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Friday, November 15, 1985 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
The Jewish National Fund
of Detroit
LOCAL NEWS
Survivors Are Building
National Organization
BY ALAN HITSKY
News Editor
invites you to attend its
ANNUAL MEETING
Tuesday, November 19th
8:00 P.M.
Congregation B'nai David
Guest Speaker
MENACHEM PERLmurrER
Mr. Perlmutter, a survivor of Auschwitz, is considered to be the
"Architect of the Negev." A dynamic speaker, he has been
integrally involved with "computerized-drip-irrigation" and
complex fertilization techniques. He has served as a consultant to
our government regarding farming techniques for the
southwest, and has been instrumental in planning Israel's test-
tube farming procedures.
Admission is free.
Refreshments will be served.
Jewish National Fund
557-6644
Fifty delegates from 30 U.S.
cities gathered at the Holocaust
Memorial Center and the
Jewish Community Center this
week to further plans for a
cohesive American Gathering/
Federation of Jewish Holocaust
Survivors.
"Five years ago we didn't
know each other," said Benja-
min Meed, president of the
organization and driving force
behind the American Gathering
of Holocaust survivors in Wash-
ington two years ago. "Now we
are a family ... Now we are
part of a movement."
Billed as the first national
executive committee meeting of
the new organization, the dele-
gates heard and discussed re-
ports on the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Council. Days of Re-
I membrance, regional reports, an
Auschwitz exhibition, publica-
tions, training of teachers, coor-
dination with survivor groups,
their national survivors' regis-
try, a speakers bureau and other
topics.
On Sunday, the first of two
days of sessions at the Jewish
Center, Meed told the delegates
that President Reagan's visit to
Bitburg Cemetery last spring
was one of the most critical
events facing the survivor com-
munity in America." The Bit-
burg cemetery in West Germany
contains the graves of Nazi SS
troops, along with regular
Wehrmacht graves.
"We spoke out and were heard
because we were united," Meed
reminded his fellow survivors.
"Even the President of the
United States could not manip-
ulate the memory of the
Holocaust for political consider-
ations. Not all the victims were
the sathe.
"We all died as Jews," he said.
"Now we are being told that we
died as Ukrainians, Poles, Rus-
sians, Germans, Romanians,
Hungarians. But we died be-
cause we were Jews."
Meed said the American
Gathering has already funded a
training program for teachers to
learn about the Holocaust. Next
year, it is planning an event in
New York to celebrate the 40th
anniversary of the arrival in the
U.S. of the vanguard of 55,000
Holocaust survivors. He said the
American Gathering is present-
ing a budget request this week
to the Council of Jewish Federa-
tions, and its own membership
drive has reached the 3,000
mark.
"We must continue to convey
the message that we are a
unique group," Meed said,
"which played a unique role in
history. We experienced Jewish
life before the Holocaust, we ex-
perienced the Holocaust, and ...
we must tell the story of our
building a new life — renewal
and rebirth — after the
Holocaust."
The delegates toured the
Holocaust Memorial Center on
Sunday and were greeted at the
opening session by Henry
Dorfman, chairman of the host
committee; Wayne Feinstein of
the Jewish Welfare Federation;
Oscar Hertz, representing the
Jewish Community Council; and
Charles Silow of Children of
Holocaust Survivors Association
in Michigan.
Columnist Wolf Blitzer, who
talked later Sunday at the
Jewish Book Fair, briefly ad-
dressed the delegates. The son of
survivors, but a U.S. native,
Blitzer stressed the impact of
the Holocaust on U.S.-Israel re-
lations. He also spoke of the
Holocaust's effect on Menachem
Begin, saying that meetings
with families of casulaties of the
Lebanon War, plus the death of
his wife, led Begin to resign as
Israeli Prime Minister. Blitzer
pointed out that many of the Is-
raeli soldiers were the children
of Holocaust survivors.
He said there is a strong
awareness in Washington that
Israel was born of the ashes of
the Holocaust. This awareness.
he said, directly influences U.S.
aid to Israel, U.S. support of
Operation Moses to bring Ethio-
pian Jews to Israel, and efforts
on behalf of Soviet Jewry.
Photo Exhibit
Marks Apts. 18th
The initial showing of the
Jewish Detroit Historical Photo-
graph Exhibit, a gift to the
Jewish community, will take
place at 1 p.m. Nov. 24 at the
Jewish Federation Apartments'
chai anniversary open house at
the Anna and Meyer Prentis
Federation Apartments, 15100
W. Ten Mile, Oak Park.
The exhibit was a gift of the
anniversary. The photographs
depict Jewish life and activities
in Detroit's Jewish history.
Some of the photographs depict
Jewish life and activities in De-
troit's Jewish history. Some of
the photographs belong to the
residents, others were found in
the Jewish Welfare Federation
archives.
Eighteen years ago, the need
for affordable, safe housing for
modest income Jewish older per-
sons was recognized by cofnmu-
nity individuals. The concept
was presented to the Jewish
Welfare Federation. As a result
the Simons Committee on Hous-
ing was formed in 1966. Upon
acceptance of the Simons com-
mittee findings an Implementa-
tion Committee was created to
formulate additional plans.
Recommendations from the
committee reports provided the
apartments' basic philosophy:
Housing with minimal assis-
tance would be provided enabl-
ing those 62 years of age or
older to maintain their dignity
and independence as accepted
community members.
The first building was located
in Oak Park. It contained 112
efficienty and 56 one-bedroom
units. On Nov. 2, 1969, ground-
breaking ceremonies were held.
Applications far exceeded the
available space and the building