Religious Group .Q.,ffereftl Role in B-G Cabinet
Detailed Story on Page 3
Moroccan
Jewry's
Tragedy:
Challenge
to World
Opinion
Max M. Fisher
E JEWISH
1:=) "T"'R C:›17 –
Hassidic
Community
and Zoning
Problems
MICHIGAN
A Weekly Review
Editorial
Page 4
in Pivotal
Communal Rote
I Jewish Events
Commentary
Michigan's Only English-Jewish Newspaper—Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle
Vol. XXXVI I I, No. 25
Printed in
a
100°jo Union Shop
Page 2
17100 W. 7 Mile Rd.—VE 8-9364—Detroit 35, February 17, 1961—$5.00 per Year; Single Copy 1 5c
Adenauer to Send Eichmann Trial
Observer; Delay Case Until April
Edward Israel, Greely Exploration Martyr
Kalamazoo Jewish Youth Hero
of Ill-Fated Arctic Expedition
-
By MILTON FRIEDMAN
(Copyright, 1961, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
WASHINGTON—The. saga of a young Jewish scientist who gave his
life almost 80 years ago on a United States Army volunteer mission, similar
in daring to that now contemplated by the "astronauts", has been revealed.
Edward Israel, who perished at 25, was the astronomer of the ill-
fated Greely Expedition of 1881. Greely went farther toward the _North
Pole than anyone had gone before. Israel, the expedition's only scientist,
gathered data . still in use today.
Six of the 25 members survived. Freezing and starving to death on
the Polar ice, Israel painfully recorded each day his meteorological,. tidal,
and magnetic observations.
Israel's role in the Greely.Expedition was inadvertently revealed when
A. L. Todd, a biographer, recently researched dusty archives and diaries
for a book on Gen. Adolphus W. Greely, Civil War veteran, frontiersman,
and pioneer. Arctic explorer.
Apart from praise by Gen. Greely, Israel and other martyrs of the
expedition received no official Government recognition. The Government
forgot .those who volunteered and died on the first systematic and scientific
study of the North Pole area. Perhaps the Todd book, 'Abandoned," will
stimulate belated recognition..
Although decorated by foreign governments, even Gen. Greely was
ignored by Washington until 1935 when Gen. Billy Mitchell, Air Force
pioneer, fought Congress to get the aged explorer a Congressional Medal
of Honor. . .
• The Greely Expedition was the American contribution to the world's
first . cooperative international scientific endeavor. It was known as the
"International Polar Year-1881." Russia, Britain, France, Germany,
Japan, and other nations participated.
Vilhjalmur Stefansson, one of the greatest living Arctic explorers,
deplored the failure of history to give credit to Greely and his followers,
like Israel, who contributed "to the pride we feel. in men who under the
supreme test rose to moral heights."
Israel was described by Greely • as the "Benjamin". of the expedition,
the beloved, youngest of the brotherhood that emerged in three years of
Arctic isolation and agony.
Greely wanted the best available scientist to accompany him. He
needed accurate, round-the-clock data on tides, ice formation,- precipita-
tion, water and air temperatures, barometic readings, cloud formation, wind
velocity and direction, magnetic declination, and other observations. The
U. S. Army wrote to leading universities.
Princeton University knew of no one willing to risk hazards of "such
an out of the way place." The University of Wisconsin wrote Greely that
perhaps someone else could supply an Arctic volunteer because it
could not.
A favorable reply came from the University of Michigan which wrote
Greely that Israel, 22, "an unusually bright man, a member. of our senior
class . . . has signified his willingness to go."
The Israel family was in the dry goods business in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Israel's father was dead. His mother, Mrs. Tillie Israel, had grave fears
but finally gave her blessing.
Israel was then sworn in by the Army in Washington with the rank
of sergeant in the Signal Corps. Apart from the physician, Israel was the
only university graduate on the expedition. Michigan had awarded him
his degree in absentia.
• The rest of the explorers were mainly hardy Army cavalry troopers
who had fought Indians in the West.
Though he had been a college athlete, Israel lacked the stamina of
the rugged frontiersmen who were used to exposure and cold. But he was
to survive many.
Greely wrote that "the severe cold made the work of the most trying
character to our astronomer, Sgt. Israel. He made observations . . in
temperatures to 56 below zero . . . he froze one of his feet . . experi-
ments, though tedious, and involving exposure and suffering, were most
fortunately and successfully conducted."
In the long Arctic nights, during three years of isolation, _Israel aided
morale by lecturing on science and the historic value of thefr sacrifices.
He coached men on mathematics and instrument work. He'!even.gave•,:
diverting lectures on life in Michigan. Cheerful but mild-rrinn'eted; . '
Israel adjusted to a mixed and tough group, under tense conditions, and
helped alleviate friction and boredom despite his status. as 'the youngest
member. Greely and the expeditionary physician sought Israel as a chess
partner.
The expedition was supposed to be relieved in 1883. Tragically the
relief ship was crushed in the ice and sank. Greely's party made their way
(Continued on Page 6)
BONN, (JTA)—Chancellor Konrad Adenauer has decided to send .an
observer to the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. The Bonn govetn-
ment is believed to anticipate that the Soviet Union may use statements
at the trial as material for an attack against West Germany.
Eichmann was reported here to have made a statement to the Israeli
authorities accusing 387 "more or less prominent • personalities!' in West
Germany, of having aided and abetted him in the extermination of mil-
lions of Jews. The accusations, according to the report, were contained in
the 1,300-page confession which Eichmann made to Israeli authorities.
Trial May Be Postponed Until After Passover
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Dr. Robert Servatius, German defense lawyer
for Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi war criminal who directed the mass killing
of 6,000,000 Jews in Europe during the Second World War, asked for a
two-week postponement of the Eichmann trial which was scheduled to
begin here on March 15.
He said he was unable to complete preparations for the trial anil
study the voluminous evidence by March 15. In acceding to the request,
the Ministry of Justice is expected to extend the postponement until after
the Passover holiday.
The Israel Ministry of Justice said Tuesday it would reply within a
few days to the request of Adolf Eichmann's defense counsel for a two-
week postponement of the date of the Nazi's trial. Approval of the request
was considered inevitable. •
Since Passover begins on April 1, it was likely that the trial origi-
nally set for March 15 would be rescheduled to open April 9, at the close
of the holiday period.
The decision on postponement probably would rest with the trial •
court, which is expected to be named within the next few days. Supreme
Court Justice Moshe Landau, the youngest judge on the high court, was
expected to be named to preside at the trial.
Meanwhile minutes of the trial involving Dr. Rudolph Kastner, the
assassinated leader of Hungarian Jewry, and ,a book by Joel Brandt, who
negotiated unsuccessfully with Eichmann in an effort to obtain a release
of some of the Hungarian Jews from the Nazis, were handed over to Eich-
mann in his jail cell in connection with the preparations for his defense.
The Brandt memoirs included details on the offer by Eichmann of a mil-
lion Jews for 10,000 trucks.
Mendel Scharf, the German-born Israeli attorney who will act as a
consultant to Dr. Servatius on Israeli court procedure and law, announced
that he had turned over his retainer for his work on the defense case to
three Isrdeli institutions. They are the Institute of Criminology at the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem; the Department for Research Into the
(Continued on Page 3)
Fisher Named Torch Drive Chairman
Max M. Fisher, president of the Jewish Welfare Federation, board chairman of
the Aurora Gasoline Company, was named 1961 Torch Drive chairman. It is the first
time that a Jew has been given this high post.
Fisher, who is 53, will head a volunteer army of more than 100,000 who will
seek funds for 1962 budgets of 195 health and community services from Oct. 17
through Nov. 9. The amount to be raised will be determined next September.
Last year, with Earl G. Ward, Ford Motor Company vice president as chairman,
. the Torch Drive raised $18,316,741.
• William M. Day, president of the Michigan Bell Telephone Company and presi-
dent of the United Foundation, in announcing Fisher's appointment, said the new
chairman was selected because of the effectiveness with which he has handled Torch
Drive leadership assignments in the past.
Fisher has been a member of the UF board of direCtors and executive committee
since 1957, and a UF vice president since 1959. He served as a team captain on the
advance gifts committee and last year as co-chairman of the general manufacturing unit.
The Torch Drive, held annually for a 23-day period during October and
November, has raised $173,000,000 in its 12 previous campaigns.
The new Torch Drive chairman is a native of Pittsburgh. He joined the Aurora
Gasoline Company in 1933 as a salesman, became sales manager, secretary, vice presi-
dent and executive vice president before being elevated to chairmanship of the board
in 1957.- He is a director of the Ainerican Petroleum Institute, a member of the
..National Petroleum council and the 25-year Club of the Petroleum Industry.
"
• • When asked - to serve as the 1961 Torch Drive Chairman, Fisher said his first
thought was whether he would be able to Match the record set by previous chairmen.
"I realize that this is the same challenge which faced the 12 chairmen who have pre-
ceded me," he said "and the good people of our community have never let .them down,"
Fisher lives at 27751 Fairway Hills Drive, Franklin, with his wife, the former
Marjorie Switow, and five children. He is a member of Temple Beth El and -Congrega-
ton Shaarey Zedek, golfs at Franklin Hills Country Club and holds membership in
Standard-City Club, 100 Club, Economic Club and Great Lakes Club.