62a FIMay, Seger* 19, 1911I
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Israel Education Official Dies
TEL AVIV (JTA) — Leah
Porat, a former senior offi-
cial of the Education Minis-
try who exerted a strong
influence on cultural life in
Israel, died here at age 58.
Born in Czernowitz, Russia,
Ms. Porat came to pre-state
Israel as a child. She began
her career as an announcer
on the British-controlled
Voice of Jerusalem Radio,
the Hebrew section of the
Palestine Broadcasting
Service in the Mandate
period.
Later she was a producer
and director of various pro-
grams, mainly children's
hours and programs of
poetry and literary
readings. In 1961, she was
appointed director of pro-
grams of the Israel Broad-
casting Service.
From 1968 to 1970 she
served as Consul for Cul-
tural Affairs at the Israel
Consulate in Boston.
After returning to Israel
she joined the Education
Ministry and was placed
in charge of its cultural
activities.
In that capacity, Ms.
Porat headed a public com-
mittee on art and culture
which decided such matters
as grants and allocations to
various institutions of art
and culture. She retired last
year after completing 10
years in that post.
Harold Clurman,
Theater Critic
NEW YORK — Harold
Clurman, theater director,
critic, author and teacher,
died Sept. 9 at age 78.
Mr. Clurman brought to
the attention of theater-
goers the plays of Clifford
Odets, Irwin Shaw and
William Saroyan and intro-
duced the acting method of
Constantin Staislaysky to
the national stage.
In the commission of evil,
fear no man so much as thy-
self.
Wfat F4)°1
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.a
to her then, at the Franklin
Hills Country Club, to call
attention to her absence.
Miss Prussian, who re- .
tired in 1976, founded the
Detroit Service Group in
1926. She later was elected
its secretary.
She was involved in
fund-raising and com-
munal planning
throughout her career
and helped in the de-
velopment of the Federa-
tion Women's and Junior
Divisions.
Miss Prussian helped or-
ganize the first DSG mis-
sion to Israel and the DSG
Stag Day.
On the 60th anniversary
of the United Jewish
Charities, Miss Prussian
was honored "for her service
to the community."
Born in Boston, Miss
Prussian came to Detroit in
1922.
She leaves nieces and
nephews, including Charles
David and Gordon Prus-
sian, Mrs. Ruth Skulsky,
Mrs. Elaine Foreman and
Mrs. Delphine Wein.
ESTHER PRUSSIAN
Ben Wigder, Distinguished Reporter,
Volunteer in JNF Services, Dead at 81
Benjamin F. Wigder was
among the most distin-
guished reporters in De-
troit's journalistic history.
The name Ben Wigder was
like a password opening
doors to the most important
offices, to the leaders in the
judiciary and politics. He
became known for the accu-
racy in his reporting and his
ability to analyze develop-
ments in the areas he
covered for the Detroit
News for 40 years, the, last
28 as chief of the Federal
Jason Bradley Kott, a
sixth grade student at
Warner Middle School in
Farmington Hills, was kil-
led Tuesday afternoon at
Adat Shalom Synagogue
when a 1,000-pound billiard
table top, temporarily
stored in a hallway, fell on
top of .him. Jason was wait-
ing in the hallway for his
Hebrew school- class to be-
gin. He was 10 years old.
He leaves his parents, Dr.
and Mrs. David (Charlene)
Kott; two brothers, Ian and
Jeiemy; his grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. Ben (Sally)
Kott and Mr. and Mrs. Sid-
ney Peller; and his great-
grandmother, Mrs. Mollie
Steiner.
giachine!
STATE
Esther Prussian was the
symbol of community build-
ing. The structuring of the
Detroit Jewish Welfare
Federation, the rise of the
Detroit Service Group, were
linked with the services she
rendered here for more than
half a century. Her death,
on Tuesday, at age 86,
ended a career of distinc-
tion.
The Detroit Service
Group annual Stag Day on
Sept. 3 was the only one she
had missed in her long
career, and honor was paid
Jason Kott, 10
-ALL THE NEWS
VS/4,v
CITY
Esther Prussian, Pioneer in Detroit Jewish
Community Structuring, Agency Builder
news staff.
He died Sunday at the age
of 81.
Although his special
interst was the Detorit
News Federal beat, Ben
Wigder gave much of his
free time to Jewish inter-
ests. He was ready to write a
story about Jewish de-
velopments and for a
number of years he was a
regular at meetings and
public rallies of the Jewish
National Fund, serving the
cause in a volunteer
capacity, in behalf of JNF
and often for other Zionist
causes.
He was a volunteer
worker for the Detroit
chapter of the Federal
Bar Association, of which
he was an honorary
member and served as an
unpaid publicist, and for
the Michigan Heart
Association.
He was a friend of judges
and often was seen having
lunch with many of his
friends in the judiciary at
More Persecution
in 20th Century
In the wake of 20th cen-
tury political developments
— notably, the establish-
ment of independent Arab
states and the rebirth of
sovereign Israel — persecu-
Jacob Kaplan
tion of the Jews was inten-
Jacob J. Kaplan, a retired sified. They were deprived
meat merchant, died Sept. of their elementary human
rights, their property was
14 at age 81.
Born in Scranton, Pa., confiscated, their citizen-
Mr. Kaplan lived 61 years ship revoked, pogroms were
in Detroit. He was a organized against them
member of Adat Shalom with the tacit consent of the
Synagogue, Jewish War authorities.
They were expelled en
Veterans Post 135, Perfec-
tion Lodge of the Masons masse or, to save their lives,
and a life member of the De- were compelled to flee, com-
pletely destitute, leaving
troit Consistory.
He leaves his wife, Fan- behind incalculable per-
nie; two sons, Dr. Earl and sonal and communal wealth
Robert; two sisters, Mrs. and forfeiting their rightful
Howard (Ruth) MacKinder share in the natural re-
and Mrs. Dorothy Mazov of sources of their native land.
Hawaii; six grandchildren
and three great- Murray Sutkin
grandchildren.
Murray Sutkin, former
owner of Murray J. Sutkin
0. Borenstein
Insurance Agency in South-
Oscar Borenstein, former field, died Sept. 16 at age 77.
co-owner of Zeman's Bak-
Mr. Sutkin founded his
ery, died Sept. 16.
company in 1925.
He leaves two daughters,
He leaves his wife, Sylvia;
Mrs. Sam (Ethel) Last and a son, Richard; two daugh-
Mrs. Herman (Beatrice) ters, Mrs. Donald (Aileen)
Anchill; four grandchildren Cooper of New York and Ms.
and four great- Judith Rich; two sisters and
grandchildren.
five grandchildren.
Detroit area, in honor of his
years of covering Social Se-
curity stories.
A native of Milwaukee,
Wis., Mr. Wigder was
graduated from the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin and
worked for the Buffalo
Courier, the Buffalo News
and the Minneapolis
Tribune before joining the
Detroit News in 1924.
BENJAMIN WIGDER
the Detroit Press Club.
In 1966, he was issued the
first Medicare card in the
Mr. Wigder leaves a son,
William; and a sister, Mrs.
Adolph (Clara) Emerson of
Two Rivers, Wis.
Havdala Service Explained
By RABBI SAMUEL FOX
(Copyright 1980, JTA, Inc.)
The Havdala ceremony is
the ritual in which a Jew
takes leave of the Holy Sab-
bath and prepared to enter
the weekday activities of
the rest of the week.
There are those who
claim that this experience
makes a Jew sad and regret-
ful for having to take leave
of the Sabbath. The spices_
used during' the -service
brace him with a pleasant
aroma to help him survive
the change and continue his
life during the week.
Some claim that the sad-
ness is possibly due to the
fact that on the Sabbath the
Jew acquires an extra
spiritual dimension.called a
"Neshama Yeseirah" which
he regrets to lose after the
Sabbath is over.
Others claim that the
fires of Gehenna (hell) are
UN Resolution
Calls for Solution
to Refugee Issue
United Nations Sec•ifity
Council Resolution 24`,, the
widely accepted basis of any
future settlement of the con-
flict in the Middle East,
states clearly "the necessity
for a just settlement of the
refugee problem" as an es-
sential precondition for the
establishment of "a just and
lasting peace." It specifi-
cally refers to the "refugee
problem" and not to the
"Arab refugee problem."
This formulation resulted
from intensive negotiations
at the time between United
States and the Soviet Union
— the latter pressing for the
more restrictive formula.
quieted during the Sab-
bath and light up again
after the Sabbath is over,
thus threatening the soul
with punishment after
the Sabbath.
Others are more practical
and explain that the Sab-
bath had freed the Jew from
regular obligations of labor
and after the Sabbath is
over he has to look forward
to going back to his tasks of
labor after a pleasant re-
spite.
More Americans
Visiting Israel
NEW YORK — American
tourism to Israel increased
by 21% this June in corn-
parison with June 1979. Air
arrivals by Americans in Is-
rael increased 23% over the
previous year — as a result
of the new low-cost charter
flights available from New
York to Tel Aviv.
These statistics compare
favorably with American
tourism to Europe, many of
whose tourist offices are re-
porting significant declines
in 1980. So far this yea -
143,000 Americans have
sited Israel.
Charter Flight
NEW YORK — Air
Florida is planning a
weekly schedule of charter
flights from New York to
Tel Aviv beginning Dec. 18,
1980 using DC10 jet equip-
ment.
Business Class
NEW YORK — El Al Is-
rael Airlines has introduced
a "Business Class" on its
Miami and New York to Tel
Aviv Boeing 747 flights.