DETROIT
I FIFTY YEARS AGO
Italian Jewry Benefits
From Vatican Pressure
This column will be a
weekly feature during The
Jewish. News' anniversary
year, looking at The Jew-
ish News of today's date
50 years ago.
PHIL JACOBS
Managing Editor
I
talian Jews were saved
from wearing yellow.
Mogen Davids, worn by
Jews in neighboring coun-
tries under fascist control,
because Mussolini feared
that such an order would
precipitate a serious rift
with the Vatican.
Instead, according to a
Jewish News account,
Italian Jews between ages
18 and 55 were ordered
into forced labor. Even
with the labor order,
Italian Jews, it was re-
ported, were still able to
keep their communities in
operation. Their chief
task was the caring for
the thousands of refugees
who sought shelter.
A related story reported
that 70 Christian chur-
chmen from all sections of
the United States signed
a statement pleading that
"persecuted and homeless
Jews of Central Europe be
permitted free and un-
qualified admission to
Palestine.
The story went on to say
Jews have "an ancient
moral claim" to Palestine.
With regards to the Arabs
in Palestine, the Chris-
tian statement said, "the
Arab world has abundant
opportunity for political,
self-determination in
many lands, whereas the
Jewish people have no
such hope except. in
Palestine."
In more local news, the
Pioneer Women's Organ-
ization of America, with
300 delegates represent-
ing 235 clubs, met at the
Book Cadillac Hotel.
David Ben-Gurion,
chairman of the Jewish
Agency Executive, spoke
as did Dr. Haym Green-
berg, a lecturer and jour-
nalist.
Fifty-five boys and girls
completed the seven-year
intensive course prescrib-
ed by - the United Hebrew
Schools: They Were
.
14
FRIDAY. JUNE 12.1992
honored during gradua-
tion ceremonies at the
Custer Public School, the
Winterhalter Public
School, the Philadelphia-
Byron Auditorium and
the Rose Sittig Cohen
Building.
The Detroit Round
Table of Catholics, Jews
and Protestants schedul-
ed a luncheon at the
Leland Hotel. The theme
of the meeting was "The
World We Want to Live
In."
Congregation Beth
Israel of Flint saw its nin-
th religious school class
graduate. The students
included Barbara Benson,
Norman Bernstein,
Albert Binder, Hannah
Bolston, Jay Lewis
Crowenwalt, Helen Gold-
berg, Bernard Harris,
Lawrence Kavanau,
Alfred Klein, Norman
Linder, Idell Nover,
Helen Pines, Alice Rabin,
Elaine Rosenbaum, Nor-
man Schafer, Violet
Schwartz and Esther
Silver.
On June 3, 1942, the
first organizational
meeting of the new sub-
senior group of Young
Israel of Detroit was held.
Rose Biel, a Detroit
songwriter and poet, has
had some of her songs
played in local hotels and
over the radio. Her
patriotic song, "Keep
Your Chin Up," was
played by Phil Brestoffs
trio at the Statler.
Ladies' pinafores were
on sale at Himelhoch's
this week for $2.50. The
advertisement said the
pinafores were "flowered
chintz . . . gay cottons.
Cool. Bare backed. To
wear with or without a
blouse."
Bess Pearlman married
Henry Krolik; Ruth Prus-
sian married Lt. Samuel
Skulsky; Doi-othy Green-
baum • married Harold
Moran; Dorothy Rosen
married Roy Levitt; Ruth
Yendick married Irving
Vosko; Florence Taylor
married Charles Robin-
son and Elizabeth Fish
married Samuel Posner.
Maryann was born to
Seymour and Betty Kyte;
Ellen was born to Oscar
and Beatrice Schwartz
and Stephen was born
13en and Etta Pa
Area Homeless Will Find
Sanctuary At Temple Israel
DAVID KOTZEN-REICH
Staff Writer
F
or the congregants of
Temple Israel, it will
be unlike any other
week. For seven days begin-
ning July 19, the synagogue
will turn into an overnight
shelter for 30 homeless in-
dividuals.
"The response from the
congregation has been over-
whelmingly positive," said
Dr. Nancy Gad-Harf, direc-
tor of programming at Tem-
ple Israel. More than 100
temple members have vol-
unteered to prepare for the
"guests" and provide for
their comfort during their
stay.
As the days grow hotter,
shelters are as critical as in
the winter, Dr. Gad-Harf
said. "Many of these people
are not healthy. Many of
them have breathing prob-
lems. It's just as critical that
we pull together and help
them during the summer-
time."
Since the temple's decision
more than a year ago to par-
ticipate in the South Oak-
land County Shelter (SOS)
program, an additional syn-
agogue, Temple Beth El, has
approached SOS with the in-
tent to shelter the homeless
during a week sometime late
next spring.
"The Jewish community
has been very helpful," said
SOS Executive Director
Lillian Melville. Several
synagogues, including Tem-
ple Emanu-El on a weekly
basis, and Congregation
Shir Tikvah, have con-
tributed food to SOS host
facilities.
But while 57 local chur-
ches and one bank are on a
growing list of SOS host
facilities — the SOS calen-
dar is booked up - through
next March —Temple Israel
was the first synagogue to
offer its building for the
homeless.
As July 19 nears, the
Temple Israel shelter corn-
mittee is organizing vol-
unteers to prepare and serve
food donated by the temple
membership. Each day the
temporary residents will be
served a buffet-style dinner
and breakfast in one of the
temple's social halls, which
will also act as a lounge.
Brown bag lunches will be
provided. A special Shabbat
dinner is also planned.
Each evening, temple vol-
unteers will pick up the
clients at the SOS office in
Royal Oak where they are
required to check in. The
volunteers will also drive
the guests each morning to
work, job interviews,
medical facilities, schools or
the SOS office, Dr. Gad-Harf
said.
Upon their return to the
temple, volunteers will hand
out toilet kits containing
toothbrushes and toothpaste,
a hairbrush and soap. The
guests will sleep on gym mats
provided by SOS.
The temple will determine
exactly where the guests
will sleep when it learns the
ratio of men and women,
said Pam Colburn Haron,
Their personal
circumstances
range from
first-time homeless
to street person.
chairwoman of the temple
shelter committee. Her
committee is following strict
guideliness specified by
SOS. "They may use diff-
erent classrooms (to sleep). If
there are women with chil-
dren, they will be separated
from the men."
SOS, which began in Royal
Oak in 1986 and is sup-
ported by federal grants and
private donations, tries to
screen applicants for alcohol
and drug abuse or a poten-
tial to cause harm or disrupt
the shelters, Ms. Melville
said. Clients can remain at
the shelters for up to 30
days.
The personal cir-
cumstances of the clients
vary, Ms. Melville said,
ranging from new homeless
to chronic street people.
Clients have included a
family whose home was
destroyed by a fire, as well
as those recently' fired from
their jobs.
"Starting all over again is
something we're all subject
to. Many of us live from
paycheck to paycheck,
whether it is $500,000 or
$500," she said.
The homeless problem has
increasingly affected Jews.
As a reminder of this, a
mezuzah sits on a shelf in
the SOS office safe. A young
man in his early 20s, one of
the thousands of clients who
come to SOS,- gave the
mezuzah to Ms. Melville
several years ago for
safekeeping, she said. He
has not returned to retrieve
it.
With SOS in place for six
years, why has the Jewish ""
community taken so long toe
offer its facilities?
"Part of it is fear," said
Rabbi Norman T. Roman of
Temple Kol Ami, "but,.
there's an insulation and
isolation out here in the . ■■
suburbs. The perception is
that our facility is too fare
away from where the
homeless are and that they
would be better served by
agencies closer to them.
We've always been doing ••-•
things like donating food
and clothing."
Isolation may be a factor,
but it has not stopped many 4
suburban churches and a
bank in Farmington from
offering their facilities. •-•
Rabbi David Nelson of
Congregation Beth Shaloroa.
said sometimes Jewish
organizations get in their 0
own way. "I can't give you a
rational reason for it, but
we're so organizationally
minded that we have to have
all our ducks in place before
we start anything.
"Our hearts are in thgp
right place. We certainly
understand the need. We are 1
a compassionate people. It's
just figuring out how to do it •
right."
Ms. Melville said everyone ml
has a reluctance at first to
shelter the homeless. "There
is a fear. The first time a •
group does this there's a fear
of who these people are, igo
what they are going to do,
and what are they going to
do to the facility."
But that fear dissipates'
with the experience of
sheltering the homeless, Ms.
Melville said. "It goes a long
way toward shattering that
image of the homeless per- 41
son." I=1
•
•
JWV Ceremony
Honors Zussman
4.4
A rededication ceremony
honoring the achievements of.
Medal of Honor winner Lt.
Raymond Zussman will be
held 1:30 p.m. June 14 at the
Zussman Memorial Park ad- •
jacent to the Hamtramck Ci-
ty Hall, 3401 Evaline.
The ceremony will be
highlighted by the unveilingP
of a new park monument.
For information, call the
Jewish War Veterans'
Memorial Home, 559-5680.
.