Pontiac's Complex Outlet for Judaism
Dr. Albright, -President Hilberry
Sprang from a `Ilinyan' 4 Decades Ago
By HARVEY ZUCKERBERG day school housed in a building famous Rabbi Berger, whichever Cite WSU Near East Department

By simple reason of chrono-
ldgical order in which the Con-
servative and R e f o r m move-
ments sprang from Orthodoxy,
the history of Pontiac's Jewish
community is atypical.
From its very beginnings
more than four decades ago,
organized Judaism hi Pontiac
was inspired by the Reform
movement.
This came about, according to
Jacob A. Meyer, from the influ-
ence of Temple Beth El in De-
troit and the energies of its spiri-
tual leader, the late Rabbi Leo
Franklin.
Meyer, pioneer and leader of
Pontiac's Jewish community,
says there were 14 Jewish fam-
ilies in the industrial city be-
fore 1920.

1 oca t d
e at the present site o
the Pontiac State Bank.
The next year a dozen men
formed a Bnai Brith lodge and
rented a room in a downtown
store for their meetings. The
room, above the Boston Store,
was then used for the Sunday
school, also.
It was this Bnai Brith lodge
that first called a community
meeting in 1921 for the purpose
of establishing a formal reli-
gious organization.
Says Meyer, "The first ques-

E

you prefer." Rabbi Hershfield
was quick to interject that there
is a strong Zionist Organization
of America body in Pontiac to-
day. "Anti-Zionism is practically
nill here," he says. "The one or
two persons who are anti-Zionists
are not members of any Pontiac
congregation. Pontiac Jews
have'a strong love, devotion and
attachment to Israel.")
Rabbi Berger, who served the
Pontiac congregation three
From the left: Wayne State University President Clarence
years before moving to another-
post in Flint, suggested to the Hilberry, Thomas Borman, Prof. William Foxwell Albright, Al
tion raised was whether the Center members to adopt a uni- Borman and Prof. Abram Spiro.
congregation should be Re- form basis as a Reform congrega-
form or Orthodox. I suggested tion. The members voted approv-
Prof. William Foxwell Al- Hebrew. A gift on behalf of
that the problem could best
be solved by the establish- al and the Center name was bright, world famous archaeol- the department was presented
ment of a community center changed to Temple Beth Jacob. ogist and one of the most noted to Albright by Leonard Kasle.
In his response, Albright
The five or six Orthodox Biblical scholars, was accorded
which could be the spiritual
"The only semblance of an
families
then belonging to the this community's appreciation commended Wayne State Uni-
home of all the Jews in the
organization when I came to
Center split from the mem- of his noteworthy scholarly at- versity for its efforts in spon-
community, without prejudice
Pontiac was found in the two
bership to form Cong. Bnai tainments when he was honored soring the Near East.3rn depart-
to. personal interpretations."
`minyanim' which met on the
Israel, which was incorpo- at a luncheon, last Friday, by ment and for. the cooperation
Those at the meeting agreed rated in 1934. Rabbi Israel Wayne State University.
given to Spiro.
High Holy Days in private
The testimonial was arranged
homes," he says. "I couldn't and Jacob Kovinsky later gave Goodman is its present spir-
Albright, in an analysis of
a
fund-raising
dinner
at
his
by the Department of Near existing world conditions, pre-
itual leader.
see why there should not be
home
which
netted
$5,000.
In
Eastern Language sand Litera- dicted that the Islamic world
one congregation and asked
Of some 275 Jewish families
others about it. Apparently 1923, the Jewish Community in Pontiac, 125 are members of tures, on the day after Albright will emerge from temporary
there were no real reasons, Center of Pontiac was incorpo- Temple Beth Jacob and 115 are had received an honorary doctor- lethargy to play a great role in
- because we got the groups rated. Out of the 19 families members of Cong. Bnai Israel ate from the university.
world affairs. He foresaw a
then in Pontiac, 12 joined the
Addresses acclaiming Albright major place in international ac-
together and finally arranged Center.
—a record of "n early total were
delivered by Dr. Abram tivities for Israel;
- to hold joint_ services at the
Rabbi Franklin, mentor of affiliation."
Spiro, head of the Near East-
armory on Water St.
Hilberry and the other
Judaism as practiced today in ern department; Rabbi Mor-
"The only meeting of this the Pontiac Jews throughout
Pontiac includes the spiritual, ris Adler and WSU President speakers took occasion to com-
the
early
years,
helped
to
pro-
nameless High Holiday assem-
mend Al and Tom Borman for
laymen and rabbis from educational and cultural direc-
bly was held after nightfall vide
sponsoring the Borman Lecture
n eighbonng communities t o tion of the two congregations, Clarence B. Hilberry.
The invocation and benedic- Series of the Near Eastern De-
when Yom Kippur services
their
sisterhoods,
men's
clubs
conduct
the
first
Sabbath
serv-
tion were given by Msgr. Car-
were concluded. Then we met ices.
and youth groups, a Zionist or- roll F. Deady and Dr. Robert H. partment. Hilberry also com-
to add up the costs and to share
Student rabbis conducted two ganization, an Hadassah chap- Whittaker, the latter quoting mended Spiro for his efforts to
them."
advance the functions of his de-
High
Days services sepa- ter, Bnai Brith lodge, Israel from the Kohanic blessing in partment.
Meyer says that the need to rately Holy
and
simultaneously
—
Bond
Committee
and
affiliation
provide their children with
Detroit's Jewish Welfare
religious training was the im- downstairs and upstairs — for with
Federation for philanthropic
petus for the next step toward the Reformed and Orthodox activities.
organization. It was at that members of the congregation.
A complex outlet for Jewish
time, in 1919, that Rabbi Frank-
It wasn't until 1932 that
lin offered to establish a branch the congregation employed expression fountained from the
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire to
above par.
religious school in Pontiac for Rabbi Elmer Berger straight desires of a handful of men and
The Jewish News)
The overall expansion planned
some 25 youngsters if ten men out of theological school to women not a half-century ago.
TEL AVIV — The Dead Sea
joined Temple Beth El as a serve as its first permanent
Works, Ltd., announced Monday will require an investment of
spiritual leader. Rabbi Ber- Israel Shocked Over
sort of affiliate body.
night the flotation of an issue 128,000,000 Israeli pounds_ ($61,-
ger now is head of the con-
The first formal minyan of
of 27,000,000 ordinary shares as 000,000). This will come from
troversial anti-Zionist group Bonn's Choice of
members included M e y e r,
part of a massive financing of a various sources: the stock Rota-
Jacob Kovinsky, Julius Levin,
American Council for Juda- Former Nazi Aide
major expansion of production of tion, a loan from American banks,
ism.
from capital funds of the com-
Saul Orman, Joseph H. Bar-
JERUSALEM, (JTA)—Israeli minerals from the Dead 'Sea.
nett, Louis Solomon, Norman
Most of the new issue has pany and other sources.
(R a b b i Nathan Hershfield, officials said they were shocked
Buckner, Benjamin Goldstein, fifth and present spiritual to learn of the appointment by already been underwritten by Is-
The expansion plans envisage
Henry J., Jacobson and Louis leader of today's congregation,
raeli banks, special funds of an increase in the production of
the
Bonn
Government,
as
West
Klein.
gives one the option, in ref- German ambassador to Sweden, scientific institutions such as the potash from 135,000 tons in 1960
. Detroit's Temple Beth El sup- ere nce to Rabbi Berger, of "the of Karl Werkmeister,
former Hebrew University, the Israel to around 200,000 tons by 1963
plied the teachers for the Sun- fa mous Rabbi Berger, or the in- Nazi diplomat in Budapest during Institute of Technolo,gy and the and to 400,000 tons by 1966 when
the period of Adolf Eichmann's Weizmann Institute, some indus- additional dams are completed.
Output of bromine and bro-
activities in connection with the trial and economic agencies, the
annihilation of hundreds of Palestine Economic Corporation mides now approaching 3,000
and Ampal. ,
tons a year would be increased to
thousands of Hungarian Jews.
Four million of the shares have 10,000 tons a year by January,
The Israeli officials who earlier
believed that the new envoy was been underwritten by two British 1962. A new plant in Beesheba
;7)
not the same former Nazi diplo- banking firms, N. M. Rothschild will produce 2,000 tons of various
bromide by-products at that time.
mat said that they were now and S. G. Warburg and Co. -
Only 7,500,000 shares will be By 1963, it is expected to reach
convinced that Karl Werkmeister
t7'7irp? 5 171
offered to the Israel public, with 75,000 tons of magnesite a year
nt., 3 1;:3 '114 was the wartime aide to Vessen- priority
for purchase to workers and a new table salt plant will
mayer,
the
Nazi
representative
in
rr.p1T,
'ink;
.nts
xr.4 rP.'.?r1' '7 417 Budapest at the time Eichmann and members of the Dead Sea produce 20,000 tons of such salt
works staff„ The shares have a each year.
served there.
'1" 1 tr' Lr 7P 7-1
par value of one pound and are
O
n'TTY 7?
Mordecai Makleff is general
being sold at seven per cent director of the Dead Sea Works.
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Hebrew Corner

Massive Financing Will Expand
Production of Dead Sea Works

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Herzl Museum

On the Record

In the building at the entrance to
Mount Herzl in Jerusalem there is a.
By NATHAN ZIPRIN
museum which describes the biog-
raphy of the founder of the Zionist
Editor, Seven Arts Feature Syndicate
organization. This museum constitutes
a source of interest to many resi- Tribute to a Poet
dents of Israel and tourists who come
How does a poet feel when he has reached the age of 60
to Mt. Herzl to commune with the
memory of Herzl by his grave side and tasted the joy of recognition? There was temptation to pose
on the top of the mountain.
At the entrance to the museum the that question to Itzik Manger last week when more than 400
visitor sees three outstanding things: people turned out to savor of his birthday cake and his newest
a large portrait of Theodor Herzl, a
large photostat of his book: "The book, Noente Geshtalten, a collection of prose works that is pure
Jewish State" and his study just as poetry. But he -evidently anticipated the query and answered it
it was in Vienna with the original
furniture and his library which have in his own unique way. Sixty is a long road for an artist, but
been faithfully reconstructed in the how old can a man of 60 be when he thinks of the ancients?
museum. On the wall are inscribed Manger pondered. It is not the yeari that matter but what one
slogans that express the teaching of
Herzl.
had done with them.
The museum is divided into two
Manger, long the enfant terrible in Yiddish literature, defies
main parts: Herzl before Zionism and
Herzl the progenitor and bearer of limning other than by poetic pen. It is a travesty to expose
Zionism. On one side — glass cases
attractively arranged containing docu- him to the semantics of the day. When one has said of Manger
ments and portraits of Herzl when he that he is a lyrical poet, a folk artist, lord of the ballad and
was engaged in literary work, the master of the poetic phrase and whimsical line, he has spoken
theater and journalism as well as
those of his forbears and his child- only the obvious, the mundane.
hood.
A divine hand has been guiding Manger's hand- ever since
In the middle--exhibition tables
with documents and pictures of his the day he began to play with the clay of creation and it is
Zionist program with his books with him still. His artistry, like Michaelangelo's, defies framing.
"The Jewish State" and "Altneuland"
encircling them. On the other side— It is not a mere coincidence that Manger was lured by Biblical
documents and pictures of Herzl's theme and heaven. His Midrash Itzik, a folklorization of Biblical
political and organizational activities tales, is an incomparable work of art. -
in the Zionist movement.
One large showcase exhibits his
The cradles in which our young of an older generation
domestic objects, captioned pictures
and documents of his family. Who- were rocked to sleep have gone up in flames with our six
ever visits the Herzl museum conies million and the tongue they spoke is no longer reverberating
away with the feeling that he has
made the acquaintance of a great over the wastelands. And in our own land the sound of Yiddish-
and fascinating personality.
word has diminished to a whisper, and we are the poorer for it.
Translation of Hebrew column
It has been said that the English language would be worth
ssued by Brit Ivrit Olamit, Jerusalem preserving for Keats alone. Manger is another Keats.

