THE JEWISH CHRONICLI.
PAGE FOUR
THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
interest which we will continue to manifest in the reorganized
United Jewish Charities and our generous and whole-souled support
Issued Every Friday by The Jewish Chronicle Publishing Company
•
President of the Patriotic Fund and its constituent organizations will indicate
•
•
•
•
ANTON KAUFMAN
MICHIGAN'S JEWISH HOME PUBLICATION
that we, in this city, understand and appreciate the 11,igh responsi-
bility that rests upon us.
Offices 307.308 Peter Smith Building.
The Function of the Pulpit.
Phone: Cherry 3381.
RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN,
Editorial Contributor
Restored Paleshne Center
(Continued From
Page
One.)
to their credit, as well as to that of the congregations, it should be
said that the mutual sacrifices demanded have been generously and
willingly met.
The work of the chaplain, of course, demands special fitness on
the part of those who undertake it. A good preacher is not of
necessity a good chaplain. To do the work required of him with
a proper degree of adequacy, the chaplain must be courageous and
tactful and self-sacrificing and above all he must have an under-
standing of men. That there are many men in our Jewish pulpits
who have these fundamental requirements and who are so situated
that at a comparatively small sacrifice they could enter the ranks
of the workers, there is little doubt. Let us lope, therefore, that
the new call which 11;1, come for volunteers will be quickly and
adequately answered.
The Reorganized United Jewish Charities.
The ti)th Annual Meeting of the United Jewish harities which
took place during the past week, re-established the 1:111101 1 if that
organization to the whole-souled moral support of the community.
Under conditions of unusual stress. the Society has remained
steadily at its task of relieving distress in the many and varied
forms in which it is bound to appear in a community as large and
complex as ours.
The affiliation of the United Jewish Charities with the Detroit
Community Union and its consequent release from the financial
problems that have heretofore consumed so much of the time and
energies of the directors, has been a step in the direction of greater
efficiency. Now, it is possible for those charged with the work
of super \ ision and direction of our philanthropic activities to give
their full time and ;mention to the social service phases of the work
instead of to the problem of raising funds. As a result, higher
standards of efficiency in all departments are likely to appear as
soon as conditions become normal again. Indeed, a change for the
better is already apparent. Rut just because of this, the obligation
upon the Jewish community is all the greater to support generously
and willingly the Patriotic Fund with which the Community Union
and through it, the United Jewish Charities, is affiliated. Jews must
put more into that Fund than they take out of it as Jews. In the
last drive, for the most part, our co-religionists made a worthy
showing but let them not be c(intent with the standard that has
been set. Appreciative (if the fact that through this Fund a greater
efficiency has been made possible for their organizations, they must
recognize their duty so to help finance the Patriotic Fund hereafter
that the work of all philanthropic organizations identified with it
may be put upon a higher standard.
It has always been characteristic of the Jewish charities that
they have maintained their dependent classes a little more ade-
quately than have other organizations. Indeed, in practically all
phases of philanthropic work, the Jews have been leaders. That
leadership should not lie permitted to pass out of their hands. The
A Detroiter Honored.
tined to play in the future. Its in-
dustrial and commercial possibilities
It is this profound an indestructible are enormous. Now, as ever, it is
love that Judah Halevi voiced in that on the highway connecting Euro ps
elegy of wondrous beauty and pathos, with Asia and Africa. With the ill-
which burst from his soul when, as creasing importance of the East, the
at' aged man, having left behind Min value of Palestine is bound to grow,
But there is one essential comb-
all that was dear to him in his native
Spain, he journeyed, in the year 1140, non: Palestine needs a population.
And
there can be no doubt that none
to Zion, to behold her desolated beau-
ty and to kiss the dust of her stones. would form so fitting a population kr
And this love has been shared by Palestine as Jews eager to go tiers
Jews everywhere throughout the ages. and eager to restore the sacred sod,
It is in this light
,es that we ought
"The cradle of our lives," says Mr. r.
l r . 1a 1foti ro' f s irecent
} n a t i d si a. r ta,,-
Watts-Dutton, "draws us to itself
wherever we go." This has certainly Ii". If it
possible, under
Lien true of Israel. The cradle of his to o viii: guarantees
nations,
history, Palestine, has drawn him to permit Jews to settle in Palestine,
itself, wherever he went. It remain- and to live there in security, we may
ed his. dream, the land of mystic love be sure that many Jews will flock
and longing, and as such it was even thither, and that they will consecrate
more beautiful, more precious in his all their energies to the restoration of
the land so dear to e‘ery true I. %%-
eyes than when his in reality,
gained for them the support of the
Alliance Israelite Unit erselle, and par-
ticularly the devoted and generous as-
sistance of Baron Edmund de Roths-
child, whose munificence saved the
movement in its most critical period
As a result, numerous sections of
the lioly Land have been reclaimed
from the waste of centuries, and there
were before the war prosperous Jew-
ish colonies in Judea, in Galilee, and
beyond the Jordan, noted for the
bounty and variety of their products,
as well as for the health and happi-
ness of their inhabitants.
The many friends of Dr. Louis J. Hirschman will rejoice in the
news that he has been promoted to the rank of Major. Dr. I lirsch-
man was one of the first of the physicians of Detroit to give up a
lucrative practice in order to place his time and talents and if need
be, his very life, at the service of his country. Enlisting practically.
as soon as America entered the war, lie has remained throughout
with his regiment and, according to reports, has never spared
himself. To his skill, many a soldier owes his life, and to his
sympathy and geniality, many a boy over there is indebted for
care and encouragement in his darkest hours. The promotion of
Before Herz!.
Dr. Hirschman is not a source of surprise to his friends Nvho know
It is customary nowadays to give
credit for all this renewal of Pales-
him hest, but to all of them it is a cause of great gratification.
America's Answer.
At the request of the United States Government Committee on
Public Information t Division of Films), we call the attention of our
readers to the film which has been prepared by the Committee under
the title "America's Answer," and which is now-being shown
throughout the country. To quote the Government Committee:
"Its theme is the stupendous and amazing manner in \vhich the
United States has risen to its task of transporting, equipping. and
feeding an army of a million and a half men. It shows the enormous
docks built by United States engineers on what was once swamp
land; the, huge storehouses for food; the locomotive and ammunition
factories covering acres of space; the workrooms for the repair of
clothing and equipment. In addition, it pictures every phase of the
life of our boys in France, and shows the various agents that are
caring for their physical and moral welfare. It is as human and inti-
mate as it is powerful and inspiring. With the exception of one brief
episode, the remarkable performance of a Marine Corps airplane,
every foot of the film was taken in France."
That the tilm may be seen by the largest possible number of
people, the government has arranged to furnish it to exhibitors at a
very low rental. They have asked the rabbis and other ministers of
the country' to call the production to the attention of the members of
their congregations with the urgent request that they attend one of
the performances at which this remarkable patriotic film is to be
exhibited.
\\'e gladly make this announcement in behalf of the govern-
ment and trust that the readers of the Chronicle avail them-
selves of the opportunity of witnessing a production that cannot fail
to stimulate their patrii it i c fervor and to give them a new sense of
confidence in the government which is so faithfully and so efficiently
bending its efforts to the w'uning of the war.
portant role that Palestine is des-
Halevi Pilgrim,
In these days when the need of aggressive action along all
lines is so pressing, there are those who express impatience with
the spoken or the written word. "Not words but deeds are neces-
sary." is their slogan. Accordingly, they fail to realize the value
$2.00 per year
Subscription In Advance
of the many inspirational addresses which are delivered in times
The Jewish Chronicle invites correspondence on subjects of nterest to the
like these from the platform and the pulpit. But their particular
Jewish people, but disclaims responsibility for an indorsement of the views
grievance is against the pulpit.
expressed by the waters.
However, it requires only the barest insight to realize that
Entered as second class matter March 3, 1916, at the PostoffIce at Detroit,
their attitude is a foolish one. But for the word of encouragement
Mich., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
and inspiration which is addressed to men and women in these
times, the incentive to action }would be altogether lacking.
The Peace Proposal.
It is true, the character of the pulpit message has of necessity
The Jews of this country in common with their fellow-Ameri-
been touched by the spirit of these troubled times. The doctrinal
•ans of every faith stand squarely back of the President of the
'sermon, if its day is not altogether past, certainly has no place in It is remarkable, however, that in
United States in his rejection of the peace proposals of our Teu-
the scheme of things as they are at this time. The sermon, to be recent years the dream again has be-
gun to turn into a reality. After a
tonic foes. Though Israel's mission is peace, it would be to mis-
effective, must touch life as it is. Nothing that affects the living and forsaking of hundreds of years, with
understand utterly the basic Jewish conception of the peace ideal
the thinking of men and women can be foreign to the pulpit. The but scant interruption, Palestine again
to hold that Nye who have given our life blood and our treasure in
preacher cannot live in a forgotten yesterday, llis eyes must be has become a center of Jewish habi-
the struggle for humanity, should yield to the plea of our enemies
tation and happiness. The story of
open to the stirring demands of today. Ile must be the interprets- this renewal is one of the most stir-
for peace so long as they occupy an inch of territory that is not
of the problems that stir a living generation. His must be the ring, and most romantic, in the varie-
rightfully theirs or so long as peace would represent a compromise
gated history of the Jew.
voice that calls the people to their duty.
in any sense or in any degree. Peace on the terms proposed by
For these many centuries the Jew
Never in all time has it been so necessary as today for the
had dreamed and prayed for Palestine.
the foes of civilization today would be not only a political blunder
prophetic spirit to permeate the pulpit word. Fearless and faithful It had been the theme of his reveries.
on the part of the allied nations but it would be a crime against
must be the modern preacher. Aggressive in his attacks upon But it was forty years ago that men
civilization. Indeed, any peace that would give to Prussianism the
evil, fearless in his denunciation of those who fail to do their duty, arose and decided that the time had
power to lift its wicked head again would be a sin so black as to
come for making the dream come
uncompromising in his assault upon selfishness, upon cruelty, upon true.
be unforgivable. It is a sign of the high patriotism as well as of
injustice and upon all the things that degrade Jewish and American
In different quarters the plan was
the exalted moral purpose of this country and her Allies that the
manhood, the rabbi, especially today, must realize that his is a advanced for settling Jews on the soil
peace proposals of Germany and Austria have been taken at their
of Palestine, in order thus to restore
high and holy responsibility, to shirk which may mean—on the part
the ancient land and also to help
true value and that with a unanimity that is almost unexampled
of his people—failure to rise not only to their moral and religious, solve the problem of Jewish persecu-
in the history of the world, this American people and our Allie.;
tion and distress.
but as well to their patriotic duties.
have without hesitation declared themselves as ready to go on
It is characteristic, we believe, of the Jewish pulpit, that it has
Gentile Helpers.
making the sacrifices that are demanded of us in the continuance
It is note, ruby that among the
sensed properly' the important part that it may play in times like
of the war, rather than make a peace of compromise that would
these. It is significant that in every' part of the land, leading pioneers of this plan were not only
immediately dishonor its and in the end lead to the undoing of
Jews, but also Christians, such as
rabbis have taken not only an active but a foremost part in the Warder Cresson, the first American
what in this great world struggle we have already achieved.
various campaigns of a patriotic character that have been launched consul in Jerusalem, who became a
That there is no peace for the wicked, as the Biblical Prophet
by the American people since our entrance into the war. But what context to Judaism, and Laurence Ol-
has phrased it, is basic to the attitude of this great people. This
these men have said to the audiences whom they have been called iphant, the English philanthropist,
is the expression of our moral attitude toward the war. It means
who was unofficially supported by
upon to address on distinctly patriotic themes has in largest Lord Beaconsfield and Lord Salis-
an immediate sacrifice but one that is worth while in the light of
measure been only repetition of the message which they have felt bury.
the enduring peace which shall come of it hereafter.
it proper to give from their own pulpits and to their own people. T h e persecutions in Russia and Ru-
mania emphasized the need of some
It is moreover, a gratifying testimony to the important in- radical measure for the improvement
fluence which the synagogue wields in the community life that so of the Jewish situation. Thus, in 1870,
Another Call for Chaplains.
many of our rabbis have been called upon for patriotic xvork in its we see the beginning of a new Jewish
Once more word has come front the military authorities over-
most important phases. Both in this country and overseas, they colonization in Palestine by the
founding of an agricultural school,
seas that more Jewish chaplains arc urgently required to meet
arc taking a leading part. Were their words not capable of Mil:well Israel. which is followed in
the religious and moral needs of our boys over there. In order
wielding a wide influence, surely they' would not be asked by such 1878 by the founding of the colony
to meet this need, both the Central Conference Of American Rabbis
great and imporant governmental agencies as the Red Cross, the Petah Tikwa, and in 1882 by the col-
and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis have issued urgent calls to
ony Rishon Le-Zion.
Community War Camp Commission, the National Publicity Bureau
The men who founded these col-
their members, asking them if age and other conditions make than
and other similar organizations as they have been in these last onies were real pioneers; they had
available for the service, to enlist at Once. Letters front our Jewish
times—all of which leads to the conclusion that the pulpit message the ideals and the courage and the
chaplains over there are truly pathetic in their description of the
should be heard by all earnest-minded men and women for their self-sacritice of real pioneers, and 110
abounding need that prevails.
one can read their story without mar-
pulpits and their inspiration. Nloreover, the part that the synagogue veling at their endurance and achieve-
A considerable number of our men in the ministry, both
has played in maintaining the morale of the people at home and of ments,
num-
lrthodox and Reform, have already responded to the call.
It was their valiant struggle that
inspiring them to do their full part in winning the war is not in-
ber of them have resigned lucrative and important pulpit positions
led to the organization of the Ho-
considerable—a fact that should lie borne in mind by those who veve Zion Societies in Russia and
to take up the work. Others have obtained from their congrega-
England and other countries. It also
tions the necessary leave of absence for the duration of the war, and would pass judgment upon the efficiency of the modern pulpit.
All correspondence to insure publication must be sent lo no as to reach this
*Mee Tuesday evening of each week.
Future Grandeur.
It is impossible to ignore the int-
tine to the Zionists. Nor does it
matter particularly as to who gets the
credit.
But it is an historic fact that 1)r.
Ilerzl conceived the idea of a Jety ish
State some twenty-five years after
the first Jewish Agricultural School
had been founded in Palestine and
Jewish colonization had begun. And
it is further an historic fact that Dr.
Iferzl and his followers for years op-
posed the continuation of the colon-
izing activity, seeing that their plan
was political and they insisted that
unless the Jews first got a charter to
Palestine they must not go on with
the reclamation and improvement of
the land.
However, it would lead us too far
afield to pursue this phase of the
subject. Suffice to say that it was the
political emphasis of the Zionists
:oupled with the anti-religious atti-
tude of some of their leaders that
served to create friction in Israel and
to alienate for the time being from
the movement for the reclamation of
Palestine sonic of the most devoted
lovers of the Holy I.and.
Latterly, however, the practical
work was taken up anew., and it is
thanks to this work, prompted partly
by some prominent men both here
and in Europe who are not at all
votaries of political Zionism. that
Palestine has witnessed such a phys-
ical and spiritual renewal at the hands
of the Jewish people.
\Vhat the war, with its ravages,
has done to the new life of Palestine,
we do nor know as yet. But it is
natural to ask what the future of
Palestine shall he.
The British army is now going for-
ward in Palestine, thus bringing to
an end the Turkish rule which began
just four hundred years ago, when
Salim I. conquered Egypt and Syria.
ish heart '
And thus Palestine would not milt
become again an important factor in
Jewish life; it would become again a
center of material and spiritual riches,
a land flowing as of old with milk and
honey, and a stronghold Of Justice and
Righteousness, which are the cure of
Democracy,
For that end, however, we „right
to put a stop to disputes about Zion-
ism and anti-Zionism.
Particularly ought we to put a stop
to such controversies carried on in
the name of Reform Judaism. Re-
form Judaism is not bound up with
anti-Zionism, or anti-Palestinism.
Certainly Reform Judaism is not,
and never can be, opposed to the res-
toration of Palestine.
S01101 prominent Reform rabbi:
have bean sincere believers in cues
the restoration of the Jewish State in
Palestine, as, for instance, Samuel
Hirsch, one of the most radical of
Reform rabbis, who as far back as
1842, in his address on "The Mes-
sianic 1)octrine of the Jews," dwelt
on that belief as an essential part of
Jewish conviction and hope.
"All for Israel."
Some others have refrained from
engaging in controversy with the
Zionists, though whenever necessary
they have not failed to maintain
against them these three essentid
propositions: first, that we dare noot
mortgage the Jewish future to a blu-
ish State in l'alestine; secondly, that
there is no such thing possible as a
Jewish people. without Judaism; and,
thirdly, that it is wrong to assume
that Judaism cannot flourish outside
of Palestine. But all this has nothing
to do with the restoration of Pales-
tine and making it a center for Israel
and humanity, if we can do it.
Let us, therefore, for once realize
that Israel is greater than 7.1010S111,
and Palestine inure important than
parties. Let us unite for the common
good! It is because of division: and
disputations, the rabbis tell us, Jeru-
salem was lost; let us not permit a
similar cause to keep its from restor-
ing it—I don't mean as the capital
of a Jewish State, but as the center
of Jewish energy and revival.
I.et us work toward Jewish unifi-
cation, which, the rabbis believe, must
precede redemption. And thus let us
help secure for Palestine also the
benefits of that democracy, that rule
of liberty and justice, that cause of
human liberation and opportunity, to
the triumph of which America has
pledged so nobly her life and her
strength.
"WOUNDS,"
The hollowing poem is of interest
as being the work of a Detroit sol-
dier, Private Philip Lahti Rosenthal,
with the Nleolical Corps, Post Ho.-
phial, •berts Field, Lonoke, Ark.
Mr. Rosenthal, who was a teach,.
in a local high school before his en-
listment, is the soil of Rev. and 'Mr , .
A. Rosenthal. of 305 Frederick street:
There one wounds of the Spirit and
wounds of the Flesh
That still come to a soldier sl
course of the strife,
But the wounds of the Spirit still act
as a mesh
Ity enshrouding a soul at the dawn
. of its life.
For the wounds of the Flesh from the
enemy's guns.
And to which human flesh is an
heir, will bring pain
To the body and oftentimes death.
But our sons
Fear no death when the ills of the
body are slain.
Yet the wounds of the Spirit come
not from the foe
In a distant redoubt. A command
with a sting
To an innocent nine is a more fatal
blow.
For the soul is immortal, then An-
guish is King.
LAWS OF MOSES IN
IN PALESTINE COURTS
J R USA LEN! —The new cou rts of
law established by the British in the
occupied portions of Palestine do all
in their lumen to harmonize their de-
cisions in accordance with the ancient
Jewish law.
This is especially noticeable in cases
of inheritrice and wills, where the
Jewish law is freqUently resorted to
in the decision of cases.