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Czarist Regimes, Rasputin in Gavin Novel
Catherine Gavin evidences
deep knowledge about Russia
in pre-Communist days, the
Czarist regimes, the royal
court of the Russian rulers,
in a dramatic novel about the
Russian Revolution, "The
Snow Mountain," published
by Pantheon.
While the narrative is pri-
Spanish Weekly
Editor, Leo Kibrick
BUENOS AIRES (JTA)—
Leon Kibrick, former pub-
lisher and editor of "Mundo
Israelita," the only Jewish
weekly in Spanish in Argen-
tina, died June 25 at age 82.
Mr. Kibrick founded the
newspaper in 1923 and was
its editor and publisher until
he sold it to the Argentine
Labor Zionist group in 1961.
Born in Russia, he was
brought to Argentina as a
child. During World War I,
he founded "Vida Nuestra,"
a journal which featured Ar-
gentine writers of that era.
Mr. Kibrick was also one
of the founders of the Socie-
dad Hebraica Argentina, a
social and sports club.
38—Friday, July 5, 1974
marily about Princess Olga
Nikolaievna, Czar Nicholas
II's oldest daughter, the en-
tire story relates to all in the
Czarist family, to the fanatic
queen, the weak Czar, Crown
Prince Alexis who suffered
from hemophilia.
The influence of Grigori
Rasputin, the fanatic and im-
moral monk who influenced
the Czarina and through her
the Czar, is told in great de-
tail. The novel is, in a sense,
an expose of Rasputin as
much as it is a revelation of
the stupidities and weakness
of the Russian rulers. Dr.
Gavin presents a spendid
account of life in the royal
court and the activities of the
entire Russian ruling family.
Then come the declining
years. the mismanagement
by the Czar himself who in-
sisted upon acting as the
chief of the armed forces dur-
ing World War I, the rise
first of Alexander Kerensky
the Menshevik and then the
regime of Vladimir Lenin and
the domination of the Com-
munists — the Bolsheviks —
which led to the execution of
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
the entire Russian royal
family.
Because the United States
was - an ally of Russia against
Germany in World War I,
Americans, primarily Presi-
dent Woodrow Wilson, have
their roles in the Gavin novel,
together with Ambassador
Francis, Newton D. Baker
and others.
Figuring notoriously in
the cast of characters, even
when they are merely men-
tioned as having been effec-
tive in the Russian setbacks,
are Trotsky, Kemenev, Stalin
and others.
The. Gavin novel gains in
excellence with the lengthy
descriptions of Princess 01-
ga's love affair with an offi-
cer of the palace guard. It's
a spending romance, well
written, realistically related.
"The Snow Mountain" is
a fine romance. It is a history
of a falling and fallen dynasty
of the Romanovs. It depicts
the cruelties that accom-
panied revolutionary tactics.
The combination of all these
makes the Catherine Gavin
narrative an outstanding
work based on historical
knowledge of a trying period
in Russian history.
Love, Idealism, Realism on the Jordanian
Border . .. Factors in Novel by Amos Oz
Israel novelists have
gained an appreciative audi-
ence and their popularity
deservedly spreads into the
English - speaking communi-
ties.
Amos Oz belongs to the
group of younger writers
whose narratives have gained
acceptance. His newest work
for American readers, "Else-
where, Perhaps," a Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich volume,
was really his first. His "My
Michael," which received
wide acclaim, was the first
to be published in an Eng-
lish translation and was, in
reality, his second novel. The
AMOS OZ
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Southfield, Michigan 48075
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appearance of "Elsewhere,
Perhaps," will be especially
welcomed by those who were
so highly pleased with "My
Michael," which gave an im-
pressive account of family
life in Israel.
Now, in "Elsewhere, Per-
haps," translated from the
Hebrew in collaboration with
the author, like "My Mich-
ael," by Nicholas de Lange,
provides a need: to under-
stand the kibutzim and the
kibutzniks, the early settlers
and the young who have
emerged as their progeny.
With Kibutz Metzudat Ram
as the locale for the story, on
the Jordanian border, the
reader learns of the social
and family life in the Israeli
settlement, the love affairs,
the recognition , of the sex
aspects as interpreted —
wholesomely — by those
struggling to establish a
workable living condition in
the young state.
Of course, there was gos-
sip, but there also was ideal-
ism. There were dreamers,
but also realists. There was
infidelity, but also the love
that is so vital in a commu-
nity's social aspects.
Oz's is not only good narra-
tive: it is poetry. Let the
reader judge from a few
lines (without elaborating on
the characters referred to)
from the concluding para-
graphs in his novel "Else-
where, Perhaps":
"On the day of the spring
festival Noga gave birth to
her daughter. She named her
Inbal, meaning the tongue of
a bell. The baby was under-
weight, and her head was
slightly flattened in the diffi-
cult delivery. Look at her
face. Do all those other faces
meet in it, Grandma Stella's,
Eva's, Noga's . . .? Her fea-
tures are still unformed,
though. True, she has blue
eyes. But the color may well
change . . . The mountains
are as in days gone by. I
turn my eyes from them .. .
Outside the wind may howl
and the rain beat down . . .
The house is like a bell . . .
A paraffin heater burns with
a blue flame . . . On the rug
as always are two babies ...
The armchair in the corner
is ringed with light. No one
is sitting in it. Do not . fill it
with men and women who
belong elsewhere. You must
listen to the rain scratching
at the windowpanes. You
must look only at the people
who are here, inside the
warm room. You 'must see
clearly. Remove every im-
pediment. Absorb the differ-
ent voices of the large fam-
ily. Summon your strength.
Perhaps close your eyes.
And try to give this the name
of love."
Bernardi Goes on Israel Mission;
Comes Back With Admiration
By BEVERLY SCOTT
(Copyright 1974, JTA, Inc.)
schel Bernardi who did a one
man show about Jewish cul-
ture, or Tevye in "Fiddler
on the Roof," and gives in-
terviews in newspapers say-
ing I have spent my life per-
petuating Jewish culture and
bringing to life Sholem Alei-
chem, the producers stayed
away from me in droves un-
til a friend of mine who was
a TV director asked me if I
could play anything but
Jews. And that finally broke
the mold."
"For a long time my feel-
ings about Israel were very
ambivalent," Bernardi admit-
ted. Then came my first trip
to Israel last summer for the
Israel Festival and the film-
ing of "Jacob and Joseph."
It was on a visit to the West-
ern Wall that I had.the first
real experience of knowing
my identity as a Jew."
Asked what he felt the
Jewish members of his pro-
fession could do for Israel
beside raising money or per-
forming here, Bernardi re-
plied: "As artists, especial-
ly the writers, we can make
Jews in America more con-
scious of the fact that there's
no place to go other than Is-
rael; that it's the only place
in the world a Jew can call
his land. Their contribution
could be to raise the consci-
ousness of the American Jew
beyond giving money."
TEL AVIV—Herschel Ber-
nardi recently completed a
10-day tour of Israel with a
national youth leadership
mission of the United Jewish
Appeal, geared to examining
the common needs of Jews
both in Israel and in Amer-
ica. It was also the subject
of a documentary film fea-
turing •Bernardi and his 16-
year-old son, Adam.
The mission was caught in
the midst of the Ma'alot trag-
edy. Paul Kresh, director of
public relations of the New
York office, described the
members as, "very affected,
even shattered by it, but
heartened by the remarkable
resilience in the country it-
self."
Bernardi's first trip to Is-
rael was also marked by
somber associations when the
Yom Kippur War broke out
four days after his return to
the U.S. upon completion of
his film chores for "The
Story of Jacob and Joseph."
When Bernardi agreed to
accompany the mission it
was decided to make a film
which would be the nucleus
of the fall 1974 fund raising
campaign. The theme chosen
at that time was to deal with
death and remembrance. By
tragic coincidence footage
includes the memorial serv-
ice at Kiryat Shemona and
parents and children waiting
NEW START
in the schoolyard at Safed for
news from Ma'alot.
Resolve each morning of
Asked to ,comment about the year to make this day
the difficulties of being a count as never a day counted
Jewish actor in America he before.
replied, "When a Jew wants
to be an •actor he's fighting
against the grain because FOR AMERICAto'
ks *
most Jewish producers will AND FOR YOU
\\* *
not hire Jews to play goyim
■ .41wr ■■•■=-
or even to play Jews. You Sign up for
have Pat Hingle in "Last An- U. S. Savings Bonds,
gry Man," or Ben Gazzara
in "QB WI." But for a Her- New Freedom Shares
A Comment by Ben Gurion
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"As long as the people of Israel that live in its land, is
small in population—it will be isolated amidst 1,a,e na-
tions. But when it will be a great, strong people, large
in population in its land, it will securely have its seat
within the family of nations and many will seek a close
relationship with it." Ben Gurion speaking to friends
congratulating him on his 87th
birthday.
Special Feature Prepared by
Tarbuth Foundation for the
Advancement of Hebrew Culture