2 Friday, October 21, 1918 i" 7 • 1, q , THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Purely Commentary Isaac Bashevis Singer: Yiddish Gains 'Posthumous Recognition' Isaac Bashevis Singer was surprised by the Nobel Prize in Literature. So was his publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. So were the Yiddishists who now cherish every bit of recognition given them in their efforts to keep alive the language for which they cherish great affection. It is most interesting, therefore, to read the views of Prof. Robert Alter who, writing his tribute to Nobelist Singer, spoke of thin award as a "posthumous recognition" of Yid- dish. Prof. Alter, whose important work on Jewish writers, "Defenses of the Imagination," recently was published by the Jewish Publication Society of America, wrote in the L.A. Times: ... But Isaac Bashevis Singer is not, in fact, an American writer any more than novelists Men- dele Mokher Sforim and Sholom Aleichem were Russian writers, or the poet and playwright Itzik _Manger a Romanian writer. Singer, like these other artists, has his roots in a culture which tran- scends national borders and geographic loca- tions. By choosing Singer for this year's Nobel Prize, the Swedish Academy has in effect granted offi- cial recognition to one of the most extraordinary — and ignored — cultures in the world, a culture of the Jewish Diaspora. To be sure, there were earlier important Jewish subcultures with their own dialects in the 2,000-year history of the Dias- pora. But the remarkable characteristic of the Yiddish-speaking Jews of Eastern Europe was their entry into modernity without the simultane- ous assimilation of their unique culture .. . In addition, Singer, like his Yiddish literary forebears who worked without benefit of trans- lators, is completely unselfish and unapologetic about his Jewishness. For him there is nothing to explain or exploit in the exotic Jewish lore out of which he shapes his fiction. These elements are simply there for him to use as a writer, and for the reader — whether in Yiddish or in translation — to make of what he will. Singer has a gift which is unusual among mod- ern writers: He is persuasively charming, in part because he does not consciously strive for that effect. Some critics have chosen to stress his mod- ernity and it is true that compared with earlier generations of Yiddish writers, Singer's vision is of moral chaos underlying the world with its con- comitant stress on sexuality, violence and tor- mented individual consciousness. But Singer also preserves many of the distinctive virtues of ear- lier Yiddish fiction: Its sure sense of indigenous Jewish characters, shrewd humor and un- abashed expression of emotion. By Philip Slomovitz The 1978 Nobel Prize That Signified Distress for 'Posthumous Recognition of Yiddish'... Commentator's Carcow Experience as It Relates to the New Pope German, and now it is the Yiddishist Singer who is greatly honored. Thus the list of Jewish Nobelists in literature adds glory to the record of their kinsmen's achievements, The `Shosha' Story I. B. Singer's "Shosha" ("Farrar, Straus & Giroux) aroused special interest because of its publication some weeks before the author was awarded the Nobel Prize. Since it is a story of many loves, of the chief member of the novel's cast of characters having numerous affairs, including one with a married woman and another with the child-minded young girl "Shosha," the author was impelled to say that his father would not have approved of it. Neither would his father approve of many other Singer mystical and mythical tales. A vital factor in "Shosha" is the Singer autobiographical element, his account of a visit with survivors in Israel, the ideological substance that marks a moving addition to interchange of views with those who had suffered the agonies imposed by Hitlerism. It outweighs the sex incidents, important as they are to d novel. Many of the Singer associates on the Jewish Daily For- -ward and in the ranks of the Yiddishists hated him. Was it all because he was not progressive? It was probably all out of jealousy that a Yiddish writer had reached the pinnacle of success in the literary world, that he was published, that he was able himself to collaborate with translators. I. B. Singer now spells success. That's what matters — to him, to the Yiddish world, to literature. Invincibility of the Church: Recalling 1962 Cracow Visit Renewed interest in Polish Jewry is an inevitable result of the elevation to Catholic leadership of Pope John Paul II. Because he hails from Cracow, and the proximity of his birthplace to Auschwitz, there is added interest in the Cracow community and in the history of one of the most horrid of the world's tragedies' centered in Oswiecim. When this commentator visited Cracow in 1962 there were 2,000 Jews left in that historic city, 1,300 of them over the age of 65. Now, with the reduction of Polish Jewry to some 8,000, Cracow's Jewish population may also have dwindled to perhaps half the 1962 number. This is one of the results of the calamity that cut down the 3,500,000 Polish Jews to less than 10,000, most of them old and decrepit and the young undoubtedly influenced by the do- minant Communist party. This commentator, before moving on to witness the re- sults of the horrors at Auschwitz, took an early morning walk with an associate in the visiting party into the main streets of Cracow. There were outdoor chapels and elderly people stopped to worship there and to throw in their coins for the Catholic Church. They were performing it in a Communist-oriented society and it was quite evident then that the Church was conducting its business as usual and was defying Communist pressures. It was also evident that the Catholics in Poland, number- ing about 95 percent of the population, were not being subdued by the ruling party. It is from such an environment that the new Pope stems and may be influenced in his leadership of the 700 million Catholics in the world. There is a basic fact to be considered in judging the status of Yiddish. The Yiddishists boast that the language is taught in many universities. The fact is that what is taught is Yiddish literature in translation. That is why, deplorably, the recognition is "posthumous." It is undeniable that while Singer writes in Yiddish his works are popularized in English translations. He is often his own translator with a co-worker, but his writings nevertheless are read in languages other than Yiddish. Singer also is read in Hebrew translations and his son, TORONTO (JTA) --- A who is a kibutznick, has done such translating. Here is a four-hour play on the story from the current Jerusalem Post as proff of the son of crucifixion, produced by an the Yiddishist being a Hebraist: emigre Polish film director for the educational televi- TEL AVIV — Yisrael Zamir, Isaac Bashevis sion arm of the Ontario gov- Singer's 39-year-old son, lives in Israel at Kibutz ernment, is causing a con- Beit Alpha. He was plating metals at the kibutz's troversy. - metal plating plant when he heard on the three The play, which cost o'clock news Oct. 5 that his father, who lives in $500,000, is called The New York, had won the Nobel Prize for Litera- Jesus Trial" and it purports ture. to examine the 2,000-year- In an excited voice he told The Jerusalem Post , old Christian legacy of the that he couldn't believe it. "In 1967 when S.Y. deicide. It is based on an ac- Agnon received the prize, I was sure that father tual courtroom case that didn't have a chance anymore, because they took place in 1974 in the wouldn't give the prize to another Jewish writer. French city off' Troyes. Last year when Saul Bellow received the prize then I knew that was it, he being both an Ameri- A French lawyer named can and Jewish writer." Jacques Isorni wrote a book, Zamir also works as a general reporter for Al "Le Vrai Proces de Jesus" Hamislunar, and has translated into Hebrew two (The True Trial ofJesus), in of his father's stories, "A Crown of Feathers," and which he argued that his- "A Friend of Kafka " into one book called "The torically it was not the Jews Key," which was publ ished by Sifriat Hapoalim. but. the Roman Procurator He is now planning to print his Hebrew transla- Pontius Pilate who bears tion to "Enemies, a Love Story." the responsibility for Jesus' Nobel Prizes in Literature had previously gone to execution. He was chal- Shmuel Agnon, the Hebraist, Nellie Sachs, the survivor lenged by a cleric, Abbe from Nazism who was a noble Jewess writing poetry in Georges de Nantes. A libel The new Pope was in a forced labor camp during the Nazi years of bestialities. He is undoubtedly acquainted with what happehed at Auschwitz, the murder of the Six Million Jewish martyrs, the destruction of Polish Jewry whose rich chapter of notable contributions to Poland is imbedded in his country's history. With such a background he must succeed with his platform of fairness and justice towards all religious faiths. Hence an interest in the cause of justice for Jewry must be anticipated with hope and confidence. Communal Recognition for Pioneer Mediator David S. Tanzman has such an impressive record of serv- ice as a mediator as Well as in the community, as a devoted Jewish activist in traditional ranks and in behalf of Israel, that the acclaim to be accorded him at a testimonial ban- quet on Tuesday is a highly merited recognition of a lifetime of labors In this community. He retires after 38 years in government service with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. As a citizen he is active in Jewish War Veterans, United Hebrew Schools, - Allied Jewish Campaign, Rabbinical Council, Vaad Hdrabonim, Mizrachi, Zionist Organization, Labor Zionist Alliance, Jewish Community Council, Bnai Brith, Jewish National Fund, ORT and the day schools. Recipient of many awards, he headed the Akiva Day School and also was active in the ranks of Hillel Day School. He did not let party politics mar his interest in all move- ments for Israel. Therefore he can be called a Kol Bo, an all-inclusive man, and as such he is being honored with the participation of all groups with which he is affiliated. More power to such a devoted public servant. Detroiters' Major Roles in Shaare Zedek Hospital So impressive is the service rendered by Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, its research and rehabilitation proj- ects have become so vital in rendering services in time of war as well as in peace, that it has become a leader in rendering health services for Israelis. So impressive is the work of this hospital, which now ranks with the leaders in hospitalization in Israel, that Jewish communities throughout the world have come to its aid in the building of the hospital's new $50,000,000 medi- cal center, which is to be dedicated Nov. 5-12. The hospital's needs have captured the interest and gained the support of a large number of Detroiters and about a dozen of them will be going to Israel this week to participate in the dedication of the new buildings. It is notable that Detroiters should be financing research projects, a rehabilitation workshop, the dialysis unit and many other projects, in addition to dedicating rooms at Shaare Zedek Hospital. Such support increases interest in Israel's needs and involves Detroiters, and Jews in many American com- munities, in vital undertakings in Israel. Shaare Zedek Hospital has begun to approach Hadas- sah's hospitals in popularity in Israel. Together, both groups provide for Israel one of the most vital human needs and it is encouraging to know that Detroiters play whole- some roles in such undertakings. Canadian Show on Teicide' Creating Fuss suit ensued which eventu- ally was won by the lawye- The film enacts the French trial based on its reported text. It also in- terweaves shots from a Mexican passion play that has been performed in Ixtapalapa for the past 150 years, a performance of startling realism since at times the person play- ing Jesus has not sur- vived to reach the cross, so acute are the actual tortures. Also shown are actual films of Nazi concentration and death camps. In addi- tion, continuing interreli- gious strife and killing is shown in scene's from to- day's Ireland and Lebanon. There are comments throughout the production by a wide variety of theolo- gians, scholars, writers and churchmen from Canada, the U.S., Great Britain and Israel, including such per- sons as Canadian Jewish poet Irving Layton, British Writer Hugh Schonfield, Prof. Emil Fackenheim Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut, Rev. Franklin Littell, Father Gregory Baum, Sis- ter Charlotte Stein and Prof. Northrop Frye. Though the program will not be shown publicly until early November, pre- screenings have caused con- troversy. Roman Catholics have complained that "The _Jesus Trial" does not adequately take into ac- count the Second Vatican Council convened by the late Pope John XXIII and all that has happened flow- ing from this council to alter the church's basic position on the crucifixion and the deicide. They also point out that Father de Nantes, pre- sented in the film as a typ- ical Roman Catholic spokesman, is now con- sidered virtually a here- tic in church circles and is diametrically opposed to current accepted church policies. Some ,religious leader. have expressed concern that the film displays an- tagonism to religion per se. It states at the beginning that religion is "the bed- mate" of intolerance and ideology in producing hatred; that it may have the counter-effect of reinforcing in the minds of some view- ers the so-called guilt of the Jews in stressing their suf- fering and persecution, seen by some as their "just des- erts"; that TV Ontario, as an educational arm of the government, should not in- troduce it into the schools where it could be mishan- dled by unskilled teachers.