Sephardi Community in U.S. Faces
Extinction, Year Book Article States

NEW YORK — The Ameri-munity. However, pride in
can Sephardi Jewish com- ancestry and geographic or-
munity, whose forebears igin lead to unite them in a
came from Mediterranean strong central institution,
lands, may very well cease Rabbi Angel declares.
to exist as an organized vi-
Most Sephardim take pride
able group within two or
three generations.
This is the conclusion
reached by Rabbi Marc D.
Angel, assistant minister of
Cong. Shearith Israel, the
Spanish and Portuguese Syn-
agogue of New York, in a
feature article in the new
issue of the American Jewish
Year Book, which has just
been published.

his 61-page article, "The
-ephardim of the United
States: an Exploratory
Study," Rabbi Angel points
out that the survival of the
Sephardi community is
threatened not only by the
diminishing of Jewish identity
a n d religious observance
characteristic of American
Jews generally, but also by
frequent intermarriage b e -
tween Sephardim and Ash-
kenazim.

The problem is aggravated,
he continued, by the fact that
the Sephardim have failed to
create good schools of their
own, or to insist that existing
day schools place more em-
phasis on the Sephardi heri-
tage. Until recently, too, they
have made no effort to per-
petuate the cultural institu-
tions, such as theaters, news-
papers and libraries, estab-
lished by their immigrant
parents or grandparents, that
would provide the underpin-
ning for Sephardi conscious-
ness among the youth.

The first Jewish settlers in
what is now the United States
were 23. Sephardi refugees
from Brazil, who founded
Cong. Shearith Israel. He re-
lates that the early Spanish
and Portuguese Jewish com-
munities were engulfed by
the large wave of Ashkenazi
immigrants in the 19th Cen-
tury, and it was not until
substantial immigration of
Levantine Sephardim began
in the early 20th Century that
hope developed for the revi-
val of a strong Sephardi coin-

in their Sephardi identity;
at the same time, there has
been a decline in Sephardi
group consciousness among
the younger generation, he
reports.

Research Academy Picks New Officers

NEW YORK—At the 46th president; H. L. Ginsberg,
annual meeting of the Amer- treasurer; and Zvi Ankori
ican Academy for Jewish and Arthur Hyman secre-
Research at the Jewish The- taries.
ological Seminary of Amer-
ica, the following officers
There is not a greater fal-
were elected: Dr. Louis Fin- lacy on earth than the doc-
kelstein, chancellor emeritus trine of force, as applied to
of the seminary, president; government. — Walt Whit-
Alexander Altmann, vice man.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 1, 1974-7

DO A LITTLE SOLE SEARCHING
AT OSMUNI SHOE SALE.

Your poor feet. Think about them for
a minute. Everyday they carry your
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ones who slog through without
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Like bringing them to Osmun's
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We've got French Shriner
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And your wallet's in
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So show your feet
you too have soul.
Bring them to Osmun's.

MUM'S
SHOE SALE

Diamond Exports Up
44 Pct. Despite War

RAMAT-GAN — Israel's
diamond industry retained
its position as the world's
principal producer/exporter
of polished gem diamonds
despite the Yom Kippur War,
with annual overseas sales
of $556,000,000 reported for
1974.
While short of prewar esti-
mates, 1973 exports exceed-
ed by more than 44 per cent
previous export record of
)7,000,000 in 1972.
The United States re-
mained Israel's principal di-
amond customer, followed by
the Far Eastern markets of
Japan and Hong Kong. Ex-
ports to the U.S. in Decem-
ber reached almost $8,-
000,000.
According to Moshe Schnit-
zer, president of the Israel
Diamond E x c h-a n g e, the
American market willas-
sume an increasingly domi-
nant position in Israel sales
this year. He attributed this
to the strengthening of the
dollar and increasing focus
by the U.S. buying public on
the small to medium size
"melee" stones in which the
Israel industry and its pro-
duction workers specialize.

9 in the Tel-Twelve Mallfrelegraph and 12 Mile in Southfield), Tech Plaza Center (12 Mile and Van Dyke in
Open evenings
Warren) and Tel-Huron Center (Telegraph and Huron in Pontiac). You can charge what you want with your Osmun's Charge, BankAmericard or Master Chargecard.