Letters to Editor
Shylock Revisited
Editor, The Jewish News:
My forecast of the in-
evitable anti-Semitic impact
of the "The Merchant of
Venice" was confirmed when
I saw, on national TV on
prime time March 16, ABC's
broadcast of Shakespeare's
play as performed by the
British National Theater, di-
re + d by Jonathan Miller
ith the great Olivier
a
he hated and hateful
Shylock.
Almost a year ago, in a
letter in the New York
Times, (April 8, 1973), I ex-
pressed alarm that this ABC-
.._ TV production would be
bringing Shylock "into the
home of every Archie Bunker
in the country to reinforce
his prejudice against Hebes."
- Am I, however, an intran-
sigent . pre-judger of any
performance of "The Mer-
chant of Venice," since all
Syrian Claim
to Palestine
Defined
Editor, The Jewish News,
Secretary (of State Henry
Kissinger announces as if he
only just discovered it that
Syrians consider Jerusalem
and even Tel Aviv as Arab
land.
But more than that, when
Syrian President Hafez Assad
reminds Israel Premier Golda
-Meir "that Palestine is not
only part of the Arab home-
land, but also a basic part
of south Syria," he is re-
minding King Hussein and
the Palestinians of this also.
The Syrian claim is superior
to all other Arab claims.
After the last Jewish king
Herod died, his son Arche-
laus, was considered incom-
petent, after a 10-year pro-
bationary period, to take his
place by the Roman Emperor
Augustus.
Judaea and Samaria were
declared to be part of the
Roman province of Syria, and
a second-class Roman offi-
cial called a procurator was
appointed to be the ruler, of
the land of David and Sol-
omon. The Jews would not
take this lying down and
history records the ensuding
events.
The Jewish Temple was
destroyed in 70 CE and the
ames of Judaea and Jeru-
salem wiped off the world
map in 135 CE by the em-
Hadrian. The Jewish
.ction was erased in
favor of the Philistines and to
effect this the country was
called Syria Palestina (Latin
or Philistine Syria).
As a separate political en-
tity, the Syrian president
wishes to remind the other
Arabs "Palestine" was cre-
ated by the League of Na-
tions to provide a national
home for the Jews. If the
Legitimacy of this action is
not 'conceded, who but Syria
can be considered the right-
ful sovereign? The testimony
of the Roman Emperors Au-
gustus and Hadrian is on the
side of Syria in contrast to
the claims of the other Arab
'states.
SIDNEY KORETZ
Jerusalem
the performances I have
seen in some 40 years have
had their anti-Semitic effect
on general audiences and
embarrassed many Jews in
the audience? Apparently
not.
Bob Williams, New York
Post TV editor, after witness-
ing an advance screening,
wrote, March 13: "But with
all the anti-Semitic dialogue,
is it right now on TV?
We thought no, afterward."
New York Times TV editor
John J. O'Connor, after a
screening, reported March
15 that "The uncomfortable
fact is that the play does
have anti-Semitic ingredi-
ents" and that this produc-
tion, despite its protestations
of good intentions, is "an ex-
ceptionally interesting fail-
ure" because it "still leaves
•
Editor, The Jewish News:
I was surprised to read of
the widespread condemnation
of ABC-TV's presentation of
Shakespeare's "The Mer-
chant of Venice." It seems
that many Jews have not yet
learned to appreciate the
irony and satire of the play
which is anything but anti-
Semitic.
Had any of those who cen-
sured the production bother-
ed to read the play before
viewing it, they would have
realized that Jonathan Miller
skillfully omitted passages of
overt anti-Semitism and that
he and Laurence Olivier
presented Shylock in the best
possible light.
Perhaps it is because of a
lack of literary sophistication
or an inability to keep an
open mind after being con-
ditioned to regard "The
Merchant" as anti-Semitic
that has blinded some Jews
to the obvious satire of
Christian anti-Semitism by
Shakespeare.
While it is true that there
is anti-Semitism within the
play, one must keep in mind
that the play as a whole and
especially ABC's recent pro-
duction, is not anti-Semitic.
Unlike Marlowe's Barabas in
"The Jew of Malta," Shakes-
peare's Skylock confronts the
Gentiles for personal rea-
sons, as one who is oppress-
ed, rather than as the totally
evil Jew so typical in
Medieval literature.
Shakespeare clearly ex-
poses the anti-Semitism of
his day and (perhaps unin-
tentionally) illustrates that
Christian "justice" can only
deal with the Jew by break-
ing him, physically and spiri-
tually. Thus the anti-Semi-
tism in the play is of the
characters', not of Shakes-
peare's.
PHILLIP APPLEBAUM
Kennedy to Bring Up
Jews on Russia Trip
WASHINGTON ( J T A ) —
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D.
Mass.) is going to the Soviet
Union on a private visit next
month but hopes to meet with
Kremlin leaders to discuss
a variety of U.S.-Soviet is-
sues, including the emigra-
tion of Russian Jews.
Classifieds Get Quick Results
the problem of the anti-
Semitic elements . . ."
Why is it that the efforts
of Jonathan Miller and
Olivier to slice away as
possible of the "anti-Semitic
ingredients" of the play were
a failure? It is not because
they did not try hard.
They eliminated as many
as they could of the more
obvious incitations; such as
Shylock's first words when
he sees Antonio, the mer-
chant of Venice of the title,
"I hate him for he is a
Christian"; or Shylock's line,
"I will feed fat the ancient
grudge I bear him . . ."; or
Salanio's ridiculing of Shy-
lock's frenzy when he learns
Jessica has both eloped with
a Christian and robbed him.
There are many other
changes, omissions, or dis-
tortions of the text.
And there as shtick, like
Shylock's wrapping himself
in a huge Jewish prayer-
shawl as he urges on Tubal,
"To the synagogue, to the
synagogue," where they will
do their evil work (thereby
implicating not only this Jew,
Shylock, but the then central
Jewish institution, the syna-
gogue); or like the off-stage
chanting of the kadish, the
Jewish mourning prayer for
the dead, at the very end—
a sop aimed at the Jews,
since how many of the multi-
million-viewing TV audience
would recognize the kadish?
No, the production fails to
excise the anti-Semitism be-
cause it is built into the very
structure of the play and
can no more be cut out of
it than the pound of flesh
can be cut from Antonio's
breast without shedding
blood.
What should be done with
the play? Censorship? No—
but at least some self-re-
straint and social responsi-
bility by TV not to spread
such anti-Semitism.
MORRIS U. SCHAPPES
Adjunct Professor of
History, Queens College
Editor of Jewish Currents
Home for Aged Effort Is Recalled
Editor, The Jewish News:
In great appreciation of
the Fred Butzel autobiog-
raphy, I find pleasure in
recollecting some of the early
years when a home for the
aged was badly needed.
I had been serving on the
house committee represent-
ing the women's auxiliary of
that home located on Rowena
St., as chairman of the board.
The Jewish News re-
grets that it cannot publish
letters submitted without
signature. Although the
name need not be printed,
it must be known to the
editor.
This committee met once a
week with Jacob Levine,
Fred Butzel, Will Sandler
and Rose Ferrar. This three-
story building housed more
residents • than we could
hardly afford to feed, two
and more in a room. Finally,
the city of Detroit got after
us and made us put up fire-
escapes.
Depression days did not
help either. But in our di-
lemma we decided to depict
the conditions to the "fathers
that be." So we prevailed
upon Mrs. Henry Wineman
and her groups to come to
our aid, and we showed the
conditions prevalent by put-
ting on a skit at the Statler
*
Hotel, having invited our
husbands, friends and varied
social workers.
Pledges were given, help
was offered, and hope for a
new home came into being.
Land was found, plans were
laid, and architects found
plenty to do. I laugh now
when I recall how I got a few
of us to insist on a ramp for
easier walking. I will leave
out the desire we had for a
children's home, but at least
the outcome was the Petos-
key home.
Many were the occasions
when Fred Butzel could be
depended on through his co-
operation to see that the job
was done.
Through the grace of God,
I still am around to see what
fine interest and great ac-
complishments have been
achieved for our Jewish com-
munity. Keep it up.
GRACE BROWN ZELLMAN
Capital Punishment Called Necessary
Editor, The Jewish News:
Your recent editorial com-
ment on the Senate passage
of the bill to restore the
death penalty for 11 capital
crimes was fraught with dis-
may over the negation "of
all the humanism that has
developed in the past two
decades."
It seems to be your feeling
that capital punishment is a
failure as a deterrent to
crime and, therefore, should
not be administered by any
civilized state. I beg to differ.
When a just society ad-
ministers the death penalty
to a criminal, it is not done
to teach anyone else a lesson
(that would be truly bar-
baric), or to take vengeance.
It is rather to protect the
rest of society from a proven
homicidal criminal.
I agree that the electric
chair, the gas chamber, and
the hangman's noose should
be done away with because
there is no need to inflict
pain in giving the . death
penalty. Even though a man
has committed a capital
crime, we cannot violate his
innate rights as a human
being. He should be given
an injection or be asked to
take a pill which will put
him to sleep forever.
Our penitentiary system is
a proven failure. Life im-
prisonment is no answer to THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
capital crime. Incarceration Friday, March 29, 1974-43
does not rehabilitate. The
only punishment that fits the
The Best To You
crime of premeditated mur-
der, or homicide committed
while carrying out hijacking,
espionage, or treason (and
various other crimes) is the
death penalty, administered
painlessly and with concern
III SIC .
for the human dignity that is
FOR U./.
the criminal's birthright.
MT iti/ONS
Sincerely yours,
BIG BANDS OR
RABBI JACK GOLDMAN,
SMALL COMBOS
Jewish Chaplain
Macomb County
Community College
HAL
'GORDON
626-3346
Objects to Christian-Jewish
Fellowship as 'Assimilatory'
Editor, The Jewish News:
There has been a tendency
In our community for some
time to try to establish a
meaningful relationship with
our Christian neighbors. The
concept of cooperation be-
tween Christians and Jews is
good when it is confined to
areas of mutual concern —
accreditation of religious
schools, time release from
public schools for religious
education, etc.
However, I fail to see any
reason for or even the ad-
visability of the sort of en-
counter that had taken place
at Cong. Adat Shalom.
The announced event began
by having a group of non-
Jews attend Sabbath services
in the synagogue and then
explaining the service to
them. Following this both
Jews and non-Jews sat down
together and ate and en-
joyed "fellowship." After
this, several lectures followed
on religious subjects given
by a rabbi and a Christian
cleric.
Then, to round out the day,
the entire group participated
in Christian services at a
church.
There are very few Jewish
people in the country today
who are not concerned with
the problems of intermar-
riage and assimilation. How
can parents condone the
teaching of Yiddishkeit to
non-Jews and the participa-
tion of Jews in Christian
services and then tell us,
their children, that we should
not marry a non-Jew?
If everyone is so concerned
about assimilation, why are
they promoting it? You can-
not spend your life showing
your child that there is ab-
solutely no difference b e -
tween Christians and Jews
and then expect them to con-
sider marriage only with
another Jew.
A THINKING
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