68 Friday, November 4, 1983
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Gerald Naftaly Is Seeking
Re-Election to OP Council
Jewish-Founded May's
Marks 100th Anniversary
Gerald E. Naftaly, mayor
pro tern, has announced his
candidacy for re-election to
the Oak Park City Council.
GRAND RAPIDS —
May's, the western Michi-
gan department store chain
founded by the late Ab-
raham May, celebrates its
100th anniversary this fall.
Although the May fami-
ly's personal involvement in
the company ended in 1967
with the sale of the chain to
an out-of-state, publicly-
held corporation, the suc-
cess of May's provided in-
spiration to the state's 19th
Century Jewish retailers.
May's was an early example
of what the department
store would evolve into dur-
ing the 20th Century.
May opened his first store
in Grand Rapids in 1883,
under the name Giant Clo-
thing Co. The store de-
veloped a solid reputation
throughout the country
and, following a decision by
Naftaly, 31, was elected
in 1977 as the youngest
councilman in Oak Park
history and re-elected to a
four-year term in 1979.
Having received the most
votes in that election he has
served as mayor pro tern
from 1981 through 1983.
A resident of Oak Park for
30 years, Naftaly serves on
the city's recreation advi-
sory board and is a trustee
on the employees retire-
ment system. He is past
president of the Oak Park
Central Kiwanis Club and
is a member of the Goodfel-
lows in both Oak Park and
Detroit. He also serves
r
GERALD NAFTALY
other community service
organizations.
Naftaly was recently
elected to the Michigan
Regional Advisory Board
of the Anti-Defamation
League and is a member
of the Jewish Welfare
Federation 1984 Had-
racha program.
Naftaly's family is affil-
iated with Cong. Beth Ab-
raham Hillel Moses.
He was graduated from
Wayne State University
with a degree in business
administration.
Over-Worked?
JERUSALEM (ZINS) —
The Israel Physicians
Union argued that public
service doctors were
entitled to salary increases
because there has been no
increase in the number of
hospital beds in recent
years despite a 400,000 in-
crease in population. -
The doctors claim the
lower percentage of beds per
population increased their
workload.
The Israel Health Minis-
try countered that the qual-
ity of health care in Israel is
on a par with all the
highly-developed nations in
the world, including the
U.S.
One day is equal to every
day:
To: The Jewish News
-t
17515 W. 9 Mile Rd.
Suite 865
WEI JUST
From
Paste in old label
C
NAME
L
Effective Date
J
I T
Shown at last week's dinner on behalf of Yeshiva
University are, from left, Gary Torgow, Marvin Be-
rlin, Mrs. Joanne Zuroff, honoree Dr. Arnold Zuroff,
Rabbi Herschel Schacter of Yeshiva U. and Rabbi
James Gordon.
Boris Smolar's
`Between You
.. . and Me'
Israel Pullout from Lebanon
May Spur Syria to IYo Same'
NEW YORK (JTA) —
Lebanese Foreign Minister
Elie Salem said Sunday
that a complete Israeli
withdrawal from Lebanon
may provide the Syrian
government with a needed
incentive for it to withdraw
its troops from Lebanon and
end what the Lebanese offi-
cial termed as Syria's "il-
legal" occupation of his
country.
"We believe that the
withdrawal of the Israeli
forces would be a major in-
ducement for the Syrian
forces to withdraw from
Lebanon," Salem said in an
interview via satellite from
MK: Lebanon
Partition Is
Unavoidable
Southfield, Mich. 48075
Meyer May, Abraham's son,
to display clothes on wooden
hangers (unheard of at the
time), was recognized
around the world. /
In 1905, the company
was incorporated under
the name A. May and
Sons and shortly opened
two other stores in Grand
Rapids, Michigan's sec-
ond largest city.
The 1967 sale of the chain
by the May family was fol-
lowed by a five-year finan-
cial decline which nearly
bankrupted the operation.
In 1972, the company was
purchased by Norman
Talmo. Since Talmo took
over the business, May's has
experienced an 800 percent
increase in sales. A store
has been opened in Boca Ra-
ton, Fla. and another one is
planned for the Novi area.
Yeshiva University Honoree
Bern, Switzerland on , the
ABC-TV program "This
Week with David
Brinkley."
Salem is in Switzerland
for Lebanon's national re-
conciliation conference.
Salem suggested that
progress at the talks
would depend on the ac-
tions by the Lebanese
representatives as well as
the "forces behind" them.
The Lebanese official,
speaking of the four-nation
multinational force, said it
represented a "major com-
mitment" to "salvage the
Lebanese democracy."
U.S., Soviets
Leading Arms
Exporters: Study
Editor-in-Chief
Emeritus, JTA
(Copyright 1983, JTA, Inc.)
THE JEWISH BIRTHRATE: Jewish leaders in this
country are greatly concerned over the continued growth of
intermarriage which is already reachng close to 50 percent
of all Jewish marriages in some communities. However,
their concern is at present even greater over the constant
substantial decline in Jewish births.
From the anxiety expressed at a two-day conference on
the decline in the Jewish population — the first national
conference of this kind in American Jewish history, spon-
sored by 30 leading Jewish organizations — it became
evident that the Jewish family is in trouble. The confer-
ence, held in New York this week, was addressed by leaders
from major groups in American Jewry and by outstanding
experts in the Jewish family field. It was convened primar-
ily to deal with the "catastrophic" drop in the Jewish birth-
rate.
The Jewish birthrate is believed to have dropped below
replacement. It is down to 1.5 children per family. Given
the present trends, the Jewish share in the general popula-
tion in the country — which is presently about 2.7 percent
— will inevitably shrink. It is estimated that at the present
rate of decline in Jewish child-bearing, the Jewish-popula-
tion stands to be reduced by 1.5 million within 18 years. Dr.
Robert Gordis, the noted Jewish scholar who stimulated
the calling of the two-day conference and chaired it, is of the
opinion that the community must promote a goal of a
minimum of three children per family to prevent this loss.
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
Eliahu Ben-Elissar, chair-
LONDON (ZINS) — The
man of the Knesset's
Foreign Affairs and Secu- United States and the
rity Committee, contended Soviet Union are the world's
Monday that the partition major arms exporters, fol-
of Lebanon was both un- lowed by France, Britain
The Jewish population in the U.S is today about five
and Italy, and then Brazil
avoidable and necessary.
million. If it is reduced through birth control to 4.3 million,
-
and
Israel,
according
to
the
Ben-Elissar made his re-
it will still remain the largest Jewish community in the
marks at a session of the International Institute of world. However, the atmosphere of Jewish life will not be
committee where Premier Strategic Studies. South Af- the same. The community will become a body of aging and
Yitzhak Shamir voiced rica and South Korea are aged. The Jewish elderly will be one-fifth of the population.
strong objections to the U.S. now entering the field.
:There will be no large Jewish student youth. Jewish influ-
plan to arm a Jordanian
According to Frost and ence in various fields of the general life will not be felt to the
task force which would be Sulivan Inc., a market re- extent it is felt now, not to speak of the effect which the loss
part of the American rapid search company, Israel ex- of 25 percent of the present Jewish population will have on
deployment force poised to ports to Argentina, Bolivia, Jewish continuity.
protect the Persian Gulf. Chile, Colombia, Mexico,
The institutions of marriage, child-bearing and family
The plan was turned down Venezuela, El Salvador and
by a Congressional panel Nicaragua. Turkey was the are widely questioned today among the general population
in the U.S. and appear to be weakening. However, to Jews
this week.
only European customer
Ben-Elissar said that listed, but Frost and Suli- the family has been the bastion of the Jewish tradition and
both Syria and Israel have van said Israel has sold experience. It was the center from which everything else
interests in Lebanon and some captured PLO ar- stemmed — Jewish identity, Jewish continuity, Jewish
therefore that country mored vehicles to Romania. education, involvement in the community and in religious
should be divided, cruel as it Israel is said to be cooperat- life. Jewish tradition refers to marriage and child-bearing
would be. He maintained ing with the U.S. by sending in terms of sanctity. "Pru Urvu" — "Be Fruitful and Multi-
ply" — is a biblical injunction.
that any other solution weapons to Honduras.
would be detrimental to Is-
No wonder, therefore, that the problem of seeking
rael. Ben-Elissar, who was
None of the arms expor-
ways to reverse the trend among young Jewish families to
Israel's first ambassador to ters rivals the Soviet Union
abstain from having children has brought about a united
Egypt and a protege- of or the U.S., which export front of all elements in American Jewry. The two-day con-
former Premier Menahem $10 billion to $15 billion of ference was sponsored by the American Jewish Committee,
Begin, is one of the most inf- weapons a year. Although
American Jewish Congress, Council of Jewish Federations,
luential of the younger the U.S. sells to more coun- young leaders of the United Jewish Appeal, JWB, Bnai
members of Herut. He ex- tries worldwide — 67 as op-
Brith, JESNA, which is the central body for Jewish educa-
pressed his views on Leba- posed to Russia's 28 — the
tion, the Zionist Organization of America and other groups.
non as that country's war- Soviet Union is the leading The central bodies of all congregations — the Orthodox,
ring factions were about to exporter of major weapons,
Reform and Conservative — and their central rabbinical
open a meeting in Geneva according to London's In- organizations were among the sponsors, as well as all major
aimed at national reconcili- ternational Institute of Jewish women organizations, from Hadassah to Women's
ation.
Strategic Studies.
American ORT.