THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
8
THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
Issued Every Friday by the Jewish Chronicle Publishing Company.
General Manager
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ANTON KAUFMAN
Michigan's Only Jewish Publication.
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Subscription in Advance
Offices 314 Peter Smith Bldg.
Phones: Cherry 3381 and 1526
pa ting take on meaning at all. God is working in His mysterious
ways to righteous ends. As Beiliss, under the new regime, shall come
into his own, so shall the persecuted Jew, of whom he is the symbol.
be lifted into the place of opportunity throughout the world which, in
the providence of God, must be his among the nations of the earth.
$1.50 per year
The Attack on the Jewish Publication
Society
Editorial Contributor
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RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN,
To attack an individual or organization from behind the shield of
The Jewish Chronicle invites correspondence on subjects of inter-
est to the Jewish people, but disclaims responsibility for an indorse- anonymity is always a cowardly thing to do. The harsh and ill-
tempered attack that is made upon the Jewish Publication Society in
ment of the views expressed by the writers.
a recent issue of the American Jewish Chronicle of New York is a fair
All correspondence to insure publication must be sent in so as to illustration of this fact. One needs not to believe that the work of the
Jewish Publication Society has been beyond criticism or even that it
reach this office Tuesday morning of each week.
has fairly attained a standard of efficiency which in view of its oppor-
Entered as second-class matter March 3, 1916, at the Post Office at Detroit,
tunities and resources it ought to have attained, to take exception to
Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879
the intemperate and malicious onslaught that was made against it in
FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 1917
the article referred to. There can be no question but that some of
the books issued in recent years by the Jewish Publication Society
were of so low a standard as to invite surprise that they had been
Michigan and the War Relief
In the honor roll of loyal Jewish communities, sent out this week accepted by the editorial committee. But such books are exceptional,
by the American Jewish Relief Committee of New York, Detroit after all. There is not such a plethora of men among us who can deal
with Jewish problems in fiction in anything like a satisfactory fashion
stands third among the Jewish communities of this country. Only
that the Society can afford to reject all the manuscripts that do not
New York City and Chicago have contributed amounts greater than
Detroit and of them all Detroit is the single city in this country measure up to the highest possible standard of literary excellence.
which has not only reached its quota, as apportioned by the National So we must be somewhat indulgent. What the anonymous author of
Committee, but has gone far beyond it. In the next honor roll that the article in the American Jewish Chronicle has to say about the new
shall be published, another Michigan city will take high rank. This Bible translation is, however, without even the semblance of justifica-
is the city of Flint, where on last Sunday, in response to the efforts of tion. The eminent and scholarly men, to whose untiring labors the
a committee of loyal Detroiters, that little community pledged itself to production of the new translation is due, need no defense at our hands.
almost twelve thousand dollars, with the promise that the amount will Had they done nothing more than to recast the so-called Christological
be increased to fifteen thousand. This is a remarkable showing for a chapters of the Bible into an appropriate form they would have put
community of only several hundred Jewish, families, and should serve the Jews of the world under a lasting obligation to them. But they
as a tremendous inspiration to other cities of the state. It gives did more than this. They have given us a version of the Bible in
answer at once to the argument of our fellow Jews in the smaller excellent literary form true to the spirit of the original text and a
cities, that little communities cannot be expected to do in proportion work that shall stand as one of the notable contributions of Jewish
to their size what communities like Detroit may do. The fact of the genius in America to religious literature.
Equally unjustifiable is the attack of the author upon the trans-
matter is that not only is it possible for every Jewish community in
lation
of Graetz's History of the Jews. It is true, the work is obsolete
our state to do its share, but if we may judge by the feelings of our
friends in Flint, their generous attitude will go far to bring them a now, but during the years that have passed since its publication there
degree of happiness and self-satisfaction which they have never before can be no question that the work has served to stimulate thousands
experienced. It must be the aim of our state of Michigan to lead the of Jews to a new interest in the history of our people. Perhaps the
whole country by its example of generous and enthusiastic giving, just time has come when the Jewish Publication Society should undertake
as Detroit has led the cities of the land. Such cities as Saginaw, Bay the publication of a new history of the Jews, provided of course, that
City, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Lansing and even smaller someone well fitted to write that history without partisan bias can
communities than these must nobly rise to the opportunity that now be found. But until then Graetz's History, inadequate as it is, must be
confronts them to do their full share in the saving of their stricken regarded as the best text book that is available to the student who,
brethren. The Detroit committee stands ready to aid these various reading only the English, wishes to delve somewhat deeply into the
cities to the very limit of its power. But it will expect at the hands of story of the Jew's past.
The criticism passed by the writer of the article upon Raskin's
the people themselves that generous response which the cause de-
serves, and which alone can make the Jews of the smaller communi- volume of poems recently published by the Jewish Publication So-
ciety, is. ill tempered and without justification. For in that little
ties worthy of themselves and worthy of the faith that they profess.
volume there is much that is highly inspirational, even to those who
do not share the author's views of the nationalistic destiny of the Jew.
On the whole, the anonymous attack against the Jewish Publication
The Beiliss Case Reopened
The reopening of the Beiliss case in Russia is but another illus- Society is ill timed and it seems to us cowardly. These are times when
tration of the fact that the God of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. any organization that seeks to help the Jewish cause ought to be
Though thinking men the world over have had no doubt or question helped and not hindered, and when those who do criticise should have
in their minds as to the complete innocence of Mendel Beiliss or of the at least that measure of moral courage which will take them out of
fact that he and his people were the victims of a most heinous and their hiding and give those whom they attack a chance to answer
dastardly conspiracy, it is gratifying that under new Russia the whole back .
case will be reopened and responsibility for the conspiracy definitely
A recent book, "The Wheel of Destiny," by Samuel H. Borofsky,
is
advertised
by its publisher, Richard G. Badger of Boston, as a book
fixed.
But the incident is important not only because it will establish freighted with the possibility of undermining Anti-Semitic prejudice.
the innocence of Mendel Beiliss and once and for all clear the Jews of A careful reading of the book, which portrays neither literary merit
the wretched blood accusation that through all these centuries has nor phsycological insight, or an understanding of Jewish character or
been hurled at our heads by unscrupulous bigots, but it takes on sig- Jewish problems on the part of the author, leaves the reader ashamed
nificance in that it points the fact that in the new Russia the Jew will to have spent his time in wading through its two hundred and sixty-
be given full justice and accorded the same rights and the same oppor- six pages. The purpose of the author was undoubtedly to present the
tunities as every other man. It gives reassurance to those who in the Jew in a favorable light, but the whole work is so childish and innocu-
recent Russian revolution traced the hand of God in history. It ous that it is likely to have no effect upon the Jew either for good or
justifies the belief of uncounted thousands among us that the Jewish ill. It is a pity that if the Jew must be exploited in literature, some-
world-problem is near solution in a normal, natural way. It encour- one may not arise to write about him who really understands his char-
ages us to believe that our problem shall be solved not by the resolu- acter and his problems.
tions to be adopted by Conference or Congress, nor by the efforts of
self-centered politicians among the Jews and the non-Jews, but by the
It is not too late to contribute to the War Relief Fund. Hun-
awakened sense of righteousness among the nations of the earth that dreds, perhaps thousands, of the Jews of the city have not yet signed a
shall surely be the supreme reward, as it shall be the single justifica- pledge card. They should not wait until a committee finds time to
tionfor the orgy of bloodshed in which the modern world is indulg-
call on them. They know their duty ; let them nobly rise to it.
ing. The new Russia in its attitude toward the Jew is only symbolic
in the last analysis of the new world as it shall be at the conclusion
of the war. It is only as we believe that out of the world cataclysm
there shall come a higher sense of justice and humanity and right-
eousness among all people, that the events in which we are partici-