El Al Spreads Wings Notable Agnon Work: His '21 Stories'
Over Kingdom of Lions
Editor's Note: Misha LonvIsh, of
Jerusalem, has translated denotes
“A Guest for the Night.' (Sehocken
Books. New York), and a Intraber of
his short stories.
EL. At
CrEleMILLIC
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which was recognized in 1966 by
the award of the Nobel Prize.
Schocken Issues
Agnon's Stones
By MISHA Louvisn
Samuel Joseph Agnon, the great-
est Hebrew writer of his time and
Schocken Books continue, as pub-
the first Nobel laureate of modern
lishers of Agnon's works in this
Hebrew literature, who passed
country, to produce his notable
away in his 82nd year on Feb. 17,
writings, and the newest of the
was a complex of contradictions:
Agnon work s, "Twenty - One
pious Jew and restless questioner;
Stories," again emphasize the fas-
stylistic conservative and literary
cination that is inherent in these
trail-blazer; a passionate lover of
narrations.
Zion, but deeply and enduringly at-
Able translators have rendered
tached to the Diaspora town where
these stories into English, and
he was born.
the good fortune is that one of
He was a religious Jew, steeped
the most distinguished Jewish
in Scriptures, the Talmud and its
scholars, Prof. Nahum H. Glatzer,
commentaries, meticulously observ-
has edited this volume. The edi-
ing the Law and the Command-
torial postcript evaluating each
ments; and yet he did not pretend
of the 21 stories is a valuable
to justify the ways of God to man:
SAMUEL AGNON
factor in a notable work.
his work was filled with a profound
unrest, a tragic sense of the in- published in a Cracow Hebrew Among the translators is Isaac
adequacy of human efforts to re- weekly and by the age of 18 he was Franck, former executive director
veal the purposes of the Creator known as a promising young writer. of the Detroit Jewish Community
and meet his demands.
He was active in the local Zionist Council, himself among the leading
Rooted in 'Tradition
Society, but had no patience with Hebraists in America. Other trans-
I His style was deeply rooted in the spechifying, meetings and con- lators include Barney Rubin, Ba-
' entire compass of traditional He- gresses.
ruch Hochman, I. M. Lask, Jules
brew literature; he eschewed mod-
Harlow, Arnold J. Band, Joseph
ernist innovations in vocabulary
In 1907 he left his father's house
Moses, Misha Louvish, I. Schen,
and syntax; but he created out of to settle in the Promised Land. For Robert Alter, Gershom Schocken,
the traditional elements a distinc- a time he lived in Jaffa, where he Judah Stampfer, David S. Segal,
tive style all of his own, which has served as secretary of local Jewish
exercised a strong and pervasive institutions, and began his literary Yoram Matmor.
There are several very short
influence on the young Israeli work in earnest. His first story,
"Agunot" ("The Deserted"), was stories—like "My Father's House"
writers.
At the age of 21 he left his native signed with the pseudonym "Ag- and "To the Doctor." In every
LION OF JUDAH EXTENDS A WELCOME
town and made his home in Israel; non," which he later adopted as his instance the reader's attention is
ke D id Ben-Gurion he believed family
a quest for
. 1913 he went to held fast encouraging
Y ame In
•
A stately lion, symbolizing the towns. The best coffee in the world li David
grows in the rainforests of Kaffa, that the only true Zionist is he who Berlin, where his works were being ' additional inspiration from take
Kingdom of Ethiopia, land of the a southern province. The source settles in the homeland; but his ' published, and was caught by the to tale.
Lion of Judah, was on hand to wel- of the Blue Nile has a waterfall writings, inspired by a profound war. He married in 1919 and re-
There is sensitivy on every
come a majestic bird of the sky as which rivals Niagara for impress- love for the world of his childhood, turned in 1924.
page and in all instances there is
Agnon made his home in the that great respect for the sacred-
an El Al Israel Airlines' jetliner iveness. The Simean gorge "out- constituted perhaps the greatest
Grand Canyon;
while monument
in literature
the behind
East. Jerusalem quarter of Talpiot, and ness of the Jewish heritage. In-
recently touched down for the first grands"
in these the
mountains,
near Gondar,
European
Jewry he to
left
went on with his writing. In 1929 herent in these stories is the in-
time at Addis Ababa's airport.
lives the Falasha tribe. These peo hi
his home was plundered by Arabs flnence of the Bible, the power that
Thus El Al inaugurated its new- ple, whose places of worship are
Shmuel Yosef Czaczkes was born
in
the
little
Eastern
Galician
town
during
the riots of that year, and links the characters with tradition.
est, most exotic route. The three- clay huts with thatched roofs and
When Agnon dealt with divorce
and-a-half-hour flight traversing the Star of David on top, bear a of Buczacz in 1888. He received in 1930 he paid a visit to his home
deem
and
a
traditional
town
and
other Jewish centers in there was also the human factor
the Red Sea between Israel and strikingly strong resemblence . to
education, studying works of gen- I Eastern Europe. The depressing and the power of frequent recon-
East Africa is now regularly sched- the Yemenite Jews.
ciliation.
uled to depart Tel Aviv every Fri-
eral knowledge and German liter. sight of post-war Jewry provided
The several eras that indicated
The
largest
market
in
Africa
is
ature as well as Talmud and Mid; the stimulus for his great novel
day morning.
The first personal ties between in Addis Ababa. Here, too, are rash. He read deeply in Hasidic "Oreach Natah Lalum" ("A Guest the style of Agnon's writings are
Israel and Ethiopia were created some of the world's most modern and Rabbinic lore, as well as the for the Night"), which he wrote in evidence and the eminent au-
thor wrote not only about the less
3,000 years ago, when the Queen buildings, alongside clay huts and writings of the medieval Paytanim several years later.
assimilated but also about the
of Sheba paid her historical visit thatched roofs. The hardy and ad- (hymnalists) and sages.
Aims in Writing
modern man, about the emerging
venturesome
will
want
to
visit
the
Began Writing at 15
to King Solomon. In announcing
new forces it !tie.
oldest
monastery
in
the
world,
at
from
Despite
the
paradoxical
element
He
wrote
Hebrew
rhymes
El Al's new service Y. Shrem,
Prof. Glatzer's explanatory notes
the airline's commercial vice pres- Debre Damo, which is reached by an early age; at 15 he had a poem in his work, few authors can be
placed so firmly in the mainstream are worth recording. About Ag-
ident, stated: "The airline is the climbing a 60-foot rope.
,- /n of Jewish thought and tradition
As an extension of a trip to
non's "Tht Lady and the Peddler"
logical step following years of
religious and national. His aim was He defines:
good will and understanding be- Israel, a visit to the Land of the Miss World Airport
not to rebel against the past, like
tween Israel and Ethiopia. Our bib- Queen of Sheba will add an excit-
"A violent, murderous gentile
so many great figures in Hebrew
lical heritage serves to deepen our ing and unusual dimension to the
literature, but to continue to fulfill lady and a lone, wandering, ped-
travel experience. Detailed infor-
affiliations."
dling Jew: a nightmare of attrac-
and
develop
its
heritage
Vast, unspoiled and decidely dif- mation a bout accommodations,
tion and repulsion, fascination and
He was steeped in rabbinic lore cruel response, primordial suspi-
ferent, Ethiopia has much to offer shopping restaurants, tours and
and the annals of the great Hasidic cions, hatreds, distorted symbols;
even the most seasoned traveler. transportation, as well as the art,
rabbinical dynasties. His Hebrew a dream-like, grotesque happen-
Among h e r attractions are big customs and folklore of Ethiopia,
was marvelously vivid and expres- ing, without purpose or resolve."
game hunting, a game reserve, is available from the El Al Israel
sive but he rigorously avoided the
museums and sites of ancient Airlines office in this area.
Here is how Agnon concluded
neologisms that fill the columns of
the Israeli press and are heard on his story which was translated by
Gershom
Schocken:
our city streets; he used the for-
mations and locutions he found in
"On the fifth day she gave up
for
combined
weighing
and
con-
the literature of the past.
Since biblical days, Lod has
the ghost and died. Joseph went
been one of the important cross- veying of luggage now is available.
At the same time he lived fully to look for a priest and did not
El Al will have its own luggage
roads of Israel. Today, the name
in the present. Enriched with all find one. He made her a coffin
area, all under cover and with
that was best in the Jewish heri- and a shroud and dug in the snow
carries an even greater connota- electric carts to convey the luggage
tage—religious, national and lin- to bury her. As the ground was
RIVKA BEN BASSAT
tion.
to the aircraft.
guistic—he was a keen and pene- frozen, he could not dig her a
The viewing deck, on the third
Located 10 miles from Tel Aviv,
Rivka Ben Bassat, 23 year-old trating observer of the human grave. He took her corpse and
the nation's largest city, is Israel's floor, will have almost every re- El Al Israel Airlines ground heart and the human condition, and put it into the coffin and climbed
international airport, Lod. Accom- quired facility, including specious hostess at LOD International Air- everything he saw was illuminated on top of the roof and buried the
modating the aircraft of 16 major restaurants and snack bars. This port in Israel, won the title of by his vast knowledge of Jewish coffin in the snow. The birds
international airlines, Lod airport, floor is expected to be ready by "Miss World Airport 1970" in a thought in all periods. smelled her corpse. They came
reflecting the enormous growth of the end of summer.
and pecked at the coffin and broke
Hostesses of the Israel Tourist contest held in London earlier this Hebrew Literature Bridge
Israel as a center of tourism, is
it and divided among themselves
Agnon was a living bridge be- the corpse of the lady. And the
presently undergoing a several-mil- Ministry are available at all hours month.
Miss Ben Bassat, a native-born
lion-dollar expansion program de- to assist passengers. These young Israeli, was chosen from among tween the periods of Hebrew liter- peddler took his pack and resumed
signed to handle 1,000,000 passen- ladies are proficient in at least 16 contestants in a contest pro- ature. His roots went back to the his rounds from place to place
gers yearly expected in the open- two European languages, in addi- moted by Universal Films, makers Talmud and the Bible, while his and again cried out his goods."
methods and the tone of his work
ing of the new decade and the in- tion to Hebrew, and are convers-
As Dr. Glatzer concluded, it was
of the film, "Airport."
seemed to speak straight to his ,
ant in several more.
troduction of the "jumbo" jets.
She speaks five languages flu- young contemporaries; few authors 'without purpose or resolve."
Approximate travel times from
Current facilities available It
ently, and is a student of Jewish
Imagination mingles with nos-
all hours include restaurants, Lod: to Tel Aviv, 30 minutes, to and world history at Tel Aviv Uni- have had such a strong influence
influence of life in
snack bars, souvenir and magazine Jerusalem, 55 minutes, and to versity in her spare time. As part on the younger generation of Israeli talgia, the
Israel,
Jerusalem's fascination—
writers.
stands, banking offices (for ex- Haifa, two hours.
of the prize, Ricki, as she is called
It
was
by
his
concentration
that
all
combine
to
offer the reader a
Ten
minutes
from
Lod
is
the
change of currency) postal and
by her friends, will journey to
telegraph departments, hairdress- Avia Aviation ,Hotel which offers Hollywood for screen tests. Israeli Agnon create d work of universal variety of topics that have made
over
100
air-conditioned,
sound-
ing salon, and several duty-free
film producers are also showing significance. By dedicating himself Agnon the dean of writers, the
shops with a splendid array of proofed rooms, a first class swim- interest, but seemingly unaffected to the literature and language of a great mystic whose kabbalism be-
! comes realism.
ming pool, spacious dining rooms,
goods for departing passengers.
by all the attention, she hopes small people, by devoting much of
In these "Twenty-One Stories"
The newly enlarged and rede- lounges, duty-free shops (for deliv- only to return to her duties as his writing to the customs and
signed terminal provides nearly eries at the airport on departure) ground hostess for El Al.
annals of one small town in Galicia we have samples of the works of a
and
attached
to
the
hotel,
the
only
much
available
floor
Jerusa-
great
artist. Schocken enriches lit-
twice as
The El Al office in this area is and, later, to one suburb in
real English type "pub" in the
space spread over three floors.
now located at 24100 Southfield lem, he penetrated to the depths of rature with its productive offer-
country..
The latest in automatic scales
Rd., Suite.315, Southfield. phone human thought and experience and ings of the works of the most emi-
won a place in world literature, neat Jewish writers.
352;5747. „
THE kETIIHHT JEVIgH
A-9—Friday, May 15, 1970
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Israel's Enlarged Lod Airport