On the Record A Man Alone .. . There is hardly an empty space on the four walls of the den in New York City where Morris J. Kaplun lives. If you were to ask him which of the decorations and pictures other than those of his closest kin were nearest to his heart, he might point with quivering finger to two pictures of the "Saul Kap- lun Institute of Applied Mathema- tics" he recently built both at the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv universi- ties. The institutes are named after his late son Dr. Saul Kaplun, a brilliant scientist at the Califor- nia Institute of Technology, who died suddenly in February of 1964 at the untimely age of 39. Short and balding, Morris Kap- lun is the prototype of the success- Cantor Hyman J. Adler Congregation B'nai David 5th ANNUAL CHANUKAH CONCERT SATURDAY EVENING DECEMBER 18 at 8:30 P.M. ROTENBERG HALL MI DAVID SYNAGOGUE Featuring Four Renowned Guest Cantors and the Combined B'nai David Choir under the Direction of Cantor Hyman J. Adler * Cantor REUVEN BOYARSKY * Cantor HAROLD ORBACH * Cantor MOSES SERENSEN Dean of Detroit Cantors Temple Israel Congregation Beth Aaron Cantor SHABTAI ACKERMAN Congregation Beth Abraham —EXTRA— "A Y1DDISHE SHINDIG" featuring CANTOR HYMAN J. ADLER MAX SOSIN Donation $200 MAX SOSIN Master of Ceremonies By NATHAN ZIPRIN (A Seven Arts Feature) ful immigrant and the self-made man. Denied the privilege of a normal education, he has over the years developed a profound re- spect for learning and the learned, always harboring the dream of be- ing helpful in some measure to student and aspirant scholar — a mitzvah that was of the very Jewish climate of the small city in the Ukraine where he was born. All men have their own patterns in life. Kaplun had his and it was a sad one. After years of striving to round out a business career in textiles that brought him from Po- land to a number of other coun- tries and, ultimately, to the United States, Kaplun was to encounter a tragedy of uncommon dimen- sion. First his wife died, after escaping the hand of death that was spreading its Nazi tennacles over the Jewish community in Po- land and all of Europe. He memo- rialized that event by building a youth center in Kfar Ata, near Haifa, Israel. Then death struck again, taking away his only son, his only child, barely three months after his wife died. One of the turning points in Kap- lun's life came in 1933, when he made his first trip to what then was Palestine. In his business con- tacts with Gentiles, Kaplun had often heard it said that Jews couldn't do anything productive apart from turning windmills. Now he decided to see for himself whether this was true in Palestine too and whether the new Jewish community there was fulfilling the Zionist dream of a new land and a new life. There he saw Jewish farmers, artisans, workers and businessmen le a ding productive and meaningful lives and he fell in love with the land. From that time on Palestine was never far from his heart. After pondering the idea, alone and unprompted, he decided on a two-month trip to Israel. Once there he held endless talks with educators and officials at every in- stitution of higher learning. After much deliberation, Kaplun decided to set up institutes in his son's name in two of Israel's universi- ties — the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Uni- versity. What is more, he threw himself into the project with fer- vor, submerging agony to purpose. As the project began taking on form, it became to him reason for living, a new way of self-fulfill- ment. Kaplun's giving, however, ante- dates his tragedy. Since then — say those who know him intimate- ly — he has given lavishly. In fact they say that a wholly dispropor- tionate amount of his wealth has gone to projects in Israel — over $500,000, including his contribu- tions to the institutions. His in- timates say that he is giving so liberally that he might exhaust his funds before his time. By the standards of an affluent America, Kaplun is not in the charmed cir- cle. Young Kaplun, his father re- lates, was an unusual child who grew up to be an unusual scientist even among the giants at the Cali- fornia Institute of Technology. There is no memorial however that compensates for the loss of a son. More important is the travail of the man who survived, his courage in grappling with a tragedy that could so easily bring others to the pit and his rising to a fulfillment in darkiness that he did not per- haps attain in radiance. This then is not the story of a Jewish philanthropist, but of a man by the name of Kaplun whose tale has transcending significance to all of us who pause in thought over the meaning of life. The Jobs who survive are indeed few. Give out that you have many friends and believe that you have but few. — French proverb. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 10—Friday, December 3, 1965 Truman Reaffirms Faith in Israel at Medal Presentation NEW YORK (JTA) — Former President Harry S. Truman, ac- claimed Sunday night by the Zion- ist Organization of America for his contributions to the establish- ment of Israel, reaffirmed his sup- port of and faith in the Jewish state. He emphasized that "the en- tire Middle East could be trans- formed into an area of tranquility and prosperity if only the Arab states would be willing to embrace Israel into their orbit. In an address at the ZOA annual dinner — read by Mr. Truman's daughter, Mrs. Margaret Truman Daniel — the former President, who could not attend because he was convalescing from an injury suffered in a fall, said: "I am most hopeful that the policy of our government to encourage friend- ship and close cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors, will come to pass sooner than we be- lieve." Mrs. Daniel accepted on behalf of her father the ZOA's 1965 Theodor Herzl Award-Gold Medal- ion at the dinner. The medalion was presented by Dr. Max Nuss- baum, former president of the ZOA. Emanuel Neumann, honorary president of the ZOA, who presided at the dinner, told the 1,000 guests that Zionist efforts be directed not only at ensuring the further progress and security of the State of Israel but to carry forward the immigration to Israel. "Since our movement owes its inspiration to prophetic vision and faith, we may be bold enough to anticipate that before the close of the 20th century the population of the Jewish State shall double and reach the figure of 5,000,000 souls," he said. Ambassador Michael Comay, Is- rael's chief delegate to the United Nations, declared in an address at the dinner that Israel was "con- ceived by and born out of the Zionist movement and the will and resolve of the small Yishuv to proclaim and defend its independ- ence." Nothing, he added, can af- fect the "profound historical, mor- al and political fact that in 1947 the United Nations had reaffirmed in principle the Jewish claim to independence." Hailing former President Tru- man's role in the establishment and recognition of Israel, Jacques Torczyner, president of the ZOA, also noted that the Truman Ad- ministration's first grants-in-aid and other valuable assistance to Israel °permitted the young state to sur vive. The proceeds of the $100- a-plate dinner will go toward a Truman Scholarship Fund for de- serving students in Kfar Silver, the agricultural training school Israel established and maintain by the Zionist Organization c? America. -- ortgagto Conventional Buying • FHA Commercial FHA COMMITMENTS Selling • Refinancing • Building ARNOLD BLAU, mortgages 21590 Greenfield Road Lincoln 5-4331 Oak Park, Michigan illness or injury should prevent you from working, what would happen to your regular income? Quite likely it would stop . . . but your daily costs of living would be sure to continue! That's when you'll be glad you arranged a disability income plan with Great-West. Call; Reuben R. Young 1700 Penobscot Bldg., Detroit Bus.: WO 5-7590 III MI MI ME IN MN HOW DOES HARRY THOMAS DO IT? Come to 15200 W. 7 Mile Road And See for Yourself ! ER I= ME 11• THE I I Great-West Life ASSURANCE COMPANY I all You get ALL this at Michigan Bank FREE CHECKING ACCOUNTS (with only $300 minimum balance) ALL DAY SATURDAY BANKING (until 4:30 P. M.) LOW COST QWIK LOANS (same-day service, usually) 4% GUARANTEED INTEREST ON ALL SAVINGS (Accounts opened by the tenth earn from the first) Isn't all this worth changing banks to get? MICHIGAN BANK 13403 W. 7 MILE RD. 1 BIk. E. of Schaefer NATIONAL ASSOCIATION $380 MILLION OF STRENGTH—A FINANCIAL LEADER 19201 LIVERNOIS At Cambridge Member