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Purely Commentary
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By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Mount Scopus
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and the Hebrew University
The temporary crisis that arose over an Israeli transport
of gasoline to Mount Scopus serves to revive an interest in the
isolated area where the original buildings of the Hebrew Uni-
versity and Hadassah Hospital still stand.
Mount Scopus is Israeli territory. It flies the White and
Blue Flag with the Star of David. But access to it is cut .off
at the so-called Mandelbaum Gate, at which United Nations
representatives supervise the change of guard, composed of
Israelis, that continues to occupy the Jewish buildings. Every
two weeks, the guard is changed, and each contingent brings
with it supplies necessary for those occupying the buildings.
In addition to the Hadassah installations, there are, on
Mount Scopus, these Hebrew University premises: Einstein
Institute of PhysicS, Institute of Jewish Studies, Jewish Na-
tional and University Library, Chaim Weizmann School of
Chemistry, Museum of Jewish Antiquities, Medical School
for Postgraduate Study, Botany Building, Einstein Institute
- of Mathematics, Moshe Laboratory of Meteorology and Clima-
tology, Open Air Theater, Gymnasium, Balfour Park Club
Playing Field and Administration Building.
With the establishment of Israel, and the isolation of the
Hadassah and Hebrew University installations on Mount Scopus,
Hadassah proceeded to construct new hospitals and to convert
existing buildings in the New City of Jerusalem into hospital
units. Together with the Hebrew University, Hadassah is set-
ting up a modern new medical center. The Hebrew University
at first converted scores of existing Jerusalem buildings into
school departments, and now the Hebrew University is in the
process of expanding a new university campus at Givath Ram
on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Israel's higher educational institutions lend credit to the
cultural and spiritual aims and aspirations of the revived
Jewish nation. Technion—whose campus also delights all who
have the privilege of visiting the great school on Mount
Carmel, at Haifa—is the outstanding technical and engineering
school in the entire Middle East. Bar-Ilan University, estab-
lished by Mizrachi at Ramat Gan, already is a credit to the
vision of the Orthodox Jewish leaders who, within the last
three years, have set up a creditable school of higher learning
near Tel Aviv. The Weizmann Institute of Science stands as
a monument to its founder and to the great scientists whose
research adds to the wisdom of Israel.
These schools, in all their glory, are adjuncts to the parent
institution, the Hebrew University. It is worth a trip to Israel
to be heartened by the sight of the great campus near Jeru-
salem, where more than 4,000 students have enrolled this
year for specialized courses in the Humanities, Medicine,
Dentistry, Pharmacy, the Sciences, Agriculture, and Law.
-Jews from many lands are represented on this campus in
the form of contributions for entire buildings, for laboratories
and libraries. It is to their credit that they have helped rescue
a great university whose existence was threatened by Arab
Ettenheimer Heads Committee to Aid
Hebrew University's Building - Program
A Detroit Chapter of the
American Friends of the He-
brew University was formally
organized here last Friday, at
a luncheon meeting at the Stan-
dard Club.
Aubrey H. Ettenheimer, -De-
troit realtor, who was host at
the luncheon, was named chair-
man of the committee, in which
a number of prominent Detroit
leaders enrolled as members.
In . a brief address to the
group, Dr. Frederick R. Lach-
man, prominent Biblical archae-
ologist who now is serving as
executive vice-president of the
American Friends of the He- AUBREY H. ETTENHEIMER
brew University, stressed the
Dr. Lachman declared that in
importance of advancing Isra-
order to be part of a democ-
el's educational aims.
"Israel needs brainpower racy it is necessary for the peo-
for survival," he declared. ple to be well educated, and
"It would be disastrous to ne- he added that "it is because we
glect this most important ele- possess the qualities provided
ment for our survival. We by educational facilities that we
need the strong and the excel- can be trusted by the western
lent Hebrew University. The powers, Israel being the most
raw material in Israel is the effective democracy in the Mid-
brains of our settlers. We dle East."
Pointing to the accomplish-
train this raw material and
we use it. It is because we ments of the Hebrew Universi-
have an educated army that ty, which now has an enroll-
- we have been successful in ment of 4,200 and a faculty of
700, Dr. Lachman said that the
the country's defense."
Dr. Abram Spiro to Give Annual
Hillel Lecture at Wayne U., Tuesday
new university site, with its
modern buildings, is being ex-
panded. He called attention to
the atomic research being con-
ducted by the university for
peaceful purposes, and he ex-
pressed the belief that it will
eventually solve Israel's power
problems. "We could have wa-
ter power also, were it not for
the political obstacles that make
it impossible for us to provide
the flow of water from the Med-
iterranean to the Dead Sea.
Daniel Ross, of New York,
president of the American
Friends of the Hebrew Uni-
versity, who also addressed
the luncheon meeting, joined
with Dr. Lachman in empha-
sizing the need for a strong
Detroit committee to assist
the university. He urged sup-
port for the university so that
it should not be compelled to
subsist "on a hunger diet."
Participants in the after-
noon's program included
Charles Green, field worker for
the Hebrew University; Judge
Theodore Levin, Leonard N.
Simons, Morris Schaver, Max
Fisher, Abe Green and other lo-
cal leaders.
A number of those present
undertook to assist in the He-
brew University building pro-
gram.
Ettenheimer stated on
Tuesday that Detroit's spe-
cific project at the Hebrew
University will be the con-
struction of the entrance
lobby to the university's
Jewish National Library. The
special project, at a cost of
$250,000, is to be completed
in 1960.
The Detroit committee will
meet next month to formulate
plans for Detroit's participation
in the work of the Hebrew Uni-
versity.
The annual Hillel Lecture at 1 Ascension of Phinehas," "The
Wayne State University will be ; Baal Shem Tob," "The Jewish
Religious
Heritage," "Use and
R
given next Tuesday, 8:15 p.m. Abuse of the Bible by Polem-
at the Kresge Science Library icists and Doctrinaires," and
Auditorium, 5250 Second. It numerous other articles on
will be sponsored by the Bnai Biblical,. Hellenistic and Rab-
Brith Hillel Foundation and the binic themes in various learned
Department of Semitic Lan- journals.
Following the lecture the
guages and Literatures at the
audience is invited to meet Dr.
university.
S p i r o at a reception in the
This year's lecturer will be
intransigence and by their having blocked the road to the exist-
Spiro,
LaMed
Pro-
Hillel
House, 4841 Second.
Dr. Abram
■
M10.4■0-MINII.11=1,-.
ing buildings on Mount Scopus.
■■= 4
fessor
of
the
Department
of
There are 65 Arab students in the Hebrew University. Semitic Languages. His subject
This is a splendid representation for a component part of will be "The Bible in the Set-
Boris Smolar's
Israel's population that had been kept in subjection and ting of Its Times" (The Con-
ignorance by Arab effendis. The 65 Arab students seem to
tribution of Archaeology to
point the way to a better understanding between Israelis and
Bible Scholarship). Dr. Max
Arabs and to a better future for all concerned in Israel.
director of the Wayne
The road to 'Mount Scopus is blocked, but the avenues to Kapustin,
will
State
Hillel
culture in Israel are being paved anew, by a determined people preside over Foundation,
the program, and
that builds cultural edifices while it creates industrial plants.
will be introduced by
Those who plan to go to Israel during the Tenth Anniver- Dr. Spiro
(Copyright, 1957,
Russell J. Bright, Associate
sary Year—and there should be many hundreds of Detroiters Dr.
'Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
Dean
of
the
College
of
Liberal
among the pilgrims to Medinat Israel during the coming year
—will especially rejoice at. the sight of the new Hebrew Uni- Arts.
Dr. Spiro, who was born in Rome Impressions
versity campus, in the knowledge that Hadassah, together with
For the first time in the history of Rome a sign in Jewish
Poland, where he received his
the Hebrew University, is building a great Medical Center.
primary and secondary educa- letters is seen in the streets . . . It is the sign "Kosher" which
A Ben Yehudah Comes to Town
tion, specialized in Biblical and hangs right on one of the walls of the American Embassy . . . It
On Jan. 7, Jews everywhere will pay tribute to the memory Talmudic studies at the Hebrew advertises the first kosher restaurant ever opened in Rome .. .
attracting American Jewish
of Eliezer Ben-Yehudah, the man- who was primarily responsible University in Jerusalem., where Its - owner apparently counted on
the other
for the movement to revive Hebrew as the spoken tongue of he was the recipient of the tourists staying in the rich Excelsior Hotel, and in He
did not
the Jewish people, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of University's highest award, the fashionable hotels neighboring on the Embassy ...
Bialik Prize for the academic err ... The "Kosher" sign in Hebrew letters attracts considerable
his birth.
Ben-Yehudah (who was born Perlman and changed his year 1936-37. He attended Co- attention . . . It is like displaying such a sign on Park Avenue
name upon his settlement in Palestine), was. a native of Lith- lumbia University, earning the in New York, right in front of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel .
uania. He was the editor of the first Palestine Hebrew daily degrees of M.A. and Ph.D. He American Jews visiting Rome—and there are plenty of them all
newspaper. He was the author of a history of the Jews, of a is a ,member of the American year 'round—become curious and find their way to the restaurant
Palestinian geography and of books for children. His 16-volume Academy of Jewish Research where they are served chopped liver, gefilte fish and stuffed
Lexicon in Hebrew, a monumental work, was the result of his and the Society of Biblical Lit- kishke.
The restaurant is not run by an Italian Jewish family but by
. life's efforts. The first 15 volumes of this Lexicon are already erature and Exegesis. His pub-
available, and were on display here during the Jewish Book lished works include "The an East European Jew who was liberated from the Nazi extermi-
nation camp at Oswiecim . . . There are about 200 other liberated
Fair. The 16th volume soon will come off the press.
East European Jewish families today in Rome, all engaged in
Ben-Yehudah's memory was revived here during Jewish
Book Fair, by the presence, and participation in Book Fair Confederation Council small business . . . They love Rome and they like the Italian
people . . . They don't feel the slightest sign of anti-Jewish dis-
programs, of his son, Ehud Ben-Yehudah. He added immeas-
crimination . . . They get along very well with the 15,000 Italian-
urably to the Hebrew-Yiddish program and to the Men's Night. Formed by Zionists
born Jews in Rome, but they have established their own syna-
It will be recalled that a brother of Ben-Yehudah, the elder
MIAMI BEACH (JTA)—The gogue, since the religious traditions of Italian Jewry are some-
son of Eliezer Ben-Yehudah, Ittamar Ben-Avi (who adopted the
last name—meaning "Son of My Father"—as a tribute to his formation of a Central Ameri- what strange to them . .. They watch closely developments in
father's aspirations for revival of Hebrew), was well known to can and Caribbean Council of Israel.
many of us here. He had come here on Zionist missions, the World Federation of Gen-
especially the Jewish National Fund. He also propagated his eral Zionist leaders from Cen-
and the Italian-born Jews in Rome are afraid of extinc-
tral America and the Carib- tion They
through intermarriage . . . For generations the Jewish com-
father's ideals.
here.
bean
was
completed
Ittamar Ben-Avi also fathered an idea that Hebrew, in order
munity in Rome has striven to combat assimilation . . . However,
that it might become a language to be used worldwide, should
Dr. A. Fastlicht of Mexico life in Italy for Jews was so normal—except in the last few years
be written in the Latin script. He published several editions of was elected president of the of Mussolini's regime—that the younger generation does not con-
such a newspaper, in Latin characters. Your Commentator Council, which will hold its sider intermarriage abnormal . . . Of all the countries in Europe,
France included, Italy is perhaps the only country where the
wishes he could recover a copy he once possessed of the first next session in Mexico City.
issue of that newspaper. It is gone! But the Ittamar Ben-Avi
The conference adopted a feeling of anti-Semitism is absolutely strange to the native popu-
idea also was short-lived!
resolution "greeting with satis- lation.
The Jewish community in Rome is doing its best to provide
The Book Fair: A Great and Successful Idea
faction the re-organization of -
Jewish
education for the young, and this includes an all-day
Let it be said again, to the credit of the Jewish Community General Zionism under the Jewish school ... The school enjoys full government recognition
Center and to the organizations that cooperated with it: the leadership of Dr. Israel Gold-
and support and, with the aid of Jewish Claims Conference fund,
annual Jewish Book Fair was an impressive event and a most stein and Mrs. Rose Halprin, on it is now being extended into a three-story institution . . . Other
a
Diaspora
basis
and
non-af-
successful undertaking.
specific Jewish needs in Rome are covered from taxes which the
Once again, many thousands of people listened to lectures filiation with any political local 15,000 Jews pay voluntarily to the Jewish community .. .
parties
in
Israel."
The
resolu-
about Jewish books and authors. Many people bought books.
In addition to the synagogue established by the East European
It was a genuine festival, and the major portion of the programs tion pledged "full support" to "newcomers," Rome has two ancient synagogues attended by
the
reorganized
Confederation.
that were dedicated to books were heartening symptoms of an
Italian-born Jews .. . However, the attendance is very meagre
urge, among many people, to pay respect to our spiritual and Other resolutions pledged sup- .. Even in the East European synagogue, there is no "minyan"
port to fund-raising for Israel, .
cultural heritage.
during week-days, and on Saturday one can hardly find there
A hearty yeyasher koah to the groups that labored to Chalutziut and Hebrew educa- more than 15 Jews praying.
make the Book Fair such an impressive community program. tion.
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'Between You
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