Page 11-THE NEWS-August, 1986
Bonner Meets I.B. Singer Dedication weekend
By Richard M. Yellin
BOSTON - Yelena G. Bon
ner, the wife of Andrei D.
Sakharov, had always express
ed a desire to meet Isaac
Bashevis Singer. She had
read, with difficulty, several of
his books in English and
several short stories that had
been translated in the Soviet
Union in samizdat, the secret
journals passed from hand to
hand.
After a meeting between
Anatoly B. Shcharansky and
Miss Bonner in New York Ci
ty, I accompanied Miss Bon
ner to Mr. Singer’s. Mr.
Singer, in his 80’s, looking
frail, rose expectantly to greet
her. Initially, he chose his
words haltingly, but after she
assured him how privileged
she was to be with him, a tear
ful, emotional calm transfixed
Mr. Singer’s face. They talked
about the pomp and the
ceremony of Nobel Prize
ceremonies. They shared
stories of Mr. Singer’s fame
and reputation in the Soviet
Union. The dialogue went this
way:
Mr. Singer: Let me tell you.
I’m very proud to have you
here and to have you as a
reader of mine.
Miss Bonner: In Gorky
(where Mr. Sakharov is in in
ternal exile), your portrait
from the journal “America” is
hanging in our home.
Mr. Singer: Thank you. I
want to tell you, my friend,
there wgis a Russiein writer for
children and also for grownups
whose name was (Kornei)
Chukovsky. This writer was
visited by a reporter from the
United States by the name of
Schneiderman, and this
Schneiderman told me that he
came to Chukovsky’s house
and he saw my portrait there.
I said, "My portrait — how
does he dare to do such a
thing?’’Schneiderman said,
“He’s an old man; he’s not
afraid anymore.”
Miss Bonner: I first heard
your name a number of years
before your Nobel Prize in that
Richard M. Yellin is rabbi of
Congregation Mishkan Tefila,
Newton, Mass.
house of Chukovsky.
Mr. Singer: Yes, and when he
told me that he’s an old man
and he’s not afraid, I said to
myself, I’m also an old man
and I am afraid.
Miss Bonner: I’m afraid now
because I must go to my hus
band and I am afraid, but my
husband is not.
Mr. Singer: My dear lady,
nothing will happen to you.
We will all pray for you. We
will pray that the Almighty
will take care of this great
lady.
Rabbi Yellin: Mr. Singer,
one of the things that Yelena
Bonner said when she was in
Newton, and visited the
Synagogue, was that she
wasn’t religious. She also
wanted to know whether you
were religious?
‘Proud to
have you’
as a reader
Mr. Singer: I’m very
religious. Not that I keep all
the laws, but I believe there is
a power which knows us, helps
us sometimes, betrays us
sometimes, but He’s always
there. I believe in God that
He’s here. I have great quar
rels with Him. But I can never
deny Him. I’m a vegetarian. If
you’re not allowed to kill a
man, you’re not gdlowed to kill
a fish.
Miss Bonner: I make a
Jewish dish at home made of
fruits and vegetables. When I
make it, my husband says to
me, you want to turn me into
an I. B. Singer?
Mr. Singer: Let him be what
he is. He’s better to be what he
is than to be Singer, because
he’s a man of great courage.
I’m almost a coward. I would
like that there should be many
people like you. with your
courage, with your husband’s
courage, with your power of
conviction. I would not dare to
go to Russia to say that I’m
against Stalin or against Gor
bachev. I wouldn’t dare to do
it, but I dare to do it here
where nobody arrests me. So,
I’m not resdly a courageous
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man, but I love people who
have courage, because behind
this courage there is faith. I
almost call it faith in God and
humanity, although humanity
does not deserve to be trusted
so much as you do. You are a
person of deeds and 1 am only
a man of words, and deeds are
more important than words,
you must admit this.
Miss Bonner: The word is
the deed. You don’t know
which came first, the word or
the deed.
Mr. Singer: Give to Dr.
Sakharov my very best
greeting and tell him that we
all hope to see him some day
in the United States, if it's
possible.
Miss Bonner: I promise that
if we come we’ll come to you.
Mr. Singer: It would be the
greatest day of my life.
Miss Bonner has returned to
the Soviet Union. Like I. B.
Singer, we all know that pain
ful decision and agonizing
challenge compose the
greatest stories ever told. So
long. Miss Bonner. Prayer and
courage will certainly bring
you back to your friends in
America.
Yours Truly
Needlepoint
We are open
9-5 Thursdays
3802 Columbine Circle
Telephone 366-5661
All proceeds to local
Jewish Charities.
cont’d from page 1
facilities in the Blumenthal
Education Building will be the
focus as all the children from
the Temples and Academy
join in the festivities. Among
the plans is the creation of a
living circle of parents and
children extending around the
entire facility including the
Leon and Sandra Levine
Jewish Community Center
Building. This mini-version of
Hands Across America will be
called “Shalom Circle” and
symbolize the sense of unity
which pervades Shalom Park
and its facilities.
Sunday afternoon will see
the Jewish Community Center
take center stage as it carries
out a series of activities
designed to actively involve
children and adults of all ages.
The J’s goal is to create a
festive atmosphere which will
set the tone for its wide variey
of year round programs and
classes. Dedication Weekend
is designed to celebrate the
completion of Shalom Park
Phase I and the start of the
first full season of programs
for the institutions.
GIVE
ADI ERT
THEDH DFUFE.
Ultlil several years ago, U
was uiilhliikithle: tran^omi
a dry. barren deac*rt Into a
lusih vt*gflable garden.
Ikil mUai'lcsdu)uip|M‘iiin
Isi'ael.
And otK Is liap})ening right
now in the Negev desert.
I'liaiiks to an Inerfdihie system ol
irngalion aiKl tiK* lniK)valive |>rogram
ining ol Uie Jewlsti Ageney s Rural Selllcniem
|>'partnient funded by tlie United Jewlsli Aj)peal/
Federatkni (.^ipaign.
Whafs tlie swret?
Dhp Irrigation.
An advaninrd. ixmiputerlzed teehiK>ti>gy. whk h by
means o) a single drip, waters and I'erlili/es i?ai‘h plant
wtth t}^ exact aiiKHint ut Itqiitd aiKl nutrk*nts.
Each drip ih released at })reciarly nx>nltorrd
intervals, so no prrrkxis walm' is wasted.
And while Jialf Uie water oTc'onvenlkinal syslenis
is used. IsTBcl’s desert yiekl
is |>ra('tieally doubled,
^ving tiiiic. money. laJx)r
and nujst important -water.
Plus, tiie tec'hndogy allows
si'ientisls to utilize tht* Negev's
l3ra'kish underground reservoirs,
something tliat was previously
tliought imixissible.
Drip irrigation.
It's giving new life to Israel's Negev desert.
By snpiKMling Israel's Rural Settlement lYograin
through U*e UJA/Fetkration C-ampalgn. you are
playing a vital role in transfonning a dry. barren
Umilsc'apc into an agricultural miracle.. .a miracle
lliat can lead hunger strk'ken natkms towards seM-
suflk'itMi'^ in tlieir battle against famine.
And dial’s something we as Jews around the
world ran feel proud ut.
Please give ^neruusly Kxlay.
Charlotte Jewish Federation
P.O. Box 13369; Charlotte, NC 28211
704/366-5007
(§)
One IV«»plc,OiK‘ IVslhiy
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Making that happen is our
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I T Y O I* X H R
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