Vandals Desecrate Philadelphia Cemetery
`Gideon': Faulty Application of Bi ble to Drama
Paddy Chayefsky, whose fame that makes Chayefsky's inter - quickly." What exactly is "the
pretation of the Gideon tale un- ageless Hebrew fashion?" Did
increased with "The Tenth pretation
man," has, in his newest Broad- acceptable. Even the most fana- Jews have a special way of
way success, "Gideon," contin- 'tic in Jewry—those who might shrugging? What nonsense is
ued to make use of religions accept the Angel theories—al- this?
* * *
themes for his dramatic efforts. lowed for some sense of reason.
Chayefsky's
"Gideon"
disallows
While
a
dramatist's
license per-
He is a skillful writer and he
mits many things, it is question-
has a sense for the dramatic. it.
Only those who believe that able whether the extent to which
That is why he takes many lib-
erties with the Biblical theme. Jewish lore is immersed total- he exerted himself to make a fan-
tasy of the theme described in
"Gideon" has just been made ly in myth and in illusory
available in book form by Ran- visions can accept Chayef- Chapters 6, 7 and 8 in Book of
Judges can be accepted and ap-
dom House. It provides a better sky's tale.
When the forces that were proved.
opportunity than the play itself
The Bible story, it is true,
for a study of the author's ap- gathered by Gideon go off 'to
proach to the theme of Gideon, battle shouting "For Gideon speaks of the Angel appearing to
the Judge in Israel, who de- and for the Lord," the Angel invite Gideon to be his people's
feated the Midianites after an mutters: "It used to be: 'For rescuer. But that does not justify
Angel of God appeared to in- the Lord and for Gideon.' " the farcial.
spire him to act in defense of his Much could have been made of
There are cruelties committed
the sudden Gideonite vanity im- —in the Bible as elsewhere in
people.
• * *
plied by this. Instead, the brack- I literature—and there are whole-
There is something very cruel eted italicized explanation of ! sale murders in the battles among
in the Chayefsky drama. Gideon the Angel's actions at the end the ancient peoples. But when
had failed to kill all he was or- of the first act appears thus in the Angel in Chayefsky's story is
dered to execute in Succoth. the published drama: "He angered because not enough of
"These men are utter wretch- shrugs in the ageless Hebrew the enemy were killed, the theme
es." says the Angel, to which fashion and strides offstage is subject to challenge.
hem
my left. The curtain comes down
(; don
t
* •
e re
p lies
, "I
p ity
1,4)rd." Wherupon the Angel un-
In Judges 6:34 we read that
leashes his wrath, telling about '
"the spirit of the Lord clothed
the Succoth people's iniquities, Russian Academician
Gideon." This is typical of the
and Gideon assures him: "I Concedes Jews Were
messages Prophets received in
shall kill them then since you
their visions of orders given by
wish it." And the Angel utters Convicted of Crimes ' the Lord. But in the Chayefsky
this type of nonsense in Chayef- NEW YORK ((JTA) — A drama it is more than that. It
corresponding member of the is an Angel arguing with the
• ky's words:
oh, Gideon. you make so Soviet Academy of Sciences at emissary of God.
much of death. You must not be M
Moscow admitted that Jews were
In the Biblical story, Gideon
'o temporal. It is all right for among the Soviet citizens re- is offered kingship and turns it
the hulk of men to fear death. cently convicted for "economic down because (Judges 8:23):
for in death they fear me. But, crimes," but insisted that the "Gideon said unto them: 'I will
in truth. there isn't anything to convicted persons "justly re- not rule over you, neither shall
it at all. Nothing happens, ceived their desserts under a my son rule over you; the Lord
shall rule over you'." In Chayef-
nothing changes; the essence of court sentence."
The statements were made in sky's drama, there is temptation.
things go on. You see, you meas-
Furthermore, in Chayefsky's
ure things in time, but there is a letter to the New York Times,
no time in truth. You live now dated Moscow. signed by Mikhail theme there is something of the
ten million years ago and are Strogovich, who identified him- sacrilegious when the Angel con-
at this moment ten million self as a corresponding member cludes the play by declaming:
years hence. or more: for there of the Academy in Moscow. He "God no more believes it odd
That man cannot believe in God.
are no years. The slaying of responded to a letter printed by
Mari believes the beit he can,
seventy-seven elders happens the Times nearly two months ago
Which means, it seems, belief in
but it does not happen, for they from the Rev. Dr. James A. Pike,
man.
live even so and have died be- Episcopal Bishop of the Califor-
Then let him don my gold ephod
fore. and all is now, which was nia Diocese. who had charged
and is forever. Oh, dear, I see the Soviet Union with persecut- And let him be a proper god.
Well, let him try it, anyway.
this is heavy going for you."
ing Jews. Bishop Pike had re-
With this conceit, we end the
ported that at least 13 Soviet
This is-distortion of Jewish
play ."
tradition, it is untrue to the citizens recently sentenced to
This borders on idolatry.
Biblical story. If it isn't here- death for "economic crimes"
Chayefsky had so much to
by it certainly is poor philos- were Jews.
Objecting to "sundry slander— utilize for a theme that could
ophy. It is contrary to the
"El Molei Rachamim"—"God 'ous articles about the life of go far in adhering to the reality
is full of compassion" prin- r Jews in the Soviet Union." of Biblical lore. J-B was closer
ciple— in Jewish tradition. Strogovich insisted in his letter to Job than "Gideon" is to the
It is not the sacrilege alone that the USSR guarantees the story in the Book of Judges.
but the lack of historical reality equality of all citizens. pointed The theme that was used to
out that "outstanding Jews" have break pitchers and produce
lighted lighted torches to frighten
2C4, 414, 4, + ,1, 4-1•It been elected "as deputies to su- the
Midianitts. the selection of
preme and local organs of state
300
warriors out of the thousands
power." and stated:
—both
well resorted to for the
"The conviction of a small
group of state criminals — large "Gideon" play—are sufficient in-
scale pilferers of public property dications to show how well the
who justly received their des- story from Judges could be used
serts under a court sentence— for more direct and more real
among whom there were differ- purposes. As used by Chayefsky,
ent nationalities including Jews' the application of a Biblical
—gives no ground to draw un- story to modern times is very
warranted conclusions as to the faulty. —P. S.
supposed widespread character of
these crimes in the USSR.
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The Dedication Ceremonies
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. YOUNG ISRAEL OF
NORTHWEST DETROIT
SUNDAY, MAY 27th, 1962
at
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A Reception Tendered by the Sisterhood
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,
Brazilian Senator
Seeks to Amend
Naturalization Act
SWIFT JETS
PHILADF.T PHIA, (JTA) —
The Adath Jeshurun cemetery, in
the Frankford section of Phila-
delphia, was desecrated by van-
dals who overturned 55 grave-
stones, breaking or damaging
eight of the markers, police here
reported.
Walter Hand, superintendent
of the cemetery, who lives at the
edge of the burial grounds, dis-
covered the desecrations and in-
formed police. While the police
RIO DE JANEIRO, (JTA) —
Senator Gilberto Marinho de-
manded on the floor of the Brazil-
ian Congress, at Brasilia, that the
country's naturalization act be
amended in such a manner as to
wipe out about 150 regulations
affecting naturalized citizens
here.
Abotit 80,000 of Brazil's 150,-
000 Jews are naturalized citizens,
the remainder being either
native-horn or citizens of other
countries.
Among the discriminations
' which Marinho seeks to wipe off
the statute books are prohibitions
against naturalized citizens to
teach in public schools, to speak
over the radio in the Portuguese
language, or to run for Congress.
The amendments have been pend-
ing in Congress for five years but,
thus far, no action has been
taken by the national legislature.
An act to provide for a state
library in Michigan was ap-
proved March 21, 1837.
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