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has been built. It is difficult to believe that in this
desert it was possible to establish, almost over night,
so modern a city.
In the Kiryat Gat section here there are begin-
ning to develop many industries. There is a scotch
tape factory here and other plants are rising up,
many applications pending for new plants soon to
be moved into this spot.
Near Ashkelon is Kfar Silver, the settlement
established in honor of Dr. Abba Hillel Silver.
The southernmost future city in Israel, in the
Negev. is Dimona. It is on the 84-kilometer road
from Beersheba to Sdom—a road built with funds
advanced by the Israel Bond Organization. This is
where the chemical plant of Machtishim already
functions in full force.
The Dead Sea Works, at S'dom, hold special
- fascination for visitors to Israel. Here, overlooking
the Pillar of Salt (the salt mountain which often
is called Lot's Wife from the Biblical legend that
the wife of Lot, having looked backwards contrary
to warning, turned into a pillar of salt), bromines
are manufactved. Eliezer Aberfield is the plant's
construction manager and Eli Kemlot is the main-
tenance mechanic. The highest concentration of
bromines in the world is at this spot.
At this plant, Dr. Feibel Yaron, its director, has
perfected a cold process of producing the bromines.
While the hot process used everywhere else also
is used here, the cold process predominates. This is
the only place in the world where this process, which
is found superior to the old warm method, is in use.
Some of the bottles used as the bromine containers
already are made in Israel and all of the packing
cases are made at S'dom, at the bromine plant. Much
of the manufactured product here is exported, and
both the bottles and cases are returned, for reuse.
One 'other plant 'in this area, the Oron Phosphate
mines, deserve special mention. This fOur-year-old
plant is managed by a very able mechanical engineer,
Jacob Weiss. Half of the phosphates mined here this
year were exported. The 22,000 acres which contain
phosphate are expected to bring large yields. The
development of new ports, at Ashkelon and at Eilat,
are expected to ease shipments so radically as to
vastly increase the Oron activities.
Weiss indicated to us that Florida has the major
phosphate operation in the world, and the advantage
that plant has is in possessing much water.. But the
Israeli manager hopes to solve the water problem
eventually, when the establishment of more settle-
ments' in the area will increase the water lines in
the Negev. Weiss expects to increase his production
to a million tons a year. The Oron works already
are exporting 160,000 tons a year.
There is an interesting sign in Hebrew at the
Oron plant. It reads: "Phosphet Hu Lechem" —
"Phosphate Is Bread." It is one of the mottos
that inspires worker and visitor and emphasizes
the value of a new industry in Israel.
Wherever one travels in Israel, there is evidence
of the great role played by the Bond dollars invested
by American Jews. Many new orange groves are
being planted with the aid of Israel Bond dollars.
As you travel southward, you pass the Orthodox
settlement of Yavneh whence chicks are exported
to European countries. Bond dollars assist settle-
ments in such efforts. Industries that have begun
. to flourish as a result of American Jewry's Bond
investments include Adereth Spinning Mills in Herz-
lia, Ata Textile Works at Kfar Ata, Dagon Silo in
Haifa, the Copper Refinery in Timha off of Elath,
The Bedek Aircraft Overhaul Base at Lydda and the
expanding cotton growing industry.
The list of enterprises assisted by Bonds is
growing so long that it is difficult to enumerate even
a fraction_ of it. But the cotton industry deserves
special mention. There are many cotton fields, there
is a cotton gin and a weaving plant about which
more will be said. Suffice it to point out that with-
out Bond dollars it might have been impossible to
build Israel as rapidly as she is being built today.
The Malben Story
TEL AVIV — Americans who tour Israel with
their eyes and ears open soon learn how inadequate
is the overall public relations program of apprising
our people of the accomplishments by U. S. agencies.
Malben is a typical example. The name of the
service, one of the chief Joint Distribution Com-
mittee activities, stems from the first Hebrew letters
of the organization's Hebrew' name—Mosdot Letipul.
Beolim Nachshalim. It is a movement whose installa-
tions dot nearly all of Israel. It is a system of hos-
pitals and workshops in which physically handicapped,
who would have become a burden to Israel, are being
taught trades, in defiance of their crippled conditions.
They are taught the language of the land. They are
provided with specially prepared instruments to be
able to use their hands even in instances of the
maimed; to walk with the assistance of wheel chairs
or special equipment; to weave, to draw, to knit.
The morale of these people is being restored by
means of warm interest shown in their plight by
the friendly and well trained staffs of Malben. There
is a powerful psychological factor that enters into
the activities of this very important movement.
Unfortunate people who would have been com-
pletely abandoned since they - are without family
or friends—many of them have lost their entire
families as a result of the Nazi holocaust—are
given the encouragement of knowing that there are
people who sincerely desire to see them restored
to their former status of normal living; that there
is a movement that aims to give them a right to
full existence as free citizens in a free land.
Malben is mentioned on ; occasions in publicity
material about the United Jewish Appeal—about the
Allied Jewish Campaign in Detroit and similar fund-
raising efforts throughout the country.' But the word
Malben is seldom spoken of. If its activities were to
be made known it might become one of the strongest
factors in increasing gifts to our fund-raising agencies.
There are Malben hospitals for the chronically ill
and one, at Beer-Yaakov, for chest diseases. There
are 15 sheltered workshops, a youth rehabilitation
center, a dental clinic and a chain of centers to aid
the aged; two villages for the old folks, four infirm-
aries for the aged and 13 homes for the aged.
It would take a lot of space to describe Malben
adequately. A visit to one of its centers, at Lydda,
convinced this observer of the great merits of Mal-
ben. Yemenite women wove striking designs on
blouses which become much-sought-after items in
Israeli stores. Other women are I trained to make
attractive dresses for girls. Fine baskets are woven
and an artist with marked ability paints exception-
ally fine art works.
Above all, these people are taught to feel and
to know that they are useful, that they are wanted,
and that they can produce and that there is hope for
them in life.
For instance; a former Polish Jewish opera
star, who was maimed and bedridden, is now being"
taught to walk again. She is beginning to sing
again. She has her pride back again.
This is true of many others in JDC's Malben
institutions; yet this activity is little known. A bet-
ter acquaintance with it will give much added im-
petus to American Jewry's efforts for the UJA which
provides the means with which Malben functions.
Friday, November 1, 195'2—THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS-46
Report from the Holy Land