2 Friday, March 16, 1919
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Purely Commentary
To the Habers, the Month's Octogenarians, a Salute
in Behalf of an Appreciative Community ... Cicero
Steps Into Our. Path ... Israel in Arabs' Geography
The Peace That Stirs the Souls of All Mankind
Out of the agony of negotiations, serious differences of views, the bitterness that often obstructs amity, there - is
evidence of an emerging peace between the two most illustrious nations in the Middle East, Israel and Egypt.
At this writing, peace is yet to be concluded. The assurances that the pact is to be signed next week, in Jerusalem,
Cairo and Washington, gives the media the courage to pronounce theAmen that is needed for the realities hoped, prayed
and labored for.
The anticipated peace is a tribute to the three men who negotiated it, who conquered anger to -establish sensibility.
May their hands be strengthened in all other tasks yet to be confronted in peace-making and an assurance of amity.
Blessed be the day when Shalom becomes the salutation for all mankind and peace dominates for the benefit of all
mankind.
Fannie and William Haber:
The Wonderful Octogenarians
Thisi could well be called Haber Month.
Our confrere and marvelous ,eolumnist Boris Smolar
has already stated the case for Dr. William Haber, on his
80th birthday. Smolar has written a most commendable
article paying honor to our mutual friend. The value of Dr.
Haber's services is so deeply appreciated by American
Jewry that the acclaim to the eminent scholar and commu-
nity leader is most understandable.
There is much more to this month's special attention
to the birthday of Prof. Haber than his March 6 natal day.
The month's glory is shared by his wife, Fannie.
This is a remarkable lady who has been at his side for
more than half-a-century and who has gained admiration
in the Ann Arbor community in her own right.
Fannie Haber will be 80 on Tuesday. This March is
their month to celebrate as octogenarians together and a
month during which their friends have an opportunity to
show them their love. -
Dr. Haber's values have been recorded, by Boris
Smolar and others. Fannie has served as chairman of the
Ann Arbor United Jewish Appeal campaign, she has been
hostess to great occasions, has accompanied her husband on
many trips in behalf of ORT and Israel's universities, visit-
ing Israel a score of times.
Indeed, this is a remarkable couple, and as octogena-
rians they display such youthful enthusiasm for the causes
that knit them and the community that befriends them
that they are a remarkable combination, justly admired.
Many cheers to these octogenarians!
To Marcus Tullius Cicero:
Bildging the Ages With
Proofreading Apologies
There is always time for a bit of humor in what could
otherwise be a humorless life.
This columnist acknowledges with gratitude this
kindly note from the ages:
March 2, 1979
Dear Editor:
I did not say "0 tempore, o more!", which is
incorrect Latin-wise and, therefore, meaningless.
What I said was: "0 tempora, o mores!", which
means "Oh times and mores (customs)," referring
to Catilina's arrogance and the Republic's sad
state of affairs.
Yours respectfully,
Marcus Tullius Cicero
What a pity that Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE)
did not -date this letter approximately 100 years before the
Christian Era!
Nevertheless, we shall bridge the gap and correct the
years with an apology. But the apology also must be ac-
cepted as a lesson for dear friend Cicero — that we have
gone throligh so many eras of blunders that now led_to great
technological accomplishments, that we also committed
errors. Some of these errors have been called typographical.
That's what happened to your student, Cicero! It was a
typographical error and the proofreaders had read so much
by the time they reached the time and circumstance of the
column you have corrected that the error remained uncor-
rected.
Yes, Cicero, it is 0 Tempora, 0 Mores! -
You cause me, Cicero, to relate an incident. This writer
once turned to Norma aoldman who teaches Latin at
Wayne State University and said: "Dr. Norma! What a pity
that so few now study Latin in our high schools." Her
husband, Dr. Bernard Goldman, who is the director of
Wayne State University Press and also a professor at WSU,
immediately commented: "And what a pity that so few
study, learn and know English." --
Indeed, Cicero, 0 Tempora, 0 Mores!
About Confirmed Jews Who
Flirt Wtih Assimilationism
A venerable, highly-respected charter reader of this
paper was angered by the review by Heidi Press, of"Lauren
Bacall, By Myself' (Knopf)..-He_was furious over the display
given to an actress who married a non-Jew, whose children
WILLIAM AND FANNIE HABER
were given a Christian education.
Conditions now provide so many disappointments and
Zvi Tomkiewcz the Idealist:
anxieties over defections in Jewish ranks that the reader-
Held Aloft Mizrachi Banner
correspondent referred to has a wide field for complaints.
Actually, Lauren Bacall is not to be ashamed of. She
Zvi Tomkiewicz made a community of friends who ad-
mired him for his devotion to the sacred causes of Jewish does not negate her Jewishness. She married out of the fold.
In that respect she represents one of the serious problems
learning and national redemption.
affecting Jewry everywhere, a matter that calls for
He was like a sage-for the hundreds who responded to stronger efforts to assure identifications intimately by
his every call for participation in the Zionist cause and the Jews with Jews.
fulfillment of the dream for Israel's rebirth.
Another equally prominent American Jewish lady fig-
He labored for the Mizrachi, which later became com- ' ures in the discussion similarly with Lauren Bacall. The
bind- with another branch of the religious Zionist move- personality, her Jewish loyalties, her condoning of mixed
ment into- Mizrachi-Hapoel Hamizrachi, and through the marriages, her embracing of strange gods is related in this
years for the Religious Zionist movement. It was a con- item borrowed from Gabriel Cohen's National Jewish Post
tinuity for him, the Mizrachi ideal and religious Zionism and Opinion:
having been founded by his grandfather, Rabbi Itzhak
Ann Landers, the syndicated.columnist, makes
Yaakov Reines of Lida.
no bones about being Jewish. On a speaking
He took pride in the fact that his grandfather also was -
engagement in Palm Beach, Fla., she said, "I think
the founder of the great Lida Yeshiva.
it is an asset. I make a point of it where I can
because some people feel Jewish people are
All of his idealism was merged into love of Zion and
different. They think they are aggressive, grabby
. Torah. He turned to the Talmud with love in the studies he
or loud. I like to point out that one-third of all
pursued and encouraged others to be participants in.
Nobel Prize winners were Jewish."
That is why he became a pillar in the synagogue and in
The subject of Jewishness took a heated turn
the Day School movement, especially the branch repre-
when Ms. Landers appeared on the local radio
sented by the Akiva Day School here.
station WPBR. A caller asked how she feels about
So — he was never treated as a mere fund-raiser, in his
Jewish youngsters intermarrying and getting
capacity of executive director of Mizrachi and Detroit
away from the faith by joining cults. She said,
Friends of Bar-Ilan University. All that was needed was a
according to the listener, that though she was
call from him and there were adherents to these move-
married to a Jewish man for 36 years, which
ments.
ended in divorce last year, she would have no
hesitation in marrying a non-Jew. She also said
For all these reasons Zvi Tomkiewicz is being remem-
that one of her daughters had married a Jewish
bered, will be memorialized and there will be the widely
man but divorced him and is now married to a
participated in echo of "Blessed be his memory!"
By Philip
Slomovitz
gentile. She said she visited her daughter in
California in December and said that although
her daughter is raising her two children as Jews
they had a Christmas tree in their house.
Another caller complained that the Jews
should keep a low profile, to which Ms. Landers
replied, "You're trying to say that Jews are really
too pushy." A heated debate then ensued between
Jewish callers defending the Jews and some
non-Jewish callers accusing them of being too
aggressive. One Jewish woman said that Jews
really have great initiative and this many times is
misconstrued as being pushy. In addition, the talk
show host Herbert Swope in te rjected that y
cannot generalize such characteristics about oIlir
particular group of people.
Heidi Press reviewed Bacall properly and Gabe Cohen
did not abuse journalistic privileges by revealing the Ann
Landers attitude. What both have done was to call atten-
tion to defections that do not please us. They warn anew _of
the increasing permissiveness in the yielding to tempta-
tions from sources which lead to losses in Jewish ranks.
Whatever the negations, the duty for Jews is to close ranks,
to provide greater emphasis on Jewish educational pro-
gramming and to exert every available effort to retain the
youth in identified Jewish family and community affilia-
tions.
Israel on the Map: Will
the Arabs Finally Identify It?
It's an old story: the Arab antagonism is so deep rooted
that Israel isn't even identified on maps circulated in Arab
countries. -
Max Nosanchuk, who is seen at most Jewish func-
tions, especially in his dedication to-causes in Israel's be-
half, was on a visit in Cairo after attending the recent Israel
Bond conference in Jerusalem. He brought back with him
the maps used by Egy
pt Air. There is An outline of a strip of
land recognizable as pre-1967 Israel on the Middle East
maps of the airline's brochure, but the country_ is not
mentioned by name and even Jerusalem is not included.
Will peace also provide identification for Israel on
Arab-made maps?
Nosanchuk brought back with him from Cairo copies
of the Egyptian Gazette. One of them contained the fake
report about Israel's alleged guiltof torturing Arab pris-:
oners.
It is understandable why an Arab periodical would
sensationalize an accusation against Israel.
But on the second page of that same issue appeared this
interesting report:
About -1,000 new flats should be constructed
every day from now to the year 2000 in order to
solve the acute housing problem in Egypt, a re-
port by the General Authority for Housing Re-
search said.
The Prime Minister Dr. Mustafa Khalil had
urged the ministries concerned-to prepare for an
immediate start on the government's plan to pro-
vide cheaper houses for low-incomed families.
In a four-hour meeting of the Cabinet earlier
this month, the necessity of securing land, build-
ing materials and equipment to boost housing
projects was emphasizId.
' This is not the only problem confronting Egypt. An
impoverished country. Mostly arid, with a population of 40
million that is growing rapidly, Egypt needs help.
It hopes for a $10 billion grant from the U.S. in the
coming few years. What Egypt needs is trade with Israel
and a friendship that will encourage money-providing
tourism. Only peace with Israel may save her. More than
anyone else, Anwar Sadat undoubtedly knows it.
Theodore Mann's Leadership
in Crucial Period for Israel
Theodore Mann comes here for a lecture at the Shaarey
Zedek, Sunday, in a crucial time for- Israel and Jewry. As
president of the Conference of Presidents of Major Ameri-
can Jewish Organizations he occupies the top position in
Jewish leadership. For the first time since the formation of
the Conference of Presidents, a layman has been elevated
to that position. Until his selection the post was held by
rabbis.
There has been much talk about the testing of leaders.
Perhaps it is a normal approach, since the crises always
lead to criticisms. Who does one blame if not the leaders?
Mann has proven leadership qualities and has served
American Jewry well in his conferencesat the White House
and whatever functions called for viewpoints expressive of
the will of American Jewry. The people he represents cer-
tainly seek explanatory definitions of the relationships
which give him the voice as a spokesman for the Jews of this
country and in matters related to the defensive actions in
Israel's behalf. It is reasonable to believe that a message
from him is both timely and necessary.