Purely Commentary
By Philip Slomovitz
Detroit Zionist Federation Formalized
Under Presidency of Carmi M. Slomovitz
Jacob Blaustein and Dr. Louis I. Neuman
Unification of all Detroit Zionist establish the American Zionist ican Federation to include cor-
porate memberships by enrolling
groups in accordance with the Federation was formalized here
congregations and I r a tern a I
World Zionist Congress decision to last week with the formation of
the Detroit Zionist Federation. groups, as well as women's organ-
successor to the Zionist Council izations as members.
"Emphasis in our federated
of Detroit.
Carmi M. Slomovitz was elected movement will be placed on aliya,
president. Louis Pa n us h was the settlement of American youth
named vice president In charge of in Israel, the enrollment of our
education, and Albert Kramer is young people as students in Israeli
the vice president in charge of universities and the involvement of
youth in Zionist ranks." Slomovitz
public affairs.
was said upon his acceptance of the
Rabbi Moses Lehrman
named vice president in charge of presidency.
programing; Dr. Eugene Pious,
A call will go out to the com-
vice president in charge of aliya;
munity for enrollment of all ex-
Rabbi Leo Goldman, vice presi-
isting groups in the new federa-
dent, in charge of memberships;
tion, in order to extend the pub-
and Jerry Malamud, vice president
lic relations programs aid to
In charge of Israeli products.
create a =dialed Jewish trout
Dr. Sidney Z. Leib was elected
in defense of Israel, Slomovitz
treasurer; Devera Stocker, cor-
said.
responding secretary; and Dr.
CARML K. SI.OMOVITZ
He said that special emphasis
Lea Feuer, recording secretary.
will be placed on efforts to counter-
Isadore Shrodeck and Philip
act the growing anti-Israel move-
Slomovitz are the representatives
ment conducted in universities by
to the national administrative
Arab students and by Kremlin-
board, and Morris Lieberman and
motivated leftists.
Steven Goldin are delegates to
Youth and campus committees
the Jewish Welfare Federation
and Jewish Community Council will be organized soon to fulfill the
two
needs, and the participation of
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Details of governing boards, respectively.
a plan to blow up the Shalom
The world decision for the for- leaders In all local religious and
Tower, Israel's only skyscraper mation of regional federations to social movement will be the feder-
office building, were disclosed unify all movements directs the De- ation's immediate aim, Slomovitz
here at the trial of a 20-year-old troit Federation through the Amer- added.
Swiss youth, Rene Brejuel. He
was arrested at Haifa port last
Don Frohman's Creative Role as Musical Director
Don Frohman has written another cantata which will be presented summer with high explosives con-
at Cong. Shaarey Zedek, and the appearance of several eminent cantors cealed on his person.
The young man has been linked
—including Jacob Barkin and Jacob IL
to the Popular Front for the Lib-
Sonenklar of our community, together
eration
of Palestine and to Arab
with Isaac Goodfriend and Moshe Taube '
circles in Switzerland.
and the Shaarey Zedek choir—in its pre-
If convicted, Brejuel could be
miere, serves to honor the composer on
sentenced to death, but it is con-
an important anniversary. Marking Froh-
(Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, JTA)
sidered unlikely that capital pun-
man's 25th year with the Shaarey Zedek,
(Copyright 1970, JTA Inc.)
ishment will be applied in his
it calls attention to his many accomplish-
case. Police said that Brejuel
ments in advancing the musical art and
JEWISH IDENTITY: The Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of
talked freely of his plans after he
encouraging singers in their participa-
New York has now taken a front seat in the movement of promoting
was picked up in Haifa.
tion at public functions.
Jewish identity among students. It voted a grant of $75,000 for the
A sharp-eyed customs inspec-
Not only at the Shaarey Zedek but
establishment of a new agency which will have the task "to help curtail
tor spotted the youth after he
also with other local musical groups, as
the apparent growing alienation of campus-age Jews from their
disembarked from the Italian
director of a choir in Cleveland, as a
religious and communal heritage."
motorship
Messapia
with
a
tour-
director, composer and himself a singer
The new agency will be known as the Jewish Association for
ist passport. Despite the sum-
of note, Frohman has well earned what-
College Youth. It will function as an independent body. It will have its
user heat, he was wearing a
ever acclaim is given him for his dedi-
own board of directors composed probably of 30 members. One half of
jacket and an overcoat. A
cated labors in the field to which he has
Frohman
the board membership will come from faculty and students on the
search showed him to be wear-
devoted his life.
campus; the other half will be appointed from the board of the
The honors accorded him assume a communitywide significance.
ing a specially made corset in
federation, some of its agencies which are involved in services on the
Frohman has appeared as soloist and director at so many important
which 20 briquets of high ex-
campus and Jewish organizations interested in strengthening Jewish
functions, he has cooperated with so many movements, that his
plosives were concealed.
name is synonymous with music and with the entire community. As our
According to police, Brejuel identity. The new agency will operate under its own bylaws, maintain
communal composer-musician, he has our respect for his labors and told them "I am a leftist." He said its own headquarters, and have its own executive director.
There are 60 degree-granting colleges and universities in greater
our congratulations for his accomplishments.
he wanted to help the Arab cause
•
•
•
and went to Beirut, where he con- New York and they are attended by more than 125,000 students. A
tacted
the
Popular
Front
for
the
study
initiated more than a year ago by the federation has established
Changing to Sephardic Pronunciation
World Jewry is faced with a challenge by the manner in which Liberation of Palestine, beaded that although most Jewish college students do not actively reject their
Hebrew is pronounced in Israel. In many of our communities the by Dr. George Habash.
Jewishness, indifference to Jewish continuity is widespread among
Ashkenazic is still in use in services but Bnai Mitzva are trained in
He said they trained him in the them. The study has also established that colleges and universities
the Sephardic. While those who are Ashkenazi and are hesitant to use of explosives and provided have only infrequently provided Jewish students with an opportunity
change may not be too ready for the revolutionary trend, there is him with the corset. He returned to study Judaism on a mature and intellectually challenging level.
the necessity for common usage better to link the communities and to Switzerland, secured a fresh What is more—while there are Hillel Foundations functioning in some
to create the even stronger language conformity between Israel and passport and went to Israel.
of the colleges In greater New York, no Hillel Foundation operates at
the Diaspora.
The 20-story building in the old Columbia and at New York University, the two largest universities in
In a message to his congregation, written in the first person, business district of Tel Aviv is the the city.
Dr_ Richard C. Hertz informed Temple Beth El that "We Change tallest in Israel. An explosion
Realizing that the future of the federation hinges on the Jewish-
to Sephardi," emphasizing that "the Israeli accent is the way to the during business hours could have ness of the youth, the leaders of the federation decided that something
future, and Beth El is building for the future."
caused heavy casualties, police must be done to nourish the Jewish identity of college youths and
Rabbi Hertz in his message conceded that "the sound of Sephardic said.
their sense of relatedness to the Jewish community. The idea of
Hebrew might sound strange to their ears and create problems for
Police announced that 12 mem- financing the establishment of a Jewish Association for College Youth
our older members." He advanced this argument in support of a bers of an Arab terrorist cell, all as a subvention agency of the federation was thus born.
of them Jordanian citizens, have
change:
"On the other hand, Hebrew is spoken In Israel as a living been arrested in various West
PAVING THE WAY: The $75,000 grant by the federation to the
language. We identify with our brethren in Israel through the Bank villages.
Association for College Youth is only the beginning. The new group,
living .tongue they speak. Liberal congregations the world over
The roundup followed the con- when organized, twill look for funds from foundations and other sources.
have adopted Sephardit, and in this country Reform congregations fession by 22-year-old Israeli
cooperate with the new group.
have done likewise. Many of the Israeli expressions carried over Arab Said el-Farah that he plant- Federation qgenclet will
Because greater - New York has 60 campuses, the work and the
into Reform Jewish practice are Sephardit. We say, "Shabat ed the two hand grenades which
programs of the new group may differ in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles,
Shalom." We refer to our "Oneg Shabat." We say "Shalom."
blew up In • the Tel Aviv central
"I thought that when we moved Into the new'temple, it would bus terminal on Nov. 6 fatally Cleveland and other cities where the number of campuses are smaller.
be appropriate to change. But when I stood on Mt. Scopus last wounding two persons and injur- In fact, the programs in New York May have to be different on
different campuses. Basically, the Jewish, AisOelation‘for College Youth
March with the Reform rabbis of the Central Conference of ing 25 others.
will seek to increase the Jewish knowledge of students, their under-
American Rabbis and realized the identification of Reform Judaism
Shops in Gaza closed Nov. 24,
standing of their Jewish background and of contemporary Jewish life,
with the people of Israel, I asked myself in the words of Hillel,
traffic was at a minimum and
and cultivate their partidipation in varied aspecti of Jewish community
"If not now, when?" I returned from Israel convinced that there
schools were empty as local re-
life.
is no time like the present.
sidents mourned the death of a
A major step in the direction of strengthening Jewish identity has
"The process of changing will be gradual and slow, and inci-
terrorist commander killed in a
now been made also by the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare
dentally I might add, somewhat awkward for me, for I too, am
clash with Israeli troops near
Funds. It decided to ,create a national "instrument" to fund specialized
used to pronouncing Hebrew in a certain Ashkenazic way. For
the Shafti refugee camp.
the time being I shall read the Hebrew parts of the service in
Yussef el Hamid ,Mouhammed campus projects of national scope, originated mainly by students and
Sephardit, but since I ask the congregation to recite the Kadish Hatib, deputy commander of the faculty. It voted on an initial sum of $50,000 for this "instrument."
together, we will stick to the Ashkenazic there. Our children will Popular Front for the Liberation
Actual experience will dictate the ultimate size of such a fund from
be taught Sephardit."
of Palestine, was identified after which special grants will be made. The national instrument would serve
Revival of Hebrew as me living tongue of the Jewish people was his body was brought to the hos- primarily to help make possible new programs or projects of a national
and remains one of the basic ideals of Zionism, and has become pital. Three Israeli soldiers were and regional rather than local_ character. An initial grant of $10,000 is
one of the great attainments of the movement for Israel's liberation. slightly wounded when a grenade proposed for organizing a national intercollegiate news service, particu-
Now we have support for common usage, for adoption of the Israeli was , throw at them near the refu- larly for the benefit of some 13 presently existing Jewish student news-
Hebrew pronunciation in all quarters—the Reform of Rabbi Hertz as gee camp precipitating the clash.
papers with a reported combined circulation of more than 130,000.,
well as the Conservative and Orthodox. It's a task not to be shirked and
Other Israeli troops immediate-
The financial assistance by the CJFWF's national instrument is
a move to be commended highly.
ly opened fire on the assailants being regarded as "seed money" and is not-intended to meet the entire
killing
Hatib.
THE
DETROIT
JEWISH
NEWS
financial
need of the programs for which the support is given.
2—Friday, Dumber 4, 1970
Two noted personalities are being mourned by American Jewry.
Jacob Blaustein of Baltimore was a remarkable man with a great
deal of energy. He distinguished himself as a leader in the American
Jewish Committee. He assisted in presenting the claims against Ger-
many and in securing compensation for victims of Nazism. He
assisted In tasks in support of Israel. In his native community of
Baltimore he served well as a benefactor of many causes.
In San Francisco, in 1945, in the months of the founding of the
United Nations, it was our experience to work with the late Mr.
Blaustein. He and Judge Proskauer and their associates In the
American Jewish Committee devoted themselves to advancing the
cause of human rights. The business of this commentator and his
associates was the Zionist cause. But we helped each other and there
was no friction. It can be stated now that he was a friend as well as
an associate in both the human rights needs which concerned all of
us and the cause of Zion rebuilt.
A great loss Is sustained in the death of Dr. Abraham A.
Neuman.
Dr. Neuman distinguished himself as a great scholar, an an author
of important works resulting from his skill in researching historical
data and in evaluating Jewish traditional teachings. As president of
Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning — now Dropsie
University — he guided many students in earning their doctorates.
It was as historian that Dr. Neuman especially distinguished
himself and as an authority on the Jews of Spain his literary activities
were of great significance to Jewry. As rabbi and author, as teacher
and interpreter of our great treasures, he was a great man in Israel.
Our labors with him in behalf of Dropsie College brought us close
together. He was an especially intimate friend of the late Dr. A. M.
Hershman. With the latter we had occasion to represent Dropsie at
Jewish Welfare Federation hearings when support was asked for the
Philadelphia Jewish college. The good response from our community
attested to an appreciation of the services to our people's cultural
heritage by Dr. Neuman.
Jewry pays deserving honors to the memory of these distinguished
personalities.
•
Plot to Blow Up
Israel High-Rise
Disclosed at Trial
Boris Smolar's
'Between You
... and Me'