Many Accomplishments Attest to Pioneering

Oddities from Israel

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
JERUSALEM.—Many Ameri-
can Jews have written their
names indelibly on projects
that are part of Israel's de-
velopment.
Max Bressler, of Chicago,
president of the Zionist Or-
ganization of America, is a typi-
cal example. There is a Kiryat
Bressler — Bressler City — at
Jerusalem. The ZOA leader had
covered the cost of the land,
through a generous gift to the
JNF. Now there are 2,000 fami-
lies settled in this Bressler
City. There. are two synagogues,
and a third soon to be built.
There are 600 children in the
community schools.
But there is another project
that has been established as a
tribute to Bressler—the Bress-
ler • Artisans Center, in Jeru-
salem. It serves the needs of
independent shopkeeper s.
Through the generosity of
Bresler, - this Center has class-
rooms for children, and courses
for adults. It arranges exhibi-
tions and fills an important
need for self-employed people.

*

* *

Vitality of ORT

TEL AVIV.—There is great
vitality in the ORT program in
Israel. While the headquarters
are in Tel Aviv, there are 24
vocational training schools in
20 different parts of the coun-
try. ,
At present, there are 6,793
students who are taught 21
varying trades, under the super-
vision of 426 teachers.
ORT's is the largest system
of vocational_ training schools
in Israel. ORT supporters in
' the U.S. can be proud of their
share in a great task, in Israel
as well as in many other lands.
• * *

Better Housing.

JERUSALEM — A few days
ago, the Association of Ameri-,
cans and Canadians in Israel
dedicated their Coop er a tiv e
housing development here near
the Hebrew University: The
event marked the culmination
of several years of struggle to
secure government cooperation
with settlers from the United
States and 'Canada who are in
need of suitable housing.
As a result of this associa-
tion's efforts, the government
has eased restrictions on mort-
gages, and loans are now avail-
able to Americans who desire
to build their own homes.
There are branches of the
association _ in Jerusalem; Tel
Aviv, Rehovoth, Beersheba and
Haifa, and many Detroiters are
active in them. David Crohn
was one of th6 founders of the
association.
The dedication of the co-
operative housing development
marks a great concession to
this association by the govern-
ment. Americans and Canadians
maintained that if young people
from their countries are to be
encouraged to settle in Israel,
they must be assisted in secur
ing proper housing. Their ef-
forts now apparently are meet-
ing with success.
During the World Zionist
Congress, U. S. and Canadian
delegates confetred with the as-
sociation's representatives, and
many assisted in establishing a
loan fund for housing for
American settlers.

Chamber Music will be held in
Israel this coming- summer, and
arrangements • for itnow are
being completed by the Gov-
ernment Tourist Corporation.
In addition to a chamber or-
chestra of 30 Israeli musicians
and two Israeli choral groups,
the festival will have as guests
the Budapest String Quartet,
Maureen Forrester, contralto;
Rudolph Serkin,. pianist; a
famous trio consisting .Of Isaac
Stern, violinist, Leonard Rose,
cellist, and Eugene Istomin,
pianist.
Of special interest in con-
nection with this festival will
be the appearance of .cellist
Pablo Casats, who, at 84, is
one of the most • acclaimed
musicians in the world. The
Casals Festivals have become
internationally known.
Most of the 25 concerts sched-
uled for the festival will be
held in Tel Aviv and Jeru-
salem. Casals will conduct the
closing performance. The 24-
day festival will open on
Aug. 26,
During the festival, Orson
Welles is , expected to give
several evenings of . Bible
readings.
Casals' Third International
Competition for - Cellists in
Israel also will be held during
the festival; and the panel of
13 judges will include Casals'
young wife, who also is a cell-
ist. A $2,500 first prize will be
offered in the contest in, which
from 60 to 80 cellists, aged 16
to 35, will participate.

*

*

Israeli Fashions

JERUSALEM, Israel. — The
Jewish State will be Bar
Mitzvah in four months, but
many of its mercantile enter-
prises are no longer in the in-
fant or teen-age stage.
A typical example is ,Klein's,
a ladies' shop that was founded
by a hatmaker, Zindel Klein, 40
years ago.
Alexander. Schwartz, t h e
founder's son-in-law, tells many
stories of the now-famed fash-
ion store's battle for survival,
the owners' determination to
carry on business activities dur-
ing the years of resistance
against British obstructionism
and the War of Independence.
Klein's had a 40th anniver:
sary fashion show together
with WIZO—Women's Interna-
tional, Zionist Organization—
under the patronage of Mrs. R.
S'ieff, president of World
WIZO. The event marked the
triumph of determined men
who set out to create an im-
portant business in Israel and
succeeded. It is part of the

wider field of activity by all
Israelis, and the success of
Klein's symbolizes the emerg-
ence of an Israeli fashion in-
dustry that now is competing
with the finest in the world,
including the Parisian.

* * *

NCJW's Valuable
Project .

JERUSALEM.—Detroit mem-
bers of the National Council of
Jewish Women can take pride
in the project 'at the Hebrew
University—the High School
established by the NCJW.
"It is a progressive school,
and it. is a valuable asset in
our secondary education sys-
tem," a university official said.
Considered a very model
school, it has just been an-
nounced that practice teaching
will be on the high school pro-
gram.
Janet Olender, former li-
brarian of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek in Detroit, 'now one of
the Hebrew University li-
brarians, was among those who
praised the NCJW high school
project as a noteworthy gift to
Israel.
The excellence of the NCJW
High School is spoken for by
many people. For example, Dr.
Moshe Davis, of the Jewish Theo-
logical Seminary of New York,
who now is associated with the
Institute of Contemporary Jewry
at the Hebrew University, speaks
glowingly about, the work of this
high school. His son, Zev, is a
student there and he and his
parents state that this high school
is "an excellent school from
which we have benefited much."
* * *

A Home for
'Refugee Girls

JERUSALEM.—There is an
unlimited amount of work to be
done here, and the number of
projects appealing especially to
Americans is legion. Some are
more worthy than others, .but
there are many that call for
special notice.
A-number of Detroit tourists
have become interested in the
Bayit Leplelot . Orphan and
Refugee Girls Home on Haye
Adam Street, at the entrance
to the Meah Shearim quarter,
on the Israel-Jordan border
overlooking Mount Scopus.
There are 148 girls in the
home now. Those admitted are
kept from the ages of 3 until
their marriage at about 17 or
18. The girls' are provided vo-
cational training in tailoring,
laundering, and other activities.
Several of the graduates have
become kindergarten teachers.
There is no distinction here be-
tween Sefardi and Ashkenazi

children, and all get along well
together.
The home is rather gloomy
and needs vast improvementS.
A four-story addition has just
been erected and most of the
girls already live there, but it
needs added facilities.
Founded in 1950, this girls'
home is for children who have
either been orphaned in the
war or have been abandoned by
their parents. There area num-
ber of backward yoUngsters
who are given psychiatric care.
When the mentally retarded
cannot be handled, the govern-
ment, which provides a minor
portion of the home's financial
needs, is asked to transfer them
to institutions that can give
them more thorough care.
One of the officers of this
home stated that as a result of
an increase in divorces in Is-
rael, more homes have broken
up, resulting in abandonment
of children. "Therefore there is
a greater need for our home,"
he said.
Rabbi Naftali Rosenfeld, him-
self a refugee from Hungary, is
the director of the home.
Shlomo Poppenheim is co-
director. Sam Stern, who re-
cently came, here from Brook-
lyn, is the public relations man.
Detroiters who became inter,
ested in this home include Mr.
and Mrs. Zeldon Cohen, Mr.
and Mrs. Wolf Cohen, Mrs. A.
Ehrenfeld and others.
There is, no dou'bt about -the
need for this type of home, but
it is a pity that it can not be
operated on more modern
standards.
Increasing interest is being
displayed in Israel in mental
retardation, and a number of
schools have been organized to
care for the backward. It is
part of Israel's deep interest in
the issues created by an influx
of immigrants from 100 coun-
tries.

* *

*

Nabatean City
at Avdat

Restaurateur and Barber

Those who look for the primi-
tive will find it in Israel. Those
who seek the modern will find
the most advanced in nearly
every field of endeavor in Israel.
One of the finest restaurants
is in Jerusalem. It is Hesse's,
and its food and service is su-
perb. M. Hesse was chef at the
Waldorf Astoria in New York in
1929. He then traveled all over
the.world before coming to Pales-
tine. He is a master of his
calling.
There are many interesting
people in all walks of life. Take
the barber in the ' King David
Hotel. He was for seven years
the "hairdresser" in the RAF.
The British left a good mark on
him. Individually, this barber-
hairdresser, Ephraim Mizrachi,
says, the British are just fine.
He is a man Who likes people.
He loves to talk about those
whose hair he has trimmed —
Senator Hubert Humphrey, Gen-
eral Von Horn of the UN, Dr.
Nahum Goldmann and scores of
others. He loves testimonials and
he no doubt will consider this
item one of them.
* * *

The Angels' Project—
Largest Bakery in Israel

JERUSALEM—Since the bread
in Israel is so tasty, it is worth
making note of - the fact that the
Angel Family -- pioneers dating
back several generations , — have
established what is now acknowl-
edged to be the largest bakery
in ISrael.
Ovadiah Angel, one of the
brothers who operate the bakery
with their father, informs us that
their million-pound investment
was matched by a LI 160,000
loan by the Israel government,
to make possible the enlargement
of their plant.
Now, on our return home,
we'll be fed, on the El Al plane,
with sliced bread ,wrapped in
what the Israelis call nylon wrap-
ping. All the cellophane and plas-
tic wrappings are called nylon
here. This is the first time that
bread will come from a modern-
equipped bakery in Israel in
slices and wrapped.
* * *

BEERSHEBA.—One of the
chief attractions for those con-,
cerning themselves with ar-
cheology is at Avdat—about 80
miles south of. Beersheba, on
the road to Eilat.
I Prof: Evenari of the Hebrew
University has set up his home
in the hills of Avdat and is con-
tinuing excavations and re-
search.
I He has found signs of Na-
batean irrigation. There are
ancient giant cisterns in which
water was collected in olden
times.
Eliahu Elath—'a
Reconstructing the area and
Pleasant Reunion
studying the ancient strategic
We first met in San Francisco,
route, Prof. Evenari believes
t that the Avdat district gov- during the early days of the UN,
then referred to as UNO .
Then we worked together in New
York . . . and in Washington
. . . and now we meet in Jeru-
salem . . . It was a pleasant
reunion with Eliahu (Epstein)
Elath, first Israel Ambassador to
the United States, later this
country's envoy to the Court of
St. James.
Elath was with Judge Samuel
Rosenman, one of FDR's closest
associates, when we spotted him
. . . We recalled the large meet-
ing he addressed at the Shaarey
Zedek in Detroit, a week after
he became Israel's first Ambas-
sador to the U.S.. , . They were
fond memories.
* * *

WJC Gets Report on Algiers Synagogue Desecration

•

. Notables . in . Israel

* * *
A Music Center

TEL AVIV, Israel. — World-
famous musicians have become
so attached to Israel that they
are assisting in making this
state one of the great centers
for the advancement of music
by their frequent appearances
here.
An International Festival of

erned the old caravan route
across the desert. Crops. were
raised there to enable the
people to live on them.
Among the unearthed relics
are a Byzantine church, its altar
being visible, with Greek and
Latin inscriptions.
Avdat is half way between
Eilat and Beersheba.
* * *

Pictures of the damage to the Algiers syna-
gogue during recent Casbah riots have been re-
ceived by the World Jewish Congress in New
York together with a report from the organiza-
tion's representative in Algeria, Mr. Jacques
Lazarus. When Mr. Lazarus arrived at the

scene he found French troops (left) guarding
the ruins. The walls inside and outside were
daubed with swastikas and such slogans as:
"Death to the Jews," "Long Live the FLN"
(Algerian nationalist movement), and "Long
Live' the Algerian Republic."

On our flight from Tel Aviv
to New York, General Chaim
Laskov was one of the fellow-
passengers. He is in this country
for a month's tour of Jewish
communities in behalf of the
United Jewish Appeal.
In addition to Sir Barnett Tan-
ner, who attended all World
Zionist Congrses sessions, there
were, at the Congress, two other
Members of the British House of
Commons, - Marais Lipman and
Sidney Silverman._

