12 Friday, April 24, 1981 The truth sublime is al- ways easy. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Hitler Muted Holocaust Opposition HAMBURG (ZINS) — Nazi Munition Minister Al- bert Speer says that several top Nazis tried to stop the extermination of Jews, but all fell powerless to SS leader Heinrich Himmler, who systematically mur- Sell Out Desks, Chairs, Files, Typewriters & Adders 342-7802 LIFE'S SPECIAL EVENTS SHOULD BE RECORDED FOREVER VIDEO TAPE YOUR SPECIAL OCCASION • Weddings • Bar Mitzvas • Private Parties • Anniversaries • Birthdays • Etc. See Our FULL-SERVICE Studio LEGAL TAPES, INC. Established 10 years 22530 W. 8 Mile Rd. 35-Video or 353-3355 Southfield dered Jews on orders from Adolf Hitler. In a new book, "The Slave State," Speer offers fresh proof that Hitler personally ordered the mass murder of Jews. He also reveals the systematic murder was the subject of bitter infighting among top Nazis. Speer, who was perhaps Hitler's only male friend, said that he and other top Nazis knew about the transportation of Jews, but never broached the matter with Hitler. Henrietta von-Schirach, the wife of the Nazi gover- nor in Vienna, was the only person who ever stood up for Jews in an argument with Hitler at his mountain re- treat in Berchtesgarden, Speer wrote. "She had to leave the mountain home the same night," he said. "Hitler never received the Schirachs again." Give her something practical and elegant. Seiko Quartz for Mother's Day. Ultra-slim, beautiful bracelets in gold-tone with an inner beauty that's pure Seiko Quartz dependability. This is jewelry with a purpose, and it makes a very modern state- ment about where she's been, and where she's headed. Perfect time without the fuss of winding in a choice of styles that is unequalled. You're sure to find one that expresses everything you hoped to say this Mother's Day. 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He recalls that "Jews have had a hon- eymoon with American public education; that sys- tem afforded the push which lifted a poor immigrant community into one of the most upwardly mobile and successful minority groups in the history of America." Perceptive is Vorspan's evaluation of the Diaspora's solidarity with Israel. With the exception of a small minority, he states, Jews the world over share a common bond with the state of Israel; and since the UN's obscene resolution equating Zionism with racism "all Jews consider themselves Zionists." Does solidarity with Is- rael mean Jewry's sub- ordination spiritually and culturally to Israel? And is solidarity analog- ous with the concept of centrality of Israel? The author's reply seems to correspond to that of Dr. Gerson Cohen, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, who "challenged the concept of the centrality of Israel, countering with the theme of the centrality of the Jewish people." Profound is Vorspan's examination of Jewish fam- ily life in the U.S. He is primarily concerned with such moral issues as unre- stricted sexual freedom, the choice of married couples not to have children, inter- marriage and homosexual- ity. He is troubled by the low Jewish birth rate and contends that many Ameri- can Jews value sports, tele- vision and the automobile more than they do "Hillel, Deborah, Isaiah and Moses." He notes that of the esti- mated 10 percent homosex- uals in America, a signific- ant proportion "is composed of Jewish men and women." He observes that even among the Reform rabbis there is no unanimity re- garding this serious prob- lem. Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, for instance, con- siders homosexuality as a sin, yet he would not keep homosexuals out of the Re- form congregation. He is opposed, though, to sepa- rate homosexual congrega- tions affiliated with the UAHC. Rabbi Leonard Beerman, on the other hand, advo- cates that "homosexuals who want their own congre- gations should be assisted by the Union . . . having their own congregations will serve a vital function in helping them to achieve status and dignity as Jews and as homosexuals." Rabbi Beerman's view prevailed. In 1974, the board of governors of the UAHC decided to admit to membership a congregation of homosexuals "provided it was open to all Jews and not only to gay Jews." Incisive is Vorspan's ac- count of the dilemmas fac- ing Soviet Jews. Foremost is the dilemma of the Jews who are eager to live a fully Jewish life, but are forbid- den by official anti-Jewish enactments. Unlike other nationalities in the Soviet Union, the Jews are not allowed to have schools, newspapers, books, theat- ers, cultural and religious associations. Another dilemma con- fronting Soviet Jews is their desire to enjoy full citizenship rights. These rights, however, are cir- cumscribed by gov- ernmental discriminat- ory policies. For in- stance, admission of Jews to schools of higher learning is restricted by quotas; Jews are excluded from sensitive positions in the Com- munist Party and gov- ernment; and their mili- tary advancement is limited to a minimum. Nonetheless, "something has happened," writes Vor- span, "to change the situa- tion." Suddenly after de- cades of silence and fear, the Jews "began to speak out, to demonstrate, to protest, to "demand' the right to live as Jews — or to leave the Soviet Union." As a result, "The gates of Russia began to creak open. Almost 200,000 Jews left between 1971 and 1980." Impressive is the author's description of the dilemmas resulting from the Holocaust. First are the questioro- what lesson should Jewish people draw froin this great tragedy? Should they despair in humankind and rely sol- ely on themselves or should they pursue a dialogue with other ethnic and religious groups? Insightful are the author's answers: "If, in order to survive, we must bid the world goodbye, sepa- rate ourselves from humankind . . . then survi- val is a dubious virtue." But if the Jews are to survive spiritually and culturally in this world, they must be "a part of the civilizing and humanizing force of the universe." "Great Debates and Di- lemmas: Jewish Perspec- tives on Moral Issues in Conflict in the Eighties" is a timely volume, draws the reader into historical issues and is popularly written. Albert Vorspan is vice president of the Union of American Hebrew Congre- gations and the author of "Jewish Values and Social Crisis." Papuan Finds Jewish Roots By HENRIETTE BOAS AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Damianus Barnun is a reg- ular worshipper at the synagogue in The Hague. He is the only worshipper who is Papuan, a native of New Guinea, the eas- ternmost island of the former Netherlands East Indies which is now known as West Irian and is part of the Republic of Indonesia. How Barnun came to dis- cover his Jewishness was the subject of an article in the Dutch weekly NIW which did not, however, dis- close the name of his mother or other relatives who still live in Indonesia although their names, according to the writer, are distinctively Jewish. The story began during World War II when Dr. Samuel Abas, a Jewish physician from Amsterdam, escaped from Holland just as the Nazis invaded the country and made his way to New Guinea. He worked at the hospital in Biak where Barnun was a medi- cal orderly. When the doctor in- formed him that his fam- ily name was Jewish, Barnun was surprised. He showed Abas a prayerbook that he pos- sessed written in strange characters which, he be- lieved, were Chinese. Abas told him it was He- brew. Barnun's father died in a Japanese concentration camp during the war and the son was baptized a Pro- testant. He came to Holland some 15 years later and joined a Protestant congre- gation. But he did not feel at home there, he said, and subsequently joined The Hague Synagogue and for- mally converted to the Jewish faith. Company Finds Industrial Use for Solar Power JERUSALEM (JNI) — Luz International of Jerusalem is supplying two Israeli companies with what is described as "the world's most advanced-- tem" of utilizing solar pt, for industrial use. The units .iupply energy to produce steam at 10 percent less than oil-powered generat- ing would cost. Known as the "Shemesh Utility System," the method employs parabolic reflectors to concentrate sunlight on pipes containing a special heat-absorbing fluid which reaches temperatures of up to 300 degrees centigrade. Each unit is guaranteed for 20 years and should pay for itself by the energy it saves within five years.