page 3—THE NEWS—February 1979
BOOKS IN REVIEW
B'nai B’rith
Lecture Series
The Jews of Charlotte
by Morris Speizman
McNally & Loftin $10.95
This book represents a
prodigious research effort and
compilation of data which could
have become cumbersome or un
inspiring in other hands. Morris
Speizman has instead created a
kaleidescope of characters that
makes his narrative spring con
vincingly to life.
The author neatly dissects the
Jewish community of Charlotte
from its early and inauspicious
beginnings to the present day
when three temples offer con
gregants a broad spectrum of
worship. The transition from
orthodox interpretation to con-
•servatism and reform obser
vance is chronicled pai-
nstaldngly and in depth.
How the Charlotte Jews
segued into civic respon
sibilities and service
organizations is also a major
theme. Each separate organiza
tion, its aims and purposes, plus
active participants past and pre-
sent, is presented in
chronological order.
Speizman has categorized
outstanding Charlotteans in the
arts and professions with an in
teresting breakdown of Jewish
residents who merit distinction.
Some of the larger than life por
traits include practical jokers,
journalists, musicians and
merchants, each one a distinct
personality in his own right.
From athletes to artists, the
reader is introduced to a succes
sion of colorful individuals
whose accomplishments are
worthy of notice.
Rather than a pedantic
history, the author uses wit and
humor to illustrate his commen
tary and conjectures: This book
is not non-fiction in the ordinary
sense, but an attempt to make
background of
Charlotte come alive by focus
ing on its formative period and
some of the people who lived and
died there.
ADL HAS
HOLOCAUST BOOK
“The Holocaust Years: Socie
ty on Trial,” edited by Roselle
Chartock and Jack Spencer, is a
descriptive, moving collection
from the writings of various
authors which gives the modern
reader an understanding of the
Holocaust from a historical and
philosophical perspective. It is
published by Bantam Books in
cooperation with the Anti-
Defamation League and has
been developed and tested by
teachers to be used in classroom
study. Its selections, focusing
primarily on the Holocaust,
demonstrate the inhumanity
shown toward individuals and
groups throughout the ages
through eyewitness accounts,
excerpts from fact and fiction,
and essays on the nature of
man. Accounts of the events of
the Holocaust are juxtaposed
with selections from such
observers of human behavior as
Machiavelli, Locke, Hobbes,
and B.F. Skinner, and with com
mentary on the nature of pre
judice and scapegoating, the in
dividual and society, and
parallels to the Holocaust
mirrored in literature and life.
Tlie need for people to discuss
the political, psychological, and
ethical implications of the
Holocaust is dramatized as
generations of young people ap
proach the subject without
firsthand experiences or
memories.
"The Holocaust Years: Socie
ty on Trial” is available through
the Anti-Defamation League at
$1.95 per copy.
Speizman calls his work a
short profile of the Jews in
Charlotte. He is extremely
modest since the book offers
much more. The reader is given
a piercing look into the past as
welNas a reflective mirror of
current conditions, some of
which deserve modification,
alteration, or even change. The
author is not afraid to discuss
such issues.
Although the book is
specifically about Jews in a par
ticular city, people in other -
areas might surely enjoy
reading about the South and
how Judaism was transplanted,
nurtured and grew there. In par
ticular, Northerners who have
grown up in ghetto type
neighborhoods or cultures
would better iinderstand the
pains and pleasures of Southern
Jewish living.
One of the book’s big attrac
tions is sure to be Appendix A
which is a Who’s Who of current
Jewish Charlotte residents. All
identified families are
alphabetically listed with
business and organization af-
filiations, educational
background, and other perti
nent information about hus
band and wife. Children and
their ages are also included to
round out the family picture.
Curious readers will doubtless
thumb through this section for
vital statistics about persons
they know.
Morris Speizman has written
authoritatively and knows his.
subject well. His book should
find a ready place in the home,
library, and industry — not only
where Yiddishkite thrives but
where other enlighjtened Reople
seek to learn more abbut Jews
and their activities in the South.
.  v«i- 1 '
Muriel Levitt
Editor’s note:
Muriel Levitt is a
freelance writer who
moved to Charlotte
from New York State
several years ago. We
look forward to more
articles from her in
the “NEWS.”
We are indebted to
Marta Gorelick for
providing the
“NEWS” with the In
ternational “News.”
THE JCC
CENTER
OF THINGS
On February 18th, Rabbi A.
James Rudin, who is experienc
ed in the Jewish response to
evangelical religious and cult
groups, will speak on “The
Challenge of the New Religious
Cults.” The lecture will begin at
8 p.m. at the J.C.C. There is no
admission charge.
King of the
Songwriters
Whatever the fads, there will
always be a Wilensky song in
the air. In **Tamid Kalaniot
Tifrahna” (’’anemones Will
Always Bloom”), 55 of Moshe
Wilensky’s songs are
assembled, together with the
musical scores. Wilensky has
written hundreds of other tunes
to the words of some of the
nation’s best poets — Bialik,
Alterm.in, Yaakov Orland and
Yehiel Mohar. One qualifty that
nobody would deny was his
prodigious capacity for work.
Amiable and outwardly, at
least, good humored, Wilensky
adapted to the local conditions
from the moment he arrived in
Tel Aviv in 1932. He accom
panied the “Matate” satirical
theatre on piano, wrote music
for them — and for any singer
with popular appeaL >•
One of his songs which Yosef
Goland performed was the firstV-
Hebrew recoVd cnst in London.
In the heyday of political
reviews at “Matate” and “li-La-
Lo,” Wilensky’s melodies
became popular after they were
performed on the stage by Es
ther Gamlielit, Jennie Lubich or
Shoshana Damari.
“Kalaniot” (“Anemones”) is
one such song. “Ani miZfat”
(“I am from Safed”), “Mishlat
Auv” (“An Abandoned Out
post”), the lullaby “Numa Bni
Atsom na Ayin” (“Sleep My
Son, Close Thine Eye^”) are
some of the most popular hits
not included in this selection, in
which early songs are out
numbered by works of the fifties
and sixties.
Wilensky was liked by poets
because he found cadences
suitable to their words. The com
poser himself was not always
happy: “I would prefer to write a
tune and invite a poet to provide
the words. But there is never
time for such cooperation,” he
once complained.
Prosecution of
War Criminals
The prosecution of Nazi war
criminals in this country has
not proceeded as vigorously and
expeditiously as it should. Only
one, a German national, Her-
mine Braunsteiner / Ryan, a
former Auschwitz guard, was
successfully deported to West
Germany where she is still in
volved in a lengthy trial. It is es
timated that there are about 140
or more war criminals in the Un
ited States, almost all of them of
Slavic, Soviet or other East Eu
ropean origins. Only a handful
of these have ever been brought
to the courts and only one in this
group, Andrei Artukovic, has
been denaturalized and
deported but he still remains in
California.
Several circumstances have
led to this situation.
* Many former war criminals
apparently lied about their
background, either orally or in
written applications for visas to
enter the United States.
* Thirty years after the fact, it
has been extremely difficult to
get credible eye witnesses —
here or in other countries — to
testify about the war crimes.
* Efforts to get the Soviet Un
ion and other Iron Curtain
nations to produce documenta
tion and testimony during the
Cold War years were unfruitful.
(This situation has changed
somewhat due to the lessening
in tension between the United
States, the Soviet Union and
other Eastern European coun
tries, and, most important, due
to the possible emergence of new
witnesses among the heavy
Soviet Jewish emigration now
mostly in Israel and some
perhaps in the United States,
since 1970.)
* Even in cases where war
criminals .were proven to have
lied on their visa applications
Honorable Menchen
Three Named
To NCCJ Board
The Mecklenburg Chapter of
The National CJonference of
Christians and Jews has an
nounced that Natalie Cohen,
Sol Jaffa and Rita Mond have
been voted to active board
membership. All three have
been active in community as
well as Jewdsh affairs, and have
been appointed to a three year
term.
Natalie Cohen, who is past
chairman of the Mecklenburg
County Commission on the
Status of Women, will be ser
ving on the community com
mittee. Sol Jaffa, a past-
president of the B’nai B’rith
Lodge and B’nai B’rith Youth
Organization leader, has i^en
asked to serve on the youth com
mittee. Rita Mond, who is
currently co-editor of The
Charlotte Jewish News and
a past-presidentof the Charlotte
Chapter B’nai B’rith Women,
was one of the coordinators of
the Holocaust programming
this past year. She will be ser
ving on the public relations com
mittee.
Others serving on committees
this coming year are: Gene
Goldberg, youth committee; A1
London, administration of
justice committee; Marvin
Bienstock, coordinator of the
inter-faith committee; Jon
Wallas, Fay Green, and Rabbi
Harold Krant^er, inter-faith
committee.
Local Artists
Exhibits
Screening judge Donald Sex-
auer of the East Carolina School
of Art has selected Florence Jaf-
a ^ 4: o V ejife )> e en:i *fa the 69 aMs^to par-
HpnnT.iirpliw«»/1 ^
Jews, Arabs Praise Book
NEW YORK — Two well-known Jews and three supporters
of the Arab cause have praised the new book by Alfired
lilienthal, one of the most-hated anti-Zionists. The volume, to
be published by Dodd, Mead is entitled “The Zionist Connec
tion".
Prof. Noam Chomsky of MIT said “Lilienthal’B book is a
well-documented study that contains much information that
is important and generally unknown in the United States.
Particularly valuable is his discussion of the distorting filter
through which the Israeli-Arab conflict passes and the policy
consequences of these very serious misrepresentations.
Moshe Menuhin, father of the violinst, said that “this latest
Lilienthal book should be on the night table of every
American who is alarmed by the loss of integrity in the United
States and justifiably concerned with the welfare of his coun
try.” •
The Blurbs by the three supporters of the Arabs were by Sen.
James Abourezk, Abdalla Yaccoub Bishara and Sir John
Glubb. Loy W. Henderson, former director of the Office of
Near Eastern and African Affairs of the Department of State
noted that he was “awed by the enormous amount of study
and research that must have gone into it and also by the
courage of the author and publisher.”
deportation became ' unlikely
because of a requirement
originating in the 1950’s, that
the U.S. Immigration and
Natur^ilization Service receive
from the State Department an
official statement that
deportees would receive a fair
trial in the receiving country
and would not be prosecuted
because of their political beliefs
rather than their war crimes..
* This situation was com
pounded by rumors, some of
them since corroborated, that
many of these war criminals
were allowed into the United
States because of their coopera
tion with the CIA which viewed
them as arch anti-Communists.
* Concomitant with all of the
above developments has been
the reluctance of the world to
face up squarely to the
awesomeness of the Holocaust.
The matter of unprosecuted war
criminals is a part of this reluc
tance, and therefore another im
perative for raising public con
sciousness.
Arts Showcase, - sponsored by
First ' Union National • Bank,
Feb. 3-4 at the Civic Center, 101
S. College St.
The show includes paintings,
graphics, drawings, sculpture,
jewelry and pottery. These will
all be on sale. Florence wdll be
exhibiting a number of
etchings, silk screens and
drawings.
Kudos to Joffe
At the recent meeting of the
Hebrew Cemetery Association,
Jerome Joffe was retired as
president. The Jewish com
munity of Charlotte is deeply in
debted to the work performed by
Jerry over the past decade. The
entire community owes him a
great debt of gratitude for his
untiring efforts.
The new officers are as
follows: Hilbert Fuerstman,
president; Nat Roberts, vice
president; Elliot Schwartz,
treasurer; Leslie Cohen,
secretary.
Why Sadat Changed Radio Series
JERUSALEM — The book
that asserts why President
Sadat made his historic trip to
Jerusalem, explaining, that it
was prompted by a warning
against his life that Prime
Minister Begin provided him,
has come off the press. It is,
“The Mossad,”
Mossad is Israel’s CIA, and it
learned of an attack on ^dat’s
life, which when Begin
transmitted it to Sadat led to
discovery of a huge arms cache
and the arrest of the intended
assassins.
Sadat’s gratitude led to secret
talks in Morocco with Moshe
Dayan and Egyptian represen
tatives, culminating in Sadat’s
visit to Jerusalem, according to
the book.
Marks 35th Year
NEW YORK — "The Eternal
Light,” the longest-running con-
tihuous dramatic radio series on
the air, is marking its 35th an
niversary this year with new
versions of programs that are
considered among the classics
of the series.
They include Marc Siegel’s “A
Message from Dimona,”
originally broadcast in 1966 to
celebrate Israelis 18th anniver
sary and Morton Wishengrad’s
“TTie.Bar Mitzvah of IMvate
Cohen,” written in the shadow
of World War II about a 22-year
old soldier who wanted to
become a Bar Mitzvah.
**The Eternal light” is broad
cast every Sunday on the NBC
Radio network.