10—Friday, November 22, 1968
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
vuarter Century of Jewish Music in America
been the growth of Jewish music Parents like the Hebrew Arts
By RABBI AVRAHAM SOLTES
schools. Encouraged by the en- School of Music and Dance.
(Editor's Note: On Feb. 1, the
thusiastic community response
National Jewish Music Council
to the council's program, some
No one can feel as helpless as
will launch the annual Jewish
of our leaders sensed that the the owner of a sick goldfish.—
Music Festival and the observ-
time was ripe for the establish- Kin Hubbard.
BONN (JTA)—The West Ger- bate continues, the NPD plans to andce of the Council's silver jubi-
ment of permanent schools for
man Ministry of Interior believes distribute millions of pamphlets lee. Rabbi Soltes, chairman of
the training of the teachers, can
that an investigation it has just stating its case.
the council, here reviews the im-
tors, organists and musicologists
concluded turned up sufficient evi-
Those who contend that the NPD Pact of the council's work on
that a community of increasing
dence to satisfy the Constitutional is a source of trouble point to the Jewish music in America during
musical taste and sophistication
High Court at Karlsruhe that the brawl that took place in Siegen on the last 25 years.)
needs.
extreme right-wing National Dem- Saturdasy between NPD strong-arm
When the Hasidim walked to the
The Hebrew Union School of
ocratic Party is neo-Nazi and men and about 300 demonstrators furnaces of Auschwitz 25 years Sacred Music in 1948, the Institute
should be banned under West Ger- who attempted to crash a party ago, they strode with dignity, sing- of Music at the College of Jewish
man law.
rally addressed by von Thadden. ing: "Ani Maamin ... I believe in Studies in 1951, the Cantors Insti-
The NPD, however, is planning Police had to intervene with water ; the coming of the Messiah, though tute and College of Jewish Music
to use its influence in seven West cannon and tear gas to disperse, his coming be delayed . . ."
at the Jewish Theological Semin-
At that very time, the American ary in 1952, the Cantorial Training
German state legislatures in which the demonstrators.
it holds seats to get a ruling on Also reminiscent of those times Jewish communty was awakening Institute of Yeshiva University in
its constitutionality by the high was von Thadden's threat in his to an awareness of the raging fire 1959, and the depart ment of Jewish
court. Party chairman Adolf von Siegen speech that the NPD had that had brutally consumed cen- music at the Herzlia Jewish
Thadden said Sunday that NPD "enough strong men" to defend turies-old orchards and forests of Teachers Seminary in 1960 all offer
deputies in the state parliaments itself if the state was unable to European creativity—incinerating degree programs in Jewish music
would present motions asking the guarantee its right to hold public in a few brief years, the root, that have swelled the growing
state governments to call on the rallies under the rules of law and branch, leaf and fruit of tenderly corps of dedicated profesionals
planted Jewish culture. In such an who implement the council objec-
Bundesrat (West Germany's up- order.
The Benda report had been re- agonizing year-1944, the National tive in so many communities
per house) to seek a ruling from
the court on the NPD's status. quested by the coalition govern- Jewish Music Council was born: throughout our nation, as do spe-
lives—sings . . . a cialized schools for children and
peope w
The Bundesrat is composed of rep- ment last summer when it ap- "A people
resentatives of the state legisla- peared that the NPD's political people who sings—lives."
This,
Eliezer
Ben
Yehuda's call
tures.
power was on the rise and that
Interior Minister Ernst Benda the reputedly neo-Nazi party was to rebirth of a half century ear-
22100 GREENFIELD RD.
way
to
winning
its
first
lier,
became
the
council's
motto,
advised
Chancellor Kurt Georg on the
K
OAK PARK, MICH. 48237
ismger of the investigation's seats in the Bundestag (Lower and his unswerving spirit the
Syndicated
Real
Estate
House) in next year's national council's determination: to inten-
PHONE 399-0820
findings.
Investments. Phone
sively cultivate the 'nubile soil of
Kiesinger examined the evidence, elections.
Office Hours: Mon. thru Thurs. 9 to
musical
creativity
in
the
Jewish
but a decision to present a case
The party then had seats in 10
5; Friday 9 to 4; Open Sunday
Paul E. Himelhoch 546-0462
before the Karlsruhe court has West German state legislatures community of America, that it
10 to 1.
bring forth living fruit to nourish
been postponed.
and had just won nearly 10 per
Most political leaders are op- cent of the vote in Wurttemburg- and re-invigorate our bereaved
posed to the NPD, but there are Baden, considered to be the most people.
The National Jewish Music
sharp differences of opinion about liberal of West German states.
Council was established under
whether a ban on the party might NPD chairman Adolf von Thad-
not help rather than hinder it. den had predicted at least 50 the sponsorship of the National
Jewish Welfare Board, and soon
There is also concern that the high seats in the new Bundestag for
afterwards the annual observ-
court may rule against the govern- his party.
ance of a National Jewish Music
ment creating considerable embar-
But the NPD's fortunes took a
rassment for government leaders dip in the most recent local elec- Week was instituted, spurred by
while enhancing the prestige and , tions in which it received 5.2 per the enthusiastic response of 29
respectability of the NPD.
1 cent of the vote—less than half national Jewish organizations, as
Now Assistant General Manager,
well as the wholehearted sup-
On the other hand, some NPD r of what von Thadden forecast.
Milt Levin has helped thousands
port of many professional mu-
members say, a decision by the ,
with their transportation needs over
sicians.
government not to ask the court
the past 23 years. See him today!
Within a year, the festival was
to act would still leave the NPD New Evidence Cited
extended from a week to a month,
with the stigma of unconstitution- to End Limitations Law
JERRY STEIN OLDSMOBILE
the number of sponsoring organiza-
ality. Even those in favor of a
15205 East Jefferson
NEW
YORK
(JTA)—The
Ameri-
bons
grew
to
53,
including
the
ban note that the court could not
lust E. of Alter Rd. • VA 1-5000
possibly act before next Septem- can Jewish Congress said that it Synagogue Council of America,
ber's national elections, and the was imperative that West Ger- which designated a "Jewish Music
NPD might enter the Bundestag many abolish the statute of limi- Sabbath."
Through the 21/2 decades of the
(lower house) no matter what the tations on war crimes prosecu-
eventual ruling is. While the de- tions in light of the "massive new council's activity, celebration of
photographic a n d documentary
the annual festival has been the
evidence" about Nazi war crimi-
stimulus for year-round perform-
Lead the way with
nals recently made available to ances and discussions of Jewish
West German authorities by the
music, reaching into every com-
Soviet Union.
munity of the nation.
CAR
INSURANCE
Dr. Joachim Prinz, chairman of
To further develop interest in
the AJC commission on interna- Jewish music and to promote
Our service is the best —
tional affairs, • noted that West wider participation in the festival,
our rates are low . . why
Germany's chief war crimes pros- the National Jewish Music Council
not compare!
ecutor, Adalbert Rueckerl, just re- adopted the device of establishing
IRV
turned from a visit to Moscow a theme for each annual festival—
Kiesinger Told Data Sufficient
to Deal Death Blow to NPD
GIVE
JEWISH NATIONAL
FUND TREES
10% Return
MILT LEVIN
NOW AT
JERRY STEIN OLDS
ARNOLD KRESCH
427-5700
LI 3-7025
with a "vast amount of new ma- researching and publishing mater-
terial."
ial on the subject — and making
bibliographies, lectures and pro-
gram•suggestions generally avail-
able to the public.
By 1954, the number of festival
programs had so increased that a
new annual publication was added
—"Jewish Music Concert Pro-
grams." The growing observance
0
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Jewish News publish
up-to-the-minute news?
POST'S winning combination of Hot Type composi-
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of the festival had become the mu-
sical highlight of the year in syna-
gogues, centers and cultural or-
ganizations.
The past 25 years have seen the
growth of a repertoire of Jewish
music so extensive and continuous,
that the council is no longer able
to maintain a complete current
publication of reviews, limiting
itself to selected highlights in each
issue of Jewish Music Notes, its
supplement to JWB Circle.
The effect of this quarter cen-
tury of Jewish music activity on
the American Jewish community
may be judged also by the number
of related community musical or-
ganizations and services that have
come into being during this per-
iod: the establishment of a dozen
local community music councils,
the need for an independent cata-
logue of artists by the JWB Lec-
ture Bureau and the increasing
popularity of the arts on the lec-
ture circuit; the growth of cata-
logues of commercial Jewish mu-
sic publishers and r ecor ding
houses.
One of the most exciting devel-
opments , during • this era has
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So be a LAMB, DEER.
Come on in and take a
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Let all the OTTERS wear
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Match Mate Hat . . . $10
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