PURELY COMMENTARY

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PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Editor Emeritus

Samuel M. Levin: He Glorified Academia

S

amuel Mordecai Levin
had the distinction of
being a pioneer who in-
spired the establishment of
departments of economics in
our universities. He was the
teacher of many who became
leaders in the advancement of
economics studies and in
writing and publishing on the
subject. He was an inspira-
tion at Wayne University and
could well be considered
among the university's
founders. Now the university
perpetuates the recollections
about his creative works in a
commemorative manner.
The Wayne State Universi-
ty board of governors has just
voted unanimously to award
him a highly deserved honor.
Naming room 2437 in
the Wayne State Univer-
sity Faculty/Administration
Building the Samuel M.
Levin Conference Room, the
adopted resolution recalls the
notable record of the honoree.
It proves to be a veritable
Levin academic saga. It is
stated in the following text:
It is recommended that
the Board of Governors
name conference room
2437 in the Faculty/Ad-

ministration Building the
"Samuel M. Levin Con-
ference Room."
Samuel M. Levin's history
at Wayne State University
stretches all the way back
to its origins. He was in the
charter group appointed
by Dean David Mackenzie
to the faculty of the Junior
College in 1917. He con-
tinued serving longer than

The Wayne State
University board of
governors has just
voted unanimously
to award him a
highly deserved
honor.

any other faculty person,
through the development
of the College of the City of
Detroit, Wayne University,
and eventually Wayne
State University. Under his
leadership as the original
chairman of the depart-
ment of Social Sciences,
separate Departments of
History, Business Adminis-

tration, and Economics
were established.
He then chaired the
Department of Economics
for many decades, longer
than any other chairman.
He retired after more than
40 years with Wayne at the
age of 70 in 1959, as Pro-
fessor Emeritus. He con-
tinued to publish and to
teach locally and abroad,
until his death at the age of
87 while on a world trip.
Announcement of the
university's decision, which
was introduced to the gover-
ning board by Walter L.
Strong, senior vice president
for university relations, gain-
ed acclaim from faculty
members and Prof. Levin's
students.
Speaking on behalf of the
Levin family, his daughter
Judith Cantor said:

The family is indeed
pleased that Wayne State
University is honoring the
work and memory of our
father with this special
dedication. Wayne State
was a central driving force
in my father's life, which
spanned the history of the

university from its
beginnings.
WSU President David
Adamany also commended
the governing board's deci-
sion, stating:
The university is very
pleased to join with the
Levin family in honoring
Professor Levin's lifelong
commitment and dedica-
tion to Wayne State and its
students. The naming of
the F/AB conference room
will serve as a permanent
reminder of his contribu-
tions to the university.
It is also recalled that upon
Prof. Levin's retirement, the
university established the
Samuel M. Levin Economics
Award Fund, conferred an-
nually upon a student for
distinction in economics
studies.
President Adamany's an-
nouncement that the dedica-
tion of the Levin WSU Con-
ference Room is being set for
next March was sup-
plemented by Judith Cantor's
statement that the planned
date, which will be before
Passover, will be attended by
the members of the Levin

Samuel Levin

family from many cities in
the country.
The Levin family back-
ground gains special atten-
tion Prof. Levin's father, Rab-
bi Judah L. Levin, who was
revered here in the first
decade of the century as the
Detroit Chief Rabbi, shared
for several years the distinc-
tion of being closely
associated at Shaarey Zedek
with Rabbi A.M. Hershman.
Prof. Levin's numerous in-

Continued on Page 52

Meir Kahane's Sad 'Tlragedy

A

most tragic loss is
suffered with the mur-
der of Rabbi Meir
Kahane. In the report of his
funeral on Nov. 6, that was at-
tended by 30,000, there was a
comment that more assembl-
ed at his death than in his
lifetime. There is much to
study and learn about Rabbi
Kahane.
As a rabbi he possessed the
qualities of a scholar. When
he called attention to the in-
humanities practiced against
his — our — people, he served
an important purpose. It was
when he suggested expelling
all Arabs from Israel he
resorted to a regrettable

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Vol. XCVIII No. 13

2

Nov. 23, 1990

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1990

negativism. It was on this
score that we rejected him.
We want Arabs to live with
and next to us, to work with
us and to be mutually
respected. Of course we will
never tolerate terrorism, and
we plead for an assurance of
amity.
While striving for the
security of Israel, Rabbi
Kahane could also have been
a leader in the battle against
anti-Jewish prejudices in
their global manifestations.
Meir Kahane knew and
understood the roots of anti-
Semitism. He was well aware
that Arab propaganda re-
ported the worst of it. Even
the Blood Libel became an
Arab instrument to incite
Israel's destruction.
Now, there is a continuing
utilization of the contemp-
tuous "Protocols . . ." There is
the ongoing need to expose
the libels. They become part
of the struggle that was Rab-
bi Kahane's chief concern,
while battling for Israel's
security, to reject the
poisonous in anti-Israelism
that is always anti-Semitism.
Therefore, learning about
the roots and mobilizing to
prevent the poison-spreading
is a vital duty in self defense.
Rabbi Kahane could have

made a great contribution to
Jewry's vigilance if he had
also encouraged increased ac-
tion against the spreading
anti-Semitism. The poisonous
hatreds keep mounting. The
spreading of them on a
massive scale was revealed
last week in an AIPAC
(American Israel Public Af-
fairs Committee) Near East
Report which quoted the
following appeal to murder
and Israel's destruction:

The following is excerp-
ted from the covenant of
the Islamic Resistance
Movement (HAMAS),
which vie with the PLO
for leadership of the
intifada:
Our struggle against the
Jews is very great and very
serious. The Islamic Resist-
ance Movement is but one
squadron that should be
supported . . . until the
enemy is vanquished and
Allah's victory is realized.
It strives to raise the ban-
ner of Allah over every
inch of Palestine . . . It is
one of the links in the
chain of the struggle
against the Zionist
invaders.
The Prophet, Allah bless
him and grant him salva-

Meir Kahane

tion, has said: The Day of
Judgement will not come
about until Moslems fight
the Jews (killing the Jews),
when the Jew will hide
behind stones and trees.
The stones and trees will
say "there is a Jew behind
me, come and kill him" .. .
There is no solution for the
Palestine question except
through Jihad. Initiatives,
proposals and interna-
tional conferences are all a
waste of time and vain
endeavors. Palestine is an
Islamic land .. .

Our enemies took control
of the world media. They
were behind the French
Revolution and the Com-
munist Revolution . . . They
were behind World War I,
when they were able to
destroy the Islamic
Caliphate, making finan-
cial gains and controlling
resources. They obtained
the Balfour Declaration,
formed the League of Na-
tions through which they
could rule the world.
They were behind World
War H, through which they
made huge financial gains
by trading in armaments,
and paved the way for the
establishment of their
state. It was they that in-
stigated the replacement of
the League of Nations
with the United Nations
and the Security Council
to enable them to rule the
world through them. There
is no war going on any-
where without [them] hav-
ing their finger in it .. .
The Zionist invasion is a
vicious invasion. It does
not refrain from resorting
to all methods, using all
evil and contemptible ways
to achieve its end. It great-

Continued on Page 52