THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, May 9, 1980 21 Aliyah Senior Citizens Center Described in Best-Selling Book NEW YORK — In 1979, "Number Our Days" chronicled the work an- thropologist Barbara Myerhoff had done with the Aliyah Senior Citizens Cen- ter members in Venice, Calif. Two years earlier, the film that was based on her research won the Academy Award for the best short documentary. Now "Number Our Days" (Simon and Schuster; Touchstone) has been is- sued in paperback. In a society where old age is shunned and feared, "Number Our Days" pro- vides an inspiring and courageous portrait of el- derly people battling daily to surmount the obstacles of poverty, failing health, in- adequate housing and lonel- iness. In researching her book, Myerhoff saw the cen- ter members as a group of very old people who would soon disappear and with ORT Looks to Its Next Century By NATHAN ZIPRIN Editor Emeritus Seven Arts Features Who would have believed t#9"1',.n 1880 that initiation of a :-....-'movement by five Jewish leaders in Czarist Russia, aimed at restructuring the economic base of Jewish liv- ing in the land, would be celebrated in 1980 in the Holy City of Jerusalem of the new Israel? Miracles abound in Jewish history. But this one is unbelieva- ble. The five who had the dream, and pursued it, will deservedly be remembered at the week-long World ORT Union Centennial that opens in the ancient city at the end of May. The found-- ers will be honored, their dreams unraveled, their tales retold, their struggles depicted and their fulfill- ment unrolled as the pages of history are turned back to the day 100 years ago when they penned an historic let- ter in the city of St. Petersburg, stating their purpose and calling for Jewish communal support of their effort. The rest is history, a tale that will light up the gathering in Jerusalem as ORT leaders from virtually every part of the world count the blessings, meas- ure the agonizing path and give thought to programs for the two remaining de- cades of the century — while looking ahead to the new century as the world moves into an era of social, political and economic mu- tations with unpredictable implications for viable Jewish life. The historic accom- plishment of the five was to trigger a new direction in Jewish living, aimed at restoring and enhancing the place of the artisan in the Jewish weave. ORT revolutionized the economic pattern under which our people lived under Czarist oppression and since, turning our _ luftmenschen into product- .. ive men and women, liberating -Jews from the economic chains imposed on them by hostile govern- ments through teaching skills. These acts and programs 'ntroduced a new dimension i z Jewish thinking about the need of preparing the youth for a world in change by giving them hope for the future. ORT's tale in the years of its growth and functioning has vindicated the dream- ers. Neither war nor peace has stood in the way. ORT has long since been a name that has meant vocation and technical education of tens of thousands of our young people. What the dreamers envisioned, ORT has ful- filled. And the dreaming still goes on for the more the world is in disarray, the more will there be the need for visionaries moved by purpose. Because it is moved by the credo that there are no obs- tacles to purpose, ORT has written a golden chapter in Jewish history. them would go their way of life. Unexpectedly, how- ever, because of the suc- cess of the book and the movie, the lives of center members have changed significantly. Their community is flourish- ing; their will to survive is stronger than ever and they have become minor celebrities to their families and neighbors. More than $25,000 in un- solicited funds has been re- ceived by the center and membership continues to flourish as former recluses or on-lookers are drawn in by the center's success and increased activity. The paperback version includes the original text and an additional chapter that brings the reader up- to-date on recent changes in the community. THE FINEST AND LARGEST POOL BUILDER IN THE MIDWEST Almost a quarter of a century of supplying discriminating buyers has earned an unequaled reputation for Miami Pools. 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