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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

6 Friday, March 30,1919

You are cordially
invited to attend
a discussion of
the BRAND NEW

HIAS Expects to Aid 27,500

NEW YORK (JTA) — A
record 27,500 Jewish refu-
gees will require migration
and resettlement aid from
HIAS in 1979, it was re-
ported at the 95th annual
meeting of the organization
last week. Carl Glick,
president, noted that this
projected volume of activity,
involving mainly Soviet
Jews, will be double last
year's and greater by far
than in any year during the
past quarter of a century.
'Edwin Shapiro, a New
York businessman, was
elected president of HIAS at
the annual meeting of the
board of directors that fol-
lowed. Glick, who served as
president for six years, was
named honorary president.
Gaynor Jacobson, execu-
tive vice president, told the
HIAS members that to meet
the challenge posed by the
substantially increased"
movement from the Soviet
Union, it will be necessary
for the American Jewish
community to participate
far beyond its 1978 in-
volvement in the reception
and resettlement of Jewish
immigrants.
Some 160 organized
Jewish communities are
currently cooperating in

Coming of Age/21st Year

1919
Overseas
Program
of the
American
Jewish
Congress

Hear:

Betty Weir Alderson

National Director,
Overseas Program

There are SPECIAL
Tours for Everyone!

• First-Timers

• Repeaters

• Young and Single, and
Young and Married
(ages 18-39)

• Sophisticated Singles (aged 40+)

• "Young-at-heart" (aged 62+)

There's ISRAEL in varying durations
and combined with a variety
of European- destinations
(more than ever before)
as well as EUROPE,
the ORIENT, MEXICO,
the CARIBBEAN, etc.

Tuesday, April 3, 1979 / 8 p.m.

BETH ABRAHAM HILLEL MOSES SYNAGOGUE
5075 West Maple Road
West Bloomfield-,- Michigan 48033
(between Inkster and Middlebelt Roads)

If you cannot attend, please call or write our office at

21751 W. 9 Mile Road (Suite 102)
Southfield, MI 48075
357-2766

for our handsomely illustrated brochure or any additional information.
We want to answer your travel questions.

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Hebrew Book & Gift Center
11 Mile
Lahser,
d R
H a rvar

356-6080 Open All Day Sunday

Boris Smolar's

the resettlement pro-
gram, Jacobson re-
ported. Close to one-half
9
of all Jewish arrivals in
this country choose to
stay in the Greater New
Editor-in-Chief
York area, where they
Emeritus, JTA
receive resettlement aid
(Copyright 1979, JTA, Inc.)
from the New York Asso-
ciation for New Ameri-
A LOOK AT U.S. JEWRY: The Jewish population of
cans.
Also at the annual meet- the United States is now estimated to be about 5,780,000.
ing, the Rev. Zvi Hirsch Pessimistic sociologists predict that the level will go down
Masliansky Award was pre- within 100 years to about 420,000, if intermarriage rises to
sented to the HIAS Council 50 percent within 25 years. Intermarriage — which was
of Organizations on the oc- about six percent only 20 years ago - - is about 35 percent
casion of its 50th anniver- now.
An important study — centered on intermarriage and
sary. The Ann S. Petluck
Memorial Awards were pre- its effects — has now been completed by the America
sented to Igor Brener of Jewish Committee.
The findings of the AJCommittee tend to reinforce the
Chicago and Alexander D.
Gelman of New York City. fear that intermarriage represents a threat to Jewish con-
tinuity,- despite the suggestions by some Jews that inter-
marriage may actually add to the Jewish population by
M. Hassenfeld,
bringing non-Jewish spouses and the children of such
unions into the Jewish fold.
Led R.I. Jews
On the other hand, the study — which differentiates
PROVIDENCE, R.I. between "mixed" marriages, in which neither partner had
(JTA) - Merrill L. Hassen- converted, and "conversionary marriages," in which the
feld, a leading member in born Gentile spouse has converted to Judaism — also estab-
American Jewish organiza- lished that conversionary marriages compare favorably not
tions and one of the persons only with mixed marriages, but with endogamous mar-
instrumental in restructur- riages as well.
ing the Jewish Agency, died
PROFILE OF TRENDS: A profile of the behavioral
March 21 at age 61.
Mr. Hassenfeld, a native trends of the American Jewish community was presented
of Providence, was an hon- at the recent international conference of Jewish communal
orary chairman of the workers held in. Jerusalem. The presentation was made by
United Jewish Appeal and a Yehuda Rosenman, director of the Jewish Communal Af-
life trustee of the UJA. He fairs Department of the American Jewish Committee, who
was a director of the Com:- initiated the AJCommittee study on intermarriage. He
mittee for the - Economic summarized the trends as follows:
• The American Jewish community is decreasing in
Growth of Israel and served
on the executive committee size. Its present fertility rate is below that of the general
of the American-Israel Pub- population.
• Less young Jews are marrying and those who marry
lic Affairs Committee.
He was a former do so at an older age. This is at least one of the many factors
president of the Jewish which account for low fertility.
• Divorces among Jews are rampant, estimated for
Federation of Rhode Is-
land and was a member current marriages to be 40 percent. As a result, singles and
of the Rhode Island Area single parents — estimated to be one out of four or five
Committee of the Anti- households — become a normative status in the Jewish
Defamation League of community.
• There is a continuous decrease in active 'participa-
Bnai Brith. He was one of
the founders of the tion, affiliation and even philanthropic contributions to
Jewish Community Cen- Jewish causes.
• There has been a growing decrease in the number of
ter in Providence.
In addition, Mr. Hassen- children receiving a supplementary formal Jewish educa-
feld was a member of the tion, both* in absolute numbers and percentage-wise.
board of directors of the
• There has been a shift from personal-private Jewish
Council of Jewish Federa- identity to amore public identity. Public Jewish identity is
tions, a founder of Brandeis a symbolic, limited identity which does not impact on the
University and a Fellow of individual's lifestyle. It connotes a departure from a system
the university since 1963, a of Jewish values, a disregard for Jewish tradition,religion,
supporter of the Jewish communal goals and Jewish distinctiveness.
Theological Seminary of
With regard to intermarriage, Rosenman reported
America, and a member of
that the rate of conversion by non-Jewish-spouses — which
the board of the Jewish
Telegraphic Agency since was approximabely 26 percent a few years ago — is decreas-
ing, and this is probably due to the increase in intermar-
1970.
riage of Jewish females, since very few male non-Jews
convert. About three percent of Jews convert out. Rosen-
Jerusalem Book man expressed his belief that, based on social and
indicators and trends,' intermarriage will
Fair Next Month psychological
continue to rise and the rate of conversion will decline or at
JERUSALEM — The best remain stationary.
ninth Jerusalem Interna-
SOMETHING TO LEARN: The study was conducted
tional Book Fair will be held
April 19-25 at the Binyanei in eight . communities with large Jewish populations.
Haooma Convention Cen-
The family background of the born Jewish spouses who
ter.
were interviewed included more than 11 percent with
The book fair, held bi- Orthodox background. There were more than 29 perceW.
annually in Jerusalem, was with a Conservative backgroUnd and about 27 percent
first held in 1961. Since whose denominational background was Reform. Some 33
then it has grown in impor- percent were not affiliated with any denomination in the
tance and is now considered Jewish religion.
to be the publishing world's
Conversion into Judaism was more common amo ng
second most prestigious
gathering, after the annual women than men. This is not the case with converts out of
book fair in Frankfurt- Judaism. Of 15 such 'converts who responded, 11 were men.
Am-Main, West Germany.
Close to 83 percent of the converts to Judaism consider
More than 1,300 publishers themselves Jewish and another 6.4 percent consider them-
from 45 countries have reg- selves partly Jewish. The vast majority said that being
istered for the 1979 fair.
Jewish was important to them. More than 70 percent of
The Jerusalem PriZe, Is- born gentile converts attend Jewish High Holiday services.
rael's only literary award, is ices.
presented during the fair. -
The study recommends that more attention should be
The 1979 recipient will be
Sir Isaiah Berlin, the paid by the Jewish community to increasing the conversion
British philosopher and rate among born gentile spouses in order to counterbalance
intermarriage.
political scientist

Tetvveen You
▪ . and Me

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