50 YEARS AGO... Detroit Rabbis Honor Colleague SY MANELLO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS F or the first time in the history of the Jewish community in Detroit, all Detroit rabbis as- sembled at one gathering at Congregation Shaarey Zed- ek to honor Dr. A. M. Her- shman on the eve of his sabbatical departure. A special report out of New York recorded the courage and versatility of Jewish soldiers, who, to- gether with their fellow Americans, helped to occu- py the Atlantic and Mediter- ranean coasts. One of the features of the 44th volume of the American Jewish Yearbook was a full list of Jewish men in the American Army and Navy who re- ceived awards and citations. Some of the local young men who received promotions at this time were Michael Alpern to rank of major; Ben Shapiro to rank of corporal; Bernard Werbe to rank of sergeant. The cause of the redemp- tion of the Jewish national home in Palestine gained a new, influential supporter in the person of U.S. Senator- elect Homer Ferguson. The cultural emphasis in the community was on the observance of Jewish Book Week. A prominent item in the Center's display of books was Samuel Weinberg's Jewish Social Studies of De- troit, the first Yiddish book to be published in Detroit. Dr. S. Halkin, poet and es- sayist, was scheduled to speak at Friday evening ser- vices at Shaarey Zedek on "New Patterns in Hebrew Literature." The collective musical ear of the community was treat- ed to several events. Ilsa Schild of the Music Forum was scheduled to play at the meeting of the Student Mu- sic Study Club; Julius Cha- jes was to be one of the artists featured at Pinsker Organization's Jewish mu- sic concert; Rabbi Leon Fram, Temple Israel, was to give a sermon on "The Mu- sic of Religion" when the temple's new organ was dedicated at services. The power of the spoken word was noted in two items. William Hordes, Henry Feinberg and Adele Mondry were awarded diplomas from a speakers' bureau course while mem- bers of clubs of Detroit Young Israel staged the fi- nal competition in their an- nual oratorical contest on the topic of the need of a Jewish army in Palestine. Community members from a range of areas pro- vided "names in the news." Mrs. Abraham Danzig of Wyandotte was elected na- tional vice president of the Mizrachi Women's Organi- zation; four Detroit doctors were listed in the new edi- tion of Jewish Physicians of Note published in Boston: Charles Aaron, Emil Am- berg, Noah Aronstam. and Louis Schwartz. The Pio- neer Women's Organization honored the memory of Yet- ta Kanat by establishing a fund to build a room in a school for girls in Tel Aviv. David and Samuel Krohn conducted Conservative ser- vices at the U-M Hillel Foundation. For those who were look- ing for a place to hang their hat, some rental offerings in the classified section may have attracted attention. Among them were: a Mur- phy bed and board in an apartment, a furnished master bedroom in a home, and a furnished room near two bus lines. Or, if being a landlord was more to your liking, only $8,700 down would get you the deed to a 26-unit apartment building. Some of the new couples who were among those seek- ing living quarters were Ida Travis and Sol Moskovsky, Sylvia Eizelman and Har- vey Zeman, Sylvia Dworkin and Arthur Blumberg. This column will be a weekly feature during The Jewish News' anniversary year, looking at The Jewish News of today's date 50 years ago. Cash Collection Down, Agencies Could Be Hurt KIMBERLY LIFTON S A WR ER F ederation leaders are concerned that a severe cash shortfall and an- ticipated state budget cuts will hurt the commun- ity's social service agencies. Accordingly, officials are advising local agencies to consider cost-cutting and cost-saving options, and the Federation is asking those who have made pledges to the 1992-93 Allied Jewish Campaign to send in their checks as soon as possible. "We are dealing with the problems of state funding and a decrease in the Cam- paign's cash collection," said Federation Executive Vice President Robert Aronson. "And as our need for cash grows by leaps and bounds, more and more national agencies are asking us for cash." The Federation is nearly $3 million behind last year's pace in collecting pledges to the Campaign. And, officials said, cash is needed to pay current commitments to the United Jewish Appeal and local agencies. "At a time of economic distress for so many of our people, when government assistance has been reduced in many areas, our agencies are struggling to meet a growing number of basic services," said Federation President David Page. "Flat Campaigns have adversely affected the budgets of our agencies, and waiting lists have mounted at several of them. "We are obliged to re- spond," Mr. Page said. Costs will continue to escalate if Federation must borrow to meet com- mitments, said Emery Klein, Campaign cash mobilization co-chairman. "Pledges are vital, but only cash can provide essential services." Agencies first began tightening their belts two years ago, holding the line on spending to prepare for a massive influx of Soviet emigres. With consistent flat Campaigns, state budget cuts and a recession, this year's problems are amplified. Meanwhile, the Lansing- based think tank, Public Sector Consultants, is pro- jecting a $450 million state budget deficit for the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. The consultants also are forecasting a $1 billion budget deficit for the 1993- 94 fiscal year. Jon Smalley, a senior legislative consultant for Muchmore and Associates, believes that if the forecast holds true, Jewish agencies that receive government funding should brace for some painful cuts after Jan. 1 Muchmore and Associates represents the Federation and several human service The Campaign and state funds are down. agencies at the State Capitol. "We will be out there fighting for our agencies," Mr. Smalley said, adding that members of the com- munity must become polit- ically active, making their views known to elected offi- cials. Likely targets of state budget cuts are Jewish Vocational Service; Kadima, residential care services for Jewish adults with psychological disabilities; the Jewish Association for Residential Care (JARC) and the National Council of Jew.' ish Women-Jewish Family Service Meals on Wheels Program. Agency executives said< they have not yet been notified of any potential) state cuts. Meals on Wheels serves! about 155 clients from Jew- ish Family Service and Jew- ish Federation Apartments. ' It provides two hot meals to clients' homes Monday through Friday. It is funded in part through contributions to NCJW, private pay clients, and money from the Oak- land-Livingston Human ] Service Agency, which; would be hit by any stater,' cutbacks. Last year, NCJW for the first time used its entire Meals on Wheels fund plus additional donations to sup- port the project, which feeds Jewish elderly and poor. "We just made it to the end of the year," said Meals a Wheels co-chair Maureen Shapiro. "Now we are holding our own." Yet in anticipating cuts of all kinds, NCJW has been looking elsewhere for fun- ding. Recently, Meals received a $340 grant from Reynolds Aluminum to help pay for Thanksgiving meals. "Each year, the cost of meals and the cost of living go up," Ms. Shapiro said. "Only funding hasn't gone up." LI Alan Dershowitz To Speak Here Alan Dershowitz, a leading defender of individual rights, will address a gathering on behalf of the Allied Jewish Campaign 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at Adat Shalom Synagogue. The program, which will be followed by a dessert recep- tion, is open to contributors of $1,000 or more to the 1993 Campaign, their spouses and adult children. A defense attorney, author and legal scholar, Mr. Der- showitz teaches law, appears on television, defends cases C with constitutional implica- tions and writes a syndicated newspaper column. His most recent book, Contrary to Popular Opinion, is a collec - c, tion of some of his most con- troversial columns and essays. Doreen Hermelin and Nor- man Pappas chair the 1993 Allied Jewish Campaign. There is a charge for the event, and there will be no solicitation of gifts. For reser- vations by Dec. 1 or for infor- mation, call 642-4260.