Hadassah Conducts Successful Anti-Trachoma
Research Program; Helps Eradicate Disease
Convention Acts on Insurance
Program; Elects Two Detroiters
A sensational announcement
from London several weeks ago,
to the effect that a British re-
search group had isolated the
virus that causes trachoma.
drew attention to the pioneer-
ink, work that had been achieved
in that field by Hadassah re-
search staffs in Israel for a
number of years.
Under the direction of Hadas-
sah's medical director in Jeru-
salem, Dr. Kalman Mann. great
prograss was attained in isolat-
ing the trachoma virus.
Such efforts again became
especially necessary in recent
years in view of the fact that
20 per cent of all immigrants
arriving in Israel from North
African and 1V1iddle Eastern
countries suffer from trachoma.
The activities of Hadassah phy-
sicians have helped so drasti-
cally to reduce this number that
trachoma has practically been
eliminated in Israel.
Lucien Harris, director of
Hadassah information serv-
ices in Israel, this week point-
ed out that some 300,000,000
people suffer from trachoma,
mainly in Africa and Asia. He
reported that Hadassah phy-
sicians have been battling
with the disease—which de-
rives from dirt and poverty—
since 1913, and "by dint of
Hadassah Medical Organiza-
tion's systematic anti-tracho-
ma program the incidence of
the disease in Israel had been
reduced to small proportions
by the end of the British
Mandate in 1948."
Thus, immunization against
trachoma became a necessary
step in research on the dreaded
eye disease. The scientists of
the Hebrew University-Hadas-
sah Medical' School have at
tamed marked successes in
growing the trachoma virus.
The research work in Jerusalem
was carried out by Prof. H.
Bernkopf, head of the univer-
sity's virus laboratory and a
member of the World Health
Organization's Expert Advisory
Panel on Virus Diseases, in co-
operation with Dr. Bathya May-
thar, of the ophthalmology de-
partment of the Hadassah Uni-
versity Hospital, Dr. I. Feitel-
berg of Kupat Holim and Moshe
Nishmi.
The research activities
were carried on with finances
provided by the Hadassah
Medical Organization and the
Ford Foundation.
Advice was offered in their
activities to the research scien-
tists by Prof. I. C. Michaelson,
head of the medical school's
ophthalmology depart ment;
Prof. A. Feigenbaum, the
school's Emeritus professor of
ophthalmology; and Prof. S.
Adler, head of the university's
department of parasitology.
Harris points out that Chi-
nese research workers were the
first to announce, the isolation
of the trachoma virus two years
ago, their finding having been
confirmed by British scientists.
The Israel anti-trachoma
team, Harris said, succeeded
in isolating the trachoma
virus, in 1958, in Jerusalem.
He states: "The Israeli scien-
tists are now working on a
serum test which, it is hoped,
would be of value in diagnos-
ing trachoma, and continuing
their research in the hope of
producing a vaccine against
this disease."
Wide interest is being shown
in Hadassah's anti-trachoma
program, as indicated in the re-
cent presentation of a "Fight
for Sight" mobile ophthalmic
unit in memory of two Ameri-
cans, Michael and Rose Tenzer.
* *
Hadassah Convention
Gratified with U.S.
Assistance to Israel
ST. LOUIS, (JTA)—A resolu-
tion expressing gratification
with the generous assistance
consistently granted by the Un-
ited States to Israel through the
Mutual Security program, as
well as with the fact that this
form of aid is being continued
for the 1960 fiscal year in the
same amount of $7,500,000 as in
1959, was adopted at the closing
session of the four-day national
convention of Hadassah.
The convention adopted a
budget of $9,335,000 for Hadas-
sah's 1959-60 programs in Israel
anC the United States and re-
elected Dr. Miriam K. Freund
to a fourth term as president.
(Mrs. David Schachter,
president of Detroit Chapter
of Hadassah, and Mrs. Carl
Schiller are the two Detroit-
ers who have been named
members of the national
board of Hadassah.
(Midwestern delegates at
the convention arranged a
testimonal between sessions
in honor of Mrs. Schiller's
60th birthday).
The convention called on the
United States delegation to the
United Nations to "publicly
condemn" the United Arab Re-
public for barring Israeli ship-
ping from the Suez Canal "and
to exert its influence to the end
that. the United Nations will
exercise the full weight of its
moral and legal authority to
reverse the illegal, dangerous
and defiant attempt of the gov-
ernment of the United Arab
Republic to restrict free passage
through the Canal."
Another resolution noted that
the Arab League nations "far
from desisting in their economic
boycott of Israel and their
secondary boycott of American
firms doing business with Israel,
are intensifying their efforts in
this direction." The resolution
urged the United States Govern-
ment "to resist all efforts made
by other governments to intro-
duce discrimination against
American citizens on racial or
religious grounds, and to re-
frain from entering into any
treaties or executive agreements
which sanction these discrimi-
natory practices."
The convention voted to es-
tablish a Hadassah Insurance
Plan in the nature of an en-
dowment fund for future ex-
pansion. The delegates were
told that the plan was first
introduced in the Los Angeles
area earlier this year. In the
first few months, 500 Hadas-
sah members in the area en-
rolled in the plan, which en-
ables Hadassah members to
obtain $1,000 insurance pol-
icies designating Hadassah as
the irrevocable beneficiary at
a low premium rate.
The large-scale influx of re-
cent immigrants into Israel has
created a serious psychological
problem in the Jewish State, Dr.
Kalman J. Mann, director gen-
eral of the Hadassah Medical
Organization, told an earlier
session. He stressed that "un-
less these problems are given
immediate attention through
expanded psychiatric and social-
medical services they can en-
danger the well-being and unity
of Israel." More than 2,500 del-
egates and guests attended the
four-day convention.
Mrs. Benjamin Gottesman,
national treasurer of Hadassah,
reported that Hadassah, in the
past year, raised $10,500,000,
the largest sum in the organi-
zation's 47-year-history. This is
$1,500,000 more than $9,000,000
budgeted for Hadassah pro-
grams in 1958-59. Mrs. Siegfried
Kramarsky, Hadassah's chair-
man of the wills and bequests
committee, said that the total
sum raised by Hadassah last
year, includes $500,000.
Dr. Mann, in his address,
pointed out that Israel's new-
comers come from rural, under-
developed areas of the Middle
East and North Africa, "where
they were incapable of self-gov-
erment or organized social ac-
tion in the democratic pattern."
In Israel, he said, these new im-
migrants are exposed to a com-
plicated process of readaption
and rehabilitation within the
framework of an entirely dif-
ferent culture and economic
setting.
These newcomers, he con-
tinued, have manifested, "psy-
,
chological abnormalities that
can spread and involve large
sections of Israel." To cope
with these hazards, Dr. Mann
stated that the Hadassah Medi-
cal Organization has established
special departments for the
early detection, diagnosis and
therapy of emotional and social
illnesses among these immi-
grants. These departments are
staffed by specialists in the
fields of psychiatry and sociol-
ogy.
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Klutznick New Head of American
Friends of Hebrew University
NEW YORK, (JTA)—Philip
M. Klutznick was elected presi-
dent of the American Friends
of the Hebrew University at the
annual membership meeting. Dr.
Daniel G.
Ross, who
served as
president dur-
ing the past
four y ears,
w a s elected
chairman o f
the board of
Erectors.
Klutznick
affirmed h i s
"profound
conviction
that the He-
brew Univer-
sity of Jeru-
Klutznick
salem is destined to occupy an
increasingly significant role in
furthering human progress
everywhere, in providing cul-
tural links with Jewish commu-
nities throughout the world,
and in shaping Israel's future."
In his presidential xeport,
rendered upon the completion
of his second consecutive term
at the helm of the American
Friends of the Hebrew Univer-
sity, Ross announced that the
overall income of the AFHU
in the year ended March 31,
1959 was $3,321,000. He stressed
the increasing importance of
AFHU's Gifts and Legacies pro-
gram.
Professor Dvoretsky reported
on the considerable progress
made by the Hebrew Univer-
sity during the past year in
its research and teaching pro-
grams, as well as in the growth
of its student body. He esti-
mated that the enrollment for
the coming academic year will
be 5,500 and that, in addition,
approximately 1,500 students
will become part of the student
body as a result of the incor-
poration of the Tel Aviv School
of Law and Economics into the
Hebrew University.
Battle Over Child
Waged by Catholic
Father, Jewish Mother
The education of a five-year-
old girl whose foster mother
converted to Judaism following
a divorce from her Catholic
husband, is the subject of a law
suit in Denver.
The youngster, Anne Marie
Wieck, had been adopted by the
Francis X. Wiecks through
Catholic Charities of Denver.
The couple was divorced in
1957.
Mrs. Theresa K. Messinger,
the girl's foster mother, is re-
presented by a Catholic attor-
ney, Anthony F. Zarlengo. He
contends that the person with
custody of the child should
determine where the child will
be schooled. The court has no
authority, he said, to dictate the
faith in which Anne Marie will
be reared.
Wieck's Jewish attorney, Ira
Rothgerber, Jr., argues, on the
other hand, that the child is
bound by adoption papers which
stipulated that the child should
be reared as Catholic.
say
HAPPY NEW YEAR
to friends and
family with .. .
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