2
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS — Friday, September 16, 1960 —
Purely Commentary
Hadassah's Heroic Role in Battle for Jerusalem
Hadassah's role in Israel's war of independence, and espe-
cially in the battle for the Old City of Jerusalem, has been so
outstanding that it must never be overlooked.
Many tales of heroism . have been told time and again.
Hadassah's doctors and nurses matched them, and the heroism
they displayed, on a par with the men and women who carried
arms for the defense of strategic positions, forms an historic
chapter in. Israel's war of independence.
Important references to Hadassah's role in the battle for
freedom are made by Dr. Dov Joseph, in "The Faithful City—
The Siege of -.Jerusalem, 1948," the stirring account published
by Simon and Schuster.
The loss of the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus was
one of the severe blows to Israel. Located next to the original
buildings of the Hebrew University, the isolation of the Hadassah
Hospital remains to this day one of the sorry episodes of the
war. Hadassah's doctors and nurses were active, however, in the
Old City of Jerusalem as well as in the New City. In the course
of his account, which emerges as one of the most significant
evaluations of a people's struggle for its very life, Dr. Joseph,
who, as Military Governor of Jerusalem also had to direct the
health activities of the beleaguered city, writes: .
"For over a generation the key to Jerusalem's medical
services has been the Hadassah Medical Organization, with its
great modern hospital on Mount Scopus, the Hadassah Uni-
versity Medical School, the Nurses' Training School, the medi-
cal clinics and the Strauss Health Center. Other hospital and
health services in Jerusalem were the Histadrut Workers' Sick
Fund, Kupat Holim, which relied upon Hadassah for specializa-
tion and hospital services, and the older hospitals like Bikur
Holim and Shaarei Zedek. To co-ordinate all medical and
hygiene services, I set up a Health Council on which these
bodies were represented. But at the center of the whole effort
was Hadassah, which had in fact pioneered the medical services
for the whole of Palestine with hospitals in key points through-
out the country, with its introduction of preventive medicine,
with its nurses' school, its school feeding services in Jerusalem,
its infant 'Drop of Milk' stations and other benefits."
Reviewing the events in the Old City, prior to the surrender
of the small force that defended the Jewish quarter against the
Arab Legion under the leadership of British officers, Dr. Joseph
gives this account of Hadassah heroism:
"The evacuees marched to the Zion Gate between two lines
of Legionaires. Behind them they could see pillars of smoke
rising from the Jewish quarter. The Hadassah welfare station
had been set on fire, and a wholesale destruction of Jewish
property was in progress. The Arab crowds were angry and
excited, stones were thrown, the Legionaires were cursed out
by Arabs who still wanted a massacre. The Arab Legion, ac-
cording to all our evidence, behaved extremely well. Some of
their officers were Arab, some British, but all of them treated
the Jews correctly and even courteously. At one stage, they
- opened rifle fire against the Arab mob to protect the Jewish
'wounded while they were being given a quick check by an
Arab doctor who decided which were to be kept back as
prisoners of war. The three Hadassah doctors, Dr. Avraham
Laufer, Dr. Egon Reis and Dr. Eli Peiser, and four nurses
refused to be evacuated and chose to go into captivity with the
wounded prisoners. Dr._ Reis'. wife, unknown to him, had _been
killed while he was besieged in the Old City."
The assistance that was given Dr. Joseph by Hadassah's chief
dietitian, Dr. Sarah Bawly, in the course of the Military Gov-.
ernor's demand of the Truce Commission that the embattled
Jewish defenders of the Holy City should be permitted to bring
in adequate food supplies, forms another interesting chapter in
"The Faithful City."
Dr. Joseph also records in • his historical analysis the brutal
attack by Arabs on a Hadassah medical convoy, on its way from
Sheikh Jarrah to Mount Scopus, on April 25, 1948. The 77 who
were killed included Drs. Chaim Yassky, Leonid Doljansky and
Moshe Ben-David, the founders of the new medical faculty at
the Hebrew University, the physician Dr. Guenther Wolfsohn
and the head of the university's psychology department, Prof.
Enzo Bonaventura.
Dr. Yassky was well known to many Detroiters. He had
been here only a short time before the tragedy at Mount Scopus,
to address a Hadassah meeting at which the local community
took note of the pioneering efforts in behalf of Hadassah by Mrs.
Joseph H. Ehrlich.
This is only part of the story of Hadassah's great gifts to
the Middle East. The women's medical organization's- activities
have helped then, as they do now, not only Jews, but Moslems
and Christians as well. Let the story be known, so that those who
are active in Hadassah may always feel proud of their share in
the great movement's historic activities.
Review of .Dov Joseph's and the Rimches' Books
on Israel's War of Independence on Pages 16, 17
Bernard Postal's Success with Jewish Digest
Something truly unique has happened in Jewish journalism.
On several occasions, attempts to publish magazines con-
taining digests of the most important articles and books on
Jewish subjects met with failure. Few such undertakings lasted
for more than a few months.
It took the ingenuity of Bernard Postal, a veteran Jewish
newspaperman, who for many years has been associated with
national Jewish organizations — first with Bnai Brith and now
with the Jewish Welfare Board — to make a success of such
a project. The Jewish Digest, which he introduced together with
David H. White of Houston, Tex., has just completed five years
of uninterrupted publishing, and it is due to the determination
of these two men that a worthwhile publishing effort can be
called a complete success.
The Jewish Digest is significant for many reasons. It carries
articles that appeared not only in English periodicals but also,
in English translations, of course, essays that appeared in many
other languages, French, Yiddish, German, Hebrew and other
tongues.
It is a non-partisan magazine and therefore is free from
criticism as to the viewpoints that may be expressed.
Furthermore, it often publishes original articles by able
authors.
Postal is eminently well qualified for the task he has under-
taken in publishing the Digest. For several years he was editor
Recalling Hadassah's
Historic Role in
Battle for Jerusalem
By Philip
Slomovitz
Algiers Jewish
Merchant Hurt by
Terrorist's Bomb
of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He was the editor for a few
years of an English-Jewish weekly.
To Postal and White go our hearty congratulations on the
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)
fifth anniversary - of the JeWish -Digest. More power to them in
ALGIERS
— A Jewish mer-
their future publishing activities.
chant and two other men were
*
injured here Monday, when
The Season for Informative Calendars
terrorists tossed a hand Gren-
With the approach of Rosh Hashanah, an interesting selec- ade into the jewelry store owned
tion of calendars becomes available.
by Jacob Allouche. The others
The Art Calendar of the National Federation of Temple injured in addition to Allouche
Sisterhoods always has an interesting theme. This year's NFTS were a clerk in his store and a
calendar features "Art in the Synagogue." There is an informa- passerby.
It was the second attack of
tive essay on synagogue art and reproductions of creative works
the kind in a week in the Jew-
by noted artists in 12 temples throughout the land.
The Jewish National Fund calendar again is an informative ish quarter of Constantine. Last
week a bomb was thrown at an-
almanac on Israel and Zionism.
A diary annually issued by the New York Society for the other store but the device failed
Advancement of Judaism (Reconstructionist movement) is in to explode.
Neither the terrorist who
wide use.
Much vital information that is of great help to the Jewish threw the grenade Tuesday nor
servicemen is provided in the "Jewish Calendar for Members of the one who tossed the bomb
the Armed Forces," issued by the National Jewish Welfare Board. last week has been a p p r e-
There are a number of interesting calendars from Israel hended. Residents of the Jewish
and several private publishers are enhancing the calendar busi- quarter are concerned about the
ness with their creative efforts that appear just before Rosh attacks. Until now Jews have
Hashanah. Besides providing informative almanacs, these calen- largely escaped attack by ter-
dars are an interesting study in diaries and date books. rorists
I
here.
Eisenhower, Nixon and Kennedy Issue
Rosh Hashanah Messages to U.S. Jewry
President Dwight D. Eisen-
hower, Vice President Richard
M. Nixon, Republican candidate
for President, and Senator. John
F. Kennedy, the Democratic can-
didate for President, this week
issued Rosh Hashanah messages
to American Jewry, through the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
President Eisenhower's mes-
sage states:
"During the season of the
Jewish High Holy Days it is
always a pleasure to extend
greetings to my fellow citi-
zens of the Jewish faith.
"I know this is a time of
deep meaning for them. In
the honored tradition of their
ancient faith, they are led to
special acts of contrition,
thanksgiving and praise. Sus-
tained by the creative and
moral power of their father's
God, they enter their new
year. with confidence.
"This is my last opportun-
ity to extend greetings- on
this occasion, but as a private
citizen I shall continue to re-
membe• these Holy Days each
year with warmth and re-
spect."
Vice President Nixon's mes-
sage reads:
"To my fellow Americans of
the Jewish faith, I send heart-
felt greetings and good wishes.
May your Rosh Hashanah wor-
ship be spiritually restoring as
you mark the beginning of
your 5721th religious year.
Your prayers for peace on these
High Holy Days come at a time
when Americans of all faiths
have become more sensitive
than ever to the fervent Judaic
belief in the universality of
man's needs and aspirations.
Aware of great social and polit-
ical stirrings in all parts of the
world, Americans join in a
determined desire to help man
fulfill the promise of his
humanness.
"America's spiritual heritage,
emphasizing the sacrednesS of
the individual, America's polit-
ical heritage of freedom, and
the pursuit of rewarding living
lead us to labor constantly: for
the achievement of liberty and
a more satisfying life for the
greater numbers of our fellow
men.
"All thoughtful._ Americans
share. ,the. prayers -for -a ,world
School to be Named
for Louis Tendler
The Detroit Board of Educa-
tion voted Tuesday to name a
school in tribute to the memory
of Louis Tendler, newspaper-
man whose research in a num-
ber of fields brought him na-
tional acclaim.
The Tendler School will re-
place the present Lillibridge
School at 11131 Kercheval.
"On this eve of the Jewish
New Year, may my family and
I join with you in prayer for a
world blessed with peace and
for a mankind blessed with un-
derstanding. May the fears of
yesterday be turned into hopes
for tomorrow, and may our
children grow strong in a world
of truth and dignity. May this
new year. turn the hearts of
man towards peace, - and bring
an end to fear of war."
in which discrimination, perse-
cution and suspicion shall be
replaced by understanding,
f r e e d o m and brotherhood;
where fear and tension between
nations will be replaced by
stability and peace.
"May we ever be encouraged
and sustained by our religious
faith as mankind seeks to
realize its destiny under God."
The message of Senator Ken-
nedy reads:
, OM. •IMM. 041111 ■0.■
.1.6.1.11111M. ,011110.1111111111. •11011111.0411111M 1I MIIIIY1)MIIIII.1.11••••0•111110414•11.0 ■ 1.4111•111.0!0•••••041111111 . 0 ■11 . 0 •11
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
...and Ma'
(Copyright, 1960,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
The American Scene
The Arab propaganda machine in the United States is now
expanding . . . A report to Congress by the Attorney General, on
foreign agents, says that the Arab Information Center reported
expenditures of $160,000 last year in this country ... The national
headquarters of the Arab Information Center are in New York;
other branch offices are in Washington, Chicago and San Fran-
cisco . .. A new unit of the Arab Information Center has now
been opened in Dallas, Tex., for the purpose of stepping up
Arab propaganda in the Southwest . . . This regional office
has been in the planning stage for a long time . . . Operations
of this office are expected to get into full swing about the end
of this year . . . The U. S. AttOrney General, in his report to
Congress, notes that the Arab Information Center provides a
wide variety of propaganda services . . . They include press
releases, photos, films and film strips, information tapes and
speakers . .. The report does not list the expenditures of other
Arab agencies in this country, such as the Palestine Arab
Refugee Office. Incidentally, heading the Arab Information
Center office in Atlanta will be Sarni Hadawi, for many years
associated with the Palestine Arab Refugee Office in New York
. . Arab propaganda in this country is also being conducted
by an estimated 2,000 Arab students registered in American
colleges and universities . . . The Organization of Arab Students,
a group with headquarters in New York, publishes a newsletter,
schedules' appearances of Arab spokesmen at local and regional
meetings, and holds an annual national convention . . . The
Arab students' newsletter recently featured a 'photograph of
Arab students, picketing Ben-Gurion during his visit to the
United States .. . One of the placards read "American, Beware
of the Zionist Bear."
*
*
Canadian Echoes
It is only an overnight trip by train from New York to
Canada . . . By plane, such a trip is a matter of just a few hours
. . . Yet Jews in the United States know more about statesmen
of distant European countries than of neighboring Canada . .
This thought must come to mind when one learns of the role
played by Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in secur-
ing recently the adoption of a new Canadian Bill of Rights . . .
Diefenbaker was personally active in the formulation and the
passage through Parliament of this bill, in which Canadian Jewry
was extremely interested . . . In presenting the bill to Parliament,
he made an impassioned plea for the integrity of human rights
against religious discrimination . . . Abhorrence to discrimination
was also voiced by Prime Minister Diefenbaker on various
occasions in addressing Jewish audiences in Canada .. . He has
also often stated his admiration and friendship . for Israel on the
basis of a visit he had made to the Jewish State .. . The new
Canadian Bill of Rights, adopted by the House of Commons
and in the Senate, provides for racial and religious non-discrimi-
nation as well as for religious freedom . . . The measure specifies
that every federal law of Canada must conform to the new
Bill of Rights unless Parliament, by special act, decreed other-
wise . . . Prior to adoption of this act, the Canadian Jewish
Congress appeared before a special parliamentary committee
outlining the views of Canadian Jewry.