Reduced Govt. Spending

Adon Olam Hymn; Author and Object

By RABBI SAMUEL J. FOX

(Copyright 1968, JTA Inc.)

It does not seem to be conclu-
sively clear as to who exactly is
the author of the hymn "Adon
Olam." Some have ascribed its
authorship to the Spanish-Jewish
poet-philosopher Solomon Ibn Ga-
birol (1021-1070). Others ascribed
it to Rav Hai Gaon. Still others
credit the poem to Rav Sherira
Gaon. Some ascribe it to an even
earlier author. Generally it seems
to have been agreed that the poem
is one that was put into shape
during the Gaonic period.
Many have considered the object
of this hymn to have been some
sort of "night prayer." In some
liturgies the only occasions on
which this hymn is used are spe-
cial evenings such as the Eve of
the Sabbath and the Eve of the
Day of Atonement. Many chant
the hymn just before retiring at
night. It is perhaps the.last stanza
that must have made some believe
that it was such a night prayer.
This stanza reads: "Into His
hand I commit my soul, when I
sleep.. . . The Lord is with me
—I will not fear." Some are
known to have used this hymn
on the death-bed of a dying
man.
In Morocco this hymn was used
before leading the bride to the
marriage canopy. Apparently it
was a hymn used on important
occasions. Generally speaking, this
hymn is a proclamation of the
faith. It affirms our belief both
in the imminence of the Creator
as well as in his 'transcendental
aspeet. He is the great power and
creator of the universe who rises
way above the level of mortal man
and yet He is the ever-present
watchman of every human being
ever concerned with the welfare of
each individual. It was for this
reason that this hymn came to
be used as a prelude to the morn-
ing prayers.
Somehow, the rabbis felt that
it was important for a Jew to
profess his faith every morn-
ing. It seemed that Judaism was
being challenged by other com-
peting religions which confused
JeVvish believers because these
other faiths had dogmas and
philosophical phrases while Juda-
ism was thought to be primarily
a practical religion. .
In order to remind the Jew that
he does have a very logical and
philosophical system of dogmas
and principles, hymns such as
"Adon Olam" were composed.
While basically, Judaism is a very
practical religion whose aims are
generally behavioristic, i.e., to ef-
fect the proper behavior of man
in his relationship both to God
as well as to his fellow man, it
does possess a very consistent set
of postulates and principles which
can be and are conceived by the
most rational minds.
A later tradition arose to have
the "Mon Olam" hymn recited
at the close of the prayer sery -
ice. This had the effect of re-
minding the Jew that basically

he can never really finish
praying.
At the end of the prayer service
it is incumbent upon a Jew to
admit that if his intention was to
fully express his praise, his thanks
and his subservience to the Al-
mighty, he can hardly scratch the
surface with what is available to
him as a human being in the tools
of speech and song. Also, the
practice of ending the service with
the singing of "Adon Olam" serves
to re-arm the Jew with his faith
before he sets foot into the secular
world.
A Jew is thus armed with faith
as he approached the Almighty at
the beginning of his prayer service
and again armed with this same
faith as he sets out to face the
world of reality and every-day
affairs.

Schostak on 'Faculty'
of Shopping Center Parley

Jerome L. Schostak, president of
Schostak Brothers & Co., Inc.,
realtors, will serve on a faculty
of experts at the annual conven-
tion of the International Council
of Shopping Centers in Chicago
May 12 to 15.
Schostak will join with nearly
300 other shopping center profes-
sionals in conducting classes at the
"University of Shopping Centers,"
which will be attended by 3,000
shopping center developers, own-
ers, managers, chain store real
estate executives, mortgage lend-
ers and others active in shopping
centers.

Parents Group Plans
Dance Party for May 4

Parents Without Partners will
hold a cocktail party with dancing,
9 p.m. May 4 at the Sheraton Motor
'Inn, Warren. For information, call
Henrietta Lewis, LI 6-0903.

B-G to Attend Parade
but Not as a VIP

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Former
Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion
has changed his mind and will
not boycott Israel's Independence
Day parade in Jerusalem on May 2,
it was learned here Tuesday.
But the 84-year-old leader will
insist on sitting in the public area
rather than in the seats reserved
for VIPS.
Ben-Gurion was also apparently
persuaded by friends to accept an
invitation to address a festive
session of the Knesset marking
Israel's 20th anniversary. He will
be the only speaker on that oc-
casion.
Ben-Gurion said a week ago
that he would not attend the parade
or take part in the official Inde-
pendence Day celebrations, He
gave no reason. He refused to
accept a special Israel's Award
that was to have been conferred
on him on Independence Day in
recognition of his life-long service
to Israel.

,

Credit Curbs to Prevent
Inflation Urged in Israel

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The
governor of the Bank of Israel
warned the government Monday
of incipient inflation and signs that
price stability in Israel might be
endangered following last year's
policy of economic slow-down.
David Horowitz reported at a
cabinet meeting that the cost of
living index rose by 3.5 per cent
between September 1967 and
March 1968. There was no increase
during the corresponding period of
the previous year.
.Israel law requires the governor
of the Bank of Israel to report to
the cabinet whenever there is an
increase of 15 per cent or more
in the currency in circulation or
credit outstanding. Horowitz re-
ported that the increase was 15.5
per cent during the nine months
ding on Jan. 31, 1968. He recom-
IIEended a curb on public spending
for development and a ban on the
acceptance of credit abroad by
non-governmental bodies.
A forecast that the unemploy-
ment total in Israel will drop to
13,000 by the end of the year,
less than one-third the rate of
March -1967 was made here by
Hanoch Lev-Kochav, director-
general of the labor ministry. He
told a press conference that new
industrial enterprises would
create employment for some
24,000 job seekers this year,
mainly veterans and immi-
grants.
Lev-Kochav said that a sharp
drop in unemployment had taken
place during the past year. The
unemployment figure for March
of this year was 18,000, he said,
compared to 45,000 in March,
1967. Most of the jobless persons
were provided with relief work. He
also said that the employment in
Judea and Samaria on the West
Bank improved this year under
Israeli rule.

Business
Brevities

FELDBRO QUALITY MEATS,
20233 W. Seven Mile, is the gour-
met's headquarters. Choice quality
meats and poultry are sold at rea-
sonable prices. Expert butchers
under the direction of Harold and
Bob are available to offer per-
sonalized service to every customer.
* * *
Jules Doneson of the JULES
DONESON TRAVEL AGENCY is
on a travel agent familiarization
tour of South America. Included in
his itinerary are Santiago, Buenos
Aires, Lima and the resort cities of
Bariloche and Puerto Montt.

Sidney-Hill Offers Trip
to Las Vegas This June

Sidney-Hill Northwest Club will
sponsor its fifth annual eight-day
and seven-night trip to the Riviera
Hotel in Las Vegas, June 7-14.
The trip, accommodating 80 peo-
ple, includes jet plane transpor-
tation, a la carte brunch every
day, four dinner show spectaculars
at the hotels, four cocktail parties
preceding each show, an additional
buffet-dinner and all tips and bag-
gage handling.
Half of the reservations are
taken. For information, call Mark
Marcus, DI 1-9616.

Rap U.S. Jews' Ignorance
of Judaism at Hasidic Fet

LONDON (JTA) — A new corn-
munity center to serve Hasidim of
the Lubavitcher movement here,
was formally opened March 13
with professions of devotion to the
state of Israel and concern for all
Jews the world over, particularly
in the United States where, one
speaker claimed, most of them
suffered from "an abysmal lack
of Jewish knowledge."
The latter opinion was expressed
by the Anglo-Jewish writer Chaim
Berm ant, host at the opening
assembly.

-

Laura Blatt Engaged Mothers, Daughters
to Mr. Barry N. Tilds
of Beth Aaron Due

at Donor Dinner

Beth Aaron Sisterhood will hold
a mother and daughter donor din-
ner 6 p.m. Thursday in the social
hall.
For tickets and information, call
Mrs. Irving Ingram, ticket chair-
man, UN 4-4192, or donor chair-
man, Mrs. Leo Gaspas, 626-6795.
Linda Hack is fashion co-ordina-
tor. TV personality Jackie Cramp-
ton will be commentator. Car pools
are being arranged.
*

Sisterhood election of officers
will be held noon Monday in the
social hall. Chairman of the nom-
inating committee is Mrs. Morris
MISS LAURA • BLATT
Ginsberg. The program is arranged
Mr. and Mrs. Sidney D. Blatt by Mrs. Bernard Gaspas. Rabbi
of Fairfax Ave., Southfield, an- Benjamin H. Gorrelick will present
nounce the engagement of their the film "Masada" followed by a
daughter Laura to Barry N. Tilds, discussion period. Refreshments.
son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Tilds of
Arlington Dr., Royal Oak.
The bride-elect received her de-
gree in education from the Univer-
sity of Michigan. Her fiance at-
tends the University of Detroit's
school of dentistry.
A July wedding is planned.

In prayer it is better to have a
heart without words, than words
without a heart.—Bunyan.

E. European Countries
Ignore Israel Request
for Works of Martyrs

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Requests
to museums and galleries in East
European, Communist-controlled
countries for the works of Jewish
artists who perished in the Holo-
caust for showing in Israel went
unanswered.
Dr. Chaim Gamzu, director of
the Helena Rubenstein Pavilion
said the work of these artists was
to be part of a major display this
week at the pavilion marking a
memorial for J e wish artists,
martyrs of the Nazi era. Dr.
Gamzu said that the pavilion had
obtained the works, of 128 Jewish
artists throughout , the Western
world for the showing.

Max Schrut

For the HY Spot
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Music by

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and Prompt Service
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Weddings — Bar Mitzvas

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9 Jewish Agencies Seek
High Court Rule on Texts

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Nine
national Jewish organizations have
filed a friend-of-the-court brief in
the U.S. Supreme Court urging the
court to declare unconstitutional
the furnishing of publicly-owned
textbooks to sectarian school pupils.
The court was expected to argue
the case this week. The brief is
directed against a 1965 New York
law under which local school
boards are required to use public
funds to buy textbooks and "loan"
them to pupils attending non-pub-
lic junior and senior high schools.
The Jewish groups contended in
their brief that the law violates the
establishment of religion and free
exercise provisions of the First
Amendment as they apply to sec-
tarian schools. Organizations filing
the brief were: American Jewish
Committee, American Jewish Con-
gress, Anti-Defamation League of
Bnai Brith, Central Conference of
American Rabbis, Jewish Labor
Committee, Jewish War Veterans,
National Council of Jewish Women,
Union of American Hebrew Con-
gregations and the United Syna-
gogue of America.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

28—Friday, April 26, 1968

TY 5-8805

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