phia in April of 1843 under the editorship of the able Rab- bi Isaac Leesser of Congrega- tion Mikeh Israel . . . The Oc- cident, like earlier periodicals which appeared both in English and in German, was a monthly publication. The first English-Jewish weekly newspaper to make its appearance in this country was the Asmonean, which was published in New York by Robert Lyon in 1849. From that year, therefore, begins the history of the Jewish weekly press in America, published in the English language. The Asmonean, a "family journal of commerce, politics, religion and literature," lasted only nine years. Before it suspended publication it added occasional German supplements. These were in- dications of the prevalence of German as the language us- ed by the Jews in the United States at that time .. . There were approximately 50,000 Jews in the United States in the year of the birth of the English-Jewish Press. New York and Philadelphia were the largest Jewish centers of population. The first English-Jewish monthly magazine was issued in Philadelphia, while New York saw the birth of the first English-Jewish weekly — Robert Lyon's the Asmo- nean. ❑ NEWS 1 Tsomet Party Quits Government 1•' Jerusalem (JTA) — The Israeli government received an unexpected jolt last week, when the Tsomet party quit the Likud- led coalition and its leader, Agriculture Min- ister Rafael Eitan, sub- mitted his resignation to Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. The departure of the far- right faction, which holds two Knesset seats, leaves the governing coalition with a still comfortable 64-vote margin in the 120-member parliament. But the fear in Likud circles is that Tsomet's ac- tion may trigger defections by the right-wing Tehiya and Moledet parties, which would deprive the govern- ment of five more Knesset mandates and possibly force it to resign. All three rightist parties, uneasy over peace talks with the Arabs, have vowed to leave the government if and when substantive negotia- tions begin on Palestinian autonomy. But Tsomet's move was unrelated to the peace t a lks, which are scheduled to resume in Washington next month. Mr. Eitan quit because Likud's Central Committee voted overwhelmingly to re- ject an electoral reform bill pending in the Knesset that would provide for the direct election of the prime min- ister. He and Tsomet Knesset member Yoash Zidon had a brief but reportedly tense meeting with Mr. Shamir. Mr. Eitan told reporters afterward that he asked Mr. Shamir if the Central Corn- mittee's action was binding on all Likud Knesset mem- bers. If so, he said it would violate the coalition agree- ment Tsomet signed with Likud last year, in which Likud promised to allow its members a free vote on the issue. According to Mr. Eitan, Mr. Shamir said the Central Committee's vote was not formally binding on Likud's Knesset faction. But he declined to put that in writing, whereupon Mr. Eitan resigned. Within hours, aides were clearing out his desk, and Mr. Eitan informed the Knesset secretariat that he would not appear in the chamber for a scheduled question-and-answer ses- sion. The former Israel Defense Force chief of staff said he would not revoke his resig- nation unless Mr. Shamir states publicly that Likud Knesset members are not bound by the Central Com- mittee's decision against electoral reform. That decision, urged by Mr. Shamir, sealed the doom of the reform measure, which is due for its second reading in the Knesset. Many Likud leaders, in- cluding Mr. Shamir, originally supported reforms that would end the unseemly coalition bargaining process and reduce the dispropor- tionate political influence of small single-issue parties. But Mr. Shamir and 80 percent of the 3,400-member Central Committee opposed it. They fear it would work for the Labor party. Since 1930 (Formerly Oakland Bath House) Relaxed, Comfortable Setting GREAT STRESS RELIEVER • • • • More Security Valet Parking Limited Menu, but Better Service Private Parties, Banquet Facilities, Bachelor/Bachlorette Parties • Memberships Available SUNDAY: "B.Y.O.B." (Bring Your Own Bagel) .. 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Ladies Night 2 p.m.-11 p.m . TUESDAY & FRIDAY: Steam and Lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Steam and Dinner 5 p.m.-11 p.m. . HOURS: Tues.-Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m-1 p.m. Couples: Sat. 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Ladies: Sun. 2 p.m.-11 p.m. 8295 OAKLAND, DETROIT 871-8715 or 871-9707 ATTENTION Business Owners: Are You Getting Your Money's Worth From Your Health Insurance? We Can Offer You A $1,000,000.00 Major Medical Program For Less Than You May Be Paying Now! Call Us And Compare! PROFESSIONAL GROUP BENEFITS Employee Benefits, Insurance & Financial Planning 778-CARE (2273) Steven Doletzke THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 37