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56 Friday, March 9, 1919
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Levenson's New Book Continues His Skill as Philosopher-Humorist
Sam Levenson is very
humorous. This has been es-
tablished. He also is notably
philosophical.
His stories and his epig-
rams never suffered from
the suggestive.
Sam Levenson's humor
gains new status in "You
Don't Have to Be in Who's
Who to Know What's What"
(Simon and Schuster).
There is a "Preamble to
the Prologue" in which
Levenson defines a self-
analysis with the skill of
the author who charms,
delights and puts the
reader in a good mood..
Here is a good way to
start his new hilarious
philosophic trends, in the
prologue's preamble:
"I had a delightful profes-
sor of education at Brooklyn
College who taught his fu-
twe teachers' (me amongst
them), in pseudo-
Brooklynese, that to put
over a perfect lesson you
kad to stick to one simple
rule: 'Tel 'em what you're
gonna 'learn 'em'; then
`learn 'em'; then ask 'em:
`What did I just 'learn you'?'
"So, then, what am I
going to 'learn you?'
"First, that over the cen-
turies ample and deserved
SAM LEVENSON
tribute has been paid to the
wit and wisdom of the
world's literary sophisti-
cates, the Aristophanes',
Swifts, Wildes, Voltaires,
Twains, Shaws .
"And, secondly, that
men of letters (and this is
the special lesson of the
book) are not endowed
by their Creator with a
monopoly on wit or wis-
dom. Like they say:
"You don't have to be in
Who's Who to know What's
What.
"I must forewarn you,.
dear reader, that the table
of contents is deceptively
light, but the content itself
deals (albeit humorously)
with some of the most seri-
ous, often painful, aspects of
human existence: love,
marriage, family, religion,
freedom, war, morality,
poverty, wealth . . . subjects
that in fact comprise the
basic contents of the human
comedy."
Under 22 sub-chapter
headings, such as "You Can
Try Laughing," "Live and
Let 'Live," "Idol Worship-
ers," "From Witch Doctors
to Rich Doctors," "Freedom
from Freedom," "What I
`Learn' You,", etc., Leven-
son keeps the readers
laughing.
Exemplary in his usual
style of playing on words
with innumerable ideas are:
Children's explana-
tions of the reasons for
violence on their level
add up to about the same
validity as adult explana-
tions of adult rumbles.
The following came from
nursery school teacher
peace-makers:
"Why are you hitting Ar-
thur?" "Freddie is absent."
"Why did you put sand in
Richard's mouth!" "It was
open."
"Why did you kick Philip
in the stomach?" "Because
he turned around."
"How did Billy break your
hammer?" "I hit him on the
.head with it."
* * *
I am taking the liberty
of listing the most fre-
quent charges of the
people against the United
Nations:
They are located on the
original site of the Tower of
Babel.
They condemn nations to
death by elocution.
They are expert at bring-
ing disorder out of chaos.
They are a summit meet-
ing that's not on the level.
Other judgments are
longer and even stronger:
One reason the Ten
Commandments are so
short and clear is that
Moses didn't have to send
them through the UN.
ing shortage. Then it must
be only a rumor started by
people with no place to live.
What this country needs
is the spirit of '76 and the
prices of '36.
We should' send the
People to the conventions
and let the candidates stay
home and watch television.
Until you're 21 your par-
ents take care of you. After
you're 65 the government
looks after you. Today I am
21. Do you have any plans
for the 44 years in between?
Youth Lobby for Soviet Jews
* * *
And then there are the
personal "just to let you
know how I feel" mes-
sages:
You're a real conserva-
tive, the kind of guy who
thinks that nothing should
be done for the first time.
The government is like a
huge elephant that sits on a
baby'bird to keep it warm.
You say there is no hous-
Rep. Robert Drinan, chairman of the Interna- _
tional Committee for Anatoly Shcharansky, is shown
addressing more than 200 students from 28 univer-
sities who gathered in Washington recently to brief
their legislators on the new crises facing Russian
Jews. The youths opposed a new bill by Illinois Sena-
tor Adlai Stevenson which would, in effect, destroy
the Jackson Amendment which links Soviet human
rights to U.S.-Soviet trade.
Vietnamese Boat People Mark Successful Integration in Israel
By JERRY CHESLOW
- World Zionist
Press Service
The 102 Vietnamese
refugees who arrived in Is-
rael (from the over-crowded
Tung An freighter anchored
in Manila Bay at the end of
1978), will have an easier
time being absorbed into Is-
raeli society than you might
think," said Dr. Tran Quang
Hua, the Israel govern-
ment's adviser on their
integration.
"It's true that there is a
difference between Israeli,
Western-style democracy
and Vietnamese, Oriental
Communism. But one must
not forget that most of the
adults in the group grew up
under the Western-oriented
Saigon regime, before the
Communists took over
three years ago."
Dr. Hua, a cardiac sur-
geon at Israel's Tel
Hashomer Hospital, should
know about the absorption
of Vietnamese immigrants.
A year and a half ago, he
and 65 other Vietnamese
. who fled from their country,
were brought to Israel.
Of the first group, as
many as 62 remained in
Israel and four went to
the United States to join
family members. All of
the adults are working as
doctors, dentists, labor-
ers, and one couple has
opened a very successful
Vietnamese restaurant in
Jaffa. The children have
adapted to the schools.
Dr. Hua maintains that
the living standard
among the Vietnamese
Israelis is higher, than
both the standard in Vie-
tnam and that of the av-
erage Israeli.
apartment was outfitted as
a clinic for the initial check
ups. The examinations con-
firmed the findings of the
doctors who visited the ref-
ugees while they were still
on the Tung An. All 102
were in good health.
Since the refugees
brought practically noth-
Unlike the arrival of the ing besides the clothes on
first group, the 102 refugees their backs, volunteer
saw familiar faces when organizations provided
they descended from the boxes of clothing and
plane at Ben-Gurion Air- toys-. At the absorption
center, the newcomers
port. Dr. Hua and about 40
members of his group were were assigned flats that
on hand to translate from • were furnished down to
Hebrew to Vietnamese and basic- kitchenware and
vice versa. They had also food. They also were
advised the government on given pocket money.
how to deal with the new ar-
They are to stay at the
rivals.
center for three months,
while they learn basic He-
Dr. Hua had told the gov-
brew and find jobs. After-
ernment that Vietnamese
do not consider conditions of waids, they are either to
find their own apartments
seven people to .a three-
room apartment as over- or pay a small rental fee for
staying at, the center. Like
crowded. He also informed
all
imigrants to Israel, the
the authorities on a number
refugee will receive gov-
of little things to ease the
Vietnamese initiation, ernment subsidies to help
them pay rent on private
down to the flavor of tooth-
apartments over the next
paste they liked.
five years.
The refugees were
- "Hundreds of Afula
brought to Afula, center of
families have offered to
the verdant Jezreel Valley,
and--put up in a 32- adopt the Vietnamese
Adorned with the famed Israeli hat, the kova apartment absorption cen- families (an Israeli practice
temble, this Vietnamese child shows his devotion to ter that had been set aside to help newcomers accli-
his native country and to his adopted nation, Israel, for the hoped-for immigra- mate,)" explained Mayor
by waving the flags of both countries.
tion of Iranian Jews. One Ovadia Ali. "Our labor ex-
change has more job offers
for the Vietnamese than
there are refugees. This is
because the first group that
came a year and a half ago
have made such a good
name as good and diligent
workers. Do you know that
two Tel Aviv-based com-
panies have even offered to
open branches here, just to
take advantage of the Viet-
namese manpower?"
The job offers were
mainly for craftsmen,
industrial workers, nurses,
cleaning and maintenance
people, dairy workers and
restaurant help.
For their part, the refu-
gee, speaking through
their leader Tran Thuan,
a school teacher who lost
his wife and son in the es-
cape from Vietnam,
pledged to do their best to
adopt themselves to Is-
raeli ways.
Because of the language
difficulties, the children,
who have already started
school, are now learning
mainly handicrafts and
physical education, as well
as the Hebrew language.
Special nursery school kin-
dergarten classes have been
set up for the younger refu:
gees. And the adults have
already started their ulpan
Hebrew language courses.
Famous Concert Series
En Gev's Musical Festival
Set for Passover Holiday
EN GEV, Israel — The Danish Ballet, the Haifa
36th annual En Gev music Symphony Orchestra, the
festival will take place at Israel Philharmonic, the
this kibutz on the shores of Jerusalem Symphony Or-
the Sea of Galilee during chestra, Jubilee Singers,
Passover and Easter. The Gevathron Choir and Arik'
festival draws crowds from Einstein and Hanoch
all over the world to hear Shalom.
international artists per-
form in the village's impres- _ For information, write
the Israel Government
sive auditorium.
The 1979 schedule in- Tourist Office, • 350 Fifth .
cludes soloists of the Royal Ave., New York 10001. n
The waterfront fish restaurant at Kibutz En Gev is
a pcipular spot with music festival , visitors.