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August 25, 1967 - Image 30

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1967-08-25

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

All Jewry Mourns JDC Leader's Death

(Continued from Page 1)
spokesman said in Prague that
"we cannot comment on these
charges."

United States officials said Mon-
day that the Czechoslovak govern-
ment conducted the autopsy without
notifying United States diplomatic
authorities in time for them to
attend. The Czech authorities an-
nounced that it had been estab-
lished that the cause of death was
drowning and that there were no
marks of violence on the body.

The autopsy by a Czech gov-
ernment pathologist was held
from 7 a.m. to 9:20 a.m., Prague
time, Monday. The United States
Embassy in Prague was not noti-
fied until a few minutes before
the autopsy was concluded, mak-
ing it impossible for the Amer-
ican consul to arrive to witness
the proceedings. The consul ar-
rived five minutes after the post-
mortem operation had ended,
having been given only 20 min-
utes' notice, although United
States authorities had pointedly
asked, on the day after the body
was found that they be notified,
so they might attend.

After protests by the United
States, Czechoslovakia agreed to
a second autopsy, conducted by
Prof. Bernard Hardmeyer, deputy
director of the Legal Medical In-
stitute of Zurich. Switzerland, who
flew to Prague for the purpose.
Dr. Hardmeyer was accompanied
by Dr. Alexander Gonik, of the
JDC staff in Geneva.
It was reported here that Mr.
Jordan's nephew viewed the body
Sunday night and identified it by
rings and other indicators. It ap-
peared that Mr. Jordan had not
been the victim of robbery. Mr.
Jordan disappeared Wednesday
evening when he left his hotel room
in Prague to buy an American
newspaper.

The two Swiss physicians who
examined the remains of Mr.
Jordan in Prague Tuesday re-
ported to the U.S. Embassy
there that the condition of the
body made it difficult to estab-
lish whether or not violence had
occurred prior to the drowning
and that further tests of tissues
should be made.

dressed the conference Wednesday.
Attending the special mourning
rites were President Zalman Sha-
zar, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol,
Dr. Zorach Warhaftig, minister for
religious affairs, and other Israeli
and foreign notables. The principal
eulogy was delivered by Dr. Joseph
Burg, minister for social welfare.
Tuesday afternoon, a mourning
session for Mr. Jordan was held by
the executive of the Jewish Agen-
cy, under the leadership of A. L.
Pincus, chairman of the executive.
He described Mr. Jordan as "a
great man and a great Jew."
At rites conducted by the social
workers he was eulogized by Mrs.
Zena Harman, wife of Israeli Am-
bassador to Washington Avraham
Harman, and by Louis Horowitz,
chairman of the JDC section in
Israel. Mrs. Harman is a member
of the executive board of the
United Nations Children's Fund.
In New York, Louis Broido,
chairman of the Joint Distribution
Committee, issued a statement
Tuesday, declaring:
"The suggestions emanating
from Czech newspapers and which
must stem from official sources
that Charles H. Jordan drowned
as a result of a suicide is utterly
rejected by us. I was with Mr.
Jordan just a week before in
Israel. He left me to start on his
holiday. He was full of plans for
future activities of the Joint Dis-
tribution Committee. We discussed
an extension of our program in
France, Morocco and Tunisia.
When Mr. Jordan left me, he was
full of ideas for the future.
"Secondly, approximately half a
dozen people received here on
Saturday post cards which we have
here, written by Mr. Jordan on
Wednesday and postmarked at the
Prague post office, two of them
at 11 p.m. that night. One of our
assistants received a lengthy and
detailed letter from him which set
forth eight .JDC matters requiring
attention by us. Nothing in any of
this mental activity or the spirit
shown in these postcards would
indicate the remotest possibility
that this man contemplated suicide.

"In addition, from a purely
practical point of view, Mr. Jor-
dan would have been 60 years
old in February, at which time
The Czech authorities have been . he and his family would have
earned very important rights
asked to make the necessary tis-
under the JDC retirement and
sues available to Drs. Ilardmeyer
pension system, all of which may
and Gonik for their own laboratory
be seriously affected by his
work. The Czech government doc-
death prior to the age of 60. Mr.
tors apparently insisted on making
Jordan, who had no children,
the additional tests indicated.
for over 20 years had a warm
The U.S. Embassy Tuesday con-
and
the closest relationship with
veyed the Swiss medical report to
Mrs. Jordan and it is impossible
Washington.
to believe that he would be so
The two physicians said they
oblivious to her future interests
discussed with the Czech doctors
and to take hislife at this point.
the autopsy performed by the
"We cannot come to any other

Czech doctors early in the morning
of Aug . 21 . They have been shown
the body and the specimens which
were taken for further examina-
tion.
In the first instance, identifica-
tion was positively established by
examination of dentures, record of
old scars, etc.; secondly, the evi-
dence available to Drs. Gonik and
Hardmeyer showed that Mr. Jor-
dan died within some hours after
he left his hotel; that there was in-
gestion of water into the lungs and
the evidence indicates that the im-
mediate cause of death was drown-
ing.

2 U.S. Jewish Tourists
Deported From Russia;
One a New York Rabbi

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The
Soviet Union expelled two Ameri-
can Jewish tourists, one a rabbi,
because they had publicly criticiz-
ed Arab and Soviet anti-Israel poli-
cies, it was learned here last week-
end from official sources. Rabbi
Solomon Freilich. Mt. Vernon, N.

Y., was deported Aug. 13. The
name of the other tourist was not

long and distinguished career that post, he enlisted in the Navy.
there have been few crises in Later he rejoined the JDC at the
which his wise counsel and deep end of the war as director of the
human concern have not helped Far Eastern activities, with head-
to rally American Jewry to su- quarters in Shanghai where he
"This brings up the question of preme effort. His courage and supervised a JDC program of aid
who participated in his drowning. fighting spirit in the service of to 15,000 Jews who escaped from
Of this we have no knowledge. great humanitarian causes, loyalty the Nazis.
Only the Czechs are in a position and dedication will long be remem-
He was transferred to Paris in
to determine this. We have no way bered by all those privileged to
1948 to take care of the emigra-
of forcing them to express them- have known him and Norked with
tion
activities conducted by the
selves or to confess what elements him."
JDC. He became assistant direc-
within such a tightly controlled
Carlos I. Israels, president of tor general of the organization
country would accomplish this
in 1951 and was promoted to the
without the government knowing United Hias Service, in a state-
post of director general in 1955.
ment on behalf of the officers,
it."
He was decorated by the French

conclusiOn than the utter rejec-
tion of the notion that Mr. Jor-
dan's drowning was self-inflicted
or self-motivated.

The United States government
was urged Monday to demand
from the Czechoslovak govern-
ment a full inquiry by an impar-
tial body into all circumstances
of Mr. Jordan's death in Prague.
The request was made by the
American Jewish Committee,
which expressed "shock" at the
tragic death of the JDC vice-
chairman. At the same time,
the Jewish Congress demanded
that an investigation into the dis-
appearance and tragic death of
Mr. Jordan be conducted by the
Czech authorities at the highest
level.

Major American Jewish organi-
zations continued to express their
grief over the sudden death of Mr.
Jordan. A statement issued by
Max M. Fisher, general chairman
of the United Jewish Appeal,
emphasized that "thousands of
Jews" in many countries owe their
survival to his personal ministra-
tions. "These activities and
achievements for which he has
been honored abroad, as well as in
this country, have more than
earned him a deserved place in
the history of our times. They have
helped forge an indispensable link
in the chain of Jewish life," the
statement said.
Dewey D. Stone, chairman of the
United Israel Appeal, expressing
grief on behalf of the officers,
directors and staff of his organi-
zation said: "Mr. Jordan, a col-
league and friend for over two
decades, had given devoted leader-
ship to the cause of Jewish sur-
vival and help in the upbuilding
of the state of Israel. During his

Malben Plans New
Homes for Aged

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Malben,
the agency of the Joint Distribu-
tion Committee that provides for
the care of the aged, has decided to
contribute several million pounds
to an extensive program to assist
the elderly and disabled citizens
of Israel.
The program, initiated in coop-
eration with the Government, was
described in a report given to the
leaders of the Council of Jewish
Federations and Welfare Funds
now in Israel for conferences on
meeting increased national needs
caused by the Arab-Israel six-day
war.
The plan calls for the establish-
ment, over a five-year period, of
12 new homes for the aged. Malben
currently *operates 11 homes, com-
prising about half of the nation's
facilities for the aged. In present-
ing the plan to the American Jew-
ish group, Malben's general direc-
tor Harold Trobe emphasized that,
while Israel's population is still
relatively young in comparison
with other advanced countries, the
number of men over 65 and wom-
en over 60 has increased by 100
per cent over the past 10 years.
Malben's plan would add more
than 1,000 beds to the present 3,-
300 in the agency's present insti-
tutions, and the 3,700 beds in mun-
icipal and government institutions.
A shortage of facilities for the
chronically ill in Israel was also
the subject of a report to the
American Jewish leaders.

yet available here.
The doctors added that "the
Rabbi Freilich planned to visit
condition of the body made it Bucharest
Budapest after his
difficult to establish whether or visit to the and
Ukraine. He was
not violence had occurred prior restricted Soviet
Kiev after being
to the drowning and that further charged with to violating
Soviet hos-
tests of tissues should be made. pitality and criticizing
Soviet
The local doctors are making leadership. The rabbi arrived
in
such tests, in addition, the Czech
the
Soviet
Union
on
Aug.
8.
authorities have been requested
Both
Rabbi
Freilich
and
the
to make the necessary tissues
available to Drs. Gonik and other expelled person were per-
Hardmeyer for their own labora- mitted to telephone the U.S. Em-
bassy before being placed aboard
tory work."
In Jerusalem, the World Con- outbound planes. (Rabbi Freilich
ference of Jewish Communal Serv- arrived in Israel last Saturday.)
ices met Tuesday night in a special U.S. sources noted an increased
session in mourning for the late sensitivity by Communist authori-
The largest encyclopedia ever
ties to contact between foreign
Mr. Jordan.
compiled was one of 11,095 manu-
Mr. Jordan was to have ad- Jews and Soviet citizens.
script volumes written by 2,000
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Chinese scholars in 1403-08.
30 Friday, August 25, 1967



board of directors and the staff,
mourned the death of Mr. Jordan
and emphasized his "zeal and dedi-
cation" to humanitarian work. A
similar statement was issued by
Murray I. Gurfein, president of the
International Council on Jewish
Social and Welfare Services of
which Mr. Jordan was a founder.
Statements mourning the untimely
death of Mr. Jordan were issued
also by the American ORT,

and Norwegian governments in
recognition of his services on be-
half of refugees.
From 1959 to 1961, he served as

co-chairman of the International
Committee fcr World Refugee

Year, which is sponsored by the

United Nations. He was elected
chairman of the governing board
of the International Council of
Voluntary Agencies at its creation
American Friends of the Alliance in 1962 and served as chairman of
Israelite Universelle, and other its Commission on Refugee s.
Jewish groups.
Earlier this year he was elected
Mr. Jordan rose to be the director- chairman of the American Council
general of JDC's European opera- of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign
tions and two years ago became ex- Service.

ecutive vice-chairman in the New

York office. His contacts and his
efforts were world-wide. His knowl-
edge of relief problems made him
an outstanding expert in the field,
regarded as such by the U.S. gov-
ernment and many other govern-
ments.
Mr. Jordan, who was born in
Philadelphia in 1908, attended the
Schools of Social Work in Phila-
delphia and New York and studied
at the University of Berlin. He
began his work with the JDC in

1941 as director for the Caribbean
area, with headquarters in Ha-
'ana. After serving two years in

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