`Acrophile; New Novel by Israeli
Dr. Waxman's 'A History of Jewish
Literature' Out in 6-Volume Edition
Brought up to date, in a I movement, including Heinrich
set of six volumes, "A History Graetz, Yom -Tob Lippman
of Jewish Literature," - by Dr. (Leopold) Zunz, Abraham
Meyer Waxman, has just been Geiger, Zechariah Fiankel, Sam-
issued by Thomas Yoseloff (11 uel David Luzzatto, Nahman
E. 36th, N. Y. 16). It is a Krochmal and others.
Rabbinical literature, phil-
'magnificent work and it should
serve as a guide to world Jew- 1 osophy, homiletics • and o ther
ish literature for generations ' aspects of Jewish authors' inter-
ests are thoroughly reviewed in
to come.
volume.
Ordained at the Jewish Theo- this important
* * *
logical Seminary of America, in
Volume IV appears in two
New York; Rabbi Waxman is
Professor Emeritus of Jewish parts. They cover the years 1880
Literature and Philosophy at to 1935. There is a wealth of
the Hebrew Theological College material in these two books.
in Chicago. He is the author of a Modern Hebrew literature is
number of books and is the trans- reviewed, including the short
lator of Moses Hess' "Rome and story, the novel, post-Haskalah
Jerusalem." His major literary literary products, philosophy,
accomplishment is the "History theology, biography, geography,
Talmudics, law and rabbinics.
of Jewish Literature."
The important chapter on
Commencing with the earli-
Yiddish literature serves a
est times, the first volume in
valuable purpose in guiding
this encyclopedic work is
the reader to an understand-
devoted to the creative efforts
ing of Yiddish literary de-
of Jewish scholars from the
velopments a generation ago.
close of the Canon to the end
The new edition has many
of the 12th century. The able supplementary chaptqs—on the
author has incorporated in works of Hebrew and Yiddish
this volume a review of the writers, the. novels by J. Glad-
periods of the Tannaim, of stein and A. Zeitlin, the stories,
the Soferim and the Great poems and essays by A. H.
Assembly, and therefore his Friedland and I. Silberschlag
explanations of the develop- and the historical works of Dr.
ment and organization of the Solomon Grayzel and others.
Halakha becomes most valu-
This volume also has surveys
able.
of the Jewish press—Yiddish,
In the first volume he also Hebrew and English-Jewish.
deals with Hellenistic literature,
the Talmud, Bible Exegesis and
poetry of that period; with the
rabbinic and Karaite literature,
JERUSALEM, (JTA) — Al-
the Pharisees and the Saducees,
the codes and Talmudic com- though few people in Israel really
believe that national elections
pendia.
Especially valuable in the will be held, and despite the fact
first volume is the new data the that the majority of the popula-
author has compiled on the life tion is confident that at the last
and works of Samuel ha-Nagid. minute some solution will be
found to avoid such elections, the
* * * -
Mapai party which is led by
Twelfth to middle -18th cen- Prime Minister David Ben-Gurio
tury literature is dealt with in started its election - campai
Dr. Waxman's second volume.
Soon - afterward the
ouse
The medieval period provides
et, Is-
material on g r a m m a r and Committee of the
to recom-
lexicography, on the great poets. men parliament, vo
e date for
of - that era as well as the mend August 15 a
philosophic and theologic works holding elections o the new
• of the scholars in the six cen- Knesset.
The first lar
election _rall
turies under review.
erias and was
Travel, autobiography, geo- was held in
ael's Foreign
graphy and history enter into addressed by
and by Zal-
the review. Polemics and apolo- Minister Golda
getics played a role in this man Aranne, forme
era, and Judaeo-German litera- Education. Although both speak-
ers were among the strongest
ture commenced.
of Pinhas Lavon in his
This was the period of the supporters
fight with Ben-Gurion, they
first printed Tehinoth. They strongly defended Ben-Gurion's
date back to the year 1590. "It
was composed by Abraham Premiership in their speeches.
The Mapai election campaign
Apoteker and printed in Prague.
Since that year, the collections was started following a decision
multiplied in an exceptionally by the secretariat of the party
prolific manner. The women to cease any further attempts to
authors who soon appeared in form a coalition government.
the field almost replaced the Ben-Gurion participated in the
male authors." A number of meeting- at which this decision
the authors are listed and their was taken. It was emphasized by
works described by Dr. Wax- speakers at the election rally in
Tiberias that Mapai unsuccess-
man.
The Judaeo-German literature fully made all possible conces
is described as sort of "Yiddish sions to other parties with a view
to avoiding elections which Ma-
ethical literature."
Additions to the original pai leaders considered harmful
printings, appearing in the new to Israel in view of the inter-
edition, include , chapters on the national and political situation.
works of Joseph Nurlingen and The blame for holding elections
Yuspa Shamash, and essays on therefore lies with the coalition
Menasseh Ben Israel and the partners.
literary activities in the Crimea
Ben-Gurion presided over the
and Southern Russia.
Cabinet meeting for the first time
Volume III deals with a much since he angrily walked out of
shorter period—from the middle the Cabinet Session on Dec. 25,
of the 18th century to 1880. when the Cabinet approved the
The developments in those few Ministerial Committee report
years called for much more exonerating Lavon from respon-
space, since this volume deals sibility for the 1954 security
with the Haskalah period, with mishap.
Hassidism and the movement's
Under
an-
personalities and subsequent ship,
Cabinet approv
a
movements in Judaism—Con- se
of amendments to
servative and Reform. Leaders
tion law including
in Orthodoxy as well as Refor
mends n hic
and Conservative leanings
the fo
dealt with here.
bond
The novels of the Has
ca
h a list
are discussed by Dr. Wa
one
an. if th
This volume takes into
on- pert
n the
lists
sideration the Jewish p odi- last ati. a
cals.
of candidate
t obtain this
ay's Cabinet de-
It also discusses the pe
vhich will have to be
alities in the "Jewish Scienc
.
The latter, regrettably, is Most
incomplete. It makes a serious
effort to be fair, but at best
it can only be considered a good
introduction to what should
be a much longer and more
thorough evaluation of the most
important Jewish press in Amer-
ica today. It should also include
facts regarding the Anglo-Jew-
ish press—in England, Canada,
South Africa and Australia.
*
*
Volume V—actually the sixth
volume in the series, since
Volume IV is in two parts—
covers the years 1935 to 1960.
In the space of 272 -pages,
Dr. Waxman could not possibly
have covered completely the
results of literary efforts by
Hebrew, Yiddish, English and
other writers. There were many
novels, poetry, philosophical,
lexicographical and other works,
including Talmudics.
Nevertheless, - Dr. Waxman
has incorporated here the most
important results of Jewish
literary efforts during the past
25 years. But the final volume
—which includes a complete
index to all the volumes—can
be viewed only as introductory
to the subjects touched upon.
In their totality, the six-
volume set is a worthy efforts
to evaluate Jewish literature.
It enriches the Jewish book-
shelf.
Yorom Kaniuk is an Israeli-
born and educated young man
of 31 who has lived in New
York since 1952. His first book,
apparently an autobiographical
novel, "The Acrophile," Written
in Hebrew, was ably translated
by Zeva Shapiro. It has just
been published by Atheneum
Publishers (162 E. 38th, N.Y.
16).
The publishers explain, in
relation to the title: "The Ox-
ford English Dictionary does
not contain the word `acrophile.'
Yet it does not take a learned
student of Greek to realize that
the word means 'a lover of hi
places'."
ct, an
It is a story of a co
inner conflict withi
an. The
hero of the well- itten tale
tries to escape—f m himself,
his wife, his ambi ns.
The family rein nship also
is full of delusions.
Acro-
phile" is a tale about t e
and the Jews, about the death
of a young Arab he wants to
save but doesn't.
He has a ticket to go back
to Israel, but the hero instead
applies to be a guide who can
point out New York sights from
an observation roof of a sky-
scraper. Thus he is "atop the
tallest monument, erected to it-
self by the tallest' city. He can
see the people, walk home at 7,
have his books in his room,
write sometimes and drink to
himself.
- "Something in you may smile
when you are so high and re-
moved, not wanting to jump into
the depths, as you descend up-
ward," the novelist concludes.
Such is the carefree ending of
a novel -that i er
ncer.
1-+
473
Almost Everything in Wear-
ing Apparel from Size 40
Extra Long to 66 Stout.
Ijerry BAKER'S
1536u.,1:74012s.270.4,,,,,,
B-G Launches Election Drive
approved by Parliament, is .de-
signed to discourage a repeti-
tion of such a development.
The Cabinet also discussed the
strike of the high school teach-
ers entering its
About 1,500,
are in-
was
volved •
ed by the deman
er wages. Levi Eshkol, in
his ca • acity as chairman of the
speci ministerial committee
dea g with the problem, re-
ed ta.e abinet on the
Minis-
g for
ons o
ool seniors
e strike not be se
ore
the end of
. About
25,000
in the lower
e also affected by the
strike.
Newman Ends
Midrasha Series
Next Wednesday
Dr. Louis I. Newman, rabbi of
-congregation Rodeph Sholom,
New York, will deliver the con-
cluding lecture in the Midrasha
Institute . series, next Wednes-
day, 8:15 p.m., at the Esther
Berman Building of the United
Hebrew _Schools. .
His topic will be "The Con-
temporary Jew Looks at Has-
sidism."
Rabbi Newman is the author
of a number of books and
plays. His most recent Biblical
play, "The Woinan at the Wall,"
was published by Bloch.
When a congregation sleeps
it's the parson who needs wak-
ing up.
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