Dr. Chaim Weizmann Remberecl: With Love and Faith `Problems of Divorced Women
- Editor's Note: The 100th
anniversary of the birth of
Dr. Chaim' Weizmann, first
president of the state of Is-
rael, will be observed in No-
vember. World Jewry will
mark the centenary with
special events. Numerous tri-
butes to the eminent leader
include those of his assoc-
iates in Zionist and Israeli
activities. The following is
the first of a series of articles
in tribute to Dr. Weizmann.
It had been written by the
late Moshe Sharett, a former
prime minister and a former
foreign minister of Israel.
womb of the future. Just as
his stature was raised by
his serving as the spokesman
for a _people with a great his-
toric legacy, so the people's
status was correspondingly
enhanced by his greatness.
Even after it was given to
us to achieve independence
and - to take our place in the
family of nations, we con-
tinued to benefit as a state
— alas, for far too short a
time—from his unquestioned
moral authority and the pro-
found respect the entire civ-
ilized world felt for his name.
Abba Eban, Dr. Edelman
to Speak at NY Dinner
Benefiting Weizmann Institute
NEW YORK — Abba Eb-
an, former Foreign Minister
of Israel, a long-time politi-
cal associate of Dr. Chaim
Weizmann, and Dr. Gerald
M. Edelman, 1972 Nobel Lau-
reate in Physiology or Medi-
cine and the Vincent Astor
Distinguished Professor at
The Rockefeller University,
will be the guest speakers at
the annual Weizmann Din-
ner, Oct. 10, marking the
100th anniversary of the birth
of the scientist-statesman
who was Israel's first Presi-
dent.
Under the auspices of, the
American Committee for the
Weizmann Institute of
Science, the dinner at the
New York Hilton is expected
to attract a distinguished
nationwide audience to ad-
vance the work of the Weiz-
mann Institute.
Proceeds of the dinner
benefit research at the insti-
tution in Rehovot, Israel,
which Dr. Weizmann headed
as its first President from
its founding in 1944 until his
death in 1952'.
, There are men whose con-
tribution to the shaping of
history, that of the world and
of their own nation, becomes
clear and distinctly under-
stood only with the passage
of time after their departure.
Chaim Weizmann must be
numbered among the excep-
tional personalities whose
mortal and transitory life is
DR. CHAIM WEIZMANN
stamped with immortality -
-men who are chosen to leave poured from his lips with by his sense of the great res-
their mark upon history dur- volcanic force.
ponsibility entailed by the
ing their own lifetime'and in
position to which his people
In
the
substance
of
his
ut-
full vr,iew of their contempor-
had called him; the honor
terance,
no
less
than
in
its
aries.
—
spirit, he was for his people which historic destiny had
Three qualities in Chaim and for all the world the conferred upon ,him.
Weizmann accounted for his symbol of the great Jew. He
The dignity of his status
greatness: ardent love, pro- appeared before the nations as leader of world Zionism
found faith and a unique of the world and their lead- and foremost Jew of his gen-
spirit of dedication. He drew ers as the illustrious expon- eration became imprinted
faith and love from the ent and the living personifi- upon his personality. That
depths of his people's life cation of Jewish morality.
sense of historic mission was
and his own soul.
He never wearied of ex- with him always — in pri-
His inspiration — a divine pounding and persuading. He vate and in public, in the
personal gift granted by fate was ever ready to begin company of friends as well
— became a supreme nation- afresh, • to start once more as in official interviews, at
al asset. Armed with those from the very beginning — closed sessions and public
three qualities, he emerged not only in fateful encounters meetings, in splendid Euro-
as his people's advocate in where the destiny of his pean or American mansions
the earth-shaking days when people seemed to hang upon and in humble huts in Israel,
a new world was about to b _ e his words, but in every meet- in hotels, aboard 'ships and
born.
ing, every conversation with aeroplanes. For all his gen-
Indeed, when first he 'con- an outsider who did not un- uine -simplicity he walked
fronted the outside world derstand, or with a Jew who among us as a man apart,
with Jewish claims, he did had become alienated from lofty of stature, robed in dig-
so without having been chos- his people.
nity, enveloped, as it were,
en or formerly designated.
Almost without exception in majesty.
Even when the historic mis- men revered his moral sta-
The impression he made,
sion he had thus spontan- ture and marvelled at the invariably so dignified and
eously undertaken later re- range and power of his spir- grand, was of transcendent.
ceived the formal confirma- it. In the course of his many moral value during the per-
By DAVID LANDAU
tion of popular election, his years of activity he acquired iod of his effective leader-
(Copyright
1974, JTA, Inc.)
chief source of inspiration world fame as one of the ship, that period' of his glory
was not the task with which most distinguished men of and his grief. Those were the
JERUSALEM —
w o
he had been officially en-
when sovereign inde- brothers, Richard Coward,
his time — not only as an
trusted, nor any decision outstanding national leader, pendence was our- cherished, 18, and his brother Michael,
taken by an elected body, but as a wizard of personal distant goal, as far removed 25, of Adelaide, Australia,
but a nation's urge embodied relations who fascinated from the realities of our life discovered by chance in
in his own being.
everyone with whom he as dream from actuality. Jerusalem recently, informa-
With the mighty power of came in contact. He became Weizmann's royal bearing tion pertaining to a relative
prophetic utterance, he artic- an international legend in his embodied and symbolized for who had been awarded Bri-
ulated the longings and -de- own lifetime.
all men our people's read- tain's highest medal of hon-
sires of generation after gen-
His extraordinary personal iness for statehood, its right or, the Victoria Cross, for
eration that had been con- charm was reflected in his to national freedom.
bravery during World War
demned to grieve in silence. physique. An inner light
For Jews and for the world - II.
The spirit of Israel — the glowed from his appearance. at large Weizmann was the
The story began two years
very foundation of its na- Natural simplicity and innate president of the Jewish state,
tional existence, that extra- good-breeding captured men's even before the rise of Is- ago when south Australian
ordinary phenomenon of hu- hearts and inspired respect. rael, even while the possi- newspapers, together with
the Keren Kayemet Le'Israel
man history and a theme
His erect aristocratic bear- bility , of the state's emer-
that challenged thinker s ing, striking head and pene- gence was still hidden in the announced a literary corn-
petition on the subject of
throughout the ages — that trating eyes the unfailing
"making the desert bloom"
spirit manifested itself in earnest expression of his
in Israel — a problem com-
Chaim Weizmann in all its face, the velvety texture of
mon also to Australia.
strength and glory, marvel- his deep voice, the measured
lously fusing the "Shechina," rhythm of his speech, his
The two Coward brothers
the godly inspiration of the chiselled phrasing, his mod-
entered the competition, writ-
people, with the magic of its erate gait, the generous
ing about land development
leader's personality.
in the Arava Desert, placing
sweep of his gesture, the dig-
special emphasis on Kibutz
His very manner of expres- nity that characterized his
Qetura which had enjoyed
sion was informed of the entire person — all of these,
wide news coverage in Aus-
creative spirit so character- together with the remarkable
tralia by the Jewish as well
istic of his people.
effectiveness of his words,
as the regular local press.
He did not laboriously form- bore convincing witness to
Winning the competition, the
ulate his thoughts in writing that rare and striking quality
brothers were awarded a
nor carefully polish and which men call- greatness.
one-week trip to Israel as
stylize his words; he gave
Yet his relationship to the
guests of the Keren Kaye-
free vent to his feelings in external world was affected
met.
the fire of stormy debate and far less by the realization of
in the glowing oratory which his personal distinction than
It is probable that their
trip would have remained
48 Friday, Sept. 27, 1974
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
LATE MOSHE SHARETT
merely a pleasant exper-
Are Higher With Women's Lib'
By BEN GALLOB
(Copyright 1974, JTA, Inc.)
The social-sexual revolu-
tion of America's past dec-
ade, symbolized by the em-
ergence of the women's lib-
eration movement, has para-
doxically increased rather
than eased the problems of
the single parent seeking to
establish a new life from the
wreckage of her divorce or
desertion, according to a
Jewish expert on the prob-
lem.
failure. Others took care of
her.
As acceptance has grown.
Mrs. Levy declared, the sin-
gle parent is no longer hid-
ing but, as she comes out
into life, more demands are
made on her at all le vets,
social, economic and politi-
cal.
Once the decision to creac
a new life has been made,
she has to assume more re-
sponsibility for 17 - 'F. and
her children "IL, ehc..es;
are opening for her and she
must find a way of walkilig
Mrs. Gertrude T. Levy; ad- down them alone," she add-
ministrative supervisor of ed.
psychiatric services at the
She declared that "ther:
Jewish Community Services
of Long Island, said the sin- are more single women in
gle parent is currently gain- the job market now than er
ing positive acceptance de- before," with- women facing .
the responsibility of suppe.
nied by past generations.
ing their children.
. The victims of a mounting
Mrs. Levy also suggested
American divorce rate which
has also affected American that more and more such
Jewry, are generally women, women will have to assume
particularly mothers, since that responsibility on a long-
the courts usually award range basis because, as mar-
custody of children of di- riages continue to disinte-
vorced parents to the moth- grate, women may well find
it more difficult to marry
er.
again.
Mrs. Levy said that while
In stressing that greater
there was no doubt that so-
ciety, including , the Jewish social acceptance of the sin-
community, now frowns less gle parent has perpetuate
upon the single parent, her the pressures and problems
problems have been in-, for such women, Mrs. Levy
creased rather than lessened said one of the functions of ,
by that greater public under- the Jewish Community Sep
vices for several years has
standing.
been to help such women to
When, in an earlier period, adjust to the agonies of their
the single parent felt reject- new situation and to organ-
ed and shamed by her usu- ize new lives. She added it
ally abrupt loss of security was her impression that
of status as wife and mother number of single Jewish par-
of a family, she retreated ents had quadrupled in the..
from society and yielded to past five years "at every
feelings of worthlessness and economic and social level."
Two Brothers Discover War Hero
on Last Day of Their Israel Trip
—
ience had not something hap-
pened to make it much more
meaningful. On the last day
of the trip before their de-
parture to Australia, while on
a visit to the Yad Vashem
Memorial in Jerusalem, they
encountered the name of
Cliarles Coward emblazoned
near one of the trees of the
memorial's "Avenue of the
Righteous Gentiles."
sent to Auschwitz. Whil6
there, he took great personal
risks by bribing. German
guards with chocolate bars
supplied to British POWs
the camp.
:.:(
Trading the chocolate for
the bodies of the dead, he
courageously substituted the
corpses with live Jewish in-,
mates who he smuggled be-
yond the walls of the camp
They were not sure that under the noses of the unsus-
this was their relative nor pecting guards.
did they know any details
ex.
about the valorous act that
The facts of Co
had won him the Victoria ploits were brougii- to light
Cross, or why a tree had with the later testimony of
been planted in his memory one of the Jewish inmates,
in Jerusalem; but they im- Norbert Woliheim Turin a;.
mediately turned to their the Nuremberg Ti\ , who
host, Moshe Lewis of the said that at least 400 Jews
Keren Kayemet's head of- were saved from extermina
fice, Jerusalem, with the re- tion at Auschwitz by Cow-
quest that he make an in- ard.
quiry as to the background
On another occasion, Cow-
of Charles Coward.
ard found an opportunity to
The directorate of the Yad get-a hearing with Eichmann,
Vashem Memorial answered pleading thgr the plight of
with one of the most out- the Jewish inmates at the
standing stories to come out camp be made more bear-
of World War II.
able. The hearing which al-
most- cost him his life.
Charles Coward had been a
British soldier captured by
Coward's story was pub-
the Germans during World lished in London in 1954, it,
War II. A daring escaper, he the book, "The Password is
made many attempts to flee Courage," by John Castle.
but was always caught and The young Coward brothers
punished — much more -- sev- apparently never read the
erely than most, for he was book.