54 Friday, May 19, 1978
111E OMIT JEWISH NEWS
Israeli Invents Sign Language
JERUSALEM — Prof.
Yitzchak Schlessinger of
the Hebrew University has
invented a sign language
for the Israeli deaf.
He was aided in his work
by a grant from the Ameri-
can Jewish Joint Distribu-
tion Committee (JDC)
which assists many proj-
ects, services and institu-
tions for the deaf and those
with severe hearing or
speaking impairment in Is-
rael.
Prof. Schlessinger or-
ganized his collection of
symbols into an integrated
language system and
gathered them into a dictio-
nary which he presented to
Israel's Minister of Labor
and Social Welfare, Dr. Is-
rael Ktaz. The new dictio-
nary consists of 200 pages
and 1,200 photographs of
hand symbols to indicate
the most commonly used
words.
Prof. Schlessinger was
often stumped on how to
portray a word, particu-
larly an abstract one.
How does one get across
"FASTENED"
the word "idea" for
example? By a clenched
fist with a raised
forefinger touching the
brain. The word "thief" is
indicated by a clenched
fist with thumb pointing
downward, the hand per-
forming a movement in-
dicating that something
is being done on the sly.
Prof. Schlessinger, be-
came interested in sign
Pro-Arabs Enlist Clergy,
Notables for Propaganda'
a-
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
The Anti-Defamation
League of Bnai Brith
charged that a pro-Arab
group has enlisted a host of
public figures, church lead-
ers and radical leftists as
sponsors of an "anti-Israel
propaganda effort disguised
as a conference on behalf of
Palestinian rights." The
group, which calls itself the
Palestine Human Rights
Campaign, has scheduled
the conference for Saturday
and Sunday at American
University.
According to ADL, James
Zogby, who heads the group,
also is responsible for major
newspaper advertising cal-
ling for U.S. recognition of
the Palestine Liberation
Organization as the "sole
representative" of Palesti-
nians and for PLO partici-
pation - in Mideast peace
talks. Many of the names
listed as sponsors of the
pro-PLO statement are the
same as those listed as
sponsors for the conference.
The latter include such
public figures as Sen. James
Abourezk; Rep. John Con-
yers; attorney William
Kunstler; Carlton Goodlett,
head of the National Black
Publishers Association;
Gene Guerrero, executive
director of the Georgia
chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union; Rev.
Phillip Berrigan; and
Daniel Berrigan.
Also, church leaders
such as J. Richard Bu-
tler, director, and John
Buteyn, chairman of the
Middle East Committee
of the National Council of
Churches; and Herman
Will, a high official of the
United Methodist
Church; and radical lef-
tists such as Angela
Davis, David Dellinger
and Herbert Aptheker, a
U.S. Communist Party
leader.
Among the organizations
enlisted as sponsors of the
conference are Local 3 of the
United Auto Workers; Mid-
dle East Research and In-
formation Project; National
Association of Arab-
Americans; and Near East
Committee of the Antioc-
hian Orthodox Church.
Arnold Forster, ADL's
associate director and gen-
eral counsel, said the Pales-
tine Human Rights Cam-
paign was created and is fi-
nanced by the pro-PLO
Association of Arab-
American University
Graduates. Zogby, PHRC
chairman and associate pro-
fessor of philosophy at
Shippensburg State College
in Pennsylvania, also is the
AAUG's vice president and
is a leading anti-Israel
propagandist.
The pro-PLO ad, which
included LF. Stone and
Pete Seeger among its 96
signatories, was initiated
by a mail appeal from
Zogby and another
AAUG leader, Abdeen
Jabara. Dated Jan. 10,
1978, their soliciation let-
ter, on official Ship-
pensburg State College
stationery, asked for
endorsement of the yet-
to-be-published state-
ment, and stipulated that
there be "no precondi-
tions" to inviting the PLO
to Mideast peace talks.
The Palestine Human
Rights Campaign was
formed at the April, 1977,
meeting of the AAUG Board
of Directors. A stated pur-
pose was to capitalize on the
Carter Administration's
expressed policy of concern
for human rights by accus-
ing Israel of major human
rights violations.
Forster said the upcom-
ing conference is "part of an
ongoing effort to arouse
American sympathy for
PLO terrorists."
communication through his
wife, a teacher of the deaf.
In 1967 he was asked by the
U.S. Department of Health,
Education and Welfare to
devise a supplementary
language to aid instructors
who were teaching the deaf.
In the U.S. deaf persons are
taught lip reading, but often
supplementary hand sym-
bols and motions are needed
to make communication
clearer to the "listener."
Prof. Schlessinger de-
veloped a universal dictio-
nary using choreographic-
type symbols (not photos) to
indicate the position of the
arm, hand, and forgers and
the directions in which they
are moved to indicate
nouns, verbs, adverbs, and
adjectives. It was the first
time such a guide to the deaf
had been systematized for
use everywhere.
Then the question arose:
What do you do for an adult
who cannot grasp the intri-
cate symbolization? The
problem was especially
acute for deaf adult immig-
rants who had never been
taught to "talk."
The answer was the
sign dictionary with
photos, a project in which
Prof. Schlessinger was
helped among others, by
Israel Sela, a Sabra, who
was born to two deaf par-
ents. Sela, who has no
hearing impairments
learned to communicate
with his parents through
hand symbols.
Deaf school children in Is-
-reel are taught lip reading
and every effort is made to
integrate them into the pub-
lic school system. For them
the new dictionary will
serve as an auxiliary teach-
ing tool. For many adults
who were never taught lip
reading and who have been
unable to communicate all
their lives, the new dictio-
nary will be a godsend.
Sela also hopes to get the
dictionary into the hands of
policemen, clerks in public
institutions, and others who
come into contact with the
deaf, to enable them to
communicate more directly
with the non-hearing, non-
speaking public.
Courses in sign language
are taught to members of
the staff, parents,
grandparents, volunteers
and outside professionals by
instructors at MICHA, the
Association of Parents of
Deaf Pre-School Children in
Jerusalem and Haifa. Both
institutions receive finan-
cial support from the JDC.
PLO Ad Printed
AMSTERDAM (JTA) —
The Netherlands Palestine
Committee chose the occa-
sion of Israel's 30th an-
niversary to publish a large
advertisement in the daily
De Volksrant demanding,
among other things, an in-
dependent Palestinian
state, Israel's evacuation of
all occupied Arab terrorities
and recognition of the PLO
by the Dutch government. A
similar ad appeared in the
U.S. including the Detroit
Free Press.
Car Ownership
Up DeSpite Cost
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
Every fourth family in Is-
rael owns a car not-
withstanding the extremely
high cost of private vehicles
and a much higher percent-
age owns major household
appliances a recent survey
by the Central Bureau of
Statistics disclosed.
A standard Volkswagen
"Beetle," probably the
cheapest car on the market,
costs the equivalent of
$10,000, including taxes,
which is over 30 times the
average monthly wage in
Israel.
Fifty-five percent of the
heads of families with cars
had 13 or more years of edu-
cation compared to only
three percent with no edu-
cation who owned cars.
`Passion Play'
Protest Planned
NEW YORK — Rabbi
Rubin R. Dobin of Lawr-
ence, N.Y., has begun an in-
ternational campaign to
protest the use of an anti-
Semitic script in the 1980
"Passion Play" at Obera m-
mergau, West Germany.
Rabbi Dobin is asking
that letters of protest be
sent to Dr. Berndt von Sta-
den, West Germany's am-
bassador in Washington.
Rabbi Dobin will supply
protest forms to anyone who
mails him a stamped, self-
addressed envelope at P.O.
Box 11, Lawrence, N.Y.
11559.
MDA Director
JERUSALEM — Dr.
Nancy L Caroline, 33, a na-
tive of Boston who made
aliya a year ago, has been
named medical director for
Magen David Adom, Is-
rael's emergency medical
service.
ADL Dedicates 'Isaiah Wall
NEW YORK — The
Anti-Defamation League of
Bnai Brith has dedicated a
wall in the lobby of its na-
tional headquarters as the
"Wall of Isaiah" to honor 38
individuals and families
who have made outstanding
contributions of leadership,
service and generosity over
a period of many years.
In a special ceremony, the
"Wall" was unveiled by
Dore Schary, an honorary
chairman of the League,
who is one of those inscribed
on the wall.
A quotation from Isaiah
identifies the wall:
"And the work of right-
eousness shall be peace;
and the effect of right-
eousness quietness and
confidence forever."
Speakers at the dedica-
tion included Benjamin R.
Epstein, ADL national di-
rector, and Arnold Forster,
associate national director
and general counsel.
Nathan Perlmutter, ADL
assistant national director
and director of develop-
ment, made the pre-
sentations.
JWB in Israel
NEW ' YORK — The
Jewish Welfare Board will
have a three-week "Semi-
nar in Israel" in September
The 18th annual Hun- for full-time Jewish center,
tington Woods Art Fair will YMHA, YWHA and Jewish
be held noon-7 p.m. Satur- camp staff in September.
day and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun- For information, write
day at the Huntington JWB-Israel Seminar, 15
Woods Recreation Center. East 26th St., New York
Admission is free. 10010.
Opera Star Kipnis Dies at 87
NEW YORK — Alexan- handicap. He made his
der Kipnis, the Russian- debut in Hamburg in
born singer who was re- 1915, and later sang in
Wiesbaden and Berlin.
garded as one of the great
He joined the Chicago
basses of this century, died
Civic Opera in 1923 and
14
at
age
87.
May
stayed with it for a decade.
Mr. Kipnis made his
He sang regularly at the
debut with the Metropoli-
summer festival in
tan Opera in 1940. One of
Bayreuth from 1927 to
his famous roles was Boris
1933, but the advent of the
Godunov in the Mussorgsky
Hitler regime ended that
opera which he first sang at
association. However, he
the Met in 1943. He sang his
was still able to continue
part in the original Russian,
singing in Vienna and.
while the rest of the cast
Salzburg during the later
sang in Italian.
1930s.
Mr. Kipnis also sang in
Born in Zhitomir in the
Paris, Milan and Buenos
Ukraine, Mr. Kipnis went
Aires. Many of his songs
to Warsaw to study sing-
were recorded and were re-
ing and conducting and
cently reissued.
graduated as a military
After leaving the Met,
bandmaster. Further
Mr. Kipnis taught at the
vocal study found him in
New York College of Music,
Berlin when World War I
at the Juilliard School and
began, but the fact that
at his studio in Westport,
he was an emeny alien
Conn.
turned out not to be a
•
•
Conductor William Steinberg
NEW YORK — William
Steinberg, former music di-
rector of the Pittsburgh and
Boston Symphony Orches-
tras, died May 16 at age 78.
Born Hans Wilhelm
Steinberg, he accepted the
musical directorship of the
Pittsburgh Symphony in
1958, while at the same
time accepting a similar
post with the London
Philharmonic. He also was
offered the directorship of
the Berlin Stadtische Op-
era, which he declined.
Mi. Steinberg gave up the
London post on his physi-
cian's advice, and in 1969 he
became musical director of
the Boston Symphony, with
which he was associated for
three years, while main-
taining his position with the
Pittsburgh orchestra. He
was principal guest conduc-
tor of the New York
Philharmonic for two sea-
sons, from 1966 to 1968.
By age 10 he was an ac-
complished violinist and
at 15 a virtuoso pianist.
When he was 19, Mr.
Steinberg won the Wull-
ner Prize for Conducting.
He first became an assis-
tant to Otto Klemperer at
WILLIAM STEINBERG
the Cologne Opera and in
1925 went on to the German
Theater in Prague. During
his four years there he rose
to a full conductorship.
From 1929 to 1933 he was
general music director of
the opera in Frankfurt.
Dismissed by the Nazis, he
was forced to work under-
ground and he organized a
Judischer Kulturbund,
which gave concerts for
Jewish audiences.
After a few years he
moved to pre-state Israel.
He recruited another or-
chestra there and invited
Arturo Toscanini to conduct
the first public perform-
ances of the Palestine Or-
chestra in Tel Aviv in 1938.
Toscanini invited Mr.
Steinberg to become his
assistant with the NBC
Symphony. Ai first Mr.
Steinberg declined because
of a job offer in Berlin, how-
ever, Toscanini cautioned
him that when he came
back to Germany he would
be subject to danger of the
Hitler menace.
Mr. Steinberg came to the
U.S. instead and joined the
NBC Symphony. He helped
prepare its weekly broad-
casts and on March 4, 1939,
he conducted one of them. In
1945 he got his own or-
chestra, the Buffalo
Philharmonic, and moved to
the Pittsburgh Symphony
in 1952. In 1968 he was
given the unprecedented
honor of an unlimited con-
tract as music director.
He frequently went to
Israel and in 1964 he took
the Pittsburgh Sym-
phony on an 11-week tour
of Europe and the Middle
East. He retired in 1976.
A son Arthur (Arturo),
named for Toscanini, sur-
vives, as does a daughter,
Silvia Tennenbaum, author
of the bestseller "Rachel,
the Rabbi's Wife."