2 May 21, 1976 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Purely Commentary RIO de JANIERO, Brazil—A visit here, no matter how brief, during the American Bicentennial year, emphasizes a compelling link between Brazilian and American Je- wries. It was from Recife, one of the Brazilian Jewish communities, that the shipload of Jewish settlers who established the , founda- tion for the organized American Jewish com- munity proceeded towards New York. Re- cife, with its present population of some 300 Jewish families, was a much touted term for that history-making spot in the • Western Hemisphere during the celebration of the American Jewish Tercentenary in 1953. Brazil's role in current Jewish history was clouded last year when the Brazilian de- legation at the United Nations voted with the Third World domineering powers in favor of the resolution damning Zionism as racism. Brazil was as guilty as Mexico, yet Mexico alone was boycotted by tourists to that coun- try. Perhaps it was because there is such limited tourism to Brazil. Yet the Brazilian record is a good one. She was among the na- tions who supported the rebirth of Israeli sovereignty and the admission of Israel to the United Nations, in 1947 and 1948. Her Jewish citizens enjoy a greater measure of freedom than Jews in most Latin American countries. While the Jewish population of Brazil had been listed as numbering some 130,000, the latest figure in the American Jewish Year Book gives the figure of 155,000 in a population of 100 million. As in other Latin American countries, there are occasional evidences of former Nazis having settled here and therefore hav- ing exerted a measure of anti-Jewish influ- ence. This is true also of the Arab infiltra- tion — Arabs in Latin America having been a source of irritation for Jews. But the ef- fects of anti-Semitism are not overpowering. ing. The 60,000 Jews in Rio de Janeiro have the same problems as Jews in other cities in Brazil and Jewish communities in other lands. Not all the children get a Jewish edu- cation, and mixed marriages are not uncom- mon. The struggle is the same everywhere. For Jews in the Western Hemisphere the Brazilian Jewish story rates uppermost as a founding incident in the development of Jewish centers in the Americas. The best account of the Brazilian Jew- ish background was provided by the late Dr. Simon Federbush in his important book "World Jewry Today" containing cap- sules of Jewish history in world Jewish com- munities. The Brazilian capsule is an'essay of great merit. Dr. Federbush described the history of the Jews in Brazil, in his volume published some 20,years ago, as follows: In 1638 the synagogues in Recife were closed through the intervention of the Cal- vanist clergy. In 1642, the Amsterdam Jews protested to the Dutch West India A Comment From Brazil: Fascinating Record of Jewish Pioneering in Latin America and Earliest Accounts of Marrano Struggles Company against the persecution of the Brazilian Jews and the Company directed the stadholder to abolish all restrictions. Manasseh Ben-Israel persuaded the Amsterdam Jews to send two rabbis, Moses Raphael and Isaac Aboab, with 600 Jewish colonists to Brazil. Aboab wrote the poem "Zecher Rab," thus becoming the first known Hebrew writer in Amer- ica. When the Portuguese recaptured North. Brazil from the Dutch (1654), the 5,000 Jews of Recife had to leave the city, and their synagogues and cemeteries were destroyed. Aboab led the majority back to Holland. A few went to Dutch Guiana and others to New York. Thus, Jewish com- munal life in Brazil was liquidated. When in 1824 the independence of Brazil was proclaimed, Marranos in Be- lem returned to Judaism and established the first modern congregation in Latin America named Shaar Shamayim. Jewish communities were re-established also in Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Bahia, and Man- aos. During the 19th'Century, Ashkenazim started to arrive from Germany, Alsace, and Holland. From the beginning of the 20th Century, Jews started to filter into the interior. In 1903, the ICA founded the Philippson farmer colony near Santa Maria and in 1910, another colony, Quatro Irmaos consisting of two settlements Shaye Dinner to Mark JNF Anniversary The Jewish National Fund will highlight its 75th anniversary celebration in Detroit with a testimonial dinner honoring Max M. and Dorothy Shaye "for their devotion to communal and charitable causes, and to JNF." The tribute dinner will be held on June 16 at Cong. Shaarey Zedek, when the establishment of the "Max and Dorothy Shaye Forest" in the American Bicentennial National Park in Israel will be announced. The history of the JNF in Detroit goes back nearly 60 years. A year after the Bal- four Declaration of Novem- ber, 1917, Philip Slomovitz, then a young journalist, or- ganized the Detroit Jewish National_Fund Council. The year was 1918, and he served as president for eight years. He recalls: "We knew we had to strike roots; we were obli- gated to establish a founda- tion for a revived Ertez Yis- rael. Those were the days when Zena Ehrlich consid- ered it her Hazakah, her personal privilege to con- duct all the Blue Box clear- ances, and when I. Shein- man found glory in conducting Flower Days and Tag Days." JNF embraced the ma- jor phases of the Zionist movement including mem- bers of the Zionist organi- zations, Hadassah, Poale Zion, Farband, Young Ju- dea and Hashomer Hat- zair. "Everyone with Zionist inclinations participated in JNF in those days," said Mrs. Morris Lachover, The group met in the old Shaarey Zedek on Willis St., under the patronage of Rabbi A. M. Hershman, with 40 and 50 people at a meeting. Tag Days, Flower Days, Purim, Tu b'Shevat, and Blue Box collections were the highlights. Among the early presi- dents of the Detroit JNF were: Joseph Haggai, Aaron Kurland, Leon Kaye and A. Koffman. Other early stal- warts included: Joseph Ehr- lich and Dora Ehrlich, Rabbi Hurwitz, Sam Hey- man, Michael and Chana Michlin, Anna Slomovitz, David Robinson, Israel Davidson, Max Lieberman, Hyman Goldman and Ber- nard Isaacs. JNF presidents in the 30s and 40s included A. J. Lachover, Rabbi Joshua S. Sperka, Ben F. Gold- man and Dr. Israel Wie- ner, who was president in the late 30s and early 40s and again years later. William Hordes, who was footsteps of his father as "Mr. JNF" for nearly a current president. Percy Kaplan has served quarter of a century, served in the 40s and part of the as executive director of De- 50s. In the 50s, Benjamin troit and Michigan JNF for Laikin, David Silver, Ben nearly 25 years. Harold and Irving Schlussel The chairman of the also held office as presi- Shaye Dinner is Wilfred B. dents. Doner, chairman of the W. Morris J. Brandwine was B. Doner Advertising president for three years, Agency. and has played a leading For reservations to the role for the past 15 years. More recently, Prof. Samuel Testimonial Dinner, at a Levin, Judge Burton R. minimum of $100 per couple Shifman, David Zack, and (or planting of 33 trees) con- Charles Milan carried on the tact Jewish National Fund, torch for JNF. Now Mark E. 22100 Greenfield Rd., Oak Schlussel is following in the Park, 968-0820. WASHINGTON (JTA) — The State Department's 20-year policy of granting diplomatic visas to students from Saudi Arabia and Ku- wait wishing to study in the United States is to be termi- nated within ,six months, Rep. Joshua A. Eilberg (D.- Pa.) announced. Eilberg, chairman of the House subcommittee on immigration, citizenship, and international law, said he has received "personal assurances" to this effect in a letter from Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger following Eilberg's discus- sions with State. Depart- ment senior officials. The Kissinger letter was not dis- closed. Describing the practice as illegal, Eilberg has been seeking an end to it since last October in his official capacity by communicating with the Departments of State and Justice and the Immigration and. Naturali- zation Service. In a personal action to terminate it, the Congress- man prepared documenta- tion as a citizen to request a federal court injunction to stop the State Depart- ment from issuing such visas with their special privileges to students. When he asked for termi- nation, a statement issued by Eilberg said, "the State Department responded that the people and governments involved would be offended so nothing could be done." . According to State De- partment estimates, Eilberg said, some 5,000 pessons now in the United States would be affected by the termination. They now have A-2 visas which should only be given, Eilberg said, "to official representatives of foreign governments such as middle grade embassy em- ployes and members of trade and military mis- sions." Under the Kissinger let- ter, these students will have their visas converted to the "F-2" (foreign student) and "E-J" (cultural exchange student) classifications which cover the other 80,000 foreign students in the United States, Eilberg said. "This means they will have to follow the rules and regulations which govern the activities of all other foreign students and they will not have the priv- • State Department to Stop Issuing D iplomatic Visas to Arab Students ileges accorded them by their present status," he said. The students from Ku- wait and Saudi Arabia will now have to prove, Eilberg said, they have been ac- cepted by an accredited school in the United States, attend classes regularly, maintain a passing grade average and file required forms from the Immigra- tion and Naturalization Service and report their presence annually. The State Department will issue A-2 visas to stu- dents who have already ap- plied for them until Aug. 31, Eilberg said, but they and those who already have them, will be required to ex- change them for F and J vi- sas by Oct. 31. be will Extensions granted where a student can show that he filled out the proper forms but faced de- lays beyond his control, Eil- berg said. But he warned that the immigration serv- ice will monitor the change- over to insure compliance and those failing to make the visa change would be faced with immediate de- portation. By Philip Slomovitz "Baron Hirsch" and "Baronesse Clara" comprising 70 families was established. The largest wave of Jewish immigra- tion to Brazil was in the years 1917-1924. The German and Central European Jews came as refugees in the decade 1923-1942 many of them bringing capital or spe- cific skills. In the years following World War II, although there was no longer mass immi- gration, nonetheless many individuals came to the country. The population of Brazil is composed of many races and racial mixtures, but all have equal rights. In the dictatorial epoch, many difficulties for Jewish immi- grants were. set up by secret decrees. There is a daily newspaper with anti-Sem- itic tendencies. Some Nazi immigrants are slipping into the country. One can hear of see anti-Semitic slogans and sometimes there is clearcut anti-Semitism. The present government revoked re- strictive orders against Jewish immi- grants; moreover, a Jew was appointed minister in the present government. Bra- zil voted for the Jewish state, maintaining diplomatic relations with it, and always had a positive attitude regaiding Jewish questions despite a sizeable and influen- tial Arabic minority in the country. Two Jews, Dr. Horacio Lafer and Moises Steinbuch, are members of the Brazilian Parliament. Barbara Walters Knows That Talk Is Not Cheap BY DAVID SCHWARTZ (Copyright 1976, JTA, INC.) passing a rose bush would sometimes say, "I like that dress you are wearing this morning," but how many do? Talk also helps to in- ward personal peace. As the Yiddish saying _has it, "Ez iz gut as man redt sich aus die hartz." Talking cleanses the ,overladen heart. Silence may have some value, but they are not of this world. Remember Bon- cha in the story by the Yid- dish writer, Y. L. Peretz: There was the silent man. Not a whimper was ever heard from him. People would .see a horse falling and gather around to raise it. Boncha would fall six times and none would pay any notice. Beaten by his stepmother, thrown out of his home — Boncha was always silent. People say talk is cheap. But don't pay any attention to what people say. Look at Barbara Walters. She is to get $1 million for talking. Of course, she has a prob- lem. Everyone who is fa- mous is sure to be inter- viewed by her. Now the famous will want to inter- view her. I remember once she interviewed Golda Meir. The next time she tries that, probably Golda will say, "Barbara, let's not waste time talking about me. What did I do? Just found a new nation, but you make $1 million dollars and you do it just by talking. Tell me how you did it." Miss Walters is an au- thority on talking. A few years back she wrote a book. "How To Talk About Practi- cally Everything With Prac- tically Everybody." The book didn't go over like her He passed like a shadow talking. It reminds us of the through the world, but how story of the Dzikover rebbe. different was his reception He was once asked why he in the other world. Bells didn't write a-book. "Well," rang, trumpets were blown he replied, "what will hap- up there to announce the ar- pen if I write a book? Some rival of Boncha, the siler - -, Jew, after eating too much Of course, like every ot' of his Sabbath meal, will mortal creature, he had-- take it up and fall asleep pass through the judgement reading it. I don't want to be process, but that only accen- a companion to a man in his tuated his glory. sleep." Miss Walters coming Two angels led him to from a good Jewish home, his seat, which was a naturally finds it easy to throne and a crown talk. Jews say "don't placed on his head. Thy outschke," but they know fending angel read his rec- better than to follow their ord, how amidst all ad- advice. We are eternally versity he had never quoting Solomon's words, uttered a word of protest. "Speech is silver, silence Then the judge spoke, de- is golden." Solomon claring'that anything in showed he was a Jew by Paradise was available to not following it either. him. Anything he wanted. How many people have Just name it. talked as much as Solomon? Boncha paused. "I would His sayings are quoted all like," he said haltingly, "to over the world. According to have a hot roll with fresh the Midrash, Solomon even knemi the language of flow- butter every morning." And that's about all the ers and spoke to them. You would think that people silent ever get.