German Youth Faces Judgement
in Manfred Grego r's 'The Bridge'
"The Bridge," a novel by
Manfred Gregor, published by
Random House, is described on
the book's jacket as "a com-
pelling story of youth faced by
the challenge of modern war."
It is much more than that:
it is a story about German
youths' toying with weapons,
the cruelties that were imposed
by them on each other and on
those they disagreed with, the
barbarism of the Nazi era.
The author wrote from per-
sonal experiences. Born in a
small German town in 1929, he
was, like • the teen-agers in his
novel, among those drafted for
service in the 16-year-old groups
which were formed in the Ger-
man desperation to stop the
Allied advances.
Gregor states: "Coming out of
that uninjured was quite a last-
ing experience for me. I re-
turned to school with a com-
pletely new attitude."
What he had- learned as part
of the German youth groups
became the gist of "The
Bridge," which was chosen for
publication by a German pub-
lisher from among 400 manu-
scripts, in 1958, and which ap-
pears in the Random edition in
a translation by Robert S.
Rosen.
"The Bridge" is a gloomy
story. The general gave an
order: the bridge must be held.
The young Germans understood
him. But the Americans ad-
vanced, the German ranks were
drastically reduced, and the
children, still in their teens,
emotionally disturb e d, are
thrown into a hopeless struggle
which intensifies their frustra-
tions and their complexes.
It is not the war alone that
is major in the story. The back-
ground of the youngsters who
figure in it is of primary in-
terest. The unhappy home at-
mospheres, the battles between
parents, the immorality of fath-
ers, the anti-Nazi and anti-war
attitude of mothers, the even-
tual demoralization of the chil-
dren themselves, emphasize the
tragedies of the youth in war-
time Germany.
The Nazi-oriented youth keep
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One of Detrolt's Largest—
Since 1937
singing "today Germany belongs
to us . . . and tomorrow the
whole world!" Even in the face
of danger, there is their arro-
gance.
One of them, as a child, be-
friended a Jewish playmate. His
mother encouraged him; his
f a t h e r, a Standartenfuehrer,
was furious, but that father had
had other battles with his wife.
It was the mother of this child
who warned the Jewish family
to escape. This was part of the
tragedy of Germany, as record-
ed in "The Bridge."
Another of the teen - agers'
mothers warned her son not to
kill, quoting the Fifth Com-
mandment. This youngster came
back alive from the battle, and
as he left the bridge an elderly
man said: "You're a bit young
for such a judgment." The tem-
porary judgment was defeat.
But—has German youth learned
the lesson?
—P. S.
Bond with Israel
By HAROLD U. RIBALOW
(Copyright, 1960, JTA, Inc.)
Israel's industry, agricul-
ture and other phases of her
general economy are develop-
ing rapidly under the impact
of Israel Bond sales. Here, a
workman inspects corrugated
paper used in the manufac-
ture of cartons for exporting
citrus products.
Moscow Radio Warns
Soviet Jews Against
Israel "Propaganda' ,
Israel's Production of
Diamonds Rising; May LONDON, (JTA) — Moscow
Reach Half Belgium's Radio told the Jews in the So-
LONDON, (JTA) — Israel's
production of gem diamonds is
now approximately one-third
that of Belgium and may rise
to half of Belgium's production
in the not-too-distant future,
it was reported in an economic
survey by Barclay's Bank Over-
seas. The country's diamond
output, which increased by 40
percent in 1958, is still rising
rapidly, according to the survey.
The survey also reported that
the Palestine Electric Corpora-
tion plans to spend about 50,-
000,000 Israel pounds ($28,000,-
000) for each of the next five
years to meet an anticipated
increased demand for electri-
city from industry, agriculture
and household requirements.
This represents some five to
six percent of the anticipated
national investment during the
period.
Israel's New Code on
Juvenile Delinquency May
Have Liberal Provisions
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—A new
juvenile delinquency code, de-
scribed as "a new deal" for
youngsters who have trans-
gressed, is being drafted by
the Israel Ministry of Social
Welfare.
The aim of the code is to_
permit youthful offenders to
start a new life with a clean
bill of health. It provides that
if a youth under 21 commits
no further offenses for a period
of three years after his convic-
tion, he will be able to obtain
a certificate attesting that he
has no convictions on his rec-
ord.
The code will also do away
with fixed sentences for crimes
by youths. A special board in
each case will determine the
time the offender is to spend
in special correctional institu-
tions, basing its decision on
the delinquent's behavior and
the psychiatric reports.
Brandeis University Awarded
Ford Foundation Grant for
Study of Problems of Aged
A Ford Foundation grant to
conduct nationwide studies in
the problems of the aged has
been made to Brandeis Univer-
sity, it was announced by the
university's pr e s i d en t, Dr.
Abram L. Sachar. This grant
is part of a recent Ford Foun-
dation appropriation of $300,000
for the purpose of improving
community programs for older
people.
The grant to Brandeis, in the
amount of $82,000 will enable
the University's Florence Heller
Graduate School for Advanced
Studies in Social Welfare to
coordinate and evaluate com-
munity experiments to which
the Foundation expects to make
grants in the next four months.
Aim to Make '61 Maccabiah Games
Into World Jewis h Sports Festival
viet Union that they should not
permit themselves to be influ-
enced by "Zionist propaganda"
which is spreading "false illu-
sions" among Jews about Israel.
The broadcast said that "Zion-
ists and special agents of Is-
rael" are attempting to present
a picture among Jews in East
European countries that Israel
is a "paradise" for Jewish peo-
ple and that it is a country
where a Jew feels himself
completely free and at home.
"This," the broadcast stated,
"is a shameless lie. The truth
is that Israel is not a paradise
but a land where unemploy-
ment and starvation prevails.
Jews from East European
countries who have been mis-
led by Israel propaganda and
have emigrated to Israel are
now seeking to return to their
native lands."
The broadcast said that Jews
in the Soviet Union are "free
and happy" as part of all other
sections of the Soviet popula-
tion and that they are not
eager to emigrate to any coun-
try, including Israel.
The Moscow radio then in-
dulged in its usual anti-Israel
diatribes declaring that "Israel
serves the interest of Western
imperialism in the Middle East"
and constitutes "a permanent
danger" for the Arab countries.
The broadcast also attacked
American Jews stating that they
are helping in the pro-Israel
propaganda and "mislead the
working masses" for the pur-
pose of serving the cause of
the United States.
Early in 1961, the Maccabiah
will be held in Israel and
already plans are afoot to make
it the best and most significant
of all these Games.
The idea is to transform the
occasion into a world Jewish
sports f es t i v a 1, with inter-
national recognition for what-
ever records are achieved at
the Games.
The intent is to take con-
trol of the event away from
the Maccabi World Union and
make it the responsibility of
the Jewish communities all
over the world.
The Maccabi World Union
will be a permanent member
of a new international Mac-
cabiah Sponsoring Committee,
on which all participating na-
tions will have representatives.
A committe of experts — not
amateurs — will be asked to
organize the Games, in an
attempt to avoid errors of the
past. Tickets will be sold with
the aim of making some money,
profits going to help provide
Israeli youth with better sports
facilities.
Thus far, 25 nations will
take part in the Games and
each country will have its
Canada Plans Large
Gift in Flour for Arabs
UNITED NATIONS, N . Y
The Canadian gov-
ernment plans to make a spe-
cial World Refugee Year gift
of $1,000,000 in flour to the
United Nations R e l i e f and
Works Agency for Palestinian
refugees in the Middle East. .
The Canadian gift will total
about 11,300 long tons of flour,
which will meet the relief
agency's needs for flour for a
little more than a month. Sav-
ings resulting from the gift
will be applied to the agency's
vocational training of Arab ref-
ugees and related activities.
UNRWA has apper.led for at
least $4,000,000 from World
Refugee Year funds to make
possible a substantial expansion
of its vocational training and
self-help programs.
(JTA)
—
There are no little events
with the heart. It magnifies
everything, it places in the
same scale the fall of an em-
pire and the dropping of a wo-
man's glove, and almost always
the gloves weighs more than
the empire.—Balzac.
own organizing committee. It
doesn't help that early in
May, 1961, three months be-
fore the Maccabiah, Hapoel
in Israel will organize its own
festival, under the sponsor-
ship of the Socialist Inter-
national Labor Federation.
But if the Maccabiah will be
handled in a professional man-
ner, and records achieved will
be recognized, these Games
should be more valuable than
anything Hapoel can come up
with.
The Maccabiah Village will
become a youth hostel with a
fine track, an open-air swim-
ming pool and good playing
fields. The Village will accom-
modate 1,000 youngsters.
Before and during the Mac-
cabiah there also will be a
youth jamboree for boys and
girls between the ages of 14
and 17. So it looks like a very
hectic and lively time in 1961
for sports in Israel.
isn't it
about time
•
:‘ your:
.
Israel Seeks Soviet
Story Behind Charges
Against Embassy Man
LOOSE
RUGS
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire to
The Jewish News)
JERUSALEM — Yaacov Kal-
man, member of the I s r a e l
embassy personnel in Moscow,
back on home leave, said Tues-
day he knew nothing about re-
ports in the Soviet newspaper
Trud that he had been charged
with anti-Soviet propaganda.
The Trud report also named
as another alleged Israel spy
Margarita Mossberg as a sup-
posed member of the Israel
embassy. Kalman said there was
no such woman employe in the
embassy.
The Israel Foreign Ministry
asked the Soviet embassy Tues-
day for clarification of the Trud
report.
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