THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS . Friday, February 4, 1983 , 3 Historic Technion Story in Alpert Volume Technion has a history that has made it among the most popular names among all of Israel's institutions and as a symbol of state- building and perpetuating Jewish values. The abbreviation for the Israel Institute of Technol- ogy, located on Mount Car- mel in Haifa, it has attained fame among the leading engineering and technOlog- ical universities in the world. It merits a history of its history and it has attained it in "Technion: The Story of Israel's Institute -of Technology" published by Keterpress in Israel. This immense, beauti- fully printed, fully illus- trated volume has the merit of having been written, the historic facts compiled, by the eminent Israeli columnist and commentator, Carl Al- r:rt, whose_ syndicated 1 SAY IT WITH TREES - JEWISH NATIONAL FUND 27308 SOUTHFIELD SFLO, MI. 48076 5p-6644 MondaAhru Thursday, 9 AM to 5 PM Friday 9 AM to 4 PM KEREN KAYEMETH LEISRAEL column appears in scores of newspapers, including The Detroit Jewish News. An American journalist who was the editor of the of- . ficial publication of the Zionist Organization of America, Alpert has for y6ars served as executive vice chairman of the Techn- ion board of governors. Alpert held the editorship of the Boston Jewish Advo- cate and from there as- sumed the editorship of the New Palestine, the organ of the Zionist Organization of America before the name of the magazine was changed to American Zionist. The historic facts, the Manner in which Technion developed into the great technological instrument of Israel, reads like a novel in the Albert compilation. "Technion" is more than a history of a school. In many respects it is a history of Israel. Also, it is the story of many American communities which have participated in the university's up- building and develop- ment. Detroit was among the earliest communities to or- ganize supporting chapters, and the Detroit Technioh group is a pioneer in that regard. Alpert traces the early leadership: "Detroit leaders were Harvey H. Goldman, Karl Segall, Fred M. Butzel, Leon Kay, Benjamin Wilk, Philip Slomovitz, Isidore Sobeloff, Morris Mendelson, Louis Redstone and Louis Gelfand." In time of stress, in the early years of the Technion, Detroiters were among the first to provide financial as- sistance. When the Zionist Society of Engineers was formed, in 1917, there was a chapter in Detroit. Later the name of the as- sisting society was changed to Zionist Society of Engineers and Agriculturists and Boris Kazmann, who came to Michigan from New York, was the coordinat- ing secretary. first the Among structures on the Technion campus was the Detroit Mechanical Engineering Laboratory. These are among the in- cidental facts incorporated PEARL SCISSORS BUCKLES UNLIMITED FEBRUARY SALE NOW GOING ON 10% DISCOUNT USE THIS AD ON ONE ITEM ONLY WESTERN HATS CLOSEOUT UP TO 60% OFF PEARL SCISSORS '"THE BUCKLE LADY" Good thru 2/28/83 BERKLEY 2240 COOLIDGE 5 Blks. N. of 11 Mile Mon.-Sat. 1 0-6 545-6885 1r- HAT PINS or TIE TACS $2 ea. CUSTOM MADE BUCKES — ASK FOR DETAILS CARL ALPERT in the Alpert-compiled story. While the idea for the He- brew University com- menced with the earliest years of the formation of the World Zionist Organiza- tion:, at the first World Zionist Congresses, it was as early as 1903 that the idea for the Technion was promulgated by the Knessia Rishona at Zichron Yaakov, Menahem Ussishkin hav- ing been among those who advocated the project. Nearly two decades be- fore the Hebrew Univer- sity became a reality, on March 29, 1908 "an agreement was signed setting up a Wissotzky Family Endowment to the Hilfsverein for the es- tablishment of the Technikum." It was the gift of 100,000 rubles, the equivalent of $52,000 from the Wissotzky family that made the dream a reality. Ahad HaAm (Asher Ginsberg), the famous philosopher and Hebrew author, Alpert recalls, helped draft the text of the agreement, introducing a clause that the school would be "Jewish in character." Because the headquar- ters for the new movement was then in Berlin, it is noteworthy that Shmaryahu Levin, who was a member of the Russian Duma, was a member of the board. At the outset the school was to be known as the Wis- sotzky Institute of Technol- ogy. Jacob Schiff, the dis- tinguished American Jewish philanthropist, on a visit to Palestine in 1908 at the invitation of Baron Rothschild, be- came actively interested in Technikum, gave a $100,000 contribution, succeeded in eliminating the name of Wissotzky from the school title, the original donor's name in- stead being perpetuated on a plaque for recogni- tion of his pioneering. Injection of a German coloration, warnings of dangers of assimilation, were uttered by Ahad HaAm and Shmaryahu Le- vin. Alliance Israelite Uni- verselle, in the spirit of the inherited linkage of Jewry with Eretz Israel, took a deep interest and made con- tributions in behalf of French Jewry, toward the advancement of the cultural aims in the developing Palestinian community. Hilfsverein, however, battled to make German the language of the Technikum. The battle of the languages resulted in a triumph for Hebrew and the partici- pants in that struggle re- present a Who's Who in dis- putations. It was marked by an anti-Zionism that as- sumed vicious roles, and a Zionist defense that matched it in the resultant ideological war which even- tually gave the Zionists the- dominant role at the Techn- ion, as it did in the country itself in the course of time. There were so many obstacles to hurdle, so many difficulties, that the Alpert history is like an echo of Zionist and Jewish history. In the process of struggl- ing, Technion became the great creative force; em- bracing every element in technology, tackling medi- cal problems and enriching the academic sphere in other studies, as indicated among other matters by Al- pert, whose descriptions of achievements state, inter alia: "In the academic area a mere listing of programs cannot do justice to the - — growth during this period. Brief mention must be Made, however, of some sig- nificant developments. "One is the intensified re- search in various fields of energy, and the resolve of President Horev to project the importance of nuclear power for Israel. An im- mediate result has been a program to provide better facilities on campus for studies and research in nu- clear science. A new pro- gram has also been launched in marine engineering and pioneer work undertaken in indus- trial robots. "The Faculty of Medicine has more than lived up to expectations and has blazed new paths in medical education as (Continued on Page 5) rII With piosetoad Usually $55 Now Only $ 39 r - Without Uituatual Now Only $29 Delicate little creations of 14K gold, these sliding "Puffed Hearts" are an affordable gift for some- one special or for your- self'. 'Illustrations slightly enlarged to show detail. Specially Priced for Valentine's &Day! igh • Daily—Hospital Sympathy FRUIT • '4s BASKETS 3 Times Daily Nation-Wide Delivery $1 ► 95 RODNICK- McINERNEY'S 772-4350 Usually $45 we have hearts of gold George Ohrenstein Jewelers, Ltd. CERTIFIED qp. GEMOLOGIST HARVARD ROW MALL Lahser 8 11 Mile Rd. 353-3146 Ways To Drive A. New Toronado From Glassman ,41Pititif I • ''Th aamms - ft..T NOWZ7' New '83 Toronado Brougham Air Conditioned. Pwr. Steering, Pwr. Brakes, Tilt, Cruise, Stereo, Rem. Trunk Release, Elec. R. Defog., Body Side MIdgs., Dr. Edge Guards, 2 Spd. 4 783 Wipers, V8, Cust. 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