- Israelis Mourn Habima Actor Aharon Meskin By MOSHE RON Jewish News Special Israel Correspondent JERUSALEM — Aharon 6 _ Meskin has been ont of the ■ greatest artists of the Israeli National Theater, Habima. He performed more than 100 roles in this theater, prior to 0 his death Nov. 11. He was born in Smolensk, I in Russia, the son of poor parents. His father was a oemaker. He had 10 broth- and sisters. Meskin rned in a heder and was a laborer. ■ lb t_ tAl s :C•wt1:666 Fifty years ago, when Da- vid _Ben-Gurioh visited Rus- sia as the guest of the agri- cultural exhibition, he visited the Habima Theater and was enthusiastic about its artistic quality. He promised to ar- range a tour in Europe and the United States. Ben-Gurion kept his prom- ise. In 1928 Habima per- formed in Israel. It per- formed for the first time in the Kibutz Dagania and its members decided to stay in Israel. Meskin played the leading role in "Golem" by Leivik, "The Permanent Jewish Wanderer" by Don Pinslky, "It is difficult to be a Jew" by Sholem Aleichem, "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller and "Othello" by Shakespeare. the paper plat For YOUR GIFTS AND PARTY NEEDS plus STATIONERY — FAVORS — INVITATIONS SYDNEY BOGG CANDIES 16300 North Park Drive, Southfield, Mich. 9:30 4:30 Mon.-Sat. 357-3111 - Meskin did not like public- ity. He was against the com- mercial theater. He was very modest in his private life. He lived in a modest apartment and went always by bus. He had no private car and did not use a cab. When people standing in a line to enter a bus recognized him and wished to let him precede them, he refused politely. Fourteen years ago Meskin was awarded the highest state prize—the Israel Prize for outstanding acting, on the Israeli Independence Day. He was chairman of the Israeli Section of the I.T.I. (Inter- national Theater Organiza- tion). His life was the theater and the stage. He left his wife, Sima, and two sons, Amnon, who is a famous ac- tor in the Haifa Theater, and Yuval, who works in the mili- tary broadcasting station. Meskin died at age 76. Thousands attended his fu- neral. Thousands of others passed his coffin, when it was set up in the Habima Theater for a last visit to Israel's greatest artist. . . . under inspection the stamp of inwardness is apt to tarnish. We must be.silent on our own internal life or it may cease to be internal. —Louis Ginzberg ABSOLUTE FINAL CLEARANCE SALE ENTIRE REMAINING STOCK MUST BE SOLD WITHIN 5 DAYS HUNDREDS OF ONE-OF-A-KIND ITEMS AT GIVEAWAY PRICES NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED OPEN a • FREE DELIVERY • FREE PARKING • TERMS AVAILABLE DAILY 10 - 9 P.M. SATURDAY 10 - 5:30 SUNDAY 12 NOON to 5:00 P.M. ALL SALES FINAL 4 City of Royal Oak Liam. #148-05 design studios 215 W. FIFTH • ROYAL OAK • 399-2600 Friday, Nov. 29, 1974-51 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Tearing Clothes a Mouring Rite Levenson Is Paperbacked By RABBI SAMUEL FOX It is required to tear one's clothes upon hearing of the death of the next of kin. The rabbis deduce this from the biblical prohibition given to the priests whose brothers (Nadab and Abihu) had passed away, forbidding them to tear their clothes since they were in the midst of the service in the sanc- tuary. This indicated that tearing one's clothes was re- quired upon the passing of one's next of kin. The rabbinic literature tries to explain this require- ment by comparing the loss of one's next of kin to the experience of having a Torah burned in one's presence. Nakhmanides claimed that the soul is like the scriptural referenCes to the name of the Almighty, while the body of a person is like the parch- ment of the scroll of the Sefer Torah. It has also been stated that if one tears one's clothes for the burning of a Torah one should also tear one's clothes when witnessing the death of a person who fulfills what the Torah commands. Others claim that the soul of the living person is what grants that human being dig- nity. Death strips the human being of his dignity. Upon death a tear is thus made in the existential being of the person. The next of kin thus tear their clothes to demon- strate this. There are some who claim that grief must be expressed upon experiencing such a sad event. One who is in true anguish might be tempt- ed to tear his flesh, as some ancient peoples used to do, Jecause of this feeling of guilt or anxiety. Jewish tra- dition thus provides a substi- tute by calling for a tear in one's clothes. Generally, upon experiencing the death of the next of kin we feel that a part of us has been torn away. The corpse is covered im- mediately upon death never to be publicly exposed again. One is forbidden by Jewish law to gaze upon the dead. First, it is considered to be an insult to the deceased who has been rendered physically incapacitated and cannot re- spond. Secondly, death shrouds the human existence in mys- tery which the living cannot understand. Third, one is ob- ligated to honor the dead. Whatever is honored and re- vered is covered in Jewish law. Covering the corpse is thus a sign of reverence and tribute being paid to the de- ceased. To achieve peace—through justice—will prove a wrench- ing task. We will have to let go of traditional rhetoric, stereo-typed thought, precon- ceptions, and everything else that inhibits man from ful- filling himself. We wish Ito cooperate, nor compete, so that the family of Man might become one. We see what can be. And we seek the in- effable. We will never grasp it in this life, but we can reach out—and live. —Edward M. Keating With Both Ears Alerted Humorist Sam Levenson's hilarious bouquet to the changing times, "In One Era and Out the Other," has been reissued in paperback by Pocket Books. It has sold more than 190,000 copies in hardcover. Levenson, who has entertained both television and read- ing audiences with his funny accounts of life in a family of 10 has put together a zany travelogue. Levenson begins with an affectionate look at his New York childhood, spins through a whirlwind courtship with show biz via school auditoriums and charity luncheons, survives the turbulences of affluence and success and lands as a tourist in the strange new era that is today. Topics of Sam's observations run the gamut from money to marriage, to succeeding in life. Sam speaks for himself on the kaleidoscopic tour from then to now: "The year I got the whooping cough, I made a small fortune. A mother of eight kids could be blackmailed into a payoff if you put up a large enough fuss about taking medicine. 'I won't take that poison for any money in the world.' "Money was the first clue. If Mama didn't go for the bribe, you continued with 'I'd rather die first.' Die was the second clue. You knew she wouldn't let you die. 'Here's a penny. Take your medicine.' Jews as Viewed by Dr. Weizmann My greatest difficulty in lying here in this helpless condition is to watch and see all the mistakes that are be- ing made in this country. You see, the Jews are a small people, a very small people, but also a great people. An ugly people, but also a beau- tiful people, a people that builds and destroys, people of genius, and at the same time a people of enormous stupid- ity. With their obstinacy they will drive through a wall, but the break in the wall always remains gaping at you. Those who strive consciously to reach the mountain top re- main chained to the bottom of the hill ... We Jews can do something very good, something which can be an honor to us all and ft), all mankind. But we must- n't spoil it. We are an impet- uous people and we spoil and sometimes destroy what has taken generations to build up. (From a conversation with M. W. Weisgal, Rehovot, Dec. 1951) STAR-SPANGLED SAVINGS PLAN Sign :.np for U. S. Savings Bonds, New Freedom Shares International Music with HENRI WAKNINE AND HIS ORCHESTRA V 355-4913 357-094 DRAPKIN Photography Weddings - Bar Mitzvah Social Events 647-5731 Eves. and Weds. Jack Drapkin 851-2671 Over 30 Year • C rea ti ew ve e l, r DESIGNER OF DISTINCTIVE JEWELRY ' FREDRICK JEWELERS 869 W. LONG LAKE RD. E. OF TELEGRAPH RD. • OPEN THURS. EVES. 646-0973 • DIAMONDS • CUSTOM DESIGNING • ANTIQUES