By PHINEAS J. BIRON

On May 20 the Weizmann
Institute will inaugurate offi-
cially its new Institute of Nu-
clear Science, a $3,000,000
building, the largest unit in the
research complex of the Weiz-
mann Institute . . . The total
area of this new unit covers
7,000 square meters . . . It will
house the following research
laboratories and departments:
the Department of Nuclear
Physics, Isotope Research De-
partment, which produces heavy
water for nuclear uses in the
United States, France and Brit-
ain; Nuclear Induction labora-
tories, Electronics Department.
a gift from Ben Abrams, head
of Emerson in this country,
Infrared Spectrometer section
and other such facilities as a
large library, seminar rooms, a
small lecture hall, workshops,
a power room, service units and
administrative offices . . .
In a specially built tower
alongside of the new building
has been installed a Van de
Graaff electrostatic proton ac-
celerator . . . Don't let the word
throw you because this accelera-
tor is nothing else than an
"Atom-Smasher" . . But that
is really something! . . . This
"atom-smasher" (it cost $200,-
000 and was built in the United
States, shipped in sections to
Israel and finally assembled at
Rehovoth) is quite a formid-
able piece of machinery which
can develop a maximum voltage
of 3.5 million volts and a maxi-
mum current of 25 micro-am-
peres . . . It has already been
successfully tested . . . The
"smasher" will be used to pro-
duce high speed particles to
smash atoms for study of nu-
clear reactions . . . In other
words Israel is entering into a
phase of intensive research. in
the field of atomic energy for
peaceful purposes .. .
The inauguration of this new
unit of the Weizmann Institute
has already attracted worldwide
attention . . . Among the world
renown scientists who will par-
ticipate in the opening ceremo-
nies and in a two day sympo-
sium are such luminaries as:
Prof. Niels Bohr, the foremost
living physicist of our age; Prof.
Harold C. Urey, America's out-
standing nuclear scientist, Fe-
lix Bloch of California, J. Rob-
ert Oppenheimer of Princeton, ,
Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Mayer of
Chicago (both are distinguished
in the field of physics), Prof.
S. Chandresekhar, the Indian-
American genius in astronomy
and physics, and other Nobel
prize winners . . . This visiting
galaxy of the world's greatest
scientists attests to the high
regard in which the Weizmann
Institute is held and the im-
portance given to the new chap-
ter which is opening at the
Israeli research center .. .
The head of the Weizmann
Institute of Nuclear Science is
the 32 year old Amos de-Shalit,
a tall, dark-haired and hand-
some native of Israel who was
graduated from the Balfour
High School in Tel Aviv and
studied at the Hebrew Univer-
sity . . . De-Shalit is considered
by his co-workers a genius with
the temperament of a "Chaver
in a Kibutz" . . . He gets along
with everyone, always has a
pleasant smile and a warm hand-
shake for those who approach
him . . . His department at the
Weizmann excels for complete
harmony of action and close
cooperation among its s t a if ,
which includes several young
brilliant scientists . • . Among
them are Yigal Talmi, 31, a
Sabra, Harry Lipkin, 35, an
American-born graduate of Cor-
nell and Princeton and Gvirol
Goldring, 31, born in Germany
.. .Gideon Yekutieli, Tel Aviv-
born and only 31 years old is
another of this outstanding
group which will devote itself,

for the next few years, to the
task of making sure the re-
actor will not be delayed too
much, for Israel is now ready
and equipped, thanks to the
Weizmann Institute, for the in-
troduction of atomic energy in
this pioneer land.
*
Meyer Levin's Tragedy
It is an irony of fate that
fame and fortune came to au-
thor Meyer Levin as a result
of his least creative work,
"Compulsion" . . . Until he
wrote the story of Loeb and
Leopold, Levin's attitude to-
wards literature was that of a
serious writer . . . True, he had
difficulties adjusting himself
to the world of letters . .. Not
because he lacked talent but
rather because of his sensitive-
ness as a Jew . . ..There was
something intensely Jewish in
Levin when he wrote his first
novel and later in his writing
from Israel . . . Slick writing
solely for success did not tempt
him . .. His autobiography "In
Search" probably his best work,
was a candid confession of a
restless subtle mind, trying to
understand the contradictions
ofr the 20th century . . But
more than that . .. It was the
outcry of a deep-feeling Jew
against the cruelties and injus-
ices of our time . . . "In
Search" is a significant book
and yet none of the big pub-
lishers wanted to bring it out
. . . In desperation Levin had
the book published in France
and later on a then-small firm
in the U.S. issued Levin's mas-
terpiece in America . . . It is, as
we say, a tragic irony that
Levin's best book brought him
neither fame nor money.
When Levin read Anne
Frank's diary, he felt certain
that fate had finally smiled on
him . . . This was the subject
he had been searching for . .
He did not simply sit down to
write a dramatization . . . He
contacted Anne's father, he
delved into the recesses of her
family background, he sum-
moned forth all his personal

experiences as a war corre-
spondent who had marched
with the American troops into
Hitler's concentration camps .. .
He had found the subject which
would give him free reins as
an author, as a Jew, as a son
whose mother had been tor-
tured by the Nazis . . . We
never read Levin's dramatiza-
tion but we somehow are pretty
certain that it reflected his
great talent, even if the drama-
tization, from a strictly theatri-
cal point of view, might have
had some flaws, for Levin was
not then—nor he is now—a
very skilful playwright . . . We
all know that when the pro-
ducer turned down Levin's
dramatization and when Anne's
father endorsed the rejection,
Meyer Levin took it very hard
—and understandably so.
It was then that he threw
off his convictions about his
own literary work . . . Why
suffer and why sacrifice when
it was comparatively easy to
write for commercial success
. . . That's how Meyer Levin
came to write "Compulsion"
and, notwithstanding the pleas
of Leopold, decided to give it
to one of his country's most
successful publishing firms who
were only too glad to accept
the sensational novel . . And
so "Compulsion" which does
not refect the literary genius
of Meyer Levin, which negates,
in a certain sense, Levin's
heretofore ethical views about
the functions of a writer, "Com-
pulsion" started him for the
first time in his life on the
road to success and fortune .. .
But Levin is not a happy man
nor a satisfied author . . . He
has money and the organiza-
tions that previously ignored
him, now invite him to speak
and pay him high fees . . . The
very Jewish organizations that
paid no attention to his work
when it had real signifiance,
accept him now as a celebrity
. . . But Meyer does not enjoy
this late-come recognition and
its rewards.
It was when we read Philip
Slomovitz's brilliant review of
Nathan Leopold's "Life Plus 99
Carmel, Past 70,
Years" that these thoughts oc-
Tells Good Stories
curred to us.. . . It suddenly
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
became clear to us why Levin
(Copyright, 1958, JTA, Inc.)
They gave a little farewell experienced the compulsion to
party the other day to the write "Compulsion."
eternally young Isaac Carmel
who is always shuttling be- Bloch to Publish New
tween Israel and America. Liptzin Book April 4
"When the Malach Hamoveth
Bloch Publishing Co. 'an-
(Angel of Death) is in Israel, nounces the publication ,on
I am in America and when he April 4, of another thought-
is in America, I am in Israel," provoking and timely book by
explained Carmel, who got Prof. Sol. Liptzin, under the
married when he was past title "Generation of Decision:
Jewish Rejuvenation in Ameri-
seventy.
Perhaps one reason why Car- ca."
In this book, Dr. Liptzin
mel remains ever young is that
he loves children so. He told discusses the impact of the Jew
me a couple of Israeli chil- upon the American mind and
the repercussions of that im-
dren's stories.
The first concerns the little pact upon the Jewish charac-
son of a justice of Israeli's ter. He places emphasis on the
Supreme Court. This young- reactions of American writers
ster was among a group of towards their cultural duality
children each of whom was and discusses the reactions and
boasting of his father's work. repercussions of leading Jew-
One said his father was a ish personalities and outstand-
longshoreman at Haifa harbor;• ing non-Jewish writers.
another boasfed his f a t h e r
worked in the phosphate The Term 'Laymen'
The term "laymen" comes
mines. The son of the justice
said his father was a judge, from the Greek term "laikos"
but seeing that this apparently which means "of the people"
made no impression on the or "from the people." It was a
other youngsters, added: "some term used in the days of the
day he will be promoted to early Christian Church to dis-
tinguish the general population
policeman."
The second story was of a from the duly ordained clergy.
rabbi who visited one of the It gained popularity in t h e
Kibbutzim. Concerned a b t days when the clergy of the
the tendency of recalcitrant Christian church were the only
Israelis to violate kashrut educated people, while the gen-
laws, he asked the school- eral population was usually il-
children if there were any literate. Jewish tradition, of
pigs in the neighborhood. One course, placed the same re-
of the little girls answered: quirement for learning on the
"You ought to see the little general population as it did on
the clergy.
girl who sits next to me."

JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Israel
economic sources expressed
shocked surprise at the refusal
of the Soviet Chamber of Com-
merce Arbitration Tribunal to
permit Israel to call witnesses
in the $2,300,000 suit for dam-
ages against the Soviet Oil
Export Company for cancelling
an oil supply agreement dur-
ing the Sinai operation. These
sources asserted that such a
decision was contrary to all
juridical procedures in such
cases.
Under the original Russian-
Israel trade agreement, the tri-
bunal was agreed on as the
authority to hear any disputes
emerging from the treaty and
Israel asked for permission to
call key Soviet trade officials
in the current hearings in Mos-
cow.
(The New York Times re-
ported from Moscow that the
Israeli lawyers arguing the case
had to resort to filibuster and
a plea of poor health in order
to get a week-end recess in the
suddenly speeded-up case. Fri-
day's hearing, the first in 12
weeks, was the third of the en-
tire case, which opened Dec. 4,
1957.)
It was noted here that ini-
tially the Soviets employed de-
laying tactics, repeatedly post-
poning the arbitration hearings

for long periods, on the excuse
that one of the arbitrators was
ill. Israel experts suggested
that the Israel oil case conflict-
ed with Moscow's hopes of es-
tablishing the tribunal as an
impartial forum to help foster
trade relations with non-Com-
munist countries, and that the
Soviets hoped that the delay-
ing tactics would lead finally
to a fizzling out of the Israel
suit.
_ They pointed out that the
world press reacted, got by
forgetting the case, but by pub-
lishing critical articles ques-
tioning the value of Soviet
trade commitments. It was be-
lieved here that in response
the Soviets have decided to
rush the case through the tri-
bunal in the hope that after
it was settled, the world of
commerce would forget about it.

White House Arranges Kosher
Meals for Jewish Delegates
For what was believed to be
the first time in the history of
the American Jewish commun-
ity, the White House officially
arranged for kosher meals to
be served to the delegation from
the Synagogue Council of Amer-
ica to the national bi-partisan
conference on foreign aid at the
Statler Hotel in Washington,
Feb. 25.

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Friday, March 14, 1958—THE DETROIT JEWISH NEW S-14

Strictly Confidential

Israel Witnesses Denied Hearings
in USSR Oil Can cellation Suit

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