Hias Summarizes 40 Years of Jewish Immigration to U.S.
Robert St. John Gets Warm
NEW YORK (JTA) — United assisted by Jewish organizations have become American citizens.
Welcome at Meetings Here;
Hias Service, Jewish migration to resettle in this country. Then,
Among the immigrants are a
agency in the forefront of success- from 1946 to 1964, another period Noble Prize winner (Dr. Kpnrad
Comments on His Jordan Book ful
efforts for the new Immigra- was marked, during which United
Arriving here on Wednesday, in
, advance of his scheduled addresses
Thursday, Robert St. John received
a warm welcome, and he discussed
his new book, "Roll Jordan Roll,"
to be published next month by
Doubleday.
His book is a biography of the
River Jordan and is a timely ac-
count of the controversy now in-
volving Israel and the Arab na-
tions.
In the autumn of 1939, black-
bearded Robert St. John, already
a veteran newspaperman, was told
by a New York news editor that
he was too old to be sent abroad
as a war correspondent. Refusing
this judgment, he bought a steam-
ship ticket, took himself abroad,
and by being in the right place at
the right time not only obtained
employment as a war correspon-
dent (with the Associated Press)
but became- a famous war cor-
respondent as well. He also ac-
quired the distinction of becoming
one of the first American war cor-
respondents of World War II to be
wounded.
White-bearded St. John, now
63, is still a foreign correspon-
dent, is still popping up on first
one continent and then another
in search of significant stories,
and is still as energetic and
vitally interested in world prob-
lems and in the lives of the peo-
ple affected as when he wrote
his first book, "From the Land
of Silent People."
He still retains much of the
idealism that characterized him as
a young Cicero, Ill., editor-
published back in the 1920s, when
he was campaigning against Al
Capone and was taken for a ride
by the Capone gang.
St. John's interest in people
and places has carried him to
such diverse locales as moun-
tain villages in Hernegovina,
Zulu krals in the Transkei, and
desert kubbutzim in the Ne-
gev. Water, as well as land, has
always fascinated him—oceans,
lakes, rivers, creeks, and even
ponds. Therefore, it was not sur-
prising that on his many visits
to the Middle East (an area
about which he has written eight
books) he became intrigued by
the Jordan River.
Several years ago he took his
notebooks, typewriter and tape
recorder to Mount Hermon, a
snow-capped eminence on the fron-
tier between Syria and Lebanon.
There, where Roman gods and
goddesses were once worshiped in
orgiastic fertility rites, innumer-
able springs bubble from the earth,
giving birth to the most historical
river in the world—a river in the
valley of which a million and a
half people once dwelt in cultural-
ly rich cities.
St. John followed the Jordan
through Lebanon, Israel, and Jor-
dan, becoming familiar with every
bend, as it twists and winds across
one frontier after another until it
finally goes to its demise •in the
Dead Sea. Then he wrote what he
calls "a biography of a river,"
tracing its life story for thousands
of years, in "Roll Jordan Roll."
St. John once again (as in his bio-
graphies of David Ben-Gurion and
Gamal Abdel Nasser) combines his
background knowledge with his
skill as a writer to create a
panoramic view of mankind's
struggle for life, truth and free-
dom.
The final and most important
chapter of "Roll Jordan Roll" is
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
8—Friday, October 1, 1965
devoted to the story of water per tion Act to eliminate the national
se—an objective and informative origins quota system, issued a
account of the present-day con- survey this week, showing the
flict over who gets how much of facts relating to Jewish immigra-
tion into the United States since
the Jordan's life-giving water.
the now-discarded quota formula
St. John explained that, for
went into effect some 40 years
his biography of the river that
divides Israel and Jordan, he ago.
covered the ground "step by
Murray I. Gurfein, president,
step", following its flow through
and James P. Rice, executive di-
Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jor-
rector of United Hias, reported
dan—to the Red Sea.
that the massive influx of Jews
He thereby emerges as the best into the United States, prior to the
informed man on the history of World War I era dropped to a
the Jordan River.
mere trickle after passage of the
Many elements in his story are McCarran-Walter Act in 1924,
fascinating. For instance, he tells setting up the national origins
about Napoleon's visit in the Holy quota system.
Land and his period of rest at
The report showed that, from
the Jordan.
1924 to 1933, only 128,494 Jews
He concludes his account of the
river's history by relating the immigrated to the United States,
compared to the hundreds of
present struggle, indicating how,
on behalf of the U.S. government, thousands who came annually
prior to the outbreak of the war
the late Eric Johnston had offered
in
1914. The lowest figure was
a solution for all parties concerned
to benefit from the utilization of recorded in 1933, when only 2,372
Jews entered the United States.
the river's waters, the plan having
A dramatic change occurred
been abandoned due to Arab
during the Hitler period. From
intransigence.
In the course of his story, St. 1933 to 1945, 174,200 people were
John tells about the proposals for
water utilization in Israel by Dr. Peace Corpsmen Bound
Walter Lowdermilk.
St. John revealed during his for India Studying Israel
visit here that his publishers,
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Eighty-
Doubleday and Co., are planning four members of the U.S. Peace
a series of religious books on the
Corps, destined for India, arrived
influence of the various faiths in Israel to spend a month observ-
on American life, and that he ing forms of agriculture.
has been chosen to write the
The group will study Israeli
story of "Judaism's contribu-
progress in poultry and other
tions on American Life."
A classmate of the late Ernest aspects of food production. The
Hemingway, like him a world Peace Corps volunteers will visit
traveler, Robert St. John has the historic sites in Israel. Israel's de-
distinction of having written more partment of international coopera-
about Israel and the Zionist than tion is working with the Peace
Corps to facilitate the visit. The
any other non-Jewish writer.
J. L. Hudson Co. hosted St. John group will remain in Israel at
at a dinner Wednesday and Dr. least one month.
John Dorsey, University Professor,
Wayne State University, one of the
sponsors of the St. John lecture at
Rackham Auditorium Thursday
night, and Mrs. Dorsey hosted a
dinner at Rackham Building before
the evening meeting.
Participants in the dinner pro-
gram and the lecture included
Mettie Baron Golub, of the J. L.
Hudson Co. book department, and
Carmi M. Slomovitz and Richard
Kramer, president and chairman
of the program committee of the
Zionist Organization of Detroit.
Bloch, of Harvard); a twice-dec-
Hias Service helped resettle orated Korean war hero, who came
168,200 Jews in this country.
to this country under former
The manner and speed with
President Truman's Displaced Per-
which Jewish immigrants in sons directive of 1946; and many
the United Staes become in-
other outstanding scholars, physi-
tegrated was described by Gur- cians, surgeons and notables in
fein and Rice from responses to various fields.
inquiries to 57 U.S. Jewish com-
Gurfein and Rice said, "The
munities in 27 states and the rising trend in calls for migration
District of Columbia. These assistance has continued into the
responses showed that: Jewish year 1965, when United Hias esti-
immigrant families became self mates it will assist close to 60,000
supporting, on the average, in Jewish men, women and children
41/2 months. It was estimated of whom 11,700 will be helped to
that 18 per cent own their resettle in the United States,
homes, 13 per cent own their France, Canada, Brazil, Australia
businesses and 8 per cent employ and other countries of the free
other persons in their enter- world."
prises.
Between 90 per cent and 100
CHAIRS/TABLES
per cent of the children of high
• SCHOOL FURN.
school age attend high schools,
• BLACKBOARDS
• OFFICE FURN.
while a substantial but unde-
termined proportion have gone on
to higher educational institutions.
More than 70 per cent of the im-
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migrants spoke "moderately
276-F.Park Ave. South
fluent" English one year after
New York, N.Y.10010
their arrival. About 98 per cent
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IMMEDIATE
LOS ANGELES • CHICAGO
DELIVERY!
of those eligible for naturalization
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Argentine Govt. Minister
Reassures Jewish' Group
BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — Juan
Palermo, Argentine interior min-
ister, reiterated his government's
opposition to any extremism in an
address at a luncheon on the eve
of the Jewish New Year sponsored
by DATA, the central representa-
tive body of Argentine Jewry.
Dr. Isaac Goldenberg, DAIA
president, praised the minister's
stand in the recent parliamentary
debate, when he condemned ex-
tremism of both the left and the
right. Palermo stressed the im-
portance of cordial understanding
with the Argentine Jewish com-
munity, and declared:
"It is our intention not to under-
estimate the concern of responsi-
ble people, and we are opposed
to any extremism.", He thanked
the DATA for the "special priv-
ilege" of sharing "bread and wine"
at the table where 'six rabbis and
many lay Jewish leaders were
present.
He asked the Jewish leaders "to
show this image of cordiality, the
true one of our country," and "to
tell those of you who are uncertain
that Argentina is a land in which
all may live without fears."
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