22 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, July 3, 1981 20% OFF JERUSALEM — Seven years ago, Frima Gurfinkel had never heard of Rashi. Nor did she know a single word of Hebrew. But, according to an arti- cle by Judy Siegel in Israel Scene, having dedicated herself to the subject and the language since coming on aliya from Kiev, she is translating Rashi's corn- * STATIONERY & GIFT ITEMS (Min. $10.00) * WEDDING & BAR MITZVAH INVITATIONS THE PRINT HOUSE 26028 Greenfield In Lincoln Center 968-4040 BURGLAR ALARMS NEW COMPUTERIZED SECURITY EQUIPMENT ALLSTATE ALARM SYSTEMS A-2 4 INC. Central Station Monitoring Thousands of satisfied customers 2 55- 54 0 CALL THE ROTT BROS MARTY CY SHEL • Translator's Efforts Reveal Rash' to Russian Jews NEW PRICING POLICY 17534 W. 7 MILE, DETROIT LICENSED BY MICH. DEPT. OF STATE POLICE mentary on the Five Books of Moses from Hebrew into Russian. Rashi — the acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki — had to wait nearly 900 years to be translated from He- brew into Mrs. Gurfinkel's native tongue. But, thanks to the efforts of this 30- year-old Russian immig- rant, thousands of Soviet Jews in Israel, the U.S. and Russia are discovering the world of Rashi. "There is a mistaken idea in Israel that Rus- sian Jews aren't in- terested in Torah," she says. But there is great interest, and understand- ing the Bible with Rashi's commentary can help make them feel part of the Jewish People." The 11th Century French-Jewish scholar was an expert in Hebrew grammar and used this skill to dissect the deeper mean- ing of the text. When he had difficulty finding the appro- priate Hebrew word to ex- press abstruse words or phrases, he often used the vernacular French. Though Mrs. Gurfinkel hasn't studied French, she CONSOLIDATION SALE Eli NVAL la SHOP ri HE 29160 SOUTHFIELD AT 12 1/2 MILE RD. 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Transla- After five months at a He- hear of it by word of mouth. tions of Rashi's biblical brew language school in a Mrs. Gurfinkel dreams of commentary into those lan- Natanya absorption center, sending her translation to guages, as well as her im- they moved to Jerusalem, Russian Jews who "dropped pressive facility with He- where she began to teach out" on the way to Israel and brew (she doesn't even con- herself Judaism — and have settled in the U.S. and Canada. Such people, she fuse numbers and gender practice what she studied. She took a job translating believes, are in imminent like most Israelis) are helping her in her current books from German and danger of being assimilated English into Russian. And into American society and project. The granddaughter of a her first attempt at trans- losing whatever remains of ritual slaughterer in Kiev Hebrew — a major their Jewish identity. , lating challenge — was the result Although there is still Gurfinkel "always believed of collaboration with the much to be done on the Pen- in God but never had a Jerusalem poet Zelda. tateuch translation, she is , chance to observe all the Mrs. Gurfinkel trans- already thinking abo' commandments." lated a small collection of translating Rashi's con. Today, she is an Or- Zelda 's poems into Russian Bible. e thodox Jew, married to a i n 1976, leaning on a dictio- mentary on the project whol Another she Russian immigrant of n ary for help: "One can t do envisions for herself is convictions similar it t mechanically word by the production of her whom she met in Israel. wo rd," she points out. "Lan- own commentary on Mrs. Gurfinkel settled in guage is a very personal Rashi's commentary — Israel with her parents thing, with hidden mean- something that could be more than six years ago, ings and nuances, and they useful because of the must be captured in the rabbi's terse style and Demjanjuk Case tra sn h slation. " tendency to use incom- e then got a job at plete sentences. The cul- United Cleveland Publishing, mination of her work Jews , , Ukrainians Menora which produces a guar- would be a "new transla- CLEVELAND (JTA) — terly journal for Russian tion of the Pentateuch This city's Ukrainian and immigrants in their na- with Rashi included," in- Jewish communities af- tive tongue. She ab- stead of a standard firmed this week their sorbed new ideas while word-by-word transla- shared interest in bringing working on articles by Is tion. President Yitshak Navon to justice any and all per- rael's late Chief Rabbi was persuaded of the impor- sons who participated in Avraham Yitzhak Haco- genocide or other crimes hen Kook and by the tance of Mrs. Gurfinkel's against humanity and, in doyen of modern Ameri- work, as well as the young recognition of their common can Orthodoxy, Rabbi woman's unsual mind, in a nearly-two-hour conversa- sufferings under both the Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Nazi and Soviet regimes, But she decided that Rus- tion he had with her re- pledged to work together on sian immigrants needed cently at his office in issues of mutual concern, basic works that could, in Jerusalem. among which is the viola- concise language, teach The president, a great tion of human rights in the them about Jewish funda- lover of both the Hebrew USSR. mentals. "I decided it must language and of the Bible, Those sentiments were be Rashi," she recalls. invited her to tell him about embodied in a statement is- Menora printed her her work. At the end of the sued here jointly by the translation of Rashi for the meeting, he offered to pro- United Ukrainian Organ- portion of "Berishit" in the vide assistance from his own special fund for the ization of Greater Cleve- Book of Genesis, in a series publication of two more land and the Jewish Corn- of three issues of its guar- munity Federation (JCF) of terly. The response was booklets. A nice touch in the exist- Cleveland. The document very encouraging. was released before Federal But she and her father, ing booklets is the dedica- tion of each one to a Jewish Judge Frank Battisti handed down his ruling on Aharon Gurfinkel, soon community which was de- realized that her planned June 25 that the citizenship project — translating cimated in the Holocaust. of Ukrainian-born John Rashi's commentary for all Her first one — "Be- Demjanjuk be "revoked, va- 54 portions of the Pen- reshit" — is dedicated to cated and cancelled" be- tateuch — was too massive French Jews who died dur- cause the 60-year-old auto- for the journal. They de- ing the Nazi era, while mobile worker had lied tided to establish a non- "Va'eyra" is dedicated to the about his Nazi activities in profit organization called Jews of Kiev. World War II when he Gesher Hateshuva, mean- applied for naturalization ing the "Bridge to Peni- Release of Jews in the U.S. in 1958. tence," to publish the book- in Syria Target The trial of Demjanjuk, who now faces deporta- lets. Soon, a dozen of the of Congress Unit tion proceedings, WASHINGTON (JTA) — booklets will be printed, aroused fierce emotions among local Jews, many each at the cost of $1,500 A bi-partisan group of 142 of them Holocaust sur- for 1,000 copies. The members of Congress has vivors, and the large Uk- work has been sent a letter to President rainian community, enthusiastically received Reagan urging him to work when it opened last Feb- by some of Israel's most for the release of some 5,000 ruary. The Ukrainians respected scholars, in- Jews in Syria. The letter, initiated by supported Demjanjuk's cluding Prof. Yeshayahu Rep. Stephen Solarz (D- Leibowitz. contention that he was Some of the funding for NY), noted that the Jew - the innocent victim of Soviet-inspired persecu- the project came out of the still in Syria are "the re. Gurfinkels' own pockets, nant of a once flourishing tion. In face of overwhelming while the rest was provided community" and now "face evidence that he had par- by various funds. If she had a number of deprivations ticipated in atrocities enough money, Mrs. Gur-- and handicaps, the most against Jews and others finkel estimates that she serious of which is denial of while serving as a guard in could complete the entire 54 the right to emigrate." Treblinka and Sobibor booklets in another three to Museum Cabaret death camps, the Jewish four years. "I don't want to make it a community demanded that NEW YORK — The Demjanjuk be brought to business," she insists. "We Jewish Museum's recent justice, however belatedly. give the booklets out free, Celebrity Cabaret Benefit A violent confrontation be- and only to people we are raised $26,000 to support tween Ukrainian and sure will study them." Among those who request the museum's exhibitions Jewish demonstrators was the translated commentary and programs. narrowly avoided.