THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

62 Friday, July. 11, 1981

Psychoanalyst Langer,
Predicted Suicide of Hitler

NEW YORK — Dr. Wal-
ter C. Langer, an American
psychoanalyst who pre-
dicted that Hitler would be-
come more neurotic as his
country suffered defeats,
died July 4 at age 82.
Dr. Langer's analysis of
Hitler was produced for the
Office of Strategic Services
in 1943 and became a refer-
ence for Allied leaders as
the war came to its climax,
the New 'York Times re-
ported. The report predicted
Hitler's suicide.
In 1972, the study was
published under the title,
"The Mind of Adolf Hitler,"
and was a best-seller. Since
Hitler himself was not
interviewed, the study
could not be accepted as
psychoanalysis.
According to the New
York Times, Dr. Langer
concluded from inter-
views that Hitler's be-
havior was evidence of a
mixed and divided
psyche and that he was a

weakling masquerading
as a bully, but a failure in
the role of Fuehrer.
The Times quoted Langer
as saying that Hitler was
"probably a neurotic
psychopath bordering on
schizophrenia." He added
"We are probably on firm
ground when we suppose
that Hitler's mind is like a
battle royal most of the time
with many conflicting and
contradictory forces and
impulses pulling him this
way and that."
Hitler killed himself
April 30, 1945. Langer pre-
dicted the suicide two years
earlier.
Langer studied with and
was analyzed by Anna
Freud, daughter of Dr. Sig-
mund Freud. Langer's
brothers were the late Har-
vard historian William L.
Langer and the late
Rudolph Ernest Langer,
chairman of the math-
ematics department at the
University of Wisconsin.

National ZOA V-P Richard Kramer, 62
Had Role in Saving Buchenwald DPs

Richard Kramer, promi-
nent Zionist leader, former
president of the Detroit Dis-
trict of the Zionist Organ-
ization of America, who last
year was elected a national
vice president of the ZOA,
died Saturday after a pro-
longed illness. He was 62.
A practicing attorney for
nearly 30 years, Mr.
Kramer also had active
roles in the field ofthe social
services before entering the
Air Force in World War II. It
was as a captain in the U.S.
Army that he was among
the first to enter the
Buchenwald concentration
camp and assist in the lib-
eration of the displaced per-
sons who were the victims of
the Nazi terror.
Mr. Kramer's Zionist
identifications stemmed
from a family tradition and
the legacies of his parents,
the late Mr. and Mrs. Morris
Kramer, who were among
the founders of the Poale

.

RICHARD KRAMER

Zion, the Labor Zionist
movement and of the
Pioneer Women. Like her
husband, Billie Kramer as-
sumed leadership in
Pioneer Women locally and
nationally as a mark of con-
tinuity of the pioneering
labors of her mother-in-law.
Upon earning a mas-
ter's degree in social
work from Wayne State
University, Mr. Kramer
directed the federated
Jewish agency in In-

Meyer Levin, Top-Ranking Author,
Interpreted Israel's Global-Status,
Author of Anne Frank Drama, Dies

Meyer Levin, author of a
score of books, creator of Is-
raeli films, claimant to
authorship of original Anne
Frank drama, who was for
years a controversial figure
in world literary circles,
died in Jerusalem July 9 at
age of 75. -
The son of Russian
Jewish immigrants, Mr.
Levin was graduated at age
18 from the University of
Chicago. His novel "Com-
pulsion," based on the
Leopold-Loeb murder case
of the 1920s catapulted him
to fame. Among his other
novels were: "The Fanatic,"
"The Old Bunch, "In
Search," "The Steelers,"
"The Harvest" and
"Yehudah." His last novel,
"The Architect," will be
published by Simon and
Schuster in the fall.
Most of his works were
based on his experiences
and observations in the U.S.
and in Israel.
He began his career

MEYER LEVIN

writing for the Chicago
Daily News in 1922 while
attending the U-C. In
1925, he was a corre-
spondent based in pre-
state Israel, covering the
opening of Hebrew Uni-
versity in Jerusalem. He
worked for the Chicago
paper until 1928, when he
returned to pre-state Is-
rael to work on a kibutz.
He later wrote for the

* *

Telegraphic
Jewish
Agency.
He opened his own ex-
perimental marionette the-
ater in Chicago in the early
1930s and later taught pup-
petry at the New School in
New York. From 1933 to
1939, he was an associate
editor and film critic for Es-
quire magazine. He contin-
ued to write books, with an
occasional assignment
abroad, reporting from the
Loyalist side during the
Spanish Civil War.
During World War II, Mr.
Levin joined the Office of
War Information, worked
on films in the U.S., and
England and also served
with the Psychological War-
fare Division in France. In
the postwar period, he

Israel Bank
History Compiled

TEL AVIV — The eco-
nomic history of Jewish set-
tlement in Israel is pre-
sented in a new volume,
"Banker to an Emerging
Nation" — the History of
Bank Leumi le-Israel, pub-
lished in Tel Aviv.
The 288-page album-size
book, replete with color and
black and white photo-
graphs was written by Prof.
Nadav Halevi, Nahum
Gross, Ephraim Kleiman
and Marshall Sarnat of the
Hebrew University.

The Family
of the Late

GERALD S.
WEINSTEIN

One of the last honors bestowed on world-
renowned author Meyer Levin, right, was the newly
established Joseph Handleman Prize of the Jewish
Academy of Arts and Sciences. Attending the pre-
sentation with him were, from left: Prof. Abraham
Katsh, president of the academy; Handleman and
Nobel Laureate Dr. Rosalyn S. Yalow, also an award
recipient.

Acknowledges with
grateful appreciation
the many kind ex-
pressions of sympathy
extended by relatives
and friends during the
family's recent be-
reavement.

dianapolis, Ind. Upon his
return from the Army
service he had held posi-
tions as director of feder-
ations in New Haven,
Conn., and Chicago, Ill.
He then pursued his law
studies, graduating from
the University of Chicago
in 1929, pursuing his law
career here until his ill-
ness.
Mr. Kramer was awarded
six battle stars during
World War II in which he
served as a combat and
counterintelligence officer.
His unit had been among
the first to enter the
Buchenwald concentration
camp at liberation, and
while there, he assisted in
the organization of the
Jewish Committee on Lib-
eration of Displaced Per-
sons. His combat unit was
awarded two Presidential
Unit Citations and was
decorated by the Belgian
and French governments.
Mr. Kramer was a former
regional director of the
Council of Jewish Federa-
tions and had served as
executive secretary to the
Jewish Community Rela-
tions Council of New Ha-
ven, Conn.
At the time of his death,
Mr. Kramer was a national
vice president of the Zionist
Organization of America
and president of the Zionist
Cultural Center, a post he
had held for the past 10
years. He also was member
of the board of trustees of
the Labor Zionist Institute.
As president of the
Zionist Cultural Center

filmed the smuggling oper-
ation of Jews from the inter-
ior of Poland across Europe
to the Israel coast.
Mr. Levin was involved
for several years in litiga-
tion charging that he was
deprived of rights to the
dramatized version of the
Anne Frank Diary. The
accusations were leveled
at Anne Frank's father
and the producers of the
play. The case ended in a Dr. Silverman
verdict of only $15,000 in
Dr. Maurice M. Silver-
Levin's favor, this entail- man, a medical doctor in
ing heavy losses for him. general practice, died July
He continued to adhere 14 at age 74.
to the claims of having
Born in Toronto,• Ont., Dr.
been the author of the Silverman was graduated
basic text of the drama from the Detroit College of
that was eventually also Medicine in 1930. He was
made into a movie.
elected to the International
The American Associa- College of Surgeons and was
tion for Ethiopian Jews a member of the Wayne
(Falashas) paid tribute to County Medical Society.
the late author by issuing
He held membership at
the following statement:
"We mourn the untimely Cong. Bnai David and Mar-
death of a great writer, an shall Lodge of Bnai Brith.
outspoken advocate for the
He leaves his wife, Helen;
immediate settlement of all two daughters, Mrs.
Ethiopian Jews (Falashas) William (Agnes) Schussler
in Israel and an active and Mrs. Harvey (Anita)
member of our board."
Zalesin; seven sisters, Mrs
In June, Meyer Levin was Sarah Fishkind, Mrs. Paul
the recipient of the first (Mary) Rafales, Mrs. Ruth
Jewish Academy of Arts Polcovar of New York, Mrs.
and Sciences award under Evelyn Cohen and Mrs.
the presidency of Abraham Geraldine Kafka, both of
I. Katsh. The $5,000 award Baltimore, Md., Mrs. Robert
was provided by Detroiter (Thelma) Gottlieb and Mrs.
Joseph Handleman, vice Harold (Yvonne) goldberg;
president of the academy.
and four grandchildren.

Isaac Soyer, Realist Painter

NEW YORK — Isaac
Soyer, a painter in the
Realist school, died July 8 at
age 79.
Mr. Soyer taught life

Great is he who enjoys his
earthenware as if it were
plate, and not less great is
the man to whom all his
plate is no more than ear-
thenware.
—Leighton

drawing and paint composi-
tion at the Art Students
League in New York since
1960 and at the New School
for Social Research. His
paintings appear in major
museums in the U.S.
His brothers, Raphael
and the late Moses, also be-
came leading exponents of
the Realist school. Another
brother, Israel, is a writer.

he encouraged the head-
quarters in W. 10 Mile
Road at Southfield to be
utilized for cultural and
religious services.
During his presidency of
the Zionist Organization of
Detroit he was responsible
for the creation of the schol-
arship fund which has
enabled a score of qualified
young people to go to Israel
for studies at the ZOA-
sponsored Mollie Goodman
High School at Kfar Silver.
Until his retirement, Mr.
Kramer was the secret? f
the grievance panel ch.
Michigan State Bar Griev-
ance Board and chairman of
the grievance panel of the
American Arbitration
Association. He was a
member of the American,
Michigan and Oakland
County Bar Associations
and the American Arbitra-
tion Association.
In addition to his master's
degree, he held a bachelor's
degree in economics from
Wayne State University.
He earned a Doctor of Laws
degree at the University of
Chicago and did graduate
work at the University of
Michigan. -
A native Detroiter, Mr.
Krather was a member of
Cong. Shaarey Zedek.
He leaves his wife, Billie;
a son, Merrill of Washing-
ton, D.C.; a daughter, Ellen
of Brooklyn, N.Y.; a
brother, Albert; and a sis-
ter, Mrs. Bessie Berris.

(.1)

Samuel Lemberg

Samuel Lemberg, a New
York real estate executive
and philanthropist died
Wednesday at his home in
Manhattan. He was 84
years old.
Mr Lemberg, who came to
the U.S. from Russia at the
age of 9, was named a fellow
of Brandeis University in
1956. In 1960, Lemberg
Hall was dedicated at the
university. He was elected
to the board of trustees at
Brandeis in 1961 and in
1979 he was named trea-
surer.

M. Schubiner

Moritz Schubiner, a real
estate broker, died July 15
at age 84.
Born in Litno, Poland,
Mr. Schubiner came to the
U.S. in 1920. He was a
member of Farband, His-
tadrut and Bnai Brith.
He was president of Cong.
Bnai Zion for many years.
He was active in efforts on
behalf of Yeshivath Beth
Yehudah, Hebrew Benevo- as–
lent Society and JNF.
He is survived by his
Lillian; two sons, Ell'
and Sheldon; and nine
grandchildren.

Morris Gert

Morris Gert, a cab driver
for 40 years, died July 9 at
age 90.
Born in Russia, Mr. Gert
worked for Checker Cab Co.
He is survived by two
nieces, Mrs. Lillian Helman
and Mrs. Max (Sarah Lee)
Weisman of Kalamazoo.