NEW YORK (JTA) — The
American Jewish Congress
called on Soviet Deputy Pre-
mier Anastas Mikoyan to go
assurances of
his
beyond
friendship fOr Soviet Jewry by
supporting the restoration of
facilities "essential" to preserv-
ing cultural and religious life
among Russia's 3,000,000 - Jews.
The Congres welcomed what
it termed the "friendly senti-
ments" expressed by Mikoyan
regarding Soviet Jewry but said
such assurances are not respon-
sible to the need for "basic
facilities necessary for Jewish
life in the USSR."
Such facilities are granted to
other religious and cultural
minorities in Russia but have
been denied to Jews since
shortly after world War II. the
AJC charged. It urged Mikoyan
to declare himself affirmatively
on these questions:
1. Is the Soviet government
prepared to grant Jewish reli-
gious congregations in Russia
the same facilities granted to
other minority religious groups?
Such facilities would include
the opportunity: to form a na-
tional body of Jewish congrega-
tions; to maintain contact with
organized. Jewish r e l i g i o u s
groups in other parts of the
world; to publish prayerbooks.
religious calendars and other re-
ligious materials; to train rabbis
and other religious func-
tionaries.
2. Is the Soviet government
prepared to grant to Jews the
same facilities it grants to other
ethnic minority groups in Rus-
sia? Such facilities would in- •
elude the opportunity to estab-
lish Jewish cultural institutions.
including school s. theatre
groups and lecture forums: to
publish newspapers in the Yid-
dish language: to publish Yid-
dish and Hebrew literary works.
3. Is the Soviet government
prepared to allow Jews in Rus-
sia who have close relatives in
Israel, the United States and
elsewhere, and who seek to
rejoin their families, the right
to do so? Such a right is granted
by the Soviet-bloc countries of
Romania and Poland.
The action was taken at a
quarterly meeting of the AJC
national administrative and
executive committees.
$3,000,000 Center
Nation's Largest
• Continued from Page 1 •
The apparent spaciousness
of these facilities—and pres-
ent members of the Center
will at once realize that never
has- so much room been made
available for physical educa-
tion programs—is in keeping
with the new policy that has
developed at the tenter.
The policy is an outgrowth of
the changing philosophy of the
Jewish Center movement. In
days past, the Center's role was
largely one of making facilities
available to people coming from
low and lower middle class in-
come groups. With the overall
shift in the general economy to
mostly middle and upper mid-
dle class, the Center now aims
to serve every element of the
community.
In the luxury class are the
facilities of the health club. the
only self-sustaining part of the
Center program. Other member-
ships, while higher-priced than
previously. are still below the
actual cost of service, Center
officials point out.
Spokesmen also point out
that no community residents
will be denied access to Center
facilities because of the in-
ability to pay all or part of the
membership dues_
A sliding scale has been
adopted for membership fees,
and arrangements for reduced
fees based on the p e r s o n' s
ability to pay can be made in a
personal interview with Center
officials.
When the balance of the Cen-
Cancel Plans to Deliver
ter is opened to the community
around April 1. a host of other
Telegrams on the Sabbath
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The facilities will be made avail-
Israel government cancelled its able. There is the arts and
plans to extend the delivery of crafts area. consisting of eight
telegrams on the Sabbath to rooms designed for a multitude
of activities. from photography
all residents of Israel.
The cancellation was made to woodworking: a three-room
after Minister for Religions music area: five lounges for all
Moshe Jacob Toledano appealed age groups and 16 club rooms.
The Center Symphony Or-
to Premier David Ben-Gurion.
chestra will at last have a
who thereupon intervened with
proper setting for its con-
the Minister of Posts and Tele-
certs in the beautiful 500-seat
graph. Earlier. the Chief. Rabbis
auditorium, which has a
of Israel. Isaac Herzog and
large stage area and a stage
Isaac Nissim. had protested the
workshop directly below. A
move.
trap door will make it pos-
The practice which remains
sible for scenery and other
in force is to deliver telegrams
props to be raised directly to
on the sabbath only to foreign
the stage for plays and other
missions and news agencies.
major presentations.
Private individuals may obtain
This auditorium is called a
messages only upon inquiries
slant-floor auditorium to distin-
made in person or by tele- guish it from another auditor-
phone.
ium-type room, an all-purpose
facility with a level floor, which
can seat 400 for dinner and 600
IF YOU TURN THE
at a meeting.
illi
Two floors of one wing in the
building will be taken up by the
UPSIDE DOWN YOU WON'T
r Jewish Family and Children's
FIND A FINER WINE THAN
Service. and there will be one
room devoted to activities of
the women's division of the
Jewish Welfare Federation.
A kosher kitchen will make
possible the serving of lunch-
eons and dinners in the new
Center. and there will be a
snack bar and vending machines
selling everything from soups
to salads to sandwiches.
The new Center was built
during the tenure of Samuel
Frankel, president and chair-
man of the building committee.
Operation of the Center will be
in the hands of Irwin Shaw,
executive director, and Abra-
Andaerd, ham
Kastenbaum, assistant di-
rector. Samuel A. Levy is direc-
tor of the physical education
4
Milan Wineries, Detroit, Mich.
facilities.
7•Cy•
•1 r.,
NATURE
BOY
-115 OTHER
WINE VARIETIES
ORT Adopts Budget of $5,800,000 for 1959
NEW YORK (JTA)—A bud-
get of $5,800,000 for ORT pro-
grams in 20 countries overseas
in 1959 was approved here at
an all-day meeting of the board
of directors of the American
ORT Federation.
Underlining the importance of
ORT programs to the communi-
ties in which it functions is the
fact that half of the budget
will he provided by govern-
ments and host communities.
Under an agreement with the
Joint Distribution Committee.
ORT will also receive $1.600,000
from JDC funds.
Dr. William Haber. of Ann
Arbor. Mich., president of ORT,
said that the greatest expansion
in ORT programs this year will
come in its trade schools in
Israel and vocational programs
for 18,000,000 Jews repatriated
from the USSR to Poland.
U.S. Secretary of Labor James
P. Mitchell, addressing the con-
ference, lashed out at the failure
in this country to grant equal
access to employment oppor-
tunities and education regard-
less of - race or color or
church."
Moses A. Leavitt, JDC execu-
tive vice chairman, told the
conference that "one of the
great lessons of our rescue
work in the postwar years"
was that refugees and displaced
persons require vocational
training to prepare them for
resettlement and rehabilitation.
Reporting on activities in
behalf of Polish Jews from the
Soviet Union, Leavitt noted
that the ORT workshops "keep
them occupied and teach them
trades without which they
could not hope to make a liv-
ing today and which contain
the seed of hope for how they
will remake their lives to-
morrow."
The large immigration of
Jews from East European
countries, plus the planned ex-
pansion of Israel's industry
this year. will require in-
creased vocational training in
the country, Israel's Consul
General Simcha Pratt told the
conference.
Pratt lauded the vocational
training program conducted by
the ORT in Israel, and ex-
pressed hope that American
Jews will enable the ORT to
expand its program in Israel
in order to give the country
more skilled workers and tech-
nical "know how."
He emphasized that until
now Israel has concentrated on
a program of agricultural ex-
pansion which greatly contri-
buted to the development of
the country, but now the stress
will be laid on industrial
progress.
Jewish Literary Magazine
Published in New York
NEW YORK (JTA) — A new
Yiddish literary magazine, Vog-
shol, edited by A. Tabachnick,
one of the Yiddish editors of
the Jewish Telegraphic Agency,
made its appearance here as a
quarterly publication devoted to
reflecting modern trends in
Jewish literature. The magazine
contains poetry, literary essays
and a short story.
See America's Leading Salesman
for America's Leading Car
"'14PM
HARRY ABRAM
deals that Satisfy
SHORE CHEVROLET
12240 Jos. Campau
I'm as near as your phone
lmmed. Delivery
on all models
Res. LI 8-4119
TW 1 0600
-
SOON !
SOON!
Watch for opening in Oak Park
of another
SPITZER 'S 7,EG 3 IRFTWCEBNOTOEKR
Featuring the largest selection of
Religious Articles, Books, Records
and Israeli Arts and Crafts.
9 MILE ROAD, WEST OF COOLIDGE
Take the "if"
out of "thrift"
save
kiteitiecw) Wwti
Savings Insured to
$10,000
by an Agency
of The United States Gov't
AMERICAN
SAVINGS
Vtethe O‘lice
WOODWARD AT CONGRESS
6 Neighborhood Branches
.•
.
1- 4.1 t57 . C!
33,
3-THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS—Friday, January 23, 1959
Congress, Asks Mikoyan to Back
His 'Assurances' Toward Jews