56 Friday, October 1, 1976 • THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Small Sephardic Community Here Retains Traditions BY HEIDI PRESS Hidden' among the 80,000-member Detroit Jewish community are the 500 Jews of Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic descent — the Sephar- dim. Scattered throughout northwest Detroit and its northern suburbs much like they were in Europe and Asia following the Spanish Inquisition of 1492, the Jews of Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Mexico, Iran, Iraq and Israel re- tain the traditions of their native lands. Organized in 1936 as the Sephardic Commun- ity of Detroit, the Sephardim can trace their history on the North American continent back to the 17th Century, but their arrival in Detroit wasn't felt until the early 1900s. Detroit's first genera- tion of Sephardic Jews was comprised mainly of laborers or blue-collar workers. According to Irv- ing M. Zeitlin in his thesis, "The Sephardic -Commun- ity of Greater Detroit," that generation "became factory workers, peddlers, push-cart owners and even boot-blacks. .Eventually some became small prop- rietors while others left Detroit for New York, hav- ing heard of the large Sephardic community there." Arriving in Detroit where its Jewish com- munity spoke Yiddish and came from East or .,.Central' Europe, the Sephardim often sought others of the same na- tionality whether or not they too were Sephardim because they spoke the same language and shared the same customs. According to David Chicorel, past president of the community and a son of the late founders of the Sephardic community in Detroit, Jacob and Judith Chicorel, his pa- rents were instrumental in aiding the incoming Sephardim. Chicorel recalls that his parents took in the new- comers and his father helped them find jobs. A lay cantor, the elder Chicorel conducted ser- vices for the community. The Sephardic communi- ty's first religious ser- vices were held in the Chicorel home in 1921. Shirley Gormezano, an Ashkenaiic Jew married to a Sephardi and secret- ary of the community, said the tradition of taking in newcomers continues to- day. She said that, many members of the commun- ity are opening their homes to the influx of Ira- nian (Persian) Jews com- ing into Detroit. A significant tradition that many of the Sephar- dim retained as they ar- rived in America was the Ladin6 language. Ladino is spoken as a second lan- guage in the home, much like Yiddish in an Ashkenazic household. According to Zeitlin, Ladino is "Castillian Spanish modified by the introduction of Hebrew words, by the use of Spanish case endings in Hebrew, and occasionally by the addition of Hebrew prefixes and suffixes to Spanish words. To this combination have been added some Turkish and Arabic words." In addition to per- petuating Ladino, many of the women continue to prepare native foods. For example, Rebecca Bizaoui of Egypt still prepares stuffed grape leaves and molochia, a rich soup made with herbs that is common to the Mediterranean area. On Rosh Hashana, she explained, tradition calls for eating something green for,happiness in the ^,oming year, and rice, for a clean future. Following the Yom Kippur fast, lemon soup is often found with the traditional chic- ken dinner. Sarah Bahar Kosnick, a native of Turkey, Pre- pares burinuelos, a spe- cial bread for Passover, and pastelas, little meat pies. According to Mrs. Gor- mezano, who had to learn a new mode of cooking when she married her husband, the Sephardim use much olive oil in their cooking, while the Ashkenazim use chicken fat. Salads play a major role in the Sephar- dic diet. On Passover, where the Ashkenazic Jews forbid the eating of rice, the Sephardim in- clude it among their Pas- sover recipes. On the holidays and for Shabat, fish is the major meal of the Sephardim. On Rosh Hashana, Dr. Sion Soleymani, presi- dent of the community, said that pomegranates are eaten signifying that the year should be as sweet as the fruit and that the Jews should be as numerous as its seeds. On Passover Iranian Jews eat a special mixture of nuts Called agil. Another custom car- ried over by the Sephar- dim are their native dances which they pre- form at several annual social functions. Among these are the Mediterra- nean Cabaret Night, the annual fund-raising event; and the United Is- rael Bond dinner-dance, which the- Sephardic Community co-sponsors with four other organiza- tions. The community also holds an annual pic- nic in summer. This year, with the in- crease of Persians in the community, the Sephar- dim sponsored "A Night in Persia." They also sponsored a session on Greek dancing. The community is gov- erned by an executive board which meets monthly at the Zionist Cul- tural Center, home base for the Sephardim since they have no synagogue. Although the Sephar- dic community today is mainly comprised of the children of the first Sephardim who settled in Detroit, there are still many newcomers, some with unpleasant stories about their native lands. Mrs. Bizaoui, for exam- ple, fled her native Egypt when persecution against the Jews was rife. Her husband was jailed, but she and her daughter were allowed to leave. They fled to Marseilles, France, where they lived with an aunt while they waited for visas. An uncle in Detroit took them in eight years ago. Mean- while, her husband was ,released from jail in ill health and died several months after arriving in Detroit. Sam Moss, a manufac- turers representative and part-time musician, is a concentration camp survivor from Salonika, Greece. Rounded up with many other Greek Jews during the Nazi occupa- tion, Moss finally ended up in Dachau, where iron- ically, a German officer saved his life. When the officer learned that Moss could play the accordion, he or- DR. SOLEYMANI tiered Moss to play at the fence separating the men's and women's barracks.At the fence, Moss met his wife, Eta, an Orthodox Jew from Hungary, who often requested special songs. The two were ordered to put together a show and every Sunday they per- formed for the German of- ficers. When liberation came, the couple married and in 1949 came to the U.S. Dr. Soleymani, of Shiraz, Iran, had an easier time coming to the U.S. — he came to con- tinue his education. A general surgeon as- sociated with several De- troit area hospitals and an active member of the major Jewish organiza- tions, Dr. Soleymani came to the U.S. 18 years ago where he fulfilled his medical internship and residency requirements for becoming 'a surgeon. He is one of 11 children of an import-export mer- chant and has a history of Jewish communal in- volvement in his native Iran. He joined Rabbi Yit- zchak Levi, who escaped Nazi persecution, in promoting Hebrew and secular education for Ira- nian Jews. Often, the two went house to house seek- ing funds for a school which eventually became a reality and was supported by the Shiraz board of education. Asked what the goals of the Sephardic community were, Dr. Soleymani said that it would like to build its own cultural center on the grounds of the Jewish Community Center. Rabbi-Samuel Betsalel, a native of Afghanistan and spiritual leader f- the community's Hi, Holiday services, said tri, main goal is to build a synagogue. (In New York, the Sephardic Temple celeb- rated its 13th anniver- sary in May. Cong. Shearith Israel in New York, the Spanish and - Portuguese synagogue, is regarded as the oldest Jewish Congregation in the U.S.) On the holidays, the Sephardim use the prayerbook edited by the late Dr. David De Sola Pool, rabbi of Cong. Shearith Israel, author and civic leader. Prayers are recited in Hebrew and English. Dr. Soleymani said the community was interested in conducting classes for the public in Sephardic culture. Although the presence of the Sephardic com- munity is not as heavily felt in the general Jewish community as its Ashkenazic counterpart, the Sephardim manage to retain their native tradi- tions as well as their Jewishness. 'When a Sephardic synagogue is built in Detroit, the con- tributions of the Sephar- dim will be given recogni- tion equal to their non- Sephardic brothers. . Israel's Navy: Staying Ahead of the Arab Threat HAIFA — Israeli naval planners fear that ex- panded arms export drives by the U. S. and Europe in the Middle East will vastly increase sea power within the Arab world and challenge Israeli control of its sea lanes. These planners, accord- ing to Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine, are convinced that Saudi Arabia will ask for — and receive — the McDonnell Douglas Harpoon anti-shipping missile to arm the 10 guided-missile patrol boats that country is re- ceiving from the U.S. One boat has been delivered. U.S. officials deny that a Harpoon deal has been made, but Israel is skep- tical. In addition, Italy, Rus-, sia, FranCe and Great Britain are highly visible naval weapons salesmen and are pushing control One of the Israeli Navy's smaller patrol craft is shown operating off the Israeli coast. boats missile and throughout the Middle East. At this time, Libya is the prime customer for Italian and Soviet boats and mis- siles. But Israeli strategists view the com- bined Arab naval inven- tory as a single enemy fleet whose navies conduct joint training, and whose vessels can be transferred from one flag to another. The growing threat does not involve only Arab countries. The Soviet Mediterranean squadron has found new acceptance among the Arabs. Israeli intelligence re- cently determined that Russia has received rights to the Syrian port of Tartus. A repair ship is based there permanently, and three or four Soviet destroyers are usually at anchor in the port. The Soviets have been hampered in the Mediter- ranean since Egypt closed Alexandria to Rus- sian shipping four years ago. Tartus cannot re- place Alexandria in size or facilities, but its use enables the Soviets to make repairs close to the squadron's operating zone. Israel is reacting t) these potentially major shifts in the Middle East strategic balance by con- stantly refining its naval tactics, and by a gradual increase in its combat fleet. - Israeli naval tactics are tailored around the Israel Aircraft Industries Gab- riel missile on board small, swift boats and supported by advanced surveillance, acquisition, tracking and fire control radars and electronic countermeasures. Backbone of the combat fleet is the 440-ton Reshef (Flash) missile boat. Six are in commission and another six are under construction at Israeli Shipyards, Ltd., located in Haifa. The remainder of the armed operating fleet consists of: • Saar-class missile boats that can carry six to 8 Gabriel missiles and two torpedo tubes. Also called "Cherbourg" boats, they displace 250 tons. Twelve are in Israeli service. They received the name Cherbourg because the last five were spirited to Haifa from Cherbourg by the Israeli navy in late 1969 after the French em- bargoed further arms sales to Israel. • Dabur coastal patrol boats, armed with 20-mm. guns. Israel has 30 in commission. They were •built by RAIVITA, a sub- sidiary -of IAI. • Submarines. Israel currently is putting into' service three 520-ton coastal boats built in Great Britain. Two older submarines of about 1,300-ton displacement, also ex-British, are in commission. Several older landing craft and patrol boats also are in service. Israel would like to col- laborate with a U.S. boat- builder on design and de- velopment of a 100-ton, missile-armed hydrofoil, which is considered the next top-priority require- ment. The Israeli budget dic- tates the pace at which the navy can expand and modernize. Navy officials readily admit that the air force and land forces have the first claim for hardware procurement funds. Primary task of the navy is to "keep the threat as far as possible from our shores," another official said. This task re- quirell fewer boats prior to the 1967 war when the coastline stretched less than 100 miles from the Lebanese border to t' Gaza Strip. It is 1- nearly 500 miles incl ing the Mediterranean and Red Sea shores. By exploiting the Gab- riel missile, its Saar and Reshef platforms and as- sociated electronics, the Israeli navy has been ef- fective in controlling its sea lanes and shores. But as Arab sea power develops, the need be- comes urgent for more advanced missiles with more range. Israel wants to add the Harpoon to its Reshef fleet. This missile has a range of about 50 miles. Gabriel Mk.2 has a 26- mile range, and Gabriel Mk.1, about 14 miles.