Boris Smolar's 'Between You ... and Me' (Copyright 1970, JTA Inc.) Spirit Spirit of Law on Burial Being Violated Despite Court Order, NY Group Charcre Friday, February 6, 1970-21 OUR NEW ADDRESS 25435 SOUTHFIELD RD. NEW YORK (JTA)—Although identified, told the JTA that he Southfield the court order stating that all attaches the blame for the lengthy Jews have the right to be buried I strike to the cemetary owners. He Jules Fayne within 24 hours after death is I quotes one of them as saying: PHOTOGRAPHERS being obeyed, the spirit of the "What's the rush. Our clients are 352.8930 law is being violated, according not going anywhere." to Hyman Dechter, counsel for Old 0 C1 111 11 the Emergency Committee for Jew- i ISRAEL BONDS AT 20: Twenty years ago—two years after the ish Burial establishment of the state of Israel—I was with a small group of top New York Supreme Court Jus- American Jewish leaders summoned by Prime Minister David Ben- lice Harold Baer had issued the Gurion to Jerusalem to discuss the situation of the fledgling state. sion in response to the commit- The situation of the infant state was at that time far from being desision suit against striking grave- El rosy. In fact, It was critical. Aside from being surrounded by Arab tee gers here. military forces on the land, young Israel faced at that time a period dig Dechter said that because of of increasing austerity. Israeli currency was of little value outside of the country. Bread was rationed. There were no chickens, no eggs, no cold • weather, air-hammers were 9 butter, no tomatoes, no apples. Milk was rationed and only for chit. needed to break the icy ground dren. Meat was rationed to a few grams a week to be served primarily for burial. In most cases, he con- , tinued, the cemeteries were not for the Sabbath. The country was fed at that time mostly on carp. Some kibutzim Providing people with the expen- developedpools for breeding carp—a fish which is kosher, requires no sive pieces of equipment. He con- p I es s 1 arge numbers. There were ch o ppe d car p tended that if the situation be an d mu lti p lie feeding, dishes for breakfast, fried carp for lunch and boiled carp for dinner. comes serious enough so that bodies There was carp on Sunday, carp on Monday carp on Tuesday and cannot be buried within 24 hours, his Wednesday, carp on Thursday, carp on Friday and Saturday supple- as required by Orthodox law, group may have to take legal mented by a thin slice of rationed meat on the Sabbath. Pouring into Israel at that time were tens of thousands of immi- action. Rabbi Samuel Schrage, chair- grants from various countries. Most of them were remnants of Euro- man of the committee, told the pean Jewry liberated from Nazi camps after the fall of the Hitler JTA that burials now take up regime. The newcomers also included many thousands of Jews from' Moslem countries. All the newcomers were poor and many of them to 12 hours because of the lack sick. The young state could not afford to build houses for them, so of necessary equipment, and that they were sheltered in barracks and in tents and lived in slummy volunteers and family members are working "almost around the "maaborot." clock" to make sure that reli- Added to this picture of gloom was also widespread unemployment. People were lucky to get any kind of work. They were not choosy in gious requirements are met. accepting jobs which were not in the line with their professions. You The committee, which aids fam- could see immigrant lawyers, who did not know the Hebrew language ilies concerned with burial prob- "gazoz"—carbonated water—on the street. Others peddled lems, nas suggested to some fam- srlling combs and brushes. While the military situation on the fronts was ilies that they bury their dead in secure; the 'economic situation looked almost hopeless. And this was Israel, "where it is presently what the Israel government wanted top American Jewish leaders to easier to get buried than in New York City," and to others that see with their own eyes. BIRTH OF AN IDEA: Landing at Lydda airport—which was at they go to non-union cemeteries in that time very small and far from what it is today—we were met by top the Metropolitan area. The rabbi Israeli leaders, including Zalman Shazar and Golda Meir, the present claims so far all of the Orthodox president and prime minister of Israel, respectively. Golda led us into dead are being buried within the "small room at the airport where we were served an "austerity" 24 limitation despite the "hard- ship" conditions. breakfast. Dechter claimed that the attor- We had orange juice—something of which Israel always had plenty because of its citrus groves — and the waiters brought us omelets. ney for the cemetery owners has not indicated that there would be "These omelets," Golda warned us before we started to eat, "are froni , eggs. They are from imported egg-powder. We have no eggs now absolutely no cooperation forth- in our country because we have no chickens, and we have no chickens coming as regards the use of air- hammers, because of possible because we have no fodder for them." Rationed bread was brought to the table, and again Golda ex- injury to the people that would plained that there was no white bread and dark bread was being have to operate them. The strike rationed because flour had to be imported from abroad. "We do not of 1,700 gravediggers throughout havufficient reserves of flour, and whatever reserves we have must the New York area began on Jan. be Upt for the armed forces," she told us. Pointing to the pats of 12. On Jan. 20, 13 of the men, "Mater" that came with the bread, she smiled her usual good-natured members of Local 365 of the Cem- etery Workers and Green Attend- smile and, indicated that this was not butter. "We cannot afford butter wlien we need guns," she said. "We have no butter because we have ants were arrested as they tried to prevent hearses from entering a no no milk, except for hospitals and for school children. And we have milk, because our cows. don't give much milk now—we don't have Roman Catholic cemetery here. sufficient fodder to feed them to give much milk." Local 365 flatly rejected a re- The first visit we paid upon reaching Tel Aviv was to President quest made by the Emergency Chaim Weizmann. And the story we heard from him about the economic Committee for Jewish Burial to conditions in the country was heartbreaking. Even more outspoken provide workers to bury the Or- was Premier David Ben-Gurion. At a closed meeting addressed by thodox dead. "We would be break- Moshe Sharett and other members of the Israel Cabinet we heard re- ing our own strike," Sam Cimag- ports clearly picturing the Situation in the country—not at the battle-. lia, vice presdent of the local told fronts—as extremely grave. The country faced an economic collapse: the JTA. "We orginally agreed austerity bordering on starvation, paralyzed agricultural development, to allow six members of the deceased to dig the grave, if and -practically no industry to speak a. It was obvious that something drastic must be done to prevent , a rabbi testified as to their Ortho- such a collapse. The aid given by American Jewry to Israel came doxy. We did not say that we primarily through the United Jewish Appeal and it amounted to many I would provide men. This is a mis- on tlf9 committee's tens of millions of dollars a year. But this hardly covered the needs interpretation part: , of the waves of immigrants that came week after week—and in some was imperative that in addition to weeks, day after day—to Israel. It Two New York undertakers UJA funds, Israel should secure other funds from American Jewry THE DETROI T JEWISH N EWS specialize in flying the dead to LIFE INSURANCE UNIT MANAGER A four-billion dollar, 104 year old company—The Union 0 Central Life—is seeking a Unit Manager. Excellent starting salary plus override. Minimum two years ex- perience required. For an appointment, call Mr. Harold a Josephson, CLU, 961-6364. Naturally, all inquiries will be held in the strictest confidence. El 0 MORTGAGE MONEY Applications for FHA Loans Now Being Accepted. Maximum FHA Amounts and 30 Year Terms Avail- able to Qualified Applicants. Call Norbert Ratalsky at "The Bend-Over-Backwards-Bank" NATIONAL BANK OF SOUTHFIELD MORTGAGE DEPT. — YORKSHIRE OFFICE CENTER 21751 W. 11 Mile at Lahser Ph. 353-6400 YOU CAN'T MISS WITH MISTELE ! Michigan's leading coal dealer since 1895. We have the best in commercial coals . . . and a large selection of domestic coals. We have our own heating de- partment for prompt service on stoker & oil burner repairs. * * * * * * * * We are the EXCLUSIVE Shell Heating Oil Distributor in the Metropolitan Detroit Area For Prompt & Efficient Service MISTELE COMPANY in large sums, not for philanthropic purpose of absorbing the huge Israel but El Al Airlines denied 6495 MITCHELL, DETROIT numbers of newcomers, but for strengthening Israel's economy. there had been a sharp upsurge The idea of launching an. Israel Bond drive in the United States in such burials. was then born. we look A spokesman for the emergency THE PICTURE TODAY: It looks like ancient history when was committee, who asked not to be back now to the "austerity" days in Israel, when the decision taken to issue Israel Bonds for. sale in the United States, later t o redeemed in American dollars. Today, when You can get in Israel all abundance; the white bread you want; when meat, eggs, butter are in when youare tempted in the bakery windows by the finest cakes; when you have luxurious hotels serving you the best of food one can get in any country; when unemployment is no longer felt and the thousands i shelters—today the "austerity" of immigrants no longer live in squalid Situation of 20 years ago is like a bad dream long forgotten. States has The role which the sale of Israel Bonds in the United as played in..the economy of the country will go into Israel's history quickly changing the picture from gloom to hope, and later to unprece- dented economic development. Israel's achievements during these 20 years—with the aid of Israel Bonds—in expanding the country's agri- culture and in building up its industry are impressive by any standards. Up to the end of 1969 the sale of Israel Bonds reached $1,430,000,000. Last year alone, the Israel Bond office in the U.S. sold about $160,000,- 000, which is the largest amount sold in any year, with the exception of 1967, the year of the Six-Day War. Credit for the first four years of the Israel Bonds success goes to Practically Located In Your Back Yard head of the organization until Henry Montor, 'who was the service, executive the sales of bonds totalled about 1955. During his years of TELEGRAPH AT 12 MILE CALL 353-1300 MON., THURS. TIL 9 P.M. has been sold $195,090,000. The remainder — exceeding $1,235,000,000 the direction of the Bond cam- NIIIIMMIMMIIIMIIIIMMIHRIMIIIMMIIIMIIMIMIMMI14111111111111101111110111111111111111111111111111011111111111101111111111111011111111111111111111111111111111101111111111111111111111N1111111111M1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 s ince Dr . Joseph Schwartz took over PHONE 9214900 Mr lk ien:an TAMAROFF BUICK MICHIGAN'S FASTEST GROWING BUICK DEALER WHY? LOWEST PRICES and BEST- SERVICE r . u M Pe i lliNsiidliitiliciO 3 I