NEW:YOHIpTqbe,

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1971, JUL Lae.)
HEBREW IN U.S.: American governmental sources are providing
more than $1,000,000 a year for instruction of Hebrew language in
public high schools. This is a small sum compared with the $90 million
which Jews spend annually on maintaining Jewish schools of all types.
It is also a small sum compared with what municipalities spend on
teaching foreign languages in their high schools.
The governmental expenditure on Hebrew courses for high school
students is part of the coverage provided for all foreign language
study included in the public school curriculum. There are about 80
public high schools all over the country where Hebrew is taught. Halt
of them are in New York. The remainder are in Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Miami, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and
other cities With a substantial Jewish population. About 4,300 pupils
are attending the . Hebrew classes in all these schools.
The National Hebrew Cultural Council has been instrumental in
encouraging the teaching of Hebrew in public high schools. The Council
has been helpful to communities seeking to introduce Hebrew in sub-
urban areas but meeting with various problems in relation to public
school boards and educators. It is estimated that during the last
20 years, more than 150,000 young people—Jews and non-Jews—have
attended regular five-period-a-week classes in Hebrew and Hebrew
culture in public high schools throughout the United States. Since
Hebrew language study is today recognized on a par with other foreign
languages in the curriculum of American public high schools, it enables
the student to meet college entrance requirements.
The course of study for Hebrew classes in the public schools aims
at developing the ability of the student to speak and write Hebrew.
The curriculum also provides the student with a bird's-eye view of
Jewish history and literature, an acquaintance with Jewish folk-ways
and customs and an orientation to the life and problems of Israel.
In the upper grades, selections from ancient, neo-classic and contem-
porary writers are studied.

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THE DETROIT JEWISH HEWS

$1,000 Prize Offered for Children's Play

Smolaes -
'Between You
... and Me'

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HEBREW IN COLLEGES: The study of Hebrew in public high
schools has nothing to do with the Hebrew courses now being given in
about 200 colleges, universities and in theological seminaries. In the
colleges and universities modern Hebrew is taught, while in the theolo-
gical seminaries the Hebrew is biblical. The U.S.' Office of Education
estimates that about 6,000 students are attending Hebrew courses in
the American colleges and universities.
There are today about 800 colleges and universities in the United
States which recognize the Hebrew language as a foreign language
accepted for admission of students. But no Hebrew course is being
taught in about 600 of them. In general, Hebrew occupies the sixth
place among foreign languages taught in American schools of higher
learning according to the U.S. Office of Education.
More than 400 courses in Hebrew language are offered in 206
schools of higher learning. Of these, about 300 courses offer Hebrew
as a Semitic language, while 110 offer Hebrew as a modern language.
Ninety theological schools teach Hebrew as a Semitic language, but
four such schools teach it as a modern language. Most schools now
indicate a growing student interest in Hebrew as a modern language
and a declining interest in biblical Hebrew.
Chairs for Hebrew and related subjects now exist in a number of
universities, thus enabling students to receive degrees in Hebrew
language or culture. Their numbers are growing with every year.
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HEBREW IN U.S. HISTORY: The study of Hebrew in this country
is •as old as American history. The Pilgrim Fathers considered the
teaching of Hebrew as necessary for the interpretation of religious
beliefs upon which the early colonies were founded. "
Harvard traditionally regarded Hebrew as a key to the textual
study of the Bible. Yale adopted a seal containing the inscription
"Urim Vetumim" in Hebrew letters, while Ezra Stiles, one of the early
presidents, urged the study of Hebrew for all students. He felt that
it would indeed be a disgrace should any- Yale man go to heaven
grossly ignorant of its holy language. King's College, now Columbia
University, also stressed the study of Hebrew, as did the University
of Pennsylvania and many others.
The story is told that at the time of the Revolution, it was pro-
posed by some members of Congress that Hebrew be adopted as the
official language for use in the United States. Hebrew at that time
was an integral part of. education in this country. Today, Hebrew
once again takes its place as a language in American schools of higher
learning, not to speak of the fact that there are today more than
75,000 students studying the Bible in about 340 institutions of higher
learning, two-thirds of which are colleges and universities.

,

sawfish: Theo*

for Childiesi -iis-ofierhsg O prize -Of
$1,000 for the best full-length play
for children in English on a Jewish
theme, according to an announce-
ment made by PhT7ip Kasakove,
president of the theater.
This is the 15th year that the
theater has offered a similar prize
in its annual Golden Pen Play-
wrighting Contest. Funds for the
prize are made available by Norma
U. Levitt, a member of the
theater's board of directors. Prize-
winning manuscripts also are giv-
en a professional production by
the Jewish Theater for Children.
Manuscripts for the 1972 competi-
tion must be submitted no latter
than June 15. For rules, write to
the Jewish Theater for Children,
426 W. 58th St. New York, 10019.
Judges for the contest are
Lewis Funke, assistant cultural
editor, the New York Times;
Norma U. Levitt, playwright and
vice president, Friends of the

Jewish :41relter;:-I4lorman , Nadel,
cultural affairs writer for the
Scripps-Howard newspapers and
consultant to the Theater Guild;
Grace M. Stanistreet, director of
Adelphi College Children's Theater
Arts Center; and Nathan Swerdlin,
drama critic, The Day-Jewish
Journal.

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Germany Site of 2 War Crime Trials

BONN (JTA)-What is considered
here as Probably one of the last
big Nazi war crimes trials has be-
gun in Frankfurt. It concerns the
mass mureder of Jews and non-
Jews in the .western territories of
the Soviet Union 'during 1941-42.
Alfred Ebner, 58, a businessman
from Stuttgart, is charged with
complicity in the murder of 30,000
Jews and 6,000' Soviet army corn-
riissars in the..Pinsk area„, where
Ebner was the 'deputy 60=1
comrnandelt140-11411*
beria irtwpra- that lit l'fig in
then:fere
•'-health''
stand trial was rejected by Frank-
.4 fun's publictor.
Moirg...With.Ebper several fanner
members' of Ihe 406th Nazi Police

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unable to

r a t taiastelteloirth

the mass murders will also stand

trial.

Farmer BB Sturmbandsfuhrer
Fried/ids Ibiashammer, 64, went
as dial far complicity in the
mass astinlerst of 140,000 Jews
feats Itidy;:llidgaiia, Romania
and Ozedsoslovakia daring World
War, Ti
Rosshammer was head of the

security police in the province ;of
heginning in Febru-
Verona,
itq 1944' -inif reportedly directed
tliri*Ifirgrifilriprisonment and 4e-
ttaliari _Jews,
:Prier to:going -to Rely he served
as "government --expert" in the
Jewiab affairs department of the
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RECORDING WE ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN
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DR. H.T.

Price of Women Soars;
No Phase II in Mid East

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The
price one pays to marry a non-
Jewish girl depends on what one
gets — or can afford.
Prices of Moslem and Druze
brides vary with age and physical
stamina and depend on whether
they are city- or country-bred.
According to the Central Bureau
of Statistics, the price paid by a
Moslem bridegroom to the father
of the bride is IL 3,900 ($923.57),
while the price for a Druze bride
IL 3,500 ($83333).
The lowest prices are paid in
the cities — IL 2,600 ($619.05)
— the highest are paid for girls
sold to Bedouins in the Negev —
IL 4,900 ($1,116.67).
These figures are almost three
times higher than in 1969 when
the Bureau of Statistics began
registering these prices on the
basis of the marriage contracts.

Friday D•c•ob•r 3, 1371-2$

POEMS & LYRICS Of REuGIOUS. REVERANT

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