Happy Anniversary THE JEWISH NEWS incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle eommencing with issue. of July 20, 1951 Member American Association of English—Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Associations, National Editorial Association. Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17100 West Seven Mile Road, Detroit 35, Mich., VE 8-9364. Subscription $6 a year. Foreign $7. Second Class Postage Paid At Detroit, Michigan PHILIP SLOMOVITZ CARM1 M. SLOMOVITZ SIDNEY SHMARAK Editor and Publisher Business Manager Advertising Manager • HARVEY ZUCKERBERG City Editor Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the third day of lyar, the following Scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Lev. 12:1-15:33. Prophetical portion, II Kings 7:3-20. Licht benshen, Friday, April 26, 7:07 p.m. VOL. XLIII. No. 9 April 26, 1963 Page Four Israel's Fifteenth Anniversary ____On the 15th anniversary of the re-em- ergence of the State of Israel, to be ob- served here this week-end, and in corn- munities throughout the world at events planned during the current week, it is im- perative that the world situation should be taken into account, that Israel's status among her neighbors should be consid- ered and that, while evaluating Israel's successes, the dangers that lie ahead should not be overlooked. Viewing the past, let it be remembered that Israel has welcomed more than a million and a half new settlers, survivors from the Hitler gas chambers and es- capees from persecutions in Moslem_ coun- tries. The mere fact that the population of 650,000 at the time of Israeli's rebirth has grown to 2,300,000 is in itself an indica- tion of progress. Christians and Moslems live in good neighborliness with Jews in the new State, and a spirit of good will emanating from there should, as it well could without interference from outside interfering elements, serve as a model for inter-faith amity. Having advanced industrially, contin- uing to create high educational standards, encouraging scientific research and wel- coming the cooperation of friendly na- tions in establishing friendly pacts, Israel is, indeed, a model nation in an era of strife. One could well imagine how much farther Israel could advance without the urgent need for defensive .weapons and for emphasis on protection against at- tacks from unfriendly neighbors who con- stantly threaten her existence! In spite of the continuous flow of venom from so many enemies, Israel holds its standards of modernity high and with dignity. Now, as the State of Israel commences the sixteenth year of existence, its empha- sis remains on an open door policy for newcomers and on defense. Both condi- tions demand the most serious considera- tion from the Israelis' kinsmen every- where, and from friendly nations. The need to strengthen Israel as a re- ceiving center for tens of thousands who are running away from indignities in many lands imposes upon the young state urgent obligations. There are many who must look for safety in Israel. They will continue to make treks toward Israel from Eastern Europe,. from Moslem countries, and possibly also from Western lands where there frequently arise evidence of a revived anti-Semitism. In this respect, world Jewry retains an obligation: to provide the means for the resettlement of the homeless, to create economic opportunities for them, to help Israel keep her doors open for the seek- ers of havens for their bodies and their spiritual yearnings. This is where the current obligation to the Allied Jewish Campaign, as the in- strument that pr o v ides funds for the United Jewish Appeal for the relief and rehabilitation of needy and homeless Jews, emerges as the principal cause to be aided to the fullest. If our campaign is to fall short of its maximum goal, it will be to the detriment of Israel. * * * In order that Israel should be in a posi- tion to overcome the inequalities that exist in the Middle East in the military sphere, if the small Jewish state is to have the means wherewith to defend it- self against the imbalance of arms in that area, the responsibilities of caring for newcomers must be removed from Israel so that the state itself can provide, as it must, the means with which to protect its inhabitants. 'So vast is the arms supply that is being given to Israel's enemies by Soviet Russia, so much assistance goes to the Arab states while Israel must look to its own laurels in defense as well as in economic enter- prises, that, insofar as the outside world is concerned there is a measure of injus- tice imposed upon Israel. Instead of creat- ing added educational facilities, while there is great need for an enlarged sec- ondary school system, Israel must devote most of the state's energies to military alertness. This is where Israel's kinsmen again are called upon to play a role frequently —to call the attention of the nations of the world to the dangers that lurk for Israel and to insist that due consideration should be given to Israel's position. * * * Meanwhile Israel carries many burd- ens. Tens of thousands of incoming set- tlers, many of them from strange lands, speaking languages generally unknown in the land, possessing habits and prac- ticing customs that are unlike those of the vast majority, nevertheless are being integrated and are provided with homes, schooling for their children, health fa- cilities and means of becoming economi- cally secure. There is scientific progress in the land, and the schools of higher learning are on par with the best universities in the world. ' There is a social welfare program in Israel of which even the most advanced nations would be proud. • The contributions Israel makes in the developing of newly emerging Afro-Asian countries is marked by unselfish motives and a desire to help advance the interna- tional programs for uplifting the less for- tunate of mankind's nationalities. Israel's record for creativity is a good one, and on its 15th anniversary there is need to retain that spirit. * * * In the process of greeting Israel's 15th anniversary and of sharing with the Is- raelis the joy of seeing the small state prosper and go forth against conflicting odds, it should not be forgotten that the role that was played by American Jewry in establishing the new state was im- mense, and that the share in Israel's pro- gress by our communities remains signifi- cant. We must retain that role. The United Jewish Appeal must serve as the great in- strument for relief and rehabilitation. The Israel Bond drives continue as most val- uable factors in Israel's economic develop- ment. It is no wonder that Trygve Lie, the first Secretary General of the United Nations, who directed the affairs of the UN when Israel was established and wel- comed as the 57th member of the UN, placed emphasis on the importance of Is- rael Bonds and told a recent Bond con- ference: "Those who assist Israel by buy- ing Israel Bonds are acting like good Jews and good American citizens. They have in fact and in deed accepted the principles of the United Nations Char- ter." Celebrating Israel's 15th anniversary, we must not forget the Zionist role in the creation of statehood, and Zionism's objectives must continue to inspire us— and especially our youth. In this spirit we join in greeting the people and the government of Israel on the state's 15th anniversary. Classic in New English Translation `Glueckel of Hameln' One of the great Yiddish classics was written towards the end of the 17th century. It was the work of a brilliant Jewish woman, saddened by her husband's death,' seeking relief from loneliness and tormenting nights, decided to write her life's story and thereby to pass on to her children the family back- ground and experiences. In the course of her work, she had incorporated historical data that throws light on conditions and events of her time. Glueckel of Hameln didn't write her life story with the intention of having it emerge as a best seller or a great literary classic. She wrote it for her children. But in its accuracy, in its simplicity, it became a classic and remains so to this day. Now it is available again, in what is acclaimed as the first English translation directly from the Judeo-German in which it was written, under the title "Glueckel of Hamelin." It was pub- lished by Thomas Yoseloff (11 E. 36th, NY16), and Mrs. Beth- Zion Abrahams is its translator. * There were two previous translations of this work into German, from the old Judeo-German, and there was an English translation which was done from one of the German transla- tions, and this new work is done directly into English from the original. The translator, besides doing her job well by providing an English text for a- work that has remained one of the outstand- ing literary creations of the past three centuries, adds to the value of the newly-published book with an introduction in which she presents a resume of Glueckel's life. Born in 1646 in Hamburg, Glueckel began to write her life story in 1689. She ended her diary in 1719 — five years before her death in 1724 at the age of 78. She had an interesting life, and in her diary she relates about her forebears, her husbands—_ she especially spoke nostalgically about her first husband, Chaim Segal of Hameln; and there are many German historical episodes that find important places in her story. Not only her family life and the events of the time, but the fact that the dialect in which she wrote was the Middle High German makes her. writings important for philologists. The translator points out that the language in which Glueckel of Hameln wrote was the forebear of modern Yiddish. It retains even greater significance as a guide for students of roots of modern German to get to the background of the German language as it was used in the days of this marvelous woman of the 17th-18th centuries. What Glueckel described was a rich life, and the ghetto in which she and her fellow Jews lived was turned into a kingdom by those who, like her, sought high standards for Jewish living. There also are deprecating elements in the book. For in- stance, in the final pages of her story she tells about a fracas in the synagogue on Simhat Torah, how officials quarreled and "tore one another's head-coverings so that they stood bare- headed in the synagogue!" Then, threatened with excommunica- tion, "the rabbi and the parnass left the synagogue quickly to arrange what each other's fines should be." There are other incidents that enrich this book and give it the status it has earned. There are stories about her family's struggles, about mar- riages and shadhanut — marriage-brokerage. The famous Jew Suess Oppenheimer enters into the picture in a family role, as an aid to her 'kin in time of need. Other historical dates, places and personalities are part of this eminent tale. The 40 illustrations in the book of engravings and draw- ings relating to the period under review adds to the book's interest. A great classic again draws attention. Its appeal must create an interest for Yiddishists — even though the work is in an English translation; for historians and philologists.