Page Eight
THE TRANSCRIPT
October 7,
CtlITIE AT HOME
Two Views of the Jewish Novel
Divergent views on the Jewish novel have .appeared recently in
the REPORTER MAGAZINE, and in AMERICAN JUDAISM, the
Temple Brotherhood publication.
George Clay, writing in the September 17 issue of THE REPORT-
ER, on "The Jewish Hero in American Fiction," says that the Jewish
novel has in recent years become more "relaxed." "No longer," Clay
writes, "is it necessary for the Jewish novel to concern itself with
themes that are specifically Jewish such as anti-Semitism, or with
tile completely parochial novel, citing Laura Itobson's "Gentlemen's
Agreement," as an example of the first, and Abraham Cahan's "Rise
of David Levinsky," or.Michael Gold's "Jews Without Money," as
an example of the second type of novel.
@lay mentions two Jewish novels that have become best-sellers
Wouk's "Marjorie Morningstar," and "The Last Angry Man" by
Gerald Greene, as typifying an "unself-eonscious Jewishness, that
puts the Jew in the mainstream of the life around him, both Jewish
and non-Jewish." Clay continues: "Marjorie Morningstar," despite
the slapstick versions of Jewish ritual with which Mr. Wouk in-
terlarded his tale, remains that most reliable of native cliches
the pretty undergraduate who wants to follow, the glamour circuit
and settle in New Rochelle, too. And Dr. Sam Abelman of the 'Last
Angry Man,' comes straight from a lovable rank tradition as old
and nearly as hallowed as.the Stars and Stripes."
The article concludes with an analysis of Myron S. Kaufmann's
"Remember Me To God," a first novel just out. This is a story about
a middle-class Boston Jewish family with a troublesome son at Har-
vard. "All the ingredients of a Jewish novel are here," Clay writes,
"assimilation, self-hatred,'intermarriage, Judaism versus Christian-
ity, father versus son." But whht makes this novel into a best-
seller, Clay continues, is the fact that issues that have long been
intensely alive for the Jew, his search for identity, his daily" strug-
gle to be regarded and judged as an individual, are coming more and
more to occupy all mid-century Americans. The giant husing pro-
jects which have mushroomed across our country are in a way,
nondenominational ghettos; a crowding together of wanderers, of
people on the way up and on the way down. The search for identity,
which dignifies Dorothy and nearly defeats Richard Amsterdam in
"Remember Me To God," in slightly different form obsessed the
Gentile heroes of John P. Marquand's "Point of No Return," and
It,milton Basso's "The View From Pompey's llead."
Writing in AMERICAN JUDAISM, Meyer Levin, whose novel
"Compulsion," a thinly disguised version of the Loeb-Leopold Case,
will appear as a drama on Broadway this season, expresses differ-
ent ideas on "self-critical exposure, bordering on self-hatred." He
wants wide publication and readership for books about "good
Jews," rather than the sensationalism of "What Makes Sammy
Run," and "I Can Get It For You Wholesale." He mentions two re-
cent books, Jerome Robbin's "A Stone For Danny Fisher," and Leon-
ard Bishop's "All The Days of My Love," as pointing "An accusing
"finger at the worst types of Jewry they can find, offering them to
the general public as symbolic Jews." Surely in these two articles
we have completely opposite views on the Jewish novel. Perhaps,
the best thing is for the reader to judge for himself, as I shall do,
by reading the newest contender for the best-selling lists, Myron
Kaufmann's "Remember Me to God."
The Ben-Gurion Television Interview
A welcome change from the sound of galloping horses and crack-
ling guns of the Westerns that roar across our television screens
these days, was the NBC presentatiol of an interview with Prime
Minister David Ben-Gurion of Israel on their Sunday morning "Wis-
dom Series." This was television at its best. The seventy-year-
old statesman, spoke in calm and measured words about his feeling
for Israel: "Even before I came here, I was really living here. Here
in Israel is an adventurous and creative spirit, here we can fulfill
the historical destiny of our people. After 2,000 years, we are re-
generating the Jewish nation, economically, spiritually and cultur-
ally." "
When asked why ih his busy life, and at the age of 54, he be-
gan the study of Greek, the Prime Minister answered: "Because I
realized that the real meaning of the Bible can not be given in a
translation, I wished to be able to read Plato and Thucydides in their
original Greek, in order to get the true meaning of these great
writers." The interview concluded with Ben-Gurion's belief: "Here
in Israel, the land of the Bible, we are creating a synthesis between
the moral values of the Jewish prophets and modern science' and
technology. We are creating a new kind of Jew, self-reliant, with
a purpose in life, with faith in the destiny of his people, a builder
ol a new society."
C. S. N.
Krupp, Former Nazi Receives Visa
By BORIS SMOLAR (JTA)
There is a good deal of commotion in Washington over
the forthcoming visit to this country of a former Nazi, a
released war criminal, who is now the wealthiest man in
Europe. He is Alfred Krupp, the German munitions manu-
facturer whose powerful industrial empire created the Nazi
weapons ost feared by the Allies during the last war.
A number of Congressmen"
have inquired why this Nazi war
criminal was granted a vista to
this country. They were told that
it was granted by the State De-
partment, without outside consul-
tation, not even "with Congress.
Tim remarkable thing is that not
only d'o members of Congress
resent his being permitted to visit
this country, but similar senti-
ments are being heard in Wall
Street.
Herr Krupp is coming to this
Ot at tba Finest Faneral Hom¢l
tn t/a IVejt
ARTHUR A. WRIGHT
& SON, INC.
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country fresh from business deal-
ings with the Egyptians and
straight from a deal to build a"
$3,000,000 plant for Russia. The
purpose of the visit is to address
an international conference open-
ing in San Francisco on Octo-
ber 14.
Those who oppose his admis-
sion to the United States wonder
what contribution can be mhde
to free enterprise by a munitions
king, much of whose civilian
business is bulwarked by cartels.
HOLYOKE, Mass. (JTA)
Samuel Resale, an attorney and
leading member of the Jewish
community in Holyoke, has been
sworn in as mayor of this pre-
dominantly Catholic t o w n. Mr.
Resnic, who has s.erved as presi,
dent of the Board of Aldermen
for two years, succeeded to the
office of mayor upon the death of
the late Mayor Edwin A. Seibel.
Mr. Resnie is the first Jew to hold
office in the history of the city.
Patronize Transcript Advertisers
Deadline for ClaimSy i' CANTOR NAMED CHAIRMAN OF "BUILDERS
Against German_ OF ISRAEL" AT ISRAEL BOND CONFERENCE
The Conference on Jewish Ma-
terial Claims Against Germany
wishes to call attention to the
fact that all applications under
the following 'compensation and
restitution laws promulgated by
the West German Government
must be filed with the competent
authorities before April 1, 1958:
]. Federal Indemnification Law
which deals with claims for de-
privation or restriction of .liberty
such as the wearing of the Jewish
badge, imprisonment in concen-
tration camps, injuries to health,
the loss of family providers, dam-
ages to property azld losses aris-
ing from discriminatory taxes or
vocational and economic ptrsuits.
Eligible are, in addition to
3resent and former residents of
West Germany, roughly i.e., emz-
grants from East Germany (incl.
East Berlin); pcrsecutees who
were in a DP camp in West Ger-
many on April 1, 1947; persons
of GorDian culture and language
from areas' from which Germans
were expelled after the last war;
stateless persons and refugees
(including those who were nat-
uralized anywhere after the end
of the war).
2. Reich Claims Law (Federal
Restitution Law) which deals
with claims for assets which can-
not be restituted in nature such
as bank accounts, securities, jew-
elry, objects formed of precious
metals, personal valuables, house-
hold goods, etc., confiscated by
the Third Reich.
Claims may also be filed if the
property was confiscated outside
West Germany (incl. West Ber-
lin) but was thereafter brought
to a particular place in West Ger-
many, to West Germany as such
or to Greater Berlin or--if the
owner was a resident of West
Germany--the property was con-"
fiscated outside West Germany
(or West Berlin).
Information concerning t h e
procedure and eligibility regard-
ing the filing of claims may be
secured from competent attorneys
and agencies. It is in the inter-
ests of all potential claimants to
register their claims as soon as
possible.
The Jewish Club of Washing-
ton, Mrs. Margaret Lindsey, Sec-
retary, at 2418 Federal Ave., and
the Jewish Family and Child
Service, at 1620 Jackson St., dre
the agencies in Seattle which are
prepared to help in the filing of
claims under the restitution and
compensation laws.
NEW YORK: An Elijah Cup of
most remarkable 18th century'
'glass-work, recently donated to
the Jewish Museum" by Dr. Harry
G. Friedman, banker and noted
collector of New York is on ex-
hibit at the Museum during this
holidas season,
The Museum's goblet is of dark
blue glass, with elaborate illus-
trations and inscriptions, consid-
ered a rarity for its perfect pre-
servation and its elaborate Bibli-
cal scenes in blue, green, red,
gold and silver, sandwiched be-
tween two layers of glass.
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Excellent Kosher meals. Will
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Mrs. Pola LewinTel. Fr. 1102
FOR RENT: Modern side x side
duplex; one bedroom; $65.00. One
block from bus. Call "EAst 2619.
KOSHER STYLE Room and
Board. Older citizens welcome.
Hot Mineral Baths; homey,
friendly surroundings and TV.
LOUIS ItOTEL, Box 3 Soap
Lake, Wash. PH. CH. 6-2471.
REAL ESTATE
MADRONA FAMILY HOME:
$12,750. Five bedrooms, two
baths with shower room, hot wa-
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ment. Newly painted. 150 ft. cor-
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work. 3309 E. Denny Way. OWN-
ER, EA. 71711.
Eddie Cantor/who has been a leading force in the
its ineeption, aceepted the'positlon of Naiiona| Chairman of
of Israel" atthe Eeonomie Mobilization Conference for
an intcfisive Fall drive in thei United States and Canada to raise a n
of $75,000,000 in 1957 h the sale of Israel B onds Abraham
(right), President of the: is shown
Mr. Cantor with a specially of the
Israel, purchasers of one or BondS,
the presentation ceremonies . more than who
thd three.day Conference b
on the need to ,r more, than
ecom'ere in Israel
Jews of Soviet Mark New Year
• Reprinted from the New York Times
MOSCOW--Jews in most major Soviet cities crowded into
synagogues to observe the start of Bosh Hashonah, the JeVP
ish New Year.
The lone synagogues in Moscov, Kiev, Riga, Lvov a. d
p.robably, too, in other cities with sizable Jewish corrimUnt" !
tleStSeCh as Odessa and Minsky, had been repaired a
p to the extent that the Jews of those cities coUl
afford. None of the communities, however, had sufficien t
prayer books or seats to accommodate the crowds.
In Moscow's Byzantin style synagogue, the ground floO,
traditionally reserved for men, was packed, and worshiper
stood even near the main pulpit. Old men. wept as the ar"
cient prayers were sung by a cantor and repeated by a male
choir on a balcony in the rear.
Most of the men wore worn€
suits with Soviet-style wide cuffs,
and some had overcoats. To cover
their heads in reverence for a
House of God, the worshippers
headgear ranged from Fedoras to
little Uzbek caps.
There were practically no yamil-
kes of th.e kind worn by Ortlmdox
Jews elsewhere,
Kiddush Is Chanted
The climax of the evening
service shortly after sundown
was the Kiddush, chanted slowly
and heard with much greater rev-
erence than in most Western syn-
agogues. A-cup of wine, blessed
during the ceremony, was sipped
in behalf of the congregation by
a lad in the gray Soviet school
uniform.
But there were not many
youngsters among the more than
1,500 worshippers. One middle-
aged man said he had to drag his
teen-aged son along and had to
force him to learn "Yiddish so he
could talk to other Jews."
Formal religious instruction is
forbidden herd and prayer can be
learned in the Soviet Union only
in the home and at services.
A number of officials of the
Israeli Embassy attended the
services and had to shake hun-
dreds of hands before worship-
pert would let them depart. Many
persons asked for help in obtain-
ing additional prayer books, while
others inquired after Israel and
relatives in the United States and
Israel.
Charles H. Jordan, Director-
General of the Joint Distribu-
tion Committee, was last week
named a Knight of the Order of
King David by the Scandinavian
Jewish Federation.
LOS ANGELES (JTA)--Dr.
Philip L. Seman, Jewish educa-
tor and social worker, died here
this week-end at the age of 76.
Israel Shows FamouS,
Stamp Collections
TEL AVIV (JTA)Five rail
lion dollars w o r t If of stamp
from all parts of the world we
on display here at the opening 0
the "Tabil" International StawJ
Exhibition sponsored bY tlt
Union of Israel Philatelic Sects
ties. Stamp coJlections from poS
tal administrations of 33
tries, as well as some private
lections of international
were shown at the exhibit at
IIistadrut's Hamlin House
Among the private collectlO
were an exhibit of New yorJ*
Francis Cardinal Spellman's j S"
sembly of Biblical interest; ,'FP
estine Forerunners," a collecti°
ownet by Benny Guggenheim
Zurich valued at $400,000, and
ex4fibit of a collection of arcbi
Otto IIoffman of Israel, wh°
Jerusalem stamps include e_
staples going back to the
Century when French monks
their own postal service in W el
era Europe.
One of special interest to
ish collectors was that of
Roman Wienarski who s
unique "Collection of hetto
tives," which includes letters
cards, from the Auschwitz
Theresienstadt Nazi death
The Vatican, the Soviet
the, United Staes, France
the United Nations are
participating but Great
postal administration, in a
giving no reason, said it
not participate.
Afro-Asian countries P
pating_ included India
Burma, Ghana and the
South Africa. Exhibition
have established" armed
arotect highly-valued
More than 16,000 sheets
exhibition. '
