18—Friday, August 9, 1968

THE - DETROIT JEWISH NEWS '

The Nahas-Producing-Machine

By ETHEL L. LEVEY

(A Seven Arts Feature)

I nominate Dr. Marshall Sklare
for president of the Last Straw
Club, and pre-empt the privilege
because I am the camel whose
back he broke.
Dr. Sklare, a member of the
faculty of Yeshiva University and
the Jewish Intellectual Establish-
ment, said recently that American
Jewish parents tend to look upon
their children as "nahas-producing-
machines" to whom the parents
give the "best hours, wages and
fringe benefits" to keep them pro-
ducing.
He portrays the Jewish mother
as the central and dominating fig-
ure in the family and the father
as a "Nebehel," a weak and inef-
fectual being, unable to draW a
breath without permission from
Mrs. Frankenstein, whom he cre-
ated by marrying a Nice Jewish
Girl and turning her into a Jewish
Mother.
I rise to the support of the few
Jewish mothers left on the Amer-
ican scene who ask for only one
thing—beside the house in Ivy
Falls, the Pucci outfit and a
blonde wig, that is—a little nahas
from their children.
Unmasked at last, she stands
naked (forgive me) before the
world. Producer of patients for the
psychiatric industry or hippies for
the Haight-Asburys of the world,
she, according to Dr. Sklare, has
assumed the role of Mummy the
manager, using what femininity
she has been able to salvage to
emasculate her husband, to rule
her electrically - controlled, syn-
thetic-feathered roost and to pile
up tons of nahas from her two and
one-half progeny (latest statistics
on average number of children in
Jewish families unavailable). If
her offspring are ineffectual in
producing Nahas, the lesson is ob-
vious. Once again Mother has
failed.
Be reasonable, Dr. Sklare.
When you were taking your ran-
dom sample survey of the J.M.'s
left in this land of the free and
the home of the studied insult,
did you ask any of them what
they thought "nahas" was? Or
better yet, let's ask the "Nahas-
producing machines" themselves
for an explanation. It could be
that the Establishment and Jew-
ish Mothers—and Fathers too—
are talking about the same thing.
What the dickens is Nahas ?
Off the top of my flat head:
Nahas is sitting and watching and
listening. It's sitting in a syna-
gogue watching your youngest
daughter under the hupa as she
makes her own move toward "Na-
has-Producing Machine s." It's
watching your granddaughter ride
her bicycle full speed ahead as
she screams, "I'm proud of me,
grandma."
Nahas is the special sense of
accomplishment shining from a lit-
tle girl's face as she makes it
through the Second Movement of
a Hayden Concerto. Nahas is a

son's emergence as a businessman
of honor and integrity with a gen-
uine interest in his fellow man
and the world around him. Nahas
is having in-laws you don't have
to explain "nahas" to. Nahas is
the day a boy stops fighting his
father and begins to think the Old
Man isn't so bad after all.
Nahas is the Elixir of Life for
concerned parents of all societies,
and for Jewish mothers at least it
is seeing another generation of
Jews at home in America, living
in the best of both traditions, using
Jewish values as a base on which
to build their devotion to the ideals
of democracy.
Nahas isn't necessarily having
the newest car, the richest boy
friend, the highest grades, the
longest hair, the shortest dress,
an Israeli son-in-law, or being
president of the Maharishi's Medi-
tation and Curry Club, although
all of these may be pleasant addi-
tions to one's environment.
Now that I am trying to explain,
I can see that Nahas is in short
supply. If it's anything, I guess
Nahas is a Dr. Marshall Sklare
taking time out from a life of posi-
tive accomplishment to concern
himself with the care and feeding
of Nahas-Producing-Machines.

Israel Museum Now Has Ancient Wooden Synagogue

It was a small barrel-vaulted chael of New York, in memory of priately quoted the Talmudic pro-
synagogue in the small community his wife Erna. I. ael's State Comp- liaise that synagogues of the. Dias-
of Horb, upper Frankonia, Ger- troller, Dr. I. E. Nebenzahl, who pora will be reestablished in. Eretz
many. Early in the 18th Centuryinaugurated
I
the synagogue, appro- Israel.
Eliezer Zussman, son of Shlomo
--.
::--
Katz of Brod traveled throughout
WE'RE SHOUTING FROM THE HOUSETOPS!
this area, decorating the wooden
walls and ceilings of six synagog-
ues. Heraldic lions, imaginary ani-
mals, visions of Jerusalem, Bibli-
cal and Talmudic phrases, are in-
is now a member of our staff., Consult her
for any of your REAL ESTATE requirements.
terwoven wi'h flowers to make the
entire synagogue into one large
painting. He completed the syna-
gogue at Horb in the month of
19363 JAS. COUZENS
Av, 1735.
864-6500
The small community of Horb
disintegrated in the 19th century.
The little synagogue became a
barn. In 1913, the local authorities
decided to save this work of art,
MEMBERS AND FRIENDS INVITED
and the wooden planks were dis-
mantled and taken to the nearby
Detroit Lodge #1374
Museum of BamLerz. There, they
survived the fate of other syna-
gogues during the Nazi regime.
The municipality and the Bam-
berg museum have now entrusted
the little synagogue to the Israel
museum in Jerusalem. It took many
Television Comedy Star, Dinner and Dance MUSIC" and
months to reconstruct the wooden
gourmet dinner. Only $17.50 couple.
planks correctly, because of un-
even curves of the ceiling. It is
Tues., Sept. 10, I968—Town 6 Country Club
now exhibited near the 268-year-
old synagogu, from Vittorio Ve-
For Reservations Call:
neto, Italy.
Barry Brown, 398-3451
Lou Trotsky, LI 8-4999
The exhibition of both synagog-
ues was facilitated by Jakob Mi-
Note Rubenstein, 353-5755
Marty Budman, 869-1715

Itohi2nte, Coo

MEDWED REALTY CO.

Inttallation Dinner Dance
FABULOUS FLOOR SHOW STARRING KENNY MILTON

Rosh Ha.shana. is September 23
order your New Year's cards
from Hudson's now

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cards are imported from Israel), and have it imprinted with your family or business
name. $5 to 18.75 per hundred, smaller quantities and additional 25's also available.
We've individual cards for your special friends and relatives. Cellophane packages
of 10 cards, 29W to Hudson's Stationery. Allow 2 wks, for delivery of imprints.

American Family
1st Immigrants to
Arrive at Ashdod

(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
to The Jewish News)

ASHDOD —An American couple
from El Paso and their three young
children, landed here Monday and
won the distinction of becoming
the first immigrants to arrive at
Israel's newest seaport, which has
hitherto handled only cargo.
They are Gerard and Ann Kol,
the forerunners of a group of 100
American families that plan to
settle in Israel. They will spend a
year at Carmiel before deciding
on their place of permanent resi-
dence.
Kol, an English teacher, was off-
ered a job on the spot by Mayor
Avner Garin of Ashdod, who in-
vited the Kols to return after their
year's training at Carmiel. The
family was welcomed by port offi-
cials and officials of the Jewish
Agency.

1-1 -LTIDS01\1"0

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