e a p choenstein's 'The Block' Recalls Childhood

Ralph Schoenstein didn't be-
long to a gang in the 78th Street
area in New York. He and a
group of seven other friends
formed "The Block."
As a group—as a block—they
played together, were mischief-
makers jointly, drew the anger
of some neighbors, had fun, grew
up for dating.
They went through the normal
experiences of boyhood, until the
group scattered. But their child-
hood story left its imprint on
Schoenstein, who was impelled
to write a book about it, under
the title "The Block." Random
House has published it; Mayor
F. LaGuardia of New York, Jer-
ome Weidman and others who

read the manuscript have com- story, it is harmless and full of
mended it.
boyishness.
Jewish boys' encounters with
The reader will have a lot of
fun sharing experiences with the non-Jews, staying out of school
block, and those who know the on Yom Kipper and atoning "by
ways of the New York street playing grim games of stickball,
when it served as a playground the beginning of more serious
for those who had no other place dating and the warning from the
to turn to for their games will stoop by one of The Block's
nostalgically recall similar ex- rivals: "Hey, four-eyes, you're
periences in the life of youth in supposed to walk on the outside!"
New York.
—these and many more little
Schoenstein is an able news- things that were quite big at the
elevate "The Block" to an
paperman who writes a daily fea- time
ture column for the Newhouse interesting position. Schoenstein's
account accomplishes it beauti-
newspaper chain.
fully.
The author is 27. In a note to
the reader he confesses: "When a Karaites, Samaritans,
man born in 1933 writes a book
about his boyhood, it is proper Jewish Sects, Live
to
presume he's either an ass or
The Karaites a
Hebrew Corner
an imbecile. Before writing even are Jewish se
a brief autobiography, it's a good Israel.
idea not to be 27 years old. But
The K
es reject the •ost-
I also happen to be a member Biblica abbinic
Translation of Hebrew text.
traditi
Published by Brit Ivrit Olamit.
of
the
last
generation
of
children
they
Two years ago there was erected
im to base their e
who
couldn't
be
atomized,
the
in Jerusalem the Hekhal Shlomo
ings n a literalistic
erpr
building which serves as the seat of last for whom Manhattan was a
tio of the Bibl
the Israel Chief Rabbinate.
playground
and
not
a
ground
fi
The gigantic building which over-
hundre
looks the Old City is one of the zero, the last more periled by
e-third of
most magnificent edifices in Israel spankings than strontium 90.
n, live
and serves as a center of attraction
a Ka
for thousands of tourists. On its Since- we can't be sure how
ents of
first floor is a beautiful, tastefully much longer there will be chil-
Israel.
furnished synagogue. Its ancient
holy ark and bima were brought dren, it's not entirely useless to
from Italy. Its windows are illus- remember how things were in
The Sa
claim
trated with beautiful illustrations
remnant
t King
of
on the theme of verses from the the middle of the world's great-
Torah. In the basement and on the est city when I was a kid, before
ael which fell in 7
B.C.E.
first floor are housed the books of
•y base their r • • on upon
the central Torah library in Israel TV dinners, earth-circling oran-
which contains 35,000 volumes. The gutans, and home-made bomb t :.
entateuch
• recognize
library is at the disposal of rabbis,
-r books of the
religious judges and scholars who shelters, when there was still no
come to consult the books of Jewish glory in war and it wasn't un- Bible.
n t i e Samaritan
law. On the second floor are the
offices of the funds for providing American to call your team the population numbers less than
scholarships to the most gifted stu- Cincinnati Reds and increased 300, 90 of them living in Israel
dents of yeshivot and religious high
schools. Here too is housed the de- radioactivity meant more broad- and 200 in Nablus (Shechem)
partment for religious precepts con- casting."
which is in Jordanian-con-
nected with the holy land, that
trolled Palestine.
deals with problems of agriculture
Readers of "The Block" will
in Israel according to the laws of
(Additional information may
the Torah. The third floor contains heartily agree with Schoenstein.
the offices of the Chief Rabbinate, His book will be such a good re- be obtained from Izhak Ben-
the courtrooms of the supreme re-
Zvi's "The Redeemed and the
ligious court and the judges' cham- minder of one's own mischief.
bers.
The water poured from windows Exiled" published by the - Jew-
An interesting and absorbing to drive the "hoodlums" away, ish Publication Society of
place in this building is the mu-
America).
seum for religious requisites. con- the broken windows, the harm-
taining hundreds of exhibits of
less
encounters
with
the
police,
ancient Jewish religious requisites
from ancient communities and valu- the growing-up and the holding
able exhibits from distant communi-
of hands with girls, the teachers
ties in east and west.
On the top floor of the building and the tricks at school—these i
there is an auditorium with seating and many more episodes hold
i
for a thousand for religious Torah
the reader's interest in "The
conventions.
This• magnificent building was Block".
built on the initiative of the late
Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Isaac
While it is a "mischievous"

T

Hekhal Shlomo

THE CALL
OF THE SHOFAR

Awake, ye slumberers, from your sleep, ex-
amine your deeds and humbly return to God,
the source of justice and truth. All ye who
are absorbed in foolishness and forget your-
selves, ye who pass your days in emptiness,
remember your Creator, look into your soul,
d amend your ways. Forsake your impure
ughts and your wicked deeds, and follow
dness and righteousness.

—Ma i mon ides ( I 135-1204)

1 12r1: 11 MZ1t1 :1312,7

May all of you be blessed with a
joyous and prosperous year.

Mr. and Mrs. Irving Hermelin and Family

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Rubenfire and Family

Mr. and Mrs. David B. Hermelin & Family
Associate

Le Shono Tovo

DEPARTMENT OF MICHIGAN I

1 JEWISH WAR VETfRANS- Of THE UNITED STATES r LADIES AUXILIARY I

Halevi Herzog. <;>

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DEPARTMENT COMMANDER
DEPARTMENT PRESIDENT

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