THE JEWISH NEWS
SALUTE FROM COASTTO COAST
(ANNUALONVENTION NEW YOKK14153)
Incorporating the Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing 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,
VE 8-9364. .Subscription $6 a year. Foreign $7.
Second Class Postage Paid At Detroit, Michigan
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ SIDNEY SHMARAK
Editor and Publisher
Business Manager
Advertising Manager
HARVEY ZUCKERBERG
City Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the second day of Siwan, the following Scriptural selections will be read in
our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Num. 1:1-4:20. Prophetical portion, Hosea 2:1-22.
Scriptural Selections for Shavuot
Pentateuchal portions, Wednesday: Exod. 19:1-20:23, Num. 28:26-31. Thursday: Deut. 15:19-
16:17, Nuni. 28:26-31.
Prophetical portions, Wednesday: Ezekiel 1:1-28; 3:12, Thursday: Habakkuk, 31:1-19.
Licht benshen, Friday, May 24, 7;35 p.m.
VOL, XLIII. No. 13
Page Four
May 24, 1963
Shavuot Our Link With Learning
In recent years, however, much of
Shavuot, to be celebrated next
Wednesday and Thursday, began as a community attention has been focused
festival to mark the end of the grain on our schools, on educational needs, on
season. We still recall the ancient associ- learning, and there is a measure of en-
ation of the holiday with the agricultural couragement in the fact that cultural
interests of our ancestors in the Holy needs are acquiring priority in communal
thinking.
Land.
At the annual meeting of the United
In the course of time, because the
festival marks the commemoration of the Hebrew Schools this week there was in
Giving of the Law to Moses on Mount evidence an increasing interest in our
Sinai, Shavuot assumed an important role schools among the adults. Serious efforts
In the eighth volume of "Israel Argosy," edited by Isaac
as the Festival of the Torah, as an occa-• to introduce adult study courses point to Halevy-Levin,
published by Thomas Yoseloff (11 E. 36th, NY 16),
a revived interest in the acquisition of
sion to encourage learning.
Jewish' knowledge, in strengthening the a number of short stories, essays and a group of Hebrew poems
Reform congregations introduced con- links with our past by the spread of in- with their English translations make this one of the most im-
firmation on Shavuot, and the Conserva- - formation about our history and tradi- pressive in the entire series of "Argosy" books.
The section .devoted to poetry is the most impressive in
tive and many Orthodox synagogues fol- -tions.
the entire • book. Commencing with the group. "Sunsets Over
lowed with' consecration ceremonies. Be-
interest our community is show- Jerusalem," by Benzion Benshalom, with their English transla-
cause, in countries like ours, the festival ing The
in
the
University's needs, as tions by I. M. Lask, there follows an interesting essay on "Chil-
occurs towards the end of the scholastic evidenced Yeshiva
by
the
generous
response to dren's Poetry in Hebrew," by Moshe Hana'ami and children's
year, it also became an occasion to mark the annual appeal of the Detroit
verses selected by Shalom J. Kahn. In the latter selection are
Friends poems,
in Hebrew with their translations in English, by H. N.
graduations. Thereupon the traditional of Yeshiva University, also reflects
the
-Stekelis,
Bialik, S. Tchernichovsky, Leah Goldberg, Miriam Yalen
question was asked: Is it an occasion for new trend.
Anda Pinkerfeld, Fanya ,Bergstein, Moshe Hana'ami.
commencement of learning aimed to in-
Topping off the selections is the presentation in a Hebrew
By commemorating, on Shavuot, our
spire the continuation of our young peo-
translation of extracts from 'John Milton's "Paradise Lost,"
people's
transformation
from
a
wandering
ple's studies, or is it destined to be the
band that had left Egypt for,the. Promised with the accompanying original English text.
end of their Jewish studies?
Illustration for the section of Hebrew poems for children
Land into a spiritually indoctrinated peo-
This query challenges us anew with ple that received its inspiration from the were drawn by Zilla Binder and Aryeh Nayon.
Another interesting fact about the new "Argosy" volume
greater force than ever at this time, when Law given to Moses, we also mark the
is
•
that
it contains a short story.
so much concern is expressed over the spiritual developments among the people "Reb Melech's
Institute," by the
attitudes of our young people towards of Israel who, through the centuries, be- late Hes Aleph (Hayyirn
Avraham)
their heritage.
came the People of the Book.
Friedland, who was one of Ameri-
The tragedies that were inflicted upon
Now we must retain that status. We can Jewry's most distinguished He-
our people in the past several decades un- do it for our children in our educational brew educators, poets and essayists.
He is described in an editorial note
fortunately caused the placing of major systems, and we must do it for ourselves, preceding
his story as "one of that
emphasis in Jewish life upon fund-raising. as, parents, who must guide the children small group
of contemporary He-
We were called upon to raise huge sums towards a wholesome acceptance of a rich brew writers who drew on the
for relief and rehabilitation, and cam- heritage.
American scene for their 'subject
paigns for the much-needed funds occu-
It is in this spirit that we mark Sha- matter." Prof. Harold Fish trans-
pied our communities' attention more vuot this year—as the historic link to lated Friedland's story.
There -still is the deep interest
than anything else.
our heritage and to dedication to learning. in the
so-called illegal immigration
Milton's 'Paradise Lost in
Hebrew Fiction in New Argosy
,
U. S. Recognition for Work of ORT
By making available to ORT $750,000
worth of available. U: S. surplus equip-
ment for use under the Foreign Assist-
ance Act of 1961, the Agency for Inter-
national Development has paid a note-
worthy compliment to the American ORT
Federation and its activities in the spon-
sorship of overseas vocational training
schools. The State Department's formali-
zation of the agreement with ORT—"the
first to be negotiated with a U. S. volun-
tary agency"—adds glory to this tribute.
It is interesting to note that the A. I. D.
has indicated that the machinery and
equipment would be used to help in the
technical instruction of "about 30,000
underprivileged boys and girls in Iran,
Israel, Morocco and Tunisia—students at-
tending about .450 special trade and edu-
cational institutions of ORT."
American ORT President Dr. William
Haber appropriately expressed the organ-
ization's satisfaction by hailing the A. I. D.
agreement with ORT as =
"a landmark in relations between
the Government and voluntary ef-
forts to assist disadvantaged peo-
ple in other lands. The Congress,
through the Foreign Assistance
Act, and the Agency for Interna-
tional Development by implement-
ing its provisions, have again ex-
pressed a clear concern with the
promotion of overseas welfare pro-
grams conducted in the traditional
American spirit of voluntaryism."
The U. S. tribute to ORT, by making
it the first agency to benefit under the
A. I. D. proVisions, also acknowledges the
effective services by American Jewry in
the field of vocational training among
underprivileged overseas. The agreement
with ORT is, therefore, a compliment to
all American Jews whose aid to ORT
makes possible the continuation of the
organization's valuable activities.
Jobs for Elders
In a unique departure from previous
routine congregational procedures, De-
troit's synagogues tomorrow will hear an
appeal "for jobs for retired persons who
have serious economical and psychologi-
cal needs to work."
This is a quotation from the call for.
cooperation in pleading for jobs for the
elder citizens issued by Rabbi Morris
Adler to his Detroit colleagues.
Undertaken as a special project by the
Jewish Vocational Service, the _urgent
need for such job-finding is self-explana-
tory. Our elder citizens need activities.
They should be given our cooperation in
their quest of jobs and those who have
work to offer them will truly earn mitzvot
and will be blessed by the knowledge that
they provided self-respect and peace of
mind for the aging in our community.
to Israel in the era when Jewish
settlement in Palestine was stifled
by the British, and the effect of
that immigration is expressed
stylistically in the s t or y, "The •
Late A. H. Friedland
Illegals," by Aharon Reuveni. •
Nahum Guttman illustrated "Last in Toledo," an historical
narrative by Asher Barash.
Noteworthy in this "Argosy" is the critical essay by Yona
Fischer, "Arikha — Draughtsman and Artist." Eight illustra-
tions of works by Avigdor Arikha accompany this essay.
The two other short stories included in this collection are
"On Galilean Shores" by Yitzhak Shenhar and "The Third Hill"
by Hedda Bosem. In every instance, Israerg history and geog-
raphy are reflected.
The impressive cover design is by Bezalel Shatz. Sketches of
the authors were drawn by Alex Berlyne, Yona Fischer and
Avigdor Arikha. Translators of the various works include Israel
Echen, A. Levenson, Miriam Tal, Rivka Singer, Mina Givton,
Jessie Sampter, Shalom J. Kahn.
Bar Mitzvah Guide for Use
in Reform Congregations
The Union of American Hebrew Congregations has issued a
pocket-sized guide for Bar Mitzvahs.
Under the title "Your Bar Mitzvah," this 42-page booklet,
prepared by Benjamin Efron and Alvan D. Rubin, with illustra-
tions by Hal Just, explains the Bar Mitzvah traditions; outlines
the history of the tradition, quoting from Pirke Abot Rabbi
Judah ben Tema who 1800 years ago said that one reaches the
time "at 13 for the fulfillment of the commandments"; relates
the Bar Mitzvah ceremony to the Reform Jewish practices; points
to the Torah reading as the important part of the observance
and includes the Hebrew prayers for the Bar Mitzvah service.
To illustrate the significance of the Bar Mitzvah synagogue
service, pages from the Masoretic Torah text are reproduced.
There are chapters describing the 'Haftorah portion, the manner
of family celebration of the Bar Mitzvah and its meaning to the
celebrant himself.
While this booklet will not be acceptable to the Conservative
and Orthodox, it nevertheless has much of value to guide all
Bar Mitzvah observers.