TilBPLTROITIEIVISR OIRONICLB

and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE

the fault is that of the Jewish home and
the Jewish parent.
We are not forgetting our Christian
and THE LEGAL CHRONICLE
neighbors in this important season of the
o
In
Amin
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Sown n. Second-class matter March t, 111111, at the Poet-
with the traditional salutation: "Merry
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Christmas!" But we also turn to our own
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own festivals, and in strengthening our own
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traditions and ceremonials. Chanukah, at
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Subscription, in Advance
taneously with Christmas, must be given
To Inure publication, all eorreepoodenn and news matter
ant reach this oleos by Tuesdey evening of each ...h.
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notices, kindly an on aide of the paper only
Rhea
become a matter of strength in every Jew-
The Detroit Jewish Chronicle Incite. correspondence on sulp-
hate of intermit to the Jewin people, but disclaims rasponel-
ish home. The more effective, the more
Win for awindoeserant of the news expreseed by tke writers
impressive and the more beautiful the ob-
Sabbath Chanukah (Feast of Dedication)
servance of Chanukah is, the stronger will
Reading of the Law
Pentateuchal portion—Gen. 37:1-40:23; Num. 7: be the Jewish home, and therefore also
the position of the Jewish people. On the
1-17
Prophetical portion—Zech. 2:14-4:7
other hand, the weaker Jewish observance,
Chanukah Reading of the Law
Sunday, Num. 7:18-29; Monday, Num. 7:24-35; the weaker the link of our people for whom
Tuesday, Num. 7:30-41; Wednesday, Num. 7:30-47; Jewish ceremonials lose their significance.

TilEDEFROIK

(ARON ICLEI

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Our Film Folk

Excerpts from "The Naming of Children in Jewish Folklore,
Ritual and Practice," Read by Dr. Jacob Z. Lauterbach
of the Hebrew Union College, at Recent Meeting of
Central Conference of American Rabbis.

By HELEN ZIGMOND

By

JUDITH I. STEIN

A nationally recognized scholar and edu-
cator, locally highly respected for his lead-
ership in educational and Jewish nation-
alist circles, his passing robs Detroit Jewry
of one of its most important figures.
As a lecturer on Jewish history, Mr.
Markson had few to equal him in the inter-
esting and fascinating manner in which he
interpreted the story of his people. Few
knew Jewish history as well as did Aaron
D. Markson. Naturally, among those who
mourn his death are many hundreds of
Jewish boys and girls who studied under
him, and many young men and women who
listened to his lectures in the adult classes
of the United Hebrew Schools. Among his
admirers to whom the news of his death
will come as a sad shock is a group of
young men and women in Palestine, former
Detroit students of. his who are today
among the Chalutzim who are aiding in
the upbuilding of Palestine.
He was a very human man who enjoyed
his Jewish life. His home was a veritable
Jewish sanctuary, wherefrom radiated in-
spiration among all who knew him. lie was
a humorist of note, and for every occasion
he had an appropriate story. As the trans-
lator in Hebrew of Mark Twain's "The
Prince and the Pauper," he made a definite
cultural contribution.
Indeed, a prince has fallen in Israel.
Our people lost a noted scholar, and for
Detroit his loss is irreplaceable.

A Dying Race's Priest Is Dead.

The death of the High Priest of the
Samaritans, Itzchak Ben Amram, serves
to attract attention anew to the historic
sect of the Shomronim which was also
known as Bene Israel. Living in Nablus,
the ancient city of Shechem, this sect, as a
result of differences with the Jews and its
aloofness, has dwindled to about a hundred
and fifty families. It is today among the
world's most picturesque of the dying
races.
Since the renewed activities for a regen-
erated Jewish Palestine, Itzchak Ben Am-
ram and his sect were matters of interest
to the many thousands of pilgrims who
came to Palestine as well as to the settlers.
Their ancient rites, practiced to this day,
their literal observance of the Passover
Seder and other traditions have made them
objects of curiosity. Amram's death again
revives the world's interest in this dying

right, 1932, Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Inc.)
(Copyright,

FASTING FOR PROGRESS

soon •s the camera stops grind•
ing, she just doesn't belong.
On the set the other day, Sol
happened across Sally Eilers in
a very weepy scene. The cam-
era stopped and Sally contin.
ued to cry and cry. "Now,
there's an actress!" declared
Wurtnrl, exultingly.
Naturally Sally wouldn't con•
tradict when it's the boss speak-
ing . . . but the truth was that
she had a bad sold and had been
weeping even before the cam•
an. started.

LOVE AND LUCRE

gi is that his wife brought
The answer which ever yone willve
him a fortune. She was a woman of great wealth.
Well, that might explain why Disraeli married her, but does
that explain why Disraeli loved her?
Conies now Bertrand Russell and answers in the affirmative.
Ile otters the unique theory that money may not only bring mar-
riage, not only the semblance of love, but love itself. Russell gdes
into a long-winded dissertation to prove his point, but it may perhaps
be boiled down briefly to this—that the poor individual marrying a
wealthy individual finds himself suffused with gratitude for all the
comforts and luxuries that the wealthier person has provided, and
that• this gratitude, through some mystic metamorphosis, is distilled
into nothing but the spirits of purest love.
Ruseell says that it is regrettable that this should be so, but it
•
II. Ayles- nevertheless very frequently is so.
Al Jolson kept
And so, he adds, Disraeli was very grateful to the woman who
worth president of NBC, waiting made his great political career possible, and this emotion turned to
an hour and a half the other after-
noon .. . AI was so engrossed in love.
•
is
playing Santa Chlus and singing THAT WEALTHY AURA
to the kiddies in the New York
Being a psychologist myself—as everyone these days is—I offer
Polyclinic ilospital that he forgot an additional reason why it is easier to love the rich. It is that
all about lesser things like busi- wealth gives one an assured feeling — a feeling of being at
ness and broadcasting.
home in the universe—of being secure and unafraid. And a person
• • •
with that feeling has an aura about him that is not unattractive.
•
•
•
Remember Tenen Holtz, the

•

dialecting stage comedian of
"The Kibitzer"? He, too, is
being flickerized and will have
the film funny role in "Whistling
in the Dark."
• • •

. .
We just discovered that
. Jesse
oh, ever so long ago .
Lasky, movie mogul, was one of
the most frequent and successful
A
contributors to the "rgosy,"
a
g
western-yarn razine.

Walter Winchell asserts . . .
and who should know better
than Wallah? .. . that Charlie
Chaplin and Paulett e Goddard
(their engagement was reported
In this column some w eeks ago)
are really married ... that the
ceremony was performed by a
captain on • Mexico-bound ship,
which is why the press chappies
couldn't tag 'em.

IN SOVIET RUSSIA
Is the world upside down? It is
in Russia looking at it from the
point of view of the rest of the
world. We are accustomed to the
responsibility of educating our chil-
dren religiously. In Russia they
are instructing the children to
"educate" their parents to become
atheist,. This is not a figment of
the imagination for we have this
statement of the head of the propa-
ganda department of the militant
atheists, who sops:
"As far as the younger children
are concerned there is no need to
take special measures, for they
have grown up without religion
and have arty vague ideas of what
it is. However, they are being in-
structed to 'educate' their parents
on the subject."
I sometimes wonder if the Soviets
aren't running counter to some-
thing instinctively in human nature
when they try to artificially root
out religion. I think they are get-
ting the scene for an explosion one
of these days of gigantic propor-
tions.

•

• •

HITLER'S CHANCES

there is not the slightest doubt that
Hitler's chances to be Mussolini are
gone . . . whatever the future may
hold for Hitler he will not be dic-
tator of Germany. That, it has
been made plain to him is Ver-
boten."

• • •

SCHOLASTIC "GRINDS"

At one time everybody connected
with universities worried that the
Jewish students were "grinds" and
did nothing but try (quite success-
fully too) to carry off the scholas-
tic honors. In fact this over-em-
phasis on study seemed to bother
the non-Jewish students who were
not able to forgive such energy ap-
plied to the job of learning. The
Jew didn't do this and he didn't
do that; he was not "college-mind-
ed"; he did not participate in sports
and so forth and so on. But it
looks very much as if the Jewish
student if he maintains the pace
he has net this season on football,
Is likely to "run away with the
show." Several Jewish boys have
won places on the All.A merican
teams. And the number of out-
standing players of Jewish faith is
amazing. So it won't be long now
before we begin to hear under cover
whispers that the Jews are getting
too far in this sports business and
something must be done to curb
their ambitions. The result may

JUDAS MACCABEUS
TO'HIS SOLDIERS

By Elmo Ehrlich Levinger

0 brothers, who have laid aside
The ploughshare for the sword,
Who gather from the hills and
plains
To battle for the Lord:
If ye have hopes of honor
Or to reap wealth are fain,
Serve not the cause of Israel,
But seek your homes again.

I

have no golden gifts to give,
Our land is stripped and bare;
Nor Grecian goods and raiment
rich
Behold the rags I wear!
They sleep on ivory couches,
The rocks must be your bed;
Their tables groan with plenty,
My men eat bitter bread.

Haven't seen so much of Hitler
en the front page lately, have you?
It all goes to prove that Germany
—the TRUE Germany, is prepar-
ing gradually but surely to ease
the Billy Sunday of Germany, off
the stage. An editorial in the
New York Times points out that
the Germans "are poor material Na glories crown my faithful men,
Who know the traitor's shame,
for revolution," and their record
shows since the Armistice that they Until they meet in Syrian courts
The death I dare not name.
"are poor material for would-be
Ceasars to experiment on." As for My fighting hands are empty;
My promises are grim;
Hitler! Here is the "size-up:"
Yet ye who hour Israel's God

KINDNESS THROUGH ANGER

For some time, our friends Winchell and Ben Bernie have been

waging what seemed to be a very nasty personal battle. The things

that they have been saying about each other in their radio broadcasts,
and Winchell in his column, have not been such as can be reproduced
in a respectable column of this nature..
But now, it turns out, it is all a hoax. Just a game the two are
playing at seeing how nasty one can be to the other.
And I'm beginning to think that it might be an idea worthy of
imitation on a vaster scale.

•

•

•

SIMILIA SIMILIBUS CURANTUR

1

Some professor at Columbia University recently sought to dem-
onstrate that the way to remove a weakness was not to directly seek
its removal, but rather to emphasize it.
Thus, this professor found that he had most success in curbing
a tendency he had to make certain mistakes in typewriting by delib- •
er ately seeking to practice those mistakes.
•
•
•

EXTENDING THE PRINCIPLE

Perhaps the principle is applicable to the field of ethics. Perhaps
we should gain in good-will towards each other if, instead of trying
to be nice, we tried deliberately to be a little nasty.
Isn't it a fact, for instance, that to those closest to us we are
• • •
always a little more frank and a little more cruel—and yet our ,
Francis Lederer, latest darling friendship is not impaired thereby.
of Broadway, has signed an RKO
Al Smith, perhaps, had the right idea when, "making up" with-
flicker contract to make a musical Governor Roosevelt, he greeted him, "Hello, you old potato." .
comedy.' They're considering ,the
Calling a person an "old potato" is, as you know, not the highest
"Cat and the Fiddle" for him. form of flattery.
Anyway, he'll speed Hollywood-I
Had he called Roosevelt "a fine, upstanding gentleman" it f
would have been more flattering, but would it have no healed the
(Turn to Next Page)
breach.
I think the time has come for a movement for bigger and
.1
better insulting—in the interests of peace on earth and good will
to men.

e r p 1 ei s ,
C ,,,, o
[ RANDOM THOUGHTS 1 bi y i. Ch

ROSA RAISA'S LOSSES
A news item in Time will in-
terest many readers throughout
the country who know Rosa Raise.
It seems that she lost all her vast
earnings from opera and concert
work through investments in the
Insult securities. And that from
being worth a million or more dol-
lars, she and her husband, Rimini,
must live in a modest way in Italy.
It seems tragic that members of
of the Chicago Civic Opera Com-
pany, with which Insull was no
closely affiliated, should have been
made the victims of high-powered,
personal salesmanship. One would
imagine that just because Mr. In-
sull was virtually in control of
these singers that his associates
would have refrained from invit-
ing them to invest in the utilities
companies. It is hoped that Raise
will be able to recuperate her for-
tunes.
• • •

By DAVID SCHWARTZ

IIOLLYWOOD. — Vicki Baum
A member of the faculty of City College is hunger-striking as
reports that her earnings from the this is being written, in protest against anti-Jewish disturbances in
novel, play and movie of "Grand Polish universities—any many things are being said about the varsity
Hotel" have totaled but $23,000. instructor.
The screen rights brought a mere
I do not propose to express an opinion about the personal aspects.
$4,000, and so bound was she by Who shall say what are the motives that actuate an individual in
contracts and percentages to such a matter—or any matter. But a story comes to mind, with
agents that she has to "work hard regard to the general proposition of the professor—that of dying
for a living." In ten years of for his cause. It is a story that is related of the late Daniel DeLeon.
writing, "Grand Hotel" was her • • •
first outstanding success.
A LITTLE ANECDOTE
• • •
DeLeon, as you may or may not remember, was one of the
Oh, hot • "shiddach" . . . pioneer American Socialists. Although one of the earliest, he was
also probably the most original force that American Socialism has
Lillian Roth and Judge Benja.
min Shalleck of New York will produced. No less a person than Lenin admitted the deep influence
listen to ■ rabbi sometime next that DeLeon had exerted on him.
Well, to come to the story—DeLeon started his radical career
month. Did the recent marriage
as a Populist back in the eighties.
of her ex-flame song-writer have
One day DeLeon delivered a very forceful address before a
•nything• to. do- with- her- de-
gathering of Populist farmers in some western states,
cisioni
After the speech was finished, one whiskered Populist farmer
• • •
And another. Sidney Fox took arose and said:
"Mr. DeLeon, that is a very beautiful speech you made, but 1
the fatal step and is now Mrs.
Charles Beahan, wife of Univer- want to ask you—would you die for the cause?"
sal's New York scenario chief. It "My friend," 4eplied DeLeon, "one live man for the cause is
wasn't the wedding bells, but the worth a thousand dead men."
man, that staggered movieland
•
for it was almost a Hollywood WHY DISRAELI LOVED
One of the strangest episodes of history was that of Benjamin
tradition that her fiance was Ar•
Disraeli
and
his
wife.
tist Jean Negulesco.
• • •
The brilliant Dizzy, as you remember, married a woman some
15 or 20 years older than he was and was deeply attached to her.
Sol Wurtsel, a Fox executive,
That does not pass comprehension if the woman is of some
says you can ■ Iways tell • real
superior sort. But Disraeli's wife was not of the superior sort. A
actress by what she does after ■
very
simple woman indeed,
scene is completed. If she's still
What was it, then, that evoked the precious emotion of love in
in ch ■ racter, she's a true ar•
Disraeli's
case?
tilt. If she begins clowning as
•
•
•

second, and not the original
Names of p rsons, among the
bearer of the name.
Jews as anion ;other peoples of
In post-exilic times, however,
antiquity, we e considered of
we find many instances of a
great importa ce. They were be-
grandson having the same name
lieve dto serve other purposes
as his grandfather. No doubt
besides those of identification and
changed conditions or beliefs
recognition. To the question,
among the Palestinian Jews
"What is in a name?" the ancient
must have helped to make this
Jews— and to a certain extent,
custom (prevalent among the
their later descendants—would
Greeks and the Egyptians) gen-
answer: "There is a whole lot
erally accepted by the Jews.
in it."
The belief in the power of the
The following are some of the
uttered word, popular in both
ideas which were current among
Bible
and Talmudic times no
the people of Bible times, as to
doubt influenced and affected the
the purpose, function and signi-
ideas
which
the people entertain-
ficance of personal names:
ed in regard to the selection of
The purpose of a name is to de-
names. This belief is intimately
scribe adequately the personality
connected with another notion,
Thursday, Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh Tebet read.
of its bearer, to identify him and
viz.: that the agents of the heav-
ings of the Torah, Num. 28:1-15 and 7:42-47; Fri-
make him recognizable as a dis-
enly administration, both angels
day, Chanukah and Rosh Chodesh Tebet readings of
tinct individual not only by his
and demons, were, like human
The Jewish Children's Home.
the Torah, Num, 28:1-15 and 7:48-53.
fellow human beings, but also by
agents, capable of making mis-
From the standpoint of architectural angels and demons, who might takes. These two beliefs, the one
Kislev 24, 5693
have some thing to do with him
in the power of the spoken word
December 23, 1932
beauty and structural appearance, the as a distinct individual.
and the other in the falli-
The name may be prophetic
bility of the spirits, largely de-
Jewish Children's Home of Detroit is the
I
of
the
fortunes
and
the
exper-
termined the attitude of the peo-
Chanukah and Christmas
finest public building which may be called iences of the person to whom it ple in the selection of names for
Chanukah's occurrence simultaneously the property of the Detroit Jewish com- it given. It has, accordingly, the their children.
function of suggesting what the EFFECTS OF CHANGE
with Christmas creates the danger of de- munity.
A result of these two ideas was
person is to be.
the beliefs generally accepted
lusion on the part of many Jews that the
Also, traditionally, the cause represented KEEPING NAME ALIVE
in Talmudic times, that a change
Another notion, entertained by
Christian holy day is a national holiday; by this institution is one of the most vital.
in the name affects a change in
people of Bible times was that,
status of its bearer, It was
that imitation on the part of Jews—not The care of the orphan is an obligation by giving the child a certain the
believed that if a person is called
we actually produce in him
by another name, the angels or
excluding the adoption of the custom of undisputed by any community. In the name,
the qualitieq indicated by that
demons who leok for him under
having the Christmas tree in the home— Talmud, the property of the orphan is con- name. It was believed that the his old name, cannot find him.
name given him may influence
It was likewise felt that a change
is permissible.
sidered consecrated property, and the home his character and actually make of residence would have the same
It is worth noting an unpleasant contrast in which the fatherless are cared for must him what the name suggested effect of allowing a person to es-
him to be, in other words no-
cape the danger of the evil de-
in this connection. At a time when boy- certainly be viewed as consecrated and mina sunt amino. It was fur- creed
against him. The angels
ther believed, that when a per- go only by name and address.
cotts are being organized by Christians in hallowed ground.
son's name no longer adequately
And if they come to a given ad-
described his personality or ex-
European countries against Christmas
and do not find such a per-
The dedication of the beautiful Jewish pressed his character and for- dress there,
they report back that
shopping in Jewish stored, Jews in Western Children's Home at Burlingame and Petos- tunes, or when a change in the son
they could not find him, and the
or fortunes is wished
verdict is then destroyed as use-
Europe and in this country speak of being key, Sunday, Dec. 25, affords an oppor- character
for, the name must accordingly
less.
tolerantly liberal when they mimic the tunity to revive anew the community's in- be changed.
That the angels can and do
Still another belief was that
ouch mistakes in persons
Christians in their observance of Christmas terest in this institution. This occasion as long as a person's name was make
is evident from the following
and in honoring the custom of having should be utilized by Detroit Jews to be- kept alive and remembered, the story in the Talmud: The angel
person himself continued to live.
of death was ordered to put to
Christmas trees in their homes.
This, however, at least in Bible
death a certain woman by the
come acquainted with the home. It is safe
not to be achieved
name of Mary, who was • hair-
The fact is that such mimickry is in no to charge that only a handful of people times—was
by calling children or grandchil-
dresser, but he put to death by
way complimentary to Christians; that have thus far seen the home, the mass of dren by the same name as their mistake an innocent little school
parents or grandparents. There
by the name of Mary.
Christians ought to resent an effort to lend Detroit Jewry still being unacquainted is no record in the Bible of such teacher
And while his heavenly superiors
custom
having
been
observed
in
pointed
out
him the mistake he
a civic and national character to the ob- with it. This is a wrong committed not pre-exile times. The absolute Ind had made, to and
perhaps repri•
servance of their holiest religious day in only against the Detroit home, but also persistent silence regarding ouch mended him, the life of young
custom in the Bible suggests
Mary,
the
school
teacher, was
a
the year. So that, when we speak dis- against a holy Jewish tradition.
that not only was this not the
not restored.
practice but, on the contrary,
respectfully and disparagingly of Jewish
Accordingly
in
giving
children
The ceremony of consecrating the new there most have been positive ob- names like those of their
an-
effort to adopt Christian customs, we home to service in this community will be jections to it. These objections cestors,
people in Talmudic times
to have been based upon
would select the name of an an-
merely defend the principle that the slight- an empty one unless the community dis- seem
the very belief in the mystical
cestor whom they believed to have
est concession to strange customs and re- play's an interest in this cause. This dedi- identity of the name with the per- been a good and successful man,
sonality.
and would avoid giving them the
ligions serves to undermine our own posi- cation serves as a challenge to Detroit IN POST-EXILE TIMES
names of wicked relatives. For
The
individuality
and
charac-
it was believed and feared that
tion as Jews. In leveling our criticism at Jewry's concern over the needs of the
ter identical with a certain name
the child might be mistaken for
Jewish imitators, we therefore retain all children and their home. The thousands could belong to only one person the ancestor whose name he
in
the
same
group
or
family.
To
the respect that is due for our sister relig- of indifferent ones in this community will, give the name of one person to bears.
The fear that by giving the
ion, in the same degree as we expect the on Dec. 25, have the opportunity of prov- another of the same group or • name of one person to another,
family, would, according to popu-
the
former person would have
non-Jews to respect our own religious feel- ing that the important tradition of caring lar conception, mean to transfer to cease
to exist, was now gener-
the very being of the one person
ally
abandoned. Not only were
ings and customs.
for the orphaned is not being abused and to the other, with the result that people
not afraid of their lives
Aside from the fact that Christmas ignored by Jews.
the former bearer of the name
when children were named after
would cease to live. Likewise to
them, but they were pleased with
brings to mind for the Jew only the sad-
give a child the name of a de-
it, since it meant that the pre-
ceased relative or ancestor would
dest remembrances of persecutions and
servation of their memory was
wipe out the remembrance of the
assured them, even in their life-
. .ate Aaron D. Markson.
The
(
indignities heaped upon us by un un-
departed. Because at the men-
time. Throughout the entire
News of the death of Aaron D. Markson
of the name subsequent gen-
friendly world and by bigots who spoke comes as a severe shock to our community. tion
(Turn to Next Page)
erations would have in mind the

in the name of Christ; the observance of
any of the Christmas ceremonies by Jews
serves merely to make a damaging conces-
sion and means in effect the comprormis-
ing of our Jewish conscience. It is one
thing to remember our non-Jewish neigh-
bors with our greetings, with our gifts. In
this way we show our respect and help in
creating good-will.
There are those, however, who maintain
that by adopting some of the Christian cus-
toms and ceremonials, we aid in the good-
will movement between Jews and Chris-
tians. This is tantamount to saying that
we aid such a movement by forsaking our
own ideals for those of our neighbors. But
this is not good-will: it is suicide. We have
no quarrels with those who would commit
suicide. Our quarrel is with those who
continue to profess their loyalty and yet
approve of mimicking the practices of the
majority religion.
The greatest danger for Jews in the
competition of Christmas with Chanukah
is in the celebration of the holiday in our
public schools. Jewish children come to
their parents with reproaches for the non-
observance in their homes of a holiday the
spirit of which permeates every activity
in the schools, whose activities are sup-
posedly non-sectarian. How are these in-
fluences to be counteracted?
One would imagine that the answer is
an obvious one: that in appropriate ob-
servance of the Chanukah festival lies the
solution to the problem. But because the
question is annually advanced, requiring
perennial answers, it is not to be so simply
deduced that we are to take the solution
to the Christmas problem for granted.
Once again, indifference is a weapon of
destruction for Jewish traditions. Indif-
ferent parents pay so little attention to
the ceremonial needs of their children that
it is not to be wondered at that the influ-
ence of the school, in the instance of Christ-
mas, serves to undermine the position of
the home.
So much beauty and romance is incor-
porated in the Chanukah story that it ought
to be a simple matter, by its observance,
to counteract whatever damage is done to
our position as Jews. The story of the
festival, as reflected in the Menorah lights.
and as incorporated in the fanciful and
fascinating history of our people, should
be a topic of extreme interest and power
between Jewry

Tidbits and News

By- the-Way

be that they'll be suggesting to
them to go back and attend to their
studying!

•

• •

CHRISTMAS AND CHANUKAH

1 read an editorial the other day
in Modern View of St. Louis, writ-
ten by Rabbi Isserman, in which
he deplored the practice of some
Jewish families to have Christmas
trees in their homes. He made the
point that when the Jewish child
sees the parents observe the holi-
days of another religion and ignore
their own, the child senses the in-
adequacy of the Jewish religion.
That is true. But for years I have
suggested (and the idea is by no
means original) that the Jews have
made a serious mistake by not
dramatizing Chanukah to such a
degree that the Jewish child will
find as much interest in it as it
does in Christmas with its tree and
other attractions. But each time
I have been waved aside. Religious
leaders have argued with me that
there is sufficient drama in the
festival of Chanukah and I still
insist there isn't. And my jury to
decide the case consists of the Jew-
ish children who are influenced by
the Christmas celebration. Let the
Central Conference of American
Rabbis make the start by present-
ing a plan to dramatize our own
festival of Lights to a degree that
will make it the Jewish children
wonder-eyed. Don't miss this
THINK IT OVER.
• • •

IN POLAND

,

We are having the same old
trouble, in the game old way, in Po-
land. One is confused andperplex-
ed trying to untangle the skeins of
the different stories to determine
where truth ends and exaggeration
begins. However, there can be no
doubt that there is a severe and ex-
cessive discrimination against the
Jews of Poland in the economic
field; that they have been subject-
ed to attacks by anti-Semitic stu-
dents. Without condemning or
justifying the government of Po-
land we must always keep in mind
that despite the moat earnest efforts
it is difficult for a government to
correct abuses. On every occasion
the Polish authorities have signi-
fied their opposition to the anti-
Semitic outrages and promised
their full co-operation in an effort
to check them. The only thing I
suggest is that the Jewish press
does not go out of its way to fan
the flames of hatred and to create
additional ill-will against the Po-
lish government. At least let us
try to be fair in our attitude, re-
membering it is difficult to over-
come Inmatices that are a blot upon

•

• '

MOST BEAUTIFUL WORDS

They are all doing it now. Compiling lists of the ten roost
beautiful words in the English language. •
The smart half-Jewish Dorothy Parker says the two most beauti-
ful words to her are "inclosed" and "check"—that is, of course,
when they are in the same sentence.
Fanny Hurst is more serious with a list that includes: t'lyric,
serenity, vitality, mercy and beauty."
My favorite word is "vacation."
But it will not do to be facetious. I its not doubt that the
intrinsic beauty or sonorousness of words has played a significant
part in history.
They used to say of the Earl of Balfour, who gave us that '
Balfour Declaration, "that the reason why he became enamoured in
his later years of democracy was that the word 'democracy' was
so mouth-filling—just like Mesopotamia:

WRITING FOR JOY

Some of the Jewish literati are participating in a symposium as
to whether writers like to write.
Most of these professionals express the view that a writer who
writes because he likes to write is absurd. F. P. A, probably typifies
the most of them when he declares that writing is painful, and that
for him happiness may be defined simply as "when one is not writing." '
My own view in the matter has already been broadly expressed
in a statement once made, I believe, by Will Cuppy that "writers are
those who were hit on the head when they were young."

Chanukah, Feast of Dedication

The Origin and Traditions of Chanukah and the Part
Chanukah Plays in the Maccabean Epic.

By MARY ELBINGER

On the eve of the twenty-fifth fought to prolong it; who dared op-
day of Kislev—this year the night pose the powerful Antiochus, the
of Dec. 24—the first Chanukah Syrian king, who strove to crush
candle will be kindled by reciting the Jewish faith in the One God,
the following benedictions: "Bles- and supress Hebrew rituals and
sed be the Lord our God, King of ceremonies!
the Universe, who has sanctified
This, then, In the story. An-
us by Thy commandments and en- tiochus Epiphanes was king of
joined us to kindle the Chanukah Syria during h years 175 to 164
lamp. Blessed be the Lord our B. C. Durink his reign, he strove to
God, King of the Universe, who crush the Jews, to deprive them of
has done wondrous thin gs to our their faith by means of martial
fathers in days of yore at this suppression and force. In his efforts
season." On the second night of to Hellenize Judea, he abolished
Chanukah, two candles will ge kin- the sacred seasons, he burned the
dled, and on the third night, three sacred books and ordered the Jews,
candles, and no on in progression, under pain of death, to subscribe
until on the eighth night there will to the Pagan rites of the empire.
be eight candles. The same bene- Among the Jews, there were trai-
dictions will accompany the kind- tors who abided by the law of An-
ling ceremony each night, perhaps tichus, forgetting their faith and
to be followed by the hymn "Mo'ox engaging in the occasional war-
tsar." Then the children will clus- fare waged against their awn peo-
ter around father to receive the ple.
t," aft er which they
But not so was Judas Maccabees,
will sojourn by the light of the
of the priest Mattathias. He
candles to play with their Trendle. son
was a staunch defender of the He-
The Jews have continued to light braic rituals. Adjured by his fath-
candles on Chanukah, despite cen- er, he gathered about him men
turies of oppression and assimila- who were pious and who were suffi-
tion. If you. know why only vag- ciently valorous to fight for the
uely, pause nowt and read the propagaation of their faith and
story of the Maccabees; read why race, and so he became a leader
Chanukah commemorates the con- against the Syrians. He grew in
quest of idealism over brutality, power as he continued his cam-
of light over darkness! Harken to , yelps, gathering more men to his
the story of a mere handful of side and becoming more and more
ews who, estimating correctly the feared by the Syrians. In propor-