On the Record
Nusbaum JNF Forest
In Israel Completed
By NATHAN ZIPRIN
(Copyright, 1955, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate)
A reader who saw my recent piece about Samuel Reshevsky's
observing the Sabbath in Moscow during the recent chess tourna-
ment there writes that Reshevsky some years ago participated in
a chess contest in Yugoslavia where he had an excellent chance of
winning the first prize. But the tournament was to end on the
High Holidays and Reshevsky left for home and his pew in America.
Reminiscing recently in my column about the Isaac Elchanan
Yeshiva on the East Side, forerunner of Yeshiva University, I ob-
served it was pitiful that that colorful chapter in the cultural and
religious life of the early Jewish immigrant was not committed to
writing. My ignorance has come to plague me again. I have since
learned that a young rabbi, Gilbert Klaperman, used the theme in
a dissertation for a doctorate he submitted only this June to the
faculty of Yeshiva University.
There has been a torrent of words on the Refugee Relief Act,
but I could never get myself excited about that expression of mercy
by our lawmakers. The presence of only seven Jews among the first
group of 1,243 to enter under the law shows more than mere words
why Jewish leadership was never too excited about the project.
The State Department is adamant in its determination to return
the Nazi archives to Bonn even before it has had the opportunity
to make a thorough study of the material at hand. It would appear
the least the keepers of the archives could do is to preserve them
through microfilm. Is it feared deciphering of the archives may dis-
close that many who should have been hanged are high up in the
world today.
A Very Faulty Novel
About Intermarriage
Alma Stetten has written a
novel about intermarriage under
the title "Don't Ask Too Much of
Love." Published by Vantage
Press (120 W. 31st, N. Y.), this
novel poses some interesting
problems.
It is the story of a refugee girl
who falls in love with a non-Jew,
submits to the insistence of his
mother that there should be no
mention of her Jewishness, but
later suffers pangs of conscience.
While in her pregnancy, on the
Day of Atonement, she goes to a
synagogue, slips, suffers an acci-
dent, and her identity is revealed.
Then comes the break with her
husband and her mother. She re_
turns home, resumes a friendship
with another non-Jew, attends
the marriage of her brother to a
Jewess, but another brother also
falls in love with a Christian girl,
and she encourages it.
Therefore, the novel must be
labeled inconsistent. It is a well
written story, but the motiva-
tions, in view of the first failure
in intermarriage, are not well
developed.
There are a few points that in-
dicate misunderstanding on the
part of the novelist. For instance,
she tells her future non-Jewish
sister-in-law that she will en-
counter prejudices among Jews—
"not nearly as wicked as the pre-
judice that comes from your own
people" — and that: "There's a
word that some Jewish people
use to describe Christian girls
behind their backs, that I would
never use, that Mother would not
say in front of any of us, at least
—in fact, I heard it here in New
York for the first time—and that's
about the worst thing any one of
us would say or do." What is
that word? Is it a mysterious
one? Does it really exist? Does
she mean shiksa—which has be-
come accepted merely as a term
for a non-Jewess, although the
origin means unclean? But it
sounds horrible in her story..
We are not complaining about
dialects, but about good taste.
Our story-teller, in the course of
describing the Mother's abjection
to inviting the non-Jewess to a
Passover meal (she does not even
speak of a Seder), injects a pe-
culiar conversation about the use
of Matzoh and the Mother com-
ments: "In the kitchen I have
bread where nobotty sees. On my
table is Passover." And that's
supposed to be a novel with a
Jewish angle! To this reviewer,
it is a story told in poor taste.
Kubovy Named Ambassador
BUENOS AIRES, (JTA) — The
Argentine government has
agreed to the elevation of Israel
Minister Arieh Kubovy to the
rank of Ambassador here, it was
announced last week-end. Pablo
Manguel, Argentine envoy to Is-
rael, has also been elevated to
the rank of Ambassador.
The forest of 10,000 trees to be
planted in Israel in honor of Abe
Nusbaum has now been com-
pleted, according to an announce-
ment by the Jewish National
Fund Council.
The forest,
which will be
known as the
Abraham a n d
Laura Nusbaum
Forest, was un-
dertaken by
friends and ac-
quaintances, in
cooperation with
the Jewish Na-
A. Nusbaum tional Fund, in
October 1954, as a tribute to Mr.
Nusbaum for his many years of
service to Israel and Jewish corn-
munal causes in general.
The Mizrachi delegation that
will be in Israel for the dedica-
tion of the Bar Ilan University,
will also make arrangements with
the Keren Kayemeth L'Israel for
the location and inauguration of
the planting of the Abraham and
Laura Nusbaum Forest.
Soon you may be going to a
theater .to find yourself com-
pletely surrounded by the pic-
ture! A University of Illinois
professor, Joseph Cohen, says
he's got the solution and he will
do it with standard lenses and
film and a single projector.
MUNICH, JTA)—An advance
delegation from Norway has
arrived here to interview resi-
dents of Foehrenwald, last Jew-
ish DP camp on German soil,
who have expressed an interest
in settling in the Scandinavian
country.
To help solve the problem
presented by "hard-core" Jew-
ish DPs who remained in Ger-
many for 10 years without being
able to integrate themselves in
to • the German economic life,
the Norwegian government re-
cently agreed to accept up to 100
of them, including tubercular or
post-tubercular cases.
Both "legal" and "illegal" in-
habitants of the camp are eligi-
ble- and, if an insufficient num-
ber of candidates is forthcoming,
applications will also be accept-
ed from Jews living in German
cities.
The advance delegation con-
sists of Per Alvenbergh, chief of
the governmental Department
of Rehabilitation in Oslo, and
Marcus Lewin, JDC Director for
Norway. Potential immigrants
are assured that all Norwegian
social and medical facilities will
be at their disposal and that
they will be able to acquire Nor-
wegian citizenship.
Two small groups of former
Foehrenwalders, who were offer-
ed new homes by Norway about
two years ago, are reported :to
be happy, well-adjusted and for
the most part gainfully employ-
ed.
Negotiations with the Norwe-
gian gotiernment were conducted
by the Joint Distribution Com-
mittee, which will contribute to
the integration costs incurred,
At the German end, emigration
and transportation procedures
are bing handled by United
HIAS Service.
DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
For the Best Buy
On a New Pontiac
Anytime
Anywhere
SEE
SAUL &ERCH
At PACKER PONTIAC
1 8650 Livernois
THE OPENING OF A NEW OFFICE
•
3
Jim
GROSS REALTY CO.
takes pleasure in announcing
the opening of another office at
13420 W. SEVEN MILE ROAD
•
Near Schaefer
IT WILL BE KNOWN AS
Gross Realty Co., Northwest, Inc.
We hope to better service the needs of our friends and neighbors
by having an office convenient to them. The same high standard
of operation and the same progressive thinking will be used in
our new office.
IF YOU ARE THINKING OF BUYING or SELLING
CALL US AT
UNiversity 4-3100
YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT THE RESULTS
HARRY J. CROSS
-
Friday, July 22, 1955
anitattnrintk
U.S. Census Bureau
To Survey Religious Groups
WASHINGTON, (JTA) — T h c
United States Census Bureau is
planning a national survey of
religious organizations and their
memberships next year.
The bureau is sounding out
religious groups to see if they
will cooperate in a survey which
would not be aimed at indi-
viduals, but would ask each or-
ganization for membership fig-
ures by age and sex.
Bureau officials have met with
statistical officers of groups rep-
resenting the major religions,
including Dr. Harry S. Linfield
of the Jewish Statistical Bureau:
100 at Foehrenwald Offered Norway Home
WILLAM W. GROSS
UN. 3-9300
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