Passport For Adams 1943-09-21 Starring Robert Young

Summary

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Passport For Adams (Harold's Old Time Radio)

Original Broadcast: September 21, 1943
Podcast Release: January 1, 2026
Starring: Robert Young as Doug Adams
Host: Harold’s Old Time Radio

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Episode Overview

In this episode, “Passport for Adams,” Doug Adams, a small-town American newspaper editor, journeys to Tel Aviv, Palestine during World War II. Through Adams’ eyes, listeners experience the vibrant life, challenges, and spirit of Tel Aviv, a city only 35 years old at the time but rapidly growing and central to the Allied war effort. The story, rich in character interactions and cultural insights, is both a window into wartime realities and a celebration of human resilience, unity, and hope.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Arrival and First Impressions of Tel Aviv

• Passengers Delayed: Doug and Perry Quissenberry await their delayed flight to Tel Aviv, exchanging light-hearted banter about beautiful women and local languages.
  • Perry’s perpetual flirtations and Doug’s practical advice establish a comedic, companionable tone.
• Cultural Curiosity: Perry humorously showcases his limited knowledge of Hebrew/Yiddish, prompting Doug to suggest he study up before they arrive (00:23-01:51).
  • Quote:

    “You have a remarkable command of pigeon Yiddish… which has so little to do with the Hebrew language.”
    — Doug Adams to Perry (01:43)

2. The Rapid Growth and Diversity of Tel Aviv

• Historical Context: Doug explains that Tel Aviv, though part of an ancient people’s new homeland, is a modern city less than 40 years old.
• City’s Character: They marvel at the city’s blue sea, white houses, and blending of East and West—captured through Perry’s awe-filled reactions.
  • Quote:

    “Did you ever see bluer water than that?... Everything blue and white. Primitive colors, you know. Kind of symphonic, in a way.”
    — Perry Quissenberry (03:43-04:06)

3. Meeting Tel Aviv’s People and Their Stories

• Mr. Shamir the Bricklayer: Doug and Perry meet Shamir, who shares his pride in literally building the city, transforming “desert” into “the happiest city in the Middle East.”

  • Quote:

    “The work of a bricklayer does sometimes outlast the conquest of kings.”
    — Mr. Shamir (07:38)

• Encounters with Military Personnel: They chat with Aviva Harsahav, a young Jewish woman in the British ATS, and Sergeant O’Shaughnessy, an Irish-American serving in the Allied air forces.

  • Diversity and collaboration are highlighted

  • Aviva discusses Jewish traditions and community life; O’Shaughnessy notes the city’s lack of anti-Semitism and its “civilized” treatment even of German POWs (including a note on poetic justice in Jewish guards watching over Nazis).

  • Quote:

    “There ain’t no anti-Semitism here.”
    — Sgt. O’Shaughnessy (12:26)

    “That anti-Semitism stuff you run across in certain places back home— nothing but a racket.”
    — Sgt. O’Shaughnessy (13:38)

4. Wartime Life, Unity, and Contribution

• Role in the War: Ms. Kratinsky, a local worker, explains Tel Aviv’s vital role as the British 8th Army’s repair depot and the voluntary enlistment of 22,000 local Jews into Allied forces.

  • Quote:

    “Many a tank we patched up here in Tel Aviv went back and gave the Nazis hell.”
    — Ms. Kratinsky (10:09)

• Sabbath and Folklore: The travelers immerse themselves in the Sabbath’s “neshev” (party) atmosphere, filled with folk dances and community rituals, reinforcing the city’s rich traditions and resilience (14:24-15:14).

5. A Visit to a Collective Farm (Kibbutz)

• Farm Life: Adams and Perry are invited to Mr. Harshahov’s collective farm. Over local wine and a communal dinner, they learn how these settlements—established by Jewish pioneers persecuted in Europe—turned arid land into thriving communities.

  • Quote:

    “Everything you see here is the work of bare hands: houses, roads, orchards, vineyards. All the work of free Jewish men and women… They bought their way here, almost as your pilgrims went to America.”
    — Mr. Harshahov (17:32)

• Connection Through Family: Adams shares about his own children, finding commonality with his hosts in the universal hope for a better future.

6. Community Meeting and The Value of Home

• Adams’ Speech: At a communal gathering, Doug reflects on Tel Aviv’s hopefulness, absence of poverty, and testament to what can be achieved when people are free to build their lives.

  • Quote:

    “Maybe those are one and the same thing. I guess they are… All the good little impressions do add up. And when you put them together with the big things…the picture becomes one of infinite hope…this city seems to me a living example of what can happen when the human spirit…is just given a chance to flourish.”
    — Doug Adams’ speech (21:27-23:49)

• Parting and Wishes for Peace: As their visit ends, Doug and Perry prepare for departure; Perry leaves Aviva a love poem, and Doug offers a moving hope:

  • Quote:

    “I think you people have a wonderful word for greeting—the word 'shalom'. And I hope that if and when we meet again...that word will be invested with a new meaning and a more lasting one than we’ve ever known.”
    — Doug Adams (24:48-25:10)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (by Timestamp)

• On language and travel:

  “You have a remarkable command of pigeon Yiddish... which has so little to do with the Hebrew language.”
  — Doug Adams (01:51)

• On transformation:

  “This whole place was desert 35 years ago. Now it’s the biggest city in Palestine and the happiest in the Middle East.”
  — Mr. Shamir (07:11)

• A unique view on justice:

  “There’s a Jewish watchman guarding those Nazis. Ain’t that poetic justice for you, huh?”
  — Sgt. O’Shaughnessy (13:06)

• Reflection on community:

  “There are no ragged children with sore eyes nor hungry looking people on your streets...the picture becomes one of infinite hope.”
  — Doug Adams (21:35)

• A wish for peace:

  “I hope that...the word 'Shalom' will be invested with a new meaning and a more lasting one than we’ve ever known.”
  — Doug Adams (25:00)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:23-01:51 — Comic banter on language and sightseeing
• 03:43-04:11 — First impressions of Tel Aviv’s landscape
• 06:30-07:58 — Mr. Shamir on building the city and pride of handiwork
• 10:05-10:23 — Tel Aviv’s contribution to the Allied war effort
• 12:26-14:06 — Sgt. O’Shaughnessy on anti-Semitism and city life
• 17:10-18:08 — Story of building a kibbutz from “nothing but waste”
• 21:27-23:49 — Doug’s heartfelt speech at the collective farm’s community meeting
• 25:00-25:10 — Doug’s hope for a world defined by “shalom”

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Tone and Style

The episode blends lightness (Perry’s comic relief) with earnest, heartfelt storytelling and a sense of historical urgency. The conversations are rich with optimism, pride, and cross-cultural camaraderie—without shying away from the somber realities of war and displacement. The script’s warmth and admiration for the people of Tel Aviv are evident throughout.

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Summary Takeaway

“Passport for Adams” not only showcases the dynamic and hopeful spirit of wartime Tel Aviv, but also delivers a broader message—of tolerance, unity, and the profound importance of home and peace. Through vivid characters, insightful dialogue, and memorable moments, the episode offers both a snapshot of its time and themes that still resonate.

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For listeners interested in history, human perseverance, or the classic storytelling style of the Golden Age of Radio, this episode is a standout—rich in atmosphere, character, and hope.

Transcript

[Narrator]

The columbia broadcasting system presents robert young in passport for adams.

[Doug Adams]

Hey, Doug, get a load of the lieutenant. What about the lieutenant?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Pretty cute, ain't she?

[Doug Adams]

Yeah, pretty cute. Now, let me finish writing this cable, will you?

[Perry Quissenberry]

I wonder if she's taking the plane.

[Doug Adams]

To Tel Aviv with us. Could be.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Doug, how long is the flight from here to Tel Aviv? Doug, do you hear me?

[Doug Adams]

Let's see. Here's the timetable. Cairo to Lyda. That's the airport for Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Beirut. Oh, here it is. Flight 21. Cairo, Lyda. 2 hours and 25 minutes.

[Perry Quissenberry]

I wouldn't mind if it was 2 hours and 25 days.

[Mr. Shamir]

As long as that.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Babes in the party. Now, there's my idea of a beautiful dame.

[Doug Adams]

Don't you ever think of anything else but beautiful dames?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Sure. Passable dames.

[Doug Adams]

I hope we're not going to have any trouble with you in Tel Aviv. Quiz. Don't forget your promise. After what happened last week, my dear.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Adams, you are looking henceforward at the most impeccable character that ever.

[Mr. Shamir]

Attention, passengers on Flight 21 for litter Haifa and Beirut.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Departure has been delayed one hour.

[Mr. Shamir]

Flight 21 will leave at approximately 13:30.

[Doug Adams]

Well, an hour to kill, huh?

[Perry Quissenberry]

In that case, I think I'll lose no further time than striking up an acquaintance.

[Doug Adams]

Hey, wait a minute, Romeo.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Now, look, leave us not pull my coattail, will you?

[Doug Adams]

Sit down, sit down. Why don't you spend this hour striking up an acquaintance with a Hebrew language? Inasmuch as you're going to a Jewish city, you'll get along better with Tel Aviv if you take some time with his handbook. I know plenty of Hebrew.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Olive, beige, vayes, gimbel, dullard, kibbutz, schlemiel, ganaf, kosher, gefila, fish, yehudi, manoin.

[Doug Adams]

Ah, splendid. You have a remarkable command of pigeon Yiddish. Thank you. Which has so little to do with the Hebrew language. I'm sure you could profitably spend an hour with this booklet.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Why can't I read it later?

[Doug Adams]

Won't do you any harm to get a general idea of the city before you get in trouble there, as you undoubtedly will.

[Perry Quissenberry]

All right, if it'll make you happy.

[Doug Adams]

I'll read the thing. See? Let me count the words in this cable. Forster in South Syndic USA filing 3000 ex Tel Aviv wednight. Hence Moscow via Tehran.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Hey, Doug.

[Mr. Harshahov]

What?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Ain't the Jews supposed to be one of the oldest racial groups in the world? If not the oldest?

[Doug Adams]

Yeah. Why?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Then how does it happen that the only old Jewish city in the world is just 35 years old.

[Doug Adams]

Well, that's a long story, Quiz. You see, it's like this.

[Narrator]

Columbia presents Passport for Adams, the sixth of a series of programs starring Robert Young as Doug Adams, a country editor who's been sent on a trip around the world to visit the cities and talk to the people of the United Nations. Tonight's program, written, directed and produced by Norman Corwin, takes Adams to the important war city of Tel Aviv, Palestine.

[Doug Adams]

What's the matter? Unit days?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Hmm?

[Mr. Harshahov]

No, no, I'm fine.

[Doug Adams]

Well, then put on your bag and take off your hat. You're here. You've arrived.

[Perry Quissenberry]

I was just thinking about something.

[Doug Adams]

Well, I hope you're out of the trances before Christmas.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Nice room, ain't it?

[Doug Adams]

Yeah. Now pull up the blinds, will you, while I hang up these coats.

[Waiter]

Okay.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Hey, look at this, Doug.

[Doug Adams]

What is it?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Practically all of Tel Aviv from this window.

[Doug Adams]

This is a swell view. Did you ever see bluer water than that?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Now, look at that beach, will you? Blue and white.

[Doug Adams]

You don't have to fall out of the window, son.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Yeah, but look at them white houses against that blue sky. Doug, if you saw that in a.

[Doug Adams]

Painting, you wouldn't believe it. Sure I would. Depends on the painter.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Oh, it's like a technicolor picture, panchrome B101. Everything blue and white. Primitive colors, you know. It's kind of symphonic in a way, if you know what I mean.

[Doug Adams]

Hey, I've never seen you in such a froth. Quiz, what's come over you? What's the matter? There's a different look in your eyes ever since we landed at Lydda. What's going on here? Why? Out with it, Quesenberry.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Out with what?

[Doug Adams]

Did you fall for that girl officer on the plane or something? I fall for the girl officer on the plane. You sat next to her all the way up from Cairo, looking at her like a lovesick calf. What's her name?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Aviva Harsahav.

[Doug Adams]

Egyptian?

[Perry Quissenberry]

No, no, Jewish. She's a member of the British ats. Sort of a British whack. Same like Aviva means spring. You know, Tel Aviv means hill of spring. Well, you see her name?

[Doug Adams]

What's she doing on the plane?

[Perry Quissenberry]

She lives in this burg. She's born here. She's home on a furlough. Lives on a farm with a funny name which I forget. Why are you so curious all of a sudden?

[Doug Adams]

Quiz, look at me. What's the matter?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Oh, what's so funny?

[Doug Adams]

I really believe you're smitten.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Don't Be crazy. I just met the girl.

[Doug Adams]

It's pretty, all right.

[Perry Quissenberry]

We had a fine talk and all that.

[Doug Adams]

What did you talk about?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Well, how she used to work on the corrective farm here.

[Doug Adams]

Collective farm.

[Perry Quissenberry]

And how about they used to dance the hora on Sabbath? That's a kind of a Jewish Chitterburg dance, I guess.

[Doug Adams]

It happens to be the national dance.

[Perry Quissenberry]

And how she used to come in from the farm at night with her family and go to the concerts at the Tel Aviv Orchestra. I guess it's the kind of a local swing band. But classy, you know, like. Like Mark Warno.

[Mr. Shamir]

Yes.

[Doug Adams]

A man named Toscanini was its first conductor.

[Mr. Harshahov]

That's right.

[Perry Quissenberry]

She said that, too. Yeah, she did say symphonic, come to think of it.

[Doug Adams]

And so did you say symphonic a while ago? You really got hit between the eyes, didn't you, Junior?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Ah, you're dizzy with the heat, Adams. We just had an interesting chat for a couple of hours, that's all.

[Narrator]

You don't have to make a big.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Thing out of it.

[Doug Adams]

Okay, okay. Relax. Okay. Okay.

[Mr. Harshahov]

You too.

[Doug Adams]

Let's unpack this stuff and then go down and eat, huh? Then we can go around town and talk to all kinds of people. Okay? I like to get a good cross section of this town. Lots of colorful people here. It's a sort of meeting of east and West. They say there are more different languages spoken here than in any city of its size in the world.

[Perry Quissenberry]

I speak three myself.

[Doug Adams]

That so?

[Perry Quissenberry]

English, American, double talk.

[Doug Adams]

Yeah. Come on, stop dreaming and unpack.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Hey, Doug.

[Doug Adams]

Hi.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Can I ask you something?

[Doug Adams]

Sure.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Did you fall in love with your wife the first time you met her? Yes.

[Mr. Shamir]

80 generations, Mr. Adams.

[Doug Adams]

Think of it.

[Mr. Shamir]

80 generations.

[Doug Adams]

That certainly is a long time for a people to be without a home.

[Perry Quissenberry]

By the way, Mr. Shamir, did you ever hear of a girl named Aviva Harshahav?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

No.

[Mr. Shamir]

I'm sorry.

[Doug Adams]

You were saying, Mr. Shamir, that your work.

[Mr. Shamir]

Yes. You see, I work with a pick and shovel. I carry bricks in these construction jobs. It's not an easy work. Certainly nothing like practicing law. But something happens to you here. You see things grow. Mistress Allenby, this fine gross street with palm trees and its modern building, this was a sand dune when you were still a child. This whole place was desert 35 years ago. Now it's the biggest city in Palestine and the happiest in the Middle East.

[Doug Adams]

And you feel that you've been a part of its growth.

[Mr. Shamir]

Is that it?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Field?

[Mr. Shamir]

I can look around me in the city and see the very bricks I've Carried See them standing in place doing their job. Why the bad ham house of the people stands on ground I help to beat.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Pardon me. Do you mind letting the heart. Mr. Shami?

[Mr. Shamir]

I'd like to get a picture, Mr. Adams. I suppose I'm romantic and sentimental about it, but after all, the work of a bricklayer does sometimes outlast the conquest of kings. I often think about the people who were locked up in the miserable ghettos.

[Mr. Harshahov]

Of Europe just a few years ago.

[Mr. Shamir]

And now have shelter and peace and clean air and sunshine in the houses we've helped to build. Sure, I'm happy. Why shouldn't I be happy?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Hey, did I hear straight? Is that guy selling papers or singing opera?

[Doug Adams]

He's selling papers. Here, boy, let's have a paper. It's the Davar of Palestine Evening News. Good makeup on this front page.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Hey, it's printed all in Hebrew.

[Doug Adams]

Sure, what do you expect? Look, pictures of fighting in Italy.

[Perry Quissenberry]

No. Little Abner or Joe Palooka.

[Doug Adams]

No. And not even Dick Tracy. See? I guess this is the editorial page. Sport page. Hey, what is it?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Say, what the heck is a picture of you doing in there?

[Doug Adams]

This must be one of my pieces for Consolidated.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Hey, look. And there's my pictures of Liberia with Hebrew captions. Hey, we're international celebrities, you know that.

[Doug Adams]

Consolidated certainly gets around with that syndicate of all the unexpected.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Hold on, chum. Do you see what I see across the street? Or is that a desert mirage?

[Doug Adams]

What?

[Perry Quissenberry]

A soda fountain selling cold orange Aid and frosted milkshakes.

[Doug Adams]

Well, so it is. First thing like that since we left the state.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Tel Aviv I love you.

[Aviva Harshahav]

Would you like to go out to where it's less noisy?

[Ms. Kratinsky]

A tank shop isn't exactly ideal for.

[Aviva Harshahav]

A quiet interview, is it?

[Doug Adams]

No, I get it.

[Perry Quissenberry]

And besides, my nerves on edge, I almost got run over by a jeep on my way here. You know, if I knew any Hebrew swear words, I'd have told a monkey driving that an American soldier would have.

[Doug Adams]

Never understood Hebrew cuss words.

[Perry Quissenberry]

That's just the point.

[Doug Adams]

He was bigger than me.

[Aviva Harshahav]

Well, here we are.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Let's step inside the office. Much better.

[Doug Adams]

Yes.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Now, you were asking about these shops, Mr. Adams.

[Doug Adams]

Yes. How does it happen? There's so much military equipment here.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

It's all war material. You see, this was the chief repair depot for the British 8th army in the African campaign. Many a tank we patched up here in Tel Aviv went back and gave the Nazis hell, if you'll pardon the expression. We feel pretty proud of our contributions.

[Doug Adams]

I understand under British mandate there's no conscription in Palestine.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

That's right.

[Doug Adams]

Well, are there many Jewish volunteers from here in the armed forces?

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Over 22,000 and growing all the time.

[Perry Quissenberry]

By the way, miss, did you ever hear of a girl named Arsa Hav in the ats?

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Well, there are several families in the city by that name. It's the Hebrew for Goldberg, you know.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Oh, her first name's Aviva. Lives on a farm somewhere, but I forget the name. Wish I knew where to find her.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Well, she might be in town for the Histadut. Neshev.

[Doug Adams]

What's that?

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Neshev is our word for party. They hold it on the Sabbath.

[Perry Quissenberry]

When did the Sabbath start?

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Friday at sundown. See a lot of folk dancing there.

[Perry Quissenberry]

This neshev sounds like it ought to be plenty photogenic, eh, Doug, don't you think we ought to cover it come the Sabbath?

[Doug Adams]

Okay, Chris. Tell me, Ms. Kratinsky, what's the feeling in Tel Aviv about the war in general? I mean, about the basic issues. Atlantic Charter, the movement toward world collaboration.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Mr. Adams, you say you're stopping at the Gatrimon?

[Doug Adams]

Yes.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

Did you notice the name of the street that's on?

[Doug Adams]

Well, I don't believe I notice it now.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

It used to be called Harakan street, but the name was officially changed some time ago to Rakhal Fu Mat Hamierkudat, which means street of the United Nations.

[Doug Adams]

What did you say your name was, Sergeant?

[Mr. Harshahov]

O'.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Shaughnessy. Patrick X. O'. Shaughnessy. South Chicago, Illinois.

[Doug Adams]

And I take it you're with the air forces?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Yeah, we got an air drum out near the Lowenthal farm. As a matter of fact, our mess hall is in Lowenthal's old barn.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Ever meet a farmer named Harsahav?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

No, can't say as I did.

[Waiter]

Shalom, gentlemen. Yes, sir. What'll it be, gentlemen?

[Doug Adams]

We already ordered. Gave it the other waiter.

[Mr. Harshahov]

Oh, all right, fine.

[Perry Quissenberry]

And tell them to step on it, will ya? I'm starved.

[Waiter]

Very good.

[Doug Adams]

Tell me, Sergeant, how do you like it here?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Oh, I like it fine.

[Doug Adams]

You like the people?

[Mr. Harshahov]

Yeah.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Not many Irish here, but I like the Jewish people fine. There's a non denominational church they put up here for all different soldiers. And you want to know something?

[Doug Adams]

What?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

There ain't no anti Semitism here.

[Doug Adams]

Well, what about anti gentilism, any of that?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Oh, hey, as a matter of fact, you know, I wondered about that the first time I was here. But there ain't no such thing.

[Doug Adams]

No sign saying white Semites only, no, nothing like that. No Jewish newspaper ad saying restricted Clientele?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

No. And you want to hear something else? There's a concentration camp for Nazis out in Sirona. That's just outside of town. And these Nazis were the worst kind of fifth columnist before the war. They were stooging around to stir up trouble against the Arabs and all that, you know, when the war came, they were chucked into Clinksy. And you know what?

[Doug Adams]

What?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

There's a Jewish watchman guarding those Nazis. Ain't that poetic justice for you, huh?

[Doug Adams]

I take it the Nazi prisoners are not whipped and tortured by the Jews.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

No, no, I've seen them. If anything, I think they're getting off too easy.

[Doug Adams]

They don't have to wear a swastika on their clothes or the word Deutsche pinned on their back?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

No.

[Perry Quissenberry]

You mean they don't have to scrub the streets while the people stand around laughing and insulting them?

[Doug Adams]

No.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

What do you think this is, a civilized country?

[Perry Quissenberry]

If I was these Jews in Tel Aviv, I'd shoot them Nazis down like dogs, every one of them.

[Doug Adams]

That's what 22,000 of these Jews are doing, quiz. Shooting down Nazis. But where it counts the most on the field of battle.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

You know something? I found out after being here six months, that anti Semitism stuff you run across in certain places back home in the States is nothing but a racket. Gullible people get sucked in just the way they did in Germany when they fell for Hitler.

[Doug Adams]

Yeah, that's right. It's one of the oldest rackets in the world, making a scapegoat out of a minority. There was a time when Christians were a minority, too, and they were scapegoated right into the arena to be mangled by lions.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Yeah, you said it, brother.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Hey, who's that? Harry James making with the trumpet.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Oh, that? That's the old guy. Comes around every Friday night to blow the horn, announcing the Sabbath. They observe Sunday on Saturday here, you know.

[Doug Adams]

Or maybe it's we who observe Saturday on Sunday, considering the Hebrews had their Sabbath in practice a long time before we did.

[Perry Quissenberry]

You mean it's a Sabbath right now?

[Doug Adams]

Sure.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Begins sundown Friday. Well, all the shops have to close now.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Then this is the night they got that big Neshava, ain't it? That's right, Mac. So long, you guys. I ain't very hungry. I'm on my way to a poke dance. Hey, Chris, come. Uh. Well, did you find her quiz? No, I'm still searching for her. She's about my height.

[Doug Adams]

Well, I'll keep on looking on this side of the crowd over here.

[Perry Quissenberry]

If you spot Her. Doug, whistle with two fingers in your mouth, will you? Okay. Hey, Mr. Quincy. A beaver. Say, I'm glad to see. I've been looking.

[Aviva Harshahav]

Come on, Mr. Quince Willet. Join the dance.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Quizzenberry.

[Aviva Harshahav]

Come on, you'll like it.

[Perry Quissenberry]

You really will chance ancest? It's just genuine.

[Aviva Harshahav]

All right, you then.

[Perry Quissenberry]

No, no, wait a minute. I, I. Hey.

[Doug Adams]

It was terribly good of your daughter to ask us to visit you here on the farm, Mr. Harov. I always wanted to see a collective farm.

[Mr. Harshahov]

Why, it's been a great pleasure to show you around, Mr. Asam. Not often we have a privilege of this. So why don't you take your coat off and be comfortable?

[Aviva Harshahav]

Well, yes, please do, Mr. Adams.

[Doug Adams]

Well, thank you, Mrs. Hasah. I will. If you don't mind, would you care.

[Aviva Harshahav]

For a drink of wine from Jewish grapes grown at Yagia Kapayim?

[Doug Adams]

I would indeed. Is Yagia Kapayam another collective like this?

[Aviva Harshahav]

It's the new garden suburb of Jerusalem. The name in Hebrew means the labor of thine hand. After one of the sons of David.

[Doug Adams]

Yes, very beautiful name.

[Mr. Harshahov]

Here you are, Mr. Arthur.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Thank you very much.

[Doug Adams]

Where's Quiz gone?

[Mr. Harshahov]

He's sitting on the porch with Aviva. I bring some wine out to them.

[Aviva Harshahav]

I'll do it, darling. It won't be long before dinner, Mr. Adams. I hope you won't mind waiting.

[Doug Adams]

Oh, no, don't worry about that.

[Mr. Harshahov]

We have 300 for dinner every night, you know.

[Doug Adams]

As many of you as that?

[Mr. Harshahov]

Oh, yes, yes. And after dinner tonight, there's a general meeting which all but the children attend. They go to bed, you see.

[Doug Adams]

I hope you have better luck getting yours to bed than I have with mine.

[Mr. Harshahov]

Oh, you have children, have you?

[Doug Adams]

Yeah, two. Boy and a girl. You like to see their pictures?

[Mr. Harshahov]

Oh, very much indeed.

[Aviva Harshahav]

Did I hear you say you had pictures of your children? I'd love to see them.

[Doug Adams]

Oh, dear. I find I've left them at the hotel.

[Aviva Harshahav]

Oh, that's too bad. How old are they?

[Doug Adams]

5 and 8. Don't get me started talking about my kids. I'm the typical father, you know. Mr. Harshahov, do I understand that this was completely barren soil when your collective started?

[Mr. Harshahov]

Oh, my friend, when we came here, there was nothing but waste left, not. Not even water. Sometimes only a bucket a day for 50 people. And we had to fetch that bucket from miles away and pay very dearly for it. But we dug our own wells. We built our roads.

[Doug Adams]

You mean the fine roads we came out on were built by you people?

[Mr. Harshahov]

Oh, entirely, entirely. Everything Everything that you see here is the work of bare hands, Mr. Adam. Houses, the roads, the new reservoir, orchards, vineyards, gardens. All are the work of free Jewish men and women. Many of them people who were hounded and persecuted in some of the so called enlightened countries of Europe. And they came here. They bought their way here. Almost as your pilgrims went to America for independence and a chance to make their own life out of the wilderness.

[Doug Adams]

I don't suppose it's been easy.

[Mr. Harshahov]

We could tell you some stories. What good thing isn't hard to come by? Do you know Vanny?

[Doug Adams]

No, I guess not.

[Aviva Harshahav]

That's the dinner bell, Mr. Adams.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Yeah?

[Aviva Harshahav]

Will you get Mr. Adams Coke from the closet?

[Doug Adams]

Another sip of wine before we go.

[Mr. Harshahov]

To the mess hall, Mr. Adams?

[Doug Adams]

No, thanks. This is fine. Thanks.

[Aviva Harshahav]

Are we all ready to go to dinner, Mother? Yes, Aviva.

[Doug Adams]

Well, Ms. Harshahar, has quiz been telling you all about America?

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

No.

[Aviva Harshahav]

As a matter of fact, we were discussing poetry mainly.

[Ms. Kratinsky]

And Doug.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Doug, did you know that they have holidays here to celebrate the birthdays of poets?

[Doug Adams]

Yes. Did Quiz tell you about the great American poets, Whitman and Sandburn?

[Aviva Harshahav]

No, but he read me some poetry.

[Doug Adams]

Oh, Longfellow?

[Perry Quissenberry]

Well, no. Quisenberry.

[Sergeant Patrick O'Shaughnessy]

Adams.

[Waiter]

The Queensberry Shala Consolidated Syndicate. ME at Habrik. Shalom, Chaverim. I know you will forgive my speaking English tonight, but this is in order that our friends from the United States, Mr. Douglas Adams and Mr. Perry Quissenberg, may understand all that is being said. As our good secretary has just told you, we are going to dispense with the business at hand to welcome Messrs. Adams and Quissenberg to your farm. However, I would just like to announce at this time that on Monday, September 27, there will be an important meeting of the Hispadru, the General Labor Federation, to discuss the program of collaborating with a Jewish agency in the training of pilots and mechanics for the raf. And now I'm going to extend the privilege of introducing our guests to Khaver Aria Harzahan, who has been host to them since they arrived earlier in the day.

[Mr. Harshahov]

Mr. Adams. He's an American newspaper editor on an assignment to visit the allied countries and to tell his own readers back home how he finds the people of the United Nations. All of you have read his articles, which by a most happy coincidence, have been running in the davar. And I know that you have as many questions to ask of Kaverim, Adams and Quitetenberg as they have been asking Tel Aviv in the past week. But with his leave, I should like to call upon Mr. Adams to speak to us now for as long as he wishes and to say anything that is in his mind to say whether about what he has seen in his voyaging or what he has seen here, or what he hopes to see. Mr. Douglas Adams of Centerville, United States of America.

[Doug Adams]

Thank you very much. I. I'm afraid I'm no speech maker, ladies and gentlemen. I have enough trouble expressing myself in writing where I can at least use an eraser and go back and begin again. And this is a pretty unusual situation for me, but if you don't mind. Why, I guess I won't mind either. Mr. Quisenberry and I have been in Tel Aviv and its vicinity for about a week now, and I can tell you that we've been much impressed by both big things and little things. Maybe those are one and the same thing. I guess they are. It may seem a little thing that although Tel Aviv is not a rich city, one rarely finds a beggar here, in contrast to other cities I've seen. It may seem a little thing that there are no ragged children with sore eyes nor hungry looking people on your streets. I don't mean that everybody's well off here in a material sense I've seen otherwise. But all the good little impressions do add up. And when you put them together with the big things, the pride and industry of your people and your fine cultural life. We attended the Habima and Ohio theaters, for instance, and your excellent agriculture. I guess you know about that. All in all, the picture becomes one of infinite hope, and I begin to understand why the people here are so happy. Happy in spite of the war, being close to you here, in spite of bombs having been dropped on your city, and having lost many of your friends, in spite of large political problems which I know are going to take patience and hard work to straighten out. But above all, this city seems to me a living example of what can happen when the human spirit, which believe me is the same in Centerville as it is in Tel Aviv, is just given a chance to flourish like any other of God's living things. When people are given a chance to live the way they were intended to live in a home of their own, living by the labor of their hands and raising children to be useful citizens of the better world, which we all hope is in the making. Thank you for everything.

[Perry Quissenberry]

I'd like you to hear another poem.

[Doug Adams]

Which I wrote last night, Aviva.

[Aviva Harshahav]

But your plane leaves in five minutes, Perry.

[Perry Quissenberry]

Oh, well, then I'll leave it with you. It's entitled Viva Aviva. It's kind of a love poem. I'd like you to remember me by.

[Doug Adams]

It and write me when you read it. I've been looking for you. You got your duffel bag?

[Mr. Harshahov]

Please.

[Doug Adams]

We'll leave in a couple of minutes. Yeah, yeah, I'm all set.

[Mr. Harshahov]

He'll let me help you with the grip.

[Doug Adams]

Oh, that's all right. Thanks, Mr. Hosshop. Well, sir, it was good of you to come to the aerodrome with us. I appreciate it more than I can say. All you've done.

[Mr. Harshahov]

Not at all, Mr. Adams. Was our pleasure. I wish we could see more of you.

[Doug Adams]

Well, I'd just like to say one thing before I leave. I think you people have a wonderful word that you use for greeting. The word shalom.

[Mr. Harshahov]

Yeah. Meaning Pete.

[Doug Adams]

Yes. And I hope that if and when we meet again in a future not too distant, that word will be invested with a new meaning and a more lasting one than we've ever known.

[Mr. Harshahov]

I hope so too, my friend. Well, Shalom.

[Doug Adams]

Shalom.

[Narrator]

You have been listening to Passport for Adams, starring Metro Goldwyn Mayor's distinguished Robert Young. Tonight's program was written, directed and produced by Norman Corwin. The original musical score was composed by Lucian Madowick and conducted by Lud Gluskin. Max Lippin was technical advisor. Next week at this time, Columbia's Passport for Adams takes war correspondent Doug Adams to Moscow, capital city of our great fighting ally, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.