may of Life
The Treasure House of Jewish Humor--a
And here are the Stock Ex- tend to him during his last illness

an author than a Shofar is a atom. A famous rabbi, asked why
BY S. J. GOLDSMITH
can rich people freely donate for the
JTA Correspondent in London) French horn. But what else
you do? Nor is Melamed exactly a sick but are very reluctant to
(Copyright, 1965, JTA Inc.)
LONDON — The television serv- teacher. But how else would you donate for scholarship, replied:
Because even the rich are not
lees of the British Broadcasting translate it?
safe from sickness, but they are
To come back to those sections.
Corporation are screening three
quite safe from scholarship.
times weekly a program of humor, Hassidim and Mitnagdim (no
You find dozens of original
wit and satire called "Not So translation here at all). Tzadi-
Much a Programme; More a Way kim and Rabbeyim (which are Jewish jokes which are in the
of light-hearted, hilarious
of Life." One could say about Jew- not rabbis but Hassidic sages, category
ish humor—"NOT So Much a Di- heads of Hassidic sects). Young humor, with no strings attached,
men and young women. Men as if Jews did not have a care in
version; More a Way of Life."
Alter Druyanov's "The Book of about town and provincials. Inn- the world. Here is a good example.
An antique dealer demonstrates a
Humor and Wit" appeared for the keepers and travelers, doctors pocket
watch: "This, he says, is
and
patients.
first time in 1922, published by
Volume Two: Husbands and Maimonides' original watch; he
Amanut at Frankfurt, and became
used to count the pulse beats of his
a classic. It was not one of those wives. Matchmakers and their patients with the help of this won-
horrible books on Jewish jokes, trade. Parents and children. Jews
those unfunny haphazard collec- and Goyim. Volume Three: Batla- derful timepiece."
You have three ridiculous state-
tions of the worst of our humor by nim (idle fellows, in the Jerome
unskilled hands, which used to ap- K. Jerome sense) and inquirers ments in one brief story: Maimoni-
pear at regular intervals then and (not a patch on the original Hak- des lived in the 12th century and
there were no pocket watches in
still do so now. Dryanov's book was ran). Wars and revolutions.
In fact, the whole gamut of Jew- his day. The pulse was unknown;
the result -of years of diligent re-
search, assiduous collecting and ish experience is mirrored here. William Harvey discovered the
careful sifting. And it was done by Jewish humor was often used as a blood circulation in our body in
a fine scholar and facile writer, means of consolation in times of the year 1628. America was, of
with full access to all the sources distress, and as a pointed weapon course, not yet discovered. I am
against adversaries at all times. afraid I nearly killed it by explain-
of Hebrew.
It was not a primer for table Here is a classical example. The ing. Shall not do it again .. .
This one is a real gem. The
talk after dinner; it was a study composer Meyerbeer asked the
in Jewish lore and a guide for Jewish philosopher and wit, Saphir, Prime Minister comes back from
Hebrew students. We learned how he, Sapir, liked his composi- Brighton and is received by the
Hebrew from it as much as tions. Saphir said he liked all of King. "When do you propose to
mirth. Druyanov was a favorite. them but particularly the Hugue- open Parliament?" asks the King.
"With God's help, sometime be-
The appearance of a new three- nots."
tween Yom Kippur and Succoth,"
"Why the Huguenots."
volume edtion of Druyanov's book
"Because there you have Goyim says the Prime Minister. "Have
from the Dvir Publishing House in
Israel, beautifully printed and well killing each other to music com- you become a Jewish?" asks the
King. "No, no," says the Prime
bound, was therefore like the re- posed by a Jew" .. .
Minister, "but after a month in
Sometimes a whole situation is
turn of an old dear friend, looking
Brighton one tends to use the
more prosperous and more spruce, contained in one quip—like the
local vernacular."
and still bubbling with the same mighty force that is hidden in an
vintage wisdom and choice humor.
Here they are, the old stories
which never fade. still -divided into
those fascinating sections; and
here is also the famous introduc-
tion. Good old Alter Druyanov !
And a cheer for Dvir.
Druyanov points out in the intro-
duction that our ancients did not
take kindly to idle joking, but
knew very well that it would be
impossible to suppress it, the Jews
Extracts from "The Graphic History
being what they are. Indeed, one
of our sages concluded sadly or
of
the Jewish Heritage." Edited by
triumphantly, depending on how
P. Wollman–Tsamir. Published by
you read it--that there was no
generation without its wags, which
Shengold Publishers and Foundation
Druyanov borrows as the motto of
For A Graphic History of Jewish
his book, as was to be expected.
The sections of the book bear
Literature.
testimony to the scope of Jewish
A Seven Arts Feature.
humor. Volume One: Shopkeepers,
traders, brokers, buyers and sell-
VAYERA
ers. Money lenders and misers.
synagoge wardens, - rabbis, preach-
Abraham welcomes the
ers, beadles, slaughterers, teachers,
three angels into his tent.
authors and booksellers. Here I
must interrupt to confess that my
"As he sat in the tent
translations are not always to the
door in the heat of the
point, but I would defy anybody to
day; and he lifted up
do better. A Mechaber is no more

change and Medicare taken off in
one go. A famous wag was asked,
who are more important to society,
doctors or bankers? "Doctors," he
said, "because the injunctions
against killing comes before the
one against stealing."
And while we are on doctors:
Isaiah the doctor, a famous char-
acter in the Pale of Settlement,
left the following entry in his
diary: "I know two remedies for
high fever; neither of them works."
When another doctor came to at-

Peace Corps Volunteers
to Be Trained at Brandeis

WALTHAM, Mass. — A group of
65 Peace Corps volunteers being
sent to Columbia to establish train-
ing centers for secondary teachers
will be trained at Brandeis Uni-
versity.
The 11-week prograM, June 20-
Sept. 4, is designed to assist the
Columbian government in strength-
ening the competence of the coun-
try's primary and secondary
school teachers. Faculty for the
training program will be drawn
from Brandeis and other sources.
Last year Brandeis undertook an
11-week program to prepare 37
Peace Corps volunteers for health
and education assignments in Bo-
livia.

his eyes and looked, and,
lo, three men stood over

DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, March 19, 1965-11

DELUXE GIFT
Ideal for Every Home!

Zditect
T. W01.12t1All TSAAIllt

A GRAPHIC PRESENTATION OF THE:

39 BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

43 KINGS • 48 PROPHETS • 15 JUDGES

SPECIAL DISCOUNT of 20%

To our subscribers & readers.

NOW only $12.00 •

Reg. $15.00

Send check or Money Order to

BIBLICAL BOOK CO.

40 EXCHANGE PLACE
NEW YORK, N. Y. 10005. Dept. DJN1

c.9iccaddfg Cocktail's got it!

42 PROOF SI

CODE NO.

4/5 QUART . L4.9 65 .88

UNITED BRANDS • DETROIT • 'U.S.A.

NOBODY UNDERSELLS

WOODY PONTIAC

"AND DON'T EVER FORGET IT!"

TW 1-1600 • 12140 JOS. CAMPAU sourhag igial:ison

r************************
* * AT BORENSTE1N'S* *

*

*
* *

REG. $3.00

HEBREW SONGS
FOR CHILDREN

2 Records For

mini 111%0 \

Vayera — God appeared to Abraham as he sat at the door
of his tent in the heat of the day. Lifting up his eyes,
Abraham beheld three men (actually, angels in the form of
men). Abraham ran toward them, took them into his tent,
and treated them hospitably. One of the angels foretold that
in a year Sarah would bear a son. The other angels went on
to Sodom to destroy the city because of its wickedness; only
Lot, Abraham's righteous nephew, was to be saved. God
revealed this plan to Abraham, who pleaded that Sodom be
saved for the sake of the righteous persons living in it. But
it turned out that Sodom could not be saved — there were
not 10 righteous persons in the whole city. Lot was saved,
and lived in a cave. There his two daughters bore him two
sons: Benammi, or Ammon, and Moab. In fulfillment of
the angel's prophecy, Sarah bore a son, who was named
Isaac. When the lad grew up, God tested Abraham's devotion *
by bidding him offer Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham prepared
to carry out God's bidding; at the last moment, an angel
intervened, and Isaac was saved. Abraham had passed the )6-
hardest trial of all.

*
*

99 c 4(
*
*

4C

s1e.15 SHALOM !

A Holiday Book for
Little Children by
Jane Bearman and
Mildred Well

REG. $4.95—BELOVED

Yeshivah Melodies

4(

oc

9c

And new Chassidic Songs
MANY OTHER BOOKS! RECORDS AT GREATLY
REDUCED PRICES FROM 99c

BORENSTEIN'S

BOOK and MUSIC STORE
13535 W. 7 MILE RD. at SCHAEFER
DI 1-0569 or DI 1-3268

9'
9'

4(
4(

9'

9'

4(

9'

r************************

G•nealogicaI • Chronological
Synchronic's! Charts • Pictures & Texts

Acclaimed by all Rabbis & Scholars
for easy learning of Jewish History.
Fascinatingly presented. 'Visual'.

BRANDY ?

We Are Celebrating Our 25th Anniversary Because .. .

*

against him"(Gen,18.1-2).

Like

"He who never leaves his coun-
try is full of prejudices."—Carlo
Goldoni in "Pamela."

(Our 71.1twis1l
r rt tag t

THE

and took hold of his pulse, Isaiah
said: "Look here, you don't have
to play this game with me. You and
I know very well that there is no
such thing as a pulse."
Let me sign off with this one:
Rabbi Joshua Isaac Harif used to
leave a blank space after each of
his famous introductions to new
Serafim, . and sign at the very
bottom of the page. When asked
why so, he explained: "I have
praised the Sefer because its
author needs to make a living;
now I must comply with the in•
junction that we should take our
distance from a lie."
Lest there are still some who
think that laughter is not a suit-
able outlet for serious people, they
might recall the immortal words of
an English ecclesiastical wit, the
Rev. Sydney Smith. He said to his
Bishop: "Because I am witty you
must not imagine I am frivolous,
and I will not imagine that be-
cause you are pompous you are
therefore serious."
Our claim to seriousness as a
people remains intact even with
this new edition of Druyanov's
classic.

APRIL 4, Sunday 8:00 P.M.
Cong. Ahavas Achim
19190 Schaefer

Tickets at The Synagogue,
Marwil Book Store (Northland),
Grinnell's downtown.

[ 1965 Festival

of

Jewish Music

Linda EISENBERG-APTEKAR, Pianist
Don Frohman's "Sabbath Morning
and Festival Service"

(World Premiere)

Cantors Simon Bermanis, Jacob Sonenklar,
Louis Klein, Bel Canto Choral Society