PAGE. SIX
THE DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
THE DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE
MICHIGAN'S JEWISH HOME PUBLICATION
Published Weekly by The Jewish Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc!?
JOSEPH J. CUMMINS
-
NATHAN J. GOULD -
-
President
Secretary-Treasurer
Entered as second-class matter March 3, 1916, at .the Postoftice at Detroit,
Mich., under the Act of MarCh 3, 1879.
Offices, 1334 Book Building
Telephone Cherry 3381
Subscription, In Advance
$5.00 per year
To insure publication, all.correspondence and news matter must reach
this office by Tuesday evening of each week.
'
RABBI LEO M. FRANKLIN -
- Editorial Contributor
The Jewish Chronicle invites correspondince on subjects of interest to
the Jewish people, but disclaims responsibility for an indorsement of the
views expressed by the writers.
Friday, February 27, 1920
Adar 8, 5680
Jewish Courts of Law
According to an item going the rounds of the public press, a
plan is about to be tried out in New York City, according to which
a Jewish court of arbitration is to be established in that city and
before which will come civil cases in which Jews are the litigants.
The proposed court, which is said to hate the full approval of the
District Attorney and of the Chief Justice of the, Municipal Court,
is to lie composed of one rabbi, one business man, and one lawyer
as judge. Under the afrangement as proposed, awards or decisions
would have all the force and effect legally that a similar decision by
a city or municipal court judge would have. It might, however, be
reviewed on appeal by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court
if either of the litigants should be dissatisfied.
The proposal that differences between - Jews should be settled by
Jews has nothing of novelty in it. Such Jew;ish arbitration courts
have long been in vogue, not only in European countries but as
well in some cities in our own co'untry. The existence of such
arbitration boards unquestionably serves to reduce, the number of
actions brought before the judges of the lower courts, for it is a
noteworthy fact that there is a tendency among certain classes of
our co-religionists to enter upon lawsuits upon the slightest provo-
cation. Indeed, there are certain fairly unscrupulous attorneys, who
are known to play upon this weakness of these pcilde and to encour-
age them to go to law when the cases at issue might very much more
easily be settled out of court..
On the other hand, there seems to us to be a very decided objec-
tion against tying up with the judicial system of any community,
an arbitration board having to do exclusively with any one religious
or social group in the community. Indeed, we regard it as a rather
dangerous proceeding. In the first place, by segregating the Jew in
matters where legal rights arc involved, there is no small possibility
of putting him at a disadvantage when he has a case worthy of
being tried by the regularly constituted tribunals, Again, the estab-
lishment of these Jewish arbitration boards as a part of the regularly
constituted judicial system of a community,' might lend itself to
misinterpretation and lead to the belief that Jews are flagrant and
frequent law - breakers.
So long as such boards of arbitration are matters within our own
household and in no sense tied vit With the municipal system of
justice, they are to be rather heartily commended. Frequently, a
wise word from a conscientious rabbi, or business man, or lawyer,
to one or the other of the litigants will settle a matter which other-
wise might be carried to court. But the moment these boards take
on a semi-public character, they not only are undesirable, they are
likely to represent a real menace to the Jew.
Far-Away Converts •
It is an old story that men seldom learn by experience. The old
blunders repeat themselves day after day, .amd year after year, and
men seem to grow no wiser. Accordingly, we should not be too
greatly surprised that some of our .friends in the local-ministry were
again willing to lend their names'and their support to the recent
conference held its this city for the purpose of 'evangelization of the
Jews. Again the same ridiculous arguments were hashed up before
them in the same old way, anti,vain they and • their constituents
paid the price, though not a Jew was touched by the various
messages that art- re delivered by the missionaries. But this really
is no, concern of ours. So long as our friends of the Christian
churches are willing to pay for being fooled, they are welcome to
indulge themselves.
There is only one phase of the whole' situation that interests its
at all, and that is, that converts of.whom these missionaries boast,
are always far away. If the meeting happens to be in New. Nork,
the vast number of converts brought from the Thora to the Cross
are in Denver, or San Francisco, in' TitribliCtan, If, on the other
hand, the meeting takes place in San Francisco, those who have
been saved by the missionary agents, invariabley live in the far East.
Somehow, they are never present lb be brought forward as exhibits.
Thus. in Detroit, where we are told a mission to the Jews has been
working full time for the past seven months,-We have heard neither
the names nor the addresses of any of the converts gained here.
Strange, too, that this should be the case, for Detroit, with its large
immigrant population, with its abnormal number csd floaters, with its
undue proportion of men without family ties. ought to be of all the
cities in America. one of the most fertile fields. Still, we have not
seen a directory of the souls garnereil by the eminent gentleman
who is consecrating his life to save the souls of the Jews of Detroit.
N1'here are those who have been brought to salvation? Like all the
rest, they seem to be far away. %
\\'e do not intimate at all that there are none who, failing to find
the spiritual solace that they seek in Judaisiii, believe that they have
found it in the faith of the daughter church.• Indeed, we may point
to One man—an intelligent and scholarly man, too—who believes
that Christianity has a nearer message kr him than had the faith in
which he was born. But let it be said to his credit, that unlike our
missionary friends, he has neve'r capitalized his apostacy. More-
over, in his public addresses and in his writings—for he is a well-
known author—he invariably goes out of his way to do the Jew a
good turn. There may be a fair suspicion that even today he is a
better Jew than he knows.
We have known other converts, too. \Ve remember, for instance,
the Marannos in Spain, driven by petsecution outwardly to adopt
Christianity but continuing to practice with ever renewed zeal thc
customs of Israel in their darkened cellars. We know that political
ostracism and the impossibility of gaining professional recognition
drove many Jews in Germany to the point where they permitted
themselves to be sprinkled with the baptismal water. We know of
some men in this country who outwardly have accepted the Christian
faith. ( Inc are know who was adjudged to be insane. .\ outlier has
a criminal record, and still another was a wife deserter. And as far
as we know, not one of the three made good "after lie had seen the
light."
There is one man of our acquaintance who informed us that while
in England, his facial features were such as to permit him t o go to
nine different missionaries and to be converted by each in turn at a
considerable profit in every case, for Jewish souls are paid for in
some parts of the world. Sc we do not at all question the veracity
of the good missionaries who garner the shekels of believing and
tntlrusiastic Christians fovAc he purjCse of carrying on the noble and
holy work of evangelizati(li among the Jews. t Mr one wonder is
that the converts gainwl are always so far away. Won't someone
please give us a list of names and addresses of the benighted Jews
here in Detroit who have been brought to see the light?
The Pay of Social Workers
In New York City, a special fund is being raised through which
the pay of Jewish social workers connected with the various institu-
tions in that city may be increased to something like a scale befitting
the dignity and the importance of their work. So many of the best
social workers in New York City, and in other parts of the country
as well, have found -it necessary to leave their chosen fields and to
enter upon a business career, that the very future of social service
institutions has been seriously threatened.
It must be borne in mind that the supervision of activities of a
social service character has taken on professional standing in the
past few years. Those giving themselves to the work require a
period of training often extending over several years. Moreover,
the task to which they set themselves is diflinult and frequently
ungrateful. It is too much to ask that people giving themselves to
work of this character should lie denied at least the ordinary com-
forts which are the portion of those who do less responsible -work,
for which neither expert knowledge nor long training is necessary.
The time ought not he far off when some attempt at standardiza-
tion of remuneration for social workers should he made. \Ve are
told that here in Detroit,the Community Union is about to set on
foot some investigation through which just such standardization as
aVe speak of may result. If this is the case, it will be another reason
why the people of Detroit should feel themselves under obligations
to the Community Union and the Patriotic Fund with which it is so
closely associated.
Purim
SNAPPY PRODUCTION
OF "LET 'ER FLICKER"
DELIGHTS AUDIENCE
Eno
ebs
SAYS-
(Continued From Paige 1.)
been arrested on the spot. and sundry
other adventures and misadventures,
a reconciliation takes place in time
Copy lghted, tti2o, 1:yg Jewish Chrotth le
for the final curtain.
Jublish
Goldstick and Rynek Comic Hits.
Dr. Milliard \V. Goldstick, with his
deep bass voice, lugubriously melan-
choly, put over the inevitable dark-
skinned gen'tnan with consummate
humor, aided and abetted by his Jol-
sonesque confrere Mr. Pete Emitter-
man, of Cleveland. Jerome 1). Rynek
sleuthed it to perfection, at times
threatening to take upon himself the
whole burden of the comic relief. Ir-
vine G. Levy, Maurice Steingold and
\Villiam M. Schwartz, hnwer er, :tided
in frustrating Mr. Rynek's designs.
Berman T. Buch as A. Footer Fillum,
niovie director, was generally present
to serve as the connecting link to the
series of song and dance skits, strid-
ently calling the ladies and gentlmen
back to the business of getting on with
the action whenever it threatened to
go too far afield.
The two acts were laid before the
grounds of the Star Picture studios
and in the studio proper. The second
set adapted itself as easily to the
throne room of a dusky potentate
with an Oriental Lupercalia in full
swing as to the interior of the out
saw mill where Dolores was about
to be quarter-sawed in the interests
of the drammer.
If any one of Seymour Simons con-
tributions scored more heavily than
another in Act 1, it was "Keep 'Em
(Messing," put over by liessye liar
nett, Edward Greenthal, Saul Jacob
and the chorus. "That's 1A'hat the
Cards Tell Me," by Rae Barnett and
Edward followed a close second.
Other hits of the act were, "\Vhen
Cupid Flies ..•\ way," "If You Should
Tell Me," and Goldstick's inimitable,
"The Blues Ain't Nothin,."
Co.
GERMS.
Whod ever think,
WhaCer we drink,
Whafer we pans
With cup or glass,
Whafer we eat—
Pigs meat or feet,
Ivy piece or 'min .:A, 1
Prom gold or brass,
At the smallest munch,
We swallow it bunch
Of the dearest.
Of the queerest,
Of the leanest,
Ott the meanest
Little creatures,—
That the tallest,
Still are smallest
of all creatures.
They can thrill us,
They can kill us,
With diseases that they 511 us,
For which doctors gaily btil us,
If they thus can torture man,
Then tell me how they can,
By the millions, nay,
By the billions, say,
Pass through a needles eye with ease,
Wtthout the aid of Axle grease?
'fhe age-old story of Diogenes look.
leg for an honest man Is just as ap-
plicable to-day as it was when think-
ing men went about impressing social
truths by crudv, glaring, erratic man-
berisms and nme*hods.
• •
The whole fabric of human life Is
Second Act Rich in Color.
Not until the opening number of interminably interwoven with false-
Act 11, perhaps. did the audience be-
gin to sit up and take note of the
gorgeous costuming, although it was
felt to be wholly adequate throughout
the previous act. Along with the se-
ductive, "Burundi' number, however,
there went shimmering arms, twink-
ling toes, silks, satins, spangles and
more spangle, a rainbow riot of color,
a kaleidoscopic dementia praecox.
Saul Jacob discovered a commend-
able baritone for his "Consolation
Song," but it was Jerome Rynek's
parody, "1Vhen It's Onion Time in
liertutida," that will prove a snicker
source for Some time to come. Once
more Goldstick scored with "Ebenee-
zer and Emmerman put across "The
Advertising Girl" and "Play Me a
Southern Melody" in the style that
keeps "State Street l'ete" still in Ann
Arbor's memory. Bell Livingston
and omnipresent Edward received
round after round of applause for
their dance number, "It's Jazz That
Makes the NVorld Go Round." Fas-
cinating little Rae, in her tuneful ad-
mission that "Love Has Been Born
to Me," and the four lovers' equally
unblushing statement that "I Love
You" quite carried their hearers away.
Purim, the Festival of Lots, will recur in annual cycle during
the coming week. While in no sense a holy day, since even the
historicity of the festival may legitimately be questioned, the Biblical
story upon which it is based does offer many suggestions that may
with profit be brought home to the people of our time. But among
all the lessons contained in the Book of Esther, there is tunic more
directly applicable to the conditions of our own time than that which
is wrapped up in the words which Mordecai addresses to Queen
Esther. Says lie: "Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape
Chorus Has Sprightly Leader.
in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether
Diminutive Gertrude Bornstein, who
boldest thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise tripped on and off at the head of the
to the Jews from another place. but thou and thy father's house will chorus line, is so many inches and
ounces of concentrated pep, smiles
perish ; and who knoweth whether thou art not come to royal estate and graceful movement. She set an
example for the following: Edith Al'
for such a time as this?"
Pert, Libbie Goldsmith, Sylvia Albert,
Many there are in our own tittle and country' who, having gained Yetta Goldsmith, Eva Alkon, Henriet-
power and position, would hold themselves aloof from their co- ta I lertzberg, Rose Babcock, Rae
Horowitz, Gertrude liorenstein, Bet-
religionists, thinking that no matter what may befall the masses of ty Lind, Mildred Brickman, Mildred
the Jews, they, because of their wealth and position, will escape the Lind, Shirley Brickman, Belle Silver-
man, Helen Esser, Ethel Silverman,
general fate. No reasoning could be more faulty than this. Any- Lillian Freedman, Esther Seinberg,
one who reads the story of the Jew with understanding must be Betty Friedman, Nitta \\;einberg.
Gentlemen of the chorus included:
impressed with the fact that in the eyes of the world, a Jew is a Jew, 1)avid
Feerer, Benjamin Koploy, 3,1an-
no matter whether he wear the princely purple or the rags of the ford Ferrer, Edwin Oppenheim, \Vil-
Goldstein, Harold Oppenheim,
pauper peddler. Our enemies are not accustomed to make tine dis- liatn
Nathan Goldstone, Royal ()ppenheitn,
tinctions. Only too often is it brought home to its that for the sin Milton Gordon, David Shiffman.
Should the Young People's Auxil-
of the individual Jew, all Jewry is made to suffer. It is only when
iary of Shaarey Zedek decide to take
great accomplishments are to be credited to the Jew, that his relig- their show for a short road trip in
ious identity is not particularly stressed. Thus, for instance, in accordance with tenttitible plans, a
hearty reception is already as
speaking of the marvelous discovery with which he has astounded for their more than creditable produc-
tion.
the whole scientific world recently, the newspapers do not refer to
Albert Einstein, the Jew, but to Albert Einstein. the Swiss. It
MEN'S TEMPLE CLUB
behooves Jews who have gained prominence and position and power
FURNISHES MEMBERS
to bear all this in mind and to use their influence, not for their self-
ENJOYABLE EVENING
ish ends, but for the alleviation and the help of those of their
The meeting of the !den's Temple
brethren who have been less fortunate than they themselves.
Perhaps it is as the hero of the Purim story says to the heroine: Club held at Temple Beth El. Friday
evening, February 20, proved to be
"Who knoweth whether thou art not come to royal estate for such one of the most successful get-to-
a time as this?" The Jew who holds himself aloof from his brethren gethers as yet held by time organiza-
tion.
is unworthy of the proud title that he bears. Let the reading of the
Following a short prayer by Rabbi
Esther story in the synagog on Purim next week serve to press home Leo M. Franklin, Walter S. Heaven-
rich, president of the club, extended
this fact above all others.
a welcome to new members. Fred
hoods and deception.
•
•
The impressions we desire to create
on our neighbors are launched and
fathered by every conceivable devise
of truthlessness and sham.
Women dress to outdo their sisters.
Alen flaunt their wealth to eutd3 their
butthers. Opinions are sent broad-
cast that are not one whit true of the
deeper Minitel 1011s of the expresser.
• • .
Lim In the broadest sense, eman-
ate from the lips and appear In the ac-
tions of men with more ease and un-
ctuousnes1 than the simplest truths.
• . •
The plow which upturns the evil
and brings It into the light of critic-
ism, perfc,rms a twofold function, In
that It tends to rectify or destroy the
object of attack.
Fearless recognition of faults Is the
highest expression of optimism and
the shortest road to progre s sion.
HEBREW AID SOCIETY
ACQUIRES $700,000 OLD
ASTOR LIBRARY BLDG.
(Continued From Page 1.)
the railroad stations from which they
i e mt l o d; take trains to other cities;
An Ellis Island liureau taking care
of immigrants detained at Ellis
a ls r
An Employment Bureau;
An Oriental Bureau, which takes
care of the Snaniola Jews coming
from Turkey and Greece.
A Naturalization Bureau to aid im-
migrants to become American citi-
zens;
A Bureau for the activities at vari-
ous ports in the United States (with
the exception of New York), where
the Society has branches;
A reading and writing room for im-
migrants;
An auditorium for lectures, citizen-
ship classes;
A library containing books on im-
migration and allied subjects;
A synagogue;
Ainieeting place for Jewish organ-
izations;
rooms for immigrants and
for wayfarers with separate floors for
men and women;
Dining rooms for immigrants;
Two separate Kosher kitchens;
Food store-room,
refrigeration
rooms, etc.
Everything sanitary and kosher,
and arranged in the very best possible
way.
In the building will also be the of-
fice of the Immigration Bulletin.
In its new home, the Hebrew Shel-
tering and Immigrant Aid Society of
M. Butzel followed with a short ad- America will have sufficient
place not
dress dealing with the significance only for the immediate
needs, but
and itnportance of the Father and also for future
demands..
Son movement. Isadore Edwards
gave a short talk.
Singing by the audience, a violin
solo by David Craeoff and "sketches"
by "Cozzy" Gottsdanker completed
the program.
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Free Press Building
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BICUR CHOLEM GIVES
SERIES OF PROGRAMS
OF UNUSUAL QUALITY
Bicur Cholera Juniors held open
house, Thursday evening, Feb. 19, at
Shaarey Zedek. Nearly 500 persons
participated. Consideration of appli-
cations to membership was followed
by a short musical program on which
was featured Rose Zwieback, a tal-
ented vocalist, little Rose Stanchef -
skY, and a trio from the musical
comedy. "Let 'Er Flicker." Dancing
and refreshments followed.
The next regular meeting will be
held Thursday evening, March 4, at
8:30 p. m., at Shaarey Zedek. An
unusual message is to he delivered
by Dr. Edward J. Bernstein, special-
ist in eye, ear and throat diseases.
Bessie R nnppow, elocutionist will
give a short series of dramatic read -
ings.
Dancing will conclude the
evening.
Heliopolis, one of the oldest and
most sacred cities of Egypt, has just
organized two Zionist societies, who
are encouraging the speaking of He-
brew.