MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON
THURSDAY. AUGUST 9. 1362
Siskin Brothers Devoted to 'Reclaiming People From Scrap Pile'
By AL KUETTNER
Chattanooga, Tenn.-HTP- "O
keep a place apart within
your heart lor little dreams
to go."
So go the last two lines of
a poem framed on the wall of
a building on a one-way street
in this southern industrial city
at the foot of Lookout moun
tain. A sign on the front reads
"Operation Crossroads."
The reception room inside
Is the hustle and bustle of a
busy out-patient clinic. Nurses
in crisp white, questions,
whimpering children, anxious
grownups.
You take note of things on
the walls:
-The Big Brother certifi
cate: "Few others have stood
so straight as Mose and Gar
rison Siskin, who have
stooped so often to help oth
ers." -The citation from the
Orange Grove School for the
Mentally Retarded: "In grate
iul appreciation for making a
dream come true."
Reclaim People
You meet a big gruff fel
low who has eyes that look
like they want to cry. This is
Garrison Siskin who, with his
brother Mose, have embarked
-as they put it-on a job of
'reclaiming people from the
human scrap pile."
Their place is formally
called "The Mose and Garri
son Siskin Memorial Founda
tion Rehabilitation Center."
But the Siskin Brothers don't
really go in for formalities.
"Come with me and I'll
show you," says Garrison.
Presently you arrive at a
soundproofed little room. A
man is seated before a one
way mirror that looks out into
a larger room where several
children and a teacher can be
observed and heard without
their knowledge.
The man turns, a look of
wonder still on his face.
"That's my little girl," he
says softly. "I just heard her
speak for the first time."
"Come with me," says Gar
rison Siskin. "There is more."
Are Legend
Around Chattanooga where
they grew up-and collected
junk door to door to help
their Russian immigrant par-ents-the
Siskin Brothers have
become something of a legend.
Today they are wealthy
owners of a steel fabricating
plant. But they have never
lost touch with the past when
life was a struggle.
It's said around Chatta
nooga that it's pretty hard to
get a job at the Siskins' plant
now unless you have been in
some kind of trouble.
The "Pushka" - the good
West New Guinea
Agreement Seen as
Victory for Region
' Tokyo (UP11 Southeast Asia
gees the impending agreement
in the West New Guinea dis
pute as not just a victory for
the Indonesians but one for
all former colonial nations of
the region.
' This common bond served
to rally many of the South
east Asian nations to Indo
nesia's side early in the dis
pute. Their support never
wavered although the dispute
threatened at times to erupt
into a full-scale war which
could have engulfed all of
Southeast- Asia.
, In Manila, Vice President
and Foreign Minister Emman
uel Pelaez was quick to point
out that while the Philippines
favored a peaceful settlement,
it was committed to support
Indonesia in the dispute since
its very beginning.
Happy About Help
"We are particularly happy
because in our modest way
we have been helping through
diplomatic channels to estab
lish contacts between the
Indonesians and the Dutch,"
he said.
He reiterated an offer to
send Filipino technicians and
doctors and help develop
primitive West New Guinea
and expressed the hope that
"with the West Irian issue out
of the way there will be great
er opportunity for Indonesia
and the Philippines to ex
plore ways and means of
strengthening their brotherly
relations."
: Singapore and Malaya, In
donesia's staunchesl support
ers in the dispute, hailed the
impending agreement as one
which would lessen tension
In Southeast Asia. Hundreds
of volunteers, including wom
en, from both territories have
been undergoing training in
Indonesia as part of Presi
dent Sukarno's campaign.
. In Singapore, a government
spokesman said the settle
ment of the dispute would
remove "one big sore'1 in the
region and "dispel tension
felt by neighboring coun.
tries."
He paid tribute to the
United States and particular
ly to U. S. Diplomat Ells
worth Bunker and United Na
tions Acting Secretary Gen
eral U Thanl for mediating
the dispute.
President Sukarno an
nounced Saturday that for
mal negotiations over New
Guinea would take place and
that his foreign minister. Su
bandrio, would go to Wash
ington at the end of the
month to conduct them with
Dutch officials.
Preliminary Talks
Subandrio had held prelim
inary and informal talks with
the Dutch last month.
Dutch officials welcomed
the Indonesian decision and
said it appeared the end
in sight to the long dispute.
which has broken into spor
adic fighting in the past sev
eral months, with Indonesian
paratroop landings forcing
the evacuation of civilians
from many points in West
New Guinea,
Both parties have agreed
in principle to the plan put
forward by Bunker for the
territory's future.
The Dutch would turn over
administration of the island
to Indonesian officials, but
the territory's 600.000 Papu
an natives would be guaran
teed eventual self-determination
by the United Nations.
deeds box of ancient Hebrew
times-was a central feature
of the devout Siskin house
hold. Into it went a regular
amount and out of it came the
funds to help those in need
who came to the family's
door. Mama Siskin never
would allow the "Pushka" to
be robbed or cheated for her
family's benefit.
Today, the "Pushka" theme
is still the guidepost for the
Siskin Brothers. But they
might have gone through life
as just a couple of civic-minded
business executives had it
not been for an event in John
son City, Tenn., one night in
1942.
Garrison, en route to New
York, was re-boarding his 1
train in the Tennessee town
when a SO-pound steel stair- j
way grid fell and struck his
right leg.
Clot Developed
A blood clot developed and
soon he was at the point of
death from the same malady
that had killed his father.
"I'll never forget lying
there on the operating table,"
he said. "The doctor wanted to
amputate but he told me
frankly I'd probably die any
way. I asked him to leave my
leg alone. And then I prayed.
I said 'God, if you decide to
let me live, I'll spend my life
in the service of people'."
Garrison did live, and with
his brother then embarked on
a life of making good on the
promise.
Out of their pledge grew
the center, endowed with
more than two million dollars
of their insurance. Today it
covers a city block. Their help
also has pulled many another
worthy local project back to
life.
"Don't get me started about
the Siskins," said Chattanooga
Reporter Marian Peck, whose
beat is 127 social service
agencies.
"I wrote about our Speech
and Hearing clinic and how
it was closing for lack of sup
port. The Siskins heard about
it and the center was revital
ized and given the finest
equipment, Today it Is per
forming miracles."
Rebuild School
The Orange Grove school
also was about to close when
the Siskins went to inspect it.
Appalled at conditions, they
decided on action. They called
in 100 bricklayers on two suc
ccsive Saturdays and rebuilt
the place in 13 days.
One large building at the
center houses a complete ed
ucation plant for a Hebrew
school and kindergarten (one
of the few Hebrew features in
evidence) and any number of
of local agencies.
The Chattanooga literacy
movement housed in the build
ing holds classes nightly for
adult illiterates. In two years,
more than 500 have been edu
cated in a county where
15,000 can neither read nor
write, according to the 1960
census.
A library of rare books, in
cluding Braille, is utilized by
many students of all faiths. (It
requires 148 volumes in
Braille to duplicate a 20-vol-ume
printed encyclopedia).
The center also houses the
Harris Swift Museum of Re-1 ical therapy, public health and
ligious and Ceremonial Art,
one of the nation's finest mu
seums of religious art.
Efficiency of the staff has
grown with the center and,
along with standard special
ized equipment, staff mem
bers have designed their own
to fit special cases.
Director Hired
Gladys Post, the new exec
utive director, was hired this
year from Indiana University
Medical center where she was
asistant administrator. She is
regarded as an expert in the
fields of rehabilitation, phys-
hospital administration
The rehabilitation center
alone cost approximately $1
million and includes nine
soundproof testing rooms sus
pended within the building to
exclude outside noise and vi
bration. "We call it 'Operation
Crossroads' because that's ex
actly where the people are
who come to us," Garrison
said.
Another building is the Me
morial chapel and it is here
that the Siskin brothers
may be found every morning
about 5:30 a.m. They leave
their separate homes and fam
ilies and link up in its quiet
solitude to "gel strength for
the day and find direction."
Only the star of David and
two tablets remind you that
this is a Jewish house of
worship.
As accounts of the Siskin
foundation have spread, peo
ple have come from far and
wide for help and now there
often are waiting lists, a situa
tion that distresses the two
brothers.
No Hope
There are boys like Charles
Sadicoff, age 5. When he came
to the center he could neither
speak nor walk and was be
lieved to have no hope.
"Hello, how are you?" he
said to the reporter.
Garrison helped the braced
up youngster to his feet and
he stood there looking at the
man, a big smile on his child
ish face.
"You know," Garrison said
as he walked from the child's
room, "once a man we helped
said to me, why do you do it?
You are Jew and I'm
not'. I just looked at him and
said 'My religion is people'.
It seemed to answer his ques
tion." Through funds of a move
ment within the foundation
called the "365 Club," bor-1
rowed from Birmingham,
Ala., money has been pro
vided to complete the pur
chase of property which clears
the way for an early in-patient
center.
Applicants come from ev
ery race, creed and color and
are given all kinds of tests
to determine what can be
done for them.
"There is just one question
we never ask," Miss Post
said. "We don't inquire about
their religion."
Coming-
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Rambler"
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Salem -(LTD- The State Wa
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On Aug. 22 the board will
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commission at the same place.
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