r
lli lncof Holds Historic Meeting
With lInssein. Offers Steps to Peace
JERUSALEM — The first time
that a Jew in the government of
a foreizin country has consulted
with Jordan King Hussein in the
latter's own capital of Amman oc-
curred 1.
.. 5 when Sen. Abraham
Rihicoff C nnecticut was in the
Middle Ea -t en a fact-finding lour.
Vietnam was his ultimate destina-
tion.
Their 4 is , i n , :t • meeting foil erect
two days 0 , d•-:izussion by Ribi ,
with too l'ueii officials, includ-
ing Prime Wnister Levi Esh':01
and Foreign Minister Abha Eban.
The Ow nt.ctictit Demci,.•rat said
that aft•r tall--ing to both sides, he
found a nmre rational understand-
ing of their mutual problems on
the highest levels of both govern-
ments. The meeting with Hussein
was not reported in Amman news-
papers.
Hussein stated that his desire
for a - just and lasting peace" and
his willingness to work toward that
{Oat, said Sen. Ribicoff. The lat-
ter, in turn, emphasized the im-
portance of direct negotiations be-,
tween Israel and the Arab states.
Sen. Ribicoff pointed out that
Hussein continued to stress the
need for full consultation with
other Arab countries and contin-
uing cooperation with them.
The senator suggested steps that
might lead to peace, among them
several that would involve econom-
ic cooperation between Israe; and
Jordan.
Sen. Ribicoff commented only
that the discussion following these
suggestions was most cordial and
resulted in a full exchange of
First Ara
Does He
The mayor of Kalkilya spoke of
the suffering of his village but
acknowledged that Israeli engi-
neers have helped rebuild the town.
However. he said he and his peo-
ple were too small to deal with
political nroblems and -thus re-
fused to say what he personally
felt might be the solution to the
Middle East emblems. Ile added
that most Arabs still consider
E.iyors Carnal Abdel Nasser to be
C., e leader of all Arab peoples.
SENATOR RIBICOFF
views. Ile said he would convey
to Israeli officials the attitude.; of
Hussein as he told the king of the
attitudes or Israelis.
The American Embassy in Am-
man held a dinner in Ribicoff's
honor that night: it was described
by a long-time Arab observe as
historic because leading Arabs and
and American Jewish. senator dis-
cussed Middle East topics at. great
length and at times, great heat.
On the first leg of his tour,
Sen. Ribicoff had been the guest
for tea of the Arab mayor of
Kalkilya, the village so badly de-
vastated in the war and now oc-
cupied by Israel. Sen. Ribicoff
thanked Mayor Hussain Sabri
for living up to the "highest
standards of proverbial Arab
hospitality".
Priest in Hebrew U.:
Triiveling by car over the roads
that Israel took to conquer the
northern se-tor of Jordan's west
1,-mk Sen. Rihieoff stormed to talk
v.ith two Arab mayors and Israeli
military governors. He also met
Arab workers. pointing out that
"leaders always talk to other lead-
ers and they don't talk to the neo-
ple—and yet when lands are dis-
posed of. it's imnortant to find out
what people think."
Sen. Ribicoff said the one uni-
versal word he heard "from a
mayor or the man in the street.
was peace." Col. Zvi Raskin, mili-
tary governor of the Jenin area.
who has seen Israelis introduce
better seeds and fertilizer to im-
prove the Arabs' crops yield. told
Sen. Rihicoff that the Arabs are
"dead tired of lies."
The Connecticut senator was im-
pressed that the Arabs have been
allowed to go about their business
while the Israelis, the "conquer-
ors," are rarely seen. It "would
belie the charge that Arabs and Is-
raelis can't live together." said
Sen. Ribicoff.
Israel Rabbinate Schedules Dec. 25
as World Prayer Day for Soviet Jews
JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel's Chief Rabbinate has designated
Dec. 25 as a world-wide day of prayer for Soviet Jewry.
In a message to congregations and rabbis in Israel and abroad,
the Chief Rabbinate stated: "Let us congregate for our brother
Jews in the Soviet Union, whose spirit is in fetters, and who are
greatly troubled.
"For many years, their spirit and their religion have been
assaulted and their oppressors try to root out the name of Israel
from them. Therefore this day has been set aside to identify with
them and to pray that they may soon he free to practice their
religion and do whatever their hearts desire."
•
•
•
'From: Do el; NO ess to Lig,:
"
The 25 national Jewish organizations composing the American
Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry urge that every Jewish family
should read the following statement as part of the Hanuka candle-
lighting ceremonies:
As we kindle there Hanuka lights celebrating the Maccabaean
victory of faith and freedom over the forces of tyranny and bigotry,
let the leaders of the Soviet government see reflected in them what
it cannot see in the darkness of its decrees: the history of failure—
the failure of oppression to erase the Jew and to eradicate his
distinctive heritage and tradition.
Let the Soviet government see illuminated in these lights what
every oppressor of the Jews has seen at long last — from Egypt to
Spain to Kishinev to Auschwitz: that the spirit of the Maccabees
lives on and, as that spirit triumphed over Hellenism, so it will
triumph over every oppressor who seeks to trample it into
extinction,
In the name of justice and mercy—we call out as we rekindle
our faith in their ultimate deliverance:
Let our people Live.
Let them sanctify His commandments.
Let them celebrate His name.
Let them raise up their generations in His service.
Let them drink from the springs of their tradition.
Let them touch hands with their fellow Jews.
Let their families be restored.
Let them kindle the Hanuka lights.
Ida Kaminska Pleads for Perpetuation of Yiddish
By GABRIEL LEVENSON
I in filling the role of Rosalie Lain- all our Warsaw audiences will have
(A Seven-Arts Feature)
I man, a Jewish widow who runs seen it."
"The Yiddish theater must not a tiny shop In a Slovak village
The company includes Mme.
die in Poland: if I left it. I'd during the years of Nazism.
Naminska's husband, her daughter
JERUSALEM—"I am a Sabra" university depends, to a large ex-
know Flitter had won." says Ida
(Israeli-born ). 27 - year - old Elias tent, on my bishop" he says.
They turned turned to Mme. and her son-in-law. Of their 150
Kaminska, head of the Jewish State
Clamour. the first Arab priest to •
He has taken up humanities. Theater of Warsaw which made Kaminska because, they said performances annually. half will
study at the Hebrew University of concentrating on Bible. ancient
"Czechoslovakia has no actress of he given in Warsaw, half in the
its first appearance in the United
Jerusalem. says, adding that he Semitic languages, comparative re-
the older generation with the ex- Polish provinces. There are occa-
States at the Billy Rose Theater in
considers himself 100 per cent ligion and Talmud, referring to the
perience of life to create such a sional trips a h r o a d. Last year
New York. Her group offered t ■
Israeli as well as 100 per cent latter as a subject almost totally
complex, exceptional character.
Mme. Kaminska's company toured
major productions from its repee --
Arab.
South America: and it has also
unknown to non-Jews.
toire. "Mirele Efros," the Yiddish i In two months, Mme. Kaminska
"These two identities within me
,
visited Britain, France and Bel-
At the university, Father Cha- (-lassie written by Jacob Gordin studied Slovak so intensively, she
are sometimes in conflict," he ela-
said, that "everybody thought it gium. The troupe has never been
cour has made friends with several in 1898 and performed in Nr-
borated. ",omething, I have to face.
- Jewish students. They also meet off York in 1911 by Madam Kamius- was my native tongue. I was then invited to the Soviet Union, and it
and I most take upon myself the
campus either socially or to discuss ka's mother, Esther Rachel Ka- able to concentrate on the role— . is appearing in New York for the
possibility of being rejected by both
their studies. "I help; them with minska, and Madam Kaminska's because the widow Lautman's fate . first time this season.
peoples."
"Contact with these Jewish audi-
Greek and Latin. and they help me own adaptation of Berthold was within me, and I could play
Born in Kfar Bar'am in north-
l-ences outside Poland is air for
with Hebrew." the y4ung priest Brecht's "Mother Courage," with it from actual experience."
western Galilee, Elias Chacour says.
A professional actress since the our lungs," she said. "People tell
which she toured Europe and
studied theology and philosophy for,
us, "Don't stop what you are
1 age of 5, Mme. Kaminska had
Israel.
Generally. Father Chacour is
six years at the St. Sulpice Insti-
As the manager, producer and gone through the years of anti- doing ... they know.
tute Catholique in Paris, and in' interested in raising the spiritual
Her Plea for Yiddish
leading actress of the Esther ' Semitism in Poland before World
and intellectual level of the Arab
1965 returned to Israel the first
Rachel Kaminska Jewish State War II. She and her immediate ' After a benefit performance of
Greek - Catholic priest to he or-, communities in Israel. lie feels,
family
were
among
the
few
Jews
"Mirele
E f r o sponsored by
Theater,
Ida
Kaminska
has
beet
however, that for religious rea-
dained in the country for 25 years.
carrying on a tradition of Yiddish to survive the German occupation friends of Herzlial Hebrew Teach-
He was ordained in Nazareth , sons his own Christian Arab
ers
Institute
and Jewish Teachers
of
Poland.
From
Warsaw
they
fled
repertory theater initiated in
community is not always ac-
by Archbishop George Hakim,
Poland a century ago by her east in 1939 to the Soviet-occupied Seminary, Ida Kaminska delivered
cepted as "Arab" by Moslem
spiritual head of the Greek-
mother Esther Kaminska, after section of the country. When the a brief talk the text of which fol-
Arabs, and believes that his mis-
Catholic community in Israel and
whom the present organization was Nazis attacked the Soviet Union in lows in ,a translation f rom the
sion is to overcome this.
newly-apeomted Patriarch of the
1941, the Kaminskas, now sopa- I Yiddish.
named.
•
Greek Catholic Church, with
The young Arab priest points to
The Jewish population of Poland rrAed, resumed their flight, again
The chill in the heart passes
residence in Damascus.
the gap in years which exists be-
to the East. They finally reunited away for a moment when I see
has
dropped
from
3,500,000
to
Father Chacour intends to study tween himself and most other
30,000 and the audience in the in Frunze, in Soviet Central Asia. young people here, who are in-
or 3 - 4 years at the Hebrew Uni- Greek-Catholic priests in Israel.
terested in Yiddish culture and
"We escaped," she said "but
versity, towards an MA degree saying that there is a great need 400-seat theater in the heart of
working to promote it.
all my relatives, my actors, the
and later possibly towards a PhD. to educate more young people for Warsaw is 60 per cent non-Yiddish
speaking.
whole public for which I worked
Our young people are moring -
"I low long i can study at the this calling.
•
"Why do we stay here?"
for so many years .. ." She left
away from us,. deserting every-
Mme. Kaminska asked, "be-
the sentence unfinished.
thing that is Jewish. If only they
cause it is important that the
Her theater, she said, is the cen- were moving toward some ideal,
survivors of 'the final solution'
ter of what remains of Jewish cul- no matter how alien . . . but they
can still hear Yiddish spoken
3
tural life in Poland. "It is the only are pursuing nothingness, empti-
in Poland. When we reopened
Yiddish repertory theater in the ness . . . We are left isolated in
the theater after the war—first
world," she said, "and we still do our efforts.
in Lodz, then in Wroclaw, and
Yet, we dare not abandon out
many of the plays by both Jewish
finally in Warsaw—people came
and non-Jewish authors which my efforts because the future loom
to see our plays who were still
tether first brought to the Yid- bleak. As long as there is a spark
wearing parts of their concen-
—the tiniest—tee must nurse it.
:t sh stage so long ago."
tration camp unif or m. They
Audiences can see and hear We think of today, work for to-
didn't come so much to see
Yiddish versions of Shakespeare, day, and hope for this day.
theatre, but to hear Yiddish
I feel refreshed and relieved of
Shaw and Chekhov — in simultane-
spoken again — in a public
ous translation through earphones the fatigue which seizes me after
place."
for the non-Yiddish speaking — as very performance, because I see
Mme. Kaminska is fluent not well as such works as Jacob Gor- you holding on to Yiddishkeit.
only in Yiddish, but in Polish, Rus- din's "Der Yidisher Kenig Lear" Let us not erase the memories of
A program of studies in the history of the* Yiddish theater was
sian, German, French and English. ("The Jewish King Lear").
the past and the dreams for the
launched by the Herzliah Hebrew Teachers Institute-Jewish Teachers
She had to learn a new language-
My mother could only have future.
Seminary at a luncheon in honor of Ida Kaminska, head of the Jewish
Slovak—for her role in the Aca- dreamed of what we can do here,"
However important may be
National Theater of Poland, presently completing a Broadway en-
demy Award-winning film, "The Mme. Kaminska said, "but we're
your school for yourselves and
gagement. Participants in the luncheon are (from left), Jacob Katz-
Shop on Main Street"
short of repertory. Very few new your own children, never forget
man, president of Jewish Teachers Seminary and general secretary
The film's directors had no diffi- plays in Yiddish are being written that it is quite important for your
of the Farband-Labor Zionist Order, who chaired the event; Dr.
culty casting the secondary parts anywhere. When we've shown a brothers and sisters all over the
Gershon Winer, dean of the school; Mme. Kaminska; Mendel Haber,
for their adaptation of a novel by production here three or four times, world.
president of Herzliah Hebrew Teachers Institute;
ad Josef Bikel,
the Czech Jewish writer, Ladislav
father of Theodore Bikel.
Grossman; but they were at a loss 56 — Friday, December 22, 1967
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
ce Dna! Rejection?
Set p Institute of Yiddish Theater