THE JEWISH NEWS
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Incorporating The Detroit Jewish Chronicle commencing with the issue of July 20, 1951
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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
CARMI M. SLOMOVITZ
Editor and Publisher
ALAN HITSKY
News Editor
Business Manager
HEIDI PRESS
Associate News Editor
DREW LIEBERWITZ
Advertising Manager
Sabbath Scriptural Selections
•
- This Sabbath, the fourth day of Sivaa, 5741, the following scriptural selections will be read in our synagogues:
Pentateuchal portion, Numbers 4:21-7:89. Prophetical portion, Judges 13:2-25:
Shavuot Scriptural Selections
Monday, Pentateuchal portion. Exodus 19:1-20:23, Numbers 28:26-31. Prophetical portion, Ezekiel 1:1-28
and 3:12.
Tuesday, Pentateuchal portion. Deuteronomy 15:19-16:17, Numbers 28:26-31. Prophetical portion, Habbakuk 3:1-19.
Candle lighting, Friday, June 5, 8:46 p.m.
VOL. LXXIX, No. 14
Page Four
Friday, June 5, 1981
FEAST OF LEARNING
Shavuot, the celebration of the anniversary of
the Giving of the Law, also is the occasion to
emphasize the Receiving of the Law. One is
incomprehensible without the other.
A gift perpetuated in the act of receiving em-
phasized by devotion through the ages has be-
come the universal symbol of humanism and
the spirit of respect for the basic ideals in the
lives of all peoples.
Shavuot is symbolized by the Decalogue. The
, Ten Words which are the basis for human be-
havior long ago ceased to be the possession of
Jewry alone. Its acceptability by all nations, all
races, places the festival that marks its pre-
sentation to mankind in the centrality of the
human spirit.
The festival marks adherence to the Ten
Words and is a tribute to study and learning, of
utilizing the Ten Words as the media for ex-
panding knowledge.
That is why Shavuot is the festival of reach-
ing out for the roots which have made the
Jewish people the spiritual guide for the highest
ethics in humankind. And because of these roots
the obligations of devotion to study are espe-
cially mandatory for the People Israel.
The festival of the Torah, of the Decalogue, is
the time for embracing the principles that give
Torah learning the strength and the joy that
provides Jewry with the will to overcome all
obstacles, wherever they may be.
Because the festival is one of knowledge, of
learning, it must be viewed as a special occasion
to make the youth the chief benefactors, the
leaders in celebrating the emphasis on Torah
and the understanding of it.
In the knowledge that is the strength of Is-
rael, in the Torah devotions that sustain the
Jewish people, there is a glory and a delight that
makes Shavuot one of the great festivals of the
year for Jews and emphasizes at the same time
the gift it represents for all mankind.
DIPLOMATIC DOUBLE TALK
While King Hussein of Jordan was in Mos-
cow flirting with the Soviets and fanning anti-
Israel sentiments, and the PLO were shuttling
between Beirut and Damascus and the USSR,
State Department spokesmen in Washington
were either diminishing such reports or deny-
ing their veracity. They were reportedly ex-
pressing unhappiness over Israel Prime Minis-
ter Menahem Begin's statements regarding
Russian involvements in Syria, calling them
"provocative."
Yet, on many previous occasions, there were
no denials of the presence of more than 3,000
Soviet military advi s ers in Syria or the pre-
dominance of Russian arms, both in Syria and
in the ranks of the PLO. ,
In view of the "unhappiness" at the State De-
partment over the charges of Russian domi-
nance in Syrian military actions, how do U.S.
spokesmen account for the statement by London
Daily Telegraph intelligence commentator
Robert Moss, made on Feb. 23:
"Currently, there are some 4,000 Soviet ad-
visers and military personnel in Syria, which
has also allowed the Russians to establish for-
ward arms depots that could be used to supply
Soviet forces if Moscow should decide to inter-
vene directly in any future Middle East conflict.
Last month 35 more Soviet advisers arrived at
Damascus. They art said to be officers of the
main political administration of the Soviet
Army, headed by Col. General Alexei Yepishev,
a former deputy chairman of the KGB.
"Yepishev has been playing an increasingly
important role in Soviet intrigues in the Middle
East. His men have already been fanned out to
advisory posts in Syrian air force and army un-
its. The majority are said to be attached to units
in the region of Damascus. Their mission is said
to be to uncover any political factions inside the
Syrian armed forces that may be opposed to the
shaky regime of Assad. This group is said to
have a direct channel to Ali Duba the chief of
Syrian military intelligence."
The Media Analysis Center in Jerusalem has
compiled a record of Syrian military strength
indicating the following:
"Syria (and Libya) are the only Mideast coun-
tries in possession of the most advanced T-72
tanks. Some 100 T-72 of the 150 ordered have
already been delivered, while the rest of the
tank force is made of T-62, 55, 54."
A chronblogical listing of Syrian-Russian di-
rect contacts shows that there were 49 of mili-
tary importance from April 1980 to April 1981.
These facts cannot be ignored. They warn
against diplomatic double talk which would di-
minish the vigilance that is so vital to defensive
obligations in the Middle East, both in relation
to threats to Israel as well as the Russian in-
volvements in that strategic area. _
In the process of protecting Israel and being
on guard against Russian domination in the
area, any form of double talk must be shunned.
Reagan on Zionism
President Ronald Reagan last week em-
phasized continuity in the supportive roles of
American Presidents for Zionism in the last
seven decades.
All Presidents, starting with Woodrow Wil-
son, made Zionism a friendly element in Ameri-
can foreign policies: Actually, such friendships
commenced nearly 150 years ago with the pro-
Zionist pronouncement by John Adams.
An historic precedent had been established
for American-Israel friendships and is thus
being pursued by President Reagan as it Was by
his predecessors.
President Reagan added strength to this
American position and he has earned the
gratitude of world Jewry for his friendship.
23 Authors' Essays
Influence of Kafka on Modern
Literature Thoroughly Defined
Franz Kafka mystified not only his own generation. His dramatic
influence continues to be felt to this day.
The Czech Jewish author who lived in Prague (1883-1924) is
viewed by many as having possessed prophetic views about the to-
talitarian period that had begun in his lifetime and grew into barba-
rism soon thereafter. -
The life and works of this enigmatic personality is described in
"The World of Franz Kafka" (Holt, Rinehart and Winston). The
evaluative work was edited by J.P. Stern, also a native of Prague who
now teaches at the University College in London.
Seven of the 23 authors whose essays are included in this volume
deal biographically with Kafka, indicating the Jewish and family
influence on his life and the charm effected on him by his native
Prague.
Felix Weltsch (1884-1963), the emi-
nent Zionist and author, friend of Max
Brod who introduced him to Kafka, is
the author of the 'essay "The Rise and
Fall of the Jewish-German Symbiosis:
The Case of Franz Kafka." Comment-
ing on the peculiarity of Prague
Jewry, Dr. Weltsch wrote: "The pecui-
larity of Prague*Jewry lies in the fact
that here the authorities, the Austrian
government itself, guided their eman-
cipation into the path of German cul-
ture." It was a process of "Germaniz-
ing" the Jews and Dr. Weltsch corn-
mended this explanation statement
with this interesting introductory:
FRANZ KAFKA
"The city is Prague, the period is the
first quarter of the century, the man is Franz Kafka.
"The strange fate of this city, where Germans and Czechs had
confronted each other since time immemorial, had made the Germans
aggressive and nationally conscious. Oddly enough, the same histori-
cal evolution had, for the most part, made the Jews of the city into
nationally conscious Germans.
"The influx of the Jews from the times of Moses Mendelssol
onwards into German cultural life in the while of that area_where the
German language predominated is an event of very great historical
significance . ."
Another impressive essay, by Johannes Urzidil, deals with the
legend of the Golem which originated in Prague. It was inevitable
that Kafka should be influenced by the tale of the Golem, the Hebrew
Word for lifeless matter. Because the story itself is Kabalistic, its
effect on Kafka indicates his emulation of the Kabala.
All of the authors in this volume have gained recognition as
authorities on the eminent author. The- second portion of the volume,
after the extensively biographical beginnings, interprets Kafka's
work. Fictional pieces by a number of authors, including Philip Roth,
who were influenced by Kafka, form the third portion of this book.
The Kafka volume edited by Dr. Stern is authoritative and adds
immensely to an appreciation of the distinguished writer who con-
-tinues to have an influence on modern literature.
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