THE JEWISH NEWS
Incorvorating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issue of July 20. 1951
Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers. Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Association.
Published every Friday by The Jewish News Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075.
Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offices. Subscription $10 a year.
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Business Manager
DREW LIEBERWITZ
Advertising Manager
Alan Hitsky, News Editor . . . Heidi Press, Assistant News Editor
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
This Sabbath, the 2nd day of Kislev, 5735, the following scriptural selections
will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Gen. 25:19-28:9. Prophetical portion, Malachi 1:1-2:7.
Candle lighting, Friday, Nov. 15, 4:53 p.m ;
VOL. LXVI, No. 10-
Page Four
November 15, 1974
Vigilance. Spelis Self-Respect
It matters little whether the demonstra- unions whose leaders shared in the expres-
tion against assumption of power by terror- sion of indignation over the place of honor
ists in the United Nations drew 100,000 ac- accorded to the thugs in the diplomatic sphere
cording to police estimates or more than of the UN, affirmed sa basic American prin-
200,000 in the view of Jewish observers. The ciple that indecency must never find roots in
fact is that American Jews, together with non- this free land or any where else in the society
Jewish friends and supporters from religious of human beings.
and labor movements had spoken firmly and
The Jewish position is especially obliga-
unequivocally on an issue that threatened' the tory. The justice of a cause that compels the
security not only of the people of Israel but need to strive for the survival of our kinsmen
the honor and dignity of all mankind.
compels dedication to the cause of freedom.
The world organization that was organized
Therefore the realism that motivated the
in the interest of peace-seeking and an end to mobilization of protesteis against the inde-
inhumanities, wherever they may develop, cencies that now dominate the world scene in
has been transformed into an arena for the United Nations.
hatred. With the exception of the United
Vigilance on that score is only one aspect
States and Latin American countries, the of the situation. Israel. and because of the
venom compiled in the blocs of the Arab and small nation's plight, the entire Jewish peo-
Communist countries is being directed ple, is on the defensive. It confronts obstacles
towards the destruction of one of the world's that can become economically devastating.
smallest nations. A voice is needed to be heard There are obstructions that affect the nation's
in condemnation of the selfishness of 21 Arab cultural needs. A small nation whose aspira-
nations which already control the wealth of tions are for immense educational program-
the world and vast areas out of proportion to ming suddenly finds itself stymied because
-their numbers. That voice was sounded loudly its military needs are so monumental.
and clearly at the UN and it registered the
This, too, is where the largest Jewish
day of its utterance—November 4, 1974, as an community in the world becomes most seri-
historic one for vigilance' against brutalities. ously challenged. Unless the Jews of this
American Jewry is expected to be the country defy recession and inflation and come
leader in Israel's defense. That role was as- forth with most generous assistance to Israel,
sumed honorably on that day. The New the troubles will be not from the UN, the
Yorkers, the people who came from many \Arabs and the Soviet blocs alone, but from a
other states, the church spokesmen, the labor lethargy that must never be permitted.
Ruth Dayan has earned the gratitude and affection of the nation
she has'served well and in whose ranks there now are hundreds of
families whose skills_have become contributory factors in the crafts -
and related arts.
As organizer of Maskit, which has emerged as a vital factor in
many creative arts and in their consump-
tion on an almost global basis, she has
acquired fame both as a humanitarian in
advancing
the social and economic needs of
•
people from many lands, as well as in
inspiring abilities that have enabled thOse
she assisted in producing works in cer-
amics, needle work and many other prod-
ucts. The market she helped establish has
become part of the international crafts field.
Together with Wilburt Feinberg, a noted
photographer and an eminent designer whO
has assisted in designing her noteworthy
and artistic book, Ruth Dayan tells her
There is, however, no certainty yet as to what
story in "Crafts of Israel" (Macmillan).
extent the- 'Soviet Government is prepared- to
Her splendid illustrated work includes
carry out its apparent secret commitment to
many photographs in addition to Fein-
. the United States to allow large-scale emigra-
berg's with more than 300 most impressive
Ruth Dayan
tion of Soviet Jews.
illustratibns, many in color. The story
Surprisingly, the gravest doubts here come
emerges as an extensive description of arts and crafts in the many
from Israel's left-wing quarters. Even Al Ha- - eras of pre-ISrael history in that part of the world down to the
mishmar, the official daily of the formerly pro-
present time.
Soviet, now neutralist, Mapam Party, expressed
Because it is primarily a Jewish story with emphasis on the artistry
concern that the Soviet-American accord may
in Israel, it is appropriate that the reference to the artist Bezalel in
merely be a Machiavellian. maneuver by the
the Bible should be referred to as a symbol of this study and Mrs.
Kremlin. -
Dayan's labor:
"There is a strange symmetry in this agree-
And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying: see, I have called
ment," wrote the paper's senior commentator
by name Bezalel . . to devise skillful works, to work in gold,
Yaacov Rabi. "The West surrenders to oil and
and silver, and in brass, and the cutting of stones for setting,
the Soviet Union to grain."
and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship.
According to Mr. Rabi, the Soviet food- situa-
Exodus 31:1-5
tion is far from being so desperate as to necessi-
Primarily, this impressive work must be considered as the history
tate ceding on such sensitive points of ideology
of Maskit. Mrs. Dayan explains that Maskit means "ornament" or a
as a major emigration wave from the Soviet "beautiful and aesthetically exciting object." The movement she created
Union. The Israeli Sovietologist therefore fears .deserves this designation. Her explanation of what must be designate
that the Kremlin merely intends to fill its silos
as her movement become an autobiographical account, and will
with American grain, then stop further-Jewish
welcomed as such.
emigration and sit back for a violent debate
But her book is much more than that. It is ,the story of the
among Americans- as to what the true Russian
Bezalel art school in the Holy Land which struggled in the pre-Israel
commitment was.
years and has now emerged as • a great and - reative academy of arts
The differing interpretations given to the ac-
and design.
cord on one side by President Ford and Sen. -
That Maskit should be coupled with Bezalel is an expression of TY
Henry M. Jackson on the other are viewed by
by the eminent lady whose efforts made it possible for the skilled
doubters here as an unfavorable omen.
Yemen; Morocco, Persia, Bokhara, India and other Jewish settlers in
Many blunders have already been com- Israel.
As the beautiful illustrations indicate and the story relates, Maskit
mitted in the name of detente under the guise
of detente. It plagues the East-West negotia- produces., and now ships to other lands, including the United States,
tions. It affects Israel. The hope is that it will many objects.. As Mrs. Dayan lists:
"Hand-woven and embroidered and traditional garments, original
not ruin the aspirations of the would-be set-
accessories,
hand-woven fabrics for upholstery, drapery, rugs of a
tlers in Israel and those seeking refuge from variety of textures,
jewelry, ceramics, glassware, and a large selection
Russia elsewhere.
of gift items, dresses, robes, and other items fashioned of hand-
Whether the career of Dr. Kissinger will woven fabrics . . . the designs are created for Maskit by leading artists
be marred or glorified by his policies will be and designers, and tailor-seamstresses. The fabrics in all the fashions
a matter of experience in the anticipated bet- are made of home-grown Israeli cotton and wool."
ter future in foreign relations. History will
Mrs. Dayan quotes extensively from the Bible to indicate the
judge him on the basis of results attained or traditional Jewish interest in crafts and artistic designing.
"Crafts in Israel" is beautifully produced .. Its impressiveness adds
failures and the prayer is for an avoidance of
artistic emphasis to the subject and the labors of its author.
failures.
Detente: Suspicion of USSR's
Greeting Moscow's hosting of the Olympic
Games in 1980, the Christian Science Moni-
tor gave it this editorial acclaim:
The Soviet Union is the logical choice as the
site of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games. In
view of East-West detente, it is high time that
a Communist country have the opportunity to
host the games. Moscow's mayor promises "a
grand sports and cultural festival of the Youth
of the world."
Appartly molders of public opinion are
forgetting the actions, instigated by Russian
police, to molest Israelis in previous sports
events held in Moscow.
If the anxiety to appease the Kremlin is
part of the new detente diplomacy, it would
be well for justice-seeking people to examine
the trends carefully.
On the very day on which Secretary of
State Henry A. Kissinger arrived in Russia
for renewed negotiations for good relations
with the United States, a Time magazine re-
porter was barred from the USSR—because
he and his magazine had been critical of the
Russians.
Relevant to the discussion is the 'reaction
that has been registered to the agreement on
emigration from Russia which has been de-
scribed optimistically as a "bench mark of
60,000" by U. S. Senator Henry "Scoop"
Jackson. Reporting on 'attitudes in Israel,
when the agreement, which cleared the way
for favored nation status for Russia by this
country, in the same issue of the Christian
Science Monitor from which , the above is
quoted, Francis Ofner, one of the very able
Israeli correspondents, wrote, from Tel Aviv:
Israel's most challenging domestic task now
is to make sure that a possible mass emigra-
tion of Jews from the Soviet Union should not
become a crushing burden for the country's
economy and society but rather a blessing.
Ruth Dayan's 'Crafts in Israel'
Defines Maskit, Bezalel Labors
Insolence