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."