Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 May 1960 — Page 4

The National Jewish POST and OPINION

Friday, May 3©,

I THINK AS 1 PLEASE Independence Day Parades Focus Too tikdk on MfiHilSwisni

By CARL ALPBRI HAIFA — Second thoughts on Israel Independence Day. It was again this year a grand and glorious Independence Day. As usual it was preceded by Memorial Day, during which the nat i o n fittingly recalled those who had died that there might be independence for all. Then came the evening of street dancing, when tens of t h c u sands of children danced Alpert spontaneously and merrily in all the principal thoroughfares of all the cities and towns. The country was gaily decorated with flags and bunting. Press and radio discussed the significance of the day in detail. BUT THERE is no doubt that the major event was the big parade, held this year in Haifa. Military planes streaked overhead in perfect formation; offshore but in view of the crowds, paraded ships of Israel’s defense fleet; tanks humbled along the avenue; soldiers marched proudly; new equipment was displayed. It was a thrilling sight, and if calculated to give the Israeli a sense of confidence in the nation’s strength, most successful. It is understandable that the chief feature of Independence Day should be military, because

of the role which the military plays in helping to preserve the nation in the face of a threatening enemy. But should it be exclusively military? THE ANNUAL observance of Independence Day should be an opportunity to parade before the Israeli public not only the armed might of the country, but also the growth and the development which take place from year to year. It the first half of the great parade is military, the second half should be dedicated to peace-time aspects of the nation’s existence. Surely it will add to the Israeli’s pride if he witnesses floats or other displays which depict achievements in science and technology; agriculture and industry; culture and the fine arts. It is no great challenge to the creative ingenuity of Israel to devise a parade which can project dramatically these elements of Israel’s national strength. For we must continue to repeat, to oui’selves and to others, that Israel was not intended to be, and should not be just another state like other states. We have created more than an army, a navy and an air force. We have built in the midst of a wilderness; we have provided a home for the homeless; we have fostered a new type of human spirit. All this may should like Zionism — and the word “Zionism” has taken on an element of disrepute in certain circles in Israel — but

perhaps it is well that Israelis receive reminders of Zionism too. There was a noble sense of idealism about that movement in the days when it was struggling for realization. THERE SHOULD be no relaxation in Israel’s armed watchfulness, of course, but at the same time there should not be this exclusive preoccupation with militarism in the big parade of Independence Day. The children of Israel are apt to receive a false set of standards. The next Independence Day will be Israel’s 13th. It will mark the country’s bar mitzva, its coming of age. Perhaps with this, will also come a sense of maturity, and a realization that militarism must share the spotlight with other vital aspects of national growth and security. Next year, when the President and the Prime Minister review the parade, may they receive the salutes, not only of the soldiers and sailors, but also of artists and teachers who, among the many others, help to creat that better life for which we aspire

in Israel.

ZARCHIN PLANT TO BE IN OPERATION IN 1961 TEL AVIV (P-O)—The Zarch-in-process plant for the desalination of water will be in full commercial opei’ation before the end of 1961, David Karr, president of the Fairbanks-Whitney Corp. of New York said.

Too Much Attention on Militarism in Israel?

Your Name 4 By N. PEARLROTH 'ij Want to know what your name means? Address your questions f to Mr. Pearlroth, National Jewish POST and OPINION, Box I 1633, Indianapolis 6, Indiana. | DEAR MR. PEARLROTH: Kindly give the information on our European surname, Meilach.—MARVIN MAY, Hammond, Ind, MEILACH is the Galician or Polish pronunciation of the Hebrew “Melech” a king. The name was given to boys as a synonym of David or Solomon who were both celebrated kings of Israel. It has the same meaning as the Arab “malik” but not the Russian “Malik” which means “Shorty.” You failed to indicate your family’s i! city or country of origin. m DEAR MR. PEARLROTH: Would you please ! explain the name TEMCHIN, which is my " grandfather’s last name. The Temchins came from Russia in 1922. My grandfather is the seventh generation of the Baal Shem Tov.— RONALD and MIMI BERMAN, East Grand Rapids, Mich. 1 TEMKIN is a metronymic, a family name || Pearlroth derived from the given name of a matri- 1 i arch. The lady in question bore the biblical name of Tamar (a palm) which in Russian is transformed into Tamara. Ternkin consists of the syllable “Tam” or “Tern” joined to the Russian termination “kin” which means “descendant of’. Temkin therefore means “descendant of Tamar.” DEAR MR. PEARLROTH: Will you please give me the meaning and origin of our family name? My father’s name is Kobrofsky, and he was born near Kiev, Russia. Thank you.—MRS. ELAINE RESNIK, Flushing, N. Y. KOBROFSKY is a family name of geographical origin being taken from the collective name of Kobrowce in the district of Lida, Lithuania. Kobrowce situated on the river Kobrowka included three administrative localities in which Jewish families were settled in 1804 when Russian Jews first adopted permanent family names. The terminal “sky” means “native

of” (Kobrowce).

DIGEST OF THE YIDDISH PRESS

If Looks Bod For Jews To Sit and Play Cards All Day An Observer Says

By SAMUEL SILVER Card-playing is a curse, stormed Sam Orlen, a Forward reader in a letter to the editor and nowhere is it more blatantly evident than in Miami Beach, where oodles of oldsters sit out

side and play c o ntinuously. It looks bad for the Jews, complained Orlen. In a retort, Reader Max Porst, a Miami Beachian, asks “How long can one read a book? An hour!

Then what do you do? Remember, the eyes of older people are weak. Remember, it is more healthful to be outside than in, in Southern Florida. Remember, it requires quite an effort for a senior citizen to get to a concert (although, says Porst, musical programs are well patronized).'

r*-

Rabbi Silver

So, card-playing out of doors is a natural. And it’s harmless; it won’t hurt the good name of the Jew. The world, concludes Porst* won’t go under. AS HYDROGEN and oxygen are both needed to form, water so do the Hebrew and the Yiddish languages join to make up the living waters of Yiddishkeit. So Maurice Samuels said in a talk described by the Day-Jour-nal as “electrifying.” The occasion was the presentation to the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of a treasure ti’ove of Yiddish books. Another speaker at the ceremony, Dr. Simon Greenberg, asserted that the JTS is fond of Yiddish and teaches it at its California school. The Jaffe collection contains such items as a 1564 set of the Megillo (Ruth, Esther, Lamentations, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes) in Yiddish, and a 1622 Tsena-Rena prayerbook commentaries for

women).

CHICAGO (P-O) — A man who posed as a rabbi will be tried on June 7 on charges of an alleged swindle in which he. cheated more than 35 people out of an estimated $800,000. Lieb Heber, a soft spoken man in his 50s, was arrested here last week following complaints of two 'people who said that he cheated them out of money which he was given to invest. The warrants for Heber’s arest were issued after an involuntary bankruptcy suit was filed against him by Mrs. Sarah Matthew, a widow who claimed that she gave $200,000 to Heber to invest in his three fur companies, but instead, he paid other creditors with her money. Heber, who uses the title of rabbi, although police said he was never ordained, came here about 10 years ago and took part in many activities at North Side

synagogues, thus gaining the confidence of many people. Heber told them that by taking their money to invest in fur skins, which he would resell at a profit he would then split the profits with them. The debts were accumilated over the' past five years, during which time he repaid some of the investors with a substantial return, in order to encourage more investments, which were never returned. When Heber’s lawyer was asked what had happened to all the money, he answered: “I wish I knew.” He added that he wanted a mental examination for his client as soon as possible. Meanwhile as Heber sat in his jail cell police said he refused to eat any of the food offered him. They said he would only eat kosher food. One of Chicago’s leading rabbis has been bringing kosher food regularly for Heber.