20—Friday, January 23, 1970

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Yiddish Poet Begs Nehama:
Help Me Emigrate to Israel

NEW YORK (JTA)—A Russian 1952 purge of Jewish intellectuals
Yiddish poet, whose applications by Stalin. He was released in 1954
for permission to emigrate to and all charges against him were
Israel were repeatedly rejected by dismissed. In 1959, his collection
Soviet authorities, has appealed was reissued in Russian transla-
for help to a Yiddish folk singer tion together with another volume,
who had better luck when she "The Vineyard of My Father."
His poems have appeared in the
decided to leave Russia.
The singer, Nehama Lifshitz, Soviet periodical "Yiddish Heim-
made public a letter she received land," in the Warsaw Yiddish
from her friend, Iosif B. Kerler, newspaper "Folkstimme" and in
through the American Jewish the leftist Yiddish newspaper,
Committee. It was released Jan. "Freiheit," in New York. His
latest book was published in 1965.
14 in the New York Times.
Kerler, 52, was wounded while But he wrote to Miss Lifshitz that
serving in the Red Army during he hasn't published a line in the
World War H. He wrote, "I am a last four years.
Yiddish poet and as such I am
"Without Yiddish educational
utterly superfluous in the Soviet
and cultural institutions, with-
Union. Surely no one can any
out- a press, a theater and above
longer deny that because of certain
all, without a mass Yiddish
historical developments, there is
readership—what is there for a
absolutely no future for Yiddish
Yiddish writer to do here?" he
He wrote to Miss Lifshitz that
said in his letter. "It is only
in December 1965 he had received
natural that a Yiddish poet
an emigration permit for himself,
should want to live where his
his ailing wife Anya and their son
people, his culture, his language,
to join Mrs. Kerler's sister in
are firmly established."
Israel, but it was revoked without
Kerler included a poem in his
explanation a month lat. . He said letter which indicated that he
that two subsequent petitions were bears no malice toward Soviet
denied, again without explanation. Russia. In it he said: "Dear land
He appealed to the singer,
where I was cradled, farewell, I
"All we ask, dearest Nehema, is
leave you now ... I go with heavy
that you help us knock on all the heart, with leaden steps. With each
doors. Perhaps through you our
step I tear away pieces of earth
pain, our cry of woe, will reach
soaked with my blood. I wrench
the highest Soviet authorities."
my eye away. I wrench my heart
Miss Lifshitz was permitted to away. And wish you: Let all be
leave Russia for Israel a year ago. well."
She has become an Israeli citizen
Earlier, Pravda printed 11 letters
and has just completed a concert which it said came from Soviet
tour of the United States. Many Jews, all protesting Israeli Pre-
of her songs contain lyrics written mier Golda Meir's call to the
by Kerler, who was born in the Kremlin to let Soviet Jews emi-
Ukraine in 1918 and published his
grate to Israel.
first collection of poems, "For My
The Communist Party newspaper
Land." in 1944.
In 1948, Kerler was arrested in said the letters were from among
the wave of persecution of Yiddish hundreds from "Soviet citizens of
culture which culminated in the Jewish nationality" following what
it described as Mrs. Meir's anti-
Soviet speech.
"Soviet Jews do not need the
Eban Accuses Editor

for Insulting Ben-Natan

patronage and concern of Is-
rael's rulers, whose hands are

JERUSALEM (ZINS) — Foreign
spattered with the blood of
Minister Abba Eban has filed
Arabs and who have involved
charges with the speaker of the
their people in war," one letter
Knesset against Uri Avneri, ac-
was quoted as saying.
cusing him of having insulted Is-
Another spoke of hundreds of
rael's ambassador to West Ger-
previous generations of Jews who
many, Asher Ben-Natan.
Eban charges that Avneri, in an had never lived in Israel and said,
interview that he gave to a cor- "We experience shame and pain
respondent of the New Left during that the state of Israel has fol-
a visit to Germany, said that the lowed in the footsteps of the Nazi
Israel ambassador is a "complete vandals. There can be no justifi-
idiot" and that Ben-Natan's ap- cation for this."
But an open letter signed by six
pointment to his position was more
a tribute to his Aryan appearance Soviet Jews and circulated unoffi-
cially in Moscow claimed that tens
than to hi - qualifications.
Eban further declared that Av- of thousands of Soviet Jews were
neri, in the same interview, sharn- being refused permission to emi-
lv attacked Simon Wiesenthal, who grate to Israel.
This letter was in response to
has acquired a reputation as hunt-
the Jewish authors of a recent
er of Nazi war criminals.
Avneri is editor of the tabloid article in the government news-
magazine "Haolam Haze" and paper Izvestia accusing Israel of
leader of a small maverick party conducting an anti-Soviet cam-
in the last elections which won paign by demanding that Soviet
two Knesset seats. Jews be allowed to leave for Israel.

Jews May Bury Dead in Accord
With Law, Court Rules in Strike

Standing at the gravesite at United Hebrew Cemetery on New York's Staten Island, family mourn-
ers for Louis Sultan try in vain to thaw the ground with a fire. Some 1,700 grave diggers are on strike
at 44 cemeteries.

NEW YORK (JTA)—A State Su-
preme Court Justice ruled this
week that the striking Cemetery
Workers and Green Attendants
Union must permit Orthodox Jews
to bury their dead in accordance
with Jewish religious law.
But the union objects to the
ruling on grounds that it favors
management and does not prevent
the employment of strikebreakers.
Justice Harold Baer ordered that
"the burials must be permitted
upon a written certification by
Rabbi Samuel Schrage or any or-
dained rabbi of the city of New
York that the deceased is a. Jew
and that his family desires burial
within 24 hours," the time limit
set on burial by Jewish religious
law.
Rabbi Schrage is one of the
plaintiffs in a suit filed against
the local, which is striking against

44 Roman Catholic, Jewish and
nonsectarian cemeteries in the
New York area for higher wages.
Another plaintiff is an ad hoc group
called the Emergency Committee
for Jewish Burial.
Previously, the Rabbinical
Council of America sent letters
of protest to the union, Mayor
John V. Lindsay and Governor
Rockefeller, in an effort to make
known the "sense of discomfi-
ture" Orthodox Jews have about
the strike.
Rabbi Abraham Besdin, associate
director of rabbis for the Rabbini-
cal Council, said that the impact
of the strike on Orthodox Jews
was "overwhelming."
The cruicial problems for the
Orthodox he said, include the de-
lay in burial, which under Ortho-
dox law is supposed to take place
within 24 hours after death; the

fact that the bodies are being put
in vaults and embalmed, which
also runs counter to Orthodox
tenets; and the delay in shiva, the
period of mourning for the be-
reaved family.
The rabbi called this latter delay
painful beyond words. He said that
there was no way of reliably esti-
mating the number of bodies await-
ing burial.
Rabbi Gilbert Klpacrman, head
of the New York Board of Rabbis,
said that his group would tpport
the right of families to bury their
own dead. "Nobody on strike can
deny people their basic rights,"
he said.
He added that he took this stand
despite his general position against
crossing a picket line. He said that
his group took no stand on the
strike except insofar as it affected
religious principles.

Soviet Union Excising Jews From History,
Bnai Brith Study of Textbooks Illustrates

WASHINGTON (JTA) — An ex-
haustive study of Sovi e t history
textbooks, prepared by Bnai Brith
researchers, charges the Soviet
Union with employing "the strat-
egy of 1984" to obliterate the
cultural heritage and identity of
Jews not only in Russia but all
over the world.
The survey, submitted to the
Bnai Brith board _f governors
meeting here, claims that the
Soviet Union is deliberately dis-
torting history to make Jews into

Bar-Ilan Announces $35,000,000 Expansion

Dr. Lookstein, outlined the ture. It's ambitious—but we're an
NEW YORK—A $35,000,000 ex-
pansion program for Bar-Ilan Uni- $35,000,000 development plan which ambitious institution. That's why
versity, the only American univer- will see its student enrollment we've accomplished what we have
sity under religious sponsorship double to 9,000 within the next five thus far," added Dr. Lookstein.
The university has completed over
in Israel, was years.
The expansion program calls for $5,000,000 in construction during
outlined Sunday
the
past 18 months.
edifices
the
construction
of
12
new
y its chancellor,
The university's newest unit, a
Dr.
Joseph H. on the campus, including buildings
Lookstein, at the for the departments of chemistry, law school, with an experimental
university's 15th physics, life sciences, social curriculum, will admit its first
anniversary cele- sciences, psychology, literature and students in September.
Dr. Lookstein used the occasion
bration, in the languages and Jewish studies.
Waldorf - Astoria Plans also call for a 13-story dor- of the 15th anniversary celebra-
Hotel, in N e w mitory, housing 500 students from tion and the personil appearance
York.
the United States and the western of Justice Goldberg to announce
The more than hemisphere nations, a synagogue the establishment by the univer-
500 Jewish com- —auditorium complex, and a sports sity's board of trustees of the
munal leaders center. It also includes provisions "Arthur J. Goldberg Prize for Ex-
from the United for housing the university's pro- cellence in Legal Studies." The
Dr. Looksteln States, Canada, jected school of business adminis- prize will be granted annually to
South Africa and Israel who at- tration.
the most outstanding student in
tended the dinner- were addressed
The chancellor described the the law school, Albert Parker,
by former United States Supreme program, "as reflecting the uni-
Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg versity's truly phenomenal growth a prominent New York attorney,
and Congressman John J. Rooney during the past 15 years and served as chairman of the anni-
of New York.
our positive prognosisfor its fu- versary fete.

Dreyfus case in a chapter on
"non-persons."
It was written by Dr. William France contained in a textbook of
Korey, director of the Bnai Brith world history from the second half
office at the United Nations, and of the 19th Century to 1917.
was researched and documented
A ninth grade high school text-
by Ma Schlesinger.
book makes no mention of anti-
The survey concentrated on 15 Semitic persecution and concen-
history textbooks currently in use tration camps for Jews in its
throughout the Soviet Union, all description of the Nazi regime.
of them published since 1966.
A chronology in a 10th grade
The authors said the texts
high school textbook lists the
constitute the "sum total" of re-
establishment of new states with-
quired history textbooks for all
out mentioning Israel. The lat-
primary and secondary schools
ter is referred to only in connec-
in the Russian Republic. "To the
tion with the 1956 Sinai cam-
extent that they are used in
paign in which Israel is branded
translation in other republics of
an "aggressor."
the Soviet Union, they have an_
In addition to the primary and
almost nationwide impact and
provide the Soviet elementary secondary school texts, the survey
examined
a two-volume history
and secondary school student
with the principal source of in- used in state universities. It also
formation on the historic past," studied samplings of history text-
books written in .the native lan-
the survey stated.
The study will be published by guage and used in the republics
the International Council of Bnai of the Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia
Brith. Among its conclusions are and Lithuania. "The same conclu-
that: Jews are rarely mentioned sions apply to these as to the
Russian textbooks," the survey
and their culture is ignored.
The contributions of Jews to stated. "The inevitable result of
civilization generally and Western Soviet policy is that students are
culture specifically is completely denied a positive image of the
disregarded: the distinctive role Jew," the study asserted.
It noted moreover, that "Jews
of anti-Semitism '1 Russian and
today are the only Soviet ethnic
world history is barely noted.
Even the quintessence of geno- group without their own school
cidal anti-Semitism—the Holocaust system taught in their native
of the Nazi era—is slighted; an- tongue."
cient Jewish history is dismissed
None of the Midle Eastern states
as a factor in world history, and
the State of Israel is scarcely existed in the days of World War I
—and the juridical existence of
noted.
An example of the omissions eight of the Arab states is actually
cited by the study was the absence shorter than the 20-year history of
of any reference to the celebrated IsraeL