Hanukah Quiz

Why is it customary for the
women to refrain from doing
any kind of work in the house
during the time in which the
Hanukah candles are lit?
This custom is mentioned in the
Shulchan Aruch (Orach Hayyim
670:1). Some say this is done to
show that the women are a part
of the Hanukah celebration since
their lives were also at stake and
the miracle saved them just as
well as it did the menfolk. Others
say that this practice particular-
ly singles out the women because
of a heroic act of one of the women
during Jewish history that over-
came the enemy at a most critical
time. It has also been suggested
that having the women refrain
from performing their skilled
household duties during the time
when the Hanukah candles are
burning gives them the opportunity
of experiencing the joy of Hanu-
kah. If they did perform their
household duties during this time
they would have no occasion to
experience and express their joy
over the Hanukah miracle that
happened long ago. The menfolk
have the occasion to express their
joy by the recitation of the Hallel
Psalms of thanksgiving which are
recited every morning of the Hanu-
kah week in the synagogue. The
women are excused from discharg-
ing this obligation since it is one
which is precipitated by the occa-
sion of a special time. Thus, they
are given the occasion of experi-
encing joy while the candles are
burning by refraining from their
household chores. It is also pos-
sible that having the women re-
frain from their household chores
during the time when the Hanukah
candles are burning is a means of
achieving an original desire of the
ancient Rabbis in a minimal form.
Apparently there was a desire on
the part of the Rabbis of old to
have Hanukah observed as a holi-
day on which work was to be pro-
hibited such as is the case on
major holidays. The general con-
sensus was that this would not be
too practical. Thus, some restrict-
ed both men and w o m e n from
working while the candles were
burning. Others finding this to be
impractical as well, at least re-
stricted the women from perform-
ing their household chores during
this period so that at least some
measure of the original intention
be carried out to insure the preva-
lence of the holiday spirit at least
in the home.
Why are the Hanukah candles
lit in the synagogue at an earli-
er time than when they are lit
in the home?
The most widely accepted tradi-
tion is to light the Hanukah can-
dles in the home only at or after
the appearance of the stars. This
is about twenty to twenty-five min-
utes after the astronomical sunset.
In the synagogue, however, the tra-
dition calls for the candles to be
lit at the time of the astronomical
sunset, before the congregation of-
fers the Maariv service. The reason
for this difference is quite obvious.
If the Hanukah candles were lit
in the synagogue after the appear-
ance of the stars, this might be at
a time when the congregation has
already completed the prayers of
Maariv and everyone may have
gone home. Basically, the candles
are lit in the synagogue so that
the worshippers assembled as a
congregation, may see them. There-
fore, if the worshippers are not
going to be there, there is no use
in lighting the candles in the syna-
gogue. Traditional authorities in-

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BY RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX

(Copyright, 1965, JTA, Inc.)

sist that there be a quorum pres-
ent in the synagogue (i.e. a Min-
yan of ten men) when the candles
are lit. In the home, there is no
such problem, since the family is
either then assemled, or each one
lights his own candles. It should
be stated, however, that a number
of responsible people follow the
opinion of Maimonides who insisted
that even in the home the candles
be lit at the time of astronomical
sunset and thus this time would co-
incide with the time when the can-
dles are lit in the synagogue. Some
follow the authorities who rule
that the candles may be lit even
before the astronomical sunset
from the period known as "P'lac
HaMinchah" (this is the last hour
and one quarter of a twelve hour
day). It is also to be noted that
while the Hanukah candles are
burning in the synagogue in the
morning during the prayers (and
later where people remain in the
synagogue to study), they are not
lit in the home in the morning.
This is because their being lit in
the synagogue in the morning ac-
complishes the publicizing of the
miracle in public, while the home
is relatively to be regarded as a
private domain.

American Group
for Israel Opposes
More Nasser Aid

NEW YORK—The national ex-
ecutive committee of the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee
issued a statement opposing
resumption of United States eco-
nomic assistance to the United
Arab Republic.
Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein of
Rochester is chairman, I. L. Kenen
of Washington is executive direc-
tor, of the committee.
The statement declares:
"We have always favored eco-
nomic assistance to all peoples in
the Near East, but we have ad-
vocated conditions to assure that
our aid would not underwrite
preparations for aggression.
"Accordingly, we oppose the
resumption of United States eco-
nomic assistance to the United
Arab Republic until that country
abandons its aggressive policies.
"The United Arab Republic and
other Arab states remain in an
avowed state of war against Is-
rael, in violation of their obliga-
tions to the United Nations.
"We call attention to these facts:
"President Nasser made two
speeches in November, reiterat-
ing the Arab commitment to
destroy Israel.
"While the United States pro-
poses to resume aid to Egypt in
the amount to $55 million, the
United Arab Command has allo-
cated $55 million per year for
the next ten years to purchase
arms to carry out this commit-
ment.
"It is an ironic coincidence that
the international community was
required in 1965 to spend $55 mil-
lion for UNRWA and UNEF to
maintain the status quo in the Near
East — operations which would
not be necessary if the Arabs
would cease their drive towards
war.
"Although there may have been
some recent relaxation in U. S.
UAR relations, we are not per-
suaded that there has been any
fundamental change in Egyptian
hostility to major aspects of United
States policy throughout the world.
"Therefore, in the pending aid
negotiations between the United
States and the United Arab Re-
public, we urge President Johnson
to insist 1) that the United Arab
Republic give full assurances that
it will abandon the arms race and
preparations for conflicts, which
burden the economies and en-
danger the security of all the peo-
ples of the Near East, and 2) that
it will undertake to live at peace
with all its neighbors, including
Israel."

Hanukah Festival Film on the 'Last Chapter' of Jews
for Bonds Slated in Poland to Open Jan. 31 in New York

Seventeen congregations will he
honored at the Israel Hanukah
festival, with Sam Levenson as
guest star 8 p.m. next Wednesday
in Cobo Hall. David Safran will
be the chairman.
Highlight of
t h e celebration
will be the light-
ing of the Hanu-
kah candles by
Jerry Superstine,
12, son of Dr.
and Mrs. Milton
Superstine. Jerry
in the eighth
grade graduating
Jerry
class of the
United Hebrew Schools, Esther
Berman branch. He is in the 7th
grade at Coffee Junior High School.
The 17 congregations which will
receive awards for their leadership
in the Israel Bond High Holy Day
appeal and in other congregational-
ly centered activities, including
dinners and leadership receptions,
are:
Adas Shalom, Shaarey Zedek,
Bnai Moshe, Bnai David, Beth Abra-
ham, Ahavas Achim, Beth Aaron,
Beth Joseph, Beth Moses, Beth
Y e h u d a h, Gemiluth Chassodim,
Mishkan Israel-N us a c h Harie-
Lubavitcher Center, S h a arey
Shomayim, Temple Israel, Young
Israel Greenfield, Young Israel
Northwest and Young Israel of
Oak Woods.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek,
Temple Israel and Congregation
Gemiluth Chassodim sponsored con-
gregational dinners.
The award, which will be pre-
sented to congregations which
produced a minimum of $10,000
in Israel Bond sales each, is a
replica of an ancient oil lamp
mounted on a velvet-covered base
and encased in an attractive plastic
box, with the name of the congrega-
tion inscribed on the front of the
box.
Admission is open to 1965 Israel
Bond purchasers with tickets at
a nominal charge. For reservations
call the Israel Bond Office, DI
1-5707.

NEW YORK—A living memorial
to 1,000 years of Jewish life in
Poland will open here at the Cameo
Theater Jan. 31. The film, "The
Last Chapter," is the result of
five years' work by two men, who
traveled from Poland to Germany
and to military archives in this
country.
The 90-minute movie is by S.
L. Shneiderman, a writer, and
Benjamin Rothman, theatrical pro-
ducer, who chose to depict a vital
culture, not scenes of concentra-
tion camp horrors.
Included in the footage are a
happy Jewish wedding in 1912,
and the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of
1943. Written by Shneiderman, the
script is narrated by Theodore
Bikel and carries a musical back-
ground by Vladimir Heilfetz. Roth-
man and his son Lawrence pro-
duced and directed it at a cost
of $60,000.
Shneiderman and the elder
Rothman did not know each
other when the idea for such
a film occurred to them al-
most simultaneously after the
war.
Shneiderman was a newspaper
correspondent in 1946, covering a
program by Poles against the Jew-
ish remnant in Kielce. He realized
then that there was no future for
the Jews in Poland, he said. His

photographs of the town after the
pogrom are part of the picture.
Years later, he met Rothman,
who was gathering film in hopes
of making a half-hour motion pic-
ture. They got together, hunted
down film clips and excerpts from
films taken by German soldiers
in the ghettos.
The Polish government cooper-
ated, along with Jewish news-
papers in New York and the YIVO
Institute for Jewish Research.

Birth defects are the nation's
second greatest destroyer of life.
These afflictions claim some 560,-
000 lives each year — 60,000
deaths each year among children
and adults plus an estimated half-
million unborn babies who die as
a result of birth defects. Join the
March of Dimes and fight birth
defects.

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Israel Institute for Blind
Campaigns for Buildings

NEW YORK — Vast construc-
tion plans to meet the needs of
Israel's blind have been revealed
by Prof. Feivel Meltzer, chairman
of the board of the Jewish Institute
for the Blind in Jerusalem, who is
currently on a visit to the United
States.
The Institute, Israel's only ed-
ucational center for the sightless,
has had to cope with an influx
of handicapped children arriving
in the midst of a new wave of
immigration.
Four new buildings for educa-
tional and residential purposes
have been added, Prof. Meltzer
told the board of Keren-Or, Inc.,
supporting wing of the Institute in
the United States, which has of-
fices at 1133 Broadway, New York.
The Institute seeks funds, how-
ever, for a gymnasium and swim-
ming pool, to be used in re-
habilitation. The two projects, he
estimated, will cost about $600,-
000.

Two Jews to Receive
National Medal of Science

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Two
Jews are among the 11 scientists
announced by President Johnson
last weekend as recipients of this
year's National Medal of Science.
They are Dr. Leon Max Lederman,
professor of physics at Columbia
University, and Dr. Oscar Zariski,
professor of mathematics at Harv-
ard University.
Dr. Lederman has done impor-
tant research on mesons, the parti-
cles that hold the atomic nucleus
together. Dr. Zariski has gained
worldwide recognition for his
work on organizing algebraic geom-
etry on a solid basis.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December 17, 1965-23

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