Story of Tereska Torres (Mrs. Meyer Levin),
Catholic Jewess With Israeli Loyalties
Tereska Torres is the wife of in Jews, her devotion to Jews, was
Meyer Levin, the well known Jew- always in evidence.
Her friendship with her present
ish author. She is a Jewish nation-
alist, a religious Catholic. She ex- husband dates back to her child-
plains her role in "The Converts," hood. Levin had started visiting
them when she was a mere young-
recently published by Knopf.
Her book is a personal document ster, in Paris.
During the war she married
that is filled with incidents of her
life's experiences with other wom- Georges Torres who died during
en, during the war and her military the war before their child was
career with the deGaulle forces born.
after she escaped from France
The contradictions that appear
when it was captured by the Nazis.
between Marek Szwarc's Jewish
Her father, Marek Szwarc, the
loyalties and his religious pref-
famous artist, became a Catholic
erences are marked in the Teres-
out of conviction. His wife be-
ka Torres stories by a variety
of episodes. The Szwarc conver-
came a Catholic. Tereska was
sion did not meet with much
converted. The entire story is
joy in Jewish ranks. Yet Tereska
based on acceptance of a faith
adopted by the parents.
states that the Great Rabbi of
Paris, as she refers to him with-
Her father was a supporter of
out giving a specific name, had
the Zionist cause and believed in a
met with her father, took a liking
redeemed Zion. Tereska's interests
to him and discussed Hasidism,
the Messiah and Judaism with
him.
She also quotes "an American
rabbi" as having told her: "It is
now years since I talked with your
father in Paris, but I will never
forget him. .Me was a most ex-
traordinary man, and I must tell
you, Tereska, we talked about his
conversion and about Judaism and
Catholicism. Your father was the
best Jew I have ever met."
"The Converts" is, of course,
about Tereska and her family, but
the stories about the girls she was
with during the war, her other
reactions to Jews and Judaism as
well as to the nuns in the convent
school she attended and her Cath-
olic views help make her book an
interesting tale.
A special note in the book re-
lates to her deceased first hus-
band's mother, who was married
to the famous French lawyer
Irving Bluestone was named
Henri Torres, and who had
co-director of the UAW General
asked to be sent to the Buchen-
Motors department by the UAW
wald concentration camp by the
international executive commit-
Nazi so she could join Leon
tee. A close friend and associate
Blum there. They were married
of the late Walter Reuther, Blue-
in that Nazi camp.
stone was among the leaders in
Tereska describes her meeting
UAW who strongly supported
with Blum after the war. She re-
Histadrut and efforts to protect
fers to his aristocratic, gentle
Israel's security.
manner and she tells how she de-
cided to call him stepfather-in-law;
"I couldn't call him 'sir,' and I
Bluestone Gets
UAW's GM Post
Keren Hayesod
kYlits Mounting
-1 • r
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Keren
Hayesod, the Zionist movement's
world-wide fund-raising agency,
reported that its 1969-70 campaigns
in 54 countries yielded a cash
income of $60,500,000. Additional
pledges not yet paid should bring
the total to over $80,000,000, the
report said. South Africa con-
tributed $23,800,000, Britain $17,-
000,000 and Rhodesia, with only
6,000 Jews, raised $1,000,000.
The 50th anniversary of Keren
Hayesod was marked at the Israel
Trade Fair with the opening of
the Keren Hayesod pavilion. Fifty-
four colored balloons, represent-
ing the countries Where the fund-
raising unit functions, were re-
leased at the ceremony.
Nine Agencies to Expand
Cultural Program
NEW YORK—To better plan for
the creative American Jewish cul-
tural development and to inten-
sify the expansion of Jewish cul-
tural programs in this country,
nine major national organizations
devoted to the furtherance of Jew-
ish cultural efforts met with the
National Foundation for Jewish
Culture, of which Rabbi Daniel
Jeremy Silver of Cleveland is
president.
The group, though encouraged
by the growing interest in Jewish
scholarship, deplored "the tragical.
ly inadequate financial support by
the organized American Jewish
community" of the programs of
publications, research, scholarship
and other related areas of Jewish
cultural work.
Israel Frozen Food Plant
Leisure Time in Israel
to Begin Production Soon
TEL AVIV (ZINS) — A survey
ASHDOD — Frozen food, fruits
and vegetables from Israel's rich
farms and groves will be ready
for shipment to world markets in
September with the start of pro-
duction of this country's most
modern frozen food plant.
Sunfrost Ltd. will begin opera-
tion at its new plant in Ashdod,
Israel's new port city adjoining
this country's southern agricul-
tural region, on a staged basis
with almost all product lines being
made available by the end of 1970.
The firm will exploit Israel's
advanced farming industry and
quality fruits and vegetables, ac-
cording to its directors.
In its first year of operation the
$3,000.000, plant will process 15,000
tons of raw materials. It will con-
tain cold storage capacity for 2,500
tons of finished products.
conducted jointly by the ministry
of education and the Hebrew Uni-
versity discloses that Israelis work
fewer hours than their counter-
parts in America. Leisure time in
Israel is calculated as being 4.08
hours daily.
Most Israelis follow the establish-
ed custom of a noontime siesta.
The analysis shows that 80 per
cent of the population spend at
least one evening a week away
from home. Some 40 per cent of the
total population takes in a movie
at least once a week; 47 per cent
read at least one book a month;
15 per cent attend theater perfor-
mances; and 5 per cent attend a
musical concert each month.
The survey also indicated a decline
in the number of book readers
from 53.1 per cent in 1965 to 46.9
per cent in 1969.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
38—Friday, June 5, 1970
Primitive
The longing to be primitive is
a disease of culture; it is archa-
ism in morals. To be so preoccu-
pied with vitality is a symptom of
anemia.—George Santayana.
STOCKING
Largest Selection of Fine
couldn't call him by his first name
American & Imported
as I called Janot (her mother-in-
law). So we chose 'Grappy' as a
suitable name for Dominique and
Michigan is the nation's No. 1
me to use. I made it up on the
at hard-to-heat
spur of the moment, a sort of salt producer.
low-low prices
masculine version of Granny."
(Dominique is her daughter's
Your Bar Mitzva or Wedding
name. She had named her Domi-
nique Marie Raphaelle George
GU ESTA-REY
Torres and Tereska added in stat-
NO. 5
ing her daughter's name: "Ra-
The best in Adult Music &
Entertrunment
phaelle was her Jewish name").
'BUY the BOX'
KE 8-1291
UN 4-0237
There is an interesting note
Reg. 50c Each
about Tereska's father-in-law. He
was commenting on the relation-
5 O NLYS $8 99 itnact
ship between his divorced wife and
her second husband Leon Blum,
e ltribta OAK
and Tereska states:
la
PARK
"Henri Torres, my real father-
in-law, who had a very sharp
TOBACCONIST
tongue once said to me, when he
Custom Blended Pipe Tobacco
returned to France from New
21178 GREENFIELD ROAD
York, `Janot and Leon are by
In Green.4 Shopping Center
themselves a complete Mutual Ad-
Open Evenings & Sundays
PACKAGE LIQUOR DEALER
miration Society'."
The post-war years were trying
ones for Tereska. There was de-
spondency. Then Meyer Levin
came more fully into her life. They
traveled, settled in Israel, a dream
came true for her. A new life
began.
Tereska Torres has depicted an
FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERING CO.
interesting tale of a Jewish Catho-
lic who is devoted to Jewish na-
CUSTOM MADE FURNITURE—DRAPERIES
tional aspirations. It could have
INTERIOR DECORATING
some bearing on the debates re-
273-1863
15345 W. 7 MILE
lating to non-Jews seeking nation-
ality status and citizenship in Is-
rael. —P.S. '
CIGARS
SPECIAL
ROSEN B LAT
ORCH ESTRA
2
Scluvaid3
3 Million More?'
Chronicles Soviet
.
.
Anti-nenntism
4
Only world opinion can 'prevent
a mounting USSR campaign to
eliminate 3,000,000 Russian Jews
from the nation's history through
a carefully-planned program of
cultural and religious attrition.
So states Gunther Lawrence,
veteran publicist of Jewish Affairs,
in his book "Three Million More?"
published today by Doubleday. He
points out that the USSR's anti-
semitic policies represent a Com-
munist (as opposed to Nazi) form
of "spiritual genocide," and shows
how the present Soviet political
stances (anti-Israel, pro-Arab)
serve the same plan.
"Three Million More?" is based
on personal interviews, confiden-
tial files, case histories, media
records and the author's own 1966
visit to the Soviet Union. It places
Russian anti-Semitism in historical
perspective, tracing it through
Czarist times up to the present
Kremlin rule. Lawrence proves
conclusively that, compared to
other Soviet religions and na-
tionalities, the Jew exists as a
second-class citizen.
Former U.S. Ambassador to
the United Nations Arthur J.
Goldberg calls the book "an
important contribution to public
understanding of the tragic
plight of Soviet Jews and a re-
minder to all of us of the neces-
sity for speaking out for human
rights of all peoples every-
where."
Gunther Lawrence is the coordi-
nator of the American Jewish Con-
ference on Soviet Jewry, an ad hoc
body of 25 major Jewish groups in
America working to aid their
brethren in Russia. "Three Mil-
lion More?" is his first book.
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CARE to Discontinue
Activities in Israel
JERUSALEM (ZINS)—A CARE
spokesman announced here that his
organization will shortly discon-
tinue the distribution of food par-
cels in Israel.
In the past 22 years, CARE dis-
tributed millions of food parcels
among needy Israelis. The pro-
gram is now discontinued in Is-
rael because of the significant
economic improvement of the
country and the over-all rise in liv-
ing standards.
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