Non-Jew Hopes His Silver Gift to Hadassah
Will Inspire Other Americans to Aid Israel
By JOSEPH POLAKOFF
(Copyright 1974, JTA, Inc.)
WASHINGTON—At a time
when Israel sorely needs
both moral and material
support, Albert P. Hinckley
Jr. has come through hand-
somely both ways. Shortly
after the Yom Kippur War
was under way, he contrib-
uted his collection of Geor-
gian silver to Hadassah for
two reasons: The silver's
sale would bring $85,000 to
help purchase supplies for
Israeli soldiers wounded on
the Syrian and Egyptian
fronts.
More importantly, his in-
tention was to encourage
other Americans, especially
non-Jews but Jews too, to
give more of themselves for
Israel.
Hinckley. a non-Jew, told
Hadassah President Rose E.
Matzkin that he became
"madly, totally and eternally
in love with Israel" during
1960-61 when he lived in Tel
Aviv. He almost converted to
Judaism and became an Is-
raeli. "Israel," he said, "is
very much a part of my life."
It all started in 1959. He
was traveling in Greece when
his original plans went awry.
"I decided to make a swing
through the Near East —
Turkey, • Egypt, Lebanon and
via Cyprus to Israel," he
said.
But, while being buffeted
by the shortage of hotel
rooms in Tel Aviv, he thought
Israel was "very scuffy"
until he became acquainted
with an Israeli, Rafi Blu-
menfelt, who persuaded him
to go on a trip to Galilee.
"During that trip Rafi told
told me a great deal. about
the history of Palestine and
Israel," he said. "I began
to gain a perspective and an
admiration for what I had not
until then been seeing." That
experience, a reading of
"Exodus" which he said is
"trash as literature but the
story is very strong" and,
among other things, "a fear
that I was heading home to
a very soft and thus prob-
ably destructive life," caused
him to decide to return to
Israel for a couple of years.
There, "after things sorted
themselves out and during e
period of misery, "I found
a flat, got a job, part time
for the first five months as
I was studying Hebrew five
hours a day, six days a week
at Ulpan Meir in downtown
Tel Aviv, and started to
make friends. Time passed
and in about 1% years I was
madly, totally and eternally
in love with Israel. I still
am."
Hinckley said that among
many elements it is the peo-
ple he came to know that
created this love. He finally
realized he had to choose be-
tween Israel and America
then or he would find it al-
most impossible to leave
later.
"Somewhere inside I knew
that to really go over would
be self-indulgent and prob-
ably a mistake," he said.
"Better to use what I had
learned to become a better
original than be any kind of
copy. So after two years in
Israel I left."
During the Yom Kippur
War he read about the out-
pouring of support from the
Jewish community here and
how help was coming from
Christians, too. "I decided
that life could go on without
my collection of Georgian
silver," he said. He called
Ruth Rivlin, the Israeli con-
sul-general's wife in New
York, who is a first cousin
of his former employer's
Israelis, Beset With Own Woes,
React Mildly to Impeachment
wife in Israel, and asked for
her help. The Rivlins sug-
gested Hadassah.
Visiting Israel after the
war, he became convinced
that "much more Gentile
support was required than is
presently forthcoming."
While mulling this over, he
realized he mas defeating his
own purpose in shunning
publicity about the silver.
"While I really do not like
the idea of people publicizing
their own good works," he
said, "I can now see that in
this case and probably many
others, the attitude can be
selfish. So I am ready to get
as much mileage out of this
as possible to help Hadassah
and Israel. If it brings more
Gentile support, good, but it
may bring more Jewish sup-
port too, and that would also
be good."
Bulgaria Cites Jewish Editor
SOFIA (JTA) — The gov- of the Jewish Cultural Or-
ernment recently awarded ganizations of Bulgaria.
Israel Barukh Meyer the
Order of the Popular Repub-
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
lic of Bulgaria on the occa- 16—Friday, August 2, 1974
sion of his 70th birthday.
Mayer has held several
government posts including
a position in the Bulgarian
Council of Ministers and the
culture ministry.
He served as editor of the
p , 1
Jewish newspaper of Sofia
and was a council member
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TEL AVIV (JTA) — The emergency airlifts of urgent-
news of the historic action ly needed military equipment
of the House Judiciary Com- to Israel.
Other Israelis simply shrug-
mittee in recommending the
impeachment of President ged their shoulders and said
Nixon was received in Is- "It's an American affair al-
rael with interest and concern together. Let them solve their
but not with the attention so problems. We have enough on
momentous an event deserv- our hands with Jordan, Egypt,
ed, observers here agreed. Syria — and the mortality
They attributed the rela- rate in traffic accidents." Is-
tively low-key reaction here raeli officials reported one
to a welter of problems sud- of the worst weeks in such
JERUSALEM — Dr uze denly faced by Israelis. No- accidents, with the number
Sheikh Jaber Muadi has been tably the unsuccessful at- of deaths reaching 30, a rec-
reappointed deputy communi- tempt by a group of Ortho- ord.
cations minister, and is the dox Jewish families to estab-
Some Israelis, reportedly
first deputy minister to be lish an illegal settlement near not very many, are prepared
appointed by the present Is- Nablus in the West Bank over to accept an impeachment if
rael cabinet.
the President was proved to
the weekend.
Sheikh Muadi is an Align-
Israelis also were grap- be really involved in the
ment affiliated Knesset mem- pling with problems of energy Watergate affair. But the
ber. His appointment, made shortages, a partial strike by general popular view seems
medical workers which has to be, the observers said, that
curtailed radio and television the impeachment procedures
broadcasts and warnings of have not been completed and
Selected Groups of*
the possibility of a new war that it is better to wait and
breaking out toward the end see.
by GGG, Eagle, Le Baron,
of this year.
In terms of Israel's needs,
Geoffrey Beene, Pierre Cardin,
As has been the situation there seems to be no question
and other famous makers.
since . President Nixo n' s among Israelis generally that
Watergate . troubles . began Mr. Nixon has been a good
more than a year ago, the president.
SPORTCOATS
government has maintained
RAINCOATS
total silence toward what is
considered at the official Tenor Peerce Hurt
LEATHER COATS
level as totally an internal During Performance
American affair.
SHOES
NEW YORK—Jan Peerce,
But the announcement of the 70-year-old opera tenor is
the House committee action resting in Mount Sinai Hos-
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SHEIKH JABER MUADI Man-on-the-street cornmerX ing a performance at the
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by Premier Yitzhak Rabin, also has been limited to such Island.
remarks
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"You
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Peerce, who is starring in
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