CONTROL VI
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Dore, Free And Other Stupid Names

Hollywood stars do it again!

Artist's Studio
Open House

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Q: For many years now, I have
been interested in finding out what
happened to the female line of the
Weizmann family, particularly
Chaim Weizmann's immediate
family (not the children).
I have researched somewhere
that his father had two sons and
13 daughters; how true, I do not
know. But it would seem to me
that there must
have been fe-
males in this
family. No men-
tion is ever
made. Do you
have any infor-
mation?
From reader
R.H. in Bethes-
da, Md.

have heard of Baptists, and I have
heard of the South, but what is the
Southern Baptist Convention?

A: With about 30 Baptist de-
nominations in the United
States, it can indeed be diffi-
cult keeping track of everyone
who wants to save your soul.
Until 1845, each Baptist
church in America was au-
tonomous, although there were
societies devoted to publishing
and to missionary
work at home and
abroad.
Because the Bap-
tist board of foreign
missions had its
headquarters in
Boston, it was
strongly influenced
by the abolitionist
movement. By the
early 1840s, a ma-
jority of the board
A: Chaim
(that is, the North-
Weizmann
erners) decided that
was one of 15
slave holders could
children, three
not serve as mission-
of whom died Chaim Weizmann: W hatever
aries. The Southern-
in infancy.
happened to all the s isters?
ers protested, the
Of the sur-
Northerners sug-
viving 12 children, there were gested they split, and in May
five sons and seven daughters. 1845 the Southern Baptist
Chaim's sisters (born between Convention was formed. (In
1871 and 1892) were Miriam, 1907, the Northerners orga-
Chaya, Fruma, Gita, Anna, nized themselves into the
Masha and Minna.
Northern Baptist Convention,
With the exception of which in 1950 changed its
Chaim's father, Ozer, who died name to the American Baptist
in Russia, by the 1930s all of Convention.)
Weizmann's immediate fami-
Although the Civil War dev-
ly made aliyah.
astated the South and its reli-
Of his sisters, the following gious life by the turn of the
are notable:
century, the Southern Baptist
Chaya married Avraham Convention was on its way to
Lichtenstein, a teacher and becoming the fastest-growing
bookseller in Pinsk. In 1921 religious group in the United
they settled in Tel Aviv where States, a status it held until
Chaya became a well-known the 1980s.
teacher. She later published
The Southern Baptists tend
her memoirs, then died in to be more theologically con-
1959.
servative than the American
Gita studied music in War- Baptists and are more Calvin-
saw and married a Mr. istic. Like most Baptists, the
Dounie. In 1911 they settled Southern Baptists believe in
in Haifa. In 1924, she was a the "validity of the Scriptures,"
founder of the Haifa School of the lordship of Jesus, redemp-
Music, today known as the tion from sin and full-immer-
Dounie-Weizmann Conserva- sion baptism only of those who
tory.
can understand the teachings
Like her older brother of religion (as distinct from in-
Chaim, Anna became a fant baptism, such as practiced
chemist. She made aliyah in by Catholics). Southern Bap-
1933 and joined the staff of the tists often are regarded Chris-
Sieff Institute, which later be- tian fundamentalists.
came the Weizmann Institute.
Among America's famous
Southern Baptists is Bailey
Q: The recent news that the Smith, pastor of the First
Southern Baptist Convention will Southern Baptist Church of
target Jews for proselytizing to Del City, Okla., the past pres-
ident of the Southern Baptist

Christianity had me wondering. l•

Convention. At a dinner in
1980, Mr. Smith announced,
"My friend God Almighty does
not hear the prayer of a Jew."

Q: Tell Me Why often offers the
most insightful information on some
absolutely idiotic names
Jewish stars have cho-
sen to name their chil-
dren. I remember, for
example, that you en-
lightened us regarding
Barbara Hershey, who changed
her own last name to "Seagull"
(after purporting the spir-
it of a dead seagull en-
tered her body)
and then named
her boy "Free."
For crying out 4)61
loud, what was this
woman thinking?
If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Tijuana
Brass himself, Herb Alpert, also had
a kind of oddball name for his son.
What was it?

A:Mr. Music did indeed pick a
positively quaint moniker for his
child. He named him Dore, as in
Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do. (No
subsequent children, however,
were named Mifa, Sola, or Tido.)

Q:I know that actor Michael Dou-
glas has won some Academy Awards
and maybe other honors which are
nice, sure. But has he ever won any-
thing really important, say, the Mo-
bil Man of the Month Award?
A: We're glad somebody out

there remembers this presti-
gious honor — and the fact that
it was once accorded upon Kirk
Douglas' son!
Shocking but true, Michael
Douglas was not always an ac-
tor. Before getting his big break
on "The Streets of San Francis-
co," one in a seemingly unend-
ing stream of productions by
Quinn Martin (remember "Can-
non" and "Mannix?"), Mr. Dou-
glas worked as a gas station
attendant in Westport, Conn.,
where he was once named Mo-
bil Man of the Month.

Send questions to Tell Me Why, The
Jewish News, 27676 Franklin Road,
Southfield, MI 48034, or fax to (810)
354-6069. All letters must be signed
and include the writer's address.
Questions answered in the column
will feature only the writer's initials
and city of residence.

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