4 .
54 Friday, October 7, 1977
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
1 Converts from Islam May Face Death Penalty Saul Levitt Dies,
WASHINGTON — Jewish
and Christian officials have
dismissed reports that the
Egyptian government has
shelved proposed legislation
that would make abandon-
ment of the Muslim religion
a crime punishable by
death.
Rabbi Solomon Bernards,
director of interreligious co-
operation for the Anti-Defa-
mation League of Bnai
Brith, called reports that
the matter had been
resolved at a Sept. 12 meet-
ing between Egyptian
Prime Minister Mamdouh
Salem and Pope Shenouda
III, head of the Coptic
Church, "a lot of baloney."
Likewise, Shawky Karas,
chairman of the department
of educational foundations
and research at South Con-
necticut State College in
New Haven, said Egyptian
officials are "waiting until
the right time" to reintro-
duce the legislation, which,
he said, is part of a contin-
uing campaign of per-
secution of Coptic Chris-
tians in Egypt.
The ADL, along with the
American Coptic Associ-
ation, sponsored an "emer-
gency consultation" Sept. 16
on the proposed legislation.
In addition, a three-hour
demonstration was held
Sept. 20 outside the United
Nations building; which
drew 500-600 people, accord-
ing to Rabbi Bernards.
Karas has proposed that the
UN investigate the situa-
tions in Egypt and require
Egypt to guarantee reli-
gious freedom for all
Egyptians.
Rabbi Bernards said that
.
an Egyptian official had
said the proposed legislation
was "a mistake to introduce
it at this time." The shelv-
ing of the bill came about
Quotations from British
comedian Bud Flanagan
and novelists Franz Kafka
and Norman Mailer form
part of the siddur, 11 years
in preparation by a com-
mittee of rabbis, the last
four years of which has
been spent in proofreading
the text to insure absolute
accuracy in the Hebrew.
Dissident British Jews
first modified the standard
prayer book in 1841 in an
attempt "to adapt the ritual
to the wants of its mem-
bers." Further revisions fol-
lowed, and the new siddur
has taken into account the
two major experiences of
Jews in this century —the
Holocaust and the rebirth of
the state of Israel —
unknown at the time of the
last revision in 1930.
NEW YORK—Playwright
Saul Levitt, who won an
Emmy award for his play,
"The Andersonville Trial,"
after it was adapted for
television, died Sept. 30 at
age 66.
Veterans' March to Be Feature
of Israel Independence Parade
JERUSALEM. (JTA)—The
Cabinet agreed unanimously
last week that a parade of
veterans of military cam-
paigns dating back to World
War I will be the main fea-
ture of Israel's 30th anniver-
sary celebrations on Inde-
pendence Day next May 11
rather than the full-scale
military parade originally
planned.
The veterans' march was
proposed by Premier Men-
ahem Begin who had earlier
favored the military dis-
play. He said he was con-
fident the idea would be
endorsed by the Knesset.
Cabinet secretary Arye
Naor told reporters after
the Cabinet meeting that
Begin has "his ear to the
ground" and realized his
earlier proposal for a mas-
sive military parade was
not well received by the
public.
The new plans call for
contingents of veterans
from both World Wars
including the Jewish Bri-
gade of World War II and
Jewish soldiers who fought
with the British and other
Allied forces, including the
Red Army.
The pre-state under-
ground fighting groups-
Haganah, Palmach, Etzel
(Irgun) and Lehi (Stern
New British Prayer Book
Features Quotes from Comic
LONDON.—"Forms of
Prayer for Jewish Wor-
ship," the first revised
prayer book of the Reform
Synagogues of Great Britain
(akin to the Counservative
movement in the U.S.),
recently published in Lon-
don, contains quotes from
the humorous as well as the
profound.
Noted Playwright
because of worldwide pro-
tests the rabbi said. "It was
too hot for them," the rabbi
added, "so they put it on the
back burner."
Apart from the main body
of prayers, the siddur also
contains an anthology of
thought designed for study
and meditation. For Israel
Independence Day it
includes this prayer: "...
Give us honor to rebuild
Jerusalem in our time. Let
justice be its strength and
righteousness its defense,
and may its reward be
peace."
The selections from Kafka
were taken from "Parables
and Paradoxes" and "The
Country Doctor." Mailer's
"The Presidential Papers"
provided this quote : "There
was that law of life. so cruel
and so just, which
demanded that one must
grow or else pay more for
remaining the same."
The siddur's light touch
provides a quote from well
known British Jewish
humorist Bud Flanagan
(1896-1968): "Show business
has been good to me all
these years, and the biggest
bonus has really been the
pleasure of making people
laugh and, helping them for-
get their troubles for a few
hours."
Don't rely on "if" and
"perhaps."
group)—will also be repre-
sented along with a single
contingent representing
Israel's present day defense
forces. It was learned that
Begin may march at the
head of the Etzel column.
Tammany Hall Has
a Jewish Leader
NEW YORK—The new
leader of what used to be
called Tammany Hall (the
Democratic Party in New
York City) is the first mem-
ber of the Democratic
Party's anti-regular faction
and the first woman to hold
that job.
7:3AM
.Z.S?1,•••••••
,
11EFLIAM BOCKMAN
Miriam Levine Bockman
came by her new role as a
result of her family's inter-
est in community service
and acquaintance with New
York mayoral candidate
Edward Koch.
She became active in the
Koch-for-Mayor campaign
and eventually became co-
leader of her district until
her appointment to the top
Party Post
Concessions Seen
TEL AVIV (ZINS)—A
recent survey by the PORI
Institute shows that 59.8
percent of the Israeli public
believes it will be impos-
sible to have a peace settle-
ment with the Arabs unless
Israel makes major territo-
rial concessions on the West
Bank.
Some 38.4 percent were
prepared to make territorial
concessions, while 45.9 per-
cent were opposed.
Warring Camps
WASHINGTON (ZINS)--,
Observers believe that the
"state of war"that exists
between the Israel embassy
and military mission, which
share quarters in Washing-
ton, will end with the new
Likud government.
The animosity, observers
say, reflected the relation-
ship between former For-
eign Munster Yigal Allon
and former Defense Min-
ister Shimon Peres.
Jewish Born Novelist Habe
Dies, Nazis Burned His Books
NEW YORK—Hans Habe,
a leading European novelist
and journalist, died Sept. 29
at age 66.
Born Jean Bekessy in
Budapest, Mr. Habe was the
author of more than 24
novels. An early anti-Nazi,
Mr. Habe was the first per-
son to report in print that
Hitler's real name was
Schicklgruber. Two years
later, Mr. Habe's early
books were among the first
to be burned by the Nazis.
At 18 he became Vienna
correspondent for a Hun-
Morris Papo, 78
SAUL LEVITT
A lifelong native of New
York, Mr. Levitt began his
writing career with the pub-
lication of short stories
after graduation from City
College of New York. In
1941, he entered the Army
as a radio operator—an
experience that was to
influence much of his later
writings.
In 1951, he published his
first novel, "The Sun Is
Silent," which traced the
military careers of its char-
acters from the final stages
of their military training
through the completion of
their missions over Europe
in World War II.
His short stories, book
reviews and articles have
appeared over the years in
The Atlantic Monthly, Cos-
mopolitan, Harper's Ameri-
can Mercury and The New
York Times.
Black Panther MK
Visits USSR, Says
Jews Can Leave
JERUSALEM (JTA)—
Charles Biton, the Black
Panther MK who was
elected on a joint ticket with
the Rakah Communist fac-
tion, returned from a visit
to the Soviet Union over the
weekend with the claim that
any Jew who wants to leave
the USSR may do so.
Biton spent 15 days in
Russia with four other
Israeli leftists as guests of
the Soviet Peace Com-
mittee. He said on a radio
interview that he had met
with several Jews in Mos-
cow "some of whom want to
immigrate • and some of
whom do not." However, he
said, no one complained
that the authorities were
preventing their departure.
He said he raised the
issue with Soviet officials
and was told that in prin-
ciple there is no restriction
on the exit of Jews for
Israel. "Within a month or
two every Jew who wants to
leave can do so," said
Biton.
The wages of the right-
eous is life.
— Proverbs
Morris Papo, a self-
employed master plumber.
died Oct. 5 at age 78.
Born in Yogoslavia, Mr.
Papo was the founder and
owner of the Arco Plumbing
and Heating Co. He had
been retired for five years.
He was a member of the
Master Plumbers Associ-
ation, Cong. Beth Achim
and the Sephardic Commu-
nity of Detroit.
He leaves two daughters,
Mrs. Howard (Gloria )-
Lazar of Ann Arbor and
Mrs. James (Rita) Golden;
six brothers, Alvin and
Jack, both of California, and
Mordy, Louis Sam and
Burke Williams; a sister,
Mrs. Maurice (Regina)
Polinsky. 11 grandchildren
and four great-grand-
children. Services 11:15
a.m. today at Ira Kaufman
Chapel.
A Protest
Too Late.. •
Martin Niemoeller served
aboard a German U-boat
during World War I. He
later became a Lutheran
minister.
When Hitler rose to
power, Niemoeller opposed
him and was promptly
thrown into Theresienstadt
— a Nazi concentration
camp. At thiS camp 76,000
Jews (of which 15,000 were
children) were sent to their
deaths. At the time of the
liberation, only 100 children
had survived.
When Pastor Niemoeller
was released, he was asked,
"How did the world let this
happen?" He responded:
"In Germany, the Nazis
first came for the Commun-
ists, and I didn't speak up
because I wasn't a Com-
munist. Then they came for
the Jews, and I didn't speak
up because I wasn't a Jew.
"Then they came for the
trade unionists, and I didn't
speak up because I wasn't a
trade unionist. Then they
came for the Catholics, and
I didn't speak up because I
was a Protestant.
"Then they came for me,
and by that time there was
no one left to speak for
me."
HANS HABE
garian newspaper, was edi-
tor from 1929 to 1933 of a
Vienna newspaper and at
age 21 became editor of the
Vienna newspaper Der
Morgen.
He then became a foreign
correspondent, covering the
League of Nations in Gen-
eva, traveling widely and
interviewing rulers and
statesmen, and began writ,
ing novels later burned by
the Nazis.
He wrote articles for
American periodicals on
conditions in Europe, ana-
lyzed the war in broadcasts
and lectured, under sponsor-
ship of the United States
War Department at military
bases around the country.
His many honors included
Israel's Herzl Prize and
West Germany's Grand
Cross of Merit. Mr. Habe
had been a fellow of Boston
University and a governor
of the University of Haifa.
.
Joseph Newmark
Joseph Newmark, a
retired department store
merchant, died Oct. 3 at age
81.
Born in Russia, Mr. New-
mark lived 56 years in
Detroit. He retired in 1956.
He was a. delegate to the
Jewish Community Council,
a past president of the
Chaim Weizmann Society, a
member of Perfection
Lodge of the Masons, Zager-
Stone Lodge of Bnai Brith
and president of the Gold
Star "Parents of the Jewish
War Veterans in the early
1950s.
Mr. Newmark leaves his
wife, Beatrice; a daughter,
Mrs. Irvin (Nora) Kanat; a
sister, Mrs. Reva Davidrnan
of New York; anc ur
grandchildren.
Francisco Silbert,
Rio Assemblyman
RIO DE JANEIRO
(JTA)—Francisco Silbert, a
member of Rio's State
Assembly for three terms,
died at age 58.
He was born in Rio, the
son of Jewish immigrants
from Poland. Mr. Silbert,
who served once as the
president of the Assembly,
was a strong supporter of
Israel and the cause of
Soviet Jewry in the
legislature.
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