Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 January 1958 — Page 8

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The Naticmal Jewish POST and OPINION

Friday, January 31, 1958

WITH THE RABBIS. SIMHAS: RABBI THEODORE S. LEVY of Congregation Ohev Sholom in Huntington, W. Va., was married to INA RAE BURDMAN of Youngstown, Ohio, in a private ceremony in w h i c h RABBIS SIDNEY BERKOWITZ and JACOB MARCUS officiated. . . . JUDITH ELAINE GLAS^JER, daughter of RABBI and v f >3. SAMUEL GLASNER, behas mitzva at services of Temple Emanuel of Baltimore this month. ... A girl, SHARON, was born to RABBI and MRS. THEODORE JUNGREIS of the Bethpage Jewish Community Center in Bethpage, Long Island. ... A son MICHAEL has been bom to RABBI and MRS. DAVID RAAB of United Hebrew Temple in Terre Haute, . Ind.

REPORT FROM HOLLYWOOD

to Dreyfus Film Squarely On The Sie of The Angels

By SHIMON WINCELBERG HOLLYWOOD, Cal. (NJP)—"I Accuse,” (MGM) the new Jose Ferrer picture about the Dreyfus Case, provides an almost perfect argument for Hollywood’s tendency to shy away from making pictures about Jews. (I am not counting Biblical characters or Jewish entertainers, both of which have already been completely absorbed and diWin cel berg gested by the common culture). 'T Accuse” is preachy, depressing, smugly on the side of the

angels, and in all likelihood will lose a mint. ALL THIS is particularly sad, because producer Sam Zimbalist and director-star Jose Ferrer have clearly spared no expense in assembling one of the finest European casts ever to appear under one roof. But nearly all of them sooner or later come to grief under Ferrer’s wooden direction of a Gore Vidal script which commutes with implacable obviousness between the maligned French-Jewish captain’s soap-opera home life, and melodrama of the sheerest hiss-the-villian type, along a track strewn with thundering cliches. Dreyfus, as portrayed by Ferrer, sleepwalks through his nightmarish ordeal at a petulant mon-

India Immigrants To Israel Seen As National Bridge

BOMBAY (NJP)—THE PRE-

DICTION that Indian immigrants in Israel will form a bridge between the two nations was made here by Mr. H. Cynowicz, Indian Jewish leader, on his return from a visit to the Jewish State. "Indian songs are heard in the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,” he said, adding "Indian

films enjoy great success in Israel, second only to American

films.”

Cynowicz reported that Indian Jewish immigrants were to be found in agriculture, indutsry, in the liberal professions, crafts and public service. He praised their hard-working characteristics and said they had all proved

themselves "useful citizens” of

Israel.

Another planeload of Indian Jewish immigrants left here at the end of December.

ZIONISTS TO CONFER LONDON—The World Confederation of General Zionists will confer here in March.

otone. With hardly a sympathetic (or even human) facet to his personality, (except for the nice dullness of his home life and the fact of his innocence), he soon becomes almost a caricature of the thin-skinned outsider, a type of what today is sometimes known as an "injustice-collector.” SINCE FERRER’S motives in choosing such an unfashionable topic were obviously of the highest, it is particularly depressing to contemplate that he didn’t really seem to know what he wanted lo say about this case, except some rude things about bigots and military dunderheads, who are less concerned with justice than with maintaining the Army’s facade of infallibility, and whose villainy and incompetence need no other proof than their suspicions toward any Jew who pushes himself among them. There are, of course, obvious parallels to some of the excesses which accompanied the outbreak of loyalty probes during the McCarthy era, except that in comparison to the crude farce of Dreyfus’ court-martial as depicted here, our own right-wing zealots, hunting mosquitoes with a shotgun, appear like paragons of

subtlety and sophistication. THE STORY, briefly, is abowt a corrupt French officer named Esterhazy (Anton Walbrook) who has sold French military secrets to the Germans. When the leak is exposed, suspicion, for some fuzzy reason, falls on Dreyfus, who is promptly found guilty and packed off to Devil’s Island. In time, the true culprit is unmasked, but the French High Command refuses to admit it had made a mistake, until foi'ced by public opinion to give Dreyfus another hearing. In the end, Dreyfus, again found guilty but given a facesaving pardon, suddenly sounds just like Barney Greenwald in "Caine Mutiny” (also played by Ferrer) when he allows as how the Army can’t be blamed for what they did to him, because what’s a little petty injustice to one individual against the-splen-did monolith of Military Authority? . And with that he’s right back on the old parade-ground, tossing off a snappy salute with his sword, and feeding the hand that bit him. There’s a lesson in this, somewhere.

Good Position

■We have an opening in our Indianapolis office for a beginning journalism student. Although the starting salary is modest, the position offers an excellent opportunity for learning all phases of newspaper work. The chances for advancement also are good. Write: G. M. COHEN The National Jewish POST and OPINION Post Office Box 1633 Indianapolis 6, Indiana

Israel Sfads to Mate Cool

By LEO HEIMAN HAIFA (NJP)—To make a cool billion pounds ($560 million) by investing just over 100,000 pounds is a good business deal any way one looks at it. AND ALTHOUGH many Israelis criticize their government for allowing commercialization of Israel's Tenth independence anniversary celebrations this year, no one in this country finds any fault with the administration for trying to make a billion out of the fact that Israel is still alive, after these 10 bloody years of struggle.

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The question of whether to celebrate Israel’s Tenth anniversary intimately, so-to-say within the family, or whether to make a public show (with paid admission) out of it, was heatedly debated by the government at toplevel sessions. The fact that Israel’s empty treasury coffers need foreign currency badly, helped the government decide to adopt the latter course. Naturally, many bodies, like the Israel army, for example, did not like the idea of commercializing Israel’s biggest national holiday. APPOINTMENT of an American, former Broadway producer Meyer Weisgal, as the overlord of all anniversary celebrations, with dictatorship powers even over cabinet ministers, also stirred up a minor tempest in this country. Weisgal’s businesslike qualities are respected, and he certainly

WHAT’S DOING IN NEW YORK

VICINITY OF NEW YORK Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 30-Deb. 2. Annual Torah Zion conclave. Breakers Hotel, Atlantic City, N. J. LECTURES AND SYMPOSIUMS Wednesday, Feb. 5, 6:30 p. m., "What is Judaism?” lecture by Dr. Leon A. Feldman, Kaufmann art gallery, YM-YWHA, 92d St. and Lexington Ave. Thursday, Feb. J6, 6:30 p. m., "The New Testament from a Jewish Viewpoint,” introductory sketch of the New Testament by Dr. Theodore H. Gaster, Kaufmann art gallery. THEATER AND MUSIC Sunday, Feb. 16, 2:40 p. m., Israel dance festival under the direction of Fred Berk, with Israeli singer Miss Natanya Davrath as guest, soloist, Hunter College assembly hall, 69th

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Where To Find Your National Jewish Organization Anti-Defamation League ot B.B., 515 Madison Ave., New York 22, N. Y. Farband Labor Zionist Order. 45 E. 17th St., N Y 4—OR 3-6500. Jewish National Fund, 42 East 69th St.. New York 21—VA 6-3780. Kashruth Supervisors Union, 205 W 14th St. — AL 5-7330. National Community Relations Advisory Council. 8 E 38th. MU 5-1606. Union of American Hebrew Congregations. 838 Fifth Ave. RE 7-8200. Union 6f Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 305 Broadway New York 7. N. Y. BE 3-2220. St. between Park and Lexington Aves. "Father Holds Court,” new comedy-drama by Israel Bashevis, presented by the Folksbiene, veteran Yiddish stage group. Radin Playhouse, 128 Stanton St. "Inbal,” the New York debut of

From ‘lift’ Fete

the Dance Theatre of Israel. Martin Belk theater, 302 W. 45th St. ART Classes in Jewish cooking. Thursday afternoon and evening. Educational Alliance, 197 E. Broadway. For information call GR 5-6200. Israel folk dancing group: Sunday afternoons at 4 p. m. Beginners welcome. Stern college, 253 Lexington Ave. Classes in Conversational Hebrew and Yiddish. Monday evenings, 7:30 p. m. to 9:30 p. m. Educational Alliance, 197 E. Broadway. For information, call GR 5-6200. "The Good Seekers,” 12 original woodcuts exhibit by Reuven Rubin. Monday-Thursday till 6 p. m., Friday till 4 p. m., Sunday from 2 to 5 p. m.— till Jan. 31. Theodor Herzl Institute.

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knows how to put the show on the road and keep it there, but the fact remains that he is an American, not an Israeli, doesn’t know a word of Hebrew, and doesn’t even know the full history of the War of Independence whose anniversary he is going to celebrate now. From the national point of view, he is the best man Israel could pick and he guarantees to put a billion pounds into the Treasury’s coffers—IF the Arabs

let. him.

AND THE ARABS could very well disrupt Mr. Weisgal’s intricate plans by just firing a few short machinegun bursts across the border, once or twice a week. The Weisgal plan for making a billion is based on the assumption that more than 200,000 foreigners would come as tourists or visitors to Israel during the 10 months of anniversary celebrations. In fact, all hotels, boarding houses, motels, hostels, and even private furnished rooms all over Israel—including most isolated villages — have been solidly booked up now for 11 months in advance, and single beds in private apartments are now r e nt e d out at exorbitant black-market prices. Direct spending, souvenirs, tickets aboard Israeli ships and airliners, indirect income, etc., per tourist is estimated by the Weisgal committee in the neighborhood of $1,500 per head. More than 200,000 foreigners*' are expected, but even at this rock-bottom figure this income alone is worth $300,000. Two other sources of income are increased holiday and pre-holiday spending by Israelis themselves, industrial and commercial boom and fuller employment, huge entertainments taxes and customs

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dues, taxes on liquor sold (considerable income expected here) and so forth. A billion pounds has been guaranteed by the committee’s financial experts. Actual spending by the committee will be in the neighborhood of 100,000 pounds, on planning. This means that for each pound invested a thousand pounds would be

gained.

However, other bodies are launching publicity campaigns as well. El A1 Israel airlines, for example, has already launched a $3 million campaign to publicize its new Britannia airliners, and since this campaign concides with the 1958 anniversary celebrations, it must be included in the total cost. The same goes for ZIM shipping lines, Israel tourist corporation, various municipalities and other public bodies. The total cost of publicity and preparation involved will be nearer 50 million pounds ($28 million). Even so, to get a billion for 50 million is one of the best deals in history. TOP AMERICAN, British and French stars of the screen, stage, ballet and opera have been hired or contracted to appear in Israel during the festivals. Giant open-air shows will be staged by American producers amidst unprecedented pageantry and various Israeli products labeled with the Tenth anniversary trademark will be marketed all over the world. This commercialization of their most sacred holiday makes many Israelis sick and disgusted. The army especially is fed up with the commercialization of its parades. The parade-hating Israeli army command, which, till now, allowed only one annual parade on Independence day, has been ordered to stage 15 different parades and military shows in 1958. In disgust, an army general who Was the general staff representative on the Weisgal committee, resigned from his post. “Sure we need all the money we can get,” a disgusted Israeli official told me, "but should we prostitute ourselves to get it?”