THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
62 Friday, November 26, 1982
Ancient Toys Are Displayed by Rockefeller Museum
By ELLEN DAVIDSON
Holyland Features
gathered from various Is-
raeli museums and private
collections in Israel and
abroad, is believed to be the
first of its kind anywhere in
the world. Many of the 40
items on display were un-
covered in archeological
digs in Israel during the
past half-century.
JERUSALEM — Chil-
dren greeted by the bleeps
and bloops of electronic
games during the holiday
season might find equally
intriguing an exhibit in
Jerusalem that reminds us
of the kinds of toys that
amused youngsters cen-
Many millennia ago,
turies ago.
Modern marvels not- girls dressed, fed and
withstanding, kids's basic loved their dolls as
ideas of fun haven't really much as they do today.
changed much, judging And they could choose
from the ancient board from a variety of little
games, dolls and pull-toys companions. Tiny dolls
on display at the Rockefel- from Greek and Roman
ler Museum of Archeology times are a highlight of
the Rockefeller Museum
in Jerusalem.
• Rockefeller Museum show. Made of bone,
curator Michal Dayagi- alabaster, wood, clay,
Mendels decided to organize ivory or marble, the dolls
the exhibition 18 months range from one to six in-
ago when she learned that ches high and most of
no serious research had them seem to have once
been done on the subject of had moveable limbs,
ancient games. The exhibi- some of which have been
tion, a compilation of items found in excavations.
Sewage Treatment
This 1,200-year-old doll
was found in the Negev
Desert, its burlap clo-
thing preserved by the
arid climate.
penalties for- landing on
certain squares. "Go
back to square one" is a
phrase that can be traced
all the way back to the
game of Senet, for that's
what happened in this
game if you landed on
square number 27.
The complicated rules of
these games pointed to the
probability that they were
played by educated adults
who could not only count,
but total up and record re-
sults; most likely they were
games for artistocrats and
This limestone game board dates to 1900-1500
courtiers.
BCE and was found near Beit Shemesh near the cen-
The oldest game dis- ter of Israel. The game pieces were found in the hills
covered by an Israeli ar- west of Hebron.
The clay pull-toys on dis- perts have fitted most with
cheologist was found near
the Santa Katerina Monas- play are reproductions of modern wooden wheels.
Also included in the ex-
tery in the Sinai Desert. A sheep, horses, otters- and
form of Stone-Age checkers, cows. They have holes hibition are clay bird whis-
it was one of the original pierced in their noses, prob- tles and baby's rattles, filled
hunt games, played 10,000 ably for attaching a string, with seeds and pebbles.
years ago. It consists of a and holes in the feet for a These items were found in
stone slab with 14 cups cut small axle and wheels, children's graves of the Is-
in two rows and is very simi- which could have been clay raelite period, buried in
lar to a game played by Be- or wood. Very few still had order to provide the chil-
douin children in the Sinai wheels when they were dren with playthings in the
found, but the museum ex- "next world."
sand today.
So-called Coptic dolls
from the sixth and seventh
Centuries CE are made of
bone with moveable arms.
Many times the head is in-
NEW YORK — Benny
tricately carved, while the Friedman, an All-American
lower part has an un- quarterback at the Univer-
finished look. Archeologists sity of Michigan in the
assume that this is because 1920s who is credited with
the doll was later covered revolutionizing the forward
with rags and mud.
pass, died Nov. 23 at age 76.
Most of the games exca-
vated by archeologists in
this region have been
"board" games, incised on
Former Detroiter Dr.
floors of houses or carved on Alvin Bernard Rosenbloom,
stones in fields. They fall a physician who practiced
into three categories: race internal medicine and psy-
games (the winners must
– finish ahead of his oppo- chiatry, died Nov. 18 at age
Israel operates one of the world's largest treat- nent); war games (the win- 76. Born in Jackson, Tenn.,
ment plants in the sand dunes south of Tel Aviv.
ner must remove his oppo- Dr. Rosenbloom attended
nent's pieces from the Vanderbilt University and
board); and hunt games (the its medical school. He was a
opponent must be eluded).
50-year alumnus of the uni-
One pastime which ap- versity and alumni
By RABBI SAMUEL FOX
Generally speaking, the
(Copyright 1982, JTA, Inc.)
basic experience of the main parently kept the kids occu- president of the class of
It is required to stand body of prayer is to feel that pied while their parents 1932. He was a member of
erect with both feet together one is standing in the were busy praying was the Canby Robinson Society
found scratched out on the of the university.
while reciting the main presence of the Almighty.
floor of the courtyard of the
body of prayer (i.e. the 18
Dr. Rosenbloom practiced
When one stands in -the second Century synagogue
benedictions called the
internal medicine in
presence
of
a
supreme
at
Capernaum
in
the
Sh'moneh Esreh).
authority he is at full atten- Galilee. Called the Mill Jackson, Tenn., and psy-
chiatry while in Detroit. He
Sold in France tion and feels overcome Game
by curator Dayagi- was a member of the Ameri-
with
the
majesty
of
the
Mendels,
it
resembles
an
Israeli-
PARIS (JTA)
can Board of Psychiatry,
ancient English game American Medical Associa-
made computers are being authority.
It is claimed by some that called Nine Men's Morris. It tion, American Psychiatric
marketed in France and
have already been bought this is done so as to have the is comprised of a grid of con- Association and the Middle
by several large public and worshiper assume the- post- centric squares with diag- Tennessee Section of the
private corporations includ- ure of the priest (Kohen) nonals. The players take American Psychiatric Asso-
ing France's national secu- who stood at such attention turns to occupy the cross ciation.
rity ministry and Air when offering the sacrifice points. The idea is to line up
Dr. Rosenbloom was
at the altar because one who three counters which form a a lecturer and a member
France.
The Israeli Elbit factory prays is compared to a priest mill, thus saving them from
attack.
last year sold $2 million who offers sacrifice.
worth of sophisticated com-
Two other board games
Others claim that this
puters and electronic de-
WASHINGTON — The
vices on the French market. position is to emphasize the in the show, 5,000-year- National Aeronautics and
differences between hu- old Senet and 4,000-
Elbit now plans to start mans (who are the image of year-old Tau, were Space Administration
building the computers in the Almighty because they played in both Babylonia signed a contract this week
France itself in order to be stand in his presence) and and Egypt before they to launch a communications
able to compete on better animals who do not stand reached Canaan and satellite for Arabsat, the
terms with various West upright for any length of Judea. Both were race 22-state Arab Satellite
games, with hazards and Organization which in-
European manufacturers. - time.
Football Star Benny Friedman
Police said Mr. Friedman
died of a self-inflicted gun-
shot wound.
He won All-America hon-
ors at U-M in each of his
three seasons, 1923-1925,
and was hailed by his coach,
Dr. Alvin Rosenbloom, 76
Prayer Posture Important
of the consulting staff of
the psychiatric service of
Vanderbilt University
Hospital and on the
psychiatric staff of the
Parthenon Pavilion.
He was a life member of
the Jewish Chautauqua
Society, a member and
board member of Cong.
Ohabai Sholom and a
member of the Senior Temp-
lars. He also was a board
member of the Anti-
Defamation League of Bnai
Brith and held membership
in the American Orchid and
American Archeological
Societies.
He is survived by his wife,
Pearle A.; a son, Dr. Philip
of Louisville, Ky.; two
daughters, Mrs. Dorothy
Douglas of Seattle, Wash.,
and Mrs. Mina Jo Linver of
Albuquerque, N.M.; a
brother, Irving Rosenbloom
ofJackson, Tenn.; and eight
grandchildren.
Arabsat Launch Okd for '84
cludes the Palestine Libera-
tion Organization and
Libya.
The satellite will be
launched from a U.S. space
shuttle mission in October
1984 at a cost of $11.6 mil-
lion.
Fielding Yost, as one of the
greatest passers and smar-
test quarterbacks of all
time. His passing to end and
later coach Bennie Ooster-
baan became known as the
"Benny to Bennie" era.
Mr. Friedman, a native
of Cleveland, played pro-
fessional football for
seven years after his col-
lege career; at a time
when players had to play
both offense and defense.
He played for Cleveland,
Detroit, the New York
Giants and the Booklyn
Dodgers football teams.
He later coached at City
College of New York and
invented the double-wing
formation. From 1949-1963
he was athletic director at
Brandeis University, quit-
ting after the school drop-
ped football.
He had outside business
interests and operated a
football camp for boys in
Maine. He had been in ill
health for nearly 10 years,
and a portion of his left leg
was amputated in 1979.
Hillel Arzieli
ROME (JTA) — Prof.
Hillel Arzieli, a teacher of
Hebrew, Talmud, Kabala
and Jewish history in Rome
for the past 15 years, died
Nov. 14 at age 74.
Born Ilyusha Ivasoff in
Tiflis in the Russian prov-
ince of Georgia, he came to
Palestine in 1923, making a
long march through Turkey
with his parents, grandpar-
ents and three brothers. He
had been teaching in Rome
since 1967 under the au-
spices of the Jewish Agency.
"Over 65 years of traditional service in the Jewish community with dignity and understanding." .
HEBREW MEMORIAL CHAPEL
SERVING ALL CEMETERIES
26640 GREENFIELD ROAD
OAK PARK, MICHIGAN 48237
AO . . 0, AZ JR,A.11.11 . 111 1A At
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