•
N
The Hon. Mordecai Gazit,
special Israeli envoy to the
United . States, will deliver the
keynote address at the 13th
(Bar Mitzvah) celebration of
Israel's independence 8 p.m.,
April 23 in the Mumford. High
School Auditorium, 17525 Wy-
oming.
Stanley J. Winkelman, presi-
dent of the Jewish Community
Council of Metropolitan Detroit,
and Morris Lieberman, chair-
man of the Zionist Council of
Detroit, are co-chairmen of the
Joint Committee of the two or-
ganizations, under whose spon-
sorship the celebration will be
held.
Arranged annually in conjunc-
tion with Jewish communities
throughout the world, the pro-
gram will.- fea':ure, in addition
to - the address by Gazit, the
participation of native-born . Is-
raelis - (sabras), flag presenta-
tiOns -and . drarnatic pageantry:
• Gazit, one of the young lead-
ers of the re-established State
of Israel, will visit Detroit on
this occasion for the first time
since his recent assumption' of
duties as Envoy EXtraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary at
the Embassy of Israel ri i
ington, D. C.
A former member of the
Jerusalem Brigade and the Hag-
anah during the War for Inde-
pendence, Gazit was first ap-
pointed to service with the
Israel Ministry of Foreign
Affairs when he recovered from
Purely Commentary
E.*
nedy, Rockefeller
J Warsaw Martyrs
Mordecai Gazit, Israel Envoy-to
to Keynote Independence Celebratui„
By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Max M. Fisher
Industrial Giant Who Has
Risen to Jewish Leadership on World Scene
_
Max M. Fisher is a name to watch carefully, as its bearer
continues to mount to great heights in America's industrial
world and as a leader of importance in Jewish spheres inter-
nationally.
For at least a decade, Fisher was gaining fame as a brilliant
organizer of a new oil industry in this area. Within a short
time, the entire industry began to
watch him—as a result of the prog-
ress attained by the Aurora Gaso-
line Company, which he first joined
in 1933 as a salesman, soon be-
coming its sales manager, then,
speedily, secretary, vice president
and executive vice president, finally
being elevated to the chairmanship
of the Aurora board in 1957. Since
then Aurora_ has become part of the
large Ohio Oil Co., and Fisher's role
in the industry is mounting.
He is a director of the Ameri-
can Petroleum Institute, a member
of the National Petroleum Council
and the 25-Year Club of the Petro-
MaX M. Fisher
leum Industry.
But it is as a leader in Michigan's philanthropic circles, as
co-treasurer of the Jewish Agency, Inc., as president of the
Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit and as one of American
Jewry's most devoted supporters of Israel that he has emerged
in recent years as a major personality in American Jewry.
Fisher has just been named chairman of the Torch Drive.
It is the first time in the history of Detroit that a Jew has been
selected to head the large over-all philanthropic campaign
which last year raised $18,316,741. It is only the second time in
the history of the Torch Fund that a person not affiliated with
the automobile industry has been named Torch Drive chairman.
Fisher, who is 53, will head an army of 100,000 volunteers who,
from Oct. 17 through Nov. 9, will seek to surpass last year's
18 million dollar record sum.
He has been hailed by his fellow-townsmen as a leader to
be reckoned with and as the man who is best qualified to conduct
_a great drive for 195 Detroit health and community services.
Fisher rose to this position after climbing from the ranks
to assume positions of great importance in American Jewish
activities. He has just been re-elected president of the Jewish
Welfare Federation of Detroit. Prior to that, he was chairman
of the Detroit Allied Jewish Campaign, which has been averaging
$5,000,000 a year in contributions to 50 local, national and over-
seas causes—the United Jewish Appeal being the chief bene-
ficiary. Under his chairmanship the highest reCord'in• fund-
raising was attained in Detroit when, in 1957, the record sum
approaching $6,000,000 was subscribed in Detroit. '
For the past five years, Fisher has taken a deep interest
in Israel. He has spearheaded investments in Israel, has made
a score of visits to The Jewish State, and now visits Israel as
often as once a month. Within a few days, he is to leave for
Israel again for conferences with government leaders.
When the Jewish Agency was reorganized, -last year, it was
a sure bet that Fisher would be one of the 21 to be selected
to serve on the new board of Jewish Agency, Inc. He was elected
co-treasurer of the reorganized Agency—and then his real burdens
began.
Deeply interested in Israel, Fisher believes that a strong
American Jewish community can be of greatest help to the
Jewish State. He has therefore begun to guide his associates
in the Jewish Agency, Inc., towards the establishment of a clean
slate, so to speak—the creation of conditions under which Ameri-
can Jewry will provide the largest sums for Israel's development
•without being burdened with debts to American banks.
This is Fisher's chief task today: to assure the speedy
liquidation of the UJA debts to banks and thereby to strengthen
the hands of Jewish leaders in communities throughout the land.
Fisher takes a deep interest in all the agencies supported
by the Federation he serves as president. He is concerned that
the cause of Jewish education should get priority in Jewish life,
and while he is the largest contributor to Jewish causes, through
the Allied Jewish Campaign, he also is the biggest donor to
the building fund of his synagogue (Shaarey Zedek), a support
of Israel Bond drives and one who is ready to be of help
whenever he is called upon to be of service.
His Jewish leadership dates back less than ten years, yet
he has risen to great heights. He is only 53, and great things
are expected from him. Modest and unassuming, he is endearing
himself to all elements in American Jewry.
-
_ (Copyright, 1961, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
MORDECAI GAZIT
battle wounds. From Jerusalem,
he went to London as secretary
of the Israel Embassy. He be-
came, in 1955, charge d'affaires
of the Israel Legation in Ran-
goon, Burma.
From 1957 until his present
assignment, Gazit was political
secretary and director of the
Israel Foreign Ministry's Secre-
tariat.
Tickets for the Detroit cele-
bration on April 23 may be
obtained from Jewish organiza-
tions, the Jewish Community
Council, 163 Madison (WO
2-6710); or from Grinnell's.
Arab States Push
Refugee Issue
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y.,
(JTA)—Five Moslem states, act-
ing on behalf of the Arab bloc,
introduced a resolution reviving
the Arab refugee problem.
The resolution demands that
the General Assembly, next fall,
establish an apparatus "to safe-
guard" Arab property in Israel,
and calls upon the Palestine Con-
ciliation Commission to imple-
inent one clause in a 1948 resolu-
tion calling for repatriation of
the Arab refugees to Israel ter-
ritory or their compensation by
Israel.
The resolution is sponsored by
Afghanistan, the Federation of
Malaya, Indonesia, Pakistan and
Somalia. The draft was placed
before the General Assembly's
Special Political Committee.
For almost five months, the
Arab bloc here has been demand-
ing that the Western Powers, led
by the United States, Britain and
France, back them on a resolu-
tion which would establish a cus-
todian for Arab property in
Israel and would call for inten-
sification of the work of the PCC,
possibly also for the expansion
of the commission to include
some Communist countries. The
commission now consists of the
United States, France and Tur-
key.
The West has been resisting
the Arab push for a resolution,
holding that no draft is needed
on the Arab refugee problem
this year, since the budget has
already been fixed for the activi-
ties of the United Nations Relief
and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East. The
draft now presented points up
the fact that the West is holding
to its position on this issue.
General debate on the Arab
refugee issue was completed in
the Special Political Committee
last November. The new resolu-
tion will give the Arab bloc and
their Communist and Moslem
backers an opportunity to revive
that debate.
_zresident John
F. Kenne-o-y —arfd Gov. Nelson A.
Rockefeller praised Wednesday
the heroism of the Jewish martyrs
who fought againSt the Nazis in
the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943.
The President and the Gover-
nor sent messages citing the her-
oism of the Warsaw Ghetto mar-
tyrs to Adolf Held, chairman of
the Jewish Labor Committee in
connection with a commemorative
service to be held Wednesday at
the Statler Hotel under the aus-
pices of the World Congress of
Jewish Culture.
"The rising of the people in
the Warsaw Ghetto against the
terrible oppression and cruelty
they were made to suffer", Ken-
nedy stated in his message, "has
left a permanent impression in
the minds of men. It was an epic
act of courage. To a darkened
world it meant at the time new
hope in the ultimate triumph of
freedom.
"With the passing years,"
the President's message con-
tinued, "the uprising has right-
fully become a symbol of the
endurance of man's hope under
the most ruinous of circum-
stances. In this guise _the honor
you pay is not only to the sur-
vivors among you but to man
himself."
Rockefeller issued a formal
proclamation establishing April
19 as "Warsaw Ghetto Day."
r
I
In his message, the Governor
declared "while it is obviously a
day of mourning for the people of
Israel, it should also be a day
of extreme and justified pride.
The 6,000,000 men, women and
children who perished have be-
come the symbol of true heroism.
It is well that we commemorate
this day which marked a triumph
of the human spirit over -tyr-
anny."
United Hias Service held me-
morial services Wednesday for
the 6,000,000 Jewish martyrs of
the Nazi regime. Murray I. Gur-
fein, HIAS president, gave the
memorial address.
Other speakers were Adolph
Held and James P. Rice, HIAS
executive director.
Similar events were sched-
uled for next Monday by the
American Technion Society and
by the American Jewish Con-
gress women's division.
Ogden R. Reid, former Ameri-
can Ambassador to Israel, and
Dr. Binyamin Eliav, Consul Gen-
eral of Israel in New York, will
be the speakers at a special
American Technion Society meet-
ing to commemorate Israel's 13th
anniversary and to pay tribute to
Reid's "splendid contributions" as
Ambassador.
The Women's Division meeting
will be held in tribute to the
Warsaw Ghetto uprising and will
be held as a luncheon meeting
on behalf of the United Jewish
Appeal of Greater New York.
<.•I•1•O•Mllkn4MP.O.N1.1.IIIMI•0.11•IPS.MIIIIqIII ■ 0111011.14I•1IkI ■ 1111N1.(IOMb.aIMO4•Mtl!0
■ Oil ■ O.M.1
Boris. Smolar's
I 1 'Between You
i
I
.. . and Me'
(Co pyright 1961,
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Inc.)
I I
i
1
The Zionist Scene
The American Zionist Council, central body of the American
Zionist groups, is now all geared for the activities taken over
from the Jewish Agency on the American Jewish scene • . . .
These activities, primarily educational and cultural, will require
a yearly budget of $1,500,000 which the Council will have to
raise ... How will this budget be covered? . . . All kind of plans
to secure the necessary funds have been discussed by the Council
leaders . . . The results seem to point to the fact that the
Council's income will be- of a "mosaic" character . . . Part of it
will have to come from the Jewish Federations and Welfare
Funds throughout the country ... Another part would probably
be covered by contributions from the Zionist groups affiliated
with the Council . . • A third part will come from private donors
. . The first public affair to raise funds for the Council will
be a dinner in May in honor of Dr. Nahum Goldmann, president
of the World Zionist Organization .. . The AZC activities will
henceforth be carried out by six departments . . . The work of
the first department is devoted to inculcation of a wider knowl-
edge of the Hebrew language, Hebrew literature and Hebrew
music in American schools and among American educators .. .
This department has also secured authorization from the State
Department for a Teacher Exchange Program to enable Ameri-
can teachers to attend summer seminars in Israel and Israel
educators to teach in the U.S. for a period of up to two -years
. . . The second AZC department is the Youth Section which-
carries on educational work among student groups both in this
country and in Israel . . . In this country it is organizing student
Zionist chapters on college campuses, and maintains close liaison
with non-Zionist and non-Jewish youth by supplying schools with
speakers, films, bo-oks and magazines on Israel . . . The Youth
Department also sponsors study and work-study programs for
American undergraduates and post-graduate students in Israel
institutions for higher learning . . . A third major AZC depart-
ment is the Herzl Institute in New York, which conducts an
intensive adult education program and publishes important books
on Israel and related Zionist subjects, including the quarterly
"Mid-stream" .. . Other departments deal with religious educa•
tion, with community relations and with organizational problems.
`Memo to Eichmann'
I would advise Jewish communities..throughout the cOtintry
to secure 'the United Jewish Appeal film - "Memo to Eichmann"
David'Mark, who wrote the script for "Memo to Eichmann," was
this week .awarded the prize of $5,000 of - the Hallmark Fund for
TV" draina for a television script Which was selected for firSt
place from 1,573 entries . . Bernard Evslin, who—served as
director to "Memo to. Eichmann," will have a play on Broadway
next season . . . Both of them are former members of the UJA,
publicity staff . . . The UJA film "Memo to Eichmann" recounts
the revival of Jewish life in Israel and Hitler-shattered Europe,
in the form of a memorandum to Eichmann, the arch-slaughterer
of European Jewry .. It is narrated by Rabbi Herbert A. Fried-
man, UJA executive vice-chairman The film story was con-
ceived by Raphael Levy, UJA publicity director, and produced
under his supervision . . UJA officials have produced '150
copies of the film in response to the demand from community,
campaigns, but note that each copy is still booked f6r many
Weeks in advance, so heavy are the requests for showings.