Friday, June 8, 1973 21
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
From Flint Through U.S. Cities, Reunited
With Husband in Israel, Alla Rusinek Tells
Hurok Arson Case Trial Opens;
1Dramatic Story of Battle for Freedom in USSR JDL'ers Accused of Harassment
-
Flint
News
Hadassah to Be
in Internat'I Fair
Hadassah will participate
in the International Institute
Fair 11 a.m.-8 p.m. June 24
in downtown Flint. The fair
will feature street dancing,
booths selling ethnic foods
and crafts, game booths, mu-
sic and entertainment.
Hadassah will have a booth
of Israeli foods and crafts
supervised by Annette Scha-
fer. She announced that help
is needed in the manning of
the booth, cooking, baking,
'orating, setup and remov-
,A the booth and transpr-
tation of foods, crafts and
volunteers unable to provide
their own transportation.
Anyone wishing to volun-
teer may call Mrs. Schafer,
239-3558.
WFBE to Present
Eternal Light Show
Eternal Light programs
will be presented for the
Flint Jewish community 6:30
p.m. Sunday and June 17 on
radio station WFBE (95.1
FM).
"A Conversation with Ber-
nard Postal and Henry
Levy," is Sunday's feature.
The authors of "And the
Hills Shouted for Joy: The
Day Israel was Born," dis-
cuss the events leading up
to the birth of the state of
Israel.
The June 17 feature will
be "A Conversation with
Alla Rusinek." The author
of "Like a Song, Like a
Dream." will talk about what
life is like for Jews in the
Soviet Union.
RaMBaM BBYO
Elects Officers
Flint's Jewish community
could not have dreamt, when
Alla Rusinek came there on
March 2, 1971, to appeal for
aid to the United Jewish Ap-
ALLA RUSINEK
peal, that she had as dra-
matic a story to tell as she
relates in her "true story of
a Soviet girl's quest for love
and freedom," in "Like a
Song, Like a Dream," pub-
lished by Scribners.
Mrs. Rusinek, raised in an
assimilated home, began to
feel the Russian anti-Semi-
tism when she was denied
entrance to a higher school
of learning, in spite of her
excellent scholastic record.
She joined the "underground"
of Zionist activists, began to
ask for a visa to go to Is-
rael, was granted it six
weeks after she married
Yossi Rusinek. She left for
Israel without him and she
had not yet heard that he
had also received a visa
when she was in Flint.
Then came the good news.
They were reunited. They
now live in Jerusalem with
their baby, born when they
established their reunified
home in Israel.
When Alla appeared in
Flint, she shared a platform
for the Flint United Jewish
Appeal and Israel Emergency
Fund with the noted com-
mentator, Alvin Rosenfeld.
Now she has a complete
story, and it is related dra-
matically in "Like a Song,
Like a Dream."
Russian Jewry's struggles,
under Czarism and later dur-
ing the Communist regime,
are recorded in the story of
two families, some members
of whom were observant
Jews, others, like Alla's
father, assimilated.
Alla, like most of the Jews
of her generation, was a loyal
Russian. She. was a mem;
ber of the Kolsomol. When
she became interested in Is-
rael, she joined the Zionist
The Flint Bnai Brith youth
chapter, R a M B a M, an-
nounces the following offi-
cers: Sheryl Kaufman, pres-
ident; Vicky Isaacs, vice
president; Melinda Marx,
MIT Mom; Karen Magid-
sohn, treasurer; Lynn Beck-
er, secretary; and Joni Hil-
son, reporter. Anyone inter-
ested may contact any of the
above for meeting times.
Larry Pevos is chapter ad-
viser.
Eight members attended
the election training conclave
recently at Camp Tamarack.
Flint Bnai Brith men helped
Flint Hashahar, national
send members to the con- youth group of Hadassah, is
clave.
looking for youth group lead-
ers. The group, composed of
boys and girls age 9-12, meet
two Sundays a month at the
Flint Jewish Youth Center.
Qualifications needed for
the position are previous ex-
perience with children, back-
ground in Jewish studies and
Dr. Peter A. Kronick, a Hebrew and a knowledge of
member of the Flint Osteo- Israel.
pathic Hospital board of
Anyone interested in work-
trustees since January 1972, ing with this group may call
has taken office as president Mrs. Stanley Kallar, 733-0829.
of the Genesee Country Os-
teopathic Association. Dr.
Bertram H. Marx has been Baseball Victory
The men's baseball team
elected a trustee of the as-
won their May 31.game over
sociation.
*
Bethany Reformed by a score
Kenneth M. Siegel, who re- of 10-9. The next game will
cently received the oath of be 6 p.m. Thursday at the
admission to the Bar from Armory. The boys' baseball
Circuit Judge John W. Ba- team will play 6 p.m. Mon-
ker, will join the staff of day and June 18, as Basset
Prosecutor Robert Leonard. Park.
Flint Hashahar
Seeks Leaders
Comings .. .
and
• • • Goings
underground, motivated in
efforts to learn Jewish his-
tory and Hebrew, she was
expelled from the movement.
Then came a period of as-
sociation with the Jewish
youth who supported the re-
turn-to-Judaism tasks. On
this score, the story of the
brave young woman who left
Russia when only 21, who
had courageously adhered
to the new-found ideal, is
valuable in the description
of the youth roles in the re-
awakened Zionism.
Alla's story is implement-
ed with two articles by her
father-in-law, Ezra Rusinek.
They • are valuable addenda
to an already splendidly nar-
rated tale of self-liberation.
In the first, Ezra Rusinek
tells about the events that
followed Alla's departure for
Israel. Entitled "In the So-
viet Union," the elder Rusi-
nek adds data regarding de-
wiance of the KGB and the
determined will of Russian
Jews to emigrate to Israel.
The second article, "Af-
terword: The Samizdat," is a
report on what the Samizdat,
the Self-Publishing tasks,
were pursued by Jews to dis-
tribute valuable literature
among those who were being
educated to the Zionist idea.
Samizdat, in which Ezra
Rusinek was a leader, com-
menced with the works of
Vladimir Jabotinsky. Leon
Uris' "Exodus" was trans-
lated, typed, shared with the
growing number of associates
in the new Russian Zionist
movement.
Alla was born in Moscow
in 1949, and like many other
of her young fellow Jews
she learned about Israel af-
ter the Six-Day War. Her re-
jection for admission into the
university added to her con-
cern, and the title of her
book is exactly what it af-
firms: that she and the other
young people began to sing
Hebrew and Yiddish songs,
they read, translated, typed
manuscripts.
Most significant in her
story is the presentation of a
number of the letters that
were addressed to Russian
officialdom demanding exit
visas. All declared their loy-
alty to Russia, but insisted
upon recognition of their
right to go to their ancient
homeland.
The language question of-
ten arose, the defense of He-
brew and Yiddish by the
young people was a mark of
their pride in heritage.
There are interesting ref-
erences to American visi-
tors. A rabbi, unnamed, nev-
er left Rabbi Yehuda Levin's
office to speak to the youth,
and he reportedly returned
to the U.S. with a good re-
port, as given by the Com-
munist-controlled chief rab-
bi. Another American, a
young man, is described as
having acted rather unsocial-
ly but deeply moved. He left
religious items with the
young people and insisted on
giving them money against
their wishes.
KGB's role is apparent
throughout the volume. The
Russian spy system kept
hounding the young Jews and
their families.
Alla Rusinek's "Like a Song
Like a Dream" relates young
Russian Jews' experiences in
a very moving way. The vol-
ume is a valuable document-
ary in the literature exposing
the Russian attitudes, and it
is at the same time an in-
spiration for those who must
act in concert with the Rus-
sian Jews to assure their
freedom from the present op-
pressive atmosphere. —P.S.
CCAR: to Debate Mixed Marriage
NEW YORK — The 84th
annual convention of the Cen-
tral Conference of American
Rabbis June 18-21 at the
Sheraton-Biltmore Hotel, At-
lanta, will focus a major por-
tion of its attention to the
CCAR's position on mixed
marriages.
The findings of a two-year
study by the CCAR's mixed
marriage committee will be
presented June 19 by the
chairman, Rabbi Herman E.
Schaalman of Chicago.
In last year's study by the
CCAR on "The Rabbi and
Reform Judaism," the sec-
tion on mixed marriage prac-
tices shows that the major-
ity of Reform rabbis do not
officiate at mixed marriages
(59 per cent), a few will con-
duct such a marriage only
when special circumstances
exist (18 per cent), some only
for members (2 per cent),
and the remaining number
will conduct a mixed marri-
age without any special cir-
cumstances (21 per cent).
Another debate will ensue
during the discussion of
whether Jews are, or should
be, turning to the right.
On June 20, the rabbinic
delegates will pay tribute to
the memory of Dr. Martin
Luther King as special cere-
monies at the gravesite. Par-
ticipating in the ceremony
will be Mrs. Coreta King.
Rabbi Jacob Rothschild of
Atlanta and Rabbis Polish
and Kahn.
That evening, the Reform
rabbis will honor the 25th
anniversary of the state of
Israel, with the new Israeli
ambassador Simha Dinitz, as
speaker.
Various social action prob-
lems will be on the conven-
tion agenda including the
question of granting some
form of tax credits for re-
ligiously - sponsored schools,
whether unqualified amnesty
should be given to those re-
fusing to serve in the mili-
tary during the Vietnam War,
peace in the Middle East and
the right for Soviet Jews to
emigrate.
CCAR members also will
devote six hours of study
during the first three days of
the convention on various
professional themes.
NEW YORK (JTA) — The
jury trial of Jewish Defense
League members charged
with firebombing impressario
Sol Hurok's office last year
opened last week with fed-
eral prosecutor Assistant U.S.
Attorney Joseph Jaffee de-
claring that this was "a
murder case," and defense
attorney Barry S l o t n i c k
charging that the govern-
ment's case is built around
"suspicion, surmise and
guesswork."
The two JDLers on trial at
the federal courthouse here
are Stuart Cohen and Sheldon
Davis.
The government is charg-
ing that the bombs, which
were set off almost simul-
taneously on Jan. 26, 1972,
in Hurok's office and Colum-
bia Artists Management,
Inc., to protest U.S.-Soviet
cultural exchanges because
of the USSR's treatment of
Soviet Jews, resulted in the
death of a secretary and in-
jury to 13 others, including
Hurok.
At the same time, three
members of the Jewish De-
fense League were arrested
outside the Soviet Mission to
the United Nations and
charged with harassment of
Soviet diplomats.
According to David Fisch,
executive director of JDL,
Steve Thomashow, Jeffrey
Wellman and Zev Yourman
were "following closely be-
hind Soviet diplomats and
speaking loudly asking why
the Soviet Union is mistreat-
ing the Soviet Jews."
The JDL resumed its har-
assment of Soviet diplomats
May 24, the day after the
raid on JDL headquarters by
the FBI and city police.
In Jerusalem, JDL leader
Rabbi Meir Kahane was de-
tained Sunday morning for
investigation in connection
with letters he sent to Arab
residents of Israel in which
he suggested they leave the
country.
Rabbi Kahane is awaiting
trial on charges of racial in-
citement in connection with
similar letters he sent in the
past. The spokesman said
that despite the pending trial,
Rabbi Kahane continued
sending those letters and
thereby caused the present
investigation.
The JDL leader also faces
trial for allegedly trying to
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Box Masks Tragedy
TEL AVIV—A motorist
who drove over a cardboard
box lying in the middle of the
road was appalled to find out
that he had killed a young
child.
Seven - year - old Carmela
Levy was playing hide-and-
seek with her friends and
chose the carton as a hiding
place—with tragic results.
She was rushed to a hospital
but died soon after admis-
sion.
smuggle arms out of Israel
to fight Arab terrorists in
Europe.
Earlier Rabbi Kahane an-
nounced that he would en-
gage in a hunger strike at
the center of Jerusalem in
protest at the state's attorney
general's refusal to return
his passport.
The passport was taken
from him eight months ago
when he was first charged
with trying to smuggle arms
out of Israel to fight Arab
terror in Europe.
Rabbi Kahane asked for
his passport on grounds that
he had to go to the United
States on an "urgent mis-
sion" to organize American
Jewish youth for a major
campaign protesting the per-
secution of Jews in Arab
countries and in the Soviet
Union.
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