Verdi's 'Requiem,"Splendid Conception' for
Nazi Camp Performance, Related by Bor
The subtitle to "The Terezin disguise was being set up, in
Requiem" by Josef Bor, pub- the form of an astonishing
lished by Knopf, is "A Narra- film set: "In accordance with
tive of the Human Spirit." It Eichmann's scenario, living
is just that in every detail.
people had to help create this
This is a moving story — a film set. And they believed
true account of an occurrence in it; they began to hope and
in the Terezin concentration to live."
camp — of a Czech conductor
The conductor "wanted to
who performed Verdi's "Re- bring together the most diverse
quiem."
group possible, and then let all
It was during the days of men come and hear what art
horror, when Jewish lives were could be achieved by such a
worthless under the Nazis, that human mixture" as he was
the conductor, Raphael Scbach- gathering in the concentration
ter, began to gather musicians— camp.
singers and instrumentalists—to
It was to be "in Verdi's Re-
present the performance.
quiem, and no other work. Ital-
They gathered in a cellar and ian music with a Latin text,
began to rehearse. Replacements Catholic prayers, Jewish singers,
were required as some of those and musicians from Bohemia,
chosen became the victims of Austria, Germany, Holland and
another choice—on the march Denmark, many even from Po-
to their death. Others took their land and Hungary. A requiem
places, and the "Requiem" was studied and directed by an un-
performed under the baton of believer, a Requiem in the ghet-
the talented conductor who be- to. What a conception!"
came a friend of the author of
Josef Bor, in his brilliant ac-
this dramatic story in Terezin. .count, adds: "A splendid con-
"The Terezin Requiem" is ception, and it gave him no
the story of "scattered death," rest, drawing him more irre-
in the year 1944, when Hit- sistibly every day. What the
ler's forces began to collapse, Nazis had intended to make of
but "none of this interfered the Terezin ghetto, what they
with Eichmann's plans." A still had in mind for it, he did
Jacobs' Criticism of Dubinsky
In His 'The Stat e of Unions'
Wins Music Award Cohen Named Chief
not understand; no one of sound
mind could understand it. But
in one thing they had succeeded
perfectly. They had assembled
in one camp the greatest Jewish
artists from a large part of
Europe; and they had created
conditions that force men to
ponder deeply the fundamental
questions of life and death."
The Requiem was performed
—there was a choir of 150 and
several soloists who were care-
ERICH LEINSDORF, left,
fully and dramatically chosen. conductor
of the Boston Sym-
There were two pianos. Before phony Orchestra,
congratulates
this experience there was an MOSHE ATZMON
of Israel on
orchestra conducted by inmates
the Leonard Bern-
—one of them was Karel Ancerl, winning
stein Conductor Prize at Tan-
now musical director of the glewood.
Atzmon was aided in
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.
his
career
by a scholarship
The author, who was among
those who were rounded up in from the America-Israel Cul-
1942 in reprisal for the assassin- - tural Foundation.
ation of Heydrich, was sent
with his family to Terezin. He Israel, Panama Sign
alone survived Terezin as well Culture Agreement
as Buchenwald and Auschwitz- PANAMA CITY, (JTA)—The
Birkenau. Bor, who attended the Republic of Panama and Israel
rehearsals and the concert of sign e d a cultural exchange
the Requiem, thus describes its agreement and pledged them-
consummation:
selves to intensify and facilitate
"The last roll of the tymp-
ani had ebbed away. The foot-
lights outlined the conductor's
figure sharply as he stood
erect, his back turned upon
his audience. Nothing stirred.
Only the curtain slowly closed.
"Eichmann sat crouched
deep in his armchair, and
strange thoughts tossed and
eddied in his brain, as strange
as the music that had called
them 'up. "Interesting, very
interesting " he observed to
Moese.
" 'Unique. I've never before
heard such a performance of
the Requiem,' Moese agreed.
"Eichmann applauded. Not
too lavishly, since the artists
were Jews, not too faintly, for
the performance had certainly
been unique, and praise was
due to the Camp Commandant,
too, for the exemplary ar-
rangements.
"Eichmann was applauding,
and that was a signal for the
SS. Applause rang through
the hall. Out before the cur-
tain stepped the Jewish elder,
thin and pale. And bowed
deeply.
"The summer drew to its
close, and the time of the
transports began again. The
Command had promised that
Schachter's- company would
not be separated. All together
they ascended into the first
wagons of the first transport"
exchanges of scientific infor-
mation and personnel, teachers,
artistic productions, films and
records.
The pact, in H e b r e w and
Spanish, was signed at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr.
Galileo Solis, Foreign Relations
Minister of Panama, signed for
Counsel of Senate
Anti-Trust Body
The appointment of Jerry S.
Cohen of Detroit as staff director
and chief counsel of the Senate
Anti-Trust Subcommittee was an-
nounced by U. S. Sen. Philip A.
Hart (D-Mich.).
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
liam Cohen, 18002 Northlawn,
Cohen was associated with his
father in the practice of law here
before becoming chief of the
Criminal Division of the State
Attorney General's Office in
1958. He came to the Subcom-
mittee in 1961 as assistant
counsel.
Married and the father of two
children, Cohen is a graduate of .
Wayne State University and its
Law School. He and his family
live in Washington, D. C.
ENJOY SINGING OF TALENTED
14 YEAR OLD CHAZAN HER-
STIK OF ISRAEL.
ATTEND THE BETH YEHUDAH
SCHOOLS DINNER AT COBO
HALL NOVEMBER 10th.
CALL WE 1-0203
FOR RESERVATIONS
In "The State of the Unions,' ' Puerto Rican and Mexican
his government, while the
published by Atheneum, (162 E. groups illustrate the inability
Israeli signature was affixed by
38th, NU16), Paul Jacobs, whose of Dubinsky to adjust to
Israel's ambassador here,
experiences in the field of labor reality . . ."
Joshua N. Shai.
relations included his services
Referring to an article he
as a union organizer and as a wrote about Dubinsky, Jacobs
In some years Michigan's bean
writer on labor problems for repudiates
crop has filled 7 million hun-
charges
that
were
many magazines, brings to the made against him that he was
dred-weight bags, far out in
fore many problems that will a Jewish anti-Semite. He states
front as the Navy Bean leader.
Max Schrut
bring to light an untold num- that he worried about mention-
For Good Photographs
ber of controversies.
ing Dubinsky's Yiddish accent,
and Prompt Service
MUSIC ! ENTERTAINMENT !
Reviewing the activities of
he poses the question on
Call me at
many labor leaders, referring and
"what's
the
relevance
of
the
ac-
to a number of scandals that cent?", adding, "I answered my
created rifts in labor ranks,
by reminding myself
Jacobs throws light on many of question
Weddings Bar Mitzvahs
that the query would never have
the issues. He especially delves occurred
We Come to Your Home
and his orchestra
me if Dubinsky had
With Samples
into the Hoffa controversies. a Southern to accent
or
a
New
Eng-
UN
3-6501
TY
5-8805
UN 4-6845
While he exposes Hoffa's faults, land accent or damn near any
Jacobs contends that Robert other kind of accent except a
Kennedy "trespassed heavily Yiddish one."
upon the rights of Hoffa and
But Jacobs doth protest too
the union."
when, a bit farther, he de-
Jacobs describes the $100- much
clares:
a-plate dinner that was given
ON ALL NATIONALLY ADVERTISED
"The injection of the anti-
in Hoffa's honor in Detroit
to raise funds for a children's Semitic issue by Jews and anti-
home in Israel. He points to Semites into the post-publica-
that event, which was sup- tion discussion of the Dubinsky
ported by some of the coun- 'article shows how uneasy about
try's leading industrialists, at Jews we still are in America—
Co.
which all faiths joined forces, all of us, Jews and Christians
alike.
America
is
more
polite
as indicating that "that af-
18999 LIVERNOIS
DI 1-1644
fair was remarkable for the about Jews than it is about
Few tales of the occurrences
Negroes
but,
still,
it
is
a
troubl-
OPEN
THURS.,
FRI.
'TILL
9
P.M.
light it threw on Hoffa's
in concentration camps are as
growing prestige and on his ed politeness.
dramatic as "The Terezin Re-
influence in diverse circles of
"I do riot intend to stop writ- quiem." Josef Bor's story, trans-
society."
ing about Jews for, after all, lated from the Czech by Edith
Considerable space is devot- that is what I am and part of Pargeter, reveals not only the
ed in Jacobs' book to David what I know. I am disturbed horrors but also the manner in
Dubinsky and to explanation because what I say will be mis- which some of the great men
understood by some Jews and who suffered under the Nazis
"why his throne is wobbling."
Jacobs comments on Dubin- even worse, by some anti-Sem- also defied them—as in the per-
sky's "heavy Yiddish a c cent ites, but no alternative is open formance of Requiem and in the
To prove that the Rosenberg's are
about which he is very self- to me; one must either write his choice of Verdi's work.
conscious." While he was "the perception of the truth or not
Bor has remarried and now
still in the catering business . • •
supreme authority" of the In- be a writer."
lives with his wife and two chil-
ternational Ladies G arm en t
Although the argument is well dren in Prague. He is a legal
just call them at
Workers Union, Dubinsky is de- taken, one still wonders whe- adviser to a business firm. He
scribed as having "become the ther Jacobs doth not protest too is a living witness of one of the
symbol of the union's internal much and whether prejudices most dramatic events of the
weakness" due to its having be- and personal grievances acquir- holocaust.
come embroiled in ugly quarrels. ed as an organizer for the
—P. S.
Dubinsk y's rise to power, ILGWU may not have influenc-
after his arrival in this country ed his thinking. Nevertheless,
or come in and see them at
as a young im-
he is fully entitled to his views Columnist in California
and his book will be read with `Jewish Voice' Wins
migrant,
the keenest interest.
makes an in-
Press Club Award
teresting story,
LOS ANGELES, (JTA)—First
British Official
b u t there
prize for the best music or drama
creeps into
We, the Rosenberg's, would still like to cater
Sir Matthew Nathan, a promi- story or criticism in the annual
Jacobs' ac-
nent British soldier and states- awards of the Los Angeles Press
your wedding, Bar-Mitzvah, banquet, shower,
count a per-
man and Jewish leader, served Club was won by Dorothy H.
sonal note. As
in numerous British colonial Rochmis, Theater Arts columnist
etc., in our hall, synagogue, Sheraton-Cadillac
an ILGWU or-
posts. When he was appointed for the past three years of the
ganizer, he Dubinsky
administrator of the African
or anywhere.
Jewish Voice.
challenges some of the union's colony of Sierra Leone in 1898, California
Presentation
of
the
award
and
activities, especially its philan- he became the first Jew to be its $500 prize was made to Miss
thropic gifts, and Jacobs is espe- entrusted by the British gov- Rochmis
by actress Jane Wyatt
cially critical of the heavy gifts ernment with such a mission.
at the annual awards banquet.
ILGWU gave to Histadrut.
The award made the Voice the
He charges that "the large
One of the nation's first clov- first English-Jewish newspaper
sums given to Jewish groups erleaf traffic interchanges was
the nation to win such an
and the comparatively tiny built in 1931 at Eight Mile and in
award in competition with daily
amounts given to Negro,
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