62 Friday, April 4, 1980
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
50 Jewish Cadets at West Point
By ROCHELLE WOLK
(Copyright 1980, JTA, Inc.)
There will be 12 Jewish
graduates, including the
first Jewish woman, Danna
Mailer of Atlanta, Ga., in
the 1980 graduating class at
the United States Military
Academy at West Point,
N.Y.
In the Academy's first
graduating class in 1902,
half of the students were
Jewish, but there were only
two graduates, one a Jewish
cadet named Simon Levy.
Currently, with a total
population of some 4,400
cadets at the U.S. Military
Academy, more than 50 are
Jewish.
The Jewish cadets
enrolled at the academy
today have the opportunity
to participate in Shabat
services on Friday nights,
sing in the Jewish choir and
celebrate Jewish holidays.
A major campaign is cur-
rently underway to build
- the first Jewish chapel at
the Military Academy.
Capt. Robert Kramer, a
1971 academy graduate
who is now a professor in
the Department of Be-
havioral' Sciences and
Leadership, is the officer
in charge of the Jewish
community. He coordi-
nates Jewish events for
the cadets and other
Jewish personnel, and is
also the officer in charge
of the Jewish choir.
Once a month on Friday
nights, Rabbi Avrum Soltes
of Fort Lee, N.J. leads
Shabat services. A veteran,
the rabbi has volunteered
his skills to the cadets of
West Point for the past 17
years.
Cadet Lt. Russell Vernon
of Forest Hills, Queens,
N.Y., a senior, works with
Kramer to plan activities
for the Jewish cadets at the
Academy.
"Life for the Jewish
cadets isn't much different
than for other cadets," Ver-
non said in an interview.
"Our day is long and hard,
with academics, drills and
athletics. But on Friday
evenings, the week becomes
special to the Jewish cadets
from 36 companies. It's at
this time that we get to-
gether and experience
Judaism. This time is very
important to us and we
enjoy it very much."
On the Friday nights
that Rabbi Soltes is not
with them, senior cadets
conduct services. Vernon
said he believes it is im-
portant for the Jewish
cadets to assume this
leadership role because
they will ultimately be lay
leaders for the Jewish
soldiers under their
. command.
Some 15 to 20 cadets usu-
ally attend Friday night
services, Vernor added, and
they are not alWays the
same people. In addition,
the families of the 20 Jewish
officers, civilians and
enlisted personnel partici-
pate. Cadets serve as Sun-
day school and Hebrew
school teachers for the chil-
dren of these families, and
last year a senior cadet suc-
cessfully trained a boy for
his Bar Mitzva.
Christian
Exposing
cadets to Judaism
encourages understanding
and respect, Vernon be-
lieves. He is pleased when
Jewish cadets invite them
to Shabat services and holi-
day celebrations. Even the
Jewish choir has a few
non-Jewish members. "If
someone is interested in
learning about Jewish life,
we're more than glad to
have them join," Vernon
explained.
Most of the 30 choir mem-
bers are Jewish, and all
Jewish cadets are
encouraged to join. In addi-
tion to singing at Friday
night services, the choir
tours for two weekends each
semester, and sings in
Jewish communities
throughout the country. On
Sundays, they often sing at
old age homes or fraternal
organizations in the vicin-
ity of West Point. With the
exception of the Academy's
alma mater, their reper-
toire is Hebrew, Vernon
said.
Prior to a 1973 federal
appellate court ruling,
Sunday morning reli-
gious services were man-
datory at the academy,
even for Jewish cadets.
Although classes are still
required on Saturdays,
the Friday night Shabat
services are a major step
in recognizing the reli-
gious practices of Jewish
cadets. Traditionally ob-
servant Jews are not
generally attracted to the
academy and military
life, so that Friday night
arrangement has so far
functioned satisfactorily
for the Jewish cadets and
community, Vernon ex-
plained.
The next major step for
the enhancement of
Judaism at the Military
Academy will be completion
of West Point Academy
Jewish Chapel. Land has
been set aside by the De-
partment of the Army for a
$5.5 million project being
privately sponsored by a
group of academy alumni
and friends. Approximately
60 percent of the money is
now in hand, but the total
amount must be secured be-
fore ground is broken, ac-
cording to Edwin Goldwas-
ser of Monsey, N.Y., Na-
tional Jewish War Veterans
chairman for the chapel
fund.- (Catholic and Protes-
tant chapels have been built
with private funds. Federal
law prohibits the govern-
ment from building the
chapels.)
Women's Competency in Combat
Proven During 1956 Sinai Campaign
the lead plane.
HAIFA — The suggestion
Mrs. Rom remained in the
by President Jimmy Carter
Air Force Reserve until
that women be included in
1960, when she gave birth
any revitalized American to her first child, after ac-
military draft has caused cumulating more than
much discussion.
One Israeli woman pro-
ved her skills in combat al-
most a quarter-century ago.
Her name is Yael Rom and
she flew the lead plane in
one of the most daring oper-
ations of the 1956 Sinai
Campaign.
Mrs. Rom, who now is an
administrator at the
Technion-Israel Institute of
Technology, was born in Is-
rael and earned her pilot's
wings in 1951. She flew on
active duty with the Israel
Air Force until her dis-
YAEL ROM
charge -in 1953.
1,800
hours
of flying time.
She continued in the
reserve force, and when Being the only pilot ever to
war broke out in 1956, fly in combat is not Mrs.
was called up. She flew Rom's only accomplishment
several missions during — in 1957 she added an-
that brief war, including other first, becoming the
a daring operation over first female to fly for a
the Mitla Pass in the Sinai scheduled airline in the
Desert where she piloted West, Arkia Airlines, a
By PAUL HIRSCHHORN
subsidiary of El Al.
Though she has left both
jobs behind, she continues
to fly, and is a member of the
"99" International Organ-
ization of Women Pilots.
Today, Mrs. Rom is pur-
suing her second career, as
counselor for a special pro-
gram at the Technion de-
signed to bridge the educa-
tional gap in Israeli higher
education between the chil-
dren of immigrants from
Western and Oriental coun-
tries.
"The work I do today is
just as, exciting as flying,"
says Mrs. Rom, "and I
feel it is even more impor-
tant in the long run. Solv-
ing the educational prob-
lems of students from
disadvantaged back-
grounds is just as vital to
the" survival of the coun-
try as maintaining a
strong air force."
In addition to her career,
Mrs. Rom has raised three
children. Her husband, Pro-
fessor Joseph Rom, is a
member of the Knesset•
Harlem Leader Recalls Time of
Black, Jewish Inter-Dependence
By JAMES A. THOMAS
(Editor's note: James
A. Thomas is a commu-
nity leader in Harlem.
This article was origi-
nally published in the
New York Amsterdam
News.)
Have historians allowed
memories of the great and
important relationship that
existed between southern
blacks and Jews to become
buried under today's loud -
and vicious racial attacks?
In the South, the blacks,
because of color, lived under '
legal restrictions. Jews, on
the other hand, because of
their faith, customs and be-
liefs were also placed under
the same restrictions. Both
groups lived under the same
yoke of hate, deprivation
and segregation. They
learned to depend upon one
another.
The poor Jew was never a
part of the South's social
pattern. Tlie Jim Crow
signs for blacks applied to
Jews as well.
Because of color and
economic deprivation,
blacks could not move
easily from their segre-
gated communities. Nor
could the Jew live in the
"better" white neighbor-
hoods.
When the Ku Klux Klan
rode through black
neighborhoods, more than
once the Jew also felt the
sting of their whips.
For years, small Jewish
neighborhood stores served
the needs, of the blacks. To-
day, many blacks look back
upon those family dealings
with bitterness. Sure, we
can say that the Jew robbed
us by the prices we had paid,
but We always had food on
the table and a healthy and
loving family relationship.
And they often allowed the
heads of households to buy
on credit.
It was in the Jewish de-
partment store that the
blacks were first permitted
to try on merchandise be-
fore purchasing it. Even
though this was done be-
hind a curtain or in a small
stock room, it gave the black
mother and father some
semblance of dignity.
When the news got
around in the black
neighborhoods that Mor-
gan's Department Store
in Jacksonville, Fla. did
this, of course, his black
business more than dou-
bled. The bond between
southern blacks and the
Jews did not just begin in
the department stores.
Probably the most inde-
lible imprint in the mind
of today's generation was
the massive and suc-
cessful 1963 civil rights
march on Washington,
D.C.
But before that a group of
black and Jewish scholars
and lawyers met in Niagara
Falls, N.Y. in 1903 to lay
the spearhead for the oldest
and most recognized voice
for the black American —
the NAACP.
The bond between the two
groups even goes back in the
1800s when the first and
oldest education schol-
arship foundation for
blacks, the Rosenwald
Foundation, was started.
Sears and Roebuck was the
first company to sell shares
to black employees.
Yes, there was a wonder-
ful and workable relation-
ship between blacks and
Jews and there is still a
great need to continue this
strong and productive rela-
tionship.
Dental Clinic in Ashkelon
Dr. Alan Harris of Liverpool shows an Ashkelon
youngster how to care for his teeth. British Jewry is
sponsoring a dental clinic which recently opened in
Ashkelon as part of British Jewry's contribution to
Project Renewal.
Allan Bronfman Dies at 85,
of Wealthy Distillery Family
MONTREAL (JTA) —
Allan Bronfman, a member
of the wealthy Bronfman
family of Canada, died
March 26 at age 85.
Born in Brandon, Man-
itoba, he practiced law for
several years in Winnipeg
where he was first president
of the Jewish Orphanage
and of the Children's Aid of
Western Canada, both
headquartered in Win-
nipeg.
In 1924, he moved to
Montreal from Winnipeg,
where he joined his
brothers, Samuel, Abe and
Harry in the distillery and
wine field, becoming vice
president and director of
Distillers Corp.-Seagrams,
Ltd. in Montreal, holding
similar posts in Calvert Dis-
tillers in Amherstburg,
Ont., and a director of
Joseph E. Seagram and
Sons in Waterloo, Ont.
Mr. Bronfman became
national president of the
Canadian Friends of He-
brew University in 1944,
holding that post until his
death. He also was a
member of the board of
governors of the univer-
sity, and a member of the
national council and na-
tional executive of the
Zionist Organization of
Canada. He had been a
member of the National
Council of the United
Jewish Relief Agencies.
Mr. Bronfman had been -a
member of the National
Council of Boy Scouts and a
member of the board of the
Association of Paraplegics.
He was a member of the
executive committee of the
Federation of Jewish Com-
munity Services of
Montreal.
He had received the
Grand Cross del Merito of
Malta in 1949, and the
Chevalier Legion of Honor
from the French govern-
ment in 1948. He was
named Israel Bonds Man of
the Year in 1964.
Anna Schuman
Anna Schuman, former
co-owner of Grosse Pointe
Cleaners and Tailors from
1928 to 1968, died March 22
at age 72.
Born in Russia, Mrs.
Schuman was the past
president of the University
North Chapter of Hadassah,
member and former of -
of Negbah Chapter _I
Pioneer Women and a
member of Bnai Brith
Women.
She leaves two sL.
Michael and Herman; three
daughters, Mrs. Marvin
(Denah) Bookstein, Mrs.
Norton (Lorelei) Cohen and
Mrs. Harold (Rosabell)
Bernstein; and eight
grandchildren.
BB Official Dies
NEW YORK — Yale
Goldberg, director of ad-
ministration of Bnai Brith
International in Washing-
ton, died Sunday at age 65.