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A merico, 'elvish Palatial! Cotter

CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, 01110

January 5, 1940

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

P urely Commentary

The Human Instinct Is Not Dead

"Cousin Helen", who conducts a children's col-
umn in the South African Jewish Chronicle, re-
cently treated her young readers to a story which
deserves much wider circulation. It is a tale of
human kindness, and it teaches us that not all who
live in a Nazi environment, or who even speak like
the Nazis, are Nazi in spirit. "Cousin Helen's"
story is so fine that we deem it necessary to share
it with our readers. Here is the story:

THE OLD OVERCOAT

In a German town near the Swiss border
the decree had gone out that all Jewish prop.
erty was to be confiscated by a certain day.
One Jew in that town decided it were better
that his property and possessions fall into the
hands of Gentile friends and neighbors rather
than into the hands of the Nazis. So for days
he kept busy transferring his property as well
as secretly lugging piece by piece in the silence
of the night as much of his furnitur e and per-
sonal belongings as he could to his Aryan
neighbours.

Shortly afterwards came another decree—
that every Jew in that town must leave the
country within 24 hours . . It was a bitter
cold night when Storm Troopers descended
upon this Jew and his family to carry out the
decree, walk them to the railroad station and
see to it that they along with the other Jews
of the town got on the train, which was to
haul them across the border.

Just as the Jew and his family were leaving
their home with broken hearts, faltering steps
and fear in their eyes, one of their Christian
neighbors stepped out of his home, gazed at
the scene and quickly walked over to the Storm
Troop leader and rather indignantly burst out:
"Why should this accursed Jude be allowed
to take out of our Reich such a fine overcoat?
Better let me have it, a pure Aryan. I can very
well use it, and will bless our great Fuehrer
and party the more for it. Here, let him have
my worn-out rag, and I'll take his .fine coat
with thanks and appreciation to you, com-
rades!"

The troop leader gladly halted the Jew, com-
manded him to take off his warm coat and give
it to his neighbor, while the neighbor shed
his quickly and triumphantly and gave it to
his neighbor without the least sign of sym-
pathy or recognition.

The Jewish family crossed the border and
landed in Switzerland. There suspecting
nothing he soon afterwards took the overcoat
to a tailor to be mended. And when the tailor
ripped open the inner lining, bank notes and a
letter fell out to the great astonishment of
the brokenhearted exile.

Now he understood it all. The letter read:
"Take hope! The sun will shine again for
all of us! Your tragedy is our tragedy. Our
salvation will be your salvation. Some day we
will meet again in joy and happiness.
"For the present I did all I could under the
circumstance s to prove our undying friendship
to you and your family . . . All the property
and possession s you gave to us I converted
into bank notes, which you will find in the coat
lining.

"I shall wear your overcoat as a covenant
of our friendship, as well as reminder of Ger-
many, that was and will be, and as source of
hope that the dark plague will soon vanish
from our fair land.

"And when our land is free again and you
and your dear ones return, I hope I shall be

able to replace your coat with even a better
one."

This story should teach us all that the human
instinct is not dead; that not all our neighbors
nurture grudges against us; that not all Christians
are poisoned by the horrible libels directed against

•

An Interesting Appeal to Catholics

This story is not an isolated lesson in true
brotherhood. One of our readers has just sent us
a copy of the Religious Bulletin of the University
of Notre Dame, dated Dec. 16, 1939. In its pre-
Christmas notes, this bulletin carries the following
significant statement:

SO WE'LL HAVE TO RAMBLE .. .

• • . to get in a few of the many notes lying

around the desk which were "scheduled" be-
fore Christma s . .
Most important, out CHRIST and the MASS
into CHRISTMAS . . . Don't go sending greet-
!rig cards with pert puppies and cute cats on
ern . . Select something that reminds your
friends it's the Feast of the Babe of Bethlehem
• • . On the other hand, don't fall for anti-
Christian principle s parading under the guise
of purer Christianity, like BUY CHRISTIAN
• • . Not that you should go out of your way
not to buy Christian, but remember, that Babe
cam e to save all and especially the Jews and
that Babe's mother, the purest, loveliest crea-
ture God ever made was a Jewess and she's
your own Mother! . . . So it isn't celebrating
Christma s CHRIST'S way to exclude the Jew
from one's dealings . . . Put CHRIST into
Christma s by practicing charity, by loving
HIM and by loving your neighbor for HIS
sak e . . Your neighbor may be a Jew . . •
If any man say he loves God and loves not
his neighbor, the same is a liar and the truth
is not in him; for how can he love God whom
he teeth not whe n he loves not his neighbor
whom he seeth?"

As Jews, we are naturally grateful to the Uni-
versity of Notre Dame, and to the great mass of
atholics who hold similar views. for this message
of true neighborliness. The pre-Christmas message

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

to the University of Notre Dame students is a
heartening post-Christmas message to us.
The "Buy Christian" slogan, the creation of
rabid anti-Semites, has drawn attacks from Catho-
lic sources on numerous occasions. It has been
recognized as one of the most destructive cam-
paigns on record in this country, and the stand
taken by our Catholic friends deserves gratitude;
it deserves recognition as a truly American stand
on an important issue involving relations be-
tween various elements in our population.
We have added reason to feel heartened by the
latest actions for peace on the part of President
Roosevelt, and his efforts to draw into the circle
of negotiators for peace activities Protestans and
Jews and Catholics. From this land can—and should
—come the signal for peace and for amicable inter-
faith and inter-racial dealings. May this movement
gain in strength, for the good of America—and of
all mankind.

5

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•

When the Heart is Closed to Mercy

The Presbyterian Magazine of Philadelphia re-
cently carried the following interesting paragraph:

SHOES REPAIRED

Though it seems like a strange contradiction,
religious zeal has written some of the hideous
pages of history. We are reminded again of this

By FACTORY METHODS

fact by the publication, in England, of Thomas
Hope's book, "Torquemada: Scourge of the
Jews." The subject of this work has been var-
iously described as a man "whose chief ambition
in life was to imitate Jesus Christ"; as "a
scourge of heresy"; as "a priest whose heart was
closed to every sentiment of mercy"; but per-
haps best of all as "one of that class in whom
zeal passes for religion, and who testify their
zeal by a fier y persecutio n of those whose creed
differs from their own; who compensate for their
abstinance from sensual indulgence by giving
scope to those deadlier vices of the heart, pride,
bigotry and intolerance, which are far more ex-
tensively mischievous to society."

This is a remarkable summation of a tragic
chapter in world history. When the heart is "closed
to every sentiment of mercy," cruelty overpowers
human kindness. This was true of Torquemada. It
is true of his modern successors. Their work is a
mischievous weapon which deals death-blows to
society, which must always keep a vigil eye against
the rise of such tyrants if humanity is not to be
totally destroyed.

•

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KADIMAH HEBREW' SCHOOLS

ONE OF THE MOST MODERN IN THE STATE

NEW PUPILS NOW BEING ENROLLED
at 11812 Linwood Ave., corner Tuxedo, upstairs
SIMON RICHARDSON, Principal
Private Lessons Can Be Arranged

People have learned to look with suspicion upon
Transportation furnished for children who live at a
their politicians and the tricks they resort to in
distance from the school.
playing their games of state. But politicians—they
For information call HOgarth 1889
prefer to call themselves diplomats and statesmen
—also distrust one another. A most interesting
story is told in a book published recently by Mme.
Genevieve Tabouis, famous French diplomatic
journalist who is a descendant of a long line of
diplomats and is a niece by marriage of M. Jules
Cambon, late French Ambassador to England. In
her book Mine. Tabouis tells this story:
Organized with Co-operation of

Oneg 'Shabbath at
A HISTORY' OF 50
Cong. Beth Tikvah YEARS OF JEWISH
LEARNING IN U. S.

One day the Rumanian statesman M. Titu-
lescu, as Chairma n of the Little Entente, com-
plained bitterly to M. Laval of the lack of
sympathy shown by France towards the Little
Entente policy. M. Foitich, the Yugoslav Min-
ister, who happened to be present, in order
to relieve the tension, produced a magnificent

watch. "Do you know why Titulescu gave me
this?" he asked Laval. Laval shook his head,
whereupon the other explained that one day
Titulescu had been extremely angry with him,
and, as he was kindness itself, he made him a
present of the watch just to show him there
was no ill-feeling. There ensued this conversa-
tion.

United Hebrew Schools

The

Beth Tikvah Synagogue,
located at W. Chicago and Petos-
key, organizezd an Oneg Shab-
bath observance on Friday eve-
ning.

Every Friday evening members
and friends of the synagogue
gather in the main auditorium
of the synagogue and spend a
pleasant hour in appropriate talks
and Sabbath songs.
The management of the shul
obtained the cooperation of the
LAVAL:
"In that case I am entitled to a
United Hebrew Schools' staff for
clock.
this Oneg Shabbath gathering. N.
TITULESCU: "You shall have one."
Ruttenberg, a member of the
staff, is conducting the mass sing-
LAVAL: "But now I come to think of it, I
ing. and one of the instructors
would rather have a watch than a clock, be-
cause then I would always wear Titulescu
delivers the address. Refresh-
near hear!."
ments are served by the Ladies'
Auxiliary of the synagogue.
TITULESCU: "You shall have the watch,
but you'd like to have Titulescu, not near
Officers of the synagogue are:
your heart but in your pocket. Let me tell you
President, M. Gribow; vice presi-
that it can't be done."
dent, H. Feldman; treasurer, N.
Frederick: secretary A. Sklar.
What a game, and how gallantly it is played! Max Maniker assisted in the or-
But Mme. Tabouis relates another incident of ganization of this Oneg Shabbath.
even greater chivalry. She describes the visit in
Rome of M. Laval, the former French Foreign
Minister, to conclude an agreement with Italy.
The French journalists were presented to II Duce. Bnai Israel Congregation in
Pontiac Reports New Pro-
When Mine. Tabouis' turn came to be introduced
to Dictator Benito Mussolini, he greeted her with
gram Under Leadership
the remark: "That's a nice frock you're wearing:
of Rabbi I. Strauss
your name is Genevieve, but your articles on Italy
are unfair." This is dictatorial chivalry, gallantry
The educational committee of
and familiarity, especially of the kind that helps the Bnai Israel Congregation of
a journalist to become less rather than more im- Pontiac announces that during
pressed with the justice-loving qualities of dicta- the short time that Rabbi I.
tors.
Strauss has been in Pontiac, Ito
has reorganized the Talmud
Torah where now over 30 chil-
dren are attending daily sessions.
Striking Oddities in the News
He has, likewise. instituted the
use of progressive educational
A n interesting incident is revealed dating back methods in the teaching of He-
to the tragic days of last March in Vienna. When brew.
the Nazis took control of Austria a number of
A Junior Congregation has
foreigners were arrested and among them were been formed which meets every
three Philadelphia Quakers. They were turned Sabbath morning. The services
over to a Viennese police officer who asked who are conducted entirely by the
they were, where they came from, what was their junior members. A young peo-
business in Vienna. When he learned their iden- ale's group has been formed
tity the police officer said: "So you are Quakers! which meets several times a week
You were the ones who fed me and clothed me in the Bnai Israel Congregation
when I was near starvation 17 years ago. You for educational and social ac-
may all go, and do whatever you want to do. tivities. The educational commit-
Vienna owes a very great deal to the Quakers." tee of the Bnai Israel Congrega-
Who said all Austrians are Nazis? Indeed, it is tion is planning an interesting
even reasonable to believe that not all Nazis are program of activities for the
Ratzis.
coming year.

•

Fifty years of progress in tile
field of higher Jewish learning in
the United States is recounted
in the semi-centennial volume of
the Jewish Theological Seminary
of America, edited by Dr. Cyrus
Adler, its president.
It is appropriate that this vol-
ume should commence with the
semi-centennial address delivered
by Dr. Adler, recounting the his-
tory of the seminary since it was
founded by Sabato Morais and H.
Pereira Mendes. But the volume
is not narrowed down to the pure-
ly chronological. Out of every ar-
ticle emerges a bit of American-
Jewish history, in the field of
Jewish learning..
Dr. Louis Finkelstein, provost
of the seminary, discusses "Tra-
dition in the Making," and out-
lines the seminary's interpretation
of Judaism. There is an article by
the late Dr. Mendes on the be-
ginning of the seminary. Chief
Rabbi Dr. Joseph H. Hertz of the
British Empire pays a pupil's tri-
bute to Dr. Morais. There are ar-
ticles by Charles I. Hoffman, Jo-
seph B. Abrahams, Dr. Israel
Davidson, Dr. Alexander Marx,
the late Felix M. Warburg, de-
scribing the various departments
of the seminary and different
phases of its work.

Hebrew Ladies Aid Society
Party on Jan. 17

Features of the pa•ty :iton-
-ored by the Hebrew Ladies Aid
Society on Jan. 17 at the Dexter-
Lawrence Hall will be Mah Jong,
bridge and other games. The
committee headed by Mrs. Ethel
Goodman will serve refreshments.
Members of the society are re-
ouested to invite their friends to
the social meeting on Wednesday
afternoon, Jan. 10, at the Dexter-
Lawrence Hall. A brief business
meeting will be followed by a so-
cial afternoon. during which re-
freshments will be served.
The organization acknowledges
donations from Mrs. Engel, of
New York City, and from Mrs.
Leo Weintraub.
It has been found necessary to
postpone the annual dinner dance
to Sunday, March 17, instead of
March 3, as originally planned.