Dear Editor

...Both musically and thematically, it covers a range rarely brought together in a single album songs of love, courtship and marriage, dances, religious melodies, whimsical parodies and humorous ditties, Slavic-Yiddish and underworld songs The album comes with the texts in Yiddish, in translation, and transliteration, and the cover of the album reproduces a remarkable original paper-cut, executed by the well known artist Tsirl Waletzky Order your Copy KowS TO Troubadour Music, Inc 1346 Connecticut Ave , N W Washington, D C 20036 Please send me_copies of Abe Brumberg's album OF LOVERS, DREAMERS, AND THIEVES, @$6 98 per album, postpaid Name _ Address _ City/State/Zip-Make checks payable to Troubadour Music, Inc Payment must be included with order D C residents add 5% sales tax ? Check here if you wish to receive free Troubadour folk music catalogue in.......mil.....mm............m i.....mi wiiiiummil...

...from such a stance This required that the President turn a blind eye to the unfortunate fact that the African liberation movements, particularly the Rhodesian one, were being in large part financed and trained by the Russians and Cubans Today, however, Carter is singing a different song, also for domestic rather than ideological reasons—namely, thai our first priority in Africa should be to stop Communist penetration m places like Zaire (Not surprisingly this shift has not endeared him to many black leaders The New York Times earlier this month ran an article entitled "Black Caucus in Congress Attacks U S 'Cold War' Policy in Africa " One can only speculate about what Andrew Young is feeling these days ) His major political problem, as polls have shown, is the American electorate's perception of him as a weak, vacillating man It was, I think to counteract this image that Carter took his get-tough stance with the Soviet Union In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the man behind the new policy is not Zbigmew Brzezmski but Gerald Rafshoon New York City Frank Pryne Brezhnev Has the whole world gone mad1* With the exception of Abraham Biumberg ("For Brezhnev's a Jolly Good Fellow," NL, May 22), I think so It amazes me still that a respected (not for long, though) house like Simon and Schuster would publish a piece of propaganda written by a bunch of hacks at the Institute of Marxism-Leninism Business, I know, is business But this business is particularly foul The publication of the book is an insult to the memory of the millions of people killed by the system over which Brezhnev so efficiently presides Chicago Rafael Selnick Kudos Congratulations on the poetry in your Spring Book Issue (NL, May 22) I know that The New Leader doesn't publish verse very often, but when it does it goes all out John Hollander, Sandra Mcpherson, Philip Levine, Richard Howard and Irving Feldman are five of the best American poets now writing Greenwich, Conn Sara Massey UNCOMMON PRAISE _FOR AN UNCOMMON RECORD An absolutely delightful album It has the ring of authenticity, it avoids sentimentality, it covers the range of Jewish experience, and it gives pleasure Irving Howe The songs are gems, the instrumental settings are evocative and most of all, Abe Brumberg knows what to do with a song—the record is full of expressivity and human understanding Richajrd Dyer-Rennet An astonishing record Abe Brumberg's voice, diction and interpretive skill are all attributes of a powerful and gifted artist And where did he find those lovely songs...

...Didn't they lick the boots of the Germans to be admitted into society*' Second, that Arendt's arguments are elitist is not an effective criticism of her work To disprove her, one would first ot all have to prove that elitism itself was incorrect and did not correspond to logic or reabty As for me, I think Arendt and Ortega Y Gasset had a point about mass society and the rather low caliber of the people inhabiting if Los Angeles Leonard Cravath Africa Although Andrew J Glass had no way ot knowing it at the time he wrote about "Carter's Third World Gospel" (NL, April 24), in light of recent events this appears more of a strategy than a gospel Two months ago, it was m Carter's interest to portray himself as a friend of black liberation because, as Glass hmted, he had much to gain domestically The New Leader welcomes comment and criticism on any of its features, but letters should not exceed 300 words...

...Jacob Perlov THE JEWISH DAILY FORWARD OF LOVERS, DREAMERS, AND THIEVES Yiddish Folk Songs from Eastern Europe Sung by Abe Brumberg Instrumental accompaniment violin, accordion, clarinet, flute, tambourine Troubadour TR-8 Whether or not you have ever heard Yiddish folk music before, you will be captivated by OF LOVERS, DREAMERS, AND THIEVES...

...Dear Editor Arendt Raziel Abelson's review or Hannah Arendt's The Life of (he Mind ("Intellectual Elitism," NL, May 22) was excellent 1 have always disliked Arendt's writing, particularly Etchmann in Jerusalem, which as Abelson rightly remarks, committed a "tasteless folly that only a pedant remote from social reality can commit innocently, she had blamed the victims of Hitler for not having put up more of a fight, despite having had the good fortune herself to escape to America " 1 was also put off, even more than Abelson was, by her insidious notion that evil had become banal in the 20th century When I first heard this subtitle, I was immediately put on guard, for such glib and oily formulations must always be mistrusted But when 1 actually read the book, I became angry at the rampant irrationality of it A Nazi who killed Jews m the morning and ate a hardy supper is no more banal than a Cossack who killed Jews in the morning and ate a hearty supper 1 must, however, take exception to two of Abel-son's points First, Etchmann in Jerusalems at least as far as the Jewish analysis is concerned, only expanded themes that originally appeared in The Origins of Totalitarianism It was there, in the Introduction, thai Arendl made ibe case for Jewish complicity in anti-Semitism Hadn't (he Jews, after all, displayed their wealth ostentatiously, without holding any real social power...