Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 28 July 1950 — Page 12

THE NATIONAL JEWISH POST

Friday, July 2ft, 1950

The World Of Books CHMIELNICKI MASSACRE ACCOUNT NOW AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH

By WARD MOORE

“ jr BYSS of Despair” (Yeven Jt\ Metzulah), a contemporary account of the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-52, is now published in English for the first time by the Bloch Publishing Co. (128 pages, $2.25h It is translated into fitting idiom by Rabbi Abraham J. Mesch of Birmingham, Ala., with a preface by Solomon Grayzel. Happily the author, Rabbi Nathan Hanover, provided a review in his own introduction almost 300 years ago, which is not only better than I could do, but gives at once a picture of the writer himself and samples his style and that of the

translator.

“I named my book YEVEN M'TZULAH (The Deep Mire) because the words of the psalmist allude to those terrible events, and speak of the oppressors, the Tartars and the Ukrainians, as well as of the arch-enemy Chmiel, may his name be blotted out, may God send a curse upon him. This book may thus be a chronicle to serve future generations. “I dwelt at length on the causes which led to this great catastrophe, when the Ukrainians and the Tartars united to revolt against Poland, although the two had always been enemies. I recorded all the major and minor encounters, as well as the evil decr?es and persecutions; also the days on which those cruelties occurred, so that everyone might be able to calculate the day on which his kin died, and observe the memorial properly. In addition, I have also described the customs and practices of Polish Jewry which followed the path of goodness and righteousness. All this I did with a deep reverence for God. I based these upon the six pillars which support the world. I have written it in a lucid and intelligible style, and printed it on smooth and clear paper. ‘Therefore, buy ye this book at once. Do not spare your money, so that I may be enabled to

ALL BOOKS Reviewed On Thin Page May Be Purchased From BLOCH Publishing Co. 31 W. 31st, New York City

publish the book ’N’ta Shaashuim’ (Plant of Delights), containing homilies on the Pentateuch which I have authored. For this benevolence the Almighty God will keep you from all evil and distress, and will hasten the coming of the Messiah. Amen, so may it be the will of Him who

dwelleth in splendor.

‘These are the words of the author Nathan Matta the son of the martyred Rabbi Moses Hanover Askenazi (may the memory of the righteous be a blessing, may God avenge his blood) who dwelled in the holy cormnunity of Zaslaw, near the holy community of Ostrog in the province of Volhynia, in the land of Rus-

sia."

I don’t know what I could add except to repeat Rabbi Hanover’s injunction to buy this book at once and not spare your money. I can’t think of a better current literary value. • ... POLAND, SOME three centuries later, is the background of Soma Morgenstern’s “The Testament of The Lost Son" (Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 359 pages, $3), final volume of the trilogy “Sparks in the Abyss.” While the series as a whole deals with the apostasy of Joseph Mohilevski, in this novel it forms the sub-plot and provides the counterpoint to the story of a seven-year-old boy murdered by anti-Semitic hoodlums. A discursive novel in the continental fashion (it is translated from the German by Jacob Sloan. Collaborative credit is given to Maurice Samuel, but in the view of the uneasiness of the English I cannot believe that Mr. Samuel contributed largely to the endproduct) the narrative is more notable for brilliant patches than for sustained and disciplined story-telling. The picture of Shabse Punes, horse-trader turned pork merchant, would do credit to any writer in any literature. Other characters are not so happily drawn, and while they never fall into types they have the opposite tendency of dwindling into haziness. Mr. Morgenstern gives the reader a series of etchings of that patchwork, amorphous, synthetic Poland which Versailles produced, the basically anti-Sem-

itic, Colonel-ridden helplessly chauvinistic Poland before the fourth partition, but he has fallen short of creating an organic novel.

•

OF “THE FIRST Boo}c of the Maccabees,” an English translation by Sidney Tedesche, with an introduction and commentary by Solomon Zeitlin (Harper and Brothers, New York, 291 pages, $4) I can only say—not being a scholar—that it is a scholarly work. The Greek text and the English translation are given on opposite pages with copious notes and illuminating comments. Of course the parallels between the struggles for independence in 168-136 BCE and 1918-1948 CE as well as the divergences are bound to come easily to the reader’s mind. Perhaps the strongest difference was that 2,000 years ago the anti-Zionist Jews were inside Israel rather than confined to the Diaspora. To those of us nurtured on the English of the King James translation of the Bible, the colloquial translation is a trifle shocking. It is probably a healthy shock, however, tending to focus attention on the heroic story than the heroic language.

Yemenite Women Demand Freedom; Husbands Bitter

JERUSALEM—Not all of the Yemenite Jews who have emigrated to Israel are completely satisfied with their new homeland. Representatives of the Israel Attorney General, the Jewish Agency, the Chief Rabbinate and the Israel police have attended meetings in the Yemenite camps to explain the new law against child marriages. Such marriages have traditionally been practiced by the Yemenite Jews.

Some of the Yemenites to whom the visiting dignitaries talked used the opportunity to complain that their wives were displaying a new “revolutionary spirit” which the husbands did not like. They said their wives were demanding the same freedom enjoyed by Israeli women generally. Some of the Yemenite men urged the officials to withdraw the food ration cards of such Yemenite women as a punishment.

De Valera To Visit Rabbi Herzog In Israel DUBLIN—(W NS)—A former Irelander, who is now Chief Rabbi of Israel, and the former Premier of Eire will meet in Israel in the near future where they will renew an o 1 d friendship probably in Gaelic, and discuss problems of mut-

ual interest. Eamon De Va-

lera and Rabbi Isaac Herzog are old friends. Recently the onetime Chief Rabbi the former Pre-

The Record Rock THBEE NEW JEWISH ALBUMS ABE OF VABYING QUALITY ISRAEL IN SONG, by Nahum Nardi. Sung by Simon Bermanis, Edgar Mills, Rema Weitz, Judith Knight, Leah Crohn, Selma Hurwitz, and Lola Gilbert, with Ola Schlifko, narrator, and the composer at the piano. Eight songs on four 10-inch shellac records. Produced by Palestine Art Corp. for Junior Hadassah. Album No. 1. JEWISH FESTIVALS IN SONG, Sung by Rabbi M. D. Margolis and Cantor Nathan Mendelson, with Fagel Gartner and Mae Chazen-Mendelson at the piano. Twen-ty-four Hebrew songs on four 12-inch shellac records. Recorded by RCA Victor Co. Lt., for Canadian Jewish Congress. SHMAH KOLEINU, Sung by Cantor William W. Lipson and Beth El Choir, conducted by Marshall Friedland. One 10-inch vinylite record. Recorded by RCA Victor for Beth El Congregation, Akron, O.

HERZOG

of Eire invited

mier of Ireland to Israel, and De Valera gladly accepted the invitation, particularly since he is said to be interested in the Hebrew language and its revival in Israel. Accompanying Mr. De Valera will be Robert Briscoe, Jewish member of the Eire Par-

liament.

Home Grown Correspondents The National Jewish Post

■w HAPPY NEW YEAR TO RELATIVES AND FRIENDS THROUGH THE NATIONAL JEWISH POSTYour family greeting in the 1950 Rosh Hashanah issue of The National Jewish host will reach practically all your relatives, friends, and acquaintances just prior to the Jewish New Year holidays. It will evidence your interest in the entire Jewish community. It is the logical and easiest way of expressing your good wishes to all those dear to you. Send $2 and Your Name and Address to

THE NATIONAL JEWISH POST

Enclosed find two dollars for which please print the following greeting in The National Jewish Post: Mr. and Mrs.

By JOSEPH GALE “YSRAEL IN SONG” is a show„X case for Nahum Nardi, one of Israel’s more talented composers. His work is best known here through children’s songs, some of which have been recorded. Nardi’s music is alw'ays lively, tuneful, and reflects the moods and emotions of his people. The present album is a wellpaced collection in horah and galop tempi of such numbers as “Hymn to Labor,” “Stamp Your Feet,” and "Song of the Pioneers,” evidently selected to point up Junior Hadassah’s “raison d’etre.” The music is bright and fast, and constructed with workmanship. Since the songs seem all to be written in the same, or related, keys, and since the speed of each is approximately that of the one preceding, “Israel in Song” moves right along. The seven soloists fill the bill. There is no valid argument for having a narrator, though, and indeed, an absence of narration might have been to the good. The composer accompanies his music with all the slipshod abandon most composers at the piano are infamous for.

•

RABBI MARGOLIS of London. Ontario, and Cantor Mendelson of Montreal, Quebec, give us a series of familiar songs and blessings for Sabbath, Sukkoth. Simchath Torah, Purim and Passover. The album is plain, forthright and ungarnished—its virtue and one fault: the production lacks lustre. Because of its plainness, it takes on a certain likeable warmth and could probably serve as a text for parents and teachers. Note that the album contains four 12-inch records. This allows the performers the time they need. There is no suggestion of hurry and haste, and besides, a booklet which comes with the album lists the songs in English and Hebrew, making them elementary to follow. Accompani-

ments are well done, and recording is good. • RECORDING in a dead studio harms the otherwise fine Beth El selection. Mr. Friedland’s a capella choir shows a progressive training but gets nowhere without resonant walls. Because of this, perhaps, we are able to point out that he subdue his sopranos, dismiss some very flat tenors, and inculate in his group a feeling for shading. Cantor Lipson takes it a little draggingly, but his voice is nice, and w'e like the idea of a congregation interested enough to want to preserve its music, es pecially when the conception is above average. RCA Victor gives Cantor Lipson a bad break on the last half inch of the first side and first gro oves of the second with bad volume control and a cutting in of noise-producing dust. The Jan Peerce recording of “A Dudele" and “A Shepherd. A Dreamer” is now available on RCA Victor 45 RPM Record 190590. We were enchanted when we reviewed it at 78 RPM (Sept 30, ’491 and see no reason to change our mind.

.Vork Started On 1?1 Aviv-Haifa Road JERUSALEM — Construction has L>- en started on the nine-kilo-meter stretch of roadway from Yazur to B’nei Brak which will Jink the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Road with the Haifa highway. The pro ject will provide 25,000 work days and will cost 300.000 pounds. Bypasses around the Kalkilya and Tulkarm salients are now being built to provide a through road from Lydda to Beit Nabala and

Karkur

Single Defense Unit Limed For British lews LONDON — (WNS) — Formation of "one united organization" for the protection of Jewish rights was suggested here by Barnett Janner. British Jewish

leader.