Purely Commentary
Abraham Shiffman, Detroit's
i et
G
inenisaroteuss Daostr ae. CAovnof il dc
By Philip
Slomovitz
When Nasser Didn't Lie . . But Did He Know the Source? thousands—not in the tens of thousands.
A major factor must not be ignored. Many of those who go to
resorts are the elders, who need rest, whose women folk find it
difficult to serve the meals they were able to prepare in their youth
for their families—large or small—families that inevitably become
larger. But these very people, at the resorts, are known to sit through
many hours of worship. It is true that the .reason they. remain longer
in resort synagogues than they might elsewhere is because they are
offered high-priced cantors and specially trained choirs. But they
do not abuse traditions
One resort owner—among the largest in the Catskills—in a simple
explanation of the procedures at his resort, pointed out that "we have
been having religious services here for 40 years." This practice of an
element turning to resorts is not new, but it is not overwhelming.
Those who desire golf and entertainment in preference to wor-
ship can find it even without going to the Catskills. The appeal for
preferred synagogue attendance at home therefore is linked with
respect for traditions and adherence to faith and need have nothing
to do with flight to resorts. As long as the resort services are in the
most sacred fashion, with deepest resnect for established practices,
the complaints that have been registered will carry little weight.
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
2—Friday, October 29, 1965
Important WSU
Psychiatric Works
Gamel Abdel Nasser was -believed to have been creating enmity
towards Israel by means of a manufactured lie. He had charged that
Israel was propagating the acquisition of all Arab territories—unto
A Review by Dr. John M. Dorsey,
the Euphrates—and he produced a map to prove his point.
WSU Unversity Professor
It was believed that he - was flaunting a mythical map. But he
Wayne
State University Press
wasn't lying: there was such a map. Its source was revealed when a
has just published another one of
Christadelphian wrote a letter to the Jewish Observer and Middle
its outstanding books, "Adolescen
East Review of London insisting, on the basis of Scriptures and
Out of Step—Their Treatment in a
Prophecy, that the entire Middle East area under discusSion was
Psychiatric Hospital." It is th
promised to Israel.
second- of the Lafayette Clime
The letter, featured under the heading, "Christadelphians' Israel,"
Monographs.
follows:
Its author, the psychiatrist, Peter
city against city, and kingdom
Sir,—I was most interested to
G. S. Beckett, has produced a
against kingdom.
read in your issue of July 30, the
valuable study of the psychology
quoted extracts from Nasser's
VERSE 3: And the spirit of
of adolescence which is under-
anniversary address to the rally
Egypt shall fail in the midst
standable both by physician and
in Cairo.
thereof; and I will destroy the
layman. Dr. Beckett is assistant
He expended some indigna-
counsel thereof: . . .
director in charge of research, and
tion, apparently upon a card
VERSE 4: And the Egyptians
chief
of adolescent service at La-
which had been used as an ad- will I give over into the hand of
fayette Clinic.- The author of many
vertisemeht for a lecture on Is-
a cruel lord; and a fierce king That "Loxfinger" Disgrace
scientific articles, he has the rare
rael. The - offending card bore shall rule over them, said the
There is always that hesitation in criticizing filthy books out of ability to present his findings in
two maps, one showing the pres-
Lord, the Lord of hosts . .
of - seeking a censorship on authors' clear terms.
ent territory of Israel, the other- VERSE 13: The princes of Zoan, a • desire to avoid the charge
time
when it - is necessary to speak up
works.
But
there
comes-
a
Almost every trine one picks up
showing a vastly expanded, -- fu-
are become fools, the princes of against even our fellow-Jews who are besmirching the good name of a newspaper, or talks to a teacher,
ture Israel, covering most of the
Noph- are- deceived; they- have our people. • _ , .
or has a personal conversation
Middle East, from the Nile to
`seduced Egypt, even they
We have condemned them time and 'again and we did not with a parent of middle age, the
the Euphrates, and including also
that are the stay of tribes hesitate to include so devout a Jew as Herman Wouk in the group subject of adolescents arises. The
Mecca and Medina.
thereof.
_
of Jewish writers who should have been more careful in their des- public, the community as a whole,
President Nasser used the card
VERSE 14: The Lord hath min- criptions of our ceremonials and of the status of Jewish family life. feels it has a real problem with
as conclusive -pitied to his Arab
Not so long ago we spoke up against the form of depicting the the bewildering and energetic be-
gled a perverse spirit in the
audience, of the grandiose terri-
midst. thereof; and they have Jewish mother. Why that repelling work should .have become a best havior of these young p e o p l e.
torial ambitions of the Zionists.
caused Egypt to err in every seller is beyond us.
What "they" do often seems in-
I would like to make it clear that
Now comes the worst of - all: the so-called Loxfinger story about comprehensible.
work thereof, as- a drunken man
the offenders are not Zionists!
an Israel Bond Oy Oy Agent. It's such an outrageous boom that we
staggereth in his vomit.
As a Christadelphian, I have
Clearly, all the problems seen
distributed many such leaflets,
VERSE 17: And the land of are surprised Doubleday—with so much to the firm's .credit, in- are not necessarily psychiatric, for
Judah shall be a terror unto cluding the Anchor Bibles, Robert St. John's "Roll Jordan Roll" and instance, the school dropout. Pri-
advertising Bible lectures upon
Egypt, • every one. that maketh scores of other great works—should have included the Loxfinger vate agencies, clubs, political and
the future of • Israel; for this
mention thereof shall be afraid filth among its pocketbooks.
theme forms the subject of very
social action groups, and govern-
The Bnai Brith Anti-Defamation League has finally registered ment at all levels, are called upon
many of our lectures. If the
in hirnself,,- because of the coun-
sel of the Lord of hosts, which a protest against a nasty work, complaining to Doubleday about its to help and are doing a good job
President attended one of them,
advertisement pushing Loxfinger. That book has been in circulation with youth. Yet this is not the com-
hath determined against, it.
what he would hear would - not
The next 'verses speak of the for some time; and several popular _columnists found it necessary plete answer. Many of the more
be to his taste!
punishment which shall be meted to make a fuss over it. Why did it take the ADL so long to speak serious adolescent problems are
The territorial expansion which
so upset him has, -in fact, -been
out - to Egypt., followed -by -its up about it? Why has ADL been silent when other works, in a not so simply handled and, prob-
healing. The prophecy continues: similar vein, also by Jewish writers, maligned the Jews?
Divinely promised as Israel's fu-
ably correctly, society has come to
. So: we hold not only authors and publishers responsible for refer some of these to psychiatry.
VERSE 23: In that day shall
ture inheritance. Neither the
many
insults
heaped
upon
us,
but
also
our
national
organizations
there
be
a
highway
out
of
Egypt
President nor those who supply
Then the psychiatrist frequently
to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall which often display fright and fail to assert themselves when action finds that his training and experi-
him with arms, will be able to
come unto Egypt, and the Egyp- is necessary.
change these unalterable facts.
ence have not prepared him. to
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tian unto Assyria, and the Egyp-
Egypt's future is also clearly
evaluate and manage problems
tians shall serve with the As- Abraham Shiffman's Noteworthy Philanthropies
foretold ins Isaiah 19,.and Nasser
which seem far removed from the
Abraham Shiffman attracted wide interest by his noteworthy classical troubled behavior
would not find it very cheerful
syrians. .
the
VERSE 24: In that day shall $600,000 gift to the United Jewish Appeal for -the expansion of Israel's text books, appearing instead of as
reading!
a
Israel be the third with Egypt Secondary educational system.
Edith Jochim
His generous act, announced in Jerusalem, once again uplifted bewildering, varied array of activ-
and Assyria, even a blessing, in
Bedford .Close,
Bromley Common, Kent. -
the midst of the land; - - • him to -the highest rung of the ladder of generosity and placed him ities for which traditional methods
are clearly inappropriate.
VERSE 25: Whom the. Lord of in the top ranks of Jewish philanthropists.
(`ISAIAH 19, 2: "And I will set
Dr. Beckett reviews the basis for
hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed ,
the Egyptians against the Egyp-
Mr. Shiffman, who will observe his 75th birthday. on Dec. 25,
some of the varied behavior seen
be Egypt my people, and As- long ago set a record for generous giving.
tians; and they shall fight every
syria the work of my hands, and
one against his brother, and
In the last 10 years, Mr. Shiffman had donated millions to in adolescents and in simple lan-
every_ one against his -neighbour; -Israel mine inheritance.)-
'many causes. To- Brandeis University, . Sinai Hospital and Wayne guage makes suggestions for
State University, he had given a million and a half—a half million psychiatrists, both to help in evalu-
Now the secret is out, and we wonder whether Nasser has any to each. His gift to the Detroit Jewish Center exceeded $150,000. ating which patients referred are
inkling about THE SOURCE of his evidence.
These do not include his contributions to the Allied Jewish Cam- really in the province of psychi-
The fact remains, nevertheless, that Israel has no designs on paigns. to the Community Chest drives; to Hadassah and many other atry, and -also to assist in develop-
Arab states' territory.
movements. Detroit knows how to appreciate him. Now he gains ing practical- methods of treat-
This Christadelphian incident recalls a famous story. This dates recognition on a world scale.
ment. Details of these conditions
back to at least a decade or two before the rebirth of Israel. There
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are given, including ward manage-
was a Zionist meeting to which- the invitees came later than the set
ment, staffing, working with fam-
Exaggerated
'Yiddishization'
time for the assembly. But there 1,7ere, also Christadelphians in the
Wallace Wakefield is one of the ablest of the Jewish writers— ilies, unique views and attitudes of
audience, and THEY came on the dot. One of them was called upon
and
he does possess a knowledge _of things Jewish, But his article this age group, and specific ther-
to deliver a brief speech and he - opened by saying:
"The
Yiddishization of American Humor" in Esquire falls short of apeutic methods. The author indi-
"The Messiah is sure to come. There is certain to be a Jewish
the
desired
mark. There - is no such thing as the Yiddishization of cates that it is likely in the future
State. But when the Messiah comes, you, dear Jewish friends, are
any
other
language
or of any arts. Jewish humor has infiltrated into that further radical changes in
sure to be late. So—we Christadelphians have the historic privilege American life, and there
are Yiddish expressions that are used widely. therapeutic approaches may be-
of arriving on time and keeping him patiently alerted until you
But the examples in the Wakefield article emphasize the banalization come necessary.
arrive."
rather than the glorification of a language that possesses a great€
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literature, that has enriched social studies. Would that the Yiddishiza- Honor for UNICEF
'Bandstand Synagogues' in the Borscht Belt
The Nobel Prize Committee in
Much was written for several weeks about "bandstand syna- tion Wakefield spoke of were totally acceptable. But we can't go
Stockholm exercised good judg-
gogues," about "country-club atmospheres" for those who had chosen along with emphasis on • the banal.
ment by awarding the Peace Prize
to go to resorts far the holy days to enjoy vacations and to warship
Regrettable Conflicts in Program Dating
to UNICEF—the United Nations
in an atmosphere of nightclubs.
It was surely unintentional, yet important community affairs are International Children's Emer-
It was front-page analysis in the Wall Street Journal. The New
gency Fund.
York Times picked it up for a focus on religion. National magazines in conflict.
On the same evening that ORT will honor Dr. William Haber, the
The $51,000 prize thus will sup-
carried articles about a threat to houses of warship from the resorts
that are paying high fees to cantors to attract thousands to the Technion is bringing to Detroit Dr. and Mrs. Walter Lowdermilk and the plement the "trick or treat" pen-
head of the American Technion Society, Maurice M. Rosen.
nies our _children will give on
Catskills to services.
On Nov. 20, the annual City of Hope dinner and an Israel Bond Hallowe'en towards the fund to
An amazing factor in the discussion was the expression of anxiety .
provide necessities for children in
by New York rabbis who not only deplored the trend but who ex- dinner at the Shaarey Zedek will be in conflict.
We have no doubt that all the events will be well attended, but underdeveloped countries.
pressed fear that the trek to resorts for holidays and holy day's is
UNICEF is one of the glorious
it would have been better if the need to choose between such
affecting synagogue attendance.
One differing rabbi made the statement that: "One suspects that functions were eliminated by a stronger method of avoiding conflicts. functions of the UN. Its efforts
the only congregations worried about the Catskill competition are But it all hinges on an exchange of respect by all groups for one another. have well earned the honor ac-
those who have a financial stake in the sale of High Holyday seats. Perhaps the Jewish Community Council can arrive at procedures that corded the great humanitarian
agency.
program planning.
I have yet to hear a Temple whose financial structure is based on would assure avoidance of conflicting
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membership support voice its concern about the exodus to the hills
The
Fluoridation
Proposal:
It
Is
a
NO
Vote
That
Will
Make
It
Positive
on Rosh Hashanah."
New York, Chicago, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia are among the 13 of the 18 largest
This strikes at the root of the despairing cries against Catskill
cities
in
the country that have adopted fluoridation, and no one there is the worse off for it. Yet a group
ir
religious services.. The claims that the "bandstand synaaues" are
panic-inciters
are attempting to incite the voters against the measure.
of
undermining the 'existence of synagogues is undeservil o f serious
And what makes the issue much worse is that in order to make it YES — for fluoridation — it is
consideration. If that were true, it would imply that overwhelming
voters should be properly
numbers of Jews are flocking to resorts. It is far from the truth and necessary to vote NO. The confusion may hurt, and it is important that the
advised.
Indeed,
the
vote
should
be
in
favor
of
fluoridation
and
voters
should
mark
their ballots NO, since
it is inconceivable that available Catskill attractions could possibly
American
Dental
Association,
American
Public
Health Association,
by
the
proposal
has
been
backed
accommodate more than a mere handful of people, compared with
Michigan Department of Health and the Public Health Service of the United States. With every reputable
the overwhelming numbers who go to - synagogues.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis, at the Cincinnati health 'agency backing the fluoridation proposal, it should be adapted.
We urge all qualified voters to cast their ballots on Tuesday. The fluoridation proposal is one of
convention last June, also took up the cry against resort synagogues.
the
important
issues before the voters. Then there is the Council race and the - need to avoid prejudices.
It made a good point in defense of the synagogue as "the basic insti-
Many good men are in the race for the judgeships. New and highly qualified candidate:: like Blair
tution of religious Jewish life." .
Nevertheless,, it is a fact that there are hundreds of thousands Moody are rising on the political arena and should be encouraged.
Be sure to vote — and remember that to vote for fluoridation the ballot Must be 'thanked NO.
in our synagogues while 'those in the resorts run in the several
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