teletype Wire to the
Jewish News

VIENNA—Jewish and Aus-
trian government teams of
experts negotiating legislative
measures and administrative
procedures concerning Jewish
claims against Austria
reached what some experts
called a "very delicate" stage
in their talks.
An Austrian government
spokesman said negotiations
are "making very rapid prog-
ress," but some of the ex-
perts seemed not over-opti-
mistic about the early con-
clusion of talks that have
dragged on for two years.
It became known that
teams are also discussing the
nature of distribution of the
heirless property fund for aid
to victims of Nazism to be es-
tablished in accord with pro-
visions in the recently-signed
Austrian State Treaty.
• • •
•
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—In the
wake of Senate ratification of
the Austrian State Treaty, Sen-
ator Herbert H. Lehman, of New
York, stressed the need for prop-
er compensation to "the victims
of Nazi persecution in and from
Austria."
He indicated regret that no
action had been taken to record
this sentiment when the Senate
considered the treaty and de-
clared that, although the text
commits Austria to carry out
existing legislation, present Aus-
trian laws on the subject are
"highly deficient."
Meanwhile the Committee for
Jewish claims on Austria an-
nounced in New York that its
negotiations with the Austrian
government have been resumed
in Vienna. Discussions deal with
measures' to alleviate the plight
of Jewish victims of Nazi perse-
cution in Austria and particu-
larly those forced to emigrate.
The Committee expressed the
hope that an agreement accep-
table to organized world Jewry
would be reached, although pre-
vious discussions were twice
broken off. The Committee's
representatives are Dr. Charles
Krapalik, of London, Dr. Nehe-
miah Robinson, of New York,
and Dr. Wilhelm Krell of the
Federation of Austrian-Jewish
Communities, Vienna.
The United States Government
has repeatedly urged Austria to
arrive at a satisfactory settle-
ment, and t h e British and
French governments have taken
a similar stand.

L.A. Council Defeats FEPC
LOS ANGELES, (JTA) — An
ordinance creating a Fair Em-
ployment Practices Commission
here was voted down by the City
Council by a vote of 8 to 7. The
measure would have prohibited
discrimination in employment
because of race, color, religion

or ancestry.

