THE JEWISH NEWS (USPS 275-5201 Incorporating The Detroit Jewish. Chronicle commencing with the issue of July 20, 1951 Member American Association of English-Jewish Newspapers, Michigan Press Association, National Editorial Association Published every Friday by The Jewish NeWs Publishing Co., 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Postmaster: Send address changes to The Jewish News, 17515 W. Nine Mile, Suite 865, Southfield, Mich. 48075 Second-Class Postage Paid at Southfield, Michigan and Additional Mailing Offices. Subscription $15 a year. CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ Business Manager PHILIP SLOMOVITZ Editor and Publisher ALAN HITSKY 1, News Editor HEIDI PRESS Associate News Editor DREW LIEBERWITZ Advertising Manager Sabbath Scriptural Selections This Sabbath, the 29th day of Tishri, 5740, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues: Pentateuchal portion, Genesis 1:1-6:8. Prophetical portion, I Samuel 20:18-42. Sunday and Monday, Rosh Hodesh Heshvan, Numbers 28:1-15 Candle lighting, Friday, Oct. 19, 6:27 p.m. VOL. LXXVI, No. 7 Page Four Friday, October 19, 1979 SUPREME RESCUE DUTIES At the entrance to the Moscow Synagogue on Arkhipov St. evidence is accumulating of the justice of the Jewish supplications for exit visas to leave the Soviet Union in search of havens in Israel. Their collective outcry also echoes the de- mands of dissidents of many other faiths whose protests against USSR discriminations cry out to the nations of the world for aid in search of other homelands. These are not assertions of disloyalty to the state: they are rejections of the bigotries that deprive human beings of their just rights and are the resort to an acknowledged human prin- ciple of people asserting their rights to choose the countries in which they wish to establish themselves and to create new homes there. Every Sabbath afternoon, on all Jewish holi- day occasions, sometimes on mere weekdays, hundreds, sometimes thousands of Jews are seen demonstrating for the right to seek new and freer homes. Such demonstrations no longer are uncom- mon. It is no wonder that in the free parliaments of the world these appeals for justice are heard and listened to, that in the U.S. Congress there are demands for action and for recognition of the appeals of the refusniks and dissidents. It is no wonder that congregations and organizations in the United States and elsewhere are "adopting" many of the refusniks, interceding in their be- half, pleading for them, asking the USSR to grant them visas. The human spirit is in evidence in the com- bined efforts in behalf of these demonstrators. The mere fact that these gatherings on Ar- khipov St. at the Moscow Synagogue keep grow- ing, in spite of KGB threats, is sufficient endorsement of the labors exerted in their be- half, in communities like Metropolitan Detroit, and elsewhere throughout this land. The visas of exit are granted to those applying for the right to rejoin relatives inlsrael. Many hoose to go elsewhere after their arrival in Henna. Most of them come to the U.S. The `remonstrations evidenced daily in Moscow .serve as a plea not to begrudge them the right of choice of residence. It would have been cheering to world Jewry and to Israel if the original intent, on the basis of which-visas are secured, were to be adhered to and the masses were to go to Israel. The first consideration, however, is the saving of lives — life being so utterly dependent on human liber- ties. Therefore, the mass movement of rescuing the oppressed must be pursued without re- crimination. The situation in the Soviet Union is too grave to permit a blinding to realities. Young Jews are no longer admitted to Russian universities. Whoever raises a voice of protest against dis- crimination is immediately -deprived of the _ normal right to work in one's trade or profes- sion. The inhumanity of man to man is too dras- tic there to be overlooked. Therefore, the concession to those asking for the right to choose a homeland. Therefore, the sense of honor of the Jews of this land, of the people in this community, to assist in the rescue effort. Many hundreds of Russian Jews have arrived here and are aided in becoming established here in dignity. It is always hoped that they will become a wholesome factor in Jewish com- munal life. Hundreds more are expected here during the. coming year. The community agencies are striv- ing to assist them with housing, employment, educational and health benefits. The hope is that in good time, speedily, they will integrate into the community and will never be an objec- tionable burden to anyone. For . this purpose, it is urgent that every effort be made to assist in the newcomers' fullest participation in the great tasks of a great community, with em- ployment, with roles of dignity in the whole- someness of American Jewish life. The Jewish Vocational Service, the Jewish - Family Service, the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Welfare Federation, individuals and . groups, have joined in pursuing such an aim and to make it a reality. Let it be carried out with the dedication that makes the American Jewish social services the causes that have gained re- spect for all the constituents. CENTER SYMP HONY'S 40TH Observance of the 40th anniversary of the Jewish Center Symphony Orchestra. occasions well-deserved commendations to the musical ceganization:s organizers and sponsors. The functions of this group have added glory to the cultural aspects of the Jewish Commu- nity Center activities. Julius Chajes, organizer and conductor of the .rchestra, dedicated himself to its growth and progress. In its ranks have been included the ablest musicians. Encouragement thus was given to aspiring musicians to have a role in this community's functioning symphony which .served for many as a stepping stone into greater achievements for the aspiring musicians. Julius Chajes proved his skill as organizer as well as conductor. He exercised judgment in the selection of guest artists. Himself an accomplished composer, he gave dignity to the programs he directed with the selections he had made. His .compositions are heard in concerts in many communities in this country and in Israel, as an indication of the recognition he has earned. Holding distinction among leading con- ductors for length of service, the more than four decades of leadership and direction of activities in organizing and managing the Jewish Center Symphony Orchestra gives Julius Chajes spe- cial status in this community. Detroit's Jewish Community Center has cause to be proud of its symphony as an aspect of merit in its educational programming. The 40th anniversary of the Center Symphony is both cause for congratulations to the sponsors and encouragement to the Jewish Center to aim, at keeping the musical organization among its very important functions. • Edited by Neugroschel The' Shtetl in Literature: An Anthological Treasure So rich is the literature of the shtetl, so impressive the memories of an old world now extinct, that those who reminisce about it remain enthralled by the legacies stemming from the age of piety amidst oppression. The most impressive in shtetl literature has been compiled in an anthology entitled The Shtetl." Translated and edited by Joachim Neugroschel, "The Shtetl" (Richard Marek Publishers) is replete with the most noteworthy selections by noted authors dealing with Jewish life in EaStern Europe. While the title represents the village, the small town in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, there is something indestructible in the creative literature dealing with the symbol of Jewish life in the - demolished kehillot, the Jewish communal structures whence came the inspiration for federations in this country. The most distinguished of Jewish writers are represented in this volume. It is understandable that the texts should commence with the religious factors. The opening essay, "The Creation," by Jacob Ben Isaac Ashkenazi, is a portion of the author's "Tsene Rene," a Bible reader in Yiddish. The tales of the Baal Shem Tov, the founding genius of Hasidism, and the stories about Prophet Elijah, keep introducing the vast variety of topics that make "The Shtetl" a significant anthology, replete with the historic and the legendary. - The shtetl was filled with pathos. It also had humor. The lighter vein, the parody, had its influence. They became evident during the Haskalah Period, the Period of Enlightenment. Mendele Mokher Seforim, I.L. Peretz and their famous essays, "Travels of Benjamin the Third" and "A Woman's Fury" feature that era. Then there is the era of tradition and modernism in which Dovid Bergelson, Avrom Reyzin, Sholom Aleichem, Lamed Shapiro ap-' Y.M. Weissenberg are represented. Noteworthy in the selections included in The Shtetl" are those dealing with war and revolution. This brings the village experience up to date with the inclusion of stories and essays dealing with the most recent eve- in Russia. In this section are included the works of Peretz Markisl Binko, Avrom Reyzin, Moyshe Kulbak and Mi Mister. Joachim Neugroschel is the translator of more than 80 books from several languages. In his ,introduction to The Shtetl" he wrote: "De- spite the features common to all Eastern European Jews, no two shtetls were truly alike. The personal and public dynamics, the inter- relations with non-Jews, the climate, the economy, the politics, all varied sufficiently to produce sharp differences, of 10 contradictions — a crazy quilt through time and space." This summarizes this in- teresting anthology. It is the all-inclusiveness of the themes that makes "The Shtetl" so valuable as a contribution to the literature defining the Old World. The editor-translator utilized the Hasidic as well as the secular, the ultra-traditional as well as the latter-day topics influenced by the radical developments in Russia. , Thus, as an addendum to Yiddish literary studies this is a volume of particular interest.