10 Friday, February 10, 1984
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Artist'-s Painter Son Jimmy Ernst Dies at 63
NEW YORK — Jimmy
Ernst, a painter in his own
right and son of Dadaist and
Surrealist artist Max Ernst,
died Feb. 6 at age 63.
Just prior to his death, St.
Martin's/ Marek Press re-
leased his memoir, "A Not-
So-Still Life."
Born in Cologne, Ger-
many, the younger Mr.
Ernst was always sur-
rounded by artists, but did
not choose painting as a
career until he had seen
Pable Picasso's "Guernica"
and then made up his mind
to follow that career path,
the New York Times re-
ported.
He was elected into the
American Academy and In-
stitute of Arts and Letters,
and his works appear in the
collections of the Metropoli-
tan Museum of Art, the
Museum of Modern Art, the
Whitney Museum of Ameri-
can Art and the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum.
* *
On the day he died,
Jimmy Ernst, son of the
famed painter Max Ernst,
was sitting in a New York
radio station studio to talk
about his just released
memoir, "A Not-So-Still
Life," published by St.
Martin's/Marek Press.
For students of contem-
porary art and art history
the book will be fascinating
because it details the
author's interactions with
the likes of such artists as
Paul Klee, Jackson Pollock
and others of equal renown.
The memoir details his
European childhood, the
disruption of his family, his
exile to America, walking in
his father's shadow, and the
conflict between his
Catholic father's family's
traditions and those of his
Jewish mother's family.
There are several in-
stances in which the
younger Mr. Ernst refers
to this conflict. Mr. Ernst
explains thus:
"I could perhaps get used
to disdain for me on the
street and in school for my
Jewish blood, but I had dif-
ficulty with the thought
that, at my grandfather's
house, I did not seem to have
enough of it. Could religious
rigidity really go to such ex-
tremes? This was not my
image of credos, and I had to
wonder what life must have
been like for Jacob's daugh-
ter in an air of prejudice as
light-forbidding as the
heavy drapery and massive
furniture .. .
"A hurdle presented itself
when Lou asked both
grandparents to make a
very small, but necessary,
contribution for my room
and board. Max offered to
help whenever he could, and
understandably I could not
rely on that. Both parties
were agreeable . . . under
one condition, I would have
to adopt their religion.
"From Bruhl came the
demand that I was to take
instruction toward becom-
ing a churchgoing Catholic.
A priest in Gluckstad was to
report on my progress, in-
cluding my visits to the con-
fessional. Jacob Straus in-
sisted on my becoming a
full-fledged Jew. While my
mother engaged in lengthy
correspondence with both
sides, I had almost daily
sessions with Jacob's rabbi
and on weekends attended
mass with the Ernsts and
saw the priest in his resi-
dence during the afternoon.
"Perversely, I enjoyed
Busy Schedule for Campaign
Abbie Ben-Ari, one of Is-
rael's leading authorities on
mass communications, will
speak on behalf of the. 1984
Allied Jewish Campaign at
the Young Adult Division
men's cocktail reception,
7:30 p.m. Wednesday at
Adat Shalom Synagogue.
A former member of the
Israeli delegation to the
United Nations, Ben-Ari is
managing director of an in-
ternational mass communi-
cations firm headquartered
in Israel.
Ben-Ari, a native of South
Africa, immigrated to Israel
in 1952. He lives in
Jerusalem, where he is in-
volved in its economic and
cultural development.
*
Dr. Gruber's assignments
as a foreign correspondent
have taken her to the Soviet
Union, Korea, Vietnam and
the Middle East.
Social Service Unit
to Hear Feinstein
Sarah Levin was one of
the remarkable ladies in the
ranks of Zionist pioneering.
This is the reverberating
tribute to "a great lady" in
many local circles.
A.
WAYNE FEINSTEIN
Wayne L. Feinstein,
executive vice president of
the Jewish Welfare Federa-
tion, will address the Allied
Jewish Campaign Social
Service Section, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 22 at Adat Shalom
Synagogue. The title of his
talk is "Federation's Okay
and You're Okay."
Former director of long-
range planning for the
Council of Jewish Federa-
tions in New York, Feins-
tein holds a master's degree
in Jewish communal service
from Hebrew Union College
— Jewish Institute of Reli-
gion.
As an organizing founder
of Pioneer Women/Naamat,
she had one of the notable
roles here. While sharing in
such efforts, she was a
leader for many years, in
her inspirational fashion,
for the Histadrut and the
Poale Zion, as the move-
ment functioned in its ear-
liest years, and also in
Jewish National Fund.
While mastering English,,
and possessing a knowledge
of Hebrew, she is ranked
among the advocates of de-
votion to Yiddish. To her it
was "Mame Loshen" and
she applied it to her conge-
niality, to a sense of humor
that always spelled faith
his mother's fate, whose
whereabouts he had not
known for 40 years. The last
chapter of his book tells of
his mother's transport to
and ultimate death at Au-
schwitz. In memory of his
mother, Ernst dedicated his
last painting to her. Titled
"Memory of Cell Block 12,"
the painting recalls Lou
Straus-Ernst's last resi-
dence alive.
Students of World War II
as well as art enthusiasts
will find Jimmy Ernst's "A
Not-So-Still Life" intriguig-
ing.
WSU Prof. Leonard W. Moss
Wayne State University's
Prof. Leonard Moss was De-
troit's most popular an-
thropologist, and news of
his death Sunday at age 60
saddened people of many
backgrounds.
A popular professor at
Wayne for 31 years, Dr.
Moss was a favorite of the
Detroit area news media
and the Italian and Jewish
communities.
His specialty was Italian,
Polish and Jewish peasants,
but he appeared on radio
and television programs on
91 occasions to explain "the
evil eye" and other supersti-
tions.
Interested in Italy since
his U.S. Army Air Corps
service there during
World War II, Dr. Moss
returned to Italy three
times on Fulbright re-
search scholarships and
was a founding member
of the Italian Cultural
Anthropology Center at
the University of Rome.
The Italian American
Cultural Center gave a
testimonial dinner in his
honor last year and he
was knighted by the Ita-
lian government.
Active in community af-
fairs, he was a frequent con-
tributor of letters to the
editor to area newspapers,
Sarah Levin Remarkable L
in Ranks of Zionist Pioneers
Women t-o Hear
Dr. Ruth Gruber
Author Ruth Gruber will
address members of the Al-
lied Jewish Campaign
Business and Professional
Women Pre-Campaign
($500) Section, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, at the home of
Dr. Deanna Holtzman in
Birmingham. Dinner will
be served.
Her latest book, "Haven:
The Unknown Story of
1,000 World War II Refu-
gees," is an eyewitness ac-
count of the only World War
II refugees saved by the
United States government.
An earlier book,
"Raquela: A Woman of Is-
rael," won the National
Jewish Book Award as the
best book on Israel.
He has been director of
leadership development
for United Jewish Appeal
and assistant director of
the Jewish Welfare Fed-
eration in San Francisco.
Sylvia Serwin is chair-
man of the Social Service
Section, and Samuel Lerner
is associate chairman.
Chairman of the Profes-
sional Service Division is
Shirley Harris. Mark R.
Hauser is co-chairman.
being the object of so
much attention. I felt no
hostility toward either
religion but simply could
not imagine ever becom-
ing a true disciple of any
ritual."
As Ernst's memoir was
going to press, he learned of
and confidence as a partici-
pant in Zionist devotions.
Her Pioneer Women/
Naamat roles include the
past presidency of the
Greater Detroit Council
and she was a_ founding
member of Club One of
the international Jewish
women's organization.
She was honored by the
Jewish Community Council
of Metropolitan Detroit "for
her leadership roles" and by
the Histadrut "for distin-
guished service." A Detroit
area resident since 1910,
Mrs. Levin also was active
in the Labor Zionist move-
ment.
She is survived by two
sons, Morris H. of Corte
Medera, Calif., and Milton
of FL Lauderdale, Fla.; a
brother, Yeshaya Peleg of
Kiryat Chaim, Israel; six
grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren.
including The Jewish News,
and had a rare sense of
humor and was gifted in
Jewish learning.
He was a volunteer with
the Allied Jewish Cam-
paign. He also was a volun-
teer with Michigan Emer-
gency Patrol.
Dr.
earned
Moss
bachelor's and master's de-
grees at. Wayne University,
and completed his PhD in
sociology and anthropology
at Michigan State Univer-
sity.
He served as chairman
of Wayne's Anthropology
Department during sev-
eral different periods, in-
cluding last year, and
head been a member of the
University Council since
1976. He was the author
of 75 scholarly papers,
and Wayne honored him
with its faculty merit
award.
While Dr. Moss' death
Sunday came after a brief
DR. LEONARD MOSS
struggle with cancer, his
health in recent years had
been hampered by recur-
ring problems with a leg in-
jury suffered in Egypt dur-
ing a visit to that country
and Israel.
Dr. Moss is survived by
his wife, Beebe; a daughter,
Mrs. Steve (Ami) Simms of
Flint;. and one granddaugh-
ter.
Novelist Manes Sperber, 79
PARIS (JTA) -- Manes
Sperber, a prominent
novelist and philosopher
who broke with the Com-
munist Party in 1937 after
being a member for 10 years
and one of the first Euro-
pean intellectuals to expose
the duplicity of Stalinism,
died Feb. 5 at age 79.
Mr. Sperber, who was
born in. Zablotow, which he
described as "a little Jewish
town in Eastern Galicia,
was awarded a few months
ago the Frankfurt Peace
Prize "for services rendered
to better international
understanding."
Elsie L. Katz
Elsie (Lipson) Katz,
owner of United Locksmith
and Supply Co. in Far-
mington Hills, died Feb. 3 at
age 59.
Born in Toronto, Mrs.
Katz lived many years in
Detroit. She was a member
of Morgenthau Chapter of
Bnai Brith and the Michi-
gan Master Locksmith
Association.
She leaves three children,
Joel Lipson of Seattle,
Wash., Mrs. Gary (Andrea)
Smith of Lahaina, Hawaii,
and Martin Katz; a brother,
Robert Adler; a sister, Mrs.
Pete (Helen) Goldstein; and
four grandchildren.
"Serving the Jewish community with traditional dignity and understanding"
In 1940 he wrote "The
Burned Bramble," the first
of a trilogy, in which he
traced the role played by the
Communist Party in Ger-
many.
Mr. Sperber left his na-
tive Poland in 1914 and
settled in Vienna where
he became a close associ-
ate of Alfred Adler, the
psychologist, and taught
psychology. Sub-
sequently he became a
professor of psychology
at the University of Be-
rlin.
In 1934 he left Germany,
after Hitler consolidated his
power, and settled in Paris
where he published most of
his works.
Other
Deaths
Dr. Henry S. Kaplan,
co-inventor with Edward
Ginzton of the first medical
linear accelerator to treat
cancer patients with radia-
tion therapy, died in Palo
Alto, Calif., Feb. 4 at age 65.
* * *
Albert S. Pinkus, a New
York state and Manhattan
Chess Club champion in the
1940s, died Feb. 4 in Brook-
lyn at age 80.
543.1622
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