Amusing 'Judah the Pious' Novel Mixes Fantasy, Religion, Science Abba Eban: 'Israel Will Not Be Deprived of Statehood' (Excerpt from address by Israel's former Foreign Min- ister Abba Eban at the 10th anniversary dinner of Akiva Day School, Oct. 31). The Arab nation of which the Palestinians_ are a part— forms 3 per cent of the human race but–it has 16 per cent of the votes in the United Nations and a virtual hold on 30 more votes, 16 per cent of the earth's land sur- face, 60 per cent of the world's oil reserves and a vast percentage of its unused currency assets. From this position of ex- travagant privilege, some of its leaders avariciously pur- sue the elimination of Israel aso a state. But Israel will not be de- prived of its statehood. It will not die, or disappear, or apologize for itself, or be swallowed up in something else, or abandon its specific Jetvish vocation• and solidar- ities. It will seek peace, com- promise and mutual conces- sion within the framework of respect for its rights. • The ark of covenant car- ries those who carry it. —Talmud quickly throughout the town until the Polish government curtailed its policy of re- ligious toleration for the Jews. The Jewish community was incensed. It needed a learned spokesman to plead their case to the 16 year-old King Casimir, a young man who had lost all faith in God due to the recent deaths of his parents. They picked one Rabbi El- iezer of Rimanov, a man Whose role as a rabbi was questionable. Instead of turn- ing the town youth into schol- ars, he made them into dreamers and filled their minds with fanciful notions. How e v e r, the townsfolk thought that his method was a new.form of education and revered the wise; old, infirm rabbi. Rabbi Eliezer earned an audience with the young king, during which he pleaded for the right of his people to practice their religion with- out obstruction. But his plea came in the form of a fairy tale about Judah ben Simon, whose mysterious birth was followed by a life of strange meetings and events which led him on his own search for faith. At an early age Judah ben Simon left the yeShiva to study nature and removed Editor's Note: Guidance on important problems provided by Jewish Welfare Federa- tion-United Jewish Charities Endowment Fund Tax Advi- sory Committee. Professional, advice about issues discussed in these columns should be secured from an attorney or an estate planning adviser. Questions of general interest in these matters should be addressed to "Taxes . and Your Future", care of the Jewish News, 17515 W. Nine Mile, Southfield, Mich. 48075. In last month's column, we reviewed some of the pos- sible yeai-end tax moves re- lated to income and expense. Now _ let's look at the other side of personal finances .. . the balance sheet. Wise planning with empha- sis on charitable contribu- tions includes not only the amount and _timing of your contribution, but a 1 s o its form; whether cash, secur- ities, real estate, or other assets. Money is always the best, easiest, and most acceptable means to fulfill your pledge. The Federal government en- couraged cash gifts when it raised the ceiling on deduc- tibility for gifts of money from 30 per cent to 50 per cent (with a five-year carry- over). Your out-of-pocket cost is reduced by the amount of your tax savings. A gift of appreciated secur- ities or real estate gives you a charitable deduction for the .full present market value when you have held the prop- erties for six months or more. The capital gain tax on the appreciation (differ- ence between your cost-basis and present fair in arket value) is avoided in this In- stance. If you have appreciated securities, it may be better to contribute them instead of money, even if you believe your securities are a good investment and will continue to appreciate. By using the cash you might have given to replace your securities, you will still have the same ownership equity at a higher cost-basis. You will have eliminated a capital gains tax on the appreciation and reduced your exposure to future capital gains tax. This same rule applies even if your securities have gone down in value, but are still worth more than your cash basis. However, if you have securities whose pres- ent value is less than your cost basis, you are better off selling them yourself and contributing the proceeds in cash. This way, you receive a capital loss deduction as well as a charitable contri- bution. A gift of appreciated real estate may be a very ad- vantageous type of charitable contribution—particularly as to how it can affect your long-range tax plan. Such a gift can have a tremendous impact on your current and future income taxes, state in- heritance taxes, and Federal estate taxes. As in all instances, we strongly recommend that you consult your own counselor to determine how some of these suggestions may benefit you and your family. To- gether, you should plan your gift to maximize the benefits from the incentives which the Federal government has built into the tax system to encourage • charitable giving. A call to C. Kenneth Sara- son at 965-3939 will confi- dentially describe the bene- fits that a participant in the Endowment Fund can expect. Several hazzanim from for- eign parts, have been treat- ing London congregations to exhibitions of their skill, in anticipation of a vacancy which was to be filled at one of the synagogues. As the vacancy had not yet been ad- vertised, they were not tech- nically candidates for the post. "That's a hazzan for you!" said one congregant, lost in admiration of the musical vir- tuosity of one of the aspiring cantors. "Oh, no," was the retort, "that's only a prelim- inary cantor." One may acquire eternity in a single moment (by the change in a person with one great action.)—Talmud himself from his parents' home to live in the forest. Enthralled by the mysteries THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS of the forest, he was led 24—Friday, Nov. 22, 1974 astray by Rachel Anna, who suddenly appeared one day announcing she had come from Cracow to marry the young man. Young Judah ben Simon became , more entagled in This Month Only weird happenings when he met a charlatan, Jeremiah Vinograd, who convinced the young man to follow his life style. Judah never could have Brand Name expected the puzzles that awaited him when to took up coil for oppt. the trade. This world would have been But the surprises, myster- created even for one right- 358-0415 ies and puzzles all come to- great_ action).—Talmud gether at the end of the book when a strange turn of events led the young man to — ALL GENERAL MOTORS — meet the eminent rabbi, Ju- 0 dah- the Pious of Cracow. At the same time, Rabbi Eliezer m CALL is not spinning just another yarn — he figures in the strange tale too. The rabbi's tale so con- vinced the young king that ALL! WHOLESALE he restored religious free- m dom for the Jews. All All "Judah the Pious" is an Models -0 Makes entertaining mixture of fan- -7 tasy and the reality of man's search for faith. The plot is 0 STAN FINSILVER' GEORGE BRANT fast-moving and the wealth of surprises for the reader MERCEDES — JAGUAR — VOLVO makes the novel hard to put — DATSUN — MG — SUBARU — down. —Heidi Press FO RD - LI NCO LN - M ERCU R Y - Religion, science and the supernatural combine to form an amusing novel, "Ju- dah the Pious," by Francine Prose. The Atheneum - published novel, a tale within a tale, reflects Miss Prose's fascin- ation for the mysticism of India, which she visited prior to writing the novel. The basic story is set in 19th Century Poland, at a time when -the Jews were barely tolerated. It was dur- ing this period that a re- nowned Jewish doctor died, and two Polish aristocrats who had been cured by him, attended his funeral out of gratitude. Their gratitude was soon forgotten as they became aware of the particulars of the Jewish funeral service. When the mourners turned their backs on the deceased and threw handfuls of dirt on the grave to bid the soul a final good-by, the two as- tonished aristocrats totally misinterpreted the rite to mean something dreadful. The two believed that "the spiteful Jews were teasing their dead with a last sweet taste of soil; they were tan- talizing their ghosts 'into coming back from the other world and stalking innocent people." 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