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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS -- Friday, September 14, 1962 —
Tattooing Prohibited
Biblical Themes in Novels: New Stories by Zador and Elsie Mack
Significance of Egg
A tendency towards utilization
of Biblical themes is in evidence
in several novels published this
year.
Doubleday recently published
"The Curse of Jezebel" by Frank
G. Slaughter," and the novel al-
ready has been reviewed in these
columns.
Reviews also have appeared in
The Jewish News of "Rizpah" by
Charles E. Israel, first published
by Simon & Schuster and now
put in a Fawcett paperback.
Heinrich Zador, the Hungarian-
born scholar who was driven by
anti-Semitism to settle in Pales-
tine and who now makes his
home in Tel Aviv, is the author
of an interesting novel dealing ,
with the Biblically-historical ac-
counts of the activities of Elijah
and his student and successor
Elisha, the evil-inspiring Jezebel,
King Ahab, King Jehoram and
others who were involved in the
plots of Jewish history at that
time.
Zador writes in German and
his Biblical novel, "Hear the
Word," was translated by Rob-
ert W. Fenn from the German
text which appeared in Munich
under the title "Die Erfuel-
lung" ("The Fulfillment".).
"Hear the Word" was pub-
lished by McGraw-Hill Book
Co. (330 W. 42nd, .N.Y. 16).
"Hear the Word" refers to the
word of the Lord. The novel
follows quite closely the Biblical
theme, fictionalized to give the
story power for modern readers.
Perhaps the theme is suggested
by the question posed by the
novelist: "Elijah wondered whe-
ther he had continued to speak
and prophesy because of his love
Jewish law prohibits tattoo-
ing.
The basis of this prohibition
is the verse in the Bible (Levit-
icus 19:28) where it is expressly
stated that one shall not make
any marks upon one's self. The
rabbis have interpreted this
prohibition as a demonstration
of the fact that man is "the
image of the Creator" and that
an act of tattoo would consti-
tute a mutilation of something
Holy.
Furthermore, both the body
and the soul of man belong to
the Almighty, and man is re-
sponsible to guard both against
damage. It also seems clear that
tattooing was a form of pagan
worship in times of old, and
the Israelites were forbidden
to copy these pagan customs.
It is customary to smear the
contents of a broken egg with
its shell upon the head of a
corpse.
In a sense this symbolizes the
cycle of life and death inasmuch
as the original egg was a living
organism and the broken egg
interrupted its life's span. Fur-
thermore, it is claimed that the
life of man is only a potential
to his actual life after death,
as the egg is to the chicken that
breaks out of it later. The
broken egg symbolizes the tran-
sition of life from the earthly
stage to the heavenly stage. The
egg also symbolizes man's
dreams and aspirations which
are broken at his demise.
University of Michigan libra-
ries have book collections num-
bering about 3,000,000 volumes.
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YOUNG ISRAEL
OF GREENFIELD
15140 W. 10 Mile Road
invites its friends
in the 10 Mile-Greenfield area
for this weak a n d faithless' It is a story of adultery, in- into the plot
Quotations on the jacket of
people that. he was leaving be- volving the Roman generals, as
hind, and whose sin he hated, well as the hero in the drama, the book from John 8:3-7 and
or because of his love for the the Roman officer Felix Pet- John 8:8-11 indicate the Chris-
invisible Lord who chastened ronius who has the love affair tological involvement. Was it
him and let him suffer. He did with Tamar. And, of course, Mary Magdalene who was the
not know the answer." Elijah there is the resentment on the forgiven adulteress, and is she
was in flight for having spoken part of Jonathan, Tamar's Jew- transformed into Tamar in "A
boldly, for having ordered the ish lover, who later saved Tamar Woman •of Jerusalem?"
from death and was reunited
destruction of the sinners.
Elsie Mack has written an im-
pressively dramatic tale and
His journey "was at once a with her.
Lust with the pagan Salome, while the Christological injec-
flight and a returning home into
the desert .. . into the far dis- betrayal by a slave girl whose tions negate the historical valite
tant childhood of Israel, when jealousy drove her to be an in- of the novel as a Jewish story,
they were conscious of the pres- former against her mistress, the it will nevertheles be found of
Roman double standards—these considerable interest to readers
ence of the Lord . ."
of all faiths.
Elisha, too, plays his role in and many other factors enter
this novel, but that of a weaker
prophet. But h his case, too, it
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Naturally, Jezebel and her co-
horts meet their fate and in
"Hear the Word" it is the power
of the Lord's declarations that
have their significance in exact-
ing vengeance for the people's
sins. It is the predominance of
the prophet's words in behalf of
the Almighty that rules for jus-
tice in the ultimate.
* * *
Another of the new novels
with a Biblical text is "A Woman
19371 Greenfield at Vassar BR 2-3906
of Jerusalem" by Elsie Mack,
published by Doubleday. It is a
Is Happy To Invite Friends and Neighbors
story of the time of Pontius
Pilate. It describes conditions in
As Their Welcome Guests
the Temple, deals with Jewish
To An
notables of the time, introduces
Jesus as one of the principal
characters of that t i m e, and
makes a love affair between an
In Honor of Completing Their New,
officer in the Romany army of
occupation and an aristocratic
Attractive, Air-Conditioned
Jewish beauty the major plot in
the narative.
SANCTUARY
The story has historical merit,
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, at 2 P.M.
but it also is a mingling of Jew-
ish characters with those of the
new faith to emerge as Christian
SEATS ARE AVAILABLE FOR
which makes it a Christological
HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES
theme.
Cong. Gemiluth Chassodini
OPEN HOUSE
'I Will Survive,' Book
by Sala Pawlowicz
to worship in its
Air-Conditioned Synagogue
LIMITED RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE
-
Eves. 7:30-9 p.m.
Sun. 10 a.m.- 1 2 noon
LI 8-2377
The Officers of
LONG. MISHKAN ISRAEL
(Air-Conditioned for Your Comfort)
14000 W. Nine Mile Road, Oak Park
are pleased to announce that they have
succeeded in engaging the services of
A Known Cantor
who will officiate at High Holy Day Services
beginning Friday, Sept. 28.
We are also proud to have
Rabbi Isaac Stollman
as our beloved spiritual leader
A Limited Number of Seats Are Still Available
COME AND SELECT THE SEAT OF YOUR
CHOICE DAILY, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Except Friday and Saturday
Wishing all our members and friends
a
Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year
HIGH HOLY DAY COMMITTEE
"I pity you. I know who you
are. I will do all I can to help
you." The note was scrawled on
a dirty scrap of paper, wadded
around a chunk of stale bread,
and tossed into a box of shells
in a munitions factory. When
Sala found it, she was at the
end of her endurance.
In 1943, Sala was a teenager.
She watched her brother herd-
ed away by Storm Troopers,
saw her mother and sister mur-
dered, buried her beloved aunt.
She herself was a slave laborer
in a factory in Poland, target
for the special hatred of the
women SS guards. Sala was
a Jew and in the Poland of
1943, that was a criminal of-
fense.
The scribbled note meant the
death. Through the forced
marches and the horrors of
Bergen-Belsen, its simple mes-
sage kept Sala alive, gave her
strength enough to share her
hope with others who were
without hope.
"I Will Survive," to be pub-
lished by Norton Sept. 29, is
the gripping true account of
how and why Sala survived.
Now married to the writer of
the note — who found her four
years later after a desperate
search through the shambles of
a shattered Germany — Sala
lives in New York with - her hus-
band and her daughter. In 1955
she became an American citi-
zen.
100 years ago, the first paper
money of the U.S. government
was issued on notes of $5, $20,
$100, $500, $1,000. The coun
try's paper money previously
had been issued by the states.
Evenings 7-9 p.m.
Sundays 11 a.m.-3 -p.m.
FOR INFORMATION CALL
BR 2 - 3906 — UN 4 - 7040
COQ GREGATION
ISRAEL
143 ONEIDA RD.
PONTIAC, MICHIGAN
Israel Goodman, Rabbi
Unaffiliated residents of Pontiac and the suburbs
are welcome to worship with us and to join our
membership.
Our Sunday School classes start with the Kinder-
garten class: (Age 5) through Confirmation.
Week day Hebrew School, Bar and Bas Mitzvah,
and Junior Congregation.
Youth and Adult Activities for all age groups.
For Synagogue particulars contact
Rabbi Israel Goodman, FEd. 4-4149
Membership Chairman,
Mr. Leon Sirlin, FEd. 4-3639
High Holiday Tickets,
Mr. Normarl Blumeno, FEd. 4-5820
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