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Woodward in Berkley: (810) 543-7982 40 An Arty Kind Of Cat This lifesaving message generously brought to you by this publication Q: Is it true that singer Art Garfunkel got his big break playing a cat? A: It certainly is true. Mr. Garfunkel was at grammar school in Forest Hills, N.Y., when he won the coveted role of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonder- land. Another of the show's key performers was the boy starring as White Rabbit. His name was Paul Si- mon. Q: Is it true that Czech leader Jan Masaryk was once mar- ried to a Jew? A: Masaryk was en- Q: I keep hearing the word "holo- caust" used to describe what's go- ing on in Bosnia. Is it really the same as what happened to Jews during World War II? A: No, and there are a number of differences. First, the war in Bosnia is a conflict be- tween brothers. As much as they profess ha- tred for one another, the Serbs and the Croats —be they Orthodox, Catholic or Muslim — speak the same language and share a common basic culture (with differences allowed for religious practice). The Germans and their col- laborators regarded the Jews as an alien race intruding on their soil and their culture (this in spite of the fact that Jews had lived in Eu- Art Garfunkel: rope for 2,000 The cat's years). meow. Second, the Serbs, Croats and Muslims each have armies, weapons and outside sources of assistance. The Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe were a helpless, un- armed civilian population. Most had never touched a gun. Third, the Bosnian war is the gaged to a Jewish woman, Marcia Davenport, but they never mar- ried. Before they could be wed in 1948, Masaryk died under strange circumstances. Masaryk was Czechoslova- kia's foreign minister when he met Ms. Davenport, a novelist born in New York. The two be- came friendly following Ms. Davenport's decision to support Czech freedom fighters during the Nazi occupation of their country. She later settled in Prague with Masaryk until the Communist occupation of Czechoslovakia, when she moved to London. Masaryk planned to join her there, but died days after she left. The daughter of opera singer Alma Gluck, Ms. Davenport was on the staff of both the New Yorker and Fortune magazines (she was married for a time to Fortune managing editor Rus- sell Davenport). She was the author of Of Lena Geyer (1936), Valley of Decision (a 1942 nov- el about the Pittsburgh steel mills, it also was made into a film), My Brother's Keeper and an autobiography, Too Strong For Fantasy. Jan Masaryk was the son of Tomas Masaryk, founder of the Czech Republic. He died March 10, 1948, after falling from the window of the Czernin Palace. Although his death was offi- current manifestation of a con- cially ruled a suicide, most flict that has been going on for scholars today believe he was generations. murdered. The Jews had been victim- ized for hundreds of years. The Germans and their collabora- tors had never suffered a mili- tary defeat at the hands of Jews. Fourth, the war in Bosnia is over territory. The Croats, Serbs and Muslims all believe they alone are entitled to rule over Bosnia. The Jews did not control and never claimed sovereignty over any of the territory in which they resided. In most places, laws prevented Jews from own- ing land. Even in towns and vil- lages where Jews formed the majority of the population, po- litical control was in the hands of gentiles. Fourth, the Muslims, Serbs and Croats basically want each other to vacate the territory they claim and don't care what happens afterward. (Hundreds of Bosnian Muslims have re- settled in Turkey and no Serb or Croat force comes after them there.) The Holocaust was a cam- paign of extermination. The Germans did not want the Jews to move elsewhere; they want- ed them dead. Fifth, the whole world is watching the war in Bosnia. The United Nations and NATO have gotten involved. The American president has spoken out and the war is debated in the Congress. The governments of the Allies knew of the Holocaust, but still did nothing to help the Jews. Q: Could it really be true that opera star Beverly Sills once touted the joys of soap flakes? A: It's time for Beverly (born Belle Silverman) to come clean. She was in- deed the Rinso White I soap songstress in those wonderful "Rinso White, Rinso White, happy little wash day" commercials. That has nothing to do with her nickname, by the way. "Bubbles" is the result of the fact that Ms. Sills was born with a large bubble of saliva in her mouth, which her doctor regarded as good luck. Send questions to "Tell Me Why" c I o The Jewish News, 27676 Franklin Rd., Southfield, MI 48034 or send fax to 354-6069.